Chapter 338
Chapter 338: I Will Solve It for You. (2)
Ghislaine knew a lot about the Drake Mercenary Group and Martin because he was a mercenary back in the day.
The Drake Mercenary Group fought exceptionally well. The leader, Dominic, was much more skilled back then than he is now.
He probably had natural talent, but even considering that, his skills were remarkable. I had a rough idea of why he had become so strong.
“Perhaps he wanted to save his family at all costs.”
During the civil war, the Duke faction easily triumphed. Marquis Roderick’s power had grown, meaning the mercenary group had escaped immediate disaster.
Still, it was the same as being a mere pawn in Roderick’s plans. Dominic had likely stopped drinking and devoted himself to training in an effort to break free from that fetter.
Perhaps he wanted to forget reality, even if just a little.
“Then he met me.”
The army of the mercenary king that swept through the kingdom was entirely different from the Crown Prince faction during the civil war.
It was an army led by one of the seven most powerful individuals on the continent. Within just a week of the declaration of war, they captured the capital and annihilated everything in their path.
When the mercenary king’s army invaded the West, Marquis Roderick naturally placed the Drake Mercenary Group at the forefront.
Dominic had to somehow survive to save the hostages. The rest of the Drake Mercenary Group felt the same way.
Thus, they fought with all their might against the mercenary king’s army.
After killing Marquis Roderick and Martin, Ghislaine learned about the situation of the Drake Mercenary Group.
― What a shame.
It was a mercenary group strong enough to impress the mercenary king. If there hadn’t been hostages taken, they would have followed him.
As a fellow mercenary, it was both a disappointment and a pity. That feeling made the Drake Mercenary Group linger in his memory.
The information he remembered from back then was finally shining through.
“All they have to do in this life is follow me.”
He couldn’t do it in his past life, but now he would ensure they lived like true mercenaries.
Ghislaine knew from the information he gained in his previous life that the hostages had continued to stay here.
From Martin’s perspective, the Drake Mercenary Group was an important asset. Therefore, the hostages had to be hidden in the safest place.
A place where he could constantly keep an eye on them and where no one could recklessly take them away.
“Anyway, I’m going to target this building, so keep that in mind. You just need to prepare well for what I say.”
That place was the only building within the estate connected to the mansion and the underground tunnel. It was also linked to another building with a secret passage for getting outside.
As expected of a coward, Martin had remodeled the mansion to create multiple escape routes.
Since it was a top secret, only a select few close associates knew about the secret passage. Martin had utilized this to thoroughly hide the hostages.
Since he didn’t give any detailed explanation, it was difficult for Dominic to trust Ghislaine, but the “Chronicle of Count Penris” had claimed that someone who knew everything like that would eventually succeed, so he had no choice but to believe it.
In fact, there was also a part of him that thought, “Well, what do I know?”
“So how do you plan to infiltrate?”
“I’ll need the help of specialists in infiltration.”
“Yes?”
“The Drake Mercenary Group can avoid city inspections, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Since they were practically Martin’s subordinates, they wouldn’t even undergo inspections. They could enjoy that level of convenience. Besides, they couldn’t do anything else as long as hostages were taken.
“Prepare a wagon. I have people to bring in. Don’t use the members; disguise my subordinates to send them.”
Ghislaine gave his orders without hesitation, as if he had planned everything already.
Dominic obediently followed Ghislaine’s words. He was curious about how it would unfold, and Ghislaine was moving busily, leaving no time to question.
The knights who followed Ghislaine acquired the status of the Drake Mercenary Group and obtained carts with their seal.
Only at night did the wagon Dominic sent out arrive. From several wagons, dozens of people disembarked.
Seeing stout, rather short individuals surprised Dominic.
“Dwarves?”
The people Ghislaine had brought were dwarves. He had brought over fifty of them.
The dwarf at the front stretched out his hand to Dominic and said, “Nice to meet you. I am Galbarik.”
“Gah! The Great Blacksmith?”
“Huh? You know me?”
“I saw you in the Chronicle of Count Penris.”
“What? That exists? Why wasn’t I informed? If the lord made something like that, you should let me know! I’m out here unaware! Now I’m curious about what it said.”
“……I didn’t know either.”
It’s only natural no one would know since someone must have secretly produced and sold it.
Although dwarves were technically slaves, Dominic treated them with respect and used honorifics.
As a fan of Count Penris, all characters mentioned in the chronicles were precious to him. This was a feeling only true followers could experience.
Avoiding Dominic’s heavy gaze, Galbarik looked at Ghislaine and asked, “So, where should we dig the tunnel?”
Dominic was taken aback by that question.
“A tunnel? You mean you want to dig a tunnel to get in?”
Ghislaine nodded.
“Yes. Since we can’t approach from the outside, we need to dig secretly from within.”
“That won’t do. Digging a tunnel within the city? We’ve thought about such things, of course. There will definitely be noise and we’ll get caught.”
“Don’t worry. Dwarves will ‘never’ get caught.”
Galbarik said confidently.
“Digging a tunnel at this distance is easier than eating cold soup. With precise surveying to create supports, we can muffle the noise….”
Galbarik began to explain at length, much like Vanessa. To his eyes, Vanessa seemed incredibly clever. From working alongside her, he got the sense that she explained things quite well.
So, Galbarik would not miss an opportunity to follow her lead.
If Ghislaine hadn’t stopped him right away, he would have continued explaining all day.
“Let’s save the explanations for later and get ready to work immediately. Under the pretense of internal construction, bring in all the necessary materials here.”
Dominic asked with an uneasy expression, “Is this really okay?”
Then Galbarik picked up the blueprint, scrutinized it, and pointed to one side.
“You just need to make a hole here. Based on the building layout, there shouldn’t be any guards here.”
The spot Galbarik pointed out was a gap between the target building and an adjacent one. It was indeed not a place where more guards would be stationed besides the ones who occasionally patrolled.
Inside the estate, there would naturally be looser security compared to the outskirts. Given the vast space, it felt like they could slip in undetected.
“Y-yeah, but to rescue the hostages, we ultimately need to get inside the building. A fight is inevitable.”
Ghislaine nodded as if it were obvious.
“Once we rescue the hostages, it’s a race against time. We need to eliminate the internal personnel as quickly as possible and move. We’ll return here through the tunnel.”
“Then….”
“Yes, prepare the wagon here so we can quickly exit the city. And….”
Ghislaine looked at Dominic with a chilling gaze.
“Gather the entire force outside the city. Just in case the pursuers give up and go back. Got it?”
“…….”
Dominic swallowed hard. He knew he had a hasty personality, but he never expected him to act so urgently.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was lacking. There were no solid reasons provided—just ‘Trust me, it will work.’
Reading about it in a book felt entirely different from witnessing it firsthand.
But what could he do? It had already begun.
“……Understood.”
If he failed, the lives of the hostages he was trying to protect would end.
The reason Martin couldn’t oust Dominic from the position of leader was that this mercenary group was something Dominic had built up himself.
Without him, the mercenary group would fall apart, which was why he could hold his position as leader until now. However, knowing Martin’s personality, he wouldn’t tolerate revealing his fangs.
That said, things were happening according to Ghislaine’s instructions.
“The guard’s forces have been deployed more outside.”
It seemed Martin had some suspicions. The city guard that should have been inside was patrolling more frequently.
Especially, the number of people loitering around the warehouse under construction had undoubtedly increased compared to before.
“They’re suspicious. They’re suspicious.”
Thanks to the authority of being the leader of the Drake Mercenary Group, they were only suspicions for now, but who knew when they might forcibly storm in?
So, Dominic couldn’t do anything but tremble in anxiety every day.
Meanwhile, the dwarves continued to work joyfully, ignoring Dominic’s concerns.
“Wow, following the lord means we get to do thrilling stuff like this.”
Now that they were with Ghislaine, the dwarves were emboldened. The things Ghislaine accomplished always ended in success.
Even though their alertness was slightly reduced, it wasn’t a problem. Digging was something they were used to; they just had to do things as usual.
“Alright, it feels like we’re almost done.”
The dwarves’ surveying skills were top-notch. They reviewed the map and blueprint multiple times, estimating the distance.
Now they just needed to dig upwards. They wouldn’t fully break through until the lord arrived, but they had to check if they were precisely digging in the correct spot.
Waiting until nightfall, Galbarik, wearing a relaxed expression, made a tiny hole. It was just big enough to peek his head out.
Slowly sticking his head out, Galbarik’s eyes widened in shock.
“……Huh?”
Galbarik couldn’t believe his eyes. He had checked the location multiple times and was convinced it was a place where soldiers wouldn’t be on guard.
Yet, the scene before him was entirely different from his expectations.
Numerous soldiers with ferocious expressions were aiming weapons at him.
