The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

---

650: Just Listen to Me. (2)

Ghislaine started the conversation with the three people first. He was curious since there was so little information about this era.

The three of them responded willingly to Ghislaine’s questions. They still thought of Ghislaine as Astion.

It was just that Astion often did strange things, so they were naturally accepting of it.

Ghislaine listened to their answers with an amused expression.

“So, you three are all from the same village?”

Yulien nodded.

“Yeah, including you.”

“Hmm, this mage claims that other souls enter his body besides me?”

“Yeah, we thought it was weird at first too… but now we kind of believe it.”

“You either believe it or you don’t. What does ‘kind of believe’ mean?”

“Honestly, it sounds a bit strange to believe, but when you look at the results, it makes you wonder if it’s true.”

Kyle chimed in from the side.

“Right, Astion knows a lot of cool stuff. Who would he learn that from in a rural village? He even learned magic by himself.”

Deneb also nodded.

“Astion is the greatest genius in our village. He knows everything. They say it’s all thanks to the souls who have possessed him — former sages and knights.”

Hearing that, Ghislaine muttered in wonder.

“Wow, does he really have those abilities? I can’t believe it. How is that even possible?”

“…You said you’re from another era, right?”

When Yulien asked with a baffled expression, Ghislaine cleared his throat.

“Ahem, yeah. Anyway, all three of you are in training, right? To become stronger.”

“Yeah, Deneb is undergoing training under the directive of the temple, and we asked to join him.”

Ghislaine nodded and asked a few more questions.

“The reason you want to get stronger is to fight the demon realm, right?”

“Yeah. The demon realm is going to become active again soon, you know. We are going to fight the demon realm and save the world.”

Yulien said with shining eyes. His expression was filled with a firm determination to succeed.

There was no trace of doubt in their belief. Is this why they are called heroes?

If anyone overheard this conversation, they might laugh at them for dreaming impossible dreams. But Ghislaine knew they would ultimately achieve those dreams.

Moreover, he knew how remarkable their accomplishments would be.

The saviors who saved humanity. That title would suit them, not him.

Ghislaine couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘It’s kind of weird how you’re shining your eyes and saying stuff like that.’

Well, aside from their expressions, it was the same. The real Yulien also fought for the world.

Maybe someone born with that kind of face is destined to become a hero.

Ghislaine asked Deneb and Kyle with an amused expression.

“So, you guys want to save the world too?”

Deneb nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. That’s the duty of those who serve the goddess.”

Kyle scratched his head.

“I just want to get stronger.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because the strongest is the coolest, obviously.”

‘Ah, this somehow feels different yet similar to Kaor.’

Anyway, all three of them had a desire to become stronger, though their reasons differed a little.

Regarding the demon realm, Ghislaine already knew somewhat about it from Ereness. It was said that the Salvation Society would go there when they gained strength and would possibly meet the Cracked Beings.

In the past, that occurrence happened periodically. Listening to Yulien, it seemed like the time for the Salvation Society to rise again was approaching.

This time, with the appearance of formidable foes, a great war would break out. Ghislaine nodded, knowing that much.

“Alright. I’ll make you all stronger. You just have to trust me. If you have questions while we’re living together, feel free to ask. If you’re curious about something, just ask.”

The three of them exchanged slightly suspicious looks. They knew Astion was strange, but this time he really felt different.

Yulien hesitated for a moment before asking.

“So what about Astion then?”

“Um… I don’t really know?”

“Really really, who are you? Are you joking around?”

“I’m serious. I’m someone else.”

“…….”

The three of them wore anxious expressions. Their friend who had been with them suddenly disappeared, and someone else appeared.

Since something like this had never happened before, they had no idea how to accept the situation.

An awkward silence passed. Ghislaine smiled and said,

“Well, that friend Astion or whatever will be back soon. I’m just someone passing through. So let’s get along until then.”

“Passing through?”

“Yeah. So don’t worry too much. I’m just here to see some things.”

For Ghislaine, the past wasn’t that important.

It was something that had already happened. He believed that acting freely here wouldn’t significantly impact the future.

The most he could do was help them get a little stronger.

‘Through this meeting, they must have come to know me, right?’

That’s why the mage and saint must have shown dreams for his future.

He wasn’t quite sure if he was the one asking for the dream to be shown or if it was the mage’s idea, though.

‘Well, that part isn’t immediately important.’

The most crucial task at hand was to find clues about the formidable foes here, along with any past events that had occurred.

“Okay, let’s get moving. We need to set off on our journey to get stronger.”

“Where are we going?”

At Yulien’s question, Ghislaine turned the question back to him.

“Is there any bandit hideout around here?”

“I’m not sure. There might be one if we look for it?”

“Alright, then let’s start by finding that.”

“Why?”

“Because we need money first.”

“Huh? Why are you trying to rob bandits? To help people?”

Ghislaine chuckled at Yulien’s words.

“Do you have a lot of money?”

“……No.”

Ghislaine looked at Deneb and Kyle as well.

“Do you guys have a lot of money?”

Both shook their heads. There’s no way they would have a lot of money hailing from a rural village.

The trio looked like homeless people, to put it nicely. Their hair was all tangled, and dirt was dripping off them.

Honestly, they were far too dirty.

Ghislaine clicked his tongue.

“That’s why we need to shake them down first. I don’t really like starving while training. That’s something I only do when there’s no other choice. How have you all managed to scrape by until now?”

Yulien scratched his head and answered.

“Just… helping with village requests or odd jobs. I’ve joined in on monster hunts before.”

“You’ve never caught any bandits before? Did you not look for money?”

“I’ve caught a few when I spotted them. But aside from a bit of spare change, I gave everything to the people from the nearby village.”

Ghislaine’s eyes widened.

“What? You gave it all away?”

“Yeah, a lot of people suffered because of them. So I shared it with those people.”

Yulien said this with a face as if it were obvious. Deneb nodded beside him.

Kyle was just pouting a bit in dissatisfaction.

Ghislaine let out a small admiration.

“Wow….”

He had helped quite a few people, but nothing like that.

They might be young, but their essence was completely different. There was a reason they became the heroes and saints who save the world.

However, whether their method was efficient was another question altogether.

‘But that’s just a one-off occurrence.’

If Ghislaine had given away all the money he earned, that would have been the end of it.

But he had built a business on that first bit of money and multiplied it greatly. He believed that he first needed to become stronger to help others.

And ultimately, he could help even more people as a result.

Their beliefs were not wrong. They were doing their best, in their own ways, despite their young age.

No, just the fact that they were helping others at that age was impressive. In his previous life, he was busy trying to get by at that age.

Ghislaine placed a hand on Yulien’s shoulder and said,

“From now on, there’s no need to do that. Just do as I say. The priority is for you guys to get stronger.”

“R-really?”

“We’re going to clear out all the bandit hideouts around here to get money first. You need to eat well and rest well in order to train effectively. Understand?”

“B-but that’s not our money.”

“It’s okay. Everyone in this world owes you a big debt. No, they will owe you.”

They were the heroes who saved the world, after all. Even kings and nobles would be hard-pressed to repay them with everything they had.

However, the three made wry faces. They couldn’t quite understand what he was saying.

Kyle rubbed his puffy cheeks and asked,

“What do you mean everyone owes us? We have a lot of debts.”

At that, Ghislaine was taken aback.

“What? You have debts too?”

Kyle pointed at Deneb.

“Deneb was sold to the temple by her parents when she was young. The money the temple gave her is all debt.”

Ghislaine looked at Deneb, who nodded with a somber expression.

Hearing the situation was quite a sight. A nearby temple had paid a hefty sum for Deneb after witnessing her manifest divine power by chance.

Divine power has a large hereditary component, so it’s common for temples to take children who show divine power this way.

The problem was, Deneb’s divine power was rather unimpressive. No matter how much time passed, she did not change from when she was little.

In the end, the temple did little more than train her in combat and sent her into the world.

That too, because no one volunteered to join her.

“Training as a priest, or rather, just survive and earn money on your own, while helping people a bit to raise the temple’s prestige. That way, the temple can boast that they’re serving the people.”

Kyle said this while Deneb smiled happily.

“It’s okay. This trial must be the will of the goddess. It’s because I’m lacking in ability.”

“…….”

Ghislaine was momentarily speechless. Who? Who’s lacking in ability?

She had yet to awaken, but Deneb was the first saint capable of wielding the powers of all four Great Goddesses. She would likely awaken through this journey.

Of course, Ghislaine was the only one in this era who knew that result, so his frustration was his alone.

Kyle grumbled and continued speaking.

“Anyway, we decided to join Deneb when we heard she’d go on a quest alone. We wanted to go on an adventure, too.”

“Do you have debts too?”

“I inherited my father’s gambling debts. I came out saying I’d earn money somehow. The lender had no other option but to allow it.”

“Ugh… What about Yulien?”

“Yulien’s an orphan. But the village people cosigned, and when they all ran off… he ended up with quite a bit of debt to the merchant group.”

“And the merchant group just let it go?”

Kyle shook his head.

“There’s no way those ghosts would let that slide. Astion guaranteed it. He said he’d earn money.”

“My body?”

“Yeah. Since Astion is a mage, the merchants let it slide for now.”

Ghislaine could only blink. It was a total mess that these youngsters had debts. It was indeed a chaos of circumstances.

The only one who didn’t have debts was the mage, Astion. He was the most capable and smart among the group, so everyone listened to his words.

And so, following Astion’s lead, they were able to become stronger quickly.

Even while being in debt, helping those in need was Yulien and Deneb’s intent.

Even if Astion disagreed, the two did not stop helping those who were struggling.

‘Sigh… such debt-ridden fools…’

To give and give until they sacrificed themselves in the end. It was admirable, yet somehow pitiful.

Suddenly, Ghislaine had another thought.

‘Is there no way to save them while sealing the demon realm?’

It was an event that had already occurred, but perhaps he could change it. If he could change it, how would reality unfold?

It would be an incredibly difficult task, but he was curious about what might happen if it were possible.

‘Hmm… There must be something helpful for me here, which is why I was summoned to this place… It can’t just be coincidence.’

He couldn’t know for sure right now. It seemed like he would have to stay in this era a bit longer to find out.

Ghislaine shook off his thoughts and called out with a light heart.

“Alright, I think I understand everyone’s situation. But let’s pause those methods for a bit. From now on, you’re just going to listen to me. Got it? So first, let’s go make some money…”

— What the heck! Who are you! How did you get into my body!

Ghislaine couldn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly, a loud noise filled his mind.

Surprised, he focused on the voice within his consciousness.

‘Oh, is that the original owner of the body?’

— Who are you! How did you take over my body!

Astion’s cries were drowned out by Dark’s voice.

— You! Become my subordinate!

— Argh! What is this black figure!

— Ugh, why is it so cramped in here? Where did you suddenly pop up from?

— I should be asking that! Why are there two of you in someone else’s body!

As Astion went into a fit, Dark casually replied.

— Why is this your body?

— What?

— If we took over, then it’s ours now.

Ghislaine couldn’t help but nod at Dark’s cheeky answer.

The body’s owner, Astion, was left speechless in sheer disbelief.

---