The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 649: Just Listen to Me!

Ghislaine was extremely confused.

Originally, he intended to name the cosmetics ‘Lovely Blingbling.’ But since everyone opposed it, he reluctantly stuck with the name he already knew.

The name that Duke Delphine had used in his past life.

But it turned out to be the name of a saint!

‘Why… did the Duke use a saint’s name for cosmetics?’

The cosmetics had become the continent’s most popular product. It was the same in his past life as it was in this one. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t know that name.

‘Could it be… to find the adversary?’

The name, widely spread across the continent, happened to be the same as that of the saint from a thousand years ago. If there were beings who knew that name, they would definitely be curious.

‘Ereness didn’t show any reaction.’

She must have thought it was a coincidence since she met Ghislaine and knew the product was created by him.

But if it was the adversary, it would be different. Perhaps the Duke or someone would come and ask why he named it that way.

Was the Salvation Society behind the Duke aiming for that?

‘Then… they probably don’t know the adversary’s name.’

If they did, they would have used the adversary’s name for the cosmetics. As Ereness said, they must have lost most of their records.

It seemed that the name of their enemy, the saint, had miraculously survived and been passed down. Thus, the likelihood of using that name was high.

As if sensing Ghislaine’s murmur, Deneb tilted his head.

“Cosmetics? What do you mean by cosmetics?”

“No, I just got a bit confused there. Anyway, I know the name now. Let’s move on.”

Deneb let out a wry smile at Ghislaine’s nonchalant words.

He was always a bit eccentric, but now he seemed like a completely different person.

As they followed Yulien into the building, they found many people trapped inside.

“Help us!”

“Please save us!”

“Get us out of here!”

Everyone was caged. It looked like they had been caught by bandits.

Yulien emitted mana and chopped through the cage. People scrambled out, thanking him breathlessly.

While rescuing them, Yulien kept shouting.

“Kyle! Where are you, Kyle?”

“Here…”

A voice came weakly from the farthest corner. Following the sound, he found a blonde boy lying messily.

The boy, named Kyle, spoke with a swollen face.

“Lady… I was planning to rest a bit and take them all down, but it’s already over…”

Kyle was adorned with mana restraints and chains. It seemed the bandits had taken measures to keep him from moving.

Yulien and Deneb quickly freed him from his restraints. Deneb scolded him.

“Why did you go alone! I told you to check the location secretly since there are soldiers waiting below! You could have gotten killed!”

“A man… does what his heart leads him to… because… that’s what a man does.”

Hearing that, Ghislaine chuckled softly. Even in such a battered state, he seemed to have some guts.

‘Hmm, who could he be?’

He must have been one of the hero’s companions, but he couldn’t pinpoint who exactly since most of their faces were obscured.

Based on his tone, he seemed somewhat similar to that annoying guy from back then, but he couldn’t be sure.

‘Even if he were that person, he didn’t seem to be our ancestor.’

The name was different. The founder of Perdium wasn’t named Kyle. Of course, there were no reliable records due to the loss of many in-between parts.

‘Hmm, could it be that he taught swordsmanship to someone else? That would make more sense.’

Ghislaine nodded to himself. That possibility couldn’t be dismissed.

After all, it was an era long past. It would be necessary to observe a bit longer to find out.

Anyway, it looked like the hero’s party had come to rescue those caught by bandits, and in the meantime, this guy named Kyle had gotten captured by the bandits.

Even with just his 6th Circle mana, he could surely wipe out the bandit den all by himself.

Hadn’t they already dispatched so many bandits with just three of them?

‘But these bandits are surprisingly high-level?’

The characters here were genius-level strong for their age, but it was bizarre how strong these bandits were too.

The bandit leader seemed at least knight-level. He had even used mana to escape.

It was unclear whether the overall level was high during this time a thousand years ago, or if it was just these particular bandits.

Ghislaine turned his head slightly. Yulien was soothing the people and guiding them.

“You just need to go down this way. Once you reach the bottom of the mountain, there will be soldiers waiting. They were preparing to eliminate this place.”

Seeing Yulien’s gentle smile, the people seemed relieved, their expressions softened.

His smile held a strange power that instilled trust at first glance. And it was brighter than anyone else’s grin.

That was why he could become the hero that saved the world.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“I owe you my life.”

“I won’t forget this kindness.”

The people bowed their heads repeatedly as they left the mountain hideout.

Yulien wore a proud smile watching their backs. Ghislaine couldn’t quite adapt to that and continued to gaze at Yulien.

Once things settled down, Yulien looked at Ghislaine and asked.

“Haah, today is rougher than usual. So, who came today?”

Ghislaine was slightly taken aback and showed admiration. He intended to keep things hidden and look for a suitable opportunity.

But it seemed Yulien had already caught on!

“Oh… do you already know that I’m someone else?”

As Ghislaine asked curiously, Deneb shrugged and answered instead.

“Why are you acting like someone different today? Usually, you just space out or mention that someone came in, right?”

“Hmm…”

At those words, Ghislaine stroked his chin and pondered.

‘So, this magician friend must… have gone through such experiences often… but this is the first time he’s had his body taken over?’

While listening to the two, Ghislaine gauged the situation. Judging from the atmosphere, it seemed his assumption was correct.

So, even if they were surprised, they seemed to understand it to some extent.

‘Huh? Speaking of…’

When talking about Ereness and the adversary, Jerome had shared about his Mage Tower too.

He had mentioned the founder of the Tower in passing.

Though he hadn’t said that he was a companion of the hero, Ghislaine could deduce it from his dreams.

— The founder of the Mage Tower was a bit peculiar. They would suddenly claim to see the future or that a person from the future had possessed them? They’d even mentioned that outcomes could change causes?

‘Whoa. Isn’t this what’s happening now?’

Those were things he had absentmindedly passed by. He thought they were just exaggerated tales or distorted legends.

Yet all those stories interconnected. While not entirely accurate, they had some basis.

Countless shards scattered everywhere were filled with truth!

Ghislaine clapped his hands in awe.

“Wow, this is fascinating. It all makes sense!”

“……”

Yulien and Deneb stared at Ghislaine, their expressions frozen.

They had never seen Astylon react this fiercely to a ‘possessor’ before.

Kyle, whose face was completely swollen, asked.

“What? Did he lose it again? Why’s he acting like someone else today?”

Ghislaine nodded. It was certain. Someone other than him had occasionally occupied this body as well.

Whether it was true or not, for now, everyone seemed to understand it as such.

‘So that’s why the magician looked so haggard beneath his eyes.’

He must have been treated like a lunatic usually, experiencing immense stress and struggling to sleep well.

Ghislaine thoughtfully considered.

‘Hmm, didn’t the saint say to just go with the flow?’

Surely, there was a reason behind that.

‘Isn’t this like a dream anyway?’

He had gone back in time to change the past, but the current situation felt a bit different.

He had entered this place through a dream. And he had no idea what was happening at this time. It didn’t feel like his actions would significantly change the reality he had already determined.

‘Perhaps this is just a journey to reveal hidden truths? A truth that there’s a reason for me to see.’

He still didn’t understand why he was being shown this, but he felt he had something to ask his reality self through this.

Thus, he wondered if that was why the word ‘promise’ had come up.

The saint he met in the future would know who Ghislaine was.

Feeling at ease, Ghislaine confidently introduced himself.

“I am Ghislaine Perdium.”

“……Who is that?”

When Yulien asked with a cloudy expression, Ghislaine exaggerated his introduction even further.

“I am the Grand Duke of Ruthania, the Lord of Penris, the ruler of the North, the undefeated lord, the commander of the Northern Army, the King of Supplies in the North, the Saint of the Capital, a genius of Blitz Warfare, a Mage Hunter, the Savior of the Continent, the Executor of the Salvation Society, the Guardian of the Church, the Leader of the Knight Order of Penris, the Dragon Slayer, the Conqueror of the Seven Territories, the Kingdom’s Greatest Sword of Ruthania, the Heir of the Kingdom, the Mediator of the Mage Tower, the best soldier of the Kingdom Army, and… the King of Mercenaries.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

The three people gaped in shock. They had never seen anyone with so many titles in their lives.

But Ghislaine hadn’t told a lie. Every single one of those titles referred to him.

There were even some that he had forgotten. He had paused mid-sentence because he couldn’t remember.

After all, he was half in a playful mood. So he was just joking a bit.

Yulien chuckled a few times before saying.

“Well… it seems a truly remarkable person has entered Astylon’s body.”

“Um, well, that much is… um… not a bad person.”

After saying that, Ghislaine felt embarrassed and simply nodded with his eyes closed.

Yulien sighed and continued.

“Haah, it really gets serious today. So where did Astylon go?”

“No idea?”

Ghislaine shrugged. He had no clue where the original owner’s consciousness had gone.

Kyle, rubbing his swollen eyes, asked.

“So what do we do now?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“You always give advice. You said wise men come and tell you. What experiences help you get stronger faster? I want to get stronger quickly.”

At that, Yulien and Deneb nodded as well.

“Aha.”

Ghislaine began to understand more. It seemed that this magician was functioning as a guide for their journey.

By getting information from various people in his head.

‘So that’s why he became a 6th Circle Mage at such a young age?’

Honestly, it was hard to fully believe. But since he had entered like this, he couldn’t deny it either.

‘Hmm… what should I do?’

The party still hadn’t fully shed their youthful appearances. Thanks to their natural genius talent, they were strong for their age, but compared to what they would display in the future, they were lacking.

And while Yulien was their leader, it seemed the magician was in charge of guiding their path.

In other words, he was playing the advisory role typical of a magician.

But now he had ended up in the magician’s body.

‘So… do I have to train them to get stronger?’

Since he had taken over the body, he couldn’t just sit back and watch.

Then out of the blue, a thought struck him.

‘Aha.’

He had seen their strengths and techniques plenty. He was well aware of how they should be utilized.

They were the core who would have to fight the Salvation Society in the future. That was how they would save humanity.

So they needed to get stronger, no exceptions. Instead of the magician, he could provide them with assistance in that regard.

‘Looks like there was a reason for everything. I must be here to help them grow stronger to save humanity?’

Since the magician had given advice all along, he could just follow suit.

‘Though it’s from the past, it’s fine as long as the outcome is the same.’

The saint had probably asked him to go with the flow considering all of this… maybe?

So once again, he decided to go with the flow.

Ghislaine smiled slyly and opened his mouth.

“Do you guys… want to get stronger?”

Yulien, Deneb, and Kyle all nodded their heads.

Ghislaine also nodded with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll make you strong. Just believe in me and follow along. Need experiences to get stronger? That’s my specialty. Just listen to me, and I guarantee all sorts of experiences!”

The three felt a shiver run down their spines for a moment.

Though he was clearly smiling, he somehow looked a bit scary.