Chapter 516
Finally, I Have Come Here. (2)
Ghislain carefully examined Ernhardt’s face. Even including his past life, this was the first time he was seeing him in person.
Of course, he had seen his portrait countless times. A middle-aged man with a benevolent smile.
That was why he found it impossible to believe what he was hearing.
"You’re... the Duke of Delfine?"
He was far too young. At most, he looked to be in his early thirties.
It was well known that the Duke of Delfine and the Marquis of Branford were of the same generation. The two had even attended the same academy in their youth.
And yet, this youthful appearance.
The Duke of Delfine had neither practiced Mana Refinement Techniques nor learned magic. Even if he had, maintaining such youth would require an unimaginable level of mastery.
Ernhardt simply nodded with a gentle smile.
"I am indeed the Duke of Delfine. It seems you’re surprised by my appearance."
"……."
Ghislain twisted the corner of his lips. The composure his enemy displayed, even with him standing right before him, was irritating.
'A body double? No... that's too...'
He was far too poised, and even the smallest of his movements exudes elegance. It wasn’t the clumsy act of an impostor.
That refined atmosphere was further enhanced by his appearance. After all, the Duke of Delfine had once been hailed as the most handsome man in the kingdom during his youth.
Even Ricardo, the most handsome man in Ferdium, would have to admit defeat before him.
Such a face was a rarity. In the end, Ghislain exhaled deeply and asked,
"Fine, let’s say you really are the Duke of Delfine. Why are you still here? You had plenty of time to escape."
Ernhardt nodded readily.
"I was going to leave. But I wanted to see you first."
"Me?"
"I wanted to know just how extraordinary you were to have ruined our plans so thoroughly. I needed to confirm it with my own eyes."
Ghislain let out a fierce grin.
"Was that curiosity worth risking your life for?"
Ernhardt merely smiled and took a seat. With graceful movements, he picked up a wine-filled goblet from a small table beside him.
Then, amusingly enough, a man who appeared to be a butler brought over a small table and chair for Ghislain.
Soon, a modest selection of refreshments and liquor was set on the table.
"……."
Ghislain scoffed before taking a seat. He decided to humor the conversation and see what nonsense his opponent would spout.
Around them, knights stood in formation, filling the Hall of Glory and even the corridors beyond.
With this many people, escape was impossible for the duke. Ghislain chose to observe his opponent’s moves a little longer.
Ernhardt, after taking a sip of wine, slowly began to speak.
"Ever since I realized my mission, I have had the same dream every single day. It was so vivid... as if I were experiencing it in reality."
"……."
"No, calling it a prophecy wouldn't be an exaggeration. After all, everything unfolded exactly as I had seen. It was as if the gods themselves were granting me revelations. Knowing the future allowed me to wait for the results with ease."
Ghislain crossed his arms. He couldn't understand why Ernhardt was suddenly talking about dreams.
Still, Ernhardt continued as if speaking to himself.
"In the end, I followed my revelation and seized the kingdom. Even afterward, I continued working toward my goal... until the demon appeared."
"……."
"That demon was truly powerful. It sent shivers down my spine. No army in this kingdom could stand against it. That demon was like a formless cloud of death."
"……."
"But in the end, we stopped it. Many heroes sacrificed themselves to do so. And so, I was able to resume my path toward my goal... I was so close, so very close. Even if it was only in my dreams."
"So, you waited here just to tell me about some absurd dream?"
"Won’t you hear me out a little longer? It does concern you, after all."
Ernhardt gave a faint smile. Ghislain let out a dry chuckle and shrugged.
"One day, my dream suddenly changed. Everything had been unfolding exactly as I had seen it, but then, without warning, my dream began to distort."
"……."
"The dream eventually became chaotic. It became impossible to tell where it began or ended. The revelations I had received mixed with time and space, becoming an utter mess."
Ernhardt’s face was slightly flushed. He seemed utterly fascinated by the current situation.
"……."
"And then, the demon appeared again. It was when you first arrived at the southern front. Just like before, the demon began to consume everything I had built."
"……."
"And so, I retraced my past. I needed to understand when my prophetic dream had descended into chaos."
Ghislain remained silent. He only glared at Ernhardt, his eyes twitching slightly.
For some reason, Ernhardt’s words greatly irked him.
Seeing this, Ernhardt smiled and spoke.
“It started when you stopped Count Digald’s attack and took control of Fenris. From that moment, my dreams began to show me the past once more.”
“……”
“When you killed Count Cabaldi, when you killed Count Desmond, when you killed Marquis Roderick… With each of those moments, the chaos only deepened.”
Ernhardt leaned in slightly, as if he wanted to get a closer look at Ghislain.
Then, after a brief pause, he grinned with sheer exhilaration.
“That’s when I became certain. Ghislain Ferdium, you are that demon. You were my nemesis. You were the one who stood in my way.”
Ghislain did not respond and simply continued staring at Ernhardt. It seemed the duke was not expecting an answer, as he continued speaking immediately.
“From the moment I realized that, I stopped dreaming. No more revelations descended upon me, and now, the future is unknown to all. It was your very existence that ruined everything.”
Ernhardt stood up with a smile. He had sought this meeting to confirm whether his suspicions were correct.
Ghislain also rose from his seat and drew his sword.
“That was an interesting story. I enjoyed hearing it.”
To others, it might have sounded like the ravings of a madman, but Ghislain could not dismiss it as mere lunacy not when he himself was a regressor.
It was clear that something mysterious had influenced Ernhardt as well.
Ernhardt might not have realized it, but the things he spoke of bore a striking resemblance to Ghislain’s past life.
Ghislain pointed his sword at Ernhardt and spoke.
“You’re going to die today anyway, so you don’t need to worry about the future.”
Ernhardt stared at Ghislain before finally opening his mouth. His eyes gleamed with madness.
“As I thought, you know something. That’s not how an ordinary person would react.”
“……”
“Yes, now that I know you are my nemesis, that’s enough. Seeing you in person confirms it. My mind feels clearer now.”
“You won’t be able to escape.”
At that, Ernhardt pulled out a small orb from his robes. It was the Orb of Life, an artifact used to create high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church.
Ghislain scoffed upon seeing it.
“You really think that will do you any good?”
Even if he couldn’t move freely, there were hundreds of elite knights here. The forces besieging the castle numbered nearly eighty thousand.
There was no guarantee that consuming the orb would allow Ernhardt to survive. And even if it did, a mere half-baked transcendental being could never stand against such an overwhelming force.
Ernhardt had to know that. Yet, he simply shook his head leisurely.
“There’s no need to rush, Ghislain. Now that we have recognized each other’s existence, that alone is enough for today.”
“Kill the duke.”
At Ghislain’s command, the knights lunged forward. The assassins guarding Ernhardt moved simultaneously.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As expected of the final line of defense for a duchy, the assassins were formidable.
However, the difference in numbers was too great. They were swiftly overwhelmed and wiped out in an instant.
The moment the knights, having cut down the assassins, thrust their swords at Ernhardt—
Crack.
The Orb of Life in his hand shattered.
Fwoooosh!
A black darkness surged forth, swallowing Ernhardt’s body. The knights’ swords attempted to pierce through the darkness, but they were repelled by a strange force.
Ghislain frowned as he observed the scene.
‘So it was that method after all.’
It resembled Warp Portal, a high-level spell, yet it was not magic. Rather, it seemed closer to a Rift, the kind that consumed people’s lifeforce to open.
‘If the orb contained enough lifeforce to create a transcendental being, it should be more than enough to connect to another space.’
Ernhardt from his past life must have used this same method to evade him.
Of course, it was unlikely that he could use it frequently. Just creating a single orb required the lives of tens of thousands.
‘He must have a predetermined destination.’
He wouldn’t risk teleporting randomly. There was undoubtedly a designated location perhaps the place where the Salvation Church had originally hidden, or a kingdom where they had seized power.
The knights looked to Ghislain in confusion. He shook his head and spoke.
“It’s fine. Don’t push yourselves unnecessarily. Stand down.”
The darkness gradually began to recede. From within it, Ernhardt’s voice echoed.
“Ghislain… We will meet again soon. I am bound by duty to fulfill the will of God… I shall see you at the end of that path.”
“Listen well, Ernhardt.”
Ghislain spoke toward the diminishing darkness, a fierce smile on his face.
“There will be no place left for you now. I will hunt down every last one of you cockroaches and crush you without mercy. I will make sure you are too terrified to even breathe.”
Then, amidst the faint sound of chuckling, Ernhardt’s voice was heard.
“...I look forward to it.”
With those final words, the darkness vanished. Ghislain turned away without hesitation.
This place was finished. Once the remnants on the southern front were eradicated, the Ritania Kingdom would be whole once more.
Ghislain spoke to Count Mowbray.
“I’ll leave the cleanup here to you for now.”
“Understood.”
Someone had to remain behind. The retainers of the duchy who had fled or gone into hiding needed to be captured, and maintaining order was also a priority.
Leaving this task to Count Mowbray, Ghislain immediately turned his army around. It was time to finish securing the southern front.
Once that was done, he would consolidate the Ritania Kingdom and assist the neighboring kingdoms in their fight against the Salvation Church.
With a cold expression, Ghislain took hold of Black King’s reins.
‘I will find you and eradicate you.’
It was regretful that Ernhardt had escaped, but killing him wouldn’t have ended things anyway. The Salvation Church was spread across the continent, and it had to be wiped out completely.
But that wouldn’t take long. With the civil war over, the Ritania Kingdom would once again rise as a formidable military power.
And what remained of the Salvation Church would have to face the might that Ghislain commanded.
* * *
Having received command from Kaiyen, Gartros immediately pulled his forces back.
“We will take over the fortress we previously fought against. We just need to hold out until Count Balzac arrives.”
The Royal Army and Ferdium Forces were advancing southward. There was no need to engage them head-on and suffer unnecessary losses.
By moving to the fortress where they had previously fought against the Northern Army, they would have a strong defensive position against enemy attacks. They just had to wait for Count Balzac to return.
While Gartros was the highest-ranking and strongest among them, he was not well-versed in military strategy. Thus, he granted a high degree of autonomy to the commanders of each unit.
“If battle breaks out, act freely within your respective positions and do your best. I trust you. Our objective is to hold out until Count Balzac arrives, so focus on that.”
It was a good decision. The duchy’s commanders were all highly capable.
The Delfine Forces began a slow retreat. There was little concern about pursuit.
After all, they had wanted a direct confrontation in the first place. The temporary absence of Count Balzac did not significantly weaken them.
“It will still be some time before reinforcements arrive. We've fought continuously until now, so there’s no need to push ourselves too hard. Consider this an opportunity to rest.”
At his orders, the Delfine Forces relaxed slightly. Their overwhelming strength filled them with confidence.
From atop the fortress walls, Amelia observed the retreating Delfine Forces closely. Their movements were clearly visible the army was large and moving slowly.
After a long moment of watching, Amelia gestured to the side.
“You called for me?”
As Gillian approached, Amelia spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Prepare to deploy. Move the entire army.”
“Right now…?”
The reinforcements had yet to arrive. Given how they had avoided direct engagements until now, this was an aggressive decision.
Ignoring Gillian’s reaction, Amelia continued.
“Yes. We can’t be sure that Ghislain will win against Count Balzac, can we? If Ghislain loses, we’ll be at a disadvantage. We need to eliminate those forces now. At the very least, we must cut their numbers in half.”
Gillian wanted to argue that Ghislain would win, but he kept his mouth shut. Amelia hadn’t said this to invite debate.
Still, he needed to confirm whether victory was certain.
“Do we… have a chance of winning?”
Amelia shot Gillian a sharp glance.
“If we strike now, yes. Get the troops ready.”
With that command, Amelia turned back toward the distance, her gaze locked on the moving Delfine Forces.
A cold smile crept onto her lips.