Chapter 24: Meeting the Same Bunch (1)
Just as Ghislaine and Gillian were getting ready to head out again, Belinda rushed in.
“Young Master! What do you mean by ‘exploring the Forest of Monsters’? The rumor is already spread that you’re about to cause another accident!”
It seemed the news had already spread. Belinda had come straight to Ghislaine after hearing the rumor.
“Oh, Belinda. I was just about to look for you, how convenient. I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Gather some laborers. We’re going to set up a fortress near the forest. It should be big enough for about three hundred people. Also, order the necessary food and materials. It’s going to cost quite a bit.”
Belinda blinked in surprise and tilted her head.
“But the Lord said not to do that, right?”
“Yeah, I’m just planning to do it secretly. Help me out a bit, will you?”
Ghislaine’s cheerful face was so annoying it made Belinda want to smack him. She shouted.
“Why would you do it if he said not to? In the past, you used to cause small accidents, but suddenly why are you aiming for the big leagues?!”
Belinda regretted ever being pleased with Ghislaine’s growing ambition.
She never imagined that his growing ‘capacity’ for trouble would lead to larger-scale accidents!
“Don’t get too worked up. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine.”
Ghislaine shrugged and continued.
“But even if Belinda doesn’t help, I’m definitely going through with it. You think I’d die if I went into the forest unprepared? Are you really not going to help?”
“Help? What help? I’m telling the Lord everything!”
“Oh, Homern said that if I cause another accident this time, he’ll really lock me in the tower. If Belinda tells her father, that’ll probably happen, right? Then I’d have to run away, and who knows, I might get really mad and cause an even bigger accident. Like… I could set the forest on fire.”
“Are you insane? What if someone hears you?!”
Belinda was horrified, but Ghislaine continued nonchalantly.
“Since we can’t go in anyway, we might as well set fire to it. Wow, that would be incredibly fun. Should I involve Skoban and Ricardo too?”
“Are you threatening me right now? Huh? Are you outright threatening me with an accident?!”
“It’s not a threat; it’s just a possibility. Isn’t it better than just going into the forest?”
“Ugh! Am I really going crazy?!”
Belinda kicked up a fuss, but after Ghislaine mixed in his threats a few times, she seemed to give up and finally asked.
“Hah, are you really going to go through with it? There’s no need to willingly engage in something dangerous. They say the Chief Officer is really on edge. You might actually get locked up this time.”
“It’s absolutely necessary. If Belinda helps, we can succeed. Will you do it?”
Belinda was particularly weak against Ghislaine. Since he was young, she had always complied with anything he asked.
Knowing that she would likely give in again this time, Ghislaine acted more brazenly.
As expected, she sighed and weakly nodded her head.
“Hah, your ambition has really grown too large.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Does it sound like one?”
Ghislaine pretended not to notice, smiling as he changed the subject.
“Anyway, please make the preparations. I’m off to hire some mercenaries.”
“Take care. It’s a shame I can’t go with you this time, but… with Gillian around, I suppose it’ll be fine.”
As Belinda saw them off, Ghislaine and Gillian immediately departed the territory.
Their destination was the Zimbard Territory, closely adjacent to Perdium.
It was where the Cerberus Mercenary Group was stationed and had the highest number of mercenaries among the surrounding territories.
As soon as they arrived in Zimbard Territory, they went to the mercenary guild and requested to recruit the mercenaries they needed.
The guild’s manager looked to be in his fifties.
When they mentioned they were looking for people to participate in the conquest of the Forest of Monsters, he tilted his head and asked,
“You mean the Forest of Monsters in Perdium Territory?”
“Yeah.”
“Why there?”
“Do I need to explain such things to get hired?”
“Well, it’s not that, but I’m curious why you would take on such a dangerous task…”
Naturally, working in the mercenary guild meant he heard plenty of rumors. Among them, there were tales about the Forest of Monsters.
There had been brave explorers who had boldly ventured in, claiming they would conquer the forest, but they never returned.
No one really knew what creatures lived there, how dangerous it was, or even how the paths were laid out in that perilous woods.
Trying to conquer such a forest was an uncertain endeavor that might not even yield a profit, with hardship guaranteed.
In the money-strapped Perdium Territory, even considering such a venture was outright unthinkable.
Lacking any certainty of profit, no one from other territories even suggested tackling it together.
Having been left untouched for decades, it was only natural for a mysterious man to spark curiosity by saying he would conquer it.
“May I ask who you are…?”
Ghislaine displayed his family crest and spoke with authority.
“I am Ghislaine Perdium, the Grand Duke of Perdium Territory.”
‘Damn it, just what kind of reckless noble is this?!’
The manager managed to maintain a professional smile, concealing his thoughts thanks to years of experience.
Having been in this line of work, he had certainly heard rumors about Ghislaine, the Grand Duke of the neighboring territory.
‘What kind of trouble is he up to now, recruiting mercenaries?’
While the manager thought Ghislaine was truly being foolish, he couldn’t turn away a customer.
What do mercenaries do?
Even if their employer is a fool, if there’s money, they’ll at least do what they’re told.
What kind of work they’ll do and what the outcome will be is up to the employer’s capability.
The manager scratched his beard and casually replied,
“Understood. However, since this is unverified work, there will be an additional risk allowance. Is that acceptable?”
“Right, gather them as quickly as possible.”
“With so many people, it’ll take a few days.”
“If possible, focus on hiring individual mercenaries instead of the entire mercenary group. If it’s too difficult, you can include some groups, but keep it to those with less than thirty members.”
“Understood. You’re quite frugal.”
Ghislaine was planning to fill most of the spots with individual mercenaries rather than hiring a large mercenary group.
Hiring a large mercenary group costs a lot of money, and there’s also a high chance they would collectively betray you in a dangerous situation.
After delegating the recruitment of mercenaries, Ghislaine casually asked the office manager.
“Do you happen to know where the Cerberus Mercenary Group is staying?”
The office manager frowned as soon as he heard the question.
Just hearing the name made him feel irritated and his stomach start to ache.
“The Cerberus… Do you mean those Mad Hounds?”
“Yeah, those guys.”
“Why are you looking for those idiots… I mean, what do you want with them?”
“I’m planning to hire them too.”
The office manager gasped in shock and tried to dissuade Ghislaine.
“Oh, how about you just give up on that? Those guys are something else. Because of them, I’ve been suffering from an upset stomach…”
“It’s fine, just tell me.”
As Ghislaine showed no signs of backing down, the office manager muttered to himself.
Sigh, looks like it’ll be a meeting of idiots.
He more or less guessed what Ghislaine was thinking.
The Cerberus Mercenary Group had a low hiring fee considering their skills. Since Perdium is notoriously poor, who wouldn’t want to spend less if they could?
But low prices usually meant there was something wrong.
It would be amusing to see what happens when a bunch of fools meet… However, he felt guilty recommending those guys to a client.
“I really opposed this. Don’t come blaming me later.”
After emphasizing his point several times, he wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Ghislaine.
“They’re staying here.”
“Thanks. Now, let’s go meet them.”
The Cerberus Mercenary Group was quite famous in these northern parts as a small-sized mercenary group.
They were known for being skilled, but their hiring fees were lower than other groups. That was because their success rate on missions was low.
They caused so many accidents and acted recklessly that it was nearly impossible for any missions to succeed properly.
Thus, they earned the nickname “Mad Dogs.”
Despite their terrible reputation, the mercenary group managed to stay afloat for one reason alone.
Each individual’s skill exceeded that of other mercenaries.
Even though they were mercenaries, their skills were on par with minor knights, and they spared no means or methods when it came to fighting.
Gillian, aware of this fact, worriedly said to Ghislaine.
“Sir, do we really have to use them? Wouldn’t it be better to hire a more proven, quality mercenary group? I just don’t think they’re the right choice.”
“To hire that kind of group would take more money than we currently have. We need to gather laborers, food, and materials first.”
“But their reputation is really terrible. There’s a good chance they won’t be properly controlled. I’ve heard rumors of bandit origins as well.”
“It’s fine. They’ll be fighting monsters anyway. Having a rough edge is better. Don’t worry too much.”
With Ghislaine’s firm dismissal, Gillian decided to step back. It was the duty to follow the decision of his lord.
However, if they betrayed Ghislaine or caused any incidents, he resolved to take matters into his own hands.
I decided to kill them all with my own hands.
A little while later, Ghislaine arrived at the place where the Cerberus Mercenary Group was staying, surveyed the surroundings, and clicked his tongue.
“Whew, really filthy.”
They were living in a haphazardly set up tents on the outskirts of the city.
Some were gambling while others just lay around sleeping.
It looked like none of them had washed, as their hair was all messy and their clothes looked so yellow that you could almost smell them from a distance.
One mercenary lying down looked at Ghislaine and Gillian while picking his nose and asked.
“Who are you?”
Judging by his outfit, he seemed to be a noble, so he thought he was being all polite.
“I’m here to request a job. Where’s the captain?”
The nose-picking mercenary answered, still lying down, sounding annoyed.
“The captain’s busy; come back tomorrow.”
“Alright then.”
Ghislaine turned around without another word.
In any case, he’d have to wait a few days for the mercenary recruitment, so he stepped back for now.
The next day, he returned to the Cerberus Mercenary Group.
“I’m here to see the captain.”
The same mercenary from yesterday chuckled and replied.
“He’s busy today, so come back tomorrow.”
“Got it. You seem to have it good.”
Once again, Ghislaine left without complaint.
Gillian was starting to boil with anger. He sensed that they were up to some tricks.
“Your Highness, those guys are doing this on purpose. They know that since we’re coming to them, we must be in a desperate situation, so they’re playing around. They’re trying to assert themselves over us.”
“I know. But let’s just back off today.”
Ghislaine calmly reassured Gillian and they returned to their lodging.
The next day, and the day after, it was the same.
Each time, the mercenaries mockingly sent Ghislaine away.
Then, on the fifth day.
When Ghislaine arrived, the mercenary twirled his finger and said.
“It seems a bit of sincerity is needed to meet our captain… He’s quite busy, you know.”
Ghislaine nodded and tossed him a gold coin.
With the sudden appearance of the big money, the mercenary’s eyes widened and he swallowed hard.
The noble guest was surprisingly generous.
So, he decided to be a bit greedier.
“Ahem, I think this isn’t enough. You don’t seem to grasp the situation yet, so come back tomorrow. You’re young, so you might lack some awareness.”
The mercenaries gathered around chuckled at the scene.
It was amusing for them to toy with a young noble.
Just as Gillian was about to lose his cool and step forward, Ghislaine gently stopped him and said.
“As a guest, this is the last time I’ll keep my courtesy. I’ll see you tomorrow. This is your final warning.”
“Yes, take care. Come back with more tomorrow.”
The mercenaries snickered as they bid farewell, and Ghislaine returned as he was.
Then the next day, the mercenary greeted him with the same grin and asked for money.
Ghislaine nodded slightly and said,
“I think I’ve shown enough courtesy here. For now, just a leg.”
Thud.
Gillian gritted his teeth and grabbed the mercenary’s neck.
“Huh? What? You’re not letting go? You want to die, huh?”
Just as the mercenary quickly pulled out a dagger to stab Gillian, it happened.
Crack!
“Ahhhhh!”
With the sound of something breaking, a painful scream echoed loudly.
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