Chapter 791

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Ghislain asked with an innocent expression.

“Why?”

“……”

“You said you’d give me everything, didn’t you?”

“Well, I did say that…”

Arterion rubbed his chin a few times, lost in thought.

He certainly had promised full support, but he hadn’t expected Ghislain to ask for even the lich he was using as a personal secretary and guardian.

“Hmmm…”

Dragons were inherently greedy creatures.

Whether something was useful or not, their instinct was to gather anything of value and hoard it in their lair.

‘A lich is an incredibly rare servant to obtain.’

A magician powerful enough to reach the 8th Circle was a once-in-a-century genius—if even that.

That was exactly why Arterion hadn’t destroyed Nakturah, but kept him alive. An 8th-Circle lich was immensely useful.

Currently, no 8th-Circle black mages were known to exist on the continent—at least not officially. And even if they did exist, tracking them down would be exceedingly difficult.

Naturally, when Arterion captured Nakturah, the other dragons had been insanely jealous.

And yet this guy was boldly asking for him now.

Looking closely, he really was as greedy as any dragon.

“Hmph… ahem.”

After clearing his throat a few times, Arterion spoke.

“I’ve heard from Ilaniel that you’ve studied black magic. But even so, controlling an 8th-Circle lich will be difficult for you.”

“I’ll just have to improve my magic skills, then. As long as I reach the 8th Circle myself, I should be able to manage him just fine.”

“Ahem, hmm.”

Seeing Arterion feigning reluctance, Ghislain spoke again.

“Didn’t you say that if he killed us, he’d gain his freedom? So you were planning to release him anyway, weren’t you?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Actually, it wasn’t.

After witnessing Ghislain and his party’s skills, Arterion had already concluded that Nakturah would ultimately fail.

He had sent the lich merely to put them through a bit more hardship. Fighting an 8th-Circle lich would certainly be a valuable experience.

And if one or two of the group died in the process, he didn’t particularly care.

He just hadn’t expected them to subdue Nakturah so easily and without a single casualty.

Arterion hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times.

As the Dragon Lord, outright refusing here would look bad.

Besides, if he handed over the 8th-Circle lich, the strength of Julien’s Mercenary Corps would soar exponentially.

For the greater cause, it was the right decision to make.

In the end, Arterion spoke with a conflicted expression.

“Fine. Once you reach the 8th Circle, I’ll hand the lich over to you.”

Ghislain smiled as if he knew that would be the answer.

“Thank you.”

“…You really are something else.”

Arterion clicked his tongue as he looked at Ghislain.

Even the support already promised was immense. Anyone else wouldn’t have even dared to hope for more.

‘But this guy’s different.’

He was trying to snatch up everything he wanted, without hesitation.

Normally, people would tread carefully around a dragon, reading their mood but this guy showed no sign of such behavior.

‘Well… I guess you’d have to be like this to face off against the Pope.’

Someone who wasn’t even afraid of a dragon certainly wouldn’t fear the Pope.

In that sense, he was arguably the most suitable person to protect the Saintess.

‘And the other one too…’

Arterion looked toward Julien.

Julien was chatting with Deneb, both of them smiling as they caught up.

Perhaps glad to reunite after such a long time, Deneb’s face was lit with a radiant smile.

Arterion’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight.

“The Saintess is getting too attached to a human.”

“Is that a problem?”

At Ghislain’s question, Arterion nodded.

“Of course it is. The Saintess is supposed to prioritize the word of God above all else. Being swayed by personal emotions is not right.”

“…Hmm, is that so?”

“That Julien boy… he’d probably risk his life for the Saintess. That’s admirable in itself, but the fact that the Saintess could be swayed by human emotions is not a good thing.”

“And why is that a bad thing?”

“The Saintess must prioritize saving the world. That is her mission.”

“She is trying to save the world right now, isn’t she?”

“Yes, but…”

Arterion stopped mid-sentence.

There was no point in continuing. No matter what he said, he couldn’t force the Saintess’s heart.

Ghislain understood what Arterion was getting at.

Julien and Deneb.

The two cherished each other as if they were their very lives.

Which also meant—they were each other’s weakness.

And that could interfere with the goal of saving the world.

‘Hmm…’

Ghislain suddenly felt a tickling sensation in his mind.

Why had Ereneth and Arterion in the future considered Julien an Adversary?

He had always thought it was just a misunderstanding. Even Ereneth, after spending time with Julien, had stopped being sure and was left with only lingering doubts.

But what if there was another reason?

What if it had something to do with Deneb?

‘Mmm…’

Still, judging by the outcome, the Demonic Abyss had been sealed.

Which meant things had gone according to Julien and Deneb’s plan. He couldn’t just recklessly assume or doubt them without cause.

Besides, Arterion seemed fairly sane right now, too.

‘Haa, this is giving me a headache.’

Ghislain shook his head a few times.

There was no point in worrying about it now. Since he had returned to the past, the timeline was already shifting.

And wasn’t that why he was pushing the Hero and his companions to grow stronger than they originally had?

So surely, a good outcome would come of this. Everything was merely part of the process to reach that result.

As always, the important thing was to trust himself and move forward with everything he had.

‘I’ll focus only on what I can control right now.’

As for what came next, he would think it over again after seeing how things turned out.

That was Ghislain’s personal creed.

Seeing him deep in thought, Arterion asked,

“What are you thinking about so seriously this time?”

“…I was just thinking a bit about those two.”

“There’s no stopping it now anyway. The more you try to pull people apart by force, the more they’ll want to stay together. That’s human nature.”

“You seem to understand human emotions quite well.”

“Let’s call it the wisdom of the ages. In any case, we can’t go against the Saintess’s feelings, so all we can do is observe for now.”

With those words, Arterion began preparing everything Ghislain had requested.

There was an overflow of Runestones for the Mana Concentration Array. When the group saw the massive warehouse filled with Runestones piled like mountains, they were left speechless.

“W-Whoa…”

“Isn’t this the biggest stash on the continent?”

“I’ve never seen this many Runestones in one place.”

With this amount, they could practically build a large-scale Mana Concentration Array and live inside it permanently.

Normally, such a thing was only possible in theory, since Runestones depleted too quickly.

Ghislain kept a tight rein on his expression as he looked at them.

“H-Hmph… That’s quite a number.”

It seemed to be about the same amount as what he had secured back in Fenris. Perhaps even more.

In truth, even with all the Runestones Ghislain had previously amassed, he hadn’t been able to operate a large-scale Mana Concentration Array continuously—there were just too many other pressing needs.

But the Runestones here could be used purely for training.

At this level, he could build and use Mana Concentration Arrays to his heart’s content.

Then, Arterion opened another warehouse and said,

“If you need weapons, feel free to choose from here.”

“W-Whoa…”

Once again, the party was stunned speechless.

The warehouse was filled wall-to-wall with dazzling weapons of every type.

Each one was far too luxurious to be considered training gear. No, these were genuine treasures.

Even the swords strewn casually on the floor were masterworks crafted by dwarves. It felt almost disrespectful to use such things for mere training.

Arterion declared boldly,

“Once your training is complete, each of you may take one weapon of your choice. Consider it a gift for those tasked with protecting the Saintess.”

At that, the group let out yet another round of admiration.

They had already received excellent weapons as gifts from the dwarves, but getting one more certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

After all, when it comes to treasures, the more, the better.

Julien wore a slightly worried expression. He was well aware of how greedy dragons were.

And he wasn’t sure if it was really okay to just take treasures that a dragon had collected.

So, he asked cautiously,

“Are you sure it’s alright for us to take these kinds of treasures?”

“Yes. If anything’s missing, I’ll just have the dwarves make more.”

“Ah…”

Arterion spoke like it was no big deal, but everyone else understood immediately.

If something could be replaced, then in a dragon’s eyes, it didn’t even qualify as a real treasure.

Even if the process involved immense suffering on the dwarves’ part.

Besides that, Arterion also handed over the grimoires Ghislain had requested. He even promised to supply monsters for live-combat training whenever needed.

Over the course of several days, nearly all the preparations for training were completed.

Anything else they might need could be requested as training progressed.

However, there were a few things that were hard to come by in this place.

One of those was the “delicious food” Ghislain had asked for. In this barren, frozen land, that was perhaps the most difficult thing to obtain.

Everyone was curious to see how Arterion would resolve that issue. After all, a Dragon Lord wasn’t the type to speak empty words.

And Arterion resolved even that problem in the most ridiculously straightforward way.

“Wait a moment.”

He stepped out briefly and returned with several dozen people in tow.

They were trembling and crying as they followed him. Seeing them, Ghislain asked,

“…Who are these people?”

“They are the chefs and attendants responsible for your meals.”

“……”

“They all worked in the Kingdom of Snowbrur, known for their culinary excellence, so it shouldn’t be hard to satisfy your tastes. The kingdom will also regularly send large quantities of ingredients here.”

“……”

Arterion had threatened a nearby kingdom and brought the chefs and staff here.

It was the simplest, most effective and above all, the most dragon-like method.

There was no way a dragon would go gather ingredients or cook himself.

Everyone was left speechless by the situation. It felt like they were the villains now.

Ghislain scratched his head.

“Hmm…”

He preferred clean solutions himself, but he didn’t like tormenting innocent people to get them.

In the end, Ghislain let out a sigh and said,

“…We’ll handle the cooking ourselves. Please send those people back.”

“Unacceptable.”

“Why not?”

“The word of a dragon carries weight. I made a request to the kingdom and brought them here. Therefore, they are to remain here and take charge of your meals until your training is complete.”

Ghislain shook his head in disbelief.

The logic of humans did not work on high beings like dragons. For now, they had no choice but to accept it.

“Understood. For the time being… we’ll accept their help.”

With that, all preparations for training were finally complete.

Ghislain first set a goal to master 8th and 9th-Circle magic together with Astion.

Julien and Kyle focused on gaining practical combat experience.

The two of them fought monsters daily, and from time to time, even Nakturah, the 8th-Circle lich, would join in and spar with them.

Lionel and Marika devoted themselves to the techniques and mana refinement method that Ghislain taught them, aiming to become Transcendents.

Ereneth, surrounded by the overflowing natural energy of this place, steadily built up her communion with the spirits and deepened her affinity.

Other mercenaries also learned various techniques from Ghislain every day, honing their skills.

Ghislain went so far as to construct a massive Mana Concentration Array, having everyone live inside it. It was to help them accumulate energy more efficiently.

There was no need to worry about anything else.

Especially since the people who had been “kidnapped” (?) to this place were top-class chefs and attendants. They took care of every aspect of daily life beyond training.

Thanks to that, Julien’s Mercenary Corps could focus solely on their training.

* * *

“You damned bastards…”

Darents ground his teeth as he stepped into the Land of Extreme Cold.

They had been waiting in the port city of Tulan under the Pope’s orders.

But Julien’s Mercenary Corps, who had crossed over to the frozen land with the dragon, had been silent for an entire year.

Whether or not they had obtained the Sacred Stone was one thing but even the Saintess’s very life or death was uncertain.

In the end, the Pope had sent Darents to the Land of Extreme Cold to confirm the situation himself.

Having arrived aboard a ship supported by the lords, Darents raised the flag of the Holy Empire at once.

It was the only way to avoid being immediately slaughtered as an intruder by the Dragon Lord.

“Damn… this place is freezing as hell.”

While cautiously scanning the surroundings, Darents soon noticed something strange.

“Corpses?”

They were the corpses of monsters. Frozen bodies were scattered all over the place.

It wasn’t hard to deduce that Julien’s Mercenary Corps had fought battles here.

If they had perished, that would present its own problem—he would have to find their bodies in this frozen land.

“Let’s go.”

Darents headed for the altar with his subordinates.

Even as an assassin who had reached the level of a Transcendent, he didn’t dare to cross this vast land and head for the lair.

Upon reaching the altar, Darents infused mana into the magic circle there.

KUUUUUUNG!

The circle lit up, and an immense surge of magical energy began to roar.

It felt as if the will of a great being had descended, like thunder booming in the sky.

And shortly after—

A voice echoed from the altar. It was Arterion’s.

“So the rats have come crawling in. Still, since you carry the Holy Empire’s banner, I’ll hear what you have to say.”

Darents and his subordinates immediately prostrated themselves on the ground. Darents spoke in a trembling voice.

“I-It is an honor to meet Your Greatness. I am Darents, the leader of Crips, sent by the Holy Father.”

“Hmm… I see. Speak—what is your business?”

“We were in charge of escorting Julien’s Mercenary Corps. But contact with them was lost here, so we came to investigate.”

“Escort, you say… Were you truly sent to guard them?”

“Yes, that is correct. It was His Holiness’s order.”

Darents kept repeating the Pope’s name. It was the only way he might survive.

After a brief silence, Arterion’s cold, sneering voice spread through the air.

“Not to escort them… but to kill the Saintess, perhaps?”

At those words, Darents’s complexion turned deathly pale.