Chapter 19
Chapter 19: A Variable is Necessary (Part 4)
Gillian said he could leave at any time, but surprisingly, preparing to depart took longer than expected.
The luggage wasn’t much, but the numerous weapons scattered throughout the house posed a problem.
The wagon was too small and old to properly hold all the weapons from inside the house.
In frustration, Ghislaine put some money forward.
“Buy a decent wagon. Let Rachel travel comfortably.”
After packing everything, the small wagon pulled by two horses looked horrifyingly bizarre.
Small lances were attached to each horse’s saddle, and various weapons were stuck haphazardly on every side of the wagon.
Gillian himself was strapped with a sword and hand axe at his waist, and even had a crossbow mounted on his back. If someone saw him, they’d think he was heading straight to the battlefield.
The knights shook their heads in disbelief.
‘What a mobile bandit fortress. Is all this weaponry really necessary?’
Truly strong individuals only carry a few of their primary weapons.
Even heavily armed knights on the battlefield usually carry just a couple of weapons; if they need more, they have the foot soldiers carry the rest.
To the knights, Gillian’s appearance looked like someone unable to part with their weapons, clumsily lugging everything with him.
However, Ghislaine simply nodded at Gillian’s weaponry-gathering antics and remained silent.
“Let’s leave. We can send someone back later to retrieve what we missed.”
Gillian drove the wagon while the rest of the party rode horses, just as they did when they first arrived in Raybold.
Belinda glanced at Ghislaine, who was a bit further away, and sank into quiet contemplation.
‘It’s not just a change in personality. No matter how I consider it, something’s off.’
At first, she thought he had come to his senses and matured.
She assumed that his skills, honed through hard training, were only now starting to shine.
She convinced herself that the exceptional talent he always possessed was finally surfacing.
Having looked after the reckless Ghislaine since childhood, she had a habit of fitting everything into a good perspective.
But no matter how much she tried to see the bright side, the matter of Gillian healing his daughter didn’t make sense.
‘There’s no way that knowledge could come solely from the Young Master.’
Ghislaine wasn’t particularly smart, and his experience was limited. He hadn’t even stepped outside the territory, so where would he gain knowledge?
Moreover, Belinda knew all too well that Ghislaine had avoided books since he was young.
So how on earth had he come across a treatment method that no one else knew about? It was beyond her comprehension.
‘Could it be… a dark mage?’
Belinda fidgeted with the dagger in her pocket, considering all the possibilities.
She had heard of legendary dark mages who could transfer their souls into someone else’s body to continue living.
Belinda strained to find something strange about Ghislaine’s calm expression.
‘No, no, that’s not it. He looks different, but it’s still our adorable Young Master.’
Occasionally, he showed a different side, but the unique aura she felt from Ghislaine had not changed.
Having cared for Ghislaine since childhood, she would never fail to recognize it.
He seemed oddly relaxed and nonchalant, but considering his previous quirks, it didn’t seem entirely out of the question.
He had always been a bit air-headed after all.
Now, it felt like he had a layer of excessive confidence on top of that.
The same yet different person.
That was how Belinda currently saw Ghislaine.
‘I really can’t figure it out. Why doesn’t he just tell me?’
Despite her repeated pressing, Ghislaine merely shrugged it off, saying he’d explain later.
Ultimately, Belinda stopped her fruitless speculation and began pondering how to use the potion Ghislaine developed.
‘If played right, it could turn into some money.’
Belinda managed the modest maintenance funds provided to Ghislaine.
Having always struggled to support Ghislaine with that limited amount, her heart raced at the prospect of possibly earning a single coin.
‘The ingredients are the problem. Only wealthy people could afford it.’
The ‘Fairy’s Blessing’ used as a material was a flower that only grew in minuscule amounts in certain regions, making it even pricier than gold.
Despite its exorbitant price, it possessed various effects, serving as an ingredient for high-quality medicine and potions.
‘Still, it might be cheaper than receiving Divine Power treatment… If I could just contract the brewing method to sell, wouldn’t it bring in some money?’
While everyone was lost in their thoughts, Ghislaine engaged in quite a bit of conversation with Gillian.
Without the need for noble stature, Ghislaine behaved comfortably, and Gillian felt at ease to respond in kind.
“You seem quite free-spirited despite being a noble.”
“Hehe, I can be a bit rough around the edges.”
Though Gillian slightly deflected, Ghislaine genuinely did not come off as noble.
After all, he had spent more time as a mercenary than as a noble, so it made sense.
With only the bare minimum of noble decorum intact, he resembled a confident commoner more than an aristocrat in others’ eyes.
“Well, I’m still trying to act with some class these days. But it feels rather uncomfortable.”
“It’s often better to act freely when you’re young. Enjoy your youth.”
“I’d like to, but my youth has already been mortgaged for other things. Quite a shame.”
While Ghislaine’s occasional remarks didn’t quite make sense to him, Gillian simply chalked it up to Ghislaine’s quirky personality.
*
The party arrived at the edge of the Raybold Territory without any incident.
At first, Amelia’s unpredictable behavior made them a bit tense, but there were no ambushes even while passing through somewhat dangerous areas.
“Once we get past here, we’ll soon leave Raybold Territory.”
Ghislaine said with relief.
Looking ahead, trees densely lined either side of the pathway.
It wasn’t a large forest, but one could easily lose their way if they wandered in carelessly.
This meant a great risk of ambush; however, passing through this area was the fastest route to Perdium Territory.
If they didn’t take this path, they’d have to climb over mountains or take a much longer detour.
‘With her character, if she were to ambush, she’d definitely send a solid force.’
Of course, Ghislaine was confident he could repel anyone Amelia might send.
He hadn’t revealed all of his abilities, so Amelia wouldn’t be able to assess him accurately.
Sending someone capable enough to handle Ghislaine would be a burden no matter who Amelia was. It wasn’t as though competent fighters were readily available whenever needed.
But it never hurt to be cautious.
As they entered the beginning of the path, Ghislaine subtly spread his mana like strands of silk into the surroundings.
‘This spot is prime for an ambush. It’s also a rather awkward position to stage a complaint against Raybold.’
Delicate, thread-like strands of mana wove out and fanned away from the party.
A unique technique of Ghislaine’s, only discernible to those who have reached an extreme level.
After nodding a few times, Ghislaine addressed the group.
“Let’s go through.”
They slowly urged their horses onward into the path.
During the passage, Ghislaine said nothing. The knight companions moved somewhat tensely.
However, after considerable time, nothing occurred. One by one, the knights began to relax.
As they reached the end of the small forest path, Belinda, who was next to Ghislaine, twitched her eyebrows.
A faint, prickling sensation brushed against her skin.
It was a sense bred from her accumulated experience.
As she concentrated her mana, familiar things started to touch her senses.
Belinda confidently opened her mouth.
“Milord, wait a—”
But before she could finish, Gillian leaped onto a horse and severed the tether connecting the wagon.
“I’ll handle this. You rest.”
He then drew the crossbow slung on his back and fired a bolt. Simultaneously, his mount charged forward.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three bolts from the modified crossbow shot high among the tall trees and struck home.
“Graaah!”
Several people hidden and camouflaged among the trees fell to the ground.
Simultaneously, loud noises echoed everywhere.
“They’ve noticed us!”
“Attack!”
People sprang up from the ground, and hidden figures leaped from branches covered in foliage.
There were at least thirty of them, by rough estimate.
While Ghislaine’s knights were startled and drew their swords, Gillian charged at the emerging figures and shouted.
“A bunch of filthy rats have come!”
Gillian scoffed as he discarded the crossbow and pulled out two hand axes from his belt to throw.
Swish!
The hand axes embedded themselves in the foreheads of the front-line attackers, who fell without even a scream.
But Gillian didn’t spare a glance at the fallen.
He swiftly drew the small lance from beside his saddle and hurled it toward the gathering foes.
Crash!
“Uwaaaah!”
In an instant, several people were impaled on the small lance, their heads smashed.
He barreled through, ruthlessly mashing through the enemies in his path.
The sight stunned the accompanying knights, causing them to forget they were under attack.
“Lance charge?”
“Is that even possible in this terrain?”
In a forest riddled with obstacles like trees and rocks, such a feat was nearly impossible.
Moreover, piercing multiple enemies in a row like that would be difficult even on flat ground without extraordinary horsemanship.
Yet Gillian effortlessly dodged obstacles while maintaining the horse’s speed. Only the dead left in his wake remained.
It was truly a miraculous display of skill.
The attackers gasped in astonishment and gritted their teeth as they shouted.
“Don’t worry about him! Get that Ghislaine first!”
With that, they all charged toward Ghislaine, avoiding Gillian.
“Milord, I…”
Belinda and the knights rushed to intervene, but Ghislaine stopped them with a raised hand.
“It’s fine; Gillian said to let him rest.”
Meanwhile, Gillian had already deftly turned his horse around and charged back toward Ghislaine.
Ignoring the scattered foes, he hurried toward the wagon, swiftly detaching the huge shield attached to the side of the wagon.
As one enemy drew a dagger from his cloak and hurled it at Ghislaine,
Swish!
The sound of blades slicing through the air rang out incessantly. Daggers flew in from all directions.
Yet, even with the sharp blades before him, Ghislaine’s expression remained calm.
TatataTAANG!
At that moment, Gillian leaped in front of Ghislaine. The massive shield absorbed all the daggers.
He then swung the shield forward with great force. Two or three adversaries barreling in were sent flying in a direct line.
Belinda asked, bewildered.
“Wait, who is that guy? What does he do?”
Ghislaine, who had always downplayed Gillian’s secrets, answered this time as if it were no big deal.
“I’m Gillian, the leader of the Ratatosk Mercenary Group. A master of combat, capable of fighting in any terrain and under any conditions.”
Ghislaine quietly smiled as he looked at Gillian’s sturdy back.
