Chapter 36

Chapter 36: This Place is Insane.

If it hadn’t been for Ghislain, they would have died without even knowing what had happened to them.

As Kaor watched the mercenaries cheering, he turned to Gillian and asked.

“Just what is that guy? People called him a madman, but is he actually some kind of secret weapon from the Ferdium family?”

Kaor was quite shocked that the skills Ghislain had shown so far weren’t everything.

“I don’t know either. But there’s one thing I’m certain of. There’s no one around our age better than our Young Lord.”

This was the first time Gillian had seen Ghislain display this level of power. Even when fighting monsters, Ghislain hasn’t been using his full strength.

Clearly, he was hiding something, surpassing the level of a mere genius.

Despite his thoughts, Gillian’s face, as he answered Kaor, was filled with admiration and pride.

However, not everyone was so delighted and excited.

“Ah, move! Get out of the way!”

Belinda panicked, shoved, and kicked the mercenaries aside as she rushed toward Ghislain.

“Young Master! Are you alright? No, you’ve improved again! Are you really the same person?”

Belinda was the one who had observed Ghislain’s abilities the longest and most closely.

In her eyes, Ghislain’s skills were not enough to handle the oncoming Pallors. That’s why she had stepped up first this time.

But she hadn’t expected Ghislain to show such abilities, far beyond what she had anticipated.

“I’m fine. The line almost broke at the start, but we gained enough time thanks to you. Everyone did well. First, let’s take care of the injured.”

Yet, Belinda seemed uninterested in praise, anxiously fretting as she inspected Ghislain’s wounds.

“You need treatment first, Young Master.”

“They aren’t that serious.”

Just as Belinda had said, Ghislain had sustained injuries here and there from fighting so recklessly.

Not only Ghislain but also Gillian and Kaor had cuts all over their bodies.

Even though it had been chaotic, it was a grueling battle, enough for skilled fighters like them to sustain injuries.

The result was inevitable, with Pallors being both solid and fast and in large numbers.

As Belinda fussed over Ghislain, the mercenaries exchanged glances and murmured among themselves.

They were surprised to discover that Belinda, whom they had only thought of as a mere maid, was far stronger than they had imagined.

“I knew it from the moment she threw that dagger and surrounded it with mana.”

“You’re kidding, right? Weren’t you the one begging her to make soup? You almost lost your head.”

As the lingering heat from the battle cooled down, the mercenaries started to joke around amongst themselves.

Clicking his tongue at their simple-minded behavior, Ghislain spoke up.

“Tend to the injured and gather the corpses in one place. The effect of the light will soon wear off, so take out the lamps and hang them up.”

The surviving mercenaries immediately began moving according to Ghislain’s orders without the slightest hesitation.

“Musclehead Gordon” was among them.

“Whew, disgusting bastards.”

As Gordon organized the outermost part of the clearing, he grimaced at the sight of the Pallors’ corpses.

After days of stress because of these creatures, even his muscles must have taken a beating.

‘When I return, I need to train even harder.’

He gathered the corpses of the dead Pallors, who had died while fleeing and tossed them roughly into a pile.

Gordon, following the scattered bodies, wandered thoughtlessly toward the forest.

He was separated from the group, moving closer to the darkness of the tree-filled forest.

Without realizing it, he turned his head toward the light.

The duration of the Light magic was nearing its end, and the light from the orb had significantly weakened.

Feeling a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease, Gordon quickly grabbed the leg of a corpse lying on the ground.

He planned to throw it aside and return to the group as quickly as possible.

At that moment, the Pallor, which he had thought to be dead, snapped its eyes open.

“Huh?”

Startled by the unexpected situation, Gordon could only mutter in a daze.

Kraaak!

The tentacles attached to the Pallor’s arms extended rapidly, wrapping around Gordon’s neck, arms, body, and legs.

“Aaaargh!”

Everyone turned their heads upon hearing the scream.

They caught sight of Gordon being dragged into the darkness.

“Gordon!”

“Damn it! There was one still alive!”

“That stupid bastard!”

The mercenaries rushed after Gordon, but they came to a halt before leaving the clearing.

None of them dared to venture into the dark, densely wooded forest.

However, the situation was a little different now.

The Pallor had captured Gordon; since he was human, he couldn’t blend into the darkness like the creature.

― “Aaaahhh!”

Gordon’s scream faintly echoed from far away.

Ghislain chased the sound, infusing his voice with mana and shouting loudly.

“Gordon! Keep screaming! I’ll catch up to you!”

His voice was so loud that it seemed to shake the forest.

It was loud enough to reach Gordon, for sure.

In truth, yelling so loudly in the Forest of Beasts was a terrible idea.

It could awaken other monsters or alert them to his presence, causing them to start pursuing him.

However, this was the Pallor’s domain, and it was night.

The other monsters were still unaware that most of the Pallors had been killed, so they were unlikely to move easily.

― “Aaaah! Help me!”

Gordon’s voice, hoarse from screaming, reached Ghislain, who continued to run, following the sound to guide him.

But after a while, Ghislain realized that Gordon’s voice had stopped.

‘His mouth must be covered.’

Ghislain gritted his teeth, pushing more mana into his body.

‘Or... he’s already dead.’

Still, he couldn’t give up until he saw the body with his own eyes.

Tear!

Ghislain pulled out a Light scroll from his coat and ripped it, illuminating the area around him.

He scanned the ground for any signs and sprinted like mad once he gauged the direction.

‘Gordon, hold on!’

Just as Ghislain predicted, Gordon’s mouth had been sealed by one of the Pallor’s tentacles.

Sensing that someone was pursuing it, the Pallor had quickly covered Gordon’s mouth, thinking that the screams were the reason for being chased.

“Mmmph! Mmmmph!”

Gordon had also heard Ghislain’s shouts.

He needed to make some noise so that Ghislain could find him, but the clever creature had sealed his mouth.

‘Ugh, if I can’t breathe properly, I’ll lose muscle mass.’

Tears welled in Gordon’s eyes as he struggled, but it was useless.

‘Is this how I’m going to die?’

In this dark forest, finding any trace of him would be impossible.

Gordon’s hope for survival began to fade.

‘Come to think of it, the employer said he’d teach me how to read.’

If he had returned safely after this expedition, he might have learned to read and write.

Of course, he would’ve refused because he needed to focus on training.

‘So this is it. This is how it ends.’

Everyone must think he was dead by now or would soon give up searching for him.

It seemed as if his thoughts were being confirmed, as Ghislain’s voice was no longer heard.

But contrary to Gordon’s expectations, Ghislain was still pursuing him.

However, the pace was slowing.

Without Gordon making any sound, Ghislain could not determine the direction.

Even for someone as experienced as Ghislain, chasing something in complete darkness, especially something that left barely any trace, was a nearly impossible task.

“Young Lord!”

“My Lord!”

During the brief moment when Ghislain’s speed had slowed, Belinda and Gillian had caught up to him.

“Find any signs! Search the ground, search everywhere!”

At his desperate command, Belinda and Gillian immediately began scouring for traces as well.

Both of them were also skilled in tracking, but the clues were becoming harder and harder to find.

Eventually, it reached the point where even determining the right direction was nearly impossible.

“Young Lord, we should head back. Wandering further into the forest is too dangerous.”

“Belinda’s right. He’s likely already dead.”

Despite their attempts to reason with him, Ghislain didn’t move easily.

Even at that moment, he kept his senses sharp, scanning all around.

If only he could hear one sound, even once.

Just as Ghislain stood there, reluctant to move, all three of them suddenly heard an unintelligible sound.

“―!”

Without a second thought, the trio shot off like lightning in the direction of the voice.