Chapter 839

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

I’ve Made Up My Mind. (2)

When Deneb made her decision, the elves quietly withdrew from the scene.

They could neither help Julien nor aid the dragons.

Unable to choose a side, they resigned themselves to everything and simply watched the situation unfold.

And just as the sealing ritual was about to begin, they decided to leave this place, believing that everything had ended.

However, the sight of the Holy Empire and the mercenaries entangled in battle brought Ilaniel to a halt.

“Save them…”

It was far too late to expect forgiveness now.

Even so, she couldn’t turn away from the mercenaries collapsing and bleeding right before her eyes.

She had believed that only the life of the Saintess needed to be sacrificed. That was what the dragons had told her, and what Ilaniel herself had come to accept.

Though she knew it was a weak excuse, and a contradiction… She had never wanted others to die.

At her command, the Elf Elders intervened. Because of this, the Holy knights were forced to retreat.

The elves used the energy of nature to heal the mercenaries, but the mercenaries were far from grateful.

‘Just you wait.’

‘Once we get out of here…’

‘I’ll make sure you bastards bleed far more than we did.’

The mercenaries didn’t lash out recklessly.

They simply held back their seething rage and quietly received the elves’ treatment.

Even Osval, who barely clung to life, glared fiercely at the elves.

‘Damn it… Osval, the man, is staying quiet now because he’s scared! But once I’m out, I’ll burn every last one of those elf forests to the ground. And I’ll make them all slaves.’

Even Osval, who once liked the elves, had all his emotions twisted by the sting of betrayal.

There was no way the elves couldn’t see the murderous intent and hatred in the mercenaries’ eyes.

The Elf Elders repeatedly cast silent glances toward Ilaniel.

They were asking—since things had already gone this far—why not just kill them all and leave?

But Ilaniel shook her head.

Trying to cover one sin with another was not the answer.

If the mercenaries made it out alive, the truth of their crimes would come to light.

They would face severe condemnation, but she believed that was the rightful burden of the guilty.

Ilaniel spoke weakly to the mercenaries.

“We will now take our leave. You would do well to move quickly as well.”

The dragons would believe that the Holy Empire and the dwarves had dealt with the mercenaries on their own.

The dragons didn’t care whether the truth was revealed or not, but for the Holy Empire and the dwarves, this incident must never leak out.

That’s why the mercenaries needed to leave before others arrived.

Understanding this, the mercenaries began to move, supporting their wounded comrades.

At that moment, Ilaniel and the Elf Elders simultaneously turned their heads.

They saw two figures walking toward them, shrouded in darkness and drenched in blood.

Ilaniel’s eyes widened.

“How…?”

She had seen the two fighting the dragons. But both had seemed too exhausted—she had been certain they would die.

Even if they had escaped the dragons, there was no way they could have survived if they had encountered anyone from the Holy Empire.

Yet, here they were, walking all the way to this place. It was beyond belief.

Ilaniel couldn’t react at all until Ghislain and Lionel had nearly reached her. The Elf Elders also tensed, quietly drawing out their energy.

In contrast, the mercenaries rose to their feet, overjoyed.

“Boss!”

“You’re alive!”

“What happened to the lady and the commander?”

The mercenaries surrounded the two blood-soaked men, choking back tears.

Ghislain looked at them with a faintly moved expression.

“You guys…”

Many had died, but there were still survivors. That alone was something to be deeply grateful for.

There was so much he wanted to say—but now wasn’t the time.

They exchanged glances and nodded. There was no need for words—they already understood one another.

As Ghislain stepped up before Ilaniel, he spoke with a cold smirk.

“What’s wrong? Surprised to see someone who was supposed to be dead?”

“…Did you not meet the Pope?”

“Oh, I met him. Sent him and all the Cardinals off to the Goddesses. Made sure they’d never crawl back like cockroaches—smashed their heads and cut off their necks.”

“…”

“They didn’t bring nearly enough people in order to keep things quiet. With that kind of cowardice, what kind of conspiracy could they ever hope to pull off? If they wanted to capture us, they should’ve come in full force.”

“…”

“Oh, and just so you know—the King of the Dwarves has also gone to the Goddesses. So now…”

Ghislain’s eyes turned icy.

“All that’s left are the elves.”

Clang!

His sword suddenly shot toward Ilaniel’s throat.

The mercenaries also drew their weapons in unison and aimed them at the elves.

The Elf Elders, who had already been on guard, sprang into action—but Ilaniel raised a hand to stop them.

Drip.

Ghislain’s sword came to a sudden halt.

Blood trickled from where the blade touched Ilaniel’s neck. Ghislain sneered savagely at the sight.

“Do you think I won’t kill you?”

“…If you want to, go ahead.”

“Still pretending to be noble?”

“I mean it. Whatever the reason, I agreed to the sacrifice of the Saintess. That alone gives the Julien Mercenary Corps every right to kill me.”

Ghislain ground his teeth and raised his sword again.

Ilaniel was the spiritual pillar of Ereneth. And the Julien Mercenary Corps had gained much from the Elven Forest.

The reason the dwarves and dragons had so readily handed over the Sacred Stones in the first place was largely because Ilaniel had been the first to make a decisive choice.

Moreover, every member of the Julien Mercenary Corps had once held deep respect for Ilaniel’s character.

Even for Ghislain, killing her didn’t sit well in his heart.

But…

That only made the betrayal feel all the more bitter.

Vengeance wouldn’t bring Julien or Deneb back—Ghislain knew that better than anyone.

However, if there was no turning back…

Then Ghislain would always choose retribution over forgiveness.

Just as he was about to strike Ilaniel’s neck in a single, decisive blow, one of the Elf Elders shouted loudly.

“The Great Chieftain tried to save the Saintess! She changed his mind at the end and tried to stop the sealing ritual but was attacked by the Dragon Lord and failed!”

“….”

Ghislain glanced at Ilaniel.

Indeed, her abdomen showed torn clothing and a wound that looked like it came from some attack.

Though it had been healed with the energy of nature, the scar couldn’t be completely hidden.

Seeing Ghislain momentarily hesitate, the Elf Elder cried out again.

“We’re the ones who saved the mercenaries! We rescued them from the Holy Empire’s forces and treated their wounds!”

“….”

“So please… can’t you forgive us for this?”

“….”

Ghislain stared hard at Ilaniel for a long while.

She still wore a serene expression—as if she truly intended to leave the decision entirely in Ghislain’s hands.

If they fought now, there was no way Ghislain could win. And yet, she offered up her life. That could only mean she was sincere.

Lowering his sword slowly, Ghislain spoke, his voice as cold as a blade’s edge.

“I have no intention of forgiving you. I’m only letting this go because I know the elves will pay the price eventually.”

“There’s a price beyond my life?”

At Ilaniel’s question, Ghislain looked around at the elves and said,

“Let me give you a prophecy. The Holy Empire will fall, and the dragons will go extinct. In the end, the elves and dwarves will become slaves to humanity.”

“….”

“That is the destined future—and the natural order.”

At Ghislain’s words, the Elf Elders furrowed their brows.

The elves had always lived as an independent power. They were respected by humankind and wielded considerable strength.

They had even played a pivotal role in the battle against the Demonic Abyss. And now they were being told they’d become slaves to humans?

Nonsense. They assumed Ghislain, consumed by rage, was merely spitting curses.

But Ilaniel’s expression hardened more than anyone else’s.

‘…I never thought of that.’

All she had focused on was fighting the Demonic Abyss for the sake of the world.

She hadn’t thought about what came after. She simply believed that peace would naturally follow at the end of the war.

Just like the Saintess had.

‘…I didn’t consider the greed of humankind.’

They had won the war, and the Demonic Abyss had been sealed.

That meant their common enemy was gone.

And in its absence, only the endless desires of humans remained.

Those desires would soon seek out new targets.

It was obvious that to human eyes, the elves and dwarves would appear as ripe, irresistible prey.

If their betrayal became an excuse…

There could be no better justification. For those who had once followed the Hero and the Saintess, it would serve as more than enough cause.

Fortunately, that time had not yet come.

With the Pope and Cardinals all dead, the Holy Empire would soon fall into chaos.

For a while, the humans would be too preoccupied with fighting among themselves.

Until that internal strife ended, time still remained. The elves and dwarves needed to use it to prepare.

“…Let’s go back.”

Ilaniel took a deep breath and quietly turned away.

Killing the remaining members of the Julien Mercenary Corps to bury the incident wouldn’t help.

That would only remove one excuse from the table—it wouldn’t quell humanity’s greed.

As he watched the elves depart, Ghislain slowly turned his head.

“Grrrrgh…”

A little distance away, a dark, writhing shape came into view.

Formed purely from residual energy, it had coalesced from the remnants left behind by Julien’s spirits.

Born of the profound sorrow and despair of spirits tainted by darkness, this newborn being, like an infant, wandered aimlessly, following the scent of spirits that lingered on the elves.

As the elves disappeared, it began to crawl after them from afar. Even that must have been an instinctual action.

Ghislain stared at it with slightly mournful eyes and spoke.

“Let’s get out of here too.”

There was no need to worry about breaking through the barrier— the elves would lead the way and open it for them.

The two forces that once stood side by side in the battle against the Demonic Abyss walked in silence.

Because both knew—they could never go back to how things were.

In the heavy atmosphere, Osval whispered to Ghislain.

“Boss, I feel the same way as you.”

“What about?”

“Wipe out the Holy Empire, annihilate the dragons, enslave the elves and dwarves… That’s the real man’s revenge. A true revolution, don’t you think?”

At that, Ghislain paused for a moment, then let out a faint chuckle.

“Yeah. A revolution it is.”

Until now, the Holy Empire had practically ruled the continent. If it fell, chaos would follow.

No one truly knew how the Holy Empire had collapsed.

Nor what course history had originally taken.

And unlike what Ghislain once believed, Julien hadn’t left behind a curse.

The one who had spoken such words… was Ghislain himself.

But one thing was certain.

Deneb could have escaped.

Julien had reached the altar at the very last moment.

And yet Deneb had still chosen to sacrifice herself—

That could only mean it was absolutely necessary.

Then there was only one thing Ghislain had to do.

Deneb… It’ll be hard, but wait for me.

He had to create the future she had wished for.

*** * ***

[It was arrogance on my part to believe that, having reached the 9th Circle, I could handle Ghislain’s consciousness. His immense power still lay far beyond what I could bear.]

[With no other choice, Ghislain fell into slumber within my consciousness after escaping the city. My body was breaking down again. I wanted to ask how he had returned, but I had to set my curiosity aside for now.]

[When we reached the Allied Forces' camp, it was chaotic. Everyone asked what had happened, but we only told them to wait—we couldn’t trust anyone until our friends returned.]

[The elves, following Ilaniel’s orders, fled the camp in haste. People were still buzzing with questions. The dwarves kept coming to us, searching for their king. But we refused to meet anyone and remained silent.]

[A few days later, the friends who had gone tracking finally returned. Beaming with pride and excitement, they came back holding the heads of the Apostles. Thankfully, the dragons who had gone with them had vanished and didn’t reappear.]

[And before those friends, soaked in triumph… I had to deliver the most sorrowful, most tragic news of all.]