The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 703

When Ghislain last ventured into the Beast Forest, he had told Jerome about an ancient spellbook he had once discovered.

Before his regression, Ghislain had taken inspiration from a fragment of that very book to perfect his Mana Cultivation Technique.

At the time, that spellbook had been nothing short of a miracle for him. Without it, he would never have been able to rise to the ranks of the Seven Strongest on the Continent as quickly as he had.

Even after his return, that technique had allowed him to tap into explosive bursts of power whenever he faced a crisis.

In a way, that spellbook had been the foundation of everything he had accomplished.

However, since he had already perfected his Mana Cultivation Technique in this lifetime, there was no longer any need for him to acquire the book.

Instead, he had passed it on to Jerome.

Ghislain himself had never been skilled in magic, so he had only drawn inspiration from the text. But Jerome—an accomplished mage—might gain even more from studying it.

“Hmm… so this is the place.”

Jerome had arrived in a small kingdom far from Ruthania.

He had been meaning to visit for some time, but various obligations had forced him to postpone the trip. Now, he was finally here to retrieve the ancient spellbook.

The local nobles were thrown into a panic when Jerome arrived with a small entourage.

“Wh-what brings you here so suddenly?”

“Has some problem arisen?”

“We’ve been keeping watch over the Rifts, just as ordered!”

Jerome was now quite famous. His achievements in the Allied Forces had spread far and wide, making his name known across the continent.

So for these minor nobles, having a major figure like Jerome suddenly appear at their doorstep was enough to put them on edge.

“Haha, no need to worry. I’m just here to investigate something.”

That word—investigate—carried a heavy weight depending on how one interpreted it.

The nobles immediately grew more nervous.

But Jerome paid them no mind. He went straight to the location Ghislain had mentioned.

At first, he had planned to hire a few workers to assist in the excavation.

But upon realizing that currying favor with Jerome could be advantageous, the local lord eagerly provided him with a workforce free of charge.

Not long after they began digging, the remains of an ancient structure emerged from the ground.

Jerome’s eyes widened slightly.

“There really is a ruin here…”

As they continued excavating, traces of an ancient civilization began to surface.

Though the ruins weren’t grand in scale, they provided valuable insight into how people had lived in the distant past.

Most intriguing of all were the intricate geometric patterns carved into the walls.

Though time had eroded many of the details, the craftsmanship of the ancient artisans was still evident in the delicate engravings that remained.

The workers and visiting nobles—hoping to win Jerome’s favor—marveled at the discovery.

“As expected of Lord Jerome! How did you know this was here?”

“Amazing! Your wisdom is truly divine, my lord!”

In truth, none of them really cared about the historical significance of the site.

If there had been treasure, they might have been more interested, but since there was no guarantee of riches, flattering Jerome seemed like the safer bet.

“Ah… well… I only learned of it from Duke Fenris…”

“Wow! As expected of Duke Fenris! So the two of you discovered this place together? How are you both so incredible?!”

“…Please, enough of that.”

Jerome was thoroughly embarrassed by their excessive praise.

He understood his position, but this kind of treatment still felt unfamiliar.

In one corner of the ruin stood a small stone altar.

Atop the meticulously crafted stone structure lay a small box.

“Oh… could that be it?”

Jerome approached with anticipation.

The box was made of lacquered metal, and while some rust had formed, it had remained largely intact.

Most likely, a protective enchantment had been placed upon it long ago.

He carefully lifted the lid.

Inside, he found two books.

They were quite old, but thanks to the lingering magic, they were still perfectly readable.

Jerome picked up the topmost book and flipped through its pages—only for his eyes to widen in shock.

“…This is…”

It was a spellbook, yet not a spellbook.

It contained no direct spell formulas—instead, it was filled with theoretical discussions on the flow of mana.

The concepts within were bold, experimental, and groundbreaking.

As Jerome read, he couldn’t help but let out a short laugh of astonishment.

“This… is incredibly dangerous.”

The book detailed techniques for rapidly gathering and amplifying mana, exponentially increasing magical output.

However, it was incomplete.

The text contained abstract concepts and unverified theories, and even the author seemed uncertain of their validity.

The difficulty level was so high that even Jerome—an 8th-Circle Mage—couldn’t fully grasp everything on his first read.

After a while, he let out a sigh of disappointment.

“…Wait… where’s the rest of it?”

It was only half of a book.

The other half had seemingly vanished.

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Jerome flipped back to the first few pages—and suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“…Hold on a second…”

Something about the handwriting looked familiar.

His mind raced.

Not long ago, Ghislain had discovered a book written by someone from the past—a book that revealed key information about his own future.

And now, the handwriting in this book looked identical to the one found before.

“Wait… don’t tell me…”

“Was this written by our Tower’s Founder?”

“…Why wasn’t this left in the Magic Tower?”

“…And why is half of it missing?”

There was no way to know for certain.

Perhaps it had been ripped apart deliberately, to hide dangerous knowledge.

Perhaps someone had scattered the missing half elsewhere.

Whatever the case, even the incomplete book contained groundbreaking information.

Jerome’s curiosity burned.

He had to take this back for study.

The incompleteness of the theory only made him more eager to solve the mystery.

“…Vanessa is going to love this.”

Vanessa was one of the greatest mages on the continent.

If he studied this book alongside her, there was no telling what new discoveries they could make.

It might even be enough to push them to the next level of magic.

Brimming with excitement, Jerome carefully stored the book.

Then, he turned his gaze to the second book.

“…Wait a second… Ghislain never mentioned there were two books.”

His pulse quickened.

If the first book was already this amazing… what could this one contain?

Brimming with anticipation, he flipped over the cover.

And then—his expression turned bizarre.

[The 9th-Circle Magic Only a 5th-Circle Slave Mage Who Defeated Gods and Dragons Can Learn]

“…”

The title alone was absurd.

Jerome had a strong feeling…

That whoever left this book behind had done so with a very specific person in mind.

“Oh, is this meant for Alfoy? But how did it end up here…? Did someone from the past leave it here, knowing I would come?”

Ghislain had given him the location of the spellbook before traveling back in time.

Which meant… the information about the spellbook was not something he had obtained from the past.

And yet—right before his eyes was undeniable proof that Ghislain had left behind something for the future.

The past and the future… were influencing each other.

“…Ugh, my head hurts. I have no idea at what point in time this was left behind or why.”

The records from the past had ceased to update beyond a certain point.

Jerome was sure that they would reappear eventually, but until then, he had no way of knowing what had transpired in the past.

Alfoy opened the spellbook, and Jerome once again found himself astonished.

“Whoa… this is incredible too.”

The second spellbook described a method of combining spells, even without the natural talent for multi-casting.

A new concept of magic—but definitely not something a novice should attempt.

Only an absolute idiot would think they could master it easily.

“…Who came up with this ridiculously simple spell? Just reading it once is enough to understand everything. Did our Tower’s founder make this too?”

Jerome was certain that Ghislain had left this behind.

But since he wasn’t aware that Ghislain had started using magic, he assumed that Astion must have been the one who wrote it.

He carefully studied the second spellbook.

Although the spell was easy to grasp, the conditions to actually use it were incredibly strict.

1. The mage’s mana purity had to be exceptionally high.

   • This was necessary to maintain stable spell fusion.

2. The mage had to be at least 5th Circle.

   • Anything lower, and the technique would be too difficult to execute.

3. The most crucial condition: A highly advanced ability to control mana.

   • The technique required rapid and precise mana control, similar to multi-casting.

Finding a mage who met all three conditions was extremely rare.

And yet—Alfoy fit the conditions perfectly.

“This… is literally custom-made for Alfoy. Did Ghislain's ancestor ask for this to be written specifically for him?”

Thanks to consuming a Dragon Heart, Alfoy had flawless mana purity.

He was also exceptionally skilled in mana manipulation.

Jerome couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hah. It’s not even 9th-Circle magic, but the title makes it sound like it is. Alfoy’s definitely going to fall for this.”

It was clear that Ghislain had written the title deliberately.

By making it seem like a 9th-Circle spell, he ensured that Alfoy would study it without hesitation.

“Haha… He acts indifferent, but he really does take care of the people around him.”

It was obvious now.

Ghislain had intended for this book to be found.

And it was possible that he had left behind other gifts for his companions as well.

“I need to hurry back and tell the others. Vanessa’s going to love this.”

Jerome carefully packed both spellbooks.

There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but he knew that, with time, the truth would reveal itself.

Before returning to Fenris, he made his way east to Ruthania—

To deliver the book to Alfoy.

***

“Hurry up, damn it! Get to work already!”

Alfoy, who had been “demoted” to the Eastern Rift Research Institute, spent his days barking orders at the mages there.

He didn’t actually do anything himself.

He hated studying, so he was useless in research.

He had even stopped participating in construction projects.

Instead, he spent his time marching around, flaunting his armband like a high-ranking official, meddling in everything.

His only real talent?

Annoying the hell out of every single mage in the research facility.

“Ugh, why the hell is he even here?”

“I heard the Fenris administration sent him here.”

“He’s single-handedly dismantling the class system.”

The researchers at the Eastern Rift Research Institute were deeply frustrated, but they tolerated him.

Because despite being a former slave, Alfoy was impossible to reason with.

And to make matters worse, he had his own gang of mages—

Loyal Blue Armband Mages, all former slave-mages from the Crimson Tower era.

Fighting them was pointless.

Even the real head of the institute pretended not to see them.

After all, Ruthania had been expanding its mage programs, and the Eastern Institute was now training new apprentices.

Naturally, the young mages didn’t understand why a man with no title or rank was acting like he owned the place.

“Master, who’s that guy in the orange armband?”

A young apprentice asked his mentor.

It was a fair question.

After all, a former slave had no business acting like nobility.

The senior mage sighed, visibly troubled.

Trying to explain Alfoy was… complicated.

After a long pause, he finally said:

“…Think of him as an incompetent slave who believes he’s a god.”

“…Huh? What kind of explanation is that?”

“I don’t know, just stay away from him. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

Alfoy was widely ignored—

But at the same time, no one dared to openly oppose him.

Because powerful people backed him.

Fenris’s top officials, Vanessa, even Belinda sent him enchanted robes and gear.

He was even allowed to attend royal mage council meetings.

And then there were the rumors—

That he had connections with high-ranking figures across Ruthania.

Once, he had even gained serious fame—though at this point, he was known more for his infamy than anything else.

As such, the mages of the Eastern Institute could only keep their distance.

“Just pretend he doesn’t exist… Please, just ignore him. Nothing good will come from messing with that idiot.”

But the apprentices didn’t listen.

They hated seeing a former slave acting like he was in charge.

They were secretly waiting for the chance to put him in his place.

Oblivious to their growing resentment, Alfoy continued wasting time at construction sites, nagging workers and acting as if he were exhausted.

“Ahem, ahem. Ahh, another long day of hard work.”

Behind him, the Blue Armband Mages strutted around, proudly following his lead.

On his way back to his quarters, a small piece of paper fluttered down in front of him.

“Hm? What’s this?”

Alfoy absentmindedly picked it up and unfolded it.

As soon as he read the contents, his eyes went wide.

[Treasure Map]

The words “Treasure Map” were written in plain sight—

The sketch on the map was laughably crude.

Any rational person would have immediately realized it was a fake.

It was clearly meant to trick whoever found it.

But Alfoy, being Alfoy, failed to notice anything suspicious.

Instead, he grinned—

And tucked the “treasure map” into his pocket without hesitation.