Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Birds of a Feather

Just as Ghislain and Gillian prepared to head out again, Belinda came rushing in.

“Young Master! What do you mean by developing the Forest of Beasts? Rumors are already spreading that you almost caused trouble again!”

It seemed the story had spread quickly. As soon as Belinda heard the rumor, she came to find Ghislain.

“Oh, Belinda. I was planning to find you anyway, so this is perfect. I need to ask you for something.”

“What is it?”

“Gather some laborers. First, we’re going to set up a base near the forest. It should be big enough to accommodate about 300 people. Also, order the necessary food and materials. It’s going to cost quite a bit.”

Belinda blinked silently, tilting her head.

“Didn’t Lord Ferdium say not to do that?”

“Yes, but I’m just going to do it secretly. Help me get things ready, will you?”

Ghislain’s innocent smile was so irritating that it made her want to punch him. Belinda shouted at him.

“Why are you doing this when he told you not to? You used to cause small troubles frequently, but why has the scale suddenly gotten so big?”

She regretted ever thinking that Ghislain had grown into a bigger person. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that his troublemaking would grow in scale as well.

“Don’t get too worked up. If you don’t want to help, that’s fine.”

Ghislain shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.

“But even if you don’t help, I will still proceed. If I enter the forest unprepared, I might die. Are you really not going to help?”

“Help? I’ll just tell the Lord everything!”

“Ah, Homerne said that if I cause trouble again this time, he’ll really lock me in the tower. If you tell Father, that’s probably what’ll happen, right? In that case, I’ll have no choice but to run away. Who knows, maybe I’ll be so angry that I’ll cause even bigger trouble. Like... setting fire to the forest, for example.”

“Are you insane? What if someone hears you say that?!”

Belinda was horrified, but Ghislain continued as if it were nothing.

“Well, since I can’t go inside, I might as well burn it down. Wow, that would be so much fun. Should I invite Skovan and Ricardo to join in?”

“Are you threatening me? Is this a blatant threat that you’re going to cause trouble?”

“It’s not a threat; I’m just saying it could happen. Isn’t it better to just let me go into the forest instead?”

“Aaagh! You’re driving me crazy!”

Belinda protested fiercely, but after Ghislain’s repeated mix of threats and pleas, she eventually seemed to give in.

“Sigh, are you really going to go through with this? There’s no need to go looking for danger. The steward is watching you this time. You might actually get locked up.”

“It’s something that must be done. If you help, it’ll be a success. Will you do it?”

Belinda had always been particularly weak when it came to Ghislain. Ever since he was young, whenever Ghislain begged, she would always give in to his requests.

Ghislain acted even more brazenly, knowing full well that she would give in again this time. Sure enough, she sighed and weakly nodded her head.

“Sigh, you’ve really grown... but maybe a bit too much.”

“That’s a compliment, right?”

“Do you think it is?”

Ghislain smiled as if he didn’t hear her and changed the subject.

“Anyway, thanks in advance for getting everything ready. I’m off to recruit some mercenaries.”

“Take care. It’s a shame I can’t go with you this time... but Gillian will be with you, so it should be fine.”

With Belinda seeing them off, Ghislain and Gillian immediately left the estate.

Their destination was the Zimbar Estate, located close to the Ferdium Estate. It was home to the Cerberus Mercenary Corps, and among the surrounding territories, it had the most mercenaries.

As soon as they arrived in Zimbar, the two headed straight for the Mercenary Guild and requested that they gather mercenaries to fill their ranks.

The head of the Mercenary Guild was a man who appeared to be in his fifties. When they mentioned recruiting people for the development of the Forest of Beasts, he tilted his head and asked:

“You’re planning to develop the Forest of Beasts in Ferdium Estate?”

“That’s right.”

“Why there?”

“We don’t have enough money for that. We also have to hire workers, secure food, and gather supplies.”

“But those guys have such a terrible reputation. There’s a good chance they won’t be properly controlled. There are even rumors that they used to be bandits.”

“It’s fine. They’re going to be fighting monsters anyway. In fact, being rough might be better. Don’t worry too much.”

Seeing Ghislain’s firm decision, Gillian withdrew for now. It was his duty to follow the orders of the one he served.

However, if they betrayed Ghislain or caused trouble, he resolved to kill them all himself.

A while later, Ghislain arrived at the place where the Cerberus Mercenary Corps was staying. He looked around and clicked his tongue.

“Whistle... this place is a mess.”

They were camped outside the city, living in a few shabby tents. Some were gambling, and others were just lying around, sleeping. None of them seemed to have washed; their hair was wild, their clothes were yellowed, and they looked like they smelled even from a distance.

One of the mercenaries, who was lying down, noticed Ghislain and Gillian approaching. Picking his nose, he lazily asked,

“Who’re you?”

Judging from their clothes, the mercenary must have recognized them as nobles, so he made a half-hearted attempt at courtesy.

“I’m here to make a request. Where’s your leader?”

Still lying down, the mercenary replied as if it were too much trouble,

“The boss is busy; come back tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Without further comment, Ghislain turned around and left. Due to the mercenary recruitment process, he had to wait a few days anyway, so he decided to leave for now.

The next day, Ghislain returned to the Cerberus Mercenary Corps.

“I’m here to meet the leader.”

The same mercenary, who was picking his nose yesterday, chuckled and replied,

“He’s busy today, too. Come back tomorrow.”

“Got it. Looks like you’re living quite comfortably.”

Ghislain once again left without protest.

Gillian, however, was starting to boil with anger. He had caught on to what they were trying to pull.

“My lord, they’re doing this on purpose. They know that you’re in a tight spot if you’re desperate enough to keep coming back. They’re playing games to assert their dominance over the employer.”

“I know. But let’s just let it slide today.”

Ghislain calmly soothed Gillian and returned to their lodgings.

The same thing happened the next day, and the day after that. Every time, the mercenaries sent Ghislain away with mocking smiles.

Then, on the fifth day, when Ghislain came by again, the mercenary made a circle with his fingers and said, “If you want to meet our boss, you might need to show a little sincerity... He’s a busy man, after all.”

Ghislain nodded and tossed him a gold coin.

The mercenary’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. He hadn’t expected such a generous offering from the noble.

Greed flared in him, and he pushed his luck.

“Ahem, this might not be enough, though. Seems like you still don’t understand the situation, so why don’t you come back tomorrow, noble? You’re a bit slow for your age.”

The mercenaries watching nearby burst into laughter. They were thoroughly enjoying the sight of this young noble being toyed with.

Gillian, unable to contain his anger, started to move, but Ghislain lightly held him back and said, “As a guest, I’ve shown all the courtesy I can today. Tomorrow, we’ll meet again. This is my last warning.”

“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Bring plenty next time.”

The mercenaries laughed and waved mockingly as Ghislain and Gillian left.

The next day, the mercenary greeted Ghislain with the same mocking smile and held out his hand for more money.

Ghislain nodded slightly and said, “I’ve shown more than enough respect. Now, let’s start with a leg.”

Thunk.

Gillian grinned, baring his teeth, and grabbed the mercenary by the throat.

“What...? Hey! Let go! You wanna die, you bastard?”

The mercenary swiftly pulled a dagger from his chest to stab Gillian.

Crack!

“Arghhh!”

With the sound of bones breaking, the mercenary’s scream echoed loudly.