Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Follow Me With All Your Might (1)
Fully armored mercenaries instantly gathered in one place at Ghislaine’s command.
Everyone seemed to be tense, as if having realized they weren’t just mere mercenaries; they had formed neat lines despite the circumstances. There was evidence of their training, even if only for a short time.
Ghislaine led them directly to the fortification near the Forest of Monsters.
“Still, the state isn’t quite satisfactory yet.”
The fortification was only hastily established for immediate food and lodging solutions.
It would have been better to depart once it was completed, but there wasn’t the luxury to wait that long.
In the past few days, retainer after retainer had visited with suspicious looks.
Each time, Ghislaine and Belinda had managed to send them away with vague excuses, but the rumors were starting to spread among the laborers, making it harder to endure.
“Anyway, construction work on the fortification will continue while we’re in the forest…”
Ghislaine shouted loudly, surveying the mercenaries.
“You’ve all heard the rumors; the forest is dangerous! If you follow my instructions, casualties will be minimal. Absolutely do not act on your own, and stay alert!”
Seeing Ghislaine suddenly appear leading an armed force, the soldiers guarding the forest entrance couldn’t help but feel flustered.
‘What the hell is this madman saying… Is he really planning to enter the forest?’
The soldiers, with stunned expressions, tried to prevent them, but they lacked the strength to stop nearly two hundred mercenaries.
Just before everything was prepared for entry into the forest, Ghislaine closed his eyes briefly, lost in thought.
‘If this succeeds, all eyes will be on this place.’
The Duke Delphine Faction wouldn’t just stand by while Perdium expanded.
No, it wouldn’t even stop with the Duke; the surrounding lords would soon be eyeing this place as well.
In a way, Ghislaine’s actions were akin to inviting danger upon himself.
‘But I can’t stop now.’
Knowing death was approaching didn’t allow him to sit idly by.
‘I’ll give it my all; that’s my only path to survival.’
Once again steeling his heart, Ghislaine opened his eyes and raised his hand high.
Just as he was about to lead everyone into the forest, someone shouted and rushed toward them.
“Your Highness, you mustn’t!”
“Oh, Skoban?”
The one approaching was Skoban, the current Guard Commander of the Forest of Monsters.
After the orc subjugation, he’d sunken into drinking and was effectively given a demotion.
Ghislaine waited for him to catch his breath as he ran, out of loyalty from their previous battle against the orcs.
“Pant, pant. Your Highness, you don’t really intend to enter the forest, do you?”
“That’s right; we’re going in now.”
“No! The Lord’s orders…”
“Skoban, just one favor.”
“Y-yes?”
“You made some money thanks to me before, right? Think of that favor and just let it slide.”
Skoban’s eyes widened at the word “favor.”
He’d never imagined that a Grand Duke would ask him for something.
Ghislaine was someone who would either snatch things away or forcibly make others do his bidding.
Ghislaine chuckled at Skoban’s flustered expression.
“For a while, I need you to keep the soldiers quiet and make sure they don’t know I’m going in. The troops from the territory shouldn’t just follow me right away. If we’re not careful, we might end up fighting among ourselves. This is no joke.”
“B-but the mercenaries have already entered the territory, haven’t they? There will soon be a report.”
“That’s why I told you before; on-site commanders decide and act as they see fit.”
“T-that means…”
“Just make up excuses. We’re not heading into the forest; we’re moving elsewhere. How about it? Can you do that?”
‘I-I have to refuse!’
If found out that he lied, he wouldn’t be safe either.
But…
Skoban gulped when he saw Ghislaine’s inscrutable smile.
His eyes sparkled with confidence, just like during the orc subjugation.
It was the same back then. The Grand Duke demanded command and pushed ahead with his own ideas.
But thanks to that, they managed to take down all the orcs without any casualties.
Seeing that look in his eyes made Skoban want to trust him once more.
Ultimately, without realizing it, Skoban nodded.
After all, the Grand Duke in front of him wouldn’t listen even if told to.
“Sure is bold. Alright then, buy me some time. Let’s see what you can do.”
Ghislaine also nodded to Ricardo, who was late to follow.
“Hey, Ricardo! You’ve become Skoban’s deputy? Congrats on the promotion. Still looking handsome, I see.”
Ricardo, caught off guard and unable to grasp the situation, asked with a dazed expression.
“Your Highness, where are you going?”
“To the Forest of Monsters.”
“If you go in there recklessly, we Guards will be in danger too!”
“Don’t worry; I’ll be back before you know it.”
Ricardo cried out in shock at those words.
“What on earth are you doing to me?”
“What did I do? You did this last time too, and now you’re doing it again.”
Ghislaine clicked his tongue a few times before continuing.
“Anyway, monsters might pop up, so keep a close watch at the entrance. I’ll be back.”
Ghislaine hurried into the forest, not wanting to be caught by anyone else.
“Now, let’s go in!”
Following Ghislaine, the mercenaries slowly moved forward.
Skoban, Ricardo, and the other soldiers could only stare blankly at the sight.
This was the moment Ghislaine’s expedition team finally took their first step into the Forest of Monsters, a place no one had dared to explore.
*
None of them brought any horses, so they had to move on foot.
If the horses panicked and ran away from monster attacks, it would only hinder their progress.
All their supplies were loaded onto several wagons, which the mercenaries were pulling themselves.
The entrance to the Forest of Monsters looked just like an ordinary forest.
A few small mountain creatures were visible, and the intermittent sounds of insects could be heard.
Some of the mercenaries thought the rumors might’ve been exaggerated.
However, as they ventured further into the forest, that thought quickly changed.
“This is where it gets real.”
Someone muttered without thinking, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The forest was eerily quiet. The sounds of chirping insects had vanished long ago. Only a stifling silence remained.
As they went deeper, the trees began to grow larger.
Tall trees were thickly shaded by equally large leaves, blocking the sky.
It’s dark.
If it weren’t for the tiny rays of sunlight sneaking through the leaves, they wouldn’t be able to see a thing.
A small sigh escaped among the mercenaries.
“This is why it’s called the Forest of Darkness…”
The Forest of Monsters was also known by another name: the Forest of Darkness.
True to its name, the forest was heavily laden with darkness.
Despite being midday, a dense mist spread across the ground, exuding a sinister aura.
A cool breeze from the forest enveloped the group.
“Light the lamps.”
At Ghislaine’s command, several mercenaries lit their lamps.
The mercenaries whispered as they held the lamps.
“Why did we bring so many lamps, anyway?”
“Just show-off, I guess. Is it shameful to use torches?”
Lamps were certainly more convenient than torches, but they weren’t cheap.
Yet Ghislaine had prepared hundreds of them.
There were also several boxes stacked high, their contents unknown.
The mercenaries couldn’t help but subtly criticize Ghislaine’s extravagant spending typical of nobles.
With enough light provided by the lamps, the group moved slowly again.
After some time, when the path was cut off, Ghislaine gave orders to the mercenaries.
“We’re going to clear a path from here. Chop down the trees and cut the grass.”
Until now, they had at least seen traces of previous humans, but from here on, there was nothing.
If they wanted to reach their destination, they needed to lay some groundwork.
It would take time, but securing a clear path would allow the laborers to set up fortifications and properly lay the road.
Ghislaine took the lead with an axe, starting to fell trees.
The sound of chopping echoed through the forest.
“What’s this? The employer is getting his hands dirty himself?”
“Is this what they mean by leading by example? Is this noble dignity? Hehe.”
“How long will he keep this up? He’s probably just momentarily full of himself.”
The mercenaries began laughing at Ghislaine, who was toiling away, not fitting the mold of a noble.
“Still, he’s chopping well enough.”
“Yeah, but he’ll probably give up soon. There are some nobles who do it sometimes, you know?”
“Well, he probably did nothing but practice swordsmanship at home, so it must itch a bit to work. Hahaha.”
While they muttered here and there, the Cerberus Mercenary Group stayed silent.
They knew very well that once their employer started throwing punches, it wouldn’t end quickly.
However, they felt no obligation to tell the other mercenaries that. Such lessons were better learned through experience.
Belinda approached Ghislaine with a furrowed brow and whispered.
“Oh dear, why is the Young Master doing this? If you’re paying for labor, let them do the work.”
“It’s fine. Having one more person helping speeds things up.”
“This is strange. You weren’t this kind of person before. You wouldn’t even wash yourself, considering your status.”
“… I don’t remember.”
For Belinda, it had only been a few days prior, but for Ghislaine, it was a long-forgotten chapter from a foolish past he’d rather forget.
As the mercenaries put in the effort, trees were gradually being chopped down.
Sunlight began to filter through the gaps created by the fallen trees, lightening the group’s mood.
Even while chopping, Ghislaine’s thoughts remained restless.
‘There shouldn’t be any discrepancies from the contents of that journal.’
In his past life, Ghislaine had come across a journal written by the Duke Delphine Faction’s exploration team while researching the Forest of Monsters and had read it repeatedly.
He had a desire to reclaim the territory and seize resources, but quite a bit of that compulsion stemmed from his deep longing for Perdium.
The Forest of Monsters was one of the main culprits hindering the development of the Perdium Territory, yet it was also inextricably linked to Perdium.
‘There’s a time lag, but the ecosystem and monster habitats likely haven’t changed that much.’
He relied heavily on the detailed documentation, which outlined where and when each monster appeared and the damage caused.
If that information was incorrect, not only would they not make any money, but the mercenaries might even be wiped out.
He needed to move as cautiously as possible.
As everyone immersed in their work, time flew by, and tension began to ease slightly.
“Is it really just gloomy here?”
“Right? It feels like everyone’s just too scared to come in.”
“If we’re only clearing paths like this, I feel a bit bad about the extra hazard pay.”
The mercenaries chatted noisily as they accelerated their work.
Though their destination didn’t seem far, they felt optimistic that the job would finish quickly.
After advancing a bit more, Ghislaine, who had been leading, suddenly halted everyone.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
“Huh? Why?”
“There’s nothing here!”
The mercenaries tilted their heads, peering beyond Ghislaine at the forest.
There was no sign of threats, not even the sound of ordinary beasts.
Only thick, towering trees obstructed their view.
“Don’t get too close; step back slowly. Prepare to attack.”
Ghislaine repeated his instructions.
Gillian cautiously surveyed the surroundings but couldn’t detect anything.
When he glanced at Belinda, she shrugged, showing she too had no idea what was going on.
Eventually, he quietly asked Ghislaine.
“Your Highness, what’s happening? I can’t sense anything around us. It doesn’t feel like there are any monsters hiding nearby.”
Gillian was quite confident in his ability to sense the surrounding environment.
Hadn’t he easily located assassins from a wildcat smuggling ring in the past?
However, Ghislaine shook his head.
“They’re not hiding.”
A line from the journal flashed through his mind.
[When you arrive at a place filled with trees entwined in thick vines…]
The trees standing before him were indeed all wrapped in thick vines.
Gillian asked again.
“There’s nothing but trees around; what exactly are you on guard against?”
[They gave off no presence whatsoever. Even the kingdom’s top swordsman, the Count Valzac, known as the Swordmaster, could not sense their presence…]
Ghislaine cautiously observed the trees ahead and replied.
“What’s in front of us.”
