The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 792

Episode 792: This is good for persuasion. (1)

“Kill the saint and seize the holy stone.
That was the order from the Pope.
However, Darenz couldn’t say it out loud.
He didn’t know what the Dragon Lord was thinking.
“I, I… simply came to confirm the fate of the Yulien Mercenary Corps at the order of His Holiness. Killing the saint… is not something I can decide.”
Darenz slyly changed the subject.
He repeatedly emphasized that he was merely a servant who received orders, and that whatever he did was not his own will.
Arterion could not have been unaware of Darenz’s meaning.
And he also guessed how the current Pope felt about the saint.
So he said,
“The dragons made an oath with the Pope to fight the demonic realm. So tell the Pope.”
Ddddddd… …
Arterion’s intense energy bound Darenz.
“Don’t take the difficult path. Fight the demonic realm with the saint. Promises are always open to interpretation. Do you understand?”
While they had made a pact, the scope of interpretation was vast.
In other words, while the dragons might not overtly interfere with the Pope’s work, they could indirectly exert pressure at any time.
Darenz trembled with a suffocating energy and bowed deeply.
“The Great One’s will… I will make sure to convey it clearly.”
“The saint is alive!”
Darenz breathed a sigh of relief.
If the saint was alive, the Pope would be at peace for a time.
Then Arterion’s voice pierced his ears again.
“This is not advice, but a warning.”
He had not been kind to the current Pope from the beginning.
When he first met him, Arterion found something very strange.
The Pope’s gaze held a strange emptiness and greed.
“It was a gaze no ordinary human could ever find.”
Yet, he could not oppose the election of the Pope.
It was because of a law passed down from the beginning that only humans could elect a pope.
He didn’t interfere with the papal election, but he refused to hand over the Holy Stone despite the pope’s persistent demands. The dragon’s intuition sensed the ominous presence of the pope.
‘I thought he’d disappear soon, since he’s human anyway…’
That prediction was wrong.
With the rise of the demonic realm in this era, the pope wielded more power than anyone else.
There was nothing he could do. He could only hope that the saint and the Julian mercenaries would be able to persuade the pope safely
. All he could do now was help
the Julian mercenaries grow stronger and send a warning. Arterion continued slowly.
“The saint lives. And so do the Julian mercenaries. So don’t worry and go back.”
“Well… do you know how long they plan to stay here?”
Darenz’s mouth went dry.
What if they decided to stay?
That’s when things would get complicated. They could have to wait for them their entire lives.
Even if the Pope demanded the return of the saint, they would have to wait until the Dragon Lord gave her up.
Naturally, Darenz had no intention of living that way.
Arterion replied with a mocking voice.
“Well… The Yulian Mercenaries and the saint are trying to persuade me right now. I’m interested in them, so I’m watching them further… But if you want, I’ll send them back now.”
“Huh! Oh, no! I’ve confirmed they’re alive, so I’ll tell His Holiness!”
Darenz bowed his head again, startled.
If Arterion made excuses and refused to hand over the stone, his own life would be in danger.
So it would be better to retreat and await the Pope’s next order.
But Arterion had no intention of letting Darenz go.
“You’re the Pope’s envoy, so I can’t kill you. Give me one arm.”
“T-what do you mean?”
“This is the price you paid for your rudeness. Be thankful it’s over because of our oath.”
“Oh, Great One…”
“Quickly, place your arms on the magic circle. I will give you the chance to choose which arm.” As
Arterion finished speaking, the atmosphere around them became heavy.
Darenz trembled and placed his left arm on the magic circle.
He did not know what kind of rudeness he had committed, but he instinctively knew that refusing would result in a greater price.
Paaaaak!
In an instant, a cold energy exploded from the magic circle.
The cold, penetrating to the bone, instantly froze Darenz’s arm.
Kaaaaang!
Then the frozen arm shattered, shattering in all directions.
Ice
shards
flew, and
Darenz
let
out
a
desperate
groan
.
“
Keuu
…
Arterion gazed at Darenz’s back for a moment.
The reason he could see him from so far away was a special technique.
The giant window floating before him projected the scenery surrounding the altar.
He slowly turned and said,
“Is this enough?”
Giselle nodded.
“Yes, thank you for your consideration.”
“Even if we made a pact, we can still kill one of them. Wouldn’t it be easier to persuade them if we could reduce the number of superhumans?”
Arterion’s words were true.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to apply some pressure to the Pope to prevent him from taking any rash action.
However, Giselle shook her head and said,
“There’s someone else who can kill him. I’d like to give it to him.”
Giselle had kept Darenz alive precisely for Marika’s sake. She wanted to exact revenge on Darenz herself.
Of course, having someone else do it for her wasn’t a bad thing, but her goal was to kill Darenz and destroy the Crips.
If Darenz were to die now, her resolve and determination could falter. That would likely leave behind yet another sense of deficiency and emptiness.
“Yes, I understand. If that’s what you mean.”
Arterion replied with a nonchalant expression, then waved his hand slightly.
Saaaaak… …
With a single wave of his hand, the landscape floating in the air vanished.
Giselle asked with a curious expression,
“What kind of magic is that?”
“It’s nothing special. Just apply spatial magic and vision magic. It’ll require quite a bit of magical power, though.”
“Hmm, that’s impressive.”
As expected of a dragon. He was casually speaking about the enormous magical power consumed.
Of course, Giselle believed she would reach that level someday. She never doubted that future.
Strong faith ultimately becomes the power that creates reality.
And that belief… …was passed on to Astion.
“Ugh! Why do I always have to do the headache-inducing studies!”
Magic from Circle 8 onward boasted a level of difficulty unlike anything he’d experienced before.
But Giselle didn’t blink. She
had absolutely no intention of studying to the point of causing herself a headache. So, she consciously cheered Astion on.
“You can do it. I absolutely believe that ‘I’ will reach Circle 8.
“Why are you trying to realize that belief through me?”
“I believe in myself,
who believes in you!”
In the end, Astion had no choice but to study alone, night after night.
No, he wasn’t always alone.
Sometimes, Naktura, a Circle 8 mage, would help him study at Arterion’s behest.
Of course, Naktura, having failed to escape slavery, harbored resentment and frequently harassed Astion.
“Are you not smart? Why can’t you understand this? These days, even a kid this retarded can become a mage? Wow, back in my day, only the smartest kids were mages.”
Naktura was brutally harsh on Astion, remembering the most beatings from Giselle.
But he had no idea that the human who struck him and the one learning magic were two different souls.
Ultimately, Astion ended up bearing the brunt of the abuse.
Naktura felt a surge of stress as she tormented Astion.
“People really need to communicate to survive.”
Magicians inherently thrive on solitude.
That’s why they prefer to play and contemplate alone rather than socialize.
But even that was only when he did it of his own free will, within the confines of normal society. There was no way being forced into such a remote existence could be good.
‘This is so much fun!’
He secretly wished the Yulien Mercenaries could continue to reside here.
Even so, Naktura constantly reported Astion’s achievements to Arterion. That too was Arterion’s order.
And on the day Astion finally reached the 8th Circle despite brutal persecution,
Naktura learned of a promise she had been unaware of from Arterion.
“Astyon has reached the 8th Circle?”
“Yes, he’s only just begun, but he has reached the 8th Circle. Would you like to confirm?”
“No, that’s enough. If that’s what you say, then it’s time for you to leave.”
“Huh? Leaving? Shouldn’t I serve the Lord?”
Naktura was taken aback.
To him, leaving meant complete annihilation.
For him, who had become a lich, aspiring to eternal life, complete annihilation was a terrifying fear beyond all else.
Arterion spoke with a slightly regretful look.
“When you were briefly destroyed, Astion promised to hand you over when he reached the 8th Circle.”
“Me, me?”
“Yes, you will now become Astion’s slave and assist the Yulien Mercenaries. Can you handle it?”
“Yes, of course! I can!”
“When Astion’s realm matures a little more, then I will hand over the contract. Just know that.”
“I will follow the Lord’s command!”
Naktura cried out sincerely.
“It’s great! It’s truly great!”
It was fortunate that her skeletal face couldn’t show her expression. She was barely able to suppress the joy that urges her to jump.
Living alone with a dragon in this frigid land was terrifying, painful, and boring.
But if she were with the Yulien Mercenaries, whatever she did would be better than living here. So she couldn’t help but be happy.
From that day on, Naktura’s attitude changed dramatically.
“Wow, you’re a genius, you’re a genius. I’ve never seen such a genius in my life. Oh, you’re a dragon!”
“……???”
“How can you know a hundred, not ten, just by teaching one? Oh, this is amazing. Where did you come from!”
“……???”
Astion made a disgusted expression.
It was suspicious that the one who bullied and tormented him every day was suddenly praising him.
And what was even harder to bear was… …
“Are you tired from studying? Oh, look at your stiff shoulders. You need to loosen them up.”
It was truly creepy how he kept massaging those thin bones while he studied.
Astion was wary of the transformed Naktura for a while. Then he soon realized why.
‘That guy only found out now that his ownership was being transferred to Giselle!’
He had thought he knew already, but now he realized that he had only heard about it from Arterion.
Now that he knew, Astion felt free to be afraid. It was a chance to repay the resentment he’d endured.
Whenever he found anything even slightly difficult or bothersome while studying, he’d command Naktura.
“Water.”
“…”
“Fruit.”
“…”
“Shoulder.”
“…”
Naktura, without question, did whatever Astion asked. It was a cowardly investment in their future relationship.
Thus, Astion ascended to the 8th Circle, making his studies a little more comfortable.
And without fail, whenever he casted a spell once or twice, Giselle would forcefully memorize it.
Every time he saw her, Astion clucked his tongue.
“It’s a truly monstrous sensation.”
He still couldn’t grasp how she could master magic in such a way.
To harness the power of will and align with the world’s providence was truly a superhuman feat.
The other companions also rapidly improved. In particular, their mana reserves increased beyond comparison.
As time passed, Giselle’s greed grew.
“If I train for a few more years in this good environment, I think I could make even Osval a superhuman… … .”
“Osval, you’ve become revolutionary stronger today!”
Even the lazy Osval was quite satisfied with his current life
since he didn’t have to do anything scary. He had suffered so much that he thought training was better.
However, Giselle’s wish was impossible. Humanity did not have the time he wanted.
On the third year since they arrived here,
Arterion called the group and said in a heavy voice,
“I guess it’s time to get moving.”
“What happened?”
Arterion waved his hand at Giselle’s question.
The space rippled, and soon a dark, red scene unfolded before his eyes.
“This is a message captured in a crystal ball by another dragon. It’s brief and unstable, but it will be enough to grasp the situation.”
Kaaaaah!
Hideous monsters were rampaging through the burning ruins.
Giselle knew those monsters.
The rift.
The otherworldly creatures had finally revealed themselves.
Arterion gazed at them with profound eyes and continued,
“The Demonic Mirror army has moved.”
His head slowly turned to Deneb.
“And faster than expected.”