The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

The Allied Forces' leadership was in high spirits. Pride shone on their faces, with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

The distribution of war spoils was nearly complete. Everyone had gained substantial territories and wealth.
Kingdoms that received the news sent envoys to commend their respective commanders. These leaders, upon returning, would undoubtedly enjoy the honor and prestige of being hailed as war heroes.
"Well then, it seems all that's left is to return home."

"The kingdom’s territory has expanded greatly. The results are truly satisfying."
"The remnants of the Salvation Order have almost been eradicated."
"Indeed, we must ensure that such people never rise again."

They had come to understand just how terrifying the Salvation Order was. Despite their good mood, a deep fear lingered in their hearts.
Thus, the Four Great Churches and every kingdom resolved to thoroughly crush the remaining members. They would ensure that the Order could never lift its head again.
"We’ve been informed that the reorganized divisions will be deployed soon."

"Well, the forces consist of elites, so dealing with the remnants shouldn't be too difficult."
"Those scoundrels must already believe their lives are over. Hahaha."
The so-called remnants were nothing more than rebel forces from small kingdoms. Though scattered, strategies were already in place to eliminate them swiftly.

The Kingdom of Sardina would continue to serve as the headquarters of the Allied Forces for the foreseeable future. The continent still needed a central command until the ongoing chaos of war and dimensional rifts was completely resolved.
Just as they began to feel assured that everything was under control, Ghislain summoned a meeting.
The leaders, gathered in the Sardina royal castle, greeted Ghislain with smiles.

"Hoho, what urgent matter prompted the Supreme Commander to call a meeting so suddenly?"
"Do you bring more good news?"
"Perhaps you’re planning to host a banquet?"

Having no pressing concerns, they were now at ease. Some even hoped for an unexpected reward.
Ghislain surveyed the room with a grave expression before speaking.
"It’s not yet time to return. We must prepare for a new battle."
The Allied commanders nodded amicably, maintaining their relaxed demeanor.

"We’re aware that there are still a few remnants left. That’s why the punitive forces are being deployed soon, correct?"
"Haha, I didn’t realize the Duke was this cautious. The remaining remnants are just rebels ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ from small kingdoms."
"Well, it’s that cautious nature that led us to victory in this war, isn’t it?"

"Indeed. We’ll take our time observing the results, so don’t worry too much."
They chuckled among themselves, thinking it was just another minor matter. Still, they respected Ghislain enough to indulge his caution, even if it seemed unnecessary.
Ghislain observed their reactions with a blank expression before bluntly stating:

"We must fight a dragon."
"Haha, a dragon, you say? Who could possibly defeat us?"
"Exactly. That overgrown lizard..."

"Haha…"
"Ha…?"
"Wait, what did you just say we’re fighting?"

Their laughter halted abruptly, their faces frozen in disbelief as they stared at Ghislain.
A completely unexpected word had entered the conversation. They wore expressions that seemed to ask if they had misheard him.
"A dragon? Why would a dragon appear here?"

"We must have misheard, right?"
"Is this some kind of joke to alleviate boredom?"
Their disbelief was evident, but Ghislain shook his head firmly.

"No, this is serious. We truly have to fight a dragon. Its name is Arterion, a White Dragon residing in the Shadow Mountains."
Ghislain briefly explained the situation, based on the information he had received from Ereneth. He omitted any mention of the Adversary, focusing solely on the dragon.
By the time he finished, the room was filled with stunned silence. The one most visibly shaken was Marquis Gideon of the Turian Kingdom.

"Then… does this mean that the monster attacks we’ve endured were because of…"
"Yes. They were caused by the dragon."
Marquis Gideon turned to Julien, seeking confirmation. Julien nodded solemnly.

"That seems highly likely."
The revelation was a tremendous blow to Marquis Gideon. To think that such a terrifying being had been living near their kingdom all this time—and worse, that their entire kingdom had been caught up in its mischief.
The tale seemed so absurd that many were reluctant to believe it. After all, why would a dragon suddenly make its presence known?

"Why would a dragon appear so abruptly…?"
"Is this information reliable?"
"The cause of the strange phenomena in the Shadow Mountains hasn’t been identified yet."

Ghislain nodded.
"Yes, this information comes directly from the High Chief of the Elves. It’s reliable, and we must prepare accordingly."
The commanders knew of the elf High Chief’s presence in the Ruthanian forces. With Ghislain pressing the matter so firmly, they could no longer dismiss it.

One noble cautiously asked Ghislain:
"Then… how should we prepare?"
Battles against the Salvation Order had been conflicts between humans; they followed predictable strategies. Even the dimensional rifts required specific but familiar tactics.

But no one had any idea how to confront a dragon.
It had been centuries since a dragon was last seen, and even then, the last confirmed sighting was of a corpse over two hundred years ago.
Without experience or precedent, confusion was inevitable.

Ghislain looked around at the Allied leaders and stated:
"First, we must stop the monster wave targeting the Turian Kingdom."
This wave would be unlike anything they had faced before. It would be a prelude to the dragon’s arrival.

In his previous life, a similar situation had occurred, but the reason behind it wasn’t understood at the time. Monster waves were common in the Turian Kingdom, so no one had connected them to the dragon.
Moreover, the dragon’s appearance had come some time after the wave, so any correlation had been overlooked. Back then, the human alliance had been too preoccupied fighting massive rifts to delve into the matter further.
But this time was different. Ghislain had knowledge from his past life and the information provided by Ereneth.

"This will be unlike anything we’ve faced before. We must prepare thoroughly."
The room buzzed with murmurs. Though they’d heard of monster waves, many believed Ghislain was exaggerating. After all, the Turian Kingdom had fortified itself with numerous strongholds that had successfully repelled monsters in the past.
Only Marquis Gideon seemed truly alarmed as he asked:

"How is this wave different?"
"Imagine every monster in the Shadow Mountains coming at once."
The room fell into a stunned silence.

The Shadow Mountains were infamous for being teeming with monsters, an endless horde that seemed to multiply no matter how many were killed. If all those monsters were to emerge simultaneously, the numbers would be unimaginable.
Ghislain continued with a firm voice:
"This will not be like any war we’ve fought before. Consider it a single, all-out offensive."

In his previous life, when such a wave struck, the entire Turian Kingdom had been devastated.
Though Julien had quickly rallied the human alliance to respond, the kingdom had suffered catastrophic losses before reinforcements could arrive.
Worse still, before recovery efforts could even begin, the dragon had appeared without warning, pushing the Turian Kingdom to the brink of annihilation.

But now, things were different. The Allied Forces were already assembled, and there was ample time to prepare.
"Deploy all combat forces to the Turian Kingdom’s strongholds. Bring every siege weapon—trebuchets, ballistae, and more—from your homelands."
The nobles swallowed nervously.

If every monster from the Shadow Mountains emerged, the numbers would likely reach hundreds of thousands.
The Allied Forces had grown accustomed to large-scale battles against rift creatures, but monsters were far more dangerous than riftlings.
Some nobles began raising concerns.

"What about the remnants? If we commit all our forces and weapons to the Turian Kingdom, who will deal with them?"
"We can’t divert too many troops. I’ll assign a single legion to handle the remnants."
"But it’ll take time. What if they regroup in the meantime?"

Though the Duke of Reinster’s corpse had been found, Gatros remained unaccounted for, likely still alive. Even remnants, if allowed to gather, could become a significant threat.
Ghislain acknowledged their concerns but had his own plans.
"Once the monster wave is stopped, the troops can be reassigned to eliminate the remnants. Only the elite forces will be needed to face the dragon. Still, it’s true that this will delay things, so I intend to seek help from someone else."

"Who do you mean?"
"Count Rayfold. He’s currently fighting in another region but is likely to ascend as the new King of Norvagen soon."
Claude, standing nearby, widened his eyes and whispered to Ghislain:

"Is that so?"
"He will. Amelia needs to stabilize her surroundings, doesn’t she?"
"And if she refuses?"

"She won’t. But if she does, you’ll go convince her. Persuade her, threaten her—whatever it takes."
"You want me to go on a suicide mission?"
"What else can we do? We can’t just leave the remnants alone."

Claude sighed heavily, shaking his head.
“…….”
"Who's asking anyone to do it for free? Negotiate, negotiate. If that doesn’t work, then resort to threats."

Ghislain had never asked anyone for a favor or free service. He always provided adequate compensation in return.
Of course, there was always the issue of negotiations often turning into intimidation. Still, the results were mutually beneficial in the end.
"The only one capable of handling this right now is Amelia. Since she'll need troops and supplies, we should assign someone to assist her."

"…Who do you have in mind?"
"You."
"…"

"Go."
Claude broke into a cold sweat. He had heard rumors that Amelia was still holding a grudge against him for pocketing a gold coin per transaction back when he dealt with the Actium Trading Company.
Apparently, she’d spent an exasperating amount of time pondering the significance of that missing gold coin, only to discover it was nothing but a bribe he had taken. She had been furious ever since.

Before Claude could muster a reply, Ghislain addressed the room.
"Claude will take the lead of a legion and begin clearing out the remnants. He will do this alongside the soon-to-be King of Norvagen."
"…"

Everyone blinked in silence. It was obvious that Ghislain had made this decision unilaterally. No negotiations with Norvagen’s king had been made.
But as always, Ghislain bulldozed his way forward, leaving no room for objections.
Clearing out the remnants could be delayed if necessary, but the dragon was a different matter altogether.

"Well, dealing with the monsters might be feasible if we all gather our forces. But a dragon… How do we handle that? Even with elites… Can we manage it?"
Ghislain nodded confidently. He had already slain a dragon in his previous life.
"There’s no need to worry about the dragon. If we prepare thoroughly, it’s not an impossible task. After all, we have plenty of strong fighters here, don’t we?"

"Hmm…"
The Allied leadership hesitantly nodded.
While they couldn’t entirely dismiss their unease, Ghislain’s unwavering confidence was, at the very least, reassuring. Moreover, there weren’t any better alternatives.

Ghislain swept his gaze across the room and continued.
"But aside from large siege weapons, we’ll need something else. We must request maximum support from our home nations."
"And what exactly is that?"

"We need at least one thousand mages of the 5th Circle or higher."
"…A thousand?"
"If we cannot neutralize the dragon’s magic, victory will be impossible. That number of mages is essential."

The Allied commanders grimaced but nodded in agreement.
In any given kingdom, having over fifty 5th Circle mages was rare. In smaller kingdoms, a 5th Circle mage often served as the royal court magician.
Gathering a thousand of them would mean scraping together resources from every kingdom on the continent.

"Both siege weapons and mages are non-negotiable. We’ll also redirect all the mages currently researching dimensional rifts to prepare for the battle against the dragon."
With that, the meeting concluded. Or rather, it felt more like an announcement than a discussion.
The Allied Forces had long since become accustomed to Ghislain’s unilateral decision-making. Though doubts and frustrations lingered among some, they had all grown used to following his lead.

The Allied Forces quickly resumed their preparations. Requests for support were sent to their homelands, and plans for the upcoming battle began in earnest.
Around this time, Ghislain began dreaming more frequently.
***

"Hmm."
Ghislain surveyed the battlefield within his dream.
Since divine power had pierced through his body, he had dreamt of such battlefields a few more times, but nothing particularly remarkable had occurred.

The dreams merely showed scenes of the Human Alliance fighting against the Salvation Order.
The Saintess hadn’t spoken to him since that day.
Without any means of interaction, Ghislain could only observe the battles and glean whatever insights he could from them.

"Ah, no, you shouldn’t fight like that."
"Who’s in charge here anyway?"
"Wow, now this is truly impressive."

Now that he had a bit more composure, Ghislain clicked his tongue in frustration at some scenes and expressed admiration at others.
The quality of the battles varied depending on the commanders involved. Sometimes their decisions were unbearably frustrating, while at other times, their tactics were astonishingly brilliant.
He took the opportunity to study strategy and tactics again, gaining further understanding from watching clashes between heroes and adversaries that occasionally unfolded.

Suddenly, the scenery changed.
"Oh…"
A massive army had gathered, larger than any he had seen in his dreams before. At the forefront stood the Saintess, the Hero, and several other powerful individuals whose auras rivaled theirs.

Everyone wore tense expressions. It was clear that this was a battle of great significance.
KWAHHHHHHHH!
The sky split with a deafening roar, causing Ghislain to look upward.

Turning toward the source of the sound, he saw colossal shapes flying toward them from the distance.
He immediately recognized the creatures.
"Dragons."

The mightiest beings, hailed as supreme existences—dragons—had appeared behind the Human Alliance’s forces.
Leading the pack of dragons was a magnificent one with a pure white body, radiating an awe-inspiring beauty.
"Arterion."

The very same dragon lord who had once aided the Human Alliance in driving out the Salvation Order.
And now, it seemed, that dragon had become humanity’s enemy.