The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

Piote squeezed his eyes shut, his mind racing.
Why are the operations in this territory always like this…?

Thanks to Juana’s Blessing, he could nullify any incoming attacks. Even the terrifying Equidema hadn’t managed to leave a scratch on him.
Of course, the stronger the attack, the more divine power it consumed. But Piote’s divine power had grown to a level that even Parniel would find astonishing.
This made him the perfect shield, allowing Ghislain to focus entirely on escaping while Piote absorbed the hits.

As Kaien froze momentarily in disbelief, Ghislain seized the opportunity and reached out.
BOOM!
“Guh!”

A powerful blow struck Kaien in the abdomen, causing him to stagger. Taking advantage of the opening, Ghislain dashed forward again.
Gatros, unwilling to let Ghislain escape, unleashed his power without restraint. The other priests of the Salvation Order followed suit.
Their sole intent was to kill Ghislain on the spot.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Black energy streaked through the air, slamming into Ghislain’s back—but every attack was blocked by Piote, who clung firmly to Ghislain’s back.
“What… what is that thing?”

Even while chasing, Gatros stared in disbelief.
His attacks were powerful enough to overwhelm even transcendents. He had drained countless lives to prepare for battle against adversaries like the Shadow Knight Commander.
Yet the woman(?) strapped to Ghislain’s back was taking his attacks without flinching.

Of course, Piote, gripping his hands together in a prayer-like stance, kept his eyes tightly shut.
Please, spare me…
While he was prepared to die for his faith, this was not the way he had imagined his end.

The attacks were so powerful that each one drained massive chunks of his divine power.
“Lord… I think I might die here…”
Once, he’d nearly died from overwork. Now it seemed he might die from being pummeled.
Ghislain laughed as he ran.

“You’re fine. You’re fine.”
Every time Piote blocked an attack or Ghislain dodged, it drained Ghislain’s mana as well.
But thanks to Piote, he could now focus all his strength on escaping.

“No, I’m really going to die…”
“You’re fine. Don’t worry.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!

Ghislain kept confidently reassuring Piote while putting everything into his escape.
Just a little farther. Piote would surely last until they reached their destination.
Thanks to Piote’s absurd defense, their pursuers were momentarily thrown off, increasing the distance between them.

Kaien pursued with a grim expression.
That’s divine power. Is it the Saintess who joined them?
It was widely known among the kingdom’s forces that Parniel had joined the northern army, and the Duke’s faction had received that intelligence.

However, the appearance and combat style didn’t match the descriptions.
When it had been confirmed that Piote was male, Duke Raul had deprioritized the information, leading to confusion.
Still, they can’t keep that up for long.

Even if it was an unbelievable ability, it wouldn’t last indefinitely. Kaien gritted his teeth and chased after the pair.
Gatros, too, had regained his composure. Although shaken by their strange abilities, he refocused.
“Don’t let them escape!”

If they kept pursuing, victory was inevitable. All they had to do was wear Ghislain down. As long as their side didn’t tire first, they would catch him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The relentless chase continued without a moment’s reprieve. Thanks to Piote, Ghislain maintained a steady distance from his pursuers.

Before long, another figure appeared ahead.
WHOOSH!
“Young master!”

A shadow spread across the area as Belinda appeared, running alongside Ghislain.
She hurled a hundred daggers in one motion toward the pursuing forces.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Each dagger was imbued with an aura blade, zigzagging through the air toward their targets.
Kaien’s eyes narrowed as he observed the skill. It was impressive, even to him.
As expected of the kingdom’s greatest swordsman, Kaien infused his blade with mana and swung mightily.

BOOM!
With one strike, he deflected over a dozen daggers. Although many still circled in the air, Kaien used the brief opening to surge forward.
However, the other priests and knights of the Salvation Order weren’t as quick to react.

“Hurry and deflect them!”
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The pursuing soldiers were momentarily stalled, busy fending off the daggers that pursued them like living snakes.

Gatros, seeing Belinda’s technique, felt a chill run down his spine as he overextended his energy.
BOOM!
Black energy erupted around him, knocking all the daggers away.

Sweat dripped down Gatros’s face as his expression hardened.
The Shadow Knight Commander!
He recognized the technique. It was one the Shadow Knight Commander had used.

Although Gatros had never faced the Shadow Knight Commander directly, he had witnessed the devastating results of that technique before. The thought that his most feared opponent might have appeared made him shiver.
No…
The technique was the same, but something was missing. If it were truly the Shadow Knight Commander, several of their soldiers would have already been killed.

Could it be a successor?
Finally, Gatros’s eyes landed on the new figure running beside Ghislain.
BOOM!

Gatros surged forward again, determined to uncover their identity.
The brief delay had widened the gap once more. For most of the priests, keeping up was now impossible.
These insolent fools…

Rage boiled in his mind as their slippery tactics continued to thwart him. He wanted nothing more than to capture them and tear them apart.
At least Count Balzac was keeping up. If Balzac could stall them for even a moment, Gatros could close the distance.
But someone seemed to have anticipated Kaien’s approach and stepped in to block his path.

It was Ereneth and Vanessa.
“That’s enough. The distance is sufficient now.”
Thanks to Belinda’s attack, they had bought a bit more time.

At Ereneth’s words, Vanessa extended her hand.
WHIRR—WHIRR—WHIRR—
Her specialty, multi-casting, activated. Dozens of magic circles appeared in the air, glowing with mana.

Moments later, massive bolts of lightning rained down.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! BOOOOOM!
The lightning strikes were indiscriminate. While the more skilled individuals at the front managed to avoid fatal injuries, several priests of the Salvation Order were struck and knocked down.

Others slowed their pace to defend against or evade the lightning, leaving only Kaien to push through unscathed. Gatros simply absorbed the hits and kept moving.
These bastards…
Kaien began to grow anxious. The unexpected attacks had slowed the rest of their forces, leaving only Gatros at his side.

RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a massive wall of rock rose before him. Ereneth had summoned an earth elemental.
“Hah!”

BOOM!
Kaien gripped his sword tightly and smashed through the wall in one strike.
But as soon as he broke through, a massive fire lizard appeared, spewing flames to block his path.

“Cheap tricks!”
THUD!
In his fury, Kaien stomped the ground forcefully and swung his sword.

SWISH!
The fire elemental was cleaved in half, dissipating into flames. Such immense power could even destroy a summoned elemental.
But by the time Kaien had dealt with it, Ghislain and his party had widened the gap further.

As Kaien tracked them with his eyes, he noticed something in the distance floating in the sky.
“A… hot air balloon?”
It was one of those rumored flying contraptions. Although this was his first time seeing one in person, Kaien understood its purpose immediately.

This can’t happen. If they take off in that, they’ll escape for good.
Kaien clenched his teeth and channeled all his strength into his sword.
CRACKLE!

As he sprinted with incredible speed, veins bulged grotesquely along his forearms. His sword, now enveloped in a blue aura, trembled from the power surging through it.
With a mighty heave, Kaien hurled his sword directly at Ghislain’s back.
SWOOOOSH!

The blade tore through the air, ripping space itself apart. Whether they blocked or dodged it, their momentum would surely be slowed.
But Ghislain and his companions didn’t bother reacting to the massive sword hurtling toward them.
Someone else had stepped in to handle it.

Parniel appeared as if from nowhere, gripping her mace tightly as divine power coursed through it. Veins bulged along her thick arms as she swung with all her might.
BOOOOM!
With an ear-shattering explosion, the sword shattered into countless pieces.

CRACK!
Parniel glanced at her trembling arm and the shards of her mace, smirking savagely.
He’s as strong as they say—the kingdom’s greatest swordsman.

The blow had been so powerful that it confirmed Kaien’s reputation wasn’t mere exaggeration.
Although Parniel wanted nothing more than to rush in and challenge him directly, she restrained herself. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t take on all the transcendents and 100,000 soldiers alone.
Parniel turned swiftly and rejoined Ghislain’s party. As she spread her divine energy, it invigorated everyone, allowing them to pick up speed.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
Kaien and Gatros continued the chase, gritting their teeth as barriers of earth rose and lightning bolts rained down to obstruct their path.
Although these obstacles weren’t strong enough to seriously threaten them, breaking through each one bit by bit allowed Ghislain’s party to increase their lead.

Eventually, Ghislain and his group arrived safely at the hot air balloon.
SWOOSH!
“Catch them quickly!”

Gillian shouted from the balloon as he tossed down mana-infused ropes.
The ropes extended rapidly, and as soon as Ghislain and his companions grabbed hold, the balloon began to ascend.
Inside the balloon were five captured 6th-circle mages who poured their mana into the mechanism, allowing it to rise at an incredible speed.

As the balloon climbed higher and moved further away, Gatros stared up in disbelief.
“This… this can’t be…”
It was already too late to catch them. Not only had they failed to kill Count Fenris, but they had also lost the stolen items entirely.

“That bastard… that bastard…” Gatros ground his teeth in rage, his face twisted with humiliation.
Never in his life had he experienced such disgrace.
Even when the full might of the Salvation Order had been defeated by the Shadow Knight Commander, it hadn’t felt this humiliating. At least back then, they had been beaten by someone overwhelmingly strong.

But this? That bastard had infiltrated the kingdom’s forces, arrogantly stolen the items, and escaped.
Neither the strongest warriors nor an army of 100,000 had been able to stop him.
“ARGH!”

Gatros screamed, his bloodshot eyes glaring into the sky. He couldn’t endure the complete and utter mockery he had suffered.
Even with all his years of training and meditation, his rage boiled over.
The priests of the Salvation Order watched Gatros nervously. They knew him to be calm and benevolent most of the time, but when angered, he became the most ruthless among them.

But Gatros wasn’t the only one seething. Kaien stood motionless, his eyes closed.
Ghislain Ferdium.
One man had disrupted everything. And around him, stronger allies were gathering by the day.

I should have killed him then.
Back during that banquet when they first met, he should have taken the chance to end him.
At the time, the Duke’s faction had hesitated, wanting to secure the kingdom without unnecessary political risks. That hesitation had been their mistake. It was a grave error shared by the entire Duke’s faction.

That man had grown at an unbelievable rate, becoming their greatest enemy.
“Let’s go back.”
Kaien turned away with a heavy expression. There was no choice now. Instead of dwelling on the past, he needed to focus on how to kill him next time.

Gatros scowled, his voice sharp. “What about the king?”
With the royal relics gone, there was no longer any reason to appease the king. Gatros’s curt tone made it clear he was asking what should be done with him.
“There’s nothing to gain from fighting him now,” Kaien replied.

Attacking the royal army or killing the king here wouldn’t benefit them. It was better to use the royal forces against the northern army first.
There was another reason to keep the king alive.
“The king is still useful. To survive, he’ll undoubtedly kill more people and impose even harsher tyranny. That will help us when the time comes to eliminate the northern army and take over the kingdom.”

The more chaos and cruelty the king inflicted, the more the people would desire a new leader. When the Duke’s faction seized power, the populace would welcome them with open arms.
Even though Marquis Branford had fallen, there were still provincial lords and nobles who hadn’t pledged loyalty to the king.
If the king’s tyranny continued, those undecided factions would inevitably side with the Duke’s faction.

Gatros nodded in agreement. “Let’s do that. I’ll focus on finding the relics in other kingdoms.”
“Understood.”
With that, the two men concluded their discussion and turned back.

When Berhem learned that Ghislain had escaped, he flew into a frenzy.
“I’ll kill him! That traitorous bastard! How dare he humiliate me like this! Spread the word across the entire kingdom! Marquis Ferdium and anyone associated with him are now enemies of the crown! They are rebels!”
As if that wasn’t enough, Berhem turned to Marquis Domont, trembling with rage.

“Chamberlain! Inform all commanders of the allied forces! Launch an immediate attack on the northern army! The kingdom is allied with them, not the northern army!”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Domont’s face darkened. The allied forces had joined not for the kingdom, but because of Marquis Branford and Count Fenris.

Even setting that aside, the allied forces wouldn’t side with the Salvation Order, which had already caused them significant harm.
But with Berhem frothing at the mouth and spitting blood in his rage, Domont couldn’t voice his objections.
The commotion only ended when Berhem, utterly exhausted, collapsed.

Thus, the royal army and the Delphine forces returned empty-handed, with nothing to show for their efforts.
No one noticed that the 3rd Infantry Company of the 2nd Corps had disappeared during the chaos. Nor did anyone care.