The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Leaving a Record. (1)

Some of the people in the Fenris Territory gathered every evening.

The reason was to see the records left behind by Astion.

They even prepared refreshments, sat in their seats, and read them together. Jerome used magic to project the book into the air in an enormous size for everyone to see.

Now, unless something special happened, gathering in the evening to read the records had become part of their daily routine.

As time went on, people’s interest grew stronger.

In particular, when they saw Ereneth’s behavior that had been revealed since the Elves’ Forest, Claude burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

“Puhahaha! To think Lady Ereneth had such a personality!”

His eyes gleamed with vile amusement.

Ereneth was the dignified Great Chieftain of the Elves. She had never once played even a small prank in front of others.

Yet, before Ghislain, she revealed her emotions without hiding them. When they first met, she even went so far as to openly attempt seduction.

Regardless of her intentions, the mere fact that she had acted that way was golden material for Claude.

‘Kuhuhuh… How could I make use of this?’

The time bound by his contract was quickly running out. Once that period ended, Claude’s life was as good as forfeit.

But Claude had no intention of simply dying quietly. He fully intended to make use of every past event he could.

Seeing this, Belinda clicked her tongue and spoke.

“Well, she was young back then, so it’s understandable.”

“That’s not what matters. What matters is that it doesn’t suit her current image at all. Kuhuhuh…”

Those around him shot looks of contempt, but Claude didn’t care. That was the kind of man he was.

In the end, Belinda threw a jab at him.

“Crying and bawling over Anna…”

“D-don’t! Don’t say it! Alright! Fine, I’ll stay quiet!”

Claude flailed his hands in panic.

Belinda shook her head as she watched him. As expected, the only way to deal with someone like him was to give him the same treatment back.

In any case, aside from matters concerning Ereneth, the records were filled with fascinating stories.

When the Elves and Dwarves were attacked by the Prophets, everyone held their breath in suspense. Not a single person failed to cheer for them.

And when Deneb awakened, they even erupted in cheers.

Later, when Marika appeared, Belinda clapped her hands in joy.

“Oh my, oh my! But wait, our Young Lord went and taught her? Then how did I learn it? The Young Lord learned it from me before he went!”

They now understood that the future and the past were connected and influenced one another.

But even so, they still couldn’t clearly grasp how it was possible, or by what principle it worked.

It was an area that could not be perfectly understood with human wisdom. People had no choice but to accept it as it was.

When they encountered Arterion, everyone felt subtle emotions. That dragon had appeared, unlike in the past, with the intention of annihilating humanity.

And when the true identity of the Pope was revealed, people fell into confusion.

[……Ghislain told me to make sure I added one particular note to my records. The Pope looked exactly like the future Duke of Delfine. I do not know who he is, but I leave this record so that those of the future may see it.]

Claude was the first to mutter while scratching his chin.

“…The Duke of Delfine is the Adversary? The king of the Salvation Church?”

Jerome also had an expression that showed he couldn’t understand.

“Then why…? The Salvation Church is looking for their king, right? But isn’t he already with them?”

Vanessa tilted her head.

“Lord Asterion and Lady Ereneth designated Lord Julien as the Adversary.”

“……”

Everyone sank into thought. But the records had not yet revealed enough on that matter.

Kaor, arms crossed, spoke in a bored tone.

“Why are you all thinking so hard, huh? Maybe he just doesn’t remember, huh? Got reborn and turned into an idiot, that’s all!”

“……”

Because he said it so simply and clearly, no one could respond.

When subtle looks of dismissal crossed people’s faces, Kaor flared up.

“Ah, yeah! Must be nice being so smart! But you know what? Huh? Smart people overthink everything, even simple stuff! Just ignore it, grab the duke, beat it out of him, and it’ll all come out!”

Claude nodded.

“Hm, well, that’s true… but that doesn’t explain why Lord Julien was designated as the Adversary. And even if what you said is right, they’ll still say it’s wrong.”

“You bastard!”

As the two were about to fight again, Gillian and Belinda stepped in to stop them.

Claude, silenced once more, returned to mulling over his impressions.

Then Jerome, upon reading that Lucien had been taken as a disciple, shouted in shock.

“Ah, ah! Ah!”

Letting out strange cries, Jerome pointed to the book and exclaimed.

“That’s it! That’s right! That’s the name of our Tower’s ancestor!”

When people looked at him curiously, Jerome happily explained.

“In our Magic Tower, aside from the Founder, all the names of the previous Tower Masters have been preserved! Because it’s the ‘One-Man Transmission’! And the very first name on that list is none other than Lord Lucien!”

“Oh…”

Belinda, impressed, asked,

“Then… did it also explain why it was a One-Man Transmission?”

“Well… that is to say…”

Jerome fumbled over his words, stammering as he continued.

“The magic of the Tower is so powerful, and its training so harsh, that it was said one must find a person of upright character… and pass everything down to a single person to continue the legacy. That’s what I had always believed…”

The more Jerome spoke, the smaller his voice grew, losing confidence.

People exchanged glances and chuckled quietly.

They now knew the real reason.

Ghislain had simply blurted out some excuse, and it had turned into the One-Man Transmission.

And then, at last, the scene where Ghislain parted ways with his friends appeared.

Everyone’s faces showed sorrow, for it was clear Ghislain had not wanted the farewell either.

Especially when Ereneth clung to him, some even shed tears.

But Ghislain was someone of this place. He could not remain in the past forever.

The people here were all waiting for him too.

[……And so, just as Ghislain had suddenly come to us one day… he suddenly left our side one day as well.]

The moment they read that line, everyone jumped to their feet.

Without anyone needing to say a word, they all rushed to the room where Ghislain lay.

It was a chamber enchanted with the finest magical protection to maintain his condition at its peak. There, Ghislain lay resting peacefully.

“Young Lord!”

“Ghislain!”

“Lord!”

They all shouted as they rushed inside.

It felt as if Ghislain would rise at any moment with a smile and greet them.

But…

“W-what? Why isn’t he waking up?”

Belinda spoke with a trembling voice. Jerome quickly examined Ghislain’s body.

He was still fast asleep with his eyes closed. His condition had not changed at all.

“Dark! Dark!”

Jerome urgently called for Dark. If Ghislain willed it, he should be able to send Dark here just like before.

But Dark did not appear. Ghislain still showed no response.

The people were thrown into confusion. If things were unfolding as the record said, should he not have awakened by now?

They had no idea what had gone wrong.

Jerome quickly rushed back to where the book was.

At that moment, new lines began to etch themselves onto the pages.

[……After Ghislain departed, the war with the Demonic Abyss truly began. Though Ghislain had left, I continued to leave records for the descendants of the future.]

* * *

“Now… let’s move.”

At Astion’s words, Julien nodded. But his expression remained dark.

And it was not only Julien who looked grim. The other friends too were sunk in deep gloom.

Ghislain, who had always led the way, telling them what had to be done.

His absence was not simply the loss of a companion, but as if the very signpost that guided them had vanished.

But they could not spend forever mourning a departed friend.

Astion spoke to Julien.

“I’ll give you advice by your side, but… from now on, you’re the leader. You have to lead everyone.”

“…Alright.”

“Ghislain created the mercenary corps around you for a day like this.”

“…I understand.”

Ghislain had laid the entire foundation.

He had done so to ensure that even in his absence, his friends could carve their own path forward.

Julien rose to his feet and spoke a single word.

“Let’s go.”

As he took his first step, the officers of the mercenary corps followed after him.

Now, it was not Ghislain but Julien who stood at the center of the group.

The United Human Army was commanded by the leaders of each nation. Though the Saintess stood at its heart, she did not hold command over the armies themselves.

But the Julien Mercenary Corps was different. Their command belonged wholly to Julien.

Most of them, who had built their strength for a long time, had already gathered in the Holy Empire for this war.

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Finally, we march, you bastards!”

“Get in line! Get in line, damn it!”

“Plenty of you have never seen the Commander’s face, right? Remember it well! Don’t go stabbing someone in the back just because you don’t recognize him!”

The middle officers of the mercenary corps bellowed out. The mercenaries gathered from all over could not be properly controlled.

And it was no wonder. Ghislain had expanded the corps recklessly while helping various kingdoms.

Since the kingdoms granted them many benefits, mercenaries had rushed to join the Julien Mercenary Corps. Many also enlisted because of the war with the Demonic Abyss.

Because of that, there were many who did not even know Julien’s face, and many who felt no real sense of belonging.

They stayed only because they believed banding together in such chaotic times was to their advantage.

Astion looked at the unruly mercenaries and gave an awkward laugh.

“Haha… Can they even be controlled properly?”

At least the mercenaries who had been with them from the start had some discipline. They knew just how formidable the Julien Mercenary Corps truly was.

But the others were different. They were rough, willful, and always trying to slack off whenever they found the chance.

“……”

Julien looked at them and said nothing. He made no attempt to impose order.

Instead, he led the mercenaries forward in their unruly state.

Astion asked Julien,

“You’re just going like this?”

“Yeah.”

“The formation’s a mess. They can’t even march properly.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just get to the front lines first.”

Julien replied with a gentle smile. At that smile, Astion pressed no further.

Ghislain’s words resurfaced in his mind.

— Let Julien do things his way as much as possible. Only give advice when it’s truly necessary.

But Astion’s expression did not brighten. Nor did their other friends.

For they worried whether Julien could really lead these tens of thousands of disorganized men.

The only one who could truly control such rough mercenaries was Ghislain. Everyone thought that without him, they could not be managed.

[With such uneasy hearts, we moved toward the front lines. Thankfully, the front was still favorable to the United Human Army thanks to the overwhelming power of the dragons.]

[It would take more time for the armies of the entire continent to gather. In the meantime, Deneb, under the escort of the dragons, toured each legion, lifting the soldiers’ morale with the Saintess’s blessing.]

[During that time, we resolved to focus only on defending a designated sector. With a temporary fortress already in place, it was not a difficult task. Even these unruly mercenaries could hold it.]

[But as time passed, the number of Riftspawn increased. The defensive line was so wide that gaps began to appear where Riftspawn slipped through.]

[In the end, the United Human Army decided to narrow the defensive line. And the legion we were part of…]

[They demanded that the Julien Mercenary Corps take the vanguard.]

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