The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 704

“What’s that, Chief?”

One of the mages behind him asked, prompting Alfoy to awkwardly smile and shake his head.

“It’s nothing. Just a flyer for a new tavern. Let’s check it out together later—my treat!”

Despite not having any money, Alfoy boasted loudly. The other mages chuckled at his words.

“That sounds great! I’ve been feeling a bit exhausted lately. Hahaha!”

Exhausted despite having nothing to do. Still, they quite enjoyed their current lifestyle.

Unlike when they were in Fenris, they weren’t forced into labor or harassed. They didn’t have to fight dangerous people anymore.

The fact that they were technically still slaves didn’t matter. What was important was that they could spend their days idly, drinking and eating without worries.

With his face flushed red, Alfoy simply nodded and returned to his quarters.

“What is this? Some kind of treasure? Or just someone playing a prank?”

Sitting in his room, he carefully examined the map. The location it indicated wasn’t far from his quarters.

As night fell, Alfoy, unable to contain his curiosity, grabbed the map and slipped outside.

“It’s close by. I need to check it out quickly.”

It was probably nothing, but he couldn’t just ignore it. What if it was some fateful opportunity granted to him by the heavens?

He had always considered himself special.

“What are you doing out so late?”

The guards stationed outside the slave mages’ quarters to prevent escapes stopped him. One of them blocked his way, causing Alfoy to scowl.

“I’m just taking a walk! What, do you think I’m trying to escape? I’m Alfoy!”

His reaction was overly sensitive, but he had always been brash, so no one found it unusual.

“…Understood. Be careful.”

The guards clicked their tongues but stepped aside. Even though Alfoy was technically a slave, no one dared to stop him. He was a slave only in name—his status was practically that of a noble.

“Tch! This is ridiculous! All because of that damn Claude!”

Muttering his frustration, Alfoy stomped away.

Once he was far enough from the quarters, he used magic to conceal his presence. It was a spell he had honed during his long period of running away before Belinda had nearly snapped his neck.

Moving stealthily, Alfoy reached the mountain near his quarters and searched the area marked on the map.

Then, he found it— a buried chest.

Heart pounding, he opened it and found a book inside.

“T-This is…”

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

The title was both tacky and bizarre. Still, Alfoy hastily flipped through the pages. As a mage, he could grasp the content with just a glance.

After a brief examination, a euphoric expression overtook his face.

“A-Amazing! This really looks like 9th-Circle magic!”

The explanations were detailed, making it seem surprisingly easy to learn.

“As expected, I am special!”

He barely skimmed the book, but the structure of the spell was unlike anything he had ever seen.

And now, this magic was in his hands. How could this be mere coincidence?

“Fuhaha! Once I master this, I’ll be a 9th-Circle mage too!”

Of course, reaching the 9th Circle wasn’t that simple. But Alfoy wasn’t the type to think too hard about such things. His habit of taking the easy way out had long been ingrained in him.

From a distance, Jerome watched with a satisfied smile.

“Good. Now he’ll actually study.”

Jerome had deliberately set up this whole scenario, disguising the magic book as some kind of destiny.

If he had simply handed it over, Alfoy would have whined and been suspicious. His pride might have been wounded enough that he’d refuse to study at all.

After all, hadn’t he run away when Vanessa tried to personally teach him advanced magic?

Alfoy needed to believe he was special. That way, he’d actually put in the effort.

“Once he masters it, I’ll just tell him Ghislain gave it to him as a gift.”

Taking one last glance at the ecstatic Alfoy, Jerome turned and left. It was time to return to Fenris and report his results.

From that night onward, Alfoy dedicated himself to studying.

His fellow mages couldn’t hide their concern. It was unusual—no, unheard of—for Alfoy to be studying so seriously.

“Chief, you’re going to ruin your health if you keep this up.”

“What’s the point of studying? We’re slaves anyway.”

“Come on, let’s go out for a drink instead.”

They all tried to dissuade him.

But Alfoy didn’t even flinch.

“Shut up! I need to study!”

He was seriously studying. If Vanessa had heard about it, she might have been so moved that she’d cry.

The other mages exchanged baffled looks and shook their heads.

They assumed he was just going through one of his phases.

Sooner or later, Alfoy would get bored and go back to being himself.

But to everyone’s surprise, he remained locked in his room, studying diligently.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.

“Ugh… I don’t understand a thing.”

His fundamentals were too weak from years of neglecting his studies. He struggled to make progress.

Yet, he never once considered asking the other mages for help.

“This is mine! I won’t share it with anyone!”

This was a blessing from the heavens, meant for him alone. He had no intention of letting anyone else in on it.

He had to master it by himself and show off in front of everyone.

As Alfoy remained cooped up in his quarters, his fellow mages left him alone. The Eastern Research Institute grew peaceful.

The other mages there secretly hoped this peace would last.

But peace never lasts forever.

Eventually, Alfoy succeeded in learning the spell.

“Hah… As expected, I am a genius.”

Pushing back his hair, he finally stepped outside for the first time in days.

The warm sunlight bathed his face. The chirping of birds tickled his ears. Everything seemed… beautiful.

“Aah… Is this the leisure of an ‘absolute being’? I think I finally understand what it feels like to be a lord.”

Alfoy’s demeanor had completely changed.

Mastering a new magic system had skyrocketed his confidence to absurd levels.

He had always been arrogant.

But now, he acted like the strongest mage in existence.

A peculiar air of composure, excessive self-assurance, and extreme arrogance surrounded him.

Neigh!

Kkokko’s eyes glistened as he watched Alfoy.

For a moment, the horse felt like he was looking at his old master, Aiden.

The difference in skill was like heaven and earth, of course.

But from that day forward, Alfoy became an even bigger nuisance to the other mages.

“Aah… Is this really the best you can do? How pathetic.”

“And you call yourself a mage? Ah, right. You aren’t a 5th-Circle mage, are you?”

“Aah… This is why ordinary mages are…” Even talking to you is a disgrace.

Before, he simply threw tantrums.

Now, he was outright insufferable. His newfound arrogance was grating.

The research institute’s mages avoided him more than ever. They couldn’t stand his unbearable self-importance.

But the younger mages, the apprentices, wouldn’t stand for it.

Thirty of them—youthful, hot-blooded, and utterly fed up—gathered to put him in his place.

They ambushed him on his way back to his quarters.

The mages who had been following Alfoy paled.

The apprentices vastly outnumbered them.

“W-What’s this?! Who do you think you are?!”

“You’re the apprentices from the research institute, aren’t you? Do you really think covering your faces will fool us?”

“Do you think you’ll get away with this?! This isn’t over!”

Tension crackled between both sides.

If it was a pure magic battle, Alfoy wasn’t worried. Most of the apprentices were only 1st or 2nd Circle.

But they had numbers. And clubs.

Magic alone wouldn’t win this.

If he let himself get beaten up by a bunch of kids, his pride would never recover.

One of the apprentices shouted, brimming with confidence.

“Hah! We won’t let you act so arrogant anymore!”

“With our numbers, you won’t be walking away from this one!”

"From today onward, I will grant you all the gift of humility!"

The mage officers flinched. It felt as if they had suddenly become the ones under threat.

Desperate, they pointed at Alfoy and shouted:

"D-Do you know who this man is?"
"He’s the one who defeated a dragon and saved the world!"
"How could you treat such a great figure like this just because he scolded you a little?"

It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it wasn’t entirely false either. If not for Alfoy, who knew what would have happened to the world?

However, the apprentices merely scoffed.

"Who’d believe that nonsense?"
"If he’s such a big deal, why is he here as a slave?"
"He doesn’t even seem all that skilled in magic."

The young mages weren’t buying it. Alfoy’s reputation was a disaster.

Moreover, the institute’s mages rarely spoke about him. And when they did, they only focused on his flaws, completely omitting his strengths.

The truth was, Alfoy really had neglected magic, so it wasn’t unreasonable for the apprentices to despise him.

Even if only half of the rumors were true, there was no way someone that great would be living as a slave here.

Of course, this whole mess was the result of both Claude’s schemes and Alfoy’s own personality, but no one thought that far.

"You insolent brats! No respect for your elders?"
"Who’s your master?! I’m going to have a word with them!"
"Just because we’re ‘slaves’ doesn’t mean you can actually treat us like slaves!"

The mage officers erupted in fury.

It wasn’t that they particularly liked Alfoy, but if even the apprentices started looking down on them, their lives in this place would become unbearable.

Pointing fingers and shouting insults, the mage officers tried to intimidate the apprentices.

But the apprentices were just as eager to swing their clubs at the slightest provocation.

In the middle of the rising tension, Alfoy calmly raised one hand.

"Silence."

For some reason, his voice carried a weight that made everyone momentarily quiet down.

With a completely blank expression, he lifted a single finger and spoke.

"Never trust the kindness of men."

The apprentices instinctively covered their mouths.

For a brief moment, they felt as if they were standing before a being who ruled over the world.

Of course, Alfoy’s longtime fellow mages had an entirely different reaction.

"Why the hell is this guy acting all cool all of a sudden?"
"I don’t know, man. He’s been weird lately."

Still, whether or not they cared, the apprentices stared at him, frozen.

"It seems I'll have to prove my abilities. Witness my ‘9th-Circle magic’."

At those words, the apprentices flinched.

9th Circle?

Hearing such a claim out of nowhere, it was impossible not to react.

Even the mage officers looked at Alfoy as if he had gone insane.

Then—

Fwoosh.

A fireball the size of a fist ignited in front of Alfoy.

One became two.

Two became four.

Four became eight.

The fireballs continued to multiply.

By the time the process stopped, there were 32 fireballs slowly orbiting around him.

Seeing this, the apprentices gasped in horror.

"M-Multi-Casting?"
"And he’s maintaining 32 of them?!"
"That’s… impossible! A 5th-Circle mage can’t do that…!"

They trembled and took a step back.

Multi-Casting was the domain of geniuses.

No, it was an ability that even gods would struggle to wield.

For a moment, the thought crossed their minds—maybe this really was a 9th-Circle spell.

After all, they had no way of knowing what Ghislain’s magic really entailed.

The spell completely overturned everything they thought they knew about magic.

Even the mage officers were left speechless.

‘What the hell is this?!’
‘Alfoy, of all people, is casting something like this?’
‘What… Did studying a little actually work? What the hell?!’

The fireballs hovered in the air, moving ever so slightly as if they were responding to Alfoy’s will.

That was when Alfoy spoke again.

"You are all still naïve to the ways of the world, so I will forgive you. Now, leave."

In reality, Alfoy was doing his absolute best to keep a straight face.

Normally, he would have been grinning and praising himself.

But now… he had tasted the power of dramatic flair.

He wanted to maintain his dignity.

And, well… the fireballs were a bit too small, making them look a little underwhelming.

So he bluffed.

Thankfully, his bluff worked perfectly.

"W-We’re sorry!"
"We didn’t realize you were such an incredible mage…!"
"Please forgive our rudeness!"

One by one, the apprentices dropped their clubs.

They truly believed they had misunderstood Alfoy all along.

With his usual arrogant expression, Alfoy gave a slow nod.

"Very well. I will forgive you this once. Do not challenge me again."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The apprentices hurriedly ran off.

Only then did Alfoy finally cancel the spell and exhale.

The mage officers, still in shock, bombarded him with questions.

"W-When did you get that strong?!"
"Was that really 9th-Circle magic?!"
"No way, just studying wouldn’t make you a 9th-Circle mage!"

But Alfoy ignored their questions and instead muttered something entirely unrelated.

"The lord? …He collapsed and lost consciousness, didn’t he?"

"Uh… Yes?"

"Then that means there’s a power vacuum. The kingdom must be in turmoil, with many aiming to seize control."

"Actually, no. Ghislain ensured the system was solid, and Fenris is full of vassals devoted to him.
On top of that, Zvalter is governing wisely, so Ruthania is actually quite stable."

But Alfoy didn’t care about that.

He was too drunk on his newfound greatness.

"I see… The lord didn’t start at the top either. But the empty throne, difficult to claim, must now be filled. From this day forth…"

Alfoy’s gaze sharpened.

"I will stand above all!"

‘…What the hell is this idiot saying?’

The mage officers’ expressions turned ice-cold.

This fool had learned one new spell and was already completely delusional.

His narcissism had reached an entirely new level.

But what could they do? No one in the East knew what that spell actually was.

And so, rumors of Alfoy’s greatness spread like wildfire.

Many young mages began idolizing him, following his every move.

And with that—his ambition grew beyond control.

***

"Alfoy’s bound to change after learning a new spell, right? He might even start loving magic."

Jerome grinned as he returned to Fenris.

He was in a great mood, thinking that he had successfully delivered the magic book.

Of course, he had no idea that Alfoy was turning into a lunatic.

Oblivious, Jerome hummed cheerfully, eager to discuss the book’s contents with Vanessa.

But the moment he arrived—

"Jerome!"

"Oh, Vanessa. I was just about to look for you—"

"The book… new content has appeared!"

Jerome’s face stiffened.

Forget research—he sprinted toward the book.