Chapter 754

Chapter 754

Are They Targeting That Place? (1)

I looked at the refugees with their haggard faces and thought.

'Looks like they're about to pull off something important.'

Causing such a commotion so suddenly was completely unlike their previous actions. But I could understand why they were doing it.

'It seems the fact that they're on the move has finally gotten out.'

The Pope's envoys must have reached each kingdom and delivered the news. The same went for what had happened in the Elven Forest.

Upon hearing the news, the kingdoms would have heightened their alert. Some might have already started mobilizing their armies.

Even the nobles who had long been at odds would have begun to set aside their infighting and unite their strength.

That was the basic stance humanity took against the Demonic Abyss.

From the Salvation Church’s perspective, it was as if they had been exposed before they could even attempt anything significant. They couldn’t help but feel pressed for time.

Even so, causing chaos all over the place out of nowhere was a poor strategy. It was always better to keep a hidden blade concealed until the last moment.

'For them to make such a scene, even revealing cards they had kept hidden...'

It meant there was something they absolutely had to accomplish, even at the cost of giving up all those advantages.

I couldn’t say for certain what that was. But I had a few ideas.

'Key figures of the Holy Empire and the great powers are too difficult to touch. Dragons are completely out of the question.'

Unless the Salvation Church deployed its core forces, a few Transcendents wouldn’t be enough. If they made a careless move, they would only lose strength and be struck back instead.

In that case, the Salvation Church’s target would be…

'A group like the elves, helpful to the United Human Army but isolated.'

There weren’t many such forces. One of them was the dwarves.

We were currently on our way to meet the dwarves. They too were a race that possessed Sacred Stones.

Finding where the dwarves lived was not difficult. They built underground cities and fortresses throughout the continent.

However, there was only one place where the dwarves who possessed the Sacred Stones resided.

The Eternal Forge.

Like the World Tree for the elves, it was a holy relic revered by the dwarves.

We had to head to where the Eternal Forge was located. That was where the King of the Dwarves resided and the sacred land for all dwarves.

'Are they targeting that place?'

Since they had recently attacked the elves, it was entirely possible.

Now that the news had spread, both the dwarves and nearby humans would raise their vigilance.

The Salvation Church would want to crush the dwarves before time passed, vigilance tightened, and armies gathered.

'I need to hurry.'

If they were attacking the dwarves, that Prophet bastard would surely be involved. Naturally, they would summon the Black Mages, and might even use monsters.

Of course, it was possible that the attack was targeting somewhere else. But any other location was bound to be of lesser importance to me.

Besides, I couldn’t think of any other likely target.

In any case, I was planning to reduce our numbers to increase our speed. I immediately spoke to the mercenaries.

"You all head to the nearby city first and gather other mercenaries. Gather everyone you can from the area, and send word to other kingdoms to gather as well. Monsters seem to be running rampant everywhere, so move as cautiously as possible."

The Julien Mercenary Corps had built quite a reputation over the years by resolving affairs for various kingdoms. There was practically a branch in every decent kingdom.

I intended to gather them now, just in case.

In truth, even if I gathered the mercenaries immediately, they wouldn’t be able to arrive in time to assist the dwarves.

If the Salvation Church was indeed pulling something with the dwarves, the mercenaries would never make it in time.

Still, I had to summon them. No one could predict how the situation might change from here on.

"Sir Osval! I will gather my comrades at once and prepare to fight evil! Leave it to me without worry!"

"You stay here."

"Yes…"

"Now, move quickly!"

At my orders, the mercenaries retraced the path we had taken while leading the refugees.

Their plan was to deliver the message and summon mercenaries, starting from the nearest city.

Only about twenty mercenaries remained. The numbers had shrunk significantly, but it was a suitable size for increasing speed.

Julien asked with a worried look.

"Ghislain, what about the ones rampaging nearby?"

"We’ll sweep them up as we go."

There was no time to wander around helping other regions. The lords had likely already begun to mobilize.

But I wasn’t merciful enough to leave any visible enemies alone.

"They're probably just there as a diversion, so they shouldn’t be very strong. Let’s crush them quickly."

The group moved swiftly. As they assessed the situation, Ereneth asked one of the mercenaries beside her.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Please speak, ma'am!"

"Why do Julien, Deneb, and Kyle keep calling Astion 'Ghislain'?"

"Ah, well... the deputy commander has two names."

"Two names? Why?"

The mercenary glanced around, then whispered softly.

"The deputy commander is a bit... unhinged. There are rumors that he has two personalities."

"Two personalities?"

"Yes. Otherwise, why would he have two names? He’s not called a madman for nothing. He really does plenty of crazy things."

The fact that Ghislain was a person from the future who had possessed Astion’s body was known only to the three who had been with him from the very beginning.

After all, even if they told others, no one would believe them.

But since those few comfortably called me Ghislain, the rumor spread among the mercenaries that way.

Ereneth asked again.

"He introduced himself to Lady Ilaniel as Astion. Is that his real name?"

"Officially, he uses Astion. That’s what everyone calls him. Only a few, like the commander, Vice Commander Kyle, and Sister Deneb, call him Ghislain."

"Hmm... I see."

After listening to the mercenary, Ereneth rested her chin on her hand and quietly stared at my back.

'A bit strange and fearless, but doesn’t seem crazy.'

She wasn’t particularly interested in the refugees' talk of Black Mages or monsters. She was confident she could defeat whatever she encountered.

She also didn’t care much about humans suffering losses, since humans weren’t that important to her.

Instead, she found the fact that I was called by two names more intriguing.

As she stared at me for a while, Ereneth suddenly smiled.

'So that’s how it is?'

The people who seemed close to Astion called him Ghislain. It felt like a kind of nickname.

'I’ll call him that too.'

Having made up her mind, Ereneth spurred her horse and pulled up right next to me.

"Ghislain."

"Huh?"

I turned my head slightly surprised. Until now, Ereneth had always called me Astion.

With a gentle smile, Ereneth said.

"I’ll start calling you Ghislain like the others. I think that’s better. We’re friends, right?"

"Uh… yeah. Whatever makes you comfortable."

At my permission, Ereneth smiled again. She felt somehow closer to me, and she liked that feeling.

As I watched her, a certain curiosity arose in me.

'In the future, we were strangers.'

When we first met, Ereneth had no idea who Ghislain was. That had definitely not been an act.

She had simply come after observing the continent’s situation, looking for a place where she could lend her strength.

But now, because of me, the past is changing little by little. Ereneth had learned a name she originally shouldn’t have known.

Among those living a thousand years from now, Ereneth was the only one. She would surely remember this very moment.

And so, I wondered.

'When I return to the original timeline… how will Ereneth react?'

That thought sparked a deep curiosity in me. Enough that I felt like going back right now just to check.

'Hold it in, hold it in.'

If I returned to my original time, there was a high chance I wouldn’t be able to come back to the past again.

So, I had to set my curiosity aside for now. I would know when I returned anyway.

Right now, my priority was to make Julien, Deneb, and Kyle stronger. That way, even as the predetermined future approached, I could ensure my friends wouldn’t have to sacrifice themselves.

Only you… can save us.

I never forgot what Deneb had said to me.

There was no way she had summoned me here for nothing. Surely, there was a way to save my friends.

Setting aside my curiosity for now, I focused solely on clearing out the monsters swarming everywhere.

Kieeek!

Just as the refugees had said, the place where the village once stood was crawling with monsters. Their appearances were truly grotesque.

"Ugh, what are those?"

"Man Osval! I’m absolutely not scared…"

"What the hell are those Black Mages up to?"

The monsters came in all sorts of hideous forms. Some had the body of a wolf with a giant viper attached, while others had the body of a bull with three goat heads sprouting from it.

These grotesque and bizarre chimeras were aimlessly wandering around without any apparent purpose.

The corpses had already been devoured; there wasn’t a single intact body to be found.

"Tsk."

I frowned. In the future, such monsters were rare. Thanks to generations of powerful suppression, the number of Black Mages had dwindled significantly.

But in this era, Black Mages were still quite numerous. And so, these repulsive creatures kept appearing.

"Let’s wipe them out quickly."

Kwaaang!

Kieeek!

With a wave of my hand, a storm of magical power swept through the chimeras.

The others didn’t even need to exert themselves. I stood at the front, relentlessly casting spells.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!

Kiaaak!

The chimeras were swept away without even being able to resist. To ordinary humans, they would have been terrifying monsters, but to the Julien Mercenary Corps, they were merely revolting in appearance.

In some places, undead wandered aimlessly. They, too, had no purpose and simply loitered about.

Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

I advanced swiftly, eliminating every monster I encountered along the way. At the very least, I intended to clear everything blocking our path.

Then suddenly, I sensed something odd.

Hmm?

The number of monsters was decreasing noticeably as we progressed. At first, I thought they had just dispersed, but that wasn’t it.

They were gathering in one direction.

The remaining traces all pointed the same way. That piqued my curiosity.

I immediately unfolded the map to check. Coincidentally, the direction where the monsters were headed matched our own destination.

For mindless monsters to gather in one place made no sense. It meant someone was controlling them.

"Could it be… here?"

It was a place with a fairly large canyon. A deep river flowed below, and between the cliffs stretched a massive suspension bridge.

I first summoned Dark and sent him toward the bridge.

After a considerable amount of time passed, Dark spoke to me through our shared consciousness.

Master, just as you expected, they’re gathered here. But…

Dark went on to describe the scene in detail. After hearing his report, I nodded.

"Alright, got it."

I soon gathered everyone and explained what Dark had seen along with the plan I had come up with.

After I finished speaking, everyone nodded with tense expressions.

They were confident they could break through most enemies with force. However, what Dark had seen wasn’t a situation that could be resolved simply with strength.

Upon arriving at the canyon, we saw exactly what had been described: a large gathering of monsters.

The monsters were clustered on the other side of the bridge. But they weren’t the only ones there.

"Please, spare us!"

"At least let the children go!"

"Please… please…"

Dozens of people knelt in the middle of the bridge, their arms and legs bound.

They trembled and sobbed. The bridge swayed precariously with the wind.

Though sturdy enough to support heavy freight wagons, there were far too many people packed onto it.

In front of the bridge stood dozens of rough-looking bandits, weapons drawn. Quite a few people knelt before them as well.

"Hmm…"

I looked at the bandits with a calm expression. It was obvious that they were being coerced into this by the Black Mages or priests of the Salvation Church.

I gazed at the bandits and asked.

"Is there anyone here who can satisfy my curiosity?"

At my words, one of the bandits stepped forward, pressing his sword against a child’s neck.

"S-stay back."

His voice trembled heavily. They were clearly afraid of something.

I smirked and stared at the bandit.

"Why are you holding these people here?"

"You… you’re the Julien Mercenary Corps, right? The mage with the staff… You’re that ‘madman’ Astion, aren’t you?"

"Yes. Though I’m not a madman."

"We… we came to s-stop you."

"Why?"

"I… I don’t know. We don’t know. We were only ordered to stop you."

"By whom?"

"By… by the Black Mage back there."

"Hmm."

I stroked my chin. I couldn’t see clearly because of the gathered monsters, but surely there was more than one Black Mage.

I could sense several powerful presences.

I asked the bandit again.

"How did you know we’d come this way? We could’ve taken another route. This isn’t the only path."

"I don’t know that either. They just told us to wait here."

"Yeah, of course. What would trash like you know? You’re just puppets moving as the bigger trash commands."

"Ugh…"

The bandit trembled but couldn’t refute it. After all, he had lived committing crimes and ended up submitting to someone stronger through force.

I smirked and raised my staff.

"So? Do you really think you can stop me here? Knowing who I am?"

"D-don’t move. We know how strong you all are. We know you’re a Transcendent. If you move, I’ll kill this child first and destroy the bridge."

The bandit pressed his sword even closer to the child’s neck. The child couldn’t even scream, only sobbing as tears streamed down.

With a curious expression, I asked.

"What do you want?"

"Just… just stay here for a few days. Then no one will get hurt. I promise."

My eyes narrowed. It was nothing more than an obvious attempt to block my movements.

They couldn’t stop me by force, so they resorted to using hostages.

The bandit, still trembling, continued.

"Please… just stay here. Then we can all come out of this alive."

"You’re afraid of the ones behind you but not of me? Judging by the way you’re threatening people like this."

"I… I heard your nicknames. Not just ‘Madman,’ but also ‘Bandit Smasher,’ right? A guy like you wouldn’t let us live anyway."

"Haven’t heard that nickname in a while. So, knowing you’ll die by my hand, you’d rather keep siding with the Black Mages and continue your crimes to the end?"

"W-we’ve already taken poison and been cursed by the Black Mages. If we don’t obey, we die. We have no choice."

"Hmm…"

"Just one month. Please, just stay here for one month. Then everyone can really live. That’s what they promised."

"Do you believe their promises?"

"W-what choice do I have if I don’t?! We’ll die anyway! Damn it! I refuse to die alone!"

"You don’t want to die alone, so you’ll kill innocent people too?"

"Exactly! So just stay put! After a month, we’ll release all the hostages and escape! We’ll even provide all the food you need! Then everyone lives, and no one gets hurt, it’s perfect for everyone!"

"But these people have nothing to do with me."

"You guys call yourselves a righteous mercenary corps! You’ve solved a lot of the kingdom’s problems! You’re the only crazy one here!"

"...."

The bandit's words weren’t wrong. In fact, we often promoted ourselves as the "righteous mercenary corps" to build Julien’s reputation.

Whenever we dealt with problems within the kingdoms, we always stood on the side with a just cause. I had worked hard so that Julien could become a flawless champion.

Thanks to my efforts, Julien’s fame had grown considerably. The Julien Mercenary Corps was becoming more and more renowned.

It was just unfortunate that along the way, Astion’s infamy had grown alongside that fame.

"One month! That’s all we ask! If not, we’ll kill everyone here! Do you think I won’t go through with it since I’m already doomed to die?!"

The bandit, driven to desperation, shouted and pressed the sword even closer to the child’s neck. Blood began to trickle from the child’s skin.

Seeing that, I raised my hand slightly and spoke.

"Alright, alright. If the child dies, you die too, so how about being a little more careful? One mistake could be fatal, right?"

"Y-yeah. Step back. If anyone moves again, I’ll really do it."

As I took a step back, I carefully observed the bandits before me again. They couldn’t even be considered novice knights; none of them had any mana.

The moment I stepped back, the bandit slightly pulled his sword away from the child’s neck.

And in that instant—

Paaang!

I had already closed the distance and swung my staff.

Even as I stood right before him, the bandit couldn’t grasp what was happening.

My movement outpaced his very ability to think.

Kwaaaang!

The bandit’s head shattered and scattered. At the same time, dozens of strands of mana threads shot out from my body.

Puhpuhpuhpuhpuhpuhpuhpuh!

The threads pierced straight through the skulls of the other bandits holding hostages.

None of them even had time to react, no, they didn’t even realize what was happening. Without mana, these bandits could never keep up with a Transcendent’s time.

"I don’t negotiate with trash."

I murmured softly at that moment.

Kurururung!

With a great rumble, the bridge began to collapse.

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