Chapter 254

Chapter 254: This Place is Ours Now. (1)

Boom!

The massive gates of the fortress creaked open. Ghislain and the knights casually stepped inside.

Here, no one bothered to check identities. The rules were simple: those who came weren’t stopped, and those who left weren’t chased. That was the law of this place.

Once inside, there were only a few rules everyone had to follow:

– “Killing was forbidden within the fortress.”

– “Social hierarchy held no weight here.”

– “No one must forcefully drag someone outside the fortress.”

Any other disputes? They were left to the hunters to resolve amongst themselves.

The Turian Kingdom, locked in endless battles against monsters, needed to gather as many hunters as possible. Acknowledging noble authority in this place would shatter the fragile balance they had painstakingly maintained.

If nobles freely killed hunters or forcibly dragged them away as criminals, it would deal a devastating blow to the Turian Kingdom.

“Hunters must die fighting monsters, if they are to die at all.”

This principle had been firmly upheld by the kingdom, which even extended its authority to restrain foreign nobles.

As a result, many criminals roaming the continent found refuge in the fortresses scattered along the Shadow Mountains.

Inside, the fortress resembled a regular city—albeit with filthier, more ramshackle facilities and splatters of blood in plain sight.

“Ugh, disgusting.”

“This city looks like the middle of a battlefield.”

“Stay here long enough, and you’ll catch something.”

The knights, accustomed to living in the cleaner, more comfortable estates, clicked their tongues as they took in their surroundings.

The hunters, visible everywhere, wore all sorts of garb. While most donned standard armor, some sported equipment fashioned from monster bones or hides.

These rough individuals shot hostile glares at Ghislain and his knights as the newcomers stepped further in. Long accustomed to risking their lives hunting monsters, the hunters exuded a menacing aura.

“Hmm.”

Ghislain smirked, clearly amused. He enjoyed places like this. If the opportunity arose, he could have a satisfying brawl.

The knights accompanying Ghislain weren’t much better. They, too, were a rowdy bunch with foul tempers.

“What are you staring at, you bastards?” Kaor growled as he shot daggers at the hunters. The other knights followed suit, matching their defiant gazes.

Back in their mercenary days, they might’ve been intimidated by the hunters’ ferocity. But those days were long gone. After countless wars, they had earned the grim reputation of “butchers.”

“Ha, looks like we’ve got some noble guests.”

“Why would they come here?”

“Bet those fancy armors would fetch a nice price.”

Despite the knights’ sharp reactions, the hunters merely observed with sly grins.

Everyone noticed that Ghislain’s group wore matching armor. Until they could confirm whether the group had been officially dispatched by the kingdom, the hunters held back.

For now, no clashes erupted. Ignoring the hunters, Ghislain walked toward the central building of the fortress. Kaor and the knights followed behind, their expressions smug.

The central building was where hunter IDs were issued, and newcomers signed agreements acknowledging the fortress’s laws.

The Turian officer at the desk glanced at Ghislain’s identity and spoke indifferently.

“In this place, noble status holds no weight. A lowly slave is considered equal to you, Count. Do you agree?”

“I agree.”

“We do not intervene in disputes. Do you agree?”

“I agree.”

“Killing is forbidden. Accidents during duels may occur, but killing is fundamentally prohibited. Do you agree?”

“I agree.”

“Then sign here. We’ll register you in the hunter database, and the agreement will be sent directly to the royal court.”

Ghislain nonchalantly stamped his seal on the document. Here, he was no longer a noble—just another hunter.

After receiving Ghislain’s signed agreement, the Turian officer delivered his final instructions.

“We only ensure that this fortress functions at a basic level. As long as you don’t interfere with us or this building, we won’t intervene. Should issues arise with the hunters, resolve them yourself. We offer no assistance.”

“Understood. I haven’t arranged for lodging yet. Can I leave my horse here for the time being?”

“As it’s your first visit, we can extend that courtesy.”

“Good. Then I’ll go find a place to stay. I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

The Turian officer smirked darkly.

“Welcome to the lawless zone. Enjoy your stay—if you make it out alive.”

As Ghislain finished registering and stepped outside, a man with a rat-like face approached him.

It wasn’t fear holding him back—he just didn’t know enough about the fortress yet and wanted to proceed with caution. If someone was called a “King,” it meant they had a lot of subordinates.

He was confident that if the fight continued to the end, he would emerge victorious. Truly, he was certain of it.

Seeing Kaor grumble, Ghislain let out a small laugh and continued speaking.

“Anyway, once they figure out who’s on top, they’ll come over to our side on their own. All we need to do is show them our skills. These are people who live by their fists, not by laws. Let’s find a place to stay first.”

This place had everything a city might have. Merchants often visited to provide hunters with various supplies they needed.

Retired hunters also opened shops here one by one, earning their livelihoods in the process.

However, there was always the risk of losing everything if the monsters overran the area, and the lack of resources made prices significantly higher than in other cities.

Without asking anyone for directions, Ghislain strode forward confidently to find the largest inn.

The knights trailing behind him grew curious and asked,

“My Lord, how do you know your way around here so well?”

“You also seem to know quite a bit about registering as a hunter.”

“Have you been here before?”

Ghislain nodded and replied,

“I know this place very well. I used to come here often—especially to Ironcliff.”

In his past life, the fortress his mercenary corps visited the most was none other than this place. That was because more monsters emerged here than in any other fortress.

Whenever they needed urgent funds, he would gather his subordinates and sweep through the mountains in a single campaign. He had also spent long periods here training alone.

Thus, Ghislain held a certain fondness for this place.

‘There was someone special here too.’

One of the Seven Strongest on the Continent would one day rise from this Kingdom of Turian. Though this individual had yet to make a significant mark, their name would resound across the lands during the age of chaos.

‘If the chance comes, I should challenge him.’

A pleased smile spread across Ghislain’s face.

Defeating the Duke of Delfine and preparing for the era of chaos was his top priority.

But battles against the strong were just as significant to him. In this lifetime, he was determined to claim the title of the strongest on the continent.

Watching the satisfied smile on Ghislain’s face, the knights thought to themselves.

‘Our Lord, he just can’t open his mouth without lying.’

‘How can someone his age have been everywhere and know everything?’

‘It must be that the Chief Overseer handed him all the information after doing thorough research.’

While they acknowledged his immense skill and impressive knowledge, the increasingly outrageous claims were starting to get on their nerves.

They wanted to call him out, but they knew it would only result in “special training,” so they kept their mouths shut. Avoiding conversation seemed like the best way to maintain peace of mind.

The inn they arrived at was a massive building, large enough to comfortably house over a hundred people. Though its exterior was a mess, patched together with various mismatched additions, its size was all that mattered.

Ghislain nodded in approval as he examined the building’s facade.

“As expected, this is the largest place. Let’s make this our base of operations.”

Kaor nodded in agreement. “Shall we rent out the entire place?”

“Let’s head inside first.”

When they opened the door and stepped in, a gruff-looking middle-aged man was yawning as he polished a cup. Around him, hunters were lounging about, playing card games or drinking with lethargic expressions.

The interior of the inn was filthy. It was old, dark, and so neglected that insects and rats roamed freely on the floor.

Still, the hunters seemed entirely at ease, as if they were used to such conditions.

The innkeeper frowned as he noticed Ghislain’s group entering en masse.

“Are you newcomers? We’re not open for business, so get out.”

Despite the place being packed with hunters, the innkeeper claimed it wasn’t operational. Judging by the state of things, it seemed the inn was being used as a private base rather than a legitimate business.

Tilting his head slightly, Ghislain approached the innkeeper.

“You’ve got so many customers, yet you’re not open for business?”

“Whether we’re open or not is up to us.”

The innkeeper put down the cup and glared at Ghislain. If the newcomer knew whose territory this was, he wouldn’t have dared to step inside.

It was always troublesome dealing with these fresh-faced upstarts. Such a nuisance.

He raised his hand to shoo them away, but Ghislain spoke first.

“Relax. We didn’t come here for something as trivial as that. We’re just here because this is the biggest place around.”

“Then what do you want?”

Ghislain smirked arrogantly, raising his chin as he met the innkeeper’s eyes.

“Starting today, this place belongs to us.”