The mercenaries, perhaps feeling tense in their own way, were lined up neatly. Their short-term training seemed to have paid off.
Ghislain led them directly to the outpost near the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
"As expected, it's still a bit lacking."
The outpost was only minimally set up to provide food and lodging.
It would've been ideal to wait until it was fully prepared before setting out, but they didn't have that luxury.
In the past few days, vassals had visited multiple times with suspicious looks.
Each time, Ghislain and Belinda managed to brush them off, but rumors were already spreading among the workers, making it harder to stall.
"We'll continue building the outpost even while we're in the forest…"
Ghislain looked over at the mercenaries and called out loudly.
"You've all heard the rumors – the forest is dangerous! Follow my orders if you want to minimize casualties. Absolutely no wandering off on your own, and don't let your guard down!"
The soldiers guarding the forest entrance were understandably shocked to see Ghislain leading an armed force there.
'What the hell is that lunatic saying… going into the forest?'
The soldiers, wearing dazed expressions, tried to stop him, but they couldn't hold back nearly 200 mercenaries.
Just before entering the forest, Ghislain closed his eyes in thought.
'If this succeeds, all eyes will turn here.'
The Delphine Duchy would certainly not sit idly by while Perdium grew in power.
No, even without involving the duchy, neighboring lords would start eyeing this place.
In a way, Ghislain's actions were as good as inviting danger upon himself.
'But I can't just stop.'
He could see death approaching but couldn't just stand there waiting.
'I'll do everything I can. That's the only way to survive.'
Steeling his resolve once more, Ghislain opened his eyes and raised his hand.
Just as they were about to enter the forest, someone came running and shouted.
"Young lord, you can't!"
"Oh, Skovan?"
The person running toward him was Skovan, currently the captain of the Forest of Demonic Beasts' guard.
After the orc subjugation, he'd been effectively demoted due to his constant drinking.
Out of loyalty for Skovan, with whom he'd fought during the orc subjugation, Ghislain waited until he caught his breath.
"Huff, huff… Young lord, are you really planning to enter the forest?"
"Yes, we're going in now."
"You can't! Lord's orders…"
"Skovan, I need a favor."
"Pardon?"
"You made some money thanks to me before, right? Show some loyalty and help me out."
Skovan's eyes widened at the word "favor."
He had never imagined that the young lord would ask him for a favor.
Usually, Ghislain would either take things by force or order him to do annoying tasks.
Seeing Skovan's confusion, Ghislain chuckled.
"For a while, keep your men silent and make sure no one knows I entered the forest. Prevent the estate's forces from following us right away. If not, we might end up in a deadly skirmish. This isn't a joke."
"But… the defense force has already seen the mercenaries enter the estate. They'll report it soon."
"I told you before, didn't I? The commander on the front line should make their own decisions and act accordingly."
"You mean…"
"I'm asking you to come up with a plausible excuse. Say that we headed somewhere other than the forest. Can you do it?"
'I should refuse!'
If he got caught lying, he wouldn't be safe either.
But…
Seeing Ghislain's meaningful smile, Skovan gulped.
The look in his eyes was filled with confidence, reminiscent of the time they'd tackled the orc subjugation together.
Back then, Ghislain had demanded full command and did things his own way.
But thanks to that, they'd managed to kill all the orcs without casualties.
Seeing that look again, Skovan felt a sudden urge to trust him one more time.
Without realizing it, he nodded.
After all, the young lord in front of him wouldn't listen even if he tried to stop him.
"You're as bold as ever. Fine, buy me some time. Let's see what you're capable of."
Ghislain also acknowledged Ricardo, who had just caught up with Skovan.
"Hey, Ricardo! You've become Skovan's second-in-command? Congratulations on the promotion. Good to see you're still as handsome as ever."
Ricardo, not fully grasping the situation, looked at him in confusion and asked.
"Young lord, where are you going?"
"The Forest of Demonic Beasts."
"If you go in there on a whim, you'll get us all killed!"
"Don't worry; I'll be back before that happens."
Ricardo, horrified, shouted.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"What did I do? You said that last time, too."
Ghislain clicked his tongue a few times before continuing.
"Anyway, guard the entrance well; monsters might show up. I'll be back."
Before anyone else could stop him, Ghislain quickly made his way into the forest.
"Alright, let's go!"
The mercenaries began following Ghislain, moving slowly.
Skovan, Ricardo, and the other soldiers could only stare in disbelief as they watched them disappear.
The Forest of Demonic Beasts – a place no one had dared to explore.
This was the moment Ghislain's expedition set foot there for the first time.
***
Without any horses, everyone had to move on foot.
If monsters attacked and the horses panicked, they'd be more of a hindrance than a help.
All their supplies were loaded onto carts that the mercenaries pulled themselves.
The entrance to the Forest of Demonic Beasts wasn't much different from a regular forest.
A few small animals could be seen, and the occasional sound of insects could be heard.
Some mercenaries even wondered if the rumors were exaggerated and the forest was actually no big deal.
But as they went further, they began to think otherwise.
"This is the real deal."
Someone muttered, and the others nodded in agreement.
The forest was eerily quiet. At some point, even the sound of insects disappeared, replaced by a suffocating silence.
As they went deeper, the trees grew larger.
Towering trees blocked out the sky with their massive leaves.
It was dark.
If not for the thin beams of sunlight slipping through the leaves, they wouldn't have been able to see at all.
Quiet sighs escaped some of the mercenaries.
"So this is why they call it the Forest of Darkness…"
The Forest of Demonic Beasts also had another name: the Forest of Darkness.
True to its name, the forest was shrouded in a heavy darkness.
Despite it being midday, the fog lying thick at their feet gave off an eerie atmosphere.
The cool forest air wrapped around them.
"Light the lamps."
Following Ghislain's order, some of the mercenaries lit their lamps.
As they each held up their lamps, a few grumbled.
"Why did we bring so many lamps, anyway?"
"Just for show, probably. Is he too proud to use torches?"
Lamps were certainly more convenient than torches, but they weren't cheap.
And yet, Ghislain had prepared hundreds of them.
There were also several crates filled with unknown items.
The mercenaries quietly mocked Ghislain, commenting on his noble extravagance.
With the lamps lighting up their surroundings, the group moved forward.
When the path ended, Ghislain gave instructions.
"From here, we make our own way. Cut down the trees and clear the brush."
Up until now, they'd at least been following a trail of some sort, but from this point, there was nothing.
They needed to secure a path to allow the laborers to build a palisade and lay down a solid road.
Ghislain took the lead, grabbing an axe and starting to cut down trees.
The sound of his axe echoed through the forest.
"What's this? Even the boss is getting his hands dirty?"
"This is what they call 'leading by example,' right? Like, the dignity of a noble or something? Haha."
"How long do you think he'll last? He's probably just overly enthusiastic."
The mercenaries laughed at Ghislain as they chopped down trees.
Seeing a noble take on manual labor made them laugh rather than respect him.
"He's actually pretty good at chopping trees, though."
"But he'll stop soon enough. There's always a noble or two who acts up like that."
"Guess he must be bored of practicing swordsmanship at home, huh? Haha."
The other mercenaries snickered, but the Cerberus Mercenary Corps remained silent.
They knew that once Ghislain started throwing punches, he didn't stop easily.
But they had no intention of warning the others; some lessons are best learned firsthand.
Belinda frowned and whispered to Ghislain.
"Young master, why are you doing this? You should let the people you hired handle this."
"It's fine. The more people help, the faster it'll be done."
"That's strange. You were never like this, young master. You didn't even bathe yourself, calling it a noble's privilege."
"…I don't remember."
To Belinda, it felt like just a few days ago, but to Ghislain, it was a long-lost memory from a reckless time he'd rather forget.
As the two bickered, the mercenaries managed to fell a few trees, and sunlight began to peek through the gaps, lightening the mood.
Ghislain continued chopping wood, his thoughts never wavering.
'I can't afford any discrepancies from the logbook.'
In his previous life, Ghislain had found a log written by Delphine Duchy's expedition to the Forest of Demonic Beasts, read it until it was worn, and memorized it by heart.
The thought of reclaiming the estate and its resources drove him, as did his attachment to Perdium.
The Forest of Demonic Beasts was both the main obstacle to Perdium's growth and an inseparable part of it.
'There might be some differences over time, but the ecosystem and monster habitats shouldn't have changed much.'
He trusted the document detailing where and when each monster had appeared and the damage inflicted, as he set out on this mission.
If that information was wrong, he'd lose more than money; he'd lose the mercenaries too.
He had to proceed with caution.
Time passed quickly as they worked, and the tension eased.
"Isn't this place just spooky?"
"Right? Looks like everyone was just too scared to come in."
"At this rate, I feel kinda guilty about the hazard pay."
The mercenaries picked up the pace, chatting loudly.
Since their destination wasn't far, they were confident the job would be done soon.
But then Ghislain, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped everyone.
"Prepare for combat."
"Huh? Why?"
"There's nothing here, though?"
The mercenaries peered past Ghislain into the forest, confused.
They didn't hear a thing, not even the usual sounds of animals.
Only thick, towering trees obscured their view.
"Don't get too close and slowly back up. Be ready to fight."
Ghislain repeated his order.
Gillian cautiously surveyed the surroundings, but sensed nothing unusual.
He looked at Belinda, who shrugged, equally clueless.
Finally, he whispered to Ghislain.
"Young lord, what is it? I can't sense anything around us. Doesn't seem like there are any monsters lurking, either."
Gillian prided himself on his ability to detect presences nearby.
He'd easily located Wildcat Smugglers' assassins before.
But Ghislain shook his head.
"It's not hiding."
Words from the logbook he'd read in his previous life echoed in his mind.
[When we arrived at the place surrounded by thick vines…]
Sure enough, the trees in front of him were all wrapped in thick vines.
Gillian asked again.
"There's nothing but trees around us, so what exactly are we on guard against?"
[They have no presence at all. Even Count Balzac, the kingdom's finest swordsman and a Swordmaster, couldn't sense them…]
Ghislain cautiously observed the trees in front of him and responded.
"They're right in front of us."
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]