Chapter 322
Chapter 322: You Can Do It. (1)
“Queen Grex… What is that?”
“That guy is the leader. The key among the keys to maintaining the race.”
“Where is that guy?”
“I know. Just follow me.”
“Then why can’t we just go and kill him? Why bother with kidnapping?”
Ghislaine shook his head at Kaor’s words.
“No, we need to kidnap the queen to draw him out.”
Only then did the people understand Ghislaine’s plan. But understanding and agreeing are two different matters.
“Do we really have to do it that way? Can’t we just go and kill him? Sure, fighting in the fortress is safer, but we shouldn’t be scared.”
Ghislaine smirked at Kaor’s cocky comment.
“If we go and fight, we’ll all die.”
“But they seemed really weak…”
Kaor pouted. No matter how he looked at it, the lord seemed to be a bit too cautious this time.
Grex was weak enough that a skilled soldier could take them out alone. If it were him, he could wipe out hundreds or thousands without breaking a sweat.
Having been slightly humiliated by the ogres, Kaor wanted to showcase his skills in front of everyone. Grex was the perfect target.
‘They’re weak, so I can easily take down a lot of them.’
Resolving to shake off his previous humiliation, Kaor stated firmly.
“Just send a few kids with me. I’ll take them all down myself.”
“You’ll really die if you go. Let’s go capture the queen together.”
“Ha! Really! I could wipe them all out!”
Kaor shook his leg like he was frustrated and shouted. Seeing him get all worked up, Belinda frowned.
“Do as the Young Master says. Don’t you know you can’t let your guard down in the Forest of Monsters? You want to fight without knowing what might come out?”
“What? Why are you siding with the lord? You usually oppose whatever I say!”
“When have I ever? I’m always on your side!”
The two began their usual subtle war of nerves. Kaor twitched his lips and glared at Belinda.
‘Ugh, do I just want to hit her? I feel like I would lose if we fought… I really don’t know her skills.’
Belinda looked back at Kaor with a similar expression.
‘If you say something, I’ll just oppose you. I’ll oppose everything you say.’
This was not the first time the two had done this. Whenever they met in the territory, they would often have such little battles.
When Gillian stepped in to separate the two, they finally turned away from each other.
Ghislaine shook his head a few times before continuing.
“We need to catch her quietly, so we’ll trim the team down to just a few. For now, a few of us here and some knights, and… we’ll bring Alfoy along.”
At those words, people tilted their heads.
While it was true that Alfoy had talent for his age, it was also a fact that he lacked in skills compared to those present.
This meant he wasn’t at a level that could be casually taken along on a dangerous mission.
“You’re taking Alfoy? Not Vanessa, right?”
If a mage is needed, it should be Vanessa, not Alfoy. That’s common sense.
But Ghislaine shook his head.
“Vanessa has to stay here. She has something to do.”
“Then do we really have to take Alfoy? With this group, we probably don’t even need him.”
Belinda pointed this out, and Ghislaine grinned.
“We need him as bait.”
“Bait? He’ll probably die with those skills.”
“No, he won’t die.”
“How do you know?”
“He has some strange luck. I don’t let those kinds of things slip by. I think luck is also a skill.”
With an answer that seemed to gloss over the issue, Belinda felt exasperated and fell silent.
It was indeed true that Alfoy was someone who had withstood the goddess’s power. She couldn’t deny that he had some strange luck.
But would Ghislaine really act for that reason? He always seemed to have some logic behind his absurd actions.
And could someone who was caught as a slave due to Claude’s schemes truly be considered lucky?
Even though it was hard to believe, with Ghislaine being so adamant, it was hard to dispute.
‘He wants to take him that much… But still, his skills are too lacking.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Belinda spoke.
“If we have to kidnap her safely, how about we use a hot air balloon? We have one left over at Perdium that we can get quickly.”
“Oh, you thought of that? As expected, Belinda is smart.”
“I’m a graduate of the Royal Academy.”
“I don’t believe it. Anyway, we can’t use the hot air balloon. It’s dangerous to have anything in the sky over the Forest of Monsters. We’ll be attacked immediately— from a great distance. That’s why there are hardly any birds in this Forest of Monsters.”
“What? What will attack us?”
“There’s something up there. It’s not something that we can deal with yet. It’s quite dangerous.”
Before Belinda could ask further, Ghislaine quickly shifted the topic.
“Alright, anyway, let’s move quickly. The longer we wait, the more fatigued the soldiers will become.”
Thus, the kidnapping squad was formed to capture Queen Grex.
In addition to Ghislaine, Belinda, and Kaor, it included several knights like Gordon and Lucas, along with Alfoy.
Except for Alfoy, everyone was recognized for their exceptional skills in the Penris Army.
Gillian could not follow along since Ghislaine had entrusted him with the fortress’s command and combat preparation.
Alfoy threw a fit when he was informed he was included.
“What!? Why do I have to go to such dangerous places? I don’t want to! No way!”
“Aren’t you the guy who defeated a god? Only skilled people get to go, so of course you have to go!”
Alfoy, whose pride was as great as anyone else’s in the territory, bit his lips at the suggestion that only the skilled should go.
He wanted to go. He wanted to successfully complete the mission and gain admiration from everyone.
‘But I don’t want to die going there.’
Caught in this indecision, Ghislaine leaned in and whispered playfully.
“If Claude finds out you’re missing, he’ll tease you endlessly.”
At the mention of Claude’s name, veins popped on Alfoy’s forehead.
His life had gone all wrong because of that guy. Being teased was something he could not tolerate.
“Fine, I’ll go! Let’s go! I just have to go, right!?”
With that, the kidnapping team, consisting of skilled individuals and one somewhat lacking guy, set off.
They had removed the fortress’s door, so they descended using ropes. They would ascend using ropes again upon their return.
As they passed through the open space that stretched like a road, they soon spotted the dense trees again.
The sight of massive trees blocking out the light created a gloomy atmosphere.
Ghislaine and the group moved quickly. Since everyone had skills, their speed was quite fast.
“Ka-eek?”
As they entered further, they could see many Grex. Having received prior notice from Ghislaine, the group pierced the ones they saw with weapons.
Thwuk!
“Ka-eek!”
The Grex were caught completely off guard by Ghislaine and his group.
Even though they were numerous, they were only a few dozen at most. Often, there were only a handful. With their power being no different from regular soldiers, the Grex couldn’t stop them.
Belinda could easily kill dozens of Grex in one go.
She shrugged her shoulders leisurely.
“Not too difficult, huh? Looks like these are the only ones in this area.”
It was indeed confirmed that it was Grex’s territory, as no other monsters were in sight.
Even the straggler monsters, which were easy to spot, were nowhere to be found as they went deeper in.
All they could see were the corpses being moved by the Grex.
“Ka-eek!”
The Grex attempted to charge at the group whenever they appeared with their tentacles waving. But the group didn’t suffer even the slightest injury.
This was almost too easy. People began to wonder why Ghislaine went to such lengths to build a fortress in the first place.
If it was this weak, he could just bring soldiers and wipe them out. While there were a bit many, they were not impossible to defeat in a few days.
Yet Ghislaine still moved with a cautious expression.
“We’re almost there. Let’s approach slowly from now on.”
The group followed Ghislaine, wondering. He seemed to navigate without any reservations, even though it was presumably his first time here.
It looked like he genuinely knew where Queen Grex was. They were filled with curiosity about how he knew.
It was clear that asking him would only lead to vague answers, so no one asked.
“Oh…”
Lucas, trailing behind, let out a slight gasp.
As he followed Ghislaine, it certainly seemed like the terrain had changed. The tightly packed trees began to dwindle, and the spaces between them widened.
And they spotted a mass of Grex in the distance.
“Geez… What is that…”
“Ugh… So gross…”
“Young Master, can we really kidnap that?”
Sure, the hundreds of Grex looked disgusting, but the one among them looked even worse.
Though it was quite far, the people present could see clearly enough.
It was several times bigger than a normal Grex.
It wasn’t just big. Unlike the barely-functional male Grex, this one had many eyes instead of just a couple, and its belly seemed bloated, as if it was carrying eggs.
It had several extra tentacles, and its head stretched back much longer.
As they squinted at the grotesque sight, Ghislaine smiled.
“That’s Queen Grex. Now let’s take her back to the fortress. Her combat strength is nothing special.”
“Ugh, how are we supposed to bring that back? I think it’s better to just deal with it here.”
Belinda scowled.
Bringing it back shouldn’t be an issue. Even if it was bigger than a Grex, it was still only the size of a typical ogre.
With plenty of sturdy ropes prepared, they could easily tie it up and take it along.
But she really didn’t want to carry back something that disgusting.
Kaor swallowed hard a few times and then agreed with Belinda’s opinion.
“Can’t we just kill it and go? Honestly, even with the ones here, there are only a few hundred. It’s doable, isn’t it?”
It was rare for the two to agree on anything. Despite the momentous occasion, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, we can’t. That would put us in danger. We need to capture her somehow and drag her away.”
Everyone unconsciously let out a sigh. If they managed to capture her, the creature would struggle using all those legs and scream, which would be quite disgusting.
Even Gordon, who had been through all sorts of war, looked a bit burdened.
“So how do we kidnap her? Don’t we need to kill all the Grex around first?”
While there might be hundreds of them, with everyone’s skills, they could get rid of them quickly. But again, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, we can’t fight here.”
“Then how do we kidnap her?”
“It’s time for the bait to shine. We need to lure Queen Grex here. Then we’ll capture her right away and leave.”
The people immediately looked at Alfoy. Alfoy paled and said,
“How am I supposed to lure that monster here?!”
“Just go and show some interesting magic. Then back away slowly, and it’ll chase after you.”
Alfoy blinked, staring at Ghislaine like he had lost his mind.
“Those things only charge at people! There are hundreds of them! You want me to just go show some magic and bring one over? You think that makes any sense? Huh? Please use logic.”
“It’s okay. Just approach slowly. Queen Grex won’t kill you.”
“Don’t say such nonsense! If I go in there, I’ll be dead immediately! If it’s real, then let’s go together. Let’s go together!”
Ghislaine firmly shook his head.
“No, we can’t go together. You have to go alone.”
“Don’t say such nonsense! How could I go alone?! Especially over that far distance!”
“You have to go alone for Queen Grex not to attack.”
Alfoy continued to shake his head in disbelief.
“I don’t want to go! I can’t go! I don’t believe it! I’ve been betrayed too many times by trusting people.”
While it was his own fault for getting caught up in gambling and becoming a slave, the origin of it all was Claude’s slippery tongue.
Alfoy was convinced he was tricked by that guy.
Seeing Alfoy’s strong reaction, Ghislaine grabbed his shoulder.
“Trust me.”
“I don’t.”
“I’m different from Claude.”
“Ugh…”
Alfoy clenched his lips. It was a short phrase, but it struck deep.
Thinking about it, Ghislaine had succeeded in many things that others didn’t believe in.
Maybe he was the most trustworthy person in this absurd situation?
Alfoy, whose heart was somewhat weak, began to waver.
“Why… why does it have to be me?”
“Because you’re the only one here who can use magic. And…”
“And?”
“Only the man who has defeated a god can show such miracles.”
Boom!
Those words struck Alfoy’s heart like a battering ram.
No matter what others said, he had indeed beaten the goddess’s power. That was the source of his remaining pride, a feat that could be bragged about for generations.
Having mentioned that achievement, Alfoy couldn’t refuse.
After a moment’s contemplation, he lifted his head with a resolute expression.
“Fine, I’m Alfoy. The man who defeated a god!”
“You can do it, right?”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll run away immediately.”
He was still scared, so he left a little leeway. Ghislaine nodded as if it were obvious.
“Then, if there’s danger, I’ll come out to help you right away.”
“I trust you. Don’t abandon me.”
Alfoy said with anxious eyes, to which Ghislaine smiled.
There was a time in the Forest of Monsters when Ghislaine had said something similar to the mercenaries, right when Gordon was captured.
He now told Alfoy the same words.
“I have never given up on anyone who follows me.”
At that, Alfoy’s eyes sparkled with a hint of emotion before he shook his head vigorously. It felt like he was truly becoming a slave.
“Hmph! I’ll go, so keep a good watch.”
Blowing out a snort, Alfoy slowly walked out.
The moment he approached with a tense expression, the Grex noticed him.
“Ka-eek!”
“Kaaarrrk!”
The Grex shrieked and charged at Alfoy. Hundreds of Grex charging at him was terrifying in itself.
Just as Alfoy was about to escape with a terrified expression—
Queen Grex let out a high-pitched scream.
“Kaaaarrrk!”
At that, the Grex coming closer with their tentacles all halted in unison.
Alfoy, who was about to flee, was astonished, as were the people hiding behind him.
Gulp.
Alfoy swallowed hard and took a tentative step forward.
Then something even more astonishing happened.
Swoosh…
The Grex parted to the sides, making a path. It was like the sea had split.
“W-What is happening…?”
Trembling, Alfoy took another step forward. Each step he took, the Grex moved a little further aside.
He was now.
‘I… I am the man who defeated a god. They recognize that! Hahahaha!’
It really was a miracle happening before him.
