CHAPTER 32: Follow me with all your strength (4)

"Hmph."

Belinda snorted and moved closer to Ghislain. She wasn't particularly attacking the Dirus Ents herself. With the mercenaries already swarming them, she felt it wasn't necessary and might even hinder Ghislain's fighting.

Her intent was to simply keep an eye on things and pull Ghislain out if things got truly dangerous.

"Charge!"

"Graaaah!"

With all the mercenaries piling onto the Dirus Ents, the monsters began to weaken. 

They might have lacked individual strength, but with over a hundred mercenaries, they had numbers on their side. Dozens of mercenaries attacked each Dirus Ent relentlessly.

"Graaaah!"

Under the relentless assault, the Dirus Ents began to fall one by one, spurting black liquid as they collapsed.

Boom!

"Aaagh!"

Of course, the mercenaries didn't come out unscathed. Every time a Dirus Ent swung an arm, those who couldn't properly block were sent flying.

"Graaaah!"

One Dirus Ent, having swatted away the mercenaries in front of it, raised its massive foot to stomp down on a fallen mercenary.

"Ah, no!"

Seeing the giant shadow descending upon him, the mercenary screamed in terror, sensing his end and closing his eyes.

Thud!

Instead of the expected pain, he only heard a dull thud. The mercenary opened his eyes slightly to see Ghislain, blocking the Dirus Ent's foot with his greatsword.

"W-What?"

"Hey, you alright?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you!"

Graaaah!

Crack.

The furious Dirus Ent pressed down harder, causing Ghislain's feet to slide back as the ground began to break beneath him.

"Get out of here, quickly."

"Y-Yes!"

The mercenary scrambled away, rolling to safety. At that moment, Ghislain twisted his body, pulling his sword away.

Dirus Ent's foot crashed into the ground.

Boom!

Ghislain swung his greatsword in a powerful arc.

Slash!

The blade cut cleanly through the Dirus Ent's ankle.

Graaaah!

The creature screamed in pain, stumbling as it lost balance.

Without hesitation, Ghislain began to hack at the Dirus Ent's body.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The mercenary who had narrowly escaped stood, stunned, watching Ghislain's ruthless assault.

The way Ghislain fought was nothing like the knights or nobles he'd seen before. It was rough, brutal, and chillingly merciless—more like a mercenary or a bandit than a knight.

'Scary but powerful,' the mercenary thought, still shaken.

Meanwhile, Ghislain continued to slice the Dirus Ent to pieces before moving on to the next.

With Ghislain dashing through the battlefield, the Dirus Ents' numbers quickly dwindled.

Graaaaah…

Though it took time, the Dirus Ents eventually all collapsed.

"We… we won!"

The mercenaries collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

But no one cheered in victory. Instead, they silently stared at Ghislain, who stood with his head tilted back, eyes closed.

Thud!

When he turned, planting his greatsword in the ground, the mercenaries flinched, overwhelmed by his display of strength.

To them, Ghislain was no longer just a young noble—he was a fearsome warrior.

"Hm."

Ghislain glanced around at them, expressionless. They still looked stunned.

"Did you all enjoy the show?"

The mercenaries bowed their heads in silence, too ashamed to speak.

Though hired and paid to fight, they had been ready to flee in fear. If their employer decided to execute them, they'd have no grounds to complain.

They had mocked him as a young noble, but they were the ones who were inferior.

"If you let fear take over when you can still fight, you'll end up dead."

He'd said something similar once to a soldier who'd been terrified of an orc. Just like then, Ghislain had fought alone without calling on the mercenaries.

Whether for survival, money, or growth, what mattered was having the will to fight.

Instilling confidence in them, being the first to reach the most dangerous place, and displaying overwhelming strength to make the impossible seem possible—that had always been his role.

Even in his past life, mercenaries trusted and followed him for these reasons.

"From now on, anyone who tries to flee will have their head taken first."

His cold expression and menacing gaze made the mercenaries nod instinctively.

With the tense atmosphere thickening, Ghislain continued.

"I can't guarantee everyone's survival, but I'll do my best to get as many of you out alive."

The mercenaries nodded in agreement.

"I'll always be at the front."

Belinda frowned at this, but the mercenaries stood firm, eyes locked on Ghislain.

"Give it everything you have and follow me."

As his speech ended, the mercenaries rose, determined expressions on their faces, gripping their weapons.

Belinda, watching how Ghislain had captivated the mercenaries, was a bit taken aback.

'The atmosphere's completely changed.'

Lately, Ghislain has been calm and playful. While that was better than his former irritable self, he hadn't shown any of the typical gravitas of a noble.

'Maybe it's because of the Forest of Demonic Beasts… He seems different somehow.'

The mercenaries stood at attention, fully compliant with Ghislain's orders. After his impressive display, no one was surprised at the shift in respect.

Yet just as suddenly as he'd been serious, Ghislain was now helping treat the mercenaries' wounds, patting their shoulders, and joking around.

'I can't figure him out. Does he have multiple personalities or something?'

Seeing him so changed, Belinda, who'd known Ghislain for a long time, was at a loss to define him anymore.

After treating their wounded and taking a short break, the group resumed their work.

The only difference now was that the mercenaries, once careless and lazy, moved with speed and purpose.

"Make sure to collect some of that inner bark."

"Huh? Why would we take that stuff?"

The mercenaries, not understanding his intent, hesitated.

"I plan to use it for fire-resistant or fire-extinguishing materials."

Hearing Ghislain's explanation, the mercenaries murmured in admiration, nodding.

"Ah, yeah, it blocked the heat pretty well and put out fire quickly."

"If we use it right, it could be pretty useful."

They could see it had clear benefits for fire resistance. It would be valuable for making items to shield against heat in case of a fire.

Ghislain smiled, satisfied, as the mercenaries stripped the inner bark.

'This could be quite useful.'

According to records from his past life, the hide of a Dirus Ent could withstand up to fourth-circle fire magic.

Depending on how it was used, it could yield powerful results, and Ghislain already had plans for it.

"No need to take all of it. We'll come back for more when we fix up the path."

With no one else entering this area, they could retrieve more during the next route expedition.

After gathering the materials, the mercenaries piled up the bodies of the Dirus Ents and continued clearing the path.

For the rest of the first day, nothing unusual happened.

But on the second day, monsters started attacking constantly.

By the third day, the mercenaries realized that this forest was beyond anything they had imagined.

"Damn it! This place is insane! It's a cursed forest!"

"These monsters just keep coming out of nowhere!"

"There's no time to rest!"

The mercenaries were exhausted by the endless waves of monsters.

When they'd agreed to enter the Forest of Demonic Beast, they had expected to fight monsters, but only within "reasonable" levels.

"We had no idea it would be like this…"

One mercenary muttered, and the others nodded.

The monsters in this forest were much larger and stronger than those outside.

A monster that would take six mercenaries to defeat outside required several times that many here.

Not only were they powerful, but their appearances were grotesque, leaving a haunting impression on anyone who saw them.

Even massive carnivorous plants seemed mild compared to the bizarre monsters that roamed here.

But the worst part was the unending onslaught.

"I just want one good night's sleep."

For three days, the mercenaries hadn't slept properly. Monsters attacked without regard for day or night.

"Hah, and this is just the entrance? What lives in the deeper parts of the forest?"

One mercenary muttered with a dry laugh.

Despite three days of travel, they hadn't covered much distance.

Clearing a path took time, and constant battles slowed them down.

If the entrance was this bad, they couldn't even imagine what horrors lay deeper within.

The mercenaries now understood why no one had ever attempted to clear this forest before.

This was a job for a kingdom, not a single estate.

"At least, thanks to our employer's rampages, we've kept the casualties low."

"Yeah. Doesn't he ever get scared?"

"How can he fight like that?"

Despite their fatigue and fear, the mercenaries kept pushing forward, inspired by Ghislain.

True to his word, he was always at the front, facing every threat head-on.

Belinda and Gillian had tried to stop him multiple times, but he wouldn't listen.

Being in the lead meant facing the highest risk.

Still, Ghislain jumped into every fight, minimizing the mercenaries' losses.

"Sometimes, he's scarier than the monsters. He's like a demon when he fights."

"Yeah, but if it weren't for him, we'd all be dead by now."

Over time, the mercenaries' admiration for Ghislain grew genuine.

"Maybe we'll actually make it back alive."

"If we stick with him, we just might."

Their opinions varied, but they all agreed that Ghislain was giving his all to protect them.

That became their source of strength.

Graaaah!"\

"Aaaaah!"

"Help!"

For monsters with established territories, like the Dirus Ents, they could prepare and keep the casualties low.

But Ghislain couldn't stop all dangers.

This forest was teeming with monsters.

Some roamed without fixed territories or moved around for other reasons.

These monsters would sometimes attack from the sides or rear.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

In such cases, Ghislain would rush to their side faster than anyone, rescuing the mercenaries.

Before long, his body was covered in injuries.

Leading the charge and throwing himself into every battle had its price.

"Young master! Let the mercenaries handle it! Stop rushing in! Are you insane?"

Belinda was beyond frustrated.

No employer would risk their life fighting like this.

Even in war, a commander would avoid fighting directly, as the leader's safety was crucial to the survival of the whole group.

Yet Ghislain recklessly pushed himself to the limit.

Every time she saw him fight, Belinda felt her heart drop.

'Does he not care about his own life?'

She'd seen enough to acknowledge Ghislain's skills.

His judgments and leadership were remarkable, but his relentless fighting made it hard to see past his fierce demeanor.

As Belinda's concerns grew, the mercenaries' reliance on Ghislain increased.

"He saved us again."

"Honestly, it's safer near him."

"What kind of noble does this? Maybe he was a shock trooper leader in a past life."

"Haha, he'd be perfect for that."

In large mercenary groups, shock troops took on the most dangerous tasks.

Ghislain's actions so far matched those of a shock troop leader.

In fact, in his past life, he'd frequently served as such, making the mercenaries' assumption accurate.

Watching him tear through monsters, the mercenaries couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.

At first, it was mere awe, but over time, it grew into genuine trust in Ghislain.

"He's doing this for us."

Hearing someone say it, the mercenaries all nodded.

Mercenaries were often viewed with contempt, considered the lowest profession, selling their lives for money.

But Ghislain didn't show any disdain toward them.

He always put himself on the line for their sake, more carefree and bold than any of them.

Naturally, they found themselves drawn to him.

Of course, not everyone felt the same.

Some mercenaries had entirely lost their fighting spirit due to the relentless battles and powerful monsters.

One such mercenary was Manus, a sly, rat-like man.

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