I Escaped the Exile Story Only To Find It Was a Regret Trope

52 – 10# No Matter How Much You Prepare, It’s Never Enough (5)

“So, you’re cleaning up the mess that the sage left behind, right?”

As soon as she joined, Beris perfectly grasped the current situation. It wasn’t wrong, so Yushin nodded in response.

Still, Beris was a brainwave, responsible for the strategies of the hero’s party. In other words, she was basically a healer with the added role of a strategist.

Yushin looked at Beris with the hope that she might have a sharp solution. After thinking for a moment, Beris smiled and said,

“So I told you to get rid of him earlier, didn’t I?”

“We had no choice back then.”

Yushin replied to Beris’s questioning as if making an excuse, but it wasn’t wrong. At that time, the hero’s party consisted of Beris, Yushin, a thief, and a sage.

From the moment the sage joined, Beris had been constantly advising to get rid of him. But back then, Yushin hadn’t fully bloomed yet and was very weak.

The thief had considerable strength, but it was only strong in scouting and ambushes. In a real frontal fight, there were bound to be flaws.

In such a situation, the magic firepower of the sage was like a drought-breaking rain, no, an oasis in the middle of a desert. But to get rid of such a sage?

Even twelve lives wouldn’t have been enough.

And back then, the relationship between Yushin and the sage wasn’t that bad. In fact, at that time, Yushin found Beris more troublesome than the sage.

It was inevitable.

Running away at the drop of a hat, never listening. Compared to Beris, who was always trying to seduce some man, the sage was a much more reliable companion.

Though, in the end, things turned out like this.

For Yushin, who remembered that time in detail, Beris’s current arrogance was even more irritating. But what could he do? She was right.

‘If I use this girl well, I might be able to win without much difficulty.’

He really, really didn’t like her personality or her actions. But Yushin acknowledged her abilities. As a saint, her power was certainly beyond the norm.

But what was even more outstanding was her insight.

She could use the fragmented pieces of information given to her to draw a big picture strategy. Thanks to her, they received quite a bit of help when fighting the Demon King.

In crude terms, recruiting her was a stroke of genius.

Of course, that was because Yushin had rolled around and coaxed her in various ways. Anyway, this time too, Yushin sought her help.

“Alright, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

“But I have a request.”

“As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.”

“It’s a simple request. Just make a contract with me.”

“…A contract? What kind of contract?”

A direct contract with the saint.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a simple request.

A saint’s contract isn’t the kind of contract where you just stamp your seal. It’s a contract written directly in front of the god the saint serves.

In other words, no matter what happens, the contract cannot be broken.

If broken, the corresponding punishment would be received. In the worst case, one’s remaining life could be bound to the other party. One could end up worse than a slave.

At least a slave has the possibility of breaking their shackles and escaping.

Or at the very least, there’s a slim chance someone might rescue them. But if you break a contract written in the name of a god, no one can help you.

“Isn’t it easier for you to make a contract too?”

“That’s true.”

“But we’re companions, so could you not agree so easily?”

“No, I still don’t trust you.”

But now that he thought about it, Beris’s words were persuasive. It was a kind of provocation, knowing that Yushin didn’t think highly of her.

But Yushin ended up agreeing with the provocation.

Indeed, this girl wouldn’t do any work unless there was a proper contract. She was like that before, and she would be like that now. That was Yushin’s thought.

‘Annoying. But I like that about her too.’

It was an excessive treatment, but Beris was smiling with satisfaction. It had been a long time since they had bickered, but it never got old. On the contrary, it was very enjoyable.

He had wandered for a long time to find the hero.

Now, to never lose him again, Beris was making various preparations. One of them was a contract. To never lose him again.

“Wait a minute, a contract?”

“And who are you?”

“I’m his sister, you wench.”

“Well, well… where did this rude woman come from…?”

“What?! Rude woman?!”

At the mention of a contract, Yuri stepped in, and the fire spread to her. In the end, Yushin had to struggle to stop the two women who were ready to fight.

* * *

They decided to discuss the contract slowly later.

Beris had a dissatisfied expression, but he agreed that some groundwork needed to be done. So, they decided to listen to the information first.

Yushin told Beris everything he knew.

What the sage had done here, and about Mephisto. And other miscellaneous things. After confirming all the information, Beris closed his eyes and began to piece the puzzle together.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m organizing the information in my head.”

“Like that?”

“Yes, surprisingly, it’s quite accurate.”

Yushin, who had received a lot of help from Beris during their adventures, let it pass. But for Yuri and Hayoung, who were seeing it for the first time, it was a fascinating sight.

A golden orb was shimmering and moving around above Beris’s head. At the center of it was something that looked like an angel’s halo.

After a while, Beris, who had finished organizing everything, opened his eyes again. At the same time, the shimmering angel’s halo and orb disappeared. Beris then opened his mouth.

“I think I have a rough idea of what Mephisto is aiming for.”

It seemed that Yushin’s faith was not in vain. Not long after, Beris roughly figured out what Mephisto was aiming for.

“Are you sure you figured it out? Not just a wild guess?”

It was natural for Yuri, who didn’t have a good opinion of Beris, to doubt him. In fact, regardless of likes or dislikes, it was hard to believe his words right away.

From Yuri’s perspective, he had been lost in thought for a very short time. Then suddenly, he said he had roughly figured it out. How could she believe that?

“So, the point is this, right? The sage knows that the world is being manipulated by an absolute being called [God] through a deal with Mephisto, but he doesn’t care much.”

“In summary, yes.”

“In my opinion, Mephisto seems to accept that as another form of order. And at the same time, he is trying to get what he wants under that order.”

In other words, Mephisto is affirming this world created by God. And at the same time, he is trying to get what he wants within the framework of the scenario created by God.

“The method the sage used before carries a very high risk. First, we have to face them head-on, and then we have to confront the gods from behind. It seems Mephisto tried to compensate for that.”

What Mephisto ultimately aims for is that. What he desires within the laws of the world created by the gods. In other words, to take this world into his own hands.

But, is that even possible?

Yushin tilted his head. This time, it was hard to believe easily. Even if he managed to obtain the world, it would only be a half-success if the gods still existed.

“Mephisto wouldn’t be unaware of that.”

Yet, is he still trying to take over the world? To put it bluntly, if the gods just snap their fingers, everything would reset. Does he really want that?

“Of course, Mephisto must have his own strategies. For example, negotiating with the gods. The important thing is that Mephisto doesn’t intend to deny the gods.”

“Still, for a demon to acknowledge the gods, it feels like all the common sense I’ve known until now is being denied.”

“Originally, demons and gods are entities that end up doing everything together, aren’t they?”

“Wait a minute… So, does that mean Mephisto ultimately sided with the gods?”

Yuri, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, summarized it in one sentence. In other words, Mephisto had sided with the gods.

“Surprisingly, he has a bit of intelligence?”

“Can we even win against that?”

“The chances are very slim. But we still have to fight.”

Berris pointed out one clear fact. The hero and his followers had already defeated the sage. The implication was obvious.

The sage had made a deal with Mephisto.

In other words, Mephisto had lost his clients to us. Moreover, he had witnessed our power firsthand. It was clear he would target us as his top priority.

Whether we like it or not.

In the end, we have no choice but to fight.

No matter how hopeless the situation may be.