Episode 42: It’s starting to become useful now. (5)
The mercenaries, seized by fear, did not cease their attacks even after the Blood Python was dead.
“Stop! Stop! It’s dead now!”
It wasn’t until Gillian shouted several times that the mercenaries finally dropped their weapons and retreated.
Soon, the sun began to set, tingeing the surroundings with a reddish hue.
The massive corpse of the serpent, embedded with hundreds of weapons, appeared even darker and redder under the sunset glow.
Everyone seemed to have agreed to keep silent in the face of that grand spectacle.
After waiting for a while, the Blood Python did not move. Only then could the mercenaries accept reality.
“Ha, haha… We won… We really won!”
With the exclamation of one mercenary, everyone began to shout.
“We caught it! We caught this monster!”
“Wahaha! It’s really dead!”
They had killed a monster they thought they could never defeat.
No, it was basically their employer who had single-handedly taken it down.
“But is the employer okay?”
“Let’s go see!”
The mercenaries rushed around Ghislaine.
Ghislaine, lying down with just a slight wave of his hand, spoke weakly.
“Uh… everyone… you worked hard…”
Seeing that, the mercenaries cheered.
“He’s alive! The employer is alive!”
“Wow!”
The joy of surviving against an unbeatable enemy had the mercenaries cheering endlessly.
Ghislaine’s impressive performance further fueled their excitement.
“Wahaha, long live the Ghislaine Mercenary Group!”
“Let’s just call it the Ghislaine Mercenary Group for now!”
The mercenaries gleefully chanted Ghislaine’s name.
Amid the ruckus of laughter and chatter, Ghislaine smiled faintly.
“They’re such simpletons…”
And then he lost consciousness just like that.
*
Ghislaine slowly opened his eyes, as if waking from sleep.
Gillian, who had been watching over him, exclaimed in surprise.
“Lord, are you coming to? Are you alright?”
Lying down, Ghislaine nodded slightly and asked in a cracking voice.
“And Belinda?”
“She’s fine. There’s no threat to her life. She took some herbs for stabilization and is asleep, so don’t worry.”
“What about the mercenaries’ injuries?”
“Over half of them are dead… but if it weren’t for you, Lord, they would have been completely wiped out.”
“…I see.”
“However, Lord, please don’t do that again. If you die, what’s the use of all this?”
“What’s the point?”
Gillian urged him with an exasperated tone.
He’d rather the mercenaries all die than to spend time catching it; where on earth could you find an employer who stakes their life like this?
“…I get it. Gillian is starting to resemble Belinda more and more.”
When Ghislaine cracked a joke, Gillian forced a smile despite his stiff lips.
Kaor shuffled over with a sly grin and said, “I’ve seen a lot of crazy people in my life, but none are as crazy as you, sir. I never dreamed you’d capture that monster like that.”
“Being called crazy over and over isn’t sitting well with me,” Ghislaine replied, trying to get up, but was suddenly hit with immense pain.
“Ugh!”
“Oh dear, you need to move carefully. Your wounds are serious.”
Gillian exclaimed, supporting him as he stumbled.
Ghislaine slowly examined his body. It was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.
Noticing that his body was still tingling, it seemed the poison hadn’t fully left yet.
While he could definitely expel the bad energy in him with mana, recovering his broken bones and muscles would take some time.
This was the first time in this life he used so much mana.
Given his current physical condition, using a technique that was hard to sustain even for a short time until he lost consciousness… it was no wonder his body was in shambles.
‘Time…’
Ghislaine absentmindedly looked up at the sky. The sunlight was shining down so bright it was blinding.
He had caught the Blood Python around sunset, but now the sun was directly overhead.
It seemed he had been out longer than he thought.
At that moment, the mercenaries rushed in, having confirmed Ghislaine was awake.
“The chief has finally awakened!”
“Chief, are you alright?”
“Woohoo, I knew you’d make it!”
The mercenaries chattered excitedly around him, their faces a picture of joy.
Ghislaine looked around, observing their faces. Unlike the first time they met, they were now filled with confidence and ease.
And the trust emanating from their eyes.
Through repeated life-or-death battles, the bond between Ghislaine and these men had become unbreakably strong.
Though it started as a contractual relationship, it had now transformed into one where they risked their lives together.
‘Brings back memories.’
For some reason, Ghislaine smiled with a sense of nostalgia.
“I’ll rest for another day, so make sure you get plenty of rest and tend to your injuries. Monsters won’t show up anymore.”
The mercenaries were uncertain but believed Ghislaine, settling in for a well-deserved break.
Surprisingly, not a single monster appeared.
Thanks to that, the party was able to fully recover their stamina and start moving in good condition.
After a while of marching, Ghislaine looked around and told the mercenaries, “We’re almost there. It’s just ahead.”
The mercenaries couldn’t hide their expectant eyes and began to chatter.
“Will there really be something valuable?”
“It could be gold or silver, maybe.”
“Well, at least we’re finally reaching our destination.”
With excited hearts, everyone busily moved toward their final goal.
And not long after, they were struck speechless by the scene that appeared before them.
“This, this is….”
“Is this for real?”
“Whoa, this is amazing!”
The mercenaries widened their eyes in shock, unable to form coherent sentences.
I was astonished, my eyes wide open.
Gillian turned to Ghislaine, unable to hide his trembling gaze.
“M-Master, there really is something profitable here. Th-this is…”
Seeing Gillian stutter, Ghislaine smiled and replied,
“Yeah, it’s a very expensive item.”
Before them were shards of crystals scattered about, emitting a blue light sticking to the stones.
Each shard emitted a faint glow, but with countless pieces gathered, even the darkness-filled forest was illuminated.
The self-luminous crystal was unique in the whole world.
It’s called Runestone.
Runestones are infused with magic power and are used to create magical tools or barriers. A mage would absolutely go crazy over this item.
Moreover, places where it can be harvested are limited, and the quantity is extremely small, making it literally worth its weight in gold.
Yet here, Runestones were strewn about like pebbles.
“Woww!”
“This is incredible! These are all Runestones!”
“H-How much are these worth?!”
The mercenaries excitedly jumped around. Ghislaine couldn’t hide his surprised expression either.
‘There’s way more than what I heard in my past life.’
Seeing the Runestones lavishly spread out in front of him was definitely a different feeling than imagining it from just reading records.
Looking at the Runestones spread grandly before him, joy surged to the point of forgetting all the hardships endured.
The mercenaries, who were busy chatting, suddenly turned to Ghislaine with astonished faces.
“There really is something profitable!”
“How did you know about this?”
“We weren’t crazy for what we did!”
The mercenaries couldn’t calm their excitement easily.
Seeing such an incredible sight of the ground covered with Runestones would shake anyone’s sanity.
Ghislaine spoke to the mercenaries.
“Everyone worked hard. Thanks to you guys, we made it here.”
The mercenaries all bowed their heads with solemn expressions.
Many had died on the journey, and those who survived had fought battles that pushed their limits.
Having overcome that torment to reach their destination, there was no denying the bittersweet emotions.
Ghislaine then looked around at the mercenaries and continued.
“Now that we’ve safely arrived, I’ll pay extra bonuses. You’ll receive three times the original request fee. For those who died, we’ll also send the same compensation to their families.”
“Wow! That’s generous!”
“Indeed, no one does money talks like the captain!”
“It’s a total jackpot! Jackpot!”
The mercenaries threw down their weapons and shouted in excitement.
They had endured tremendous hardships and many sacrifices to finally reach this place.
Just surviving was enough joy, and now their bonuses were tripled.
Truly, their captain knew how to be generous when it counted and how to manage them.
At that moment, Gillian approached Ghislaine and quietly asked,
“Master, you’ve already paid a lot. Is it really necessary to give more? It’ll cost a lot to send compensation to the families of the deceased.”
What employer sends compensation to the families of mercenaries who died in the line of duty?
The pay that mercenaries received included compensation for taking on such risks.
Once they received their payment, it was over, dead or alive.
There are rare employers who occasionally give bonuses for successful jobs, but three times the pay was outrageous.
The employer may be there, but the amount triple the allowance was just absurd.
“It’s fine. If you’re not going to use it, then whatever, but if you are, it’s better to make sure you use it. A reward like this is only natural for those who’ve risked their lives and worked hard.”
Ghislaine replied as if it were obvious.
Gillian silently looked at Ghislaine.
He showed no signs of disappointment.
‘Isn’t he concerned about the money?’
From what Gillian had seen, Ghislaine was frugal for a noble.
Normally, young nobles around Ghislaine’s age would spend a lot of money due to vanity, but Ghislaine had never indulged in luxury even once.
At first, Gillian thought it was because the territory was poor and he had no choice but to be thrifty.
However, what he observed while exploring the Forest of Monsters told a different story.
If Ghislaine thought it necessary, he would spend money without hesitation.
‘Whatever else, the young lord’s character is truly exceptional.’
Having led a mercenary band himself, Gillian knew well how difficult it was to reward generously like Ghislaine did.
He smiled proudly, realizing that his young lord had a bold character free from the shackles of money.
Belinda, who had been asleep after taking a powerful stabilizing herb, also woke up and became aware of the situation.
“Oh… there are really that many runestones… You really succeeded… unbelievable…”
Her lips cracked and looked haggard from pain, yet she managed to force a bright smile.
Ghislaine looked at her lying down and smiled back.
“It’s thanks to you, Belinda. If you hadn’t blocked with your body back then, we probably wouldn’t have succeeded. You’re tougher than I thought, huh? I guess you work out hard.”
Belinda responded, twitching her lips as if to say stop the nonsense.
“Ha, don’t do that again next time… Why would I go near the filthy mouth of a monster…?”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, it’s all resolved now, so we can rest easy. Once we get back, let’s start with the treatment. The shock made the mana go haywire, and now it’s a complete mess inside. At least your organs didn’t burst, thank goodness.”
Belinda had been resting for a while but still couldn’t move her body properly.
Though she survived the powerful impact, her insides were completely wrecked as a consequence.
The potions and herbs had little effect on the disrupted mana flow. The best course of action was to rest until the flow stabilized.
“Hmph… I dodged well, didn’t I? It was sudden, but under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have been hit…”
Even while lying down, she was still full of pride, so Ghislaine smiled and covered her with a blanket.
If he had left Belinda in the territory, it would have been much harder to make way.
Looking back now, he was really glad that Belinda was there.
“Okay. Now rest well. We’ll be back soon, so get a bit more sleep.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Belinda closed her eyes and murmured softly.
“Don’t just eat the jerky… take out the seasoning and… make some soup…”
“Got it, got it. Don’t worry and just rest.”
As Ghislaine chided her, she smiled faintly and quickly fell asleep.
After confirming that Belinda was asleep, Ghislaine looked around at the mercenaries and said.
“Alright, then let’s start copying the money.”
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