The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

Ghislain swallowed hard.
The Forest of Beasts being the mythical Demonic Realm was astonishing.
Ereneth continued her explanation at a measured pace.

"The Forest of Beasts is where the Demon God's corpse was laid to rest. The land absorbed its aura deeply, making it a place unlike any other."
The people of Fenris all nodded in agreement. Even to them, the Forest of Beasts was a truly mysterious place.
Its energy was so overwhelming that it was almost incomprehensible. Not only were the monsters enormous, but all living things in the forest seemed unnaturally large.

That wasn’t all. The forest was also brimming with rare resources, the kind that were nearly impossible to find elsewhere.
And to think that all of this was due to the influence of the Demon God’s aura.
Vanessa furrowed her brows, clearly struggling to understand.

"How could such a powerful aura have spread there without anyone noticing?"
"As I said before, we cannot perceive that aura. Only members of the Salvation Order can sense it. The creatures in the forest were simply exposed to the aura for so long that they were heavily influenced by it."
"Was it always like this in the past as well?"

Ereneth shook her head.
"It has been purified to some extent now. In the past, it was a land filled with death, blackened with dark energy—much like the breath spread by Equidema."
"And yet, the members of the Salvation Order could survive in such a place?"

"Yes. Only those who had lived their entire lives exposed to the Demon God's aura could endure in the Demonic Realm. Of course, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to enter, but for people like you, it wouldn’t be impossible to live there."
Everyone instinctively shook their heads. There was no way they would want to live in such a place.
Lumina, her voice trembling, asked a question. She had had a strange experience during the second subjugation of the Forest of Beasts.

"The forest… it spoke to me, asking me to become one with it. What did that mean?"
Lumina had exceptional empathy, so she was the only one who had heard such a voice at the time.
She had reported it to Ghislain and informed others, but no one had been able to make sense of it.
Ereneth studied Lumina briefly before speaking.

"You have a gift."
"What?"
"You have the ability to accept the Demon God's aura. Like the priests of the Salvation Order. Occasionally, those with exceptional empathy have been known to become tainted by it."

"......"
"Be cautious. That is the will of the Demon God scattered across the world. If you succumb to it, your mind will eventually align with the goals of the Salvation Order."
Lumina nodded fearfully. If that whisper could continue to influence her, then it was something she had to avoid.

She silently resolved to skip the third subjugation of the Forest of Beasts.
Hearing Ereneth’s story brought Ghislain a sense of clarity.
Now he understood why the monsters of the forest were so grotesque and why the Ducal House of Delphine was so fixated on the Forest of Beasts.

"So, the reason the Delphine Duke targeted the Forest of Beasts was because the Demon God's corpse is there?"
"Yes, that place is the Salvation Order’s holy ground. To them, the Adversary’s resurrection is important, but so is that land. They could recreate the Demonic Realm there."
"Then why didn’t they go after it aggressively from the beginning?"

It was understandable that they were wary after being defeated by his mother.
However, they could have easily used other methods to claim the forest without starting a civil war.
Ereneth replied casually.

"Because they weren’t certain that it was the right place."
"What? Why not?"
"The high priests of the Salvation Order all perished in the war a thousand years ago. The survivors were merely their followers—ordinary devotees."

"Even so, how could they forget the land where they once lived?"
Ereneth chuckled softly at his comment. Humans, with their short lifespans, often failed to grasp just how long a thousand years truly was.
"After hiding their identity and wandering for a millennium, they were bound to lose much of their knowledge. They likely struggled to even maintain their faith without power."

"......I see."
"In that sense, Gatros was remarkable for resurrecting the Salvation Order with only the remnants left behind. Perhaps he, too, gained strength because the Adversary had returned."
Ghislain nodded. If the Adversary’s resurrection had amplified the Demon God's aura scattered across the world, it made sense that the Salvation Order had regained power during this time.

Ereneth glanced at the map on the wall and continued.
"Regardless, there are several places on this continent as mysterious as the Forest of Beasts. I know the Salvation Order investigated many of them as potential candidates."
She had spent a long time hunting the remnants of the Salvation Order. That was how she knew they hadn’t yet discovered the exact location of the Demonic Realm.

But by now, they must have narrowed it down. They had likely experimented with most of the restricted sites scattered across the continent.
All except for one.
They hadn’t dared approach the Forest of Beasts because of the Fenris Dukedom’s presence. Their failure to act on it made it clear that they suspected it was the ancient Demonic Realm.

Ereneth seemed relieved as she spoke again.
"The Demon God’s aura is a tale as old as myths, so even I can’t explain it clearly. I can only describe it as one of the mysteries that permeates this world."
After a brief pause, she turned to Ghislain.

"I understand that my story may have gaps or lack logical clarity. But knowing this much should suffice for now. As I’ve said before, the most pressing matter is stopping the dragon."
Ghislain nodded.
"Agreed. What you’ve shared has already answered many questions. I’m sure we’ll learn more details gradually."

Through my dreams, that is.
Ereneth didn’t seem inclined to share anything deeper. Unless something extraordinary happened, they would have to uncover the rest on their own.
In any case, it wasn’t urgent right now.

If the Adversary truly existed, he would eventually reveal himself. For now, the priority was preparing to deal with the dragon.
"I’ll need to meet with the Allied Commanders. Let’s convene a meeting. Fortunately, it looks like we can arrange it quickly."
The Allied Commanders were still gathered here since the post-war cleanup hadn’t been completed. If they had already dispersed, organizing this would have been a headache. Ereneth’s timely warning had been invaluable.

Although Ghislain had already prepared for the dragon’s arrival, if the situation unfolded earlier than expected, the Turian Kingdom would suffer significant damage.
As the conversation wrapped up, Elena clicked her tongue and spoke.
"This is all your fault, brother. The dragon is coming because of you."

"What? Why me? Did you not hear a word of what we just discussed?"
"You’re the one who jinxed it by bragging about slaying a dragon in the past."
"When did I ever say that?"

"Oh, don’t play innocent. I remember you telling me all sorts of stories about killing a dragon when you collapsed after fighting an orc."
Ghislain paused to think. Now that she mentioned it...
"I’ll tell you about the time I killed a dragon next."

"In your dreams? Do you even know what a dragon is?"
When he first reunited with Elena after returning, he had been so overwhelmed with joy that he had rambled about his past exploits.
That must have been when he let that story slip.

"......"
"What? Remember now? See? You jinxed it."
"......"

The room erupted in murmurs.
A dragon had never appeared before, and yet Ghislain had boasted about slaying one in the past.
Suspicious glances turned toward him. It seemed that every time trouble arose, Ghislain was always at its center.

Claude seized the opportunity and immediately sided with Elena.
"Why would you say something like that? Now a dragon has actually appeared! This is all your fault, my lord!"
Ereneth, observing the situation with some amusement, added, "I’m not one for superstition, but this is quite the coincidence. You boasted about slaying a dragon, and now one has shown up. Perhaps this is why our ancestors warned us to be careful with our words."

"......"
Ghislain felt wronged. The sequence of events had been altered because of his regression, but he had indeed killed a dragon in his previous life—the very dragon, Arterion, that was now set to appear.
There was no use arguing now. The only way to vindicate himself was to slay the dragon again and turn his so-called boast into truth.

"Let’s move quickly..." he muttered.
To gather all the Allied Commanders, they would need to convene in the conference room at Sardina’s royal palace.
Just as everyone began preparing to leave, Alfoy, deciding the conversation had ended, stealthily approached Ereneth.

"Have you really lived for over a thousand years...?"
"Yes," she replied plainly.
Alfoy’s face flushed with excitement. He didn’t care much for tales of Demon Gods or Adversaries. As a mage, he believed himself too rational to be swayed by such myths.

But living for over a thousand years? Now that was information he coveted deeply.
"Can I... Can I call you 'big sister'?"
"......"

"Big sister! Please teach me how to live for a thousand years! Please!"
Alfoy’s desperation was palpable. Living a thousand years meant that even after his servitude ended, he could enjoy an extended life of freedom.
Ereneth sighed deeply as she looked at Alfoy.

What on earth had this fool been listening to?
She had spent most of those thousand years cursed, unable to leave the Forest of the World Tree. And yet all he cared about was her lifespan.
Claude, unable to tolerate Alfoy’s antics, shoved him aside.

"What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know there’s a hierarchy, even in foolishness? I’ve already extended my contract to 632 years! Even if I lived for a thousand years, over half of that would be spent as a slave! So, I should go first! Lady Ereneth, please teach me!"
"Shut up! I asked first! And I’m already over 300 years in! This is all your fault!" Alfoy snapped back.
"How is this my fault? You’re the idiot who got into gambling! Did anyone force you to place those bets?"

"You were the one who tempted me, you bastard!"
The two descended into a petty squabble. Ereneth bit her lip.
She had shared her story earnestly, recounting her past with sincerity.

She liked Fenris. She cherished the bonds formed in battle and had even stopped fighting Julien to help them prepare for the dragon.
But the people of Fenris had a way of testing her patience like no others.
"You little...!"

As her face reddened with anger, the room grew tense. Everyone knew Ereneth’s temper well; if provoked, she would lash out indiscriminately—Ghislain and Julien included.
Vanessa quickly covered Alfoy’s ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) mouth and dragged him away, while Wendy subdued Claude by twisting his arm.
"Mmff! Mmphh!"

"Ahh! My arm! Let me go! Mmpph!"
The chaos subsided as the troublemakers were forcefully silenced, and everyone resumed preparing to leave.
However, Parniel stood apart, her expression cold. She replayed Ereneth’s words in her mind, comparing them to what she already knew.

Parniel, too, had her secrets.
The figure mentioned in the church’s hidden records... Could it be you? Or is it the one they call the Adversary?
As the Saintess of War, Parniel had access to the church’s secret scriptures. These apocryphal texts, unavailable to most, contained fragments of ancient history.

Ereneth’s mythical account did not align with the records Parniel had read. Those texts spoke only of an ancient war, leaving much unsaid.
There was definitely something...
Among the records Jerome had mentioned, there was a passage about the "Darkness that Enveloped the World."

The texts claimed that beings blessed by the light had defeated this darkness.
One of them could have been the Saintess, but why would the church choose to hide such a glorious story?
As a result, the church interpreted the "beings blessed by the light" as mere heroes favored by the goddesses. Unlike Ereneth’s detailed recounting, the scriptures were vague and incomplete.

Wait... Then why...?
A sudden sense of unease struck Parniel.
The church had known about the darkness for centuries, which was why they had covertly tracked and fought the Salvation Order.

Then why did they hide the events of the war a thousand years ago?
If Ereneth’s words were true, it meant the church itself had deliberately erased records of that glorious victory.
The official scripture only stated that if the darkness rose again, the world would face destruction.

In secret, the church had been instructed to root out the remnants of that darkness.
Parniel clenched her mace as she watched Ereneth leave.
What happened during that war... What are you hiding?

It became clear to Parniel why the apocrypha had been written in riddles.
Someone had attempted to preserve the story of the ancient war without revealing its true nature.
The problem was that it had been discovered far too late, leaving no one able to decipher its meaning.

Among the cryptic passages was the following:
"The one crowned with leaves once received divine grace.
The starlight in his eyes dims, replaced by shadows.
With every step, the world edges closer to darkness.
The one who once sang with the forest now sows seeds of ruin.
His blessings vanish like dew on pointed ears.
His name, too fearful for the ancient trees to whisper.
The one who severed oaths with a gleaming blade,
And spoke lies with a silver tongue.
Once a cherished child, now a sorrowful shadow.
He spread poison through sacred groves,
And forged a crown of darkness with the goddess’s tears.
The end of the world follows in his wake."