Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Just as I Thought. (1)
“Right! This is money paper.”
“Each of these is like a gold ingot.”
“Is the boss about to become the richest in the North?”
The mercenaries began their mining, excitedly chiming in.
Mining, at its core, simply meant smashing rocks into suitable sizes to load onto wagons, requiring just a few blunt tools.
The detailed processing would be handled in their territory, so the mercenaries didn’t have to worry about such things.
A few mercenaries started whispering among themselves.
“Hey, let’s sneak some of these.”
“Yeah, even the smallest bits are worth a fortune.”
“They won’t notice if we just take a few crumbs.”
It was an unspoken rule among mercenaries to discreetly pocket a bit while the employer was unaware.
Triple the pay was great, and being well taken care of was appreciated, but smuggling goods was a separate matter… it was a deeply ingrained habit and practice.
At that moment, Gordon loudly declared for everyone to hear.
“I’m not taking any! Three times the pay is enough!”
“This punk?”
“Shh! Be quiet! You should take some too!”
As the other mercenaries panicked and shouted, Gordon confidently called out again.
“I have no interest in money!”
The mercenaries looked at Gordon as if he were crazy, backing away from him.
Ghislaine, watching this with admiration, whispered to Gillian.
“We should be careful of that guy. Mercenaries who say they don’t care about money end up going nuts. If they really didn’t care about money, they wouldn’t be mercenaries in the first place.”
Gillian nodded and warned the mercenaries.
“If it’s found out that even a single crumb is missing, your heads will roll. It’s a breach of contract, and you’ll have no excuse, even if you lose your heads. Don’t get greedy.”
As Ghislaine growled, the mercenaries could not hide their disappointment.
They had considered secretly snatching a piece or two of the Rune Stones, but with such a stern warning, they had no choice but to let it go.
Suddenly, Gordon reached into his pants, fiddled for a bit, and tossed several Rune Stone pieces onto the ground.
“This punk?”
“What? When did he pick those up?”
“Hey, you crazy guy!”
As the mercenaries gawked in disbelief, Gordon blew his nose a few times and hurriedly left the scene.
Flabbergasted, Ghislaine blinked at Gillian, who was equally stunned.
“See? I told you.”
“…It’s true.”
Sighing, Gillian emphasized to the mercenaries again.
“If you value your lives, don’t take even a single crumb, and load everything.”
They were too intimidated by Gillian’s tone to dare oppose him.
Still, the mercenaries continued working happily.
Surviving was a relief, and they were set to receive a hefty reward, so additional income wasn’t that urgent.
“Come on, let’s load up quickly.”
“Break the stones apart as much as possible to collect plenty.”
As the mercenaries chatted and worked diligently, the wagons soon filled to the brim with Rune Stones.
Ghislaine watched as the wagons filled and instructed the mercenaries to leave a few empty.
“Why is that?”
“Isn’t it better to take as much as we can?”
When the mercenaries questioned, Ghislaine shook his head and replied.
“We’re taking the corpse of the Python.”
The unexpected statement baffled the mercenaries.
“Why are we taking that? Are you planning to eat it?”
“How do you expect to transport that huge thing?”
They couldn’t comprehend why Ghislaine would prefer to take the corpse over the money they could make from the Rune Stones.
Several wagons were already full with the leathery inner layer of the Dirus Ent, so there wouldn’t be much space left if they also loaded the corpse of the Blood Python.
“With the corpse of the Blood Python, monsters will not approach us. When we create the road, I plan to sprinkle its blood and meat around. That way, even after making a path, it should be safe for months.”
As the mercenaries blinked in realization, Ghislaine explained a little more.
“Monsters won’t approach, meaning it’s safe for us when we return. We can use the skin and scales to make armor, and the poison can be applied to weapons. The corpse will be useful in many ways.”
The mercenaries nodded as they finally understood.
“Aha…”
“That makes sense.”
“Our boss is young, yet sometimes he seems like he’s experienced everything.”
“Right? Didn’t think of that.”
Monsters are sensitive to the scent of other beings.
If they detect the strong scent of a powerful monster like the Blood Python, they won’t approach nearby.
Even if they filled all the wagons, they couldn’t carry all the Rune Stones.
To safely bring back what remained, it was better to handle the corpse of the Blood Python this time.
The mercenaries packed several of the wagons with Rune Stones and set off to where the Blood Python’s corpse lay.
“Gillian and Kaor, make space for the blade to go in.”
Ghislaine was in no condition to use mana properly at the moment.
Reluctantly, Gillian and Kaor strained to use mana, peeling back the snake’s scales.
Once enough space was cleared, the mercenaries rushed in to cut up the corpse.
However, due to its massive size and sturdy constitution, several hours passed just attempting to cut it.
They had only mined Rune Stones and chopped up the corpse of the Blood Python, and yet evening was already approaching.
“Once we finish, we’ll rest here and return tomorrow.”
At Ghislaine’s words, the mercenaries moved busily.
After butchering the corpse of the Blood Python, they loaded it onto the wagons and secured it tightly with ropes.
The size was too great to take everything; the portion loaded onto the wagons was hardly even half of the body.
Yet Ghislaine didn’t seem overly disappointed as he watched the work unfold.
After all, he intended to come back soon to grab the rest of the corpse.
A while later, as the wagons were packed full, the mercenaries raised their hands in cheer.
“Ahhh, we did it!”
“We can’t load any more.”
“Finally, we’re going back!”
With all the work done, the mercenaries could finally sleep comfortably after a long time.
They stayed alert, just in case, but perhaps due to the Blood Python’s corpse, monsters did not appear this time either.
As the day broke, the mercenaries finished clearing the path and diligently pulled their wagons.
With no horses, they had to push and pull alone, making their pace inevitably slow.
They carried the Rune Stones still stuck to the rocks, and the size and weight of the Blood Python’s corpse added to their burden.
Even though they covered the pile of goods with cloth, the lower parts were fully visible.
“Ugh, pulling a wagon instead of riding a horse for the first time.”
“Moving this cargo feels tougher than fighting.”
“We’ve cleared the path somewhat, so the laborers should be able to come now.”
While returning was nice, toiling all day pulling heavy wagons brought out small complaints.
Still, the route back was far easier than the way in. They had cleared a path, and the presence of the Blood Python’s corpse kept monsters from attacking.
Moving at a snail’s pace took a whole day.
The group felt they were nearing the edge of the forest, recognizing the familiar signs they had left behind.
“Hey, we’re almost there.”
“Tonight, we can really rest well.”
“Just a bit more effort!”
As everyone squeezed out their last ounce of strength to move, a group approached from outside the forest.
As they drew closer, Ghislaine recognized who they were.
“They’re the soldiers from the territory.”
The knights and soldiers from the Perdium Territory approached with grim expressions.
Ghislaine nodded once and asked the knight at the front.
“From the looks of it, it seems you’re not here just to greet us.”
The knight nodded and replied.
“You’re alive. We were in the process of searching for the Grand Duke. You’ve made the path exceptionally clear.”
Ghislaine shrugged.
“Well, we’ve returned safely anyway, so there’s no need to search. I apologize for worrying you.”
However, the knight took another step forward without losing his serious expression.
“We have come to arrest the Grand Duke.”
The mercenaries were all startled by the knight’s words.
They didn’t know that Ghislaine had violated the lord’s orders and entered the Forest of Monsters on his own.
However, Ghislaine and Gillian wore calm expressions, as they had anticipated this turn of events.
The knight spoke with a more resolute tone.
“It is the lord’s order. You must come quietly to avoid harm.”
With blatant threats in his words, Ghislaine asked playfully.
“I’m a bit busy right now. I’m not feeling well, you see.”
“You’re still not paying attention, huh? Then we’ll have to drag you away by force.”
Rustling.
The knight contemptuously raised his sword slowly, preparing to attack.
Having received his authority, he thought to instigate resistance and use it as an excuse to beat Ghislaine up.
‘If you weren’t the Grand Duke, I’d have killed you long ago. Lucky for you, you survived the Forest of Monsters. Please, resist.’
The knight glared at Ghislaine with a slow draw of his sword.
“Why not try resisting like usual? I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson. Should I break your legs? Or your arms?”
Such rude remarks were unthinkable in speaking to a Grand Duke. It was intentionally provoking Ghislaine.
‘I’ll turn you into pulp so you can’t act up again.’
As the knight stepped forward with such thoughts in mind.
Clang! Clash!
All the mercenaries suddenly drew their weapons, surrounding the knight and soldiers.
“What the hell?!”
The knight was bewildered, looking around as the mercenaries began to approach with menacing glares.
Having faced death multiple times, the mercenaries exuded a fearsome and sharp energy.
Overwhelmed, the soldiers began to back away, their faces pale.
“Y-you bastards! What do you think you’re doing right now?!”
The knight was incredulous.
He thought mercenaries wouldn’t even dare speak when acting in the name of the lord.
Thus, the knight had paid no heed to the mercenaries around Ghislaine, completely ignoring them.
Never did he expect them to openly show hostility.
“I am a knight who serves the lord! Do you think you will be safe like this?!”
Brandishing his sword at all directions, the knight shouted.
However, despite his threats, laughter erupted from all around.
“Ha, that only matters inside the territory.”
“It’s the Forest of Monsters, after all.”
“Do you have evidence that we killed anyone? You’re probably too scared to even look for us.”
“Just leave a few corpses here and there in the woods, and the monsters will take care of the rest. You won’t even be able to find your own bodies.”
Such grim words made the knight turn to Ghislaine in a panic.
Even with mana at his disposal, he didn’t have confidence against this many mercenaries.
Moreover, the fierce energy radiating from them made each one seem formidable.
“Y-Your Grand Duke!”
Ultimately, the knight called out to Ghislaine in a shaken voice.
But Ghislaine merely shrugged his shoulders as if confused by the situation.
Seeing this, the mercenaries solidified their resolve.
“Hehe, let’s take care of this.”
“Yeah, if we wipe them out, no one will ever know.”
“Let’s make it easy. If we’re not caught, it’s all good.”
“Worked hard to clear a path, and now you want to ruin it?”
An air of menace began to surround the mercenaries.
They were genuinely thinking of killing all the knights and soldiers present.
The knight felt the murderous intent and gulped nervously, stepping back.
‘T-this is insane. These bastards are all lunatics.’
Even the wildest types wouldn’t normally attempt to kill a knight coming on the lord’s orders.
Yet, these guys seemed completely off their rocker like the Grand Duke.
The knight quickly scanned his surroundings, calculating.
There were only about fifty mercenaries left.
Similar in number to the soldiers he had brought, but he had no confidence they could win in a fight.
‘I- I need to request reinforcements…’
But the mercenaries had already positioned themselves flawlessly, surrounding them.
Not a single soldier had a gap to escape.
‘This isn’t an ordinary bunch.’
From their fierce energy and the way they held their ground, it was clear they were seasoned fighters.
Feeling fleeing was impossible, the knight glared at Ghislaine, enraged.
“What is the meaning of this! Order the mercenaries to stand down! Are you insane for attempting to kill a knight serving the lord?!”
At that moment, Gillian, who had merely been observing, approached with an axe.
“Seems like a real piece of work you are.”
Seeing the cold light in his eyes, the knight realized death loomed before him.
If he were to die here, he wouldn’t even have a corpse left to find.
Desperate for a last resort…
Thud.
“Grand Duke, please spare me!”
He knelt down and began begging for his life.
