The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 641

Amidst the dense forest, a massive obelisk stood tall.

Despite enduring a millennium of weathering, erosion, and moss growth, this grand structure retained its imposing dignity.

The carvings and ancient inscriptions on its surface had largely worn away, but the deeply etched sections still bore traces of their original forms.

“Wow...”

Everyone stared up at the obelisk with their mouths agape. It was unimaginable to find such a structure hidden within this forest.

“Did people actually live in a place like this?”

“Maybe it was livable back in the day?”

“Could it have been monsters that created a civilization here?”

The soldiers exchanged various speculations, their curiosity piqued.

However, Ghislain and his close aides were not surprised. They knew that this place, once called the Abyss, had been a stronghold of the Salvation Order.

Ghislain surveyed the surroundings. Broken stone walls and foundational stones faintly outlined the remnants of ancient structures, peeking through layers of soil.

These were the traces of an old village buried under centuries of accumulated earth.

Fallen gravestones, partially submerged in the ground, were mostly weathered beyond recognition. Yet, on some of the more resilient stone markers, faint depictions of rituals and ancient symbols tied to the Salvation Order remained.

“There must have been a battle here.”

The most striking feature was the deep sword marks cutting across some of the gravestones. These scars, untouched by a thousand years, served as evidence of a fierce battle that once took place here.

While most artifacts of the Salvation Order had long merged with the earth and vanished, their robust architecture and stone structures continued to tell the tale of their era.

The layout of the ruins, particularly the remnants of structures surrounding the obelisk, suggested that this wasn’t just a village but a religious sanctuary.

The mages flocked toward the obelisk, as it held the most inscriptions and traces.

“If we can decipher this, we might learn the true purpose of this place.”

“It could offer insights into the daily life of the ancient empire.”

“Although heavily eroded, quite a bit of text remains intact.”

Gathered around the obelisk, the mages’ eyes sparkled with excitement, fueled by their fascination with ancient civilizations.

Ghislain turned to Jerome, who was examining the obelisk, and asked, “Can you read what it says?”

“Hold on... there’s an irregular inscription here. It’s not aligned properly, as if it was hastily added.”

“Oh? What does it say?”

Ghislain’s interest was piqued. Could it be a message left behind during the heat of battle?

Jerome, whose knowledge of ancient languages was unmatched among those present, began to carefully decipher the out-of-place text.

“This... this says...”

“What? What does it say?”

“‘Kids these days... have no manners.’”

“...”

“Oh, it’s just graffiti. I guess some things never change, even in the past.”

It made sense—people lived here, after all. Grumblings about younger generations were as timeless as the obelisk itself.

Ghislain decided to establish a camp nearby.

The mages, who were also excellent scholars, were well-versed in ancient languages. Many spells had been passed down in ancient tongues, after all.

While the mages carefully examined the ruins, Ghislain spent several days observing the site himself. The ancient mystery preserved here left a deep impression on him.

“They deliberately left this out of the records.”

The journals from the Ducal Faction had omitted any mention of these ruins.

It wasn’t surprising. For them, anything related to the Salvation Order was something they would want to keep buried.

While the mages conducted their investigations, the laborers cautiously cut down trees and cleared paths, while soldiers expanded the perimeter and maintained a vigilant watch.

Since the mages were handling the exploration of the ruins, Ghislain had little to do. He alternated between observing the workers and meditating.

“Wait, now that I think about it...”

Suddenly, a memory surfaced. In his previous life, he had stumbled across a ruin in another region.

Much like this place, it had been an ancient village buried under layers of soil and weathered by time. From within a metal box found there, he had recovered a partial spellbook.

Thanks to the box’s airtight seal and specialized treatment, the spellbook had been preserved in relatively good condition.

The knowledge he had gained from that book had allowed him to refine his mana cultivation techniques.

“I don’t need to search for it now, though...”

Turning his head, he noticed Jerome and Vanessa conversing while examining the ruins.

As he approached, he overheard their conversation.

“Oh, have you been there? You know that new shop everyone’s talking about? The one all the nobles go to? Their fruit tarts are supposed to be amazing, made with plenty of honey and butter.”

“Really? I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to visit.”

“It’s the most popular place in the capital right now. It’s always crowded. I only managed to go once, but it was absolutely delicious.”

“Oh, I want to try it too.”

“...”

Ghislain blinked. They weren’t talking about magic or ruins but everyday things.

To be fair, they had spent days combing through the ruins without finding anything particularly useful. Other than their historical value, the ruins seemed to hold little practical worth.

Given that they had been living in this forest for months, it wasn’t surprising for conversations to turn to such topics.

Ghislain wrote down the location of the ruins he had encountered in his past life on a piece of paper and handed it to Jerome.

“Hm? What’s this?”

“There’s a valuable treasure there.”

“Treasure? What kind of treasure?”

“A spellbook.”

“A spellbook? You’re saying there’s a spellbook buried there?”

“Dig around that spot, and you’ll find it. I’ll assign some people to help you once this expedition is over.”

“Why... is there a spellbook buried there?”

“I have no idea. I just heard about it from someone. Anyway, it’s supposed to be a great magic tome, so I thought it’d be good for you to have it.”

“Uh… thanks.”

Jerome looked bewildered. Receiving something akin to a treasure map out of the blue left him puzzled.

But Ghislain wouldn’t have handed him something like this without a reason. There had to be something valuable waiting.

Ghislain believed the tome would be beneficial for Jerome. Despite only being half intact, it contained highly advanced concepts.

Even Ghislain, who knew little about magic, had been inspired by it and used its principles to refine his mana cultivation techniques.

Though it lacked specific magical techniques, Jerome, given his level, would undoubtedly be able to glean significant insights from it.

The investigation of the ruins continued for several days after that. Unfortunately, the site was so old that there was little of value left to uncover.

All they managed to glimpse was a small piece of ancient life.

It was understandable. A thousand years was an unimaginably long time for anything to endure.

The only noteworthy discovery was the inscription on the obelisk.

Jerome scratched his cheek as he explained to Ghislain.

“There are some missing characters, but I managed to infer the context from the surrounding text. Honestly, it was easier thanks to what Ereneth had told us beforehand.”

The obelisk’s inscription recounted the same mythology that Ereneth had shared. Although written from the Salvation Order’s perspective and differing slightly in detail, its core message was identical.

[“…The goddesses of this world betrayed our god. When they broke their promise and closed the gates, the god’s people were trapped in the dimensional rift, condemned to eternal suffering. It is our mission, and the will of our god, to rescue them…”]

“Hmm…”

Ghislain nodded as he looked over the paper Jerome handed him.

It was just as Ereneth had described. This mythology must have been common knowledge a thousand years ago.

It seemed the Salvation Order had etched the most critical parts of their scriptures onto the obelisk.

Perhaps to ensure their followers never forgot its contents, they could see it every day.

Parniel, however, refused to accept the mythology inscribed on the obelisk. The moment she heard the translation, she moved to destroy the obelisk entirely, forcing everyone to intervene.

The magicians were the most vocal in their opposition.

“Whoa, whoa! It’s just a local myth!”

“There’s no need to take it so seriously!”

“Think of it as a historical artifact!”

After much commotion and pleading, Parniel finally calmed down. With everyone blocking her and holding her back, she had no choice but to suppress her anger.

Ghislain decided to halt the investigation of the ruins. There didn’t seem to be much more to gain, and Parniel’s frustration was also a factor.

Instead, he planned to preserve the site and leave it to scholars for further study. Even if it didn’t hold clues about the Salvation Order, it still had historical significance.

“Let’s move out again.”

The northern forces resumed their advance. As they neared the center of the forest, the number of monsters decreased, but the ones that appeared grew significantly stronger.

Thus, the superhumans led the vanguard, handling the more powerful monsters, while the soldiers focused on weaker ones and protected the workers.

The wind began to whisper through the trees, carrying an eerie sound.

As they advanced further, the atmosphere grew darker, and Ghislain muttered to himself.

“Are we almost there?”

Though there were no clear signs yet, it was evident they were nearing the heart of the forest.

The closer they got to the center, the more ominous the forest became.

The branches of the trees twisted as if reaching out to snatch at intruders, and every step squelched against rotting, sticky leaves.

Even the air had changed. Each breath felt heavy, cold, and oppressive, as if the air itself was seeping into their lungs.

A faint mist crept along the ground, curling around their ankles, while the dense canopy above blocked out the sky, casting everything in a perpetual twilight.

The soldiers began to notice the shift in atmosphere. The forest, already eerie, now felt like an entirely different world.

“Why do I keep getting chills…?”

“The smell is getting worse too.”

“What could be deeper in?”

The soldiers glanced around uneasily, their expressions troubled.

Though they trusted Ghislain, the creeping unease in their hearts was hard to shake.

The forest, which was already devoid of birdsong and insect noises, grew utterly silent.

The only sounds were the footsteps of the advancing group and the haunting creak of branches swaying in the wind.

The moss-covered trees had turned a sickly greenish-black, like ancient corpses. From their trunks oozed a tar-like fluid, dark red as if mingled with blood.

Even the faint rays of light filtering through the branches were unnaturally pale and sickly.

Everything was warped and decayed. It felt as if something within this forest was draining the very life from it.

Each step sent a chill racing up their spines, warning them that they had entered a place where the living did not belong.

And soon, the soldiers began to show signs of being affected.

“Ugh! I feel like I’m going to vomit.”

“I’m dizzy…”

“What’s that smell…?”

A faint stench wafted through the air. Ghislain raised a hand to signal a halt and turned to speak.

“We’ve come too close. We’ve pinpointed the direction, so pull back for now.”

At his command, the soldiers retreated. Once they had moved back far enough, Ghislain gave further instructions.

“Set up a camp here and maintain vigilance. Only a select few will proceed to the center.”

The area near the center was not a place just anyone could approach. The most powerful entity in this forest resided there.

The strange symptoms afflicting the soldiers were already evidence of its influence.

To ensure preparedness, not all superhumans would advance.

“Tenant and Kaor, stay here and guard the camp.”

Kaor pouted. He remembered being left behind the last time they ventured into this forest to rescue Gordon.

He wanted to argue to join them, but Ghislain’s expression was too serious. Knowing better than to push his luck, Kaor grumbled and stepped back.

Ghislain, Julien, Parniel, Belinda, Jerome, Vanessa, Gillian, and ?iote advanced toward the forest’s heart.

Every step squelched against rotting leaves and slimy moss beneath their feet.

The nauseating stench grew more intense with each step.

Around them, a mixture of purple and black mist thickened, shrouding their surroundings. Even the sunlight piercing through was tainted with a sickly yellow hue.

Massive ancient trees, their bark peeling like rotting flesh, loomed over them.

“This is revolting… How did it all rot like this?” Jerome grimaced, his expression one of pure disgust.

Amid the decay, sinister violet mushrooms sprouted, releasing a constant stream of spores into the air.

Black pools of viscous liquid dotted the ground, mingled with the decaying bones of long-dead monsters.

The closer they got to the center, the worse the decay became. And then, faintly, they began to hear it.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The sound, intermittent at first, grew steadily closer.

Everyone halted, holding their breath.

Five glowing red eyes slowly emerged from the darkness.