Chapter 32: Follow Me with All Your Might (4)
“Hmph.”
Belinda wrinkled her nose and moved closer to Ghislaine.
She didn’t specifically attack the Dirus Ents.
With mercenaries already charging in, it seemed unnecessary; in fact, she worried it might interfere with Ghislaine’s fighting.
She quietly kept her eyes peeled, only thinking of extracting Ghislaine in a truly dangerous moment.
“Waaaaah!”
Kraaaaah!
As all the mercenaries swarmed in, the Dirus Ents began to be pushed back.
Individually, they might lack strength, but there were over a hundred of them.
The mercenaries swarmed around each Dirus Ent, trying to attack in groups of dozens.
Kraaaaah!
The Dirus Ents, indiscriminately slashed and hacked, started to fall one by one, spewing black liquid.
Kwaaaaang!
“Uwaaaah!”
Of course, the mercenaries weren’t unscathed either.
Every time a Dirus Ent swung its arm, mercenaries who couldn’t block properly flew far away.
Kuhhh!
A Dirus Ent that had blown away the mercenaries in front of it aimed a massive foot at a fallen one.
It was trying to stomp down and crush him completely.
“Ah, no!”
The mercenary, realizing a huge shadow was looming over him, screamed in terror.
He closed his eyes, sensing his impending doom.
Thud!
Instead of the anticipated pain, only a dull thud echoed, so the mercenary cautiously opened his eyes.
Right in front of him stood Ghislaine, blocking the Dirus Ent’s foot with a greatsword.
“Uh, uh?”
“Hey, you alright?”
“Yes, yes! Th-thank you.”
Kraaaaah!
Dread rattled the ground as the enraged Dirus Ent pressed down with all its might, slowly pushing Ghislaine’s foot back and starting to dig into the ground.
“Get out of the way quickly.”
“Yes, yes!”
The mercenary hurriedly replied, rolling out of the way in a frenzy.
At the same time, Ghislaine turned her body and withdrew the greatsword.
The Dirus Ent slammed its foot into the ground.
Kwaaaang!
Ghislaine spun back to her original position and swung her greatsword fiercely.
Kwahhh!
The greatsword smoothly swept across the Dirus Ent’s ankle.
Kuuuuuh!
The Dirus Ent, now legless, lets out a painful scream and staggered.
Without stopping, Ghislaine began to hack away at the Dirus Ent’s body.
Kwah! Kwah! Kwah!
Thanks to Ghislaine, the mercenary who had dodged the blow gazed in shock at the scene.
The way Ghislaine fought was entirely different from the knights or nobles he had seen until now.
It was rough, ruthless, and chillingly brutal.
It resembled more the way mercenaries or bandits fought.
‘S-so scary, but so strong?’
While the mercenary was stunned in admiration, Ghislaine turned the Dirus Ent into a rag and changed positions.
Thanks to Ghislaine’s active maneuvers, the number of Dirus Ents rapidly dwindled.
Thanks to Ghislaine’s activities, Dirus Ent’s numbers dwindled rapidly.
Kwooo…
It took some time, but ultimately, all the Dirus Ents fell.
“We, we won!”
The mercenaries sat down, gasping for breath.
However, no one cheered in joy for their victory.
Everyone remained silent, gazing in one direction where Ghislaine stood with his eyes closed and head held high.
Kuwung!
As Ghislaine planted his greatsword into the ground and turned, the mercenaries flinched.
It was because they were overwhelmed by the display of his strength.
To them, Ghislaine was not a mere young noble but a terrifying warrior.
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine emotionlessly surveyed everyone around.
They still looked dazed.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
The mercenaries bowed their heads, unable to say a word.
Even though they were hired for money, they thought about fleeing out of fear.
In such a situation, they had nothing to say if their employer was to cut off their heads.
They laughed at Ghislaine as an inexperienced noble, but in reality, they were the ones who were beneath him.
“If you get scared even though you can fight, in the end, you’ll die.”
He had said the same to a soldier who panicked when they encountered an orc.
Just like back then, Ghislaine chose to fight alone without calling the mercenaries.
Whether the goal was survival, money, or growth, it was important to fight with one’s own will.
Instilling the confidence that they could fight.
Being the first to arrive in the most dangerous places.
Demonstrating overwhelming strength that turned the impossible into possible.
That was always his role.
That’s why in his past life, all the mercenaries believed in him and followed his lead.
“From now on, whoever runs away will be the first to have their head cut off.”
Under the cold expression and terrifying gaze, the mercenaries nodded unconsciously.
In the suffocating atmosphere, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“I can’t guarantee that everyone will survive, but I will do my best to save as many as I can.”
The mercenaries nodded.
“I will always be at the front.”
At those words, Belinda frowned but the mercenaries stared at Ghislaine with hardened faces.
“Follow me with all your might.”
As soon as Ghislaine finished speaking, the mercenaries stood up with determined expressions, weapons in hand.
Belinda was a bit surprised to see Ghislaine commanding the mercenaries.
‘The atmosphere has completely changed all of a sudden!’
Recently, Ghislaine had shown a laid-back and playful demeanor.
While it was definitely better than his previous nervousness, he had never behaved with the gravitas of other nobles.
‘Did he get nervous in the Forest of Monsters…? Something feels different.’
Now the mercenaries were completely frozen, not moving an inch at Ghislaine’s words. It was thanks to his performance.
It was no wonder that someone who had seemed like an unremarkable young noble could suddenly dominate the atmosphere.
And yet, Ghislaine, as if he had never shown such a serious side, was now helping the injured mercenaries, tapping their shoulders and cracking jokes.
‘I really can’t figure him out anymore. Does he have a split personality or something?’
One day, all of a sudden, he transformed, and even Belinda, who had watched him for a long time, now couldn’t define who Ghislaine was.
After taking a brief break while treating the injured, the group started working again.
What had changed from before was that the mercenaries now moved quickly and efficiently without the clumsiness they had shown at first.
“Make sure to collect the inner hides of those things.”
“Huh? Why are we taking those?”
The mercenaries hesitated, not understanding Ghislaine’s intentions.
Why would they bother collecting monster flesh?
“I’m thinking of using them to make fire-resistant clothing or fire-fighting supplies.”
“I’m thinking of making fire-fighting tools or something.”
After hearing Ghislaine’s explanation, the mercenaries nodded in admiration.
“Ah, true, it blocks heat well and goes out quickly if it catches fire.”
“If used properly, it could be useful.”
Even the mercenaries saw that it was a material with definite efficacy in putting out or blocking fire.
If they could make something to block heat when a fire breaks out, it would be quite handy.
Watching the mercenaries diligently strip the skin, Ghislaine smiled with satisfaction.
‘This could be quite useful.’
According to records from his past life, Dirus Ent’s leather could withstand up to 4th circle fire magic.
Depending on how it was used, it could yield tremendous results.
Ghislaine already had a plan in mind for how to use it.
“There’s no need to take everything. I’ll come back and get the rest later.”
Since no one comes here anyway, it’d be fine to take it along when they come to maintain the road again.
The mercenaries, having collected the materials adequately, gathered the corpses of the Dirus Ents together and continued their work on the road.
No extraordinary events occurred on the first day.
However, starting the next day, monsters began to attack at all hours.
After three days, the mercenaries definitely realized that this forest was a hell that exceeded their imaginations.
“Damn it! This is insane! This place is a crazy forest!”
“What kind of monsters keep popping up endlessly!”
“We can’t even catch a break!”
The mercenaries were fed up with the monsters that kept coming out non-stop.
They had prepared to fight monsters when they came to the Forest of Monsters, but that was only when they thought it would be at a ‘reasonable’ level.
“I honestly didn’t know it would be like this…”
As one mercenary muttered, the others nearby nodded in agreement.
The monsters living here were much larger and more powerful than those outside the forest.
While five or six mercenaries could take down a monster outside, here they needed several times that number just to handle one.
The monsters in the Forest of Monsters were not only strong but also grotesque-looking, terrifying anyone who laid eyes on them.
There were even gigantic carnivorous plants that could swallow a person whole, making even those seem cute in comparison to the bizarre monsters that filled the area.
Above all, the biggest issue was the relentless assaults.
“I want to sleep comfortably for once.”
For three days, the mercenaries hadn’t even been able to sleep well.
The monsters attacked indiscriminately, day and night.
“Heh, is this just the entrance? What in the world lives deep in there?”
One mercenary muttered with a self-deprecating laugh.
Three days had passed, but the actual distance they had moved was very little.
The work of clearing the path took a long time, and the continuous battles with monsters kept eating up their time.
If the entrance was already this bad, who knew what kind of terrifying creatures were deep in the forest.
The mercenaries understood why no one had tried to develop the Forest of Monsters until now.
To develop such a place would require not just a territory level but something on a national scale.
“Still, thanks to our employer going wild, the damage is relatively less.”
“True. I guess they’re not scared at all.”
“How can that be?”
The reason the mercenaries had no choice but to endure their exhaustion and fear was Ghislaine.
He fought at the very front, just as he declared.
Belinda and Gillian had tried to stop him several times, but he didn’t listen at all.
Being in the lead naturally meant the highest level of danger.
Even so, Ghislaine dashed out to minimize damage to the mercenaries every time a monster appeared.
“Sometimes, the employer is scarier than the monsters. When he fights, he looks like a complete evil spirit!”
“The stock is scarier. When we fight, he totally resembles an evil spirit!”
“But thanks to him, there are quite a few guys who’ve saved their lives. If he wasn’t our employer, we’d all be dead by now.”
As time passed, the mercenaries began to be genuinely inspired by Ghislaine.
“I really don’t know if we’ll make it back alive.”
“We just need to follow our employer well.”
Though their thoughts differed, everyone agreed that Ghislaine was putting in his utmost effort to fight.
That became a driving force for the mercenaries.
Kraaaang!
“Uwaaaah!”
“Save me!”
Monsters with documented habitats like Dirus Ent could prepare in advance to minimize damage.
But Ghislaine couldn’t always block every danger.
This forest is swarming with monsters.
There were also monsters wandering around without habitats or roaming for various reasons.
Such monsters suddenly popped up from the sides or behind the group rather than right in front.
“Hold on! I’m going!”
During those times, Ghislaine rushed faster than anyone to save the mercenaries.
Before long, Ghislaine’s body was covered in wounds.
It was only natural since he fought ahead and didn’t hold back at all.
“Young Master! Let the mercenaries handle it! Stop jumping in! Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you?!”
Belinda just couldn’t understand it.
No employer would fight like this, throwing themselves into danger.
Even in war, commanders try to protect themselves as much as possible.
The leader must survive for the whole group to survive.
But Ghislaine pushed himself to the point of recklessness.
Every time she saw that, Belinda’s heart dropped.
“Sigh, doesn’t he value his own life?”
She had seen Ghislaine’s skills. They were certainly commendable.
He found the best methods to tackle monsters and gave orders accordingly.
His judgment and leadership were astonishing, but they were overshadowed by the wild way he fought.
As Belinda’s worries grew, the mercenaries’ trust in Ghislaine deepened.
“Our employer saved us again this time.”
“Honestly, being next to the employer feels safer.”
“What kind of noble acts like this? Was he some assault squad captain in his past life?”
“Hahaha, that fits perfectly!”
In larger mercenary groups, there’s a dedicated assault squad that takes on the most dangerous tasks.
Until now, Ghislaine’s actions were no different from those of an assault squad leader.
In fact, Ghislaine had mostly performed duties as an assault squad member in his past life, so the mercenaries weren’t wrong.
Every time they saw him rampaging among the monsters, the mercenaries felt a strange sensation.
At first, it was merely awe, but as time passed, a little trust in Ghislaine began to blossom.
“Our employer is doing this for us.”
At someone’s comment, all the mercenaries nodded.
The mercenary profession is one of the most looked-down-upon careers.
The deeply rooted perception is that they’re wretched souls selling their lives for money.
However, Ghislaine showed no signs of looking down on the mercenaries at all.
He always spared no effort for them and exhibited a more easygoing and bold demeanor than any mercenary.
Hence, they could only fall deeper for Ghislaine.
Of course, not everyone felt this way.
Some individuals had completely lost their fighting spirit due to relentless battles and powerful monsters.
Among them was Manus, a mercenary who looked like a sneaky rat.
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