Just as Ghislain and Gillian prepared to head out again, Belinda came rushing in.
"Young Master! What do you mean by developing the Forest of Beasts? Rumors are already spreading that you almost caused trouble again!"
It seemed the story had spread quickly. As soon as Belinda heard the rumor, she came to find Ghislain.
"Oh, Belinda. I was planning to find you anyway, so this is perfect. I need to ask you for something."
"What is it?"
"Gather some laborers. First, we're going to set up a base near the forest. It should be big enough to accommodate about 300 people. Also, order the necessary food and materials. It's going to cost quite a bit."
Belinda blinked silently, tilting her head.
"Didn't Lord Ferdium say not to do that?"
"Yes, but I'm just going to do it secretly. Help me get things ready, will you?"
Ghislain's innocent smile was so irritating that it made her want to punch him. Belinda shouted at him.
"Why are you doing this when he told you not to? You used to cause small troubles frequently, but why has the scale suddenly gotten so big?"
She regretted ever thinking that Ghislain had grown into a bigger person. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that his troublemaking would grow in scale as well.
"Don't get too worked up. If you don't want to help, that's fine."
Ghislain shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.
"But even if you don't help, I will still proceed. If I enter the forest unprepared, I might die. Are you really not going to help?"
"Help? I'll just tell the Lord everything!"
"Ah, Homerne said that if I cause trouble again this time, he'll really lock me in the tower. If you tell Father, that's probably what'll happen, right? In that case, I'll have no choice but to run away. Who knows, maybe I'll be so angry that I'll cause even bigger trouble. Like… setting fire to the forest, for example."
"Are you insane? What if someone hears you say that?!"
Belinda was horrified, but Ghislain continued as if it were nothing.
"Well, since I can't go inside, I might as well burn it down. Wow, that would be so much fun. Should I invite Skovan and Ricardo to join in?"
"Are you threatening me? Is this a blatant threat that you're going to cause trouble?"
"It's not a threat; I'm just saying it could happen. Isn't it better to just let me go into the forest instead?"
"Aaagh! You're driving me crazy!"
Belinda protested fiercely, but after Ghislain's repeated mix of threats and pleas, she eventually seemed to give in.
"Sigh, are you really going to go through with this? There's no need to go looking for danger. The steward is watching you this time. You might actually get locked up."
"It's something that must be done. If you help, it'll be a success. Will you do it?"
Belinda had always been particularly weak when it came to Ghislain. Ever since he was young, whenever Ghislain begged, she would always give in to his requests.
Ghislain acted even more brazenly, knowing full well that she would give in again this time. Sure enough, she sighed and weakly nodded her head.
"Sigh, you've really grown… but maybe a bit too much."
"That's a compliment, right?"
"Do you think it is?"
Ghislain smiled as if he didn't hear her and changed the subject.
"Anyway, thanks in advance for getting everything ready. I'm off to recruit some mercenaries."
"Take care. It's a shame I can't go with you this time… but Gillian will be with you, so it should be fine."
With Belinda seeing them off, Ghislain and Gillian immediately left the estate.
Their destination was the Zimbar Estate, located close to the Ferdium Estate. It was home to the Cerberus Mercenary Corps, and among the surrounding territories, it had the most mercenaries.
As soon as they arrived in Zimbar, the two headed straight for the Mercenary Guild and requested that they gather mercenaries to fill their ranks.
The head of the Mercenary Guild was a man who appeared to be in his fifties. When they mentioned recruiting people for the development of the Forest of Beasts, he tilted his head and asked:
"You're planning to develop the Forest of Beasts in Ferdium Estate?"
"That's right."
"Why there?"
"Do I need to explain that in order to hire you?"
"It's unnecessary, but I'm just curious why you'd take on such a dangerous task…"
Working in the Mercenary Guild, he naturally overheard a lot of rumors. Among them were stories about the Forest of Beasts.
Many explorers had ventured into the forest, boldly claiming they would conquer it, but none ever returned. No one knew what creatures lived there, how dangerous it was, or if there were any paths. Nothing about the forest had been properly documented.
Developing such a forest was an uncertain task with no guarantee of profit. It was obvious that it would be a grueling effort.
The Ferdium Estate, which lacked financial resources, would never have even considered such an endeavor. And since there was no certainty of gaining anything from it, no other estates had suggested jointly developing the forest either.
It had been abandoned for decades, so it was only natural for the guild head to be curious when an unknown man suddenly appeared, claiming he would develop it.
"Who exactly are you, if I may ask…?"
Ghislain showed the crest of his family and spoke with authority.
"I am Ghislain Ferdium, Young lord of the Ferdium Estate."
'Damn, it's that reckless brat prince, isn't it?'
The guild head maintained a professional smile, managing not to reveal his inner thoughts thanks to the years of experience he'd accumulated.
Given his profession, he was well-versed in local rumors and naturally heard about Ghislain, the Young lord of the neighboring estate.
'What kind of trouble is he trying to cause this time, recruiting mercenaries?'
Though the guild head thought Ghislain was up to something foolish, he couldn't turn away a customer. After all, what was the job of a mercenary? Even if the employer was a fool, as long as they paid, the mercenary did as instructed.
What the job entailed and how the results turned out were up to the employer's capabilities.
The guild head stroked his beard and spoke casually.
"Understood. However, since it's a risky and unverified job, there will be an additional hazard pay. Is that acceptable?"
"That's fine. Just gather them as quickly as possible."
"Considering the number of people you need, it will take a few days."
"Try to hire individual mercenaries rather than mercenary groups if possible. If it's too difficult, you can hire groups only if they have fewer than thirty members."
"Understood. You're quite frugal."
Ghislain planned to fill the ranks mostly with individual mercenaries instead of hiring large mercenary groups. Hiring a big group would cost much more, and there was a higher risk of them betraying him as a collective in dangerous situations.
After entrusting the task of recruiting mercenaries, Ghislain casually asked the steward,
"Do you happen to know where the Cerberus Mercenary Corps is staying?"
The steward frowned as soon as he heard the question. Just hearing that name made his stomach churn with irritation.
"Cerberus… You mean that pack of mad dogs?"
"Yeah, those guys."
"Those lunatics… I mean, why are you looking for them?"
"I'm planning to hire them too."
The steward was startled and tried to dissuade Ghislain.
"Oh no, I wouldn't recommend that. How about giving up on them? Those guys are far from normal. Thanks to them, I've got a stomach ulcer already…"
"It's fine, just tell me."
Seeing that Ghislain wasn't about to change his mind, the steward grumbled to himself,
Sigh, it's a meeting of kindred spirits, I suppose.
The steward had a rough idea of what Ghislain was thinking. The Cerberus Mercenary Corps had a reputation for being cheap relative to their skill. Since the Ferdium family was notorious for being poor, he figured Ghislain wanted to save every penny possible.
However, cheap usually came with a catch.
The steward was curious to see what would happen when these troublemakers met their match, but still, he couldn't recommend them with a clear conscience.
"I've done my best to object. Don't come complaining to me later."
After emphasizing his warning several times, the steward scribbled something down on a slip of paper and handed it to Ghislain.
"They're staying here."
"Thanks. Well then, let's go meet them."
The Cerberus Mercenary Corps was a relatively famous small mercenary group in the North. It was known for its skill, but its hiring fees were lower than those of other mercenary groups because its mission success rate was low.
They caused so many problems and acted so unpredictably that it was nearly impossible for them to complete requests successfully. That's why they earned the nickname "Mad Dogs." They were more commonly referred to as the Mad Dog Corps than by their actual name.
Despite their terrible reputation, the only reason they managed to stay in business was that their individual skills were far superior to those of other mercenaries.
Even for mercenaries, they were on par with knights-in-training, and when they fought, they didn't hesitate to use any means necessary.
Knowing this, Gillian spoke to Ghislain with concern.
"My lord, do you really have to use them? Wouldn't hiring a more reliable, well-established mercenary group be better? I really don't think they're the right choice."
"We don't have enough money for that. We also have to hire workers, secure food, and gather supplies."
"But those guys have such a terrible reputation. There's a good chance they won't be properly controlled. There are even rumors that they used to be bandits."
"It's fine. They're going to be fighting monsters anyway. In fact, being rough might be better. Don't worry too much."
Seeing Ghislain's firm decision, Gillian withdrew for now. It was his duty to follow the orders of the one he served.
However, if they betrayed Ghislain or caused trouble, he resolved to kill them all himself.
A while later, Ghislain arrived at the place where the Cerberus Mercenary Corps was staying. He looked around and clicked his tongue.
"Whistle… this place is a mess."
They were camped outside the city, living in a few shabby tents. Some were gambling, and others were just lying around, sleeping. None of them seemed to have washed; their hair was wild, their clothes were yellowed, and they looked like they smelled even from a distance.
One of the mercenaries, who was lying down, noticed Ghislain and Gillian approaching. Picking his nose, he lazily asked,
"Who're you?"
Judging from their clothes, the mercenary must have recognized them as nobles, so he made a half-hearted attempt at courtesy.
"I'm here to make a request. Where's your leader?"
Still lying down, the mercenary replied as if it were too much trouble,
"The boss is busy; come back tomorrow."
"Alright."
Without further comment, Ghislain turned around and left. Due to the mercenary recruitment process, he had to wait a few days anyway, so he decided to leave for now.
The next day, Ghislain returned to the Cerberus Mercenary Corps.
"I'm here to meet the leader."
The same mercenary, who was picking his nose yesterday, chuckled and replied,
"He's busy today, too. Come back tomorrow."
"Got it. Looks like you're living quite comfortably."
Ghislain once again left without protest.
Gillian, however, was starting to boil with anger. He had caught on to what they were trying to pull.
"My lord, they're doing this on purpose. They know that you're in a tight spot if you're desperate enough to keep coming back. They're playing games to assert their dominance over the employer."
"I know. But let's just let it slide today."
Ghislain calmly soothed Gillian and returned to their lodgings.
The same thing happened the next day, and the day after that. Every time, the mercenaries sent Ghislain away with mocking smiles.
Then, on the fifth day, when Ghislain came by again, the mercenary made a circle with his fingers and said, "If you want to meet our boss, you might need to show a little sincerity… He's a busy man, after all."
Ghislain nodded and tossed him a gold coin.
The mercenary's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. He hadn't expected such a generous offering from the noble.
Greed flared in him, and he pushed his luck.
"Ahem, this might not be enough, though. Seems like you still don't understand the situation, so why don't you come back tomorrow, noble? You're a bit slow for your age."
The mercenaries watching nearby burst into laughter. They were thoroughly enjoying the sight of this young noble being toyed with.
Gillian, unable to contain his anger, started to move, but Ghislain lightly held him back and said, "As a guest, I've shown all the courtesy I can today. Tomorrow, we'll meet again. This is my last warning."
"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Bring plenty next time."
The mercenaries laughed and waved mockingly as Ghislain and Gillian left.
The next day, the mercenary greeted Ghislain with the same mocking smile and held out his hand for more money.
Ghislain nodded slightly and said, "I've shown more than enough respect. Now, let's start with a leg."
Thunk.
Gillian grinned, baring his teeth, and grabbed the mercenary by the throat.
"What…? Hey! Let go! You wanna die, you bastard?"
The mercenary swiftly pulled a dagger from his chest to stab Gillian.
Crack!
"Arghhh!"
With the sound of bones breaking, the mercenary's scream echoed loudly.