"That's right! This is like printing money."
"Each of these is basically a gold bar."
"Looks like the Captain is about to become the richest man in the North!"
The mercenaries, brimming with excitement, began the mining process.
Mining here was simple—just breaking the stones into manageable pieces and loading them onto carts, which didn't require more than a few blunt tools.
Any fine processing would be done back at the estate, so the mercenaries didn't have to worry about that part.
A few of them gathered in a group and began whispering among themselves.
"Hey, let's pocket a few of these."
"Yeah, even the smallest pieces are worth a lot."
"They won't notice if we grab just a few fragments."
Among mercenaries, skimming a bit off the top without the employer noticing was an unspoken rule. They appreciated the triple pay and the Captain's care for them, but pocketing a little extra was just second nature.
Just then, Gordon suddenly shouted out loudly so everyone could hear.
"I'm not taking anything! The triple pay is more than enough!"
"The hell's wrong with him?"
"Shh! Quiet! You want to ruin this for everyone?"
As the other mercenaries hissed at him in shock, Gordon proudly continued.
"I don't care about money at all!"
The other mercenaries glared at him as if he'd lost his mind and stepped away.
Watching this with a smirk, Ghislain whispered to Gillian.
"Be wary of guys like that. Mercenaries who say they don't care about money are usually the ones who are most obsessed. If they didn't care about money, they wouldn't be in this business in the first place."
Gillian nodded and turned to the mercenaries with a warning.
"If anyone's caught sneaking even a single fragment, I'll behead you on the spot. It's a breach of contract, and losing your head is the price for it. Don't let greed ruin you."
As Gillian's stern tone echoed, the mercenaries couldn't hide their disappointment.
They'd thought of sneaking away a few small Rune Stones while they worked, but with such a strict order, they had no choice but to give up.
Just then, Gordon, who had been fumbling in his pants, pulled out a few pieces of Rune Stone and tossed them on the ground.
"This idiot!"
"When did he grab those?"
"Hey, you lunatic!"
The mercenaries cursed at Gordon in disbelief, but he just rubbed his nose, shrugged, and walked off.
Gillian blinked, dumbfounded, as Ghislain whispered to him again.
"See? Told you," Ghislain chuckled.
"...I see," Gillian sighed and turned back to the mercenaries with a renewed warning.
"If you value your life, don't try to pocket even a single scrap. Load everything up."
The mercenaries grimaced and licked their lips in frustration.
Having seen Gillian's skills firsthand, they knew better than to mess with him.
Still, they continued their work with good spirits.
Surviving the ordeal and getting a hefty reward made them less desperate for extra earnings.
"Alright, let's get this loaded quickly."
"Break the stones as much as possible to get more in there."
As the mercenaries worked diligently, the carts quickly filled with Rune Stones.
Watching the carts fill up, Ghislain instructed them to leave a few empty.
"What? Why?"
"The more we take, the better, right?"
When the mercenaries asked, Ghislain shook his head.
"We're taking the Python's body as well."
The mercenaries looked at him, puzzled.
"Why would we bring that back? Planning to eat it?"
"How are we supposed to carry that huge thing?"
They couldn't understand why Ghislain would prioritize a corpse over more Rune Stones.
With a few carts already filled with Dirus Ent bark, adding the Blood Python's corpse would mean even fewer Rune Stones could be loaded.
"The Python's body will keep monsters away. We'll scatter its blood and flesh along the roads we'll be building. That way, the path will stay safe for months."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Ghislain explained further.
"The scent will keep monsters from approaching, which means a safer journey back for us too. Its hide and scales can be used to make armor, and its venom can coat weapons. Its corpse has many uses."
The mercenaries nodded in understanding.
"Aha…"
"Makes sense."
"The Captain may be young, but sometimes he's as seasoned as a veteran."
"True, I never thought of that."
Monsters were highly sensitive to the scent of others. Smelling a powerful monster like the Blood Python nearby would keep them away.
Since they couldn't haul all the Rune Stones anyway, it made sense to process the Blood Python's corpse.
The mercenaries loaded several carts with Rune Stones and then headed toward the Blood Python's body.
"Gillian, Kaor, clear a path for us to cut through the scales."
Since Ghislain was too injured to use his mana, Gillian and Kaor had to carefully cut through the snake's scales using mana.
Once an opening was made, the mercenaries eagerly cut away chunks of the body.
Due to its massive size and tough hide, it took them hours just to make a dent in it.
By the time they'd finished mining the Rune Stones and cutting the Python's corpse, evening was upon them.
"When the work is done, we'll rest here and head back tomorrow," Ghislain announced, and the mercenaries bustled to finish up.
They cut up the Python's body and loaded as much as they could onto the carts, tying it down securely with ropes.
They couldn't bring even half of its massive corpse, but Ghislain wasn't too bothered.
He intended to return for the rest soon enough.
When the carts were full, the mercenaries cheered, raising their hands in victory.
"Yes, we're done!"
"We can't fit anything more."
"Finally, we're going home!"
With all the work complete, the mercenaries settled in for a comfortable night's sleep for the first time in a while.
They posted guards just in case, but, as expected, the presence of the Python's body kept monsters away.
When morning came, they cleared the path a bit further and began their journey, pushing and pulling the carts.
With no horses, the mercenaries had to move everything by hand, so their progress was slow.
The Rune Stones were still attached to the rocks, and the Python's body was enormous and heavy.
The carts were so overloaded that even covered with tarps, their contents peeked out from beneath.
"Ugh, I've never had to pull a cart instead of a horse before."
"Feels like hauling this is tougher than fighting."
"With the path we cleared, laborers should be able to come here soon."
Though heading back was exciting, hauling heavy carts all day led to some grumbling.
But the journey back was far easier than the way in. The path was already cleared, and the presence of the Python's body kept the monsters away.
Moving at a steady pace, they traveled for a full day.
Seeing familiar landmarks, they realized they were nearing the forest's edge.
"Hey, we're almost there."
"Tonight, we'll finally sleep in peace."
"Let's give it one last push."
Just as they were summoning their last strength, a group approached from the forest edge.
Once they got closer, Ghislain recognized them.
"Those are soldiers from the estate."
Knights and soldiers from the Perdium estate were approaching with grim expressions.
Ghislain nodded and addressed the lead knight.
"Doesn't look like you came to greet us."
The knight nodded.
"We're here to find you, young lord. You left a clear path to follow."
Ghislain shrugged.
"Well, I'm back safe and sound, so no need to worry. Sorry for the trouble."
The knight stepped forward, his expression still heavy.
"We're here to place you under arrest, young lord."
The mercenaries gasped in shock, unaware that Ghislain had defied the lord's orders by venturing into the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
However, Ghislain and Gillian, having anticipated this, appeared calm.
The knight's voice took on a more menacing tone.
"By order of the lord. If you cooperate, you won't be harmed."
Hearing the implicit threat, Ghislain replied playfully.
"I'm a bit busy right now, and still pretty banged up."
"You still refuse to understand. If you resist, we'll take you by force."
Swoosh.
The knight drew his sword, glaring with contempt.
Authorized to use force, he hoped to provoke resistance as an excuse to beat Ghislain severely.
'If he weren't the young lord, I'd have killed him long ago. He is lucky to survive the Forest of Demonic Beasts. Go on, resist, please.'
The knight raised his sword, aiming it at Ghislain with a smug look.
"Come on, resist like you usually do. I'd love to teach you a lesson. How about breaking a leg? Or maybe an arm?"
His words were shockingly disrespectful, blatantly trying to provoke Ghislain.
'I'll grind him into the dirt so he never dares act up again.'
The knight took a step forward, savoring the thought—when suddenly…
Clang! Clink!
All the mercenaries drew their weapons, surrounding the knights and soldiers.
"What… what's this?"
The knight, taken aback, glanced around as the mercenaries closed in, eyes gleaming with deadly intent.
Having survived countless brushes with death, the mercenaries radiated a terrifyingly sharp and deadly aura.
The soldiers, feeling the oppressive energy, turned pale and stepped back in fear.
"W-What are you doing?"
The knight was stunned.
When acting on the lord's orders, mercenaries usually wouldn't dare to resist; they would simply back down.
Because of this, the knight hadn't paid any attention to the mercenaries surrounding Ghislain, dismissing them entirely.
He never expected them to openly display such hostility.
"I am a knight acting under the lord's orders! Do you think you'll get away with this?"
He shouted, waving his sword in all directions.
Yet his threats were met with laughter from all around.
"Heh, that's only valid back in the estate."
"We're at the edge, but this is still the Forest of Demonic Beasts."
"Is there any proof we killed you? I doubt anyone would even come looking."
"If we scatter your bodies throughout the forest, the monsters will take care of the rest. They won't even find a trace."
Rattled by the menacing words, the knight looked desperately to Ghislain.
Even if he could use all his mana, he didn't have the confidence to handle this many mercenaries.
Each of them exuded an intimidating presence, clearly seasoned fighters.
"Y-Young lord!"
Finally, the knight called to Ghislain in a shaken voice.
But Ghislain only shrugged, feigning ignorance.
Seeing this, the mercenaries solidified their resolve.
"Hehe, we'll take care of them ourselves."
"Right, if we wipe them out, no one will know."
"Keep it simple. If no one catches us, it's all good."
"We cleared this path with our own hands, and they want to use it for free?"
The mercenaries' expressions turned deadly.
They genuinely intended to kill every knight and soldier there.
Feeling the murderous intent, the knight swallowed nervously and took a step back.
'They're insane. Every single one of them is insane.'
Even reckless men wouldn't dare to kill a knight sent by the lord.
Yet, these men seemed just as unhinged as their young lord.
The knight quickly assessed the situation.
There were about fifty mercenaries left—similar in number to his own soldiers, but he had no confidence they could win.
'I-I need to call for reinforcements…'
But the mercenaries had already positioned themselves strategically, completely surrounding his group.
Not a single soldier had a clear escape route.
'These aren't ordinary men.'
Their stance and aura showed that they were no strangers to combat.
Realizing escape was impossible, the knight turned to Ghislain and shouted in desperation.
"What is the meaning of this? Call off these mercenaries at once! Are you mad to try and kill a knight acting on the lord's orders?"
At that moment, Gillian, who had been watching, approached, holding his axe.
"You truly are a rude little punk, aren't you?"
Seeing the cold look in Gillian's eyes, the knight suddenly realized that death was right in front of him.
If he died here, they truly wouldn't find his body.
His last option was…
Thud.
"Please, young lord, spare my life!"
He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]