The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 814

Episode 814: Now… It’s Time to Part (1)

Giselle bowed her head slightly.
“My name is Astion. Thank you so much for your help.”
Derknain chuckled and sat down on the chair next to the bed.
“That’s what I’m saying. If you hadn’t pierced the veil at the end, the saint’s miracle wouldn’t have happened.”
“You were lucky.”
Derknain stared at Giselle for a moment before asking.
“That’s strange. You should have recovered by now… What’s the problem?”
As expected of a dragon. Derknain immediately saw that Giselle was in trouble.
Giselle shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s just that I overdid it. It’s a side effect of the technique I’ve mastered.”
“Hmm…”
“Anyway, Derknain, are you alright? It seemed like the enemy’s energy had quite a way of penetrating you.”
Dragons are a proud race. He frowned at Giselle’s words.
“What do you think I am? It was a persistent energy, but I’ve already driven it out.”
“That’s good. Then, may I ask you a few questions?”
Giselle naturally changed the subject. Derknain laughed again.
“As I heard from the Lord, you’re a witty fellow. Well, tell me.”
“How did you know to come?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Was it a coincidence?”
“Yes, I was on my way to see you with two orders from the Lord. I discovered the darkness and immediately intervened.”
Giselle nodded. It was indeed a coincidence.
An exquisite coincidence, coming just in time for the appearance of an adversary.
“What orders were they?”
“One was to protect the saintess.”
“From the Pope?”
“Yes. He told me to persuade the Pope together, and if he still tried to kill the saintess, you were to protect her.”
“I heard that dragons cannot interfere with the Pope’s affairs due to the oath. Do you think you can protect him?”
Derknain answered with a blank expression.
“If the Pope didn’t change his mind, I was going to kill him on the spot.”
“……Then, isn’t Derknain also dying because of the oath?”
“I know. The Lord sent me to do just that.”
“Huh……”
“The saintess is worth it. Our dragons will continue to risk their lives to protect her.”
At those words, Giselle smiled.
The country girl who had been a lowly priestess was now the most important person in the world.
As Giselle, who had been with her until then, I felt proud.
“You said two things, so what is the other one?”
Then Derknain opened a subspace and took out a box.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“A dragon heart.”
Giselle’s eyes widened. She had never imagined she would be given something like this.
Derknain continued, not hiding his dissatisfaction.
“Consider it an honor to receive the heart of a great dragon. It seems the Lord wishes to make you stronger.”
“Thank you.”
Giselle smiled brightly. She had already been a little worried about what Astion would suffer after she left.
Astion was undoubtedly a gifted individual. Working alongside him, he gained vast knowledge and a strong body.
However, he lacked experience compared to his friends. He had never risked his life to reach a higher level.
As a result, he was more cunning than anyone else and his willpower was weaker. If things continued this way, Astion’s growth would inevitably lag behind.
However, with Dragon Heart, things would
be different. He had already received the 9th Circle’s magic book. He simply needed to spend time learning it.
The magic of Dragon Heart would significantly accelerate that process.
Giselle tried to take the box, but Derknain grabbed Giselle’s wrist.
He gazed at her with a profound gaze.
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think I can use Dragon Heart. What’s wrong with you?”
Even dragons wouldn’t easily detect an imbalance between soul and body. It was a problem beyond their knowledge and experience.
Giselle slowly withdrew her hand and placed the box in a subspace.
“There’s absolutely no problem. As I said, it’s just that the nature of my technique takes a long time to recover.”
“If this continues, I will retrieve the Dragon Heart. I cannot give such a great treasure to someone who cannot even handle it.”
“Don’t worry. You will recover.”
Seeing Jiselle’s serious expression, Derknain didn’t press further. However, if this were the case when they met again, he planned to ask for the Dragon Heart back.
Derknain withdrew his hand and asked,
“I’ve done what I had to do. What will you do now?”
“I heard a new pope will be elected.”
“Yes. But he won’t have the same authority as before. Humanity will now gather around the saint.”
“As soon as that’s done, I plan to reorganize the Human Alliance and head to the Demon Realm.”
“It shouldn’t take too long. Countless battles are raging near the Demon Realm even now.”
There are no kingdoms adjacent to the Demon Realm. It’s surrounded by a vast wasteland. It takes a long, long way to reach the edge of the kingdoms.
Those kingdoms have dispatched all their forces, forming a long barrier within the wasteland. Beyond this barrier, dragons were fighting the rift people emerging from the Demon Realm.
Even the most powerful dragons were too few in number. The dragons alone couldn’t stop all the rift people emerging from the Demon Realm.
Thanks to the barriers established by the nearby kingdoms, they were able to hold off the scattered rift people.
Jisel knew this situation.
“Understood. I’ll prepare as quickly as possible.”
Derknain spoke to Giselle, not the Empire’s leadership, for no particular reason.
He knew that Astion had led the Saint and the Yulien Mercenary Corps up to this point.
The Lord had also told him to discuss future matters with Astion.
Derknain rose immediately, as if his business was over.
“I’ll be going now. Recover quickly.”
With that, he left the Great Hall.
Countless high-ranking officials of the Empire flocked to see the dragon, but Derknain flatly declined all requests.
Flutter!
He transformed into a dragon and flew into the sky. The people of the capital cheered once more upon seeing him,
for they had a strong belief in the dragon’s protection.
Derknain headed back to the Demon Realm. He had to quickly relay what had happened to the Lord.
“…Hmm?”
He squinted.
A slight pain flashed through his head.
It was impossible for a dragon to suffer a headache. But he dismissed it as nothing serious.
“I guess I’ve become a little sensitive after going through such a great battle.”
He dismissed it as a simple delusion and spread his massive wings wide again.

* * *

Every day, high-ranking officials from the empire visited Giselle’s quarters.
They knew exactly who to line up with. However, approaching the saintess directly was burdensome.
After all, she wasn’t someone who accepted bribes.
So, they clung to the Julian Mercenaries, who served the saintess at close quarters—indeed, they were practically her exclusive force.
Of these, Giselle, known to be the de facto leader of the mercenaries, attracted the most attention.
Due to her poor health, Giselle didn’t meet them outright. She would briefly show her face to a select number of people each day.
There were several reasons why she braved her fatigue to do so.
First, to solidify relationships with the nobles, ensuring the Julian Mercenaries could operate smoothly even after she left.
Second… to secure funds for the Julian Mercenaries.
“Huh, this is truly a healthy remedy.”
“This is a masterpiece, crafted by the empire’s finest artisans.”
“I heard that mages need a lot of runestones.”
Every noble who visited him brought gifts, big and small. Giselle accepted them all without refusing a single one. She
even kept a ledger, recording the names of the givers and the contents of the gifts. It was all the frugal and practical behavior she’d learned from Belinda.
Giselle’s quarters were overflowing with gifts. But even that wasn’t enough for Giselle.
“Ugh, the imperial nobles have small hands.”
The empire was certainly vast and powerful. However, as a theocracy, its people were forced to be frugal.
Even nobles obsessed with money secretly couldn’t flaunt their wealth in public. Furthermore,
what they brought were ultimately just personal gifts. While expensive, they didn’t impress Giselle.
Giselle was once the wealthiest man on the continent. Even back then, he wasn’t short on money. He was receiving income from the gold mines and estates of the Marquisate of Lacus. Still,
even these seemingly small things, if accumulated, could contribute to his finances.
Giselle gradually increased the frequency of his visits and diligently accepted gifts.
Then one day, a rather special boy came to visit him.
The maid assisting Giselle whispered,
“This is Prince Lucien, the youngest son of the Duke of Staufen.”
“Oh? Really?”
Duke Staufen, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army, was a man of immense power. He had been a great help in the battle against the enemy. The thought
of such a man’s son visiting her piqued her curiosity.
The maid quickly added a description of Lucien.
“He is renowned for his intelligence. They say he is coveted by every magic tower in the Empire. He was originally supposed to come with the Duke, but… it seems he stopped by first due to circumstances.”
“Aha.”
As expected of a child of a prestigious family, his talents were quite remarkable.
Giselle greeted Lucien warmly and asked,
“So, what’s your gift… or rather, why did you want to see me?”
Lucien hesitated for a moment, then clenched his fist as if he had made up his mind.
“Dear Astion… I have a favor to ask.”
“What favor?”
“Please… accept me as your disciple! I want to become a great wizard like Astion!”
Lucien said forcefully, closing his eyes.
His earnest demeanor was quite endearing, and a smile spread across Giselle’s lips.
“A disciple… .”
She already had a disciple.
The one and only disciple to whom she had poured her heart and soul, more than anyone else, and who had taught her her skills.
“Arel.”
Giselle’s smile deepened at the thought of Arel.
“I hope you’re doing well.”
Arel possessed the most upright character Giselle had ever seen.
He always acted correctly, and his attitude shone through, surpassing even his talent.
Even when countless fools in the realm tempted him to follow a wicked path, Arel never wavered.
It was precisely because of this unwavering resolve that Giselle took him as her disciple. And she never took any other disciples besides Arel.
One disciple to whom she could impart everything was enough.
Giselle spoke in a soft voice.
“I’m sorry, but that’s going to be difficult. I already have a disciple.”
“Um, can’t I be your disciple too?”
“I only have one disciple.”
Lucien’s expression turned utterly disappointed at those words.
Giselle felt pity, but she refused to give him any more room. Flimsy sympathy would only give him false hope.
He was going to leave anyway, and he couldn’t teach magic. So she couldn’t take Lucien as her disciple.
Just then, the door opened and the Duke of Staufen entered with his men.
“I’m sorry. My son wanted to see you soon, so I sent him away first.”
“It’s alright. By the way, what brings you here, Your Majesty?”
“Huh? Haven’t you heard the story yet? I thought my son told you?”
“Ah… about that story…”
Before Giselle could finish speaking, the Duke’s men arrived carrying large chests.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
There were five large, heavy chests.
Giselle looked curious, so Duke Staufen gestured.
When the Duke’s men opened the chests, they were filled with countless jewels and gold coins.
The amount was so great that even Giselle was slightly surprised.
“Are you… giving this to me?”
“Yes. I should show this level of courtesy to the man who will be my son’s teacher. I’m also personally grateful to him.”
Duke Staufen, like the arrogant nobleman of the Empire, didn’t expect Giselle to refuse.
He was simply planning to give generously. Even the Empire’s frugal customs were meaningless in the face of power.
But unfortunately, Giselle had already firmly refused.
Lucien spoke to the Duke of Staufen with a sullen face.
“Father… Astion said he would only have one disciple. But already…”
At that moment, Giselle suddenly stood up and grabbed Lucien’s hand.
“That one person is you.”
“…”
Giselle looked at Lucian, who was dazed, and thought,
‘What’s the big deal? Astion will teach me from now on.’
And thus, the successor to the ‘One-Man Succession’ Magic Tower was decided.