"Ugh, why are we gathering so early in the morning?"
"I heard the employer is a complete rookie. They say it's that spoiled young lord from Perdium."
Early in the morning, before dawn even broke, the mercenaries were gathered en masse.
These were the mercenaries Ghislain had hired through the Zimbar Mercenary Guild. They stood in the open field behind the guild building, chattering about their employer.
"A rookie, huh? We don't need to take this too seriously."
"Yeah, seems like he's just out to make a name for himself. Let's teach him a bit of respect."
"How about we just pretend to fight, take the money, and bail?"
Most of them were looking down on Ghislain, planning to do the bare minimum and get paid.
Not all of them knew Ghislain personally, but some had heard rumors of him as the foolish young lord, and those rumors quickly spread among the mercenaries.
"Isn't the lord of Perdium away frequently?"
"Even better. No way this kid can handle mercenaries properly."
"They say he's a walking disaster. Maybe we professionals should show him what real trouble looks like?"
As the mercenaries laughed and joked, a large, muscular man with a bald head stepped forward, calling out loudly.
"Hey, listen up! If we want to handle this young lord smoothly, we'll need a representative."
This was Gordon, known around the area as a somewhat influential mercenary.
Because he was always exercising, he was nicknamed "Gordon the Muscle." So obsessed was he with his physique that he avoided drinking alcohol or even crying, for fear of muscle loss. His only focus in life was to make his muscles bigger and stronger.
Gordon flexed his chest as he spoke.
"We need a unified approach if we're going to train this employer properly. If we all act on our own, it'll cause division. I'll take the lead as the handler. What do you say? I'll handle the negotiating, and you all can just focus on your pay."
In mercenary slang, a "handler" was someone who pressured the employer on behalf of the others. If the work became easier because of them, the rest would usually chip in a bit of money as thanks.
The mercenaries nodded in agreement, one by one.
"Hmm, Gordon the Muscle isn't a bad choice."
"I'm in. Just looking at those muscles, the kid's probably going to be terrified."
"Should we ask for a little more money while we're at it?"
"Great idea! Let's make this spoiled noble taste some of life's bitterness."
"Exactly! We're giving him a life lesson, after all. Might as well charge him a fee for it."
The mercenaries clapped, pleased with themselves.
A few among them frowned at this behavior, staying out of the conversation, but the majority agreed to elect Gordon as their representative.
Even some of the leaders of the smaller mercenary groups backed Gordon, figuring it wouldn't hurt them either.
Confident in the support he'd gathered, Gordon laughed boldly.
"With this many people, the employer won't dare make any trouble."
About 160 mercenaries had gathered.
If they revolted as a group, they could make things quite difficult for the employer. Usually, in these cases, the employer would grudgingly offer more money or relax the contract terms, sometimes even allowing them to withdraw without a penalty if they deemed it too dangerous.
This kind of thing happened all the time in the mercenary world. The weaker the employer, the more frequently these tactics were used.
"One thing's for sure: let's make the contract clear about being able to withdraw."
"Yeah, if it's really dangerous, we need a way out."
"Then again, there probably won't be much to it. No one's actually seen a monster there—it's all just rumors."
Although the Forest of Demonic Beasts had a dangerous reputation, no one truly knew what was inside.
Some mercenaries figured it would just be a monster hunt, while others planned to run if things got too risky. Some were just here to earn money without much thought.
As the mercenaries were agreeing among themselves, two figures on horseback appeared through the early morning mist.
"Oh, finally, the young noble's here. Just in time for us to give him a rude awakening. Hahaha."
At Gordon's comment, the mercenaries burst out laughing, already anticipating how he would handle their employer.
Behind the two figures appeared a group of around thirty more, on foot.
Gordon let out a low whistle when he saw them.
"He's brought a decent number of soldiers, huh?"
"Not that it matters. We've got him outnumbered."
"Haha, should we surround them and give them a scare?"
The mercenaries started moving forward, aiming to intimidate their employer with threatening glares.
"Hold on, everyone, let's not overdo it right away," Gordon laughed, motioning for calm. "I'll approach him first…."
Confidently talking to himself, Gordon fell silent the moment he saw who the figures emerging from the mist were.
He blinked, then stared closer, realizing he hadn't been mistaken.
With a voice tinged with horror, he muttered, "The… the Mad Dogs?"
All the mercenaries froze in place.
Clop, clop.
Calmly riding up to him, Ghislain looked down at Gordon with a smirk.
"Are you the handler?"
"Uh… yes?"
"Name?"
"Gordon…."
"Figures you're a simple one."
Ghislain chuckled and walked past him, instantly understanding the situation from how the mercenaries were positioned. He'd pulled stunts like this often in his past life, so he knew it well.
He found it somewhat amusing to be on the receiving end now, even nostalgic.
Following behind Ghislain, Kaor shot Gordon a cold look as he passed.
As Gordon broke into a nervous sweat, one of the Cerberus members trailing his captain sneered at him.
"Gordon, long time no see. Aren't you going to show some respect?"
Gordon finally lowered his head.
In terms of skill, he was confident he could take down a single member of Cerberus.
But the Mad Dogs fought viciously, and messing with one meant bringing down the whole hornet's nest.
Seeing Cerberus with the employer made the other mercenaries look away and whisper among themselves.
"Why is the Mad Dogs gang here with the employer?"
"No idea. What's Gordon doing, just standing there?"
"What can he do? Those guys are bad news if you mess with them."
The mercenaries, who had planned to band together and take advantage of Ghislain, now hesitated.
They decided to wait and see why Cerberus was there before making any moves.
Gordon retreated as well, unable to say a word.
Ghislain took a seat in a chair that had been prepared in the clearing, crossing his legs, while the Cerberus members stood guard behind him.
Not only was it an unusual sight, but something was strange about the way Cerberus behaved.
"Why do the Mad Dogs look so nervous around him?"
"Could they actually be intimidated by the employer?"
Indeed, all of Cerberus seemed to be watching Ghislain's every move, with Kaor flinching at each of Ghislain's gestures.
"It looks like Cerberus is practically lying at the employer's feet…."
"Is he really that powerful? Is Perdium that influential?"
Seeing Cerberus so submissive, the mercenaries realized there was no point in trying to take advantage of Ghislain.
If a fight broke out, sure, Cerberus wouldn't come out unscathed, but the mercenaries would suffer even more.
As though he'd been waiting for Ghislain to arrive, the guild officer stepped out of the building and handed contracts to the mercenaries.
"Here he is, the young lord of Perdium. Make sure to read over the contracts carefully."
The mercenaries hesitated to sign.
Cerberus's notorious reputation made them reluctant to work with them.
After a few moments of silent glances, Gordon huffed and stepped forward first. He didn't want to admit he'd been intimidated by Cerberus.
"I'm Gordon. Looking forward to it," he said, giving Ghislain a quick bow and stamping his fingerprints on the contract without reading it.
Ghislain tilted his head and asked, "Aren't you going to read the contents?"
The officer nearby chuckled and answered for him, "That one's illiterate. His brain's all muscle. He just accepts any job for the money."
"Studying causes muscle loss! Don't you know that when you gain one thing, you lose another?"
The officer rolled his eyes as Gordon glared at him indignantly.
"Yeah, right. Look at him using that excuse to avoid learning."
"Whatever! That's just how I am!"
Because he couldn't read, Gordon had been scammed more than once. He often thought he should learn to read, but he was too busy working out and resting.
Ghislain chuckled at Gordon.
In his past life, he'd had plenty of subordinates who were just as uneducated.
Finding something oddly endearing about Gordon, he added, "If things go well, I'll get someone to teach you."
"Thank you!"
Gordon shouted enthusiastically before returning to his place. Seeing him, the other mercenaries began signing their contracts one by one.
They knew they'd be fighting monsters, and they figured if the employer could manage Cerberus, then working under him might be safer.
They only felt a bit disappointed they couldn't push Ghislain around.
One small mercenary group left, not wanting to work alongside Cerberus, and with that, the contracts were complete.
The officer organized the contracts and handed them to Ghislain.
"A total of 148."
With Cerberus included, they numbered around 180—enough for a small territorial war. The mercenaries felt more at ease; strength in numbers, after all.
After confirming the contracts, Ghislain addressed the mercenaries.
"I am Ghislain, young lord of Perdium. As you heard from the officer, we're venturing to develop the Forest of Demonic Beasts. I'll explain the tasks in detail once we reach the territory. Let's work well together."
He immediately ordered the mercenaries to prepare to depart.
He bought horses for those without and supplied them with camping essentials.
Once everything was ready, they set off for Perdium.
Onlookers who saw the large group of fierce mercenaries in the morning quickly moved out of their way.
'This brings back memories,' Ghislain thought.
Leading a noisy band of mercenaries reminded him of his past, wandering the continent with his troops.
'I'll see them again someday.'
Now that he was back, he knew that his former subordinates were living their own lives. Finding them again was one of his goals.
***
The group soon reached Perdium's border, but the mercenaries had to wait near the territory.
Bringing an armed force into the territory without permission would only cause friction with vassals.
After ordering the mercenaries to wait, Ghislain went to see Belinda with Gillian.
"Belinda, how are the preparations?"
"You're later than expected. Everything you asked for is ready."
"Of course it is—you're amazing, Belinda."
Belinda beamed with pride, but her expression quickly turned to concern.
"But you've already spent over half the funds from Rayfold. If you consider ongoing costs for troops and supplies, we'll run out soon. Are you sure this is okay?"
"Initial costs are unavoidable. We need to get started quickly."
The 20,000 gold he'd received was a vast sum—enough for one person to live comfortably for a lifetime. But for a project of this scale, it was hardly enough.
Ghislain had expected most of the money he took from Amelia to be spent on preliminary preparations.
The sooner they saw profits, the sooner they could sustain the operation.
"Tell the workers to begin construction tomorrow."
"Young master, it's not too late to stop. Use the remaining funds for something else. If you start construction, the expenses will drain us dry."
"No, this can't stop. It's essential for the territory."
To Belinda, using the remaining funds to develop the forest seemed impossible.
Seeing he wouldn't change his mind, she finally burst out.
"We've already spent over 10,000 gold just on labor and materials! There's no way this can work!"
At her outburst, Ghislain gave her a mysterious smile.
"Don't worry. We're not actually developing it."
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]