Chapter 260: This should be enough numbers. (1)
“Uh, could it be that…?”
The knight’s eyes widened as he seemed to have remembered something after hearing Ghislaine’s words.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know; it was just that he hadn’t thought of it immediately since he hadn’t been around here. The Monster Wave in the Turian Kingdom was famous even in other countries.
As the name suggests, the Monster Wave referred to monsters suddenly pouring out from the Shadow Mountain Range. Once they burst out, those monsters would wreak havoc all over the Turian Kingdom.
That’s why they had built fortresses along the way.
Ghislaine nodded vigorously.
“Right, soon there will be plenty of hidden monsters coming out, so there’s no need to search for them. We just need to get ready.”
“Ugh…”
The knights looked horrified.
They had hunted a ton of monsters while following Ghislaine. Those had been gruesome enough, but now they were coming in hordes. Just thinking about it was enough to make them faint.
But Ghislaine was beaming with a cheerful smile.
“Isn’t it convenient that they come to die on their own? During this time, the one who catches the most is the winner.”
“Yes…”
Kaor, who had been listening, tilted his head and asked, “But how does the Lord know that a Monster Wave is coming soon?”
Everyone knew that monsters came down periodically. But if that cycle was approaching, people in the fortress would be busy preparing.
Yet it seemed like everyone was going about their usual business, as if they were unaware of the monsters coming.
Ghislaine casually replied, “Because of us.”
“Huh?”
“Since we’ve killed an incredible amount. We caught in just a few days what hundreds of hunters would need months to hunt, right?”
“Are you saying that because we caught a lot, the monsters are coming?”
“Yep, that’s how the monsters of the Shadow Mountain Range operate.”
“…Does that make sense?”
“Apparently, it does. I heard it somewhere. So just get ready. If we’ve caught about this much, they should be coming.”
Kaor looked at Ghislaine with a skeptical expression. He always blurted out nonsensical things, but it was hard to argue since that nonsense turned out to be true every time.
No one knew the reason behind the Monster Wave yet.
The Turian Kingdom had sent investigation teams several times to look into the cause, but each time they returned with only significant damage, ultimately giving up.
But when Ghislaine, who wasn’t even from the Turian Kingdom, spoke as if she knew something, it was only natural to be suspicious.
So, Kaor thought,
“Ugh, this is giving me a headache. I shouldn’t think too hard. I’m stronger when I don’t think!”
He accepted Ghislaine’s absurd orders, albeit with a slightly different meaning than Claude would have.
Of course, Ghislaine didn’t know the exact reason either. If the reason hadn’t been revealed in her previous life, how could she possibly know?
“How could the gods not know?”
From experience, I only knew that if I gathered this much, monsters would swarm me. And for now, that was enough.
“First, let’s take a break and check the armaments. We need to fight in peak condition.”
The knights spent their suddenly acquired personal maintenance time with long faces.
The thought of possibly fighting even more monsters than before already made fatigue wash over them.
“Let’s check the items piled up in the storage. Kaor, just follow me.”
Ghislaine left the knights behind and wandered around the fortress with Kaor.
At first, Ghislaine had earned the group’s leadership and the people’s vigilance and envy. However, ever since defeating Doncard, Kaor was receiving tremendous attention.
“Hey! Redhead! Awesome!”
“You beat that Doncard! Now you’re the strongest in this fortress!”
“We should go hunting together sometime!”
Every time they passed by, cheers and praises flowed in a stream.
Kaor, who had initially shown a dazed expression, soon wore a proud smile and swept back his hair.
“Ha… am I really the strongest?”
Thinking it over, he realized that indeed, he was someone worthy of being revered. He had just forgotten while spending time with those oddballs in the territory.
He briefly recalled the hot air balloon crash incident but shook his head to forget it. The sudden memory of Alfoy’s face bothered him more.
Ghislaine subtly stepped back to allow Kaor to shine even brighter.
‘He’s really getting into it. He’ll adapt well.’
For the time being, Kaor needed to stay here to hunt monsters and send leather and various byproducts back to the territory.
To do that, it was important to make his presence known. That way, he could easily build his influence and live here comfortably.
Thus, Ghislaine had deliberately made Kaor confront Doncard to elevate his status.
Kaor reveled in the attention from the people. They were looking at him as if he were some great figure.
‘This is great! It’s completely different from living in the territory. I want to stay here forever.’
He felt like he had wasted his life until now. His self-esteem shot up. Those guys back in the territory weren’t amazing; he just wasn’t a loser.
Ghislaine leisurely wandered inside the fortress. To begin with, saying she wanted to check the storage was just an excuse; her real goal was to make Kaor’s face more widely known.
‘I need to make him the most famous guy in this fortress.’
Even those who hadn’t witnessed the fight with Doncard would inevitably learn about Kaor as people chatted noisily around him.
After wandering for a while, the people surrounding them suddenly started murmuring and quietly moved back.
Soon, a group approached Kaor. Judging by their outfits, they were hunters.
Kaor scanned them up and down. A few faces looked familiar; they were definitely the minions of Doncard who had mocked him.
“Well, well, look who it is! You little punks mocked me last time, right? Today, you’re dead. Just try to take it.”
As Kiyor snarled and stepped forward, the hunter at the front waved his hands frantically.
“No, no! We’re not here to fight!”
“I’m fighting now because you mocked me! Do you know what the worst sin in the world is?”
“W-what is it?”
“Hurting my feelings. You’ll pay for it.”
Just as Kaor was about to throw a punch, Ghislaine grabbed his arm.
“Why? I’m the leader here, right?”
“Just listen to what they have to say first.”
Kaor pouted, letting his fist drop.
‘This isn’t just because the lord is scary! A good leader listens to their follower’s opinions!’
Seeing right through Kaor’s thoughts, Ghislaine clicked her tongue. Without any sense, Kaor was still about to throw a fit, so Ghislaine stepped forward to ask.
Instead, Ghislaine stepped forward and asked,
“What is it?”
“Um, it’s just that…”
The Hunter fumbled while glancing back and forth between Ghislaine and Kaor. Honestly, he was a bit confused about who the leader of the party was.
Still, it was Ghislaine who initially led the group. The Hunter, seeming resolved, said to Ghislaine,
“Can we join your side a little?”
“Join us?”
“Y-yeah. We could continue hunting together, but we could really use a focal point…”
“Hmmm…”
As Ghislaine showed a lukewarm reaction, the Hunter hurriedly continued,
“Doncard is dead, and our party is falling apart. It might be better if you just absorb us. There are plenty of allies here, so it wouldn’t hurt.”
Most Hunters hunt in groups. It’s dangerous to travel alone because of the sheer number of Monsters.
Of course, there were those who wandered solo. In a fortress filled with many Hunters, some only formed parties when they needed to.
But generally, forming a stable party for large-scale hunts yields the greatest benefit.
Doncard had led the largest group here. With his death, the Hunters who followed him could only find themselves in a tough situation.
Kaor, who had been listening, stepped forward again.
“So you want to become my subordinate?”
“N-no… not a subordinate, more like a hunting companion…”
“Sounds like a subordinate to me.”
“…It might appear that way.”
In reality, they were indeed Doncard’s subordinates. He was the leader in name, and since there was no distinction of rank here, they were just disguising the reality as companions.
Within human communities, ranks inevitably exist.
Kaor nodded and said,
“Alright, I’ll accept you as my subordinates…”
Thwack!
Before Kaor finished speaking, Ghislaine smacked him on the back of the head.
“Ow! Why did you hit me? I’m the boss here!”
“Tsk tsk, that’s not how it works.”
“Then what should I do?”
“For now, just watch me and learn. Hey, how many of you are left?”
The Hunter paused to think at Ghislaine’s words and replied,
“If we include those thinking about what to do, there should be around 100 of us. The rest have either joined other groups or outright refused to party.”
“Okay, so bring everyone who wants to join us. We’ll be waiting at the inn. Spread the word and tell everyone to come. We won’t stop anyone from coming.”
He didn’t say anything about not stopping those who wanted to leave. But the Hunter, not knowing much about Ghislaine, nodded excitedly.
“Y-yeah. I’ll bring as many as I can.”
The more party members, the safer they are while hunting. However, that means each person gets a smaller share.
It’s natural that those who are skilled and contribute more take a larger portion of the spoils.
But Ghislaine’s party had an incredible hunting speed, and yet nobody got seriously hurt or died. If the individual skills were lacking, such results could never happen.
It was something he had seen with his own eyes. So, he calculated that even if he just tagged along and hunted a bit, he’d get enough to be satisfied.
Soon, Hunters flooded into Ghislaine’s inn after hearing the rumors.
“Let us join too! I can cook well!”
“I know this terrain like the back of my hand!”
“With my skills, I’ll be a huge help!”
The gathering of Hunters reached an impressive 200 or so. The inn was buzzing with voices of Hunters making their pitches.
Ghislaine sat at the central table, pulled out a stack of papers, and said,
“I’ll take every single one without exception. Don’t worry, just line up. Let’s get this contract signed right away.”
“I’ll take everything without missing a single thing. Don’t worry, just line up. Let’s write the contract right away.”
“Sounds great! Let’s do it quickly!”
Hunters often write contracts too. It’s to avoid any problems during the distribution process after a hunt.
But in a Lawless Zone, who’s going to stick to the terms of a contract?
Usually, if things don’t go well, they just solve it with brute force, regardless of what’s on paper.
So they didn’t think too much about it, unaware that the person in front of them loved to solve problems with strength.
“Wow, these contract conditions are amazing!”
“Indeed, the terms are as top-notch as their hunting skills.”
“Must be because they earn a lot, right? Very generous.”
The hunters smiled widely as they looked over the contract.
There was no distribution based on contributions. The amount shared was far greater than other parties.
It stated that byproducts, excluding leather and tendons, would be divided equally. This meant they could secretly play around and still make money.
Considering how fast they had been hunting, it seemed they could benefit quickly.
However, there were a few conditions that were a bit bothersome.
“Thirty years for the contract?”
“Participation in outside combat whenever summoned?”
“Instant execution if someone escapes? Just return what you’ve eaten so far if you want to break it?”
This was a bit different from contracts among hunters. It was odd to specify a duration. It felt like they were being forcibly conscripted.
So one hunter asked,
“Is the duration really necessary? Hunters usually group or disperse as needed. It’s because Doncard died that we’re splitting up now, right?”
Ghislaine responded with a benevolent smile.
“It’s to say let’s be together for a long time. I’ll add a condition that if I die like Doncard, the contract becomes void. Oh, and I’ll be leaving here in a few days. When I’m gone, Kaor beside me will be the leader, so follow him well.”
The hunters exchanged sly glances. In other words, it meant they could break the contract anytime by just killing the guy in front of them.
Or, they thought, they could just disguise an accident when Kaor was absent.
This meant the duration was meaningless. They could just take their share and leave whenever they wanted.
“Alright! Let’s sign the contract now!”
As one hunter shouted boldly, others eagerly followed suit and signed the contract.
Watching this, the Knights of Penris clenched their jaws.
‘Poor fools…’
‘Do they think they can kill the Lord?’
‘Sooner or later, they’ll all be dragged to the territory.’
Even if Ghislaine left, Kaor and the knights would remain. The hunters wouldn’t be able to escape easily.
Once the contract was finalized, Ghislaine started generously handing out upfront payments.
“Here, take this and have a nice rest for a few days. I have plenty of money.”
“Wow!”
Even before the hunt, the hunters received a lot of money from Ghislaine. They immediately sought out the entertainment district in the fortress, spending and having fun wildly.
This part was similar to mercenaries. Hunters never know when they might die, so they always make the most of their fun.
Once the rumor spread that Ghislaine was throwing money around, hunters came every day wanting to sign contracts, and soon more than 300 hunters followed Ghislaine.
They contracted with many hunters in a shorter time than expected. Watching the hunters having a blast with the money he had given them every day, Ghislaine smiled.
“Good, with this number, we should all be able to jump off the castle wall together.”
Monsters are meant to be tackled head-on.
That was Ghislaine’s creed.
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