The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 854

Episode 854: Let’s Go Find Treasure (1)

Erenes buried her face in Giselle’s arms, sobbing, as if pouring out the burden that had weighed on her for a thousand years.
“Giselle… Yulienne… Deneb…”
Giselle gently stroked her back, softly answering as if she knew everything.
“I know. It’s not your fault.”
“But… I…”
She buried her head and couldn’t continue.
The choice she had made in her original history, in her original memories.
Even though the past had vanished, that heavy, desperate emotion still lingered like a deep wound.
In truth, she regretted and resented that choice to the point of death.
But it was also her choice. That’s why she had tried to hold on with a brave face.
But now, it was no longer her choice. The past, changed thanks to Giselle, had made it so.
Finally, Erenes could shed tears of regret and unbridled sorrow.
Giselle, too, now understood.
Why Erenes had been so obsessed with the idea of ​​justice. Why had he kept the past hidden?
‘That must have been the only way to justify and endure your actions.’
But that past no longer existed. It had never happened.
So Giselle said with a gentle smile,
“You did nothing wrong. It was just a nightmare, it was all in the past.”
The scars on his heart would never fade, but it was no longer Erenes’s fault for creating this new future.
And the elves and dwarves had paid the price. For a thousand years, they had lost their brilliant civilization, been reduced to slavery, living no better than beasts.
Now, they must break free from the past. They must look to the future and live in the present.
“Don’t worry about the past that no longer happened. What remains for us is more important.”
Erenes, who had been weeping for a long time, nodded quietly.
It was not yet time to let go of such sorrow. The two of them had to settle the most crucial matter of a thousand years ago.
“Giselle, tell me. Prince Yulien of the Turians… Is he really the Yulien we knew?”
Giselle nodded slowly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The current Yulien was indeed the warrior Yulien from his previous life.
Deneb had staked her entire future on this era because she was certain Yulien would be reincarnated in this time.
Erenes also believed his suspicions were correct. In fact, that suspicion had morphed into conviction.
When Yulien absorbed Arterion’s energy and said he had seen a mysterious vision
—one that said he wasn’t saving the world.
He told her that the vision had said so. And Erenes knew the true identity of that vision.
It was because Deneb had told him in the original history.
But whether it was Arterion’s energy or the saint’s necklace Giselle had, he couldn’t be certain at the time. Even
though all the circumstances pointed to him, Yulien’s actions in fighting for the world were completely unopposed.
Despite his suspicions, he had ultimately backed off, unable to find conclusive evidence.
But now, he was certain.
Because Giselle had said so.
“What should I do? It seems like you haven’t recovered your memories yet.”
Giselle nodded at Erenes’ question and looked at Belinda. When he woke up, he had already asked about Yulien’s whereabouts.
He knew Yulien had left, but he didn’t know his exact location.
“How long do you think it’ll take to find him?”
“I don’t think it’ll be easy to find him right away.”
“Why?”
“There’s no trace left at all. We’ve found the bodies of the remnants of the Salvation Church left behind by Yulien, but they’re not in a consistent direction. It’s all a jumble.”
Belinda had been tracking Yulien since before Giselle woke up.
It was Fenris’s responsibility to bring Yulien here, and because Yulien was such an important person.
However, even the experienced trackers had been unable to find Yulien for a long time.
He had said he would find Gator, but there was no agreed-upon direction.
So, at least we should have found a trace, but there was surprisingly little trace of Yulien.
The only indication of his passing were the corpses of the remnants of the Salvation Church he left behind.
Even those were discovered only after considerable time had passed, and even news of them arrived late. This meant he could never be found through normal means.
But Jisel wasn’t a normal person. An order that would shake the continent immediately poured out of his mouth.
“Send word to every kingdom on the continent. From now on, strengthen inspections in every city, town, road, and intersection without exception.”
“…”
“And tell them to form a pursuit party and investigate without leaving out even the most difficult areas. Have the wizards join them so we can contact them as quickly as possible. We’ll definitely catch them somewhere.”
“…….”
“Why? If we can’t find them, why don’t we just search the entire continent at once? Tell them I’m asking for it. If they don’t want to, they don’t have to. But tell them I’ll make a list of places they refuse.”
This was a request from none other than Grand Duke Fenris of the Kingdom of Rutania.
No kingdom could refuse Giselle’s request, hailed as the continent’s hero and savior, and effectively the most powerful person on the continent.
They’d even be terrified of what Giselle might do if they were to make a list of those who refused.
Despite such a coercive and brutal tactic, Giselle didn’t hesitate a bit.
“Ah, we have to prevent the extinction of humanity first. That’s the priority. If she’s dead, it’s all useless, right? If she regains her memories, it’s no joke.”
He spoke with absolute confidence.
“…….”
Everyone was speechless at Giselle’s unrealistic scale. It’s a method only Giselle could use, but… … . I was worried, wondering if this was really okay.
But to someone, it was simply amazing.
Erenes hugged Giselle’s neck tightly again and said,
“It’s Giselle. I knew Giselle could handle anything.”
This kind of reckless approach, then and now, was unique to Giselle.
Seeing her again brought back old memories. Even then, Giselle had always been like this:
the forceful determination to push forward with what she believed was right, no matter what others said. Isn’t this Giselle’s unchanging charm?
I used to think there were so many people who were so ignorant and reckless, but after our adventure together, my thoughts changed.
Giselle clicked her tongue at Erenes, who had clung too tightly to her.
“Get away from her. Everyone’s watching.”
“So what, between us? They’ll have no idea what kind of adventure we’ve had.”
Erenes whispered, still wrapped in Giselle’s arms.
Those who saw her looked dumbfounded.
How proud and cold the elven chieftain had been.
She was so authoritarian and overbearing that it was difficult to even speak to her, let alone play along.
For such a woman to sob heartily in Giselle’s arms and even act like that?
Even though I’d seen the records… … Seeing her in person was truly unbelievable.
Belinda crossed her arms, lost in deep thought.
“They said being older was okay, but… … she’s too old?”
Giselle had never been interested in marrying a woman. That was why everyone in the kingdom was talking. The fact that
the heir to the kingdom wasn’t married was a problem, after all. People had even begged her to marry anyone, no matter who.
But she was over a thousand years older. It was so old, it was a bit ambiguous.
Of course, Giselle still had no interest in marriage. With so much to do, how could they possibly date or marry?
Everyone else, oblivious to this, wore serious expressions.
As everyone else was at a loss, Claude, his forehead sunken, came in, carried on Wendy’s back.
He then shouted at Giselle.
“How could you not know! We’ve all read Astion’s diary! It’s not like we’re that special! Even that guy Osval seems to be that close! No, he’s probably closer? We’re both accused of being perverts!”
Claude was consumed by the pain of the slap. Even if it was some kind of sacred bond, he was determined to find a way to nitpick.
Even with such a trivial provocation, a vein appeared on Erenes’s forehead in an instant. Giselle and she had saved the world and experienced many things together. She
didn’t like how such a ‘special’ relationship was belittled. And to compare them to Osval!
Only then did she let go of Giselle and stand up, glaring fiercely at Claude.
Claude ducked his head in the crowd and said,
“What, why? Are you going to hit me again? I guess that’s only natural since you don’t even keep your contracts!”
“…”
Erenes’s lips twitched as she watched Claude grumble.
She knew full well how important Claude was to this territory, and to this kingdom, in general.
Therefore, she couldn’t just kill him carelessly. Giselle wouldn’t want that.
He must have known that too, and he’s exploiting it to his advantage.
But she’s a proud elf. Even a thousand years ago, no human would dare act like that to her.
Even if it meant getting scolded by Giselle, she was determined to educate him further.
Perhaps sensing the crisis, Claude suddenly spoke, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Well, well. Let’s forget the past for now. Lord Erenes must have been anxious, so I’ll fully ‘understand.’ In any case, isn’t it important to move forward for the future? My Lord, what do you plan to do when you find Yulien?”
Giselle answered, stroking her chin.
“Hmm… If it’s before he regains his memories, wouldn’t it be okay to immediately blow away Astion’s magic? It won’t be easy after he does, though.”
“Then, aside from the pursuit, I’ll prepare to go out at any time. Perhaps Yulien will regain his memories first and lead the remnants of the Salvation Church. I’ll also spread the news to the other kingdoms so they’ll be on high alert.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s great that you understand without me having to say anything. As expected of Claude.”
Giselle clapped her hands in delight. Working with such synergistic colleagues was bound to be enjoyable.
The sudden change in atmosphere made Erenes’s expression and gestures twitch awkwardly.
She had intended to educate Claude, but in this atmosphere, she couldn’t.
For a moment, her eyes met Claude’s. And she could see.
Claude’s face, smiling with triumphant abandon.
‘… … .’
Erenes’s body trembled with indignation.
A thousand years of patience was of no use against him. No, he was even more despicable than a thousand years of resentment.
‘Calm down. We need to calm down.’
Claude was a monster who fed on others’ emotions. The more he reacted, the more he got caught up. Wasn’t that how Alfoy always felt?
Ignoring him, like before, was the best. In reality, everyone in this territory was ignoring Claude.
Erenes took a deep breath at that thought.
Claude’s eyes also showed a slightly regretful expression.
‘It’s not easy. Not everyone could become a hero a thousand years ago.’
If he reacted, he had prepared various tactic to further inflame his anger, but, as befitting a hero who had saved the world, he quickly regained his composure.
The two glared at each other with subtle eyes.
The people around him shook their heads, watching the suffocating battle of nerves.
‘The General must be ignored at all costs.’
‘It’s best to keep the conversation to a minimum.’
‘The Chieftain held his own this time. As expected, it’s a thousand years of patience.’
Claude was becoming isolated due to his cruelty. Wendy was the only one who would talk to him.
In any case, Lutania had once again gained a powerful opponent in Erenes. She would be a great help in the remaining fight against the darkness.
Giselle also had much to discuss with her, but for the time being, he planned to focus on recovering.
While Giselle rested again, the Kingdom of Lutania began preparing for a new war.

* * *

Yulien stared at the gray sky.
“Kururung…”
Heavy, dark clouds were gathering in the sky. It seemed as if rain was about to fall, but something felt eerily different.
“…”
He stared at the sky for a moment, then absentmindedly turned his gaze to his surroundings.
The corpses of the Salvation Church priests he had killed lay scattered about. He had killed them every time he saw them, yet they still kept popping up from somewhere.
Just how many of them were there? They seemed to be the kind of men who had been active throughout the continent.
Every time he captured one, he asked for Gattros’s location. But not a single one answered properly. They
simply died, fanatically proclaiming even this as martyrdom.
Yulien killed them without any emotion. He felt that even killing insects would be better than this.
“…”
Yulien, resting among the corpses, touched his forehead.
The vision flashed through his mind again.
The vision that had been appearing irregularly for some time.
The apparition, which showed only a sorrowful, sad smile,
always repeated the same words.
― … … I’m not saving the world.
Based on various circumstances, I suspected the apparition was a saint.
But what did it mean to say she wasn’t saving the world? Could a saint possibly refuse to save the world?
I pondered the meaning, but my mind remained foggy, unable to grasp it.
Yet, every time I saw the apparition, I felt a palpable pang of discomfort, as if I’d lost something precious.
‘Should I go back?’
The thought crossed his mind: should I return to Rutania and check on Giselle?
If Giselle had awakened, perhaps she had learned something from the past.
A rumbling… … . Dark clouds
gathered. But Julian, focused on his own worries, ignored them.
He relied solely on his intuition, turning his mental compass.
Should he continue searching for Gattros, or return and check on Giselle?
His mental compass wavered unusually. His senses, which had always shown him the way, seemed confused.
Yulien frowned and rose from his seat, intending to find a nearby village, get some rest, and then reconsider.
The moment he rose and took a step,
the vision finally spoke to him in a different way.
― I… … .
KURRURRUNG!
A chill ran down his spine, and something struck his mind.
It wasn’t the thunder of the sky, but a unique cracking sound, like an ancient seal breaking.
At the same time, without realizing it… … . he
blurted out the name he cherished and hurt most.
“…Deneb.”
― … … I’m saving you.
Paaaaak!
Yulien’s eyes widened,
as if the time had finally come.
The thick fog that had filled his mind began to dissipate.