The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 728

“Graaagh!”

Ismoken let out a bloodcurdling scream as his leg shattered. Ghislain didn’t stop there—he systematically crushed every limb.

As if that wasn’t enough, he channeled his mana directly into Ismoken’s heart. Until it dispersed, this mana would interfere with Ismoken’s ability to heal.

Killing him now was not an option. Ismoken needed to be kept alive and brought before the Pope.

Only then would the Pope personally relay to every kingdom that the Demonic Realm was on the move.

“Hah… That took a few days, but finally catching you makes it all worth it.”

“Guhh… You bastard…”

“Thanks to you, the world will now learn that the Demonic Realm has begun its activity. Your little cult won’t be stirring up any more trouble.”

“Urgh…”

Despair clouded Ismoken’s expression. More than his own defeat, the fact that his order’s long-standing mission had been derailed because of him was a much harsher blow.

There was only one thing left for him to do. Even if he had lost, he had to ensure the Guwon Church’s existence remained a secret at all costs.

His limbs were shattered, rendering him immobile, but he still had a way to take his own life.

Ismoken clenched his jaw and bit down on his tongue with all his strength.

“Nggh…”

But the moment he did, his expression crumbled in shock.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster the strength to bite down. His entire body felt drained, as if all power had left him.

Seeing this, Ghislain let out a small chuckle.

“Don’t even bother. My mana has completely seized control of your nervous system.”

“…”

Ismoken had no choice but to give up. His opponent had a countermeasure for everything.

Ghislain grabbed him and dragged him across the ground, heading toward where his comrades were waiting. Even as he walked, he kept checking the state of Ismoken’s body, monitoring how much mana was being consumed.

If his body recovered even slightly, Ismoken would either try to escape or kill himself.

That meant he had to be constantly restrained, preventing him from regaining even an ounce of strength.

It was tedious work, but there was no other way to ensure he was delivered alive.

As Ghislain pulled Ismoken along, the mercenaries erupted in cheers.

“Hey! The Vice-Commander is back!”

“Did you really catch him?”

“That guy’s actually a priest of the Guwon Church?”

By now, all the Holy Warriors had collapsed, transformed into mindless monsters by the corruption of the Demonic Realm.

Not a single mercenary had been lost.

That was because Julien and Tyron had held the Holy Warriors at bay in the front while Deneb stayed at the rear, healing the wounded.

In truth, with their level of skill, Julien and Tyron could have taken down all the Holy Warriors on their own—it would’ve just taken some time. But instead, they «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» focused on defense, ensuring that the less experienced mercenaries remained safe.

It was the same strategy Ghislain had employed by luring Ismoken away, minimizing casualties.

Now that Ismoken had been captured, the battle was completely over.

Ghislain smiled and said,

“Deneb, we need to show them proof. Run a little test.”

“Got it.”

Deneb placed his hand on Ismoken’s body and released a surge of divine power.

The moment it made contact, Ismoken’s flesh ignited. The power wielded by the Guwon Church was fundamentally incompatible with true divine energy.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Ismoken shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly.

Deneb withdrew his hand.

No one could deny the evidence now.

Ghislain summoned Dark and sent him soaring high into the sky.

“Spread the news. We’re bringing him in.”

“On it!”

Dark immediately split into two entities, flying off in opposite directions.

With that, Ghislain gathered his mercenaries and moved toward the designated rendezvous point.

Before long, two large armies approached them.

Surprisingly, they were led by Count Boneto and Count Schwarz, the two feuding nobles who had been locked in battle just moments ago.

The armies halted at a reasonable distance from one another.

Boneto and Schwarz, each accompanied by their knights, stepped forward, eyes locked in a tense stare-off.

Both sides were still poised for battle, ready to clash at any moment.

Count Boneto sneered first, glaring at Count Schwarz.

“You claim to have evidence? Fine, I’ll hold off—for now. But if this turns out to be nothing, you would’ve already died in this war.”

Schwarz scoffed in response.

“Hah! You think you could have handled my army if we had fought seriously? You’d have been crushed long before you even had the chance.”

“You bastard. You wanna settle this right now?”

“Hell yeah. I was planning to end you today anyway.”

Just as they were about to charge at each other, Ghislain stepped in between them.

“Deneb confirmed the evidence. We’ve got the proof. There’s no reason for you to keep fighting.”

The two nobles clicked their tongues and reluctantly backed down.

Even as they turned away, their expressions made it clear—they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Ghislain shook his head.

“Seriously… You never had any intention of fighting to the bitter end.”

Despite their hostility, neither of them truly wanted to go to war.

Starting a kingdom-wide conflict was too great a burden for either side to bear.

Now that Ghislain had created a situation where they no longer had to fight, they were just using bravado to cover up their relief.

‘Well, at least they were both willing to listen, which made things easier.’

At the onset of the war, Ghislain had secretly sent Dark to both Boneto and Schwarz, telling them to wait.

There were too many spies hidden in the area—he couldn’t take any chances.

Even if Schwarz had been suspicious, he had no choice but to accept the situation for now.

And as for Boneto, he never had a way out of this mess without Ghislain’s help in the first place.

Both sides had feigned hostility, putting on a show to fool Ismoken.

Apart from the two counts, no one knew about the plan. So to the soldiers, it simply looked like Count Schwarz was repeatedly retreating out of fear of the enemy’s war machines.

Count Boneto cleared his throat and asked,

“Ahem… So this man is really a priest of the Guwon Church?”

“Yes. I’ll show you the proof. Deneb.”

“Alright.”

Deneb stepped forward and once again released a surge of divine power into Ismoken’s body.

“Hiyah!”

Sssshhh!

“Graaagh!”

Deneb amplified his divine energy even more than before. This time, he wanted to make sure the proof was undeniable.

Weakened as he was, Ismoken writhed in unbearable pain.

Seeing his body ignite in response to the divine power, both counts were visibly shocked.

Only those tainted by the Demonic Realm reacted in such a way to holy energy.

They had heard of it before, but seeing it with their own eyes was an entirely different experience.

“By the gods… It’s true. A high-ranking priest of the Guwon Church tried to sow discord between us and drag us into war.”

“Exactly. And the same thing is happening in other kingdoms as we speak…”

Sssshhh!

“Gaaahhh?!”

Sssshhh!

“Guhhh…”

“…Deneb, that’s enough. I think he’s gotten the point.”

Ghislain, noticing how fired up Deneb was, decided to rein him in before Ismoken turned to ash.

“Anyway, the Guwon Church is stirring up chaos across the continent. We plan to take this man to the Holy Empire as evidence. It would be helpful if both of you could testify to what has happened here.”

“Hmph. Fine. I’ll cooperate. After all, we caught the real culprit.”

Count Boneto agreed, and Count Schwarz nodded as well. The fact that Ghislain had resolved the conflict without war was something they wouldn’t forget.

However, Boneto still wasn’t happy about Schwarz’s earlier accusations.

“You see? There was a mastermind behind all this! You owe me an apology for doubting me!”

“Hah! Don’t be ridiculous. You doubted me too! Besides, why don’t you return the cattle you stole from my land first?”

“That’s nonsense! Your cows wandered onto my land by themselves. I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, really? So you expect me to believe that my cows just magically broke through the fence in the middle of the night and decided to run into your territory?”

“It’s possible! Cows are smart, you know!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight

“Smart? Are you kidding me? It’s not like they just ran away on their own! Your men stole them! What kind of idiot stands watch at night and somehow ‘loses’ an entire herd of cattle?!”

“Tsk, tsk. You just don’t understand cattle.”

“Bullshit! And let’s not forget about last night. I bet you hunted deer on my land again, didn’t you?!”

“…That was only because your deer ruined my crops. It was a beautiful deer, though. Big, round eyes. A real shame.”

“What the hell are you even talking about?! You lunatic!”

The two counts were at it again, bickering like children.

Everyone else just stood there, dumbfounded, watching them argue.

“…”

Ghislain sighed and gave up.

They were bound to start a fight sooner or later, whether the Guwon Church was involved or not.

Their petty squabble escalated to the point where they grabbed each other by the collars, and only then did the surrounding soldiers step in to break them apart.

Ghislain and his mercenaries packed up their supplies.

The two counts offered to host a grand banquet in their honor, but Ghislain declined.

A high-ranking priest of the Guwon Church could still regenerate even after his body was shattered. They needed to take him to the Holy Empire as quickly as possible to present the evidence.

And so, Ghislain’s group departed for the Holy Empire without delay.

***

“Wow…”

Upon reaching the capital of the Holy Empire, the mercenaries found themselves in awe.

The towering city walls looked as though they had been built by the hands of gods—imposing, majestic, and unbreakable.

Carved into the white marble walls were records of thousands of years of holy wars, and golden sacred symbols shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

Passing through the gates, they were met with a dazzling city bathed in radiant light.

The marble-paved roads were spotlessly clean, and the surrounding buildings were adorned with intricate carvings and divine insignias.

On the streets, priests in pristine white robes murmured prayers, and the citizens walked solemnly, their heads bowed in reverence.

This was no mere city.

This was a place governed by divine law.

Even the mercenaries, hardened by war, felt small in its presence.

Osvald, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, suddenly began confessing.

“I… I stole food from my comrades every day. I secretly wore Kyle’s boots. I sold Julien’s gloves behind his back. I ate Deneb’s herbs, thinking they were good for my health. I was the one who wrote ‘Astion is a madman’ on the village wall. Goddess, please forgive me…”

“…”

Everyone turned to look at Osvald.

He remained oblivious, eyes shut in fervent repentance, continuing his confessions.

No one stopped him.

Beating him up could wait.

For now, they just let him spill his sins.

Listening to Osvald’s nonstop stream of confessions, the group made their way to the heart of the city.

As they approached the center, the architecture grew even grander.

Towering spires and sweeping archways led the way to the Great Cathedral, the most magnificent structure in the entire empire.

This was the holiest place in the world, the seat of the Pope, and the very heart of the Holy Empire—The Hall of the Divine.

“We’re finally here… It’s incredible.”

Ghislain muttered as he gazed at the sacred cathedral.

The sheer concentration of divine power in the area was overwhelming.

Even Ismoken, who was being dragged along, had begun foaming at the mouth and had passed out, his eyes rolled back in his skull.

For him, this place was no different from a land cursed by the gods.

Ghislain turned to Julien, who was riding beside him.

“Thanks for making the journey easier. I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing. When a figure of the Demonic Realm is captured, how could we just stand idly by? This is what must be done. Go on inside—the Holy Pope is expecting you.”

The reason Ghislain and his group had been able to reach the heart of the Holy Empire without trouble was Ismoken’s presence.

The moment the nobles of the empire saw him, they had immediately contacted the Pope. Soon after, an armed escort had been dispatched to ensure their safe passage to the Great Cathedral.

But even those nobles could not step inside the cathedral without permission.

The same applied to the mercenaries. They would have to wait outside.

Only Ghislain, Julien, and Deneb were allowed to enter.

Ghislain handed Ismoken over to the Temple Knights. Now, he no longer had to waste energy keeping watch over him.

Inside, the Great Cathedral was even more immense than expected. Towering marble columns stretched endlessly in every direction, and the ceiling soared so high it felt as though it touched the heavens.

The stained glass windows radiated an ethereal glow, as if imbued with divine energy. The floor, made of pristine white marble, was adorned with golden symbols in an intricate circular pattern.

As they ventured deeper, they arrived at the Holy Chamber, a place so sacred that even high-ranking priests rarely set foot inside.

“Wow…”

The three of them couldn’t help but exhale in awe.

The scene before them was breathtaking.

The walls were covered with celestial murals, depicting divine beings in exquisite detail.

The floor, made of transparent crystal, gave the illusion of walking on water.

Beneath their feet, countless particles of light swirled in mesmerizing patterns, forming sacred inscriptions.

Julien and Deneb were overwhelmed.

For people raised in the countryside, the Holy Chamber felt less like reality and more like a realm of the gods.

Even Ghislain, despite all his experiences, was impressed.

“Damn. They really spent a fortune on this place.”

He had seen grandiose structures before, but nothing compared to this. If someone told him a god actually lived here, he would almost believe it.

At the end of the hall stood a majestic veil of light, known as the Shroud of Divinity.

It cascaded from the ceiling like a radiant waterfall.

Massive metallic frames interlocked in midair, suspending the holy light in place. From its core, divine symbols flickered and flowed in an endless stream.

Beyond that luminous curtain, a shadowy figure stood.

A priest stepped forward and spoke in a solemn tone.

“You stand before His Holiness. Approach on your knees.”

Julien and Deneb instinctively began to kneel—but Ghislain stopped them.

He turned to the priest and said,

“I don’t think kneeling is necessary, is it? It’s not like we’re receiving a knighthood or anything. If that were the case, I might consider kneeling on one knee.”

“It is the law. Before the Holy Pope, even kings must kneel.”

“Ah, see, my knees aren’t in great shape. Took an arrow last night. Ever tried kneeling after getting shot? Hurts like hell.”

“You insolent—how dare a mere mercenary!”

“Alright, alright. Look, we captured a high-ranking priest of the Guwon Church and brought him here. Now it’s up to the Empire to deal with it. The other kingdoms are already in turmoil because of these lunatics. But if the Pope declares it, they’ll halt their infighting and begin an investigation.”

“Kneel at once—”

“So, have we delivered the message? Great. Then we’ll be on our way.”

Ghislain truly meant it.

His goal had been to warn the Empire and spread awareness of the Demonic Realm’s resurgence.

Now that his mission was complete, there was no reason to stay any longer. He needed to return to strengthening the mercenary corps and building their reputation.

As he turned to leave, the priest suddenly shouted,

“Then why did you insist on coming here in person?! You could have just sent the prisoner and the message!”

Ghislain shrugged.

“To sightsee.”

“…What?”

“When else am I gonna get a chance to step foot in here? Gotta say, it was worth the trip.”

Julien and Deneb nodded in agreement.

Honestly, this place was so magnificent they could brag about it for the rest of their lives.

“…”

The priest was speechless.

These people… just waltzed into the holiest site in the Empire—just to sightsee?!

That said, Ghislain wasn’t lying.

The fact that the Demonic Realm had reawakened was an undeniably critical event.

His eyes drifted up toward the enormous shroud of divine light.

“It’s a shame we don’t get to see the Pope’s face. Didn’t think they’d have him hidden behind all that.”

The silhouette behind the veil subtly shifted.

As if… amused.

“Well, we’re off then. You guys handle the rest.”

Ghislain turned to leave.

The priest panicked and grabbed his cloak.

“You—! Kneel before His Holiness!”

“Hey! Let go!”

“You will kneel!”

The two began struggling, while the Temple Knights looked on, bewildered.

They had grown up witnessing only the most solemn and dignified rituals.

Never before had they seen such chaos unfold in the heart of the Empire.

Just then, a calm voice echoed from behind the veil.

“Enough.”

At that single word, the priest immediately released Ghislain and took a step back.

He had let his emotions get the better of him.

Ghislain turned back to face the shimmering light.

“Hoo…”

The voice was… strange.

Neither distinctly male nor female.

Neither old nor young.

The veil was clearly more than just decoration—it served to conceal the Pope’s identity.

The voice spoke again.

“Mercenaries who roam the continent… you have rendered great service to the world. Had it not been for you, humanity would have suffered greatly in this war.”

“…”

“One who has done such great deeds cannot simply be sent away without reward. You deserve proper compensation.”

Ghislain smirked and nodded.

“Finally, someone who speaks my language. So, does that mean we can ask for whatever we want?”

“If it is within reason, I shall grant it. However, there is one more matter I wish to discuss with you.”

“And what would that be?”

There was a pause.

It almost felt like hesitation.

Then, after a brief silence, the Pope spoke again.

“I have… a mission to entrust to you.”

Ghislain raised an eyebrow.

This was unexpected.

The Pope was the most influential figure on the continent. With just a word, entire knighthoods would mobilize.

Yet, this person was asking for a mere mercenary group to take on a task?

Ghislain folded his arms, intrigued, and smirked.

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