Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Follow Me With All Your Might (4)
“Hmph.”
Belinda wrinkled her nose as she moved closer to Ghislaine.
She wasn’t specifically targeting the Dirus Ents.
The mercenaries were already charging in, so there seemed to be no need for her to do so, and it might even hinder Ghislaine’s fight.
She was just quietly keeping an eye on her surroundings, only thinking of snatching Ghislaine away when the moment got really dangerous.
“Waahhh!”
Kraaaah!
As all the mercenaries swarmed in, the Dirus Ents began to be pushed back.
While each individual might be lacking in strength, there were over a hundred of them.
The mercenaries attempted to attack the Dirus Ents, forming groups of dozens around each one.
Kraaaah!
The indiscriminately slashed Dirus Ents started collapsing one by one, spewing a black liquid.
Kwaaaang!
“Uagh!”
Of course, the mercenaries weren’t unscathed either.
Every time a Dirus Ent swung its arm, mercenaries who couldn’t block properly were sent flying.
Krooooh!
One Dirus Ent that had just sent mercenaries flying aimed its massive foot at a downed mercenary.
It intended to crush him completely.
“Ah, no!”
A mercenary, facing the looming massive shadow, screamed in terror.
He closed his eyes, sensing his imminent demise.
Thunk!
As he felt no pain but only heard a dull thud, the mercenary opened his eyes slightly.
Before him stood Ghislaine, blocking the Dirus Ent’s foot with a massive greatsword.
“Uh, uh?”
“Hey, you alright?”
“Y-yes! Th-thank you!”
Kraaaah!
Dudududun.
As the enraged Dirus Ent put all its strength into pressing down, Ghislaine’s foot began to slide back while the ground started to crumble.
“Quick, get out of the way.”
“Yes, yes!”
The mercenary scrambled to respond and swiftly rolled away to escape.
At the same time, Ghislaine turned his body and withdrew his greatsword.
The Dirus Ent’s foot slammed down on the ground.
Kwaaaang!
Ghislaine spun back to his original position and swung his greatsword forcefully.
Kwaaaazzzzz!
The greatsword neatly sliced through the Dirus Ent’s ankle.
Krooooh!
The Dirus Ent, now footless, howled in pain as it staggered.
Ghislaine didn’t stop and began to slash at the Dirus Ent’s body.
Kwajik! Kwajik! Kwaaazzz!
Thanks to Ghislaine, the mercenary who had dodged the attack watched in awe.
Ghislaine’s fighting style was nothing like the knights or nobles he had witnessed until now.
It was rough, merciless, and chillingly brutal.
In fact, it resembled how mercenaries or bandits fought.
‘Sc-scarier yet stronger?’
While the mercenary marveled, unable to regain his composure, Ghislaine transformed the Dirus Ent into a rag.
With Ghislaine darting everywhere, the number of Dirus Ents quickly dwindled.
Krooooh…
It took some time, but in the end, all the Dirus Ents fell down.
“W-we won!”
The mercenaries collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.
But no one cheered in joy at their victory.
Everyone remained silent, gazing in the direction where Ghislaine stood, eyes closed and head held high.
Kuwung!
As Ghislaine planted his greatsword into the ground and turned around, the mercenaries flinched.
They were overwhelmed by what he had just displayed.
To them, Ghislaine was no longer just a clueless noble; he was a terrifying warrior.
“Hmm.”
With an expressionless face, Ghislaine looked around at everyone.
They still appeared dumbfounded.
“Did you all enjoy the show?”
The mercenaries couldn’t utter a word, hanging their heads in silence.
Although they had been hired and paid, they were too scared to run away.
In this situation, there was nothing they could say if their employer decided to behead them.
They had mocked Ghislaine as a rookie noble, but in reality, they were the ones who fell short.
“If you get scared even when you can fight, you’ll ultimately die.”
He had said the same to a soldier who had been terrified upon encountering an orc.
Just like back then, Ghislaine fought alone without calling for the mercenaries.
Whether it was for survival, money, or growth, fighting of one’s own will was important.
Instilling confidence in one’s ability to fight.
Being the first to reach the most dangerous place.
Showing overwhelming strength that turns the impossible into possible.
That had always been his role.
That was why, in his previous life as well, all the mercenaries trusted him and followed him.
“From now on, anyone who tries to run will have their head cut off first.”
Under the cold expression and terrifying gaze, the mercenaries nodded their heads unknowingly.
In the suffocating atmosphere, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“I can’t guarantee everyone will survive, but I will do my best to keep as many alive as possible.”
The mercenaries nodded in agreement.
“I will always stand at the forefront.”
At his words, Belinda frowned, but the mercenaries remained stone-faced, only gazing at Ghislaine’s face.
“Follow me with all your might.”
As Ghislaine finished speaking, the mercenaries rose, determined expressions on their faces, weapons in hand.
Belinda was slightly taken aback at how Ghislaine had commanded the mercenaries.
‘The atmosphere completely shifted all of a sudden?’
Recently, Ghislaine had been showing a relaxed and playful demeanor.
Although it was much better than his previous irritated self, he had never acted solemn like other nobles.
‘Was he nervous about the Forest of Monsters? But something seems different…’
Right now, the mercenaries were frozen in place, obeying Ghislaine’s every word.
The once seemingly insignificant noble was now dominating the atmosphere, so it was no wonder everyone was shocked.
Yet, Ghislaine showed no signs of that serious demeanor as he helped treat the mercenaries, jokingly nudging their shoulders.
‘It’s becoming increasingly unpredictable. Does he have multiple personalities or something?’
Suddenly changing like this, even Belinda, who had known him for a long time, couldn’t define what kind of person Ghislaine was anymore.
After taking a short break to treat the injured, the group resumed their work.
What was a bit different this time was that the mercenaries moved swiftly and diligently without any slack, unlike before.
“Gather those inner skins properly.”
“Huh? Why are we taking those?”
The mercenaries hesitated, not understanding Ghislaine’s intent.
Why would they gather the monster’s flesh?
“I’m thinking of making protective clothing or extinguishing equipment from it.”
After hearing Ghislaine’s explanation, the mercenaries gasped in admiration and nodded their heads.
“Ah, considering they block heat well and extinguish quickly when lit, it makes sense.”
“If used properly, it could be quite useful.”
The material was undeniably effective for blocking or extinguishing fires.
Creating items that could block heat when a fire broke out would indeed be quite valuable.
Watching the mercenaries diligently stripping the hides, Ghislaine smiled with satisfaction.
‘This could be quite useful.’
According to records from his previous life, the skin of the Dirus Ent could withstand fire magic up to the fourth circle.
Depending on how it was used, it could yield incredible results.
Ghislaine was already planning where to use it.
“There’s no need to take everything. We can come back later and collect more.”
Since no one would normally come to this place, it would be fine to take it when they tidied up the roads again.
The mercenaries collected a suitable amount of materials and then gathered the corpses of the Dirus Ents in one place before continuing their road-clearing work.
On the first day, nothing particularly special occurred.
But starting from the second day, monsters began to attack at all hours.
After three days passed, the mercenaries firmly realized that this forest was a hell far beyond their imagination.
“Damn it! This is insane! This forest is mad!”
“What kind of monsters keep popping up endlessly!”
“There’s no time to rest!”
The mercenaries were terrified by the never-ending waves of monsters.
They had prepared to fight monsters when they came to the Forest of Monsters, but that was when they thought it would be at a ‘reasonable’ level.
“I had no idea it would be like this…”
As one mercenary murmured, those nearby nodded in agreement.
The monsters living here were far larger and stronger than those outside the forest.
While outside, a group of five or six mercenaries could take down a monster, here it took several times that number to manage even one.
The monsters residing in the Forest of Monsters not only possessed strength but also looked grotesque enough to terrify onlookers.
Some monsters that ate people, like giant carnivorous plants, looked cute in comparison to the bizarre creatures that lurked here.
Above all, the biggest problem was that the attacks were unending.
“I just want to sleep comfortably for once.”
For three days, the mercenaries couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep.
Monsters arrived regardless of day or night.
“Is this really just the entrance? What in the world is lurking deep within?”
One mercenary chuckled sarcastically, wondering aloud.
Even after three days, the actual distance they had advanced was minimal.
The road-clearing work took a long time, and the constant battles with monsters consumed time endlessly.
If the entrance was already this disastrous, one could only imagine what horrors awaited deeper in the forest.
The mercenaries understood why no one had attempted to develop the Forest of Monsters until now.
To clear a place like this would require not just a territory’s resources but a nation’s support.
“Still, thanks to our employer going wild, the damage is relatively less.”
“Right? He doesn’t seem scared at all.”
“How can he be doing this?”
Even as the mercenaries grew exhausted and fearful, they had no choice but to hold firm, all because of Ghislaine.
As he had promised, he always led from the front lines in battle.
Both Belinda and Gillian had warned him numerous times, but he never listened.
Being at the very front meant he faced the highest danger.
Yet, Ghislaine would leap out to confront each and every monster that appeared, minimizing the mercenaries’ casualties.
“Sometimes, the employer is scarier than the monsters. When he fights, he’s like an evil spirit!”
“Still, thanks to him, many of us have lived to tell the tale. Without our employer, we’d have all been dead by now.”
As time went on, the mercenaries began to genuinely feel inspired by Ghislaine.
“I really might make it back alive.”
“I think it’ll be enough as long as we just keep following the employer.”
Though each had their own thoughts, everyone agreed that Ghislaine fought with all his might.
That became the driving force that encouraged the mercenaries to persevere.
Kraaaang!
“Uagh!”
“Help!”
For monsters like the Dirus Ents, whose habitats were recorded, they could prepare and minimize damage.
But Ghislaine couldn’t always block every danger.
This forest was overflowing with monsters.
There were also monsters that roamed freely without habitats or moved for various reasons.
Those monsters would suddenly spring out not from the front, but from the sides or behind the group.
“Hang on! I’ll go!”
In those moments, Ghislaine would rush faster than anyone else to rescue the mercenaries.
Before long, Ghislaine’s body became covered in wounds.
It was only natural since he fought at the forefront and never held back.
“Young Master! Leave it to the mercenaries! Stop this! Are you insane? What are you doing?!”
Belinda was entirely bewildered.
No other employer fought so actively and personally.
Even in a war, commanders always tried to remain as safe as possible.
Only by keeping themselves safe could they ensure the survival of the entire group.
But Ghislaine was pushing himself to the extreme recklessly.
Every time she saw him like that, Belinda felt her heart drop.
‘Sigh, doesn’t he care about his own body?’
She had seen Ghislaine’s skills, which were deserving of recognition.
He could find the best methods to deal with monsters and issue commands effectively.
His judgment and leadership were remarkable, but they were overshadowed by his frenzied fighting demeanor.
As Belinda’s worries increased, the mercenaries’ reliance on Ghislaine only grew.
“Once again, the employer saved us.”
“Honestly, it’s safer being near the employer.”
“What kind of noble is this? Was he some kind of assault division chief in his previous life?”
“Ha ha, right? An assault division fits him perfectly.”
In larger mercenary groups, they usually form special teams tasked with the most dangerous jobs.
Ghislaine’s actions so far were no different from those of a captain leading an assault unit.
In fact, Ghislaine had performed most of his duties in the past as part of an assault unit, so the mercenaries’ remarks weren’t unfounded.
Every time they saw him rampaging among the monsters, the mercenaries couldn’t help but feel a strange mixture of admiration.
At first, it was just awe, but as time went on, a bit of trust for Ghislaine was starting to grow.
“The employer does all this… for us.”
At someone’s remark, all the mercenaries nodded their heads.
Mercenaries are one of the most disparaged professions.
There’s a deep-rooted perception that they are nothing but lowly beings peddling their lives for money.
But Ghislaine showed no signs of looking down on the mercenaries at all.
He always saved his body for them and appeared more carefree and generous than the mercenaries themselves.
That was why they inevitably became enamored with Ghislaine.
Of course, not everyone felt this way.
Due to the constant battles and powerful monsters, there were those who had completely lost their spirit.
One such individual was Manus, who looked like a sneaky rat.
