Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Anytime is a Good Time to Challenge. (1)
The mercenaries looked bewildered.
When someone mentioned the Forest of Monsters, one would usually think of digging for runestones, but there were too many wagons for that.
It was strange that they were packing shovels instead of pickaxes.
“Get everything ready and let’s go!”
But when had Ghislaine ever given a long explanation?
As always, the only thing the mercenaries could do was follow Ghislaine, who dashed ahead.
Like the wind, they reached Perdium in two days.
Skoban, guarding the Forest of Monsters, tilted his head as he saw Ghislaine’s group approaching from a distance.
He had occasionally come for runestones, but this was the first time he had seen so many wagons pulled along.
“Are they trying to clean everything out this time?”
But his guess was immediately proven wrong.
Instead of heading toward the area with the runestones, Ghislaine and the mercenaries turned in the completely opposite direction.
Skoban shouted in shock.
“Grand Duke! I mean, Baron! Where are you going? That is not the road!”
The path Ghislaine had originally carved had new roads laid down with fences on either side.
However, there were still monsters crawling around in the uncharted areas.
Skoban was startled and ran after them, but Ghislaine and the mercenaries had already disappeared into the forest.
“Whoa, what the heck? Why are they doing this all of a sudden?”
He scratched his head in frustration. Ricardo, who stood next to him, chimed in.
“Right? Why are they going in there? Did they discover something new?”
“No idea. How would we know what that person is thinking? It’s more comfortable just pretending we don’t know.”
Shaking his head and clicking his tongue, Skoban watched as Ghislaine dashed like a storm into the depths of the Forest of Monsters.
The deeper they went, the thicker the trees became, obstructing their path.
Ghislaine didn’t think to slow down and shouted to the mercenaries following behind.
“Cut the wagons loose!”
At Ghislaine’s command, those riding the horses immediately detached the wagons.
The horses moved a little more freely and quickly caught up to Ghislaine.
Just a bit further in, they spotted the enormous trees, the Dirus Ents, surrounding the outskirts of the forest.
They were monsters that everyone had encountered before.
Ghislaine charged toward them, pretending to be a tree herself.
“Break through!”
“Whoa! What the heck is this all of a sudden!”
Even as they cursed, the mercenaries raised their spears.
Having fought through the Forest of Monsters and trained continuously, they were able to respond instantly to Ghislaine’s command.
As they deftly maneuvered through obstacles in the forest, Ghislaine’s group charged forward.
Boom!
Roar!
The Dirus Ents let out screams mixed with pain and horror.
The Dirus Ent was a monster that relied on ambushing slowly approaching prey.
However, with Ghislaine’s group rushing in and stabbing them, they had no way to retaliate.
The spear, boosted by acceleration, pierced through their tough exterior and deeply embedded itself.
Thinking back to when they first entered the Forest of Monsters, unable to aim their weapons properly, it was clear how much the mercenaries had improved.
Hiiing!
But it wasn’t just the Dirus Ents suffering damage.
The mercenaries couldn’t fully absorb the shock when their spears struck.
With the sounds of horses screaming, several mercenaries fell off their mounts.
Among those who barely managed to stay on their horses, many lost their weapons too.
As Ghislaine smashed the body of a Dirus Ent blocking their way, she shouted loudly.
“If a horse dies, it’s 500 laps around the training ground! Three of you take on one!”
“Hey, Captain! Couldn’t you at least give us a heads-up beforehand!”
One mercenary grumbled, feeling wronged, and Ghislaine laughed heartily.
“Does the enemy tell you beforehand? You always have to be on guard!”
Boom!
Even while talking, Ghislaine was demolishing Dirus Ents one by one.
In the past, Ghislaine had wiped out most of the Dirus Ents alone.
With her mana increased to over double that time, there was no way the Dirus Ents could match her.
Besides, she was itching for a fight with her newfound power.
Ghislaine even threw away her spear and jumped off her horse.
Activating her core to the second stage, her eyes glowed red.
Boom! Boom!
Roar!
With just two punches, the Dirus Ent’s body shattered into three pieces.
Ghislaine swept through, mercilessly slaughtering the monsters that the mercenaries had pinned down in formation.
Roar…
Before long, all the remaining Dirus Ents had fallen.
In truth, the mercenaries hadn’t killed many; most had been taken care of by Ghislaine and Gillian…
The mana circulation method could be taught later.
The goal of training through real combat had been thoroughly achieved.
After scanning the surroundings, Ghislaine asked,
“Any casualties?”
No one answered. It seemed there were no dead.
“Then those whose horses are dead step aside.”
About twenty mercenaries, looking miserable, stepped out of the ranks.
Honestly, ordering them to fight while keeping an eye on the horses was absurd.
However, since there were many who still had their horses intact, they found it hard to protest.
“Once we return to the territory, it’s 500 laps around the training ground and participation in special training. For now, just borrow some horses from Perdium. On the way back, make sure to bring all the wagons we left behind too. The rest can take a break for now.”
A little later, the mercenaries without horses returned, bringing back horses and wagons.
Ghislaine assigned each mercenary a wagon and picked up a shovel herself.
“From now on, fill these wagons with dirt from around here. Keep going until they’re full.”
The mercenaries looked bemused.
After coming all the way to the Forest of Monsters to fight, was the only spoils dirt?
As was often the case, this order made no sense, but the trained bodies moved reflexively.
As they watched the mercenaries loading dirt into the wagons, Gillian cautiously asked Ghislaine.
“Lord, why are we taking dirt?”
Ghislaine pondered for a moment on how to explain and then replied.
“The Forest of Monsters hasn’t seen human hands for a very long time. So, the earth should be vibrant.”
“Is that so?”
Ghislaine scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground. It was so dark that it was almost black.
“See? Look at the color compared to our territory’s soil.”
“Isn’t it just a difference in location?”
“No. For one, since the forest is old, leaves must have piled up continuously… and when the corpses of monsters decay, they become nutrients, so it’s bound to be more fertile than the land that has been farmed consistently.”
“Wow…”
Gillian murmured in admiration.
The words Ghislaine spoke weren’t anything particularly new.
But the very fact that they came from Ghislaine’s mouth was astounding.
She was only supposed to be good at fighting; how on earth did she know this?
“This forest has an incredible life force. Just look at the size of the plants and trees, and the monsters tell you everything. If we dig up this soil and mix it with the farmland soil, we can revitalize the lacking vitality. We could even cultivate this place later when we have some time.”
While the two were talking, the mercenaries came over, having filled the wagons with dirt. Everyone was strong, so the work was done in no time.
Ghislaine and the mercenaries tied the wagons back to their horses and left the Forest of Monsters.
Sound of Hooves!
Watching the retreating figures, filled with dirt and disappearing like the wind, Skoban and Ricardo could only blink in confusion.
“Why are they taking so much dirt that’s not even expensive?”
“Let’s not think about it.”
“… Sure.”
*
As soon as Ghislaine arrived in the territory, she summoned the laborers.
“Now, mix this evenly into the new cultivated land! The ratio of old soil to new must be one to one.”
The laborers wore confused expressions.
Why was she suddenly saying to mix this dirt, wherever it came from, into the cultivated land?
An old man cautiously asked.
“Do you know what kind of dirt this is?”
“It’s very old soil. So… it’s like fertilizer.”
At the word “fertilizer,” the old man narrowed his eyes, looking concerned.
“Hmm, Lord. We’ve already scattered fertilizer several times.”
The soil here was rough and too barren for crops to grow at all.
To solve this, they had tried manure several times, but it hadn’t shown significant results.
If they put too much, it wouldn’t be absorbed by the ground; it would just rot away, so they couldn’t increase the amount.
“Moreover… to mix fertilizer that’s double the amount of the soil. That’s too much.”
“No, that amount is just right.”
“I also heard there was magic to keep the ground warm and moist. If we mix that much fertilizer like this, all the crops will rot.”
“It’s fine. It needs to be strong enough that weeds can’t grow and bugs can’t come, right?”
“Well, that’s…”
The old man trying to persuade Ghislaine ran out of words and sighed.
If it’s so strong that weeds can’t grow, how can crops grow?
Presented with such absurd logic, the laborers could only be dumbfounded.
Most of Ghislaine’s actions since arriving in the territory made sense and seemed necessary.
Yet, she was being unusually stubborn when it came to farming.
However, since it was the noble’s order and they were getting paid well, they had no choice but to comply.
“Then, I’ll start the work immediately.”
“Okay, make sure to mix it well and ensure the seeding is done properly.”
“Understood.”
After Ghislaine had left, they all began their work with uneasy expressions.
“Has the chief officer not surrendered yet? Didn’t the deadline for the bet pass soon?”
“Maybe the curse effect was a bit lacking?”
The territory residents started their seeding work with skeptical expressions.
It’d be nice if the food increased. They were grateful for the help from their lord, but…
If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
If farming was as easy as a horse, no one would be running away to the mountains due to starvation.
Grateful for their lord, who had only ever given to them, they felt all the more pity.
Pouring unnecessary money and time into pride, they sighed deeper.
In the midst of all the territory residents’ sighs, Belinda was also biting her nails in anxiety.
‘There’s only a week left now.’
They had squandered money and manpower, and even the people they had recruited were about to run away.
Even if that’s the case, the bigger issue was that Ghislaine would suffer a great humiliation.
If rumors spread that she had lost money to her retainers in a bet, she wouldn’t be able to show her face in noble society.
She had barely erased the image of a useless noble through her efforts in the war.
How much of a feat would it take to rebuild her image as someone worth taking seriously again?
‘Should I just kidnap the chief officer? Ugh, this is driving me crazy!’
As time flowed again amid worries, fears, anger, and sighs…
Finally, as the promised day approached, just a day away.
Claude sighed with relief and smiled.
‘Of course. I was worried for nothing.’
Since Ghislaine was so confident, Claude had felt a little nervous too.
But as expected, nothing special happened.
Just one day remained until the bet was over.
All he had to do was take his money and leave.
That day, during the meeting in the great hall, Claude made his final report.
“… That’s all. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. I will never forget the kindness that you, Lord, and Anna have shown me.”
Ghislaine responded to Claude’s greeting with an uninterested expression.
“Isn’t that a bit premature? There’s still a day left.”
“What could possibly happen in just one day? Well, I should check my baggage and leave tomorrow.”
The retainers exchanged glances, unable to say anything.
Among those with uncomfortable expressions, only Kaor was grinning.
Claude kept smiling and greeted others as well.
“Goodbye, everyone! I’m going to throw off all the chains and bindings of this territory and pursue my happiness. I wish you all happiness too!”
The great hall fell silent.
In a fit of excitement, Claude spread his arms wide and shouted.
“Claude is free!”
At that moment, a junior official checking the cultivated land rushed in, his face pale with panic.
He stammered out breathlessly.
“T-the cultivated land… there’s a shoot… it’s sprouting! W-why is it already growing? Is it not a shoot?”
“What?”
Claude turned to the official with a confused expression.
Ghislaine gave a mischievous smile and stood up.
“Shall we all go take a look?”
It was time to confirm the results of the bet.
