Belinda snorted and moved closer to Ghislain.
She didn't actively attack the Dirus Ents.
There didn't seem to be any need, as the mercenaries were already rushing at them. In fact, she thought she might only get in Ghislain's way if she interfered in the fight.
She quietly remained on guard, planning to pull Ghislain out in case things became truly dangerous.
"Whoooa!"
Roaaar!
As the mercenaries charged en masse, the Dirus Ents began to be pushed back.
Each mercenary might not have been strong individually, but with over a hundred of them, their numbers made the difference.
The mercenaries swarmed the Dirus Ents, attacking each one with dozens of men simultaneously.
Roaaar!
The Dirus Ents, slashed and attacked indiscriminately, began to collapse one by one, spewing black liquid as they fell.
Boom!
"Arghhh!"
Of course, the mercenaries weren't unscathed either.
Each time a Dirus Ent swung its arm, mercenaries who failed to block properly were flung far into the distance.
Roaar!
One Dirus Ent, having thrown off the mercenaries in front of it, lifted its massive foot to stomp on a fallen mercenary.
It was planning to crush him entirely.
"No, no!"
Seeing the gigantic shadow looming over him, the mercenary screamed in terror.
Sensing his impending death, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Thunk!
The expected pain never came; instead, he heard a dull thud. The mercenary opened his eyes slightly.
In front of him stood Ghislain, holding off the Dirus Ent's foot with his massive sword.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Y-yes! Th-thank you!"
Roaaar!
Rumble.
As the enraged Dirus Ent pressed down with all its strength, Ghislain's feet were pushed back, the ground beneath him starting to cave in.
"Get out of here quickly."
"Y-yes, sir!"
The mercenary hurriedly answered and rolled away to safety.
At that exact moment, Ghislain twisted his body and withdrew his greatsword.
The Dirus Ent's foot slammed into the ground with tremendous force.
Boom!
Ghislain quickly regained his stance and swung his sword fiercely.
Slash!
His greatsword sliced through the Dirus Ent's ankle with ease.
Rooaar!
The Dirus Ent let out a painful scream and staggered, its foot now severed.
Without stopping, Ghislain relentlessly slashed at the Dirus Ent's body.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The mercenary, who had narrowly escaped thanks to Ghislain, stared in awe, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Ghislain's fighting style was unlike that of any knight or nobleman he had ever seen.
It was wild, ruthless, and disturbingly brutal.
In fact, his fighting resembled that of mercenaries or bandits rather than knights.
'S-so scary, but so strong…'
While the mercenary remained dazed, lost in admiration, Ghislain had already reduced the Dirus Ent to a pile of shredded remains and moved on to another target.
Thanks to Ghislain, who darted across the battlefield, cutting down Dirus Ents left and right, their numbers quickly dwindled.
Roooaar…
Though it took some time, eventually, all the Dirus Ents had fallen.
"W-we won!"
The mercenaries, gasping for breath, collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
However, no one cheered in the joy of victory.
Everyone remained silent, their gazes fixed on Ghislain, who stood with his eyes closed and his head slightly lifted.
Thud!
When Ghislain turned and planted his greatsword into the ground, the mercenaries flinched.
They had been overwhelmed by the sheer force of his combat prowess.
To them, Ghislain was no longer just a young noble but a fearsome warrior.
"Hmm."
Ghislain scanned the group with a stoic expression.
They still appeared dumbstruck.
"Did you all enjoy the show?"
The mercenaries lowered their heads, unable to say anything.
Despite being paid for the job, they had been so terrified that they had considered fleeing.
In this situation, even if their employer had beheaded them, they wouldn't have been able to complain.
They had mocked Ghislain, thinking he was just a young noble, but in truth, they were the ones who had fallen short.
"If you allow fear to take over when you can still fight, you'll end up dead."
He had said the same thing once, long ago, to a frightened soldier when they had encountered orcs.
Like then, Ghislain had deliberately fought alone without calling for the mercenaries.
Whether the purpose was survival, money, or personal growth, fighting out of one's own will was essential.
Instilling confidence that they could fight.
Arriving at the most dangerous spot first.
Demonstrating overwhelming strength that made the impossible possible.
That had always been his role.
It was why, in his previous life, all mercenaries had trusted him and followed his lead.
"From now on, anyone who tries to run will be the first to lose their head."
The cold expression and the terrifying look in his eyes made the mercenaries unconsciously nod in agreement.
In the suffocating atmosphere, Ghislain continued speaking.
"I can't guarantee that everyone will make it out alive, but I will save as many as possible."
The mercenaries nodded again.
"I will always stand at the front."
At these words, Belinda frowned, but the mercenaries stood rigid, their eyes fixed on Ghislain.
"Follow me with all your strength."
As soon as Ghislain finished speaking, the mercenaries, now with determined expressions, picked up their weapons and stood.
Belinda was a little surprised watching Ghislain take control of the mercenaries.
'The atmosphere completely changed all of a sudden.'
Recently, Ghislain had been acting relaxed and playful.
It was much better than his irritable attitude from before, but he had never displayed the weighty demeanor common among other nobles.
'Maybe it's the Forest of Beasts that's making him tense… He feels a bit different, though.'
Ghislain's words utterly froze the mercenaries. His performance in the battle had earned their unwavering attention.
It wasn't surprising that they were shocked. The man they had dismissed as a mere boy had suddenly taken command of the situation.
Yet, Ghislain, as if he hadn't just been so severe, was now moving around, helping with the mercenaries' treatment and patting their shoulders, cracking jokes.
'I really can't figure him out. Does he have multiple personalities or something?'
Having seen him for so long, even Belinda found it impossible to define who Ghislain was now. He had changed so suddenly one day.
After treating the wounded and briefly resting, the group resumed their work.
The only difference was that the mercenaries, who had been careless at first, were now moving swiftly and efficiently.
"Collect some of their inner bark as needed."
"Why? Why are we taking that stuff?"
The mercenaries hesitated, unable to grasp Ghislain's intention.
Why were they collecting the flesh of a monster?
"We'll use it to make fire-resistant clothing or firefighting gear," Ghislain explained.
Hearing his reasoning, the mercenaries nodded in understanding, some even letting out murmurs of admiration.
"Aha, that makes sense. It blocked the heat pretty well and put out flames quickly."
"Yeah, if we use it correctly, it could be useful."
The mercenaries realized that the material was indeed effective at extinguishing or resisting fire. Making something to block heat during a blaze would prove useful.
As Ghislain watched the mercenaries diligently strip the inner bark, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
'This will be quite useful.'
According to records from his previous life, the hide of a Dirus Ent could withstand up to a 4th-circle fire spell. Depending on how it was used, the material could yield tremendous results.
Ghislain already had plans for how he would utilize it.
"We don't need to take it all. We can come back later and gather more."
Since no one else ventured into this place, they could return for it after clearing the path.
After gathering a decent amount of the inner bark, the mercenaries piled up the Dirus Ent corpses in one spot and resumed clearing the path.
On that first day, nothing else of note occurred.
But starting from the second day, the monsters began attacking constantly.
By the third day, the mercenaries fully realized that this forest was far more of a nightmare than they had imagined.
"Damn it! This place is insane!"
"What kind of forest has an endless supply of monsters?!"
"We don't even have time to rest!"
The mercenaries were utterly fed up with the never-ending onslaught of monsters.
From the start, they knew they would have to fight monsters upon entering the Forest of Beasts. But they had expected that to be within what they considered "reasonable."
"I had no idea it would be like this…"
One of the mercenaries muttered, and the others nearby nodded in agreement.
The monsters living in this forest were far larger and stronger than the ones outside.
The kind of monster that six or so mercenaries could normally take down outside required many times that number here.
Not only were the monsters in the Forest of Beasts stronger, but they also had grotesque and bizarre appearances that left even seasoned mercenaries unsettled.
There were all kinds of outlandish creatures, to the point where a giant man-eating plant seemed almost cute by comparison.
The biggest problem, however, was that the attacks seemed to have no end.
"I just want to get some proper sleep."
For three days, the mercenaries hadn't been able to sleep properly.
This was because the monsters attacked at all hours, day and night.
"Heh, and this is just the outskirts? What the hell lives deeper inside?"
One mercenary let out a bitter laugh as he muttered to himself.
Though three days had passed, they had barely covered any distance.
Clearing the path took a long time, and the relentless battles with the monsters kept them constantly delayed.
If just the outer edges of the forest were this bad, they couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of terrifying creatures lived deeper within.
The mercenaries finally understood why no one had ever attempted to clear this forest before.
It wasn't something a single estate could handle. It would require the involvement of an entire nation.
"Still, thanks to our employer tearing through the monsters, the damage hasn't been too bad."
"Right? It's like he's not even afraid."
"How is he even able to do that?"
The mercenaries had no choice but to endure, no matter how exhausted or frightened they were, all because of Ghislain.
Just as he had declared, he always stood at the forefront of the battle.
Belinda and Gillian tried to stop him several times, but he never listened.
Since he was always at the front, it was only natural that the risk he faced was the greatest.
Still, Ghislain dashed forward whenever a monster appeared, minimizing the damage to the mercenaries.
"Sometimes, the employer is scarier than the monsters. When he fights, he's like a complete demon."
"Even so, thanks to him, countless lives have been saved. Without him, we'd all be dead by now."
As time passed, the mercenaries genuinely began to be moved by Ghislain.
"Maybe we really will make it out of here alive."
"It seems like all we need to do is follow the employer."
Even though each had different thoughts, they all agreed that Ghislain was doing his absolute best in the fight.
That was the driving force that kept the mercenaries going.
Roooar!
"Aaahhh!"
"Save me!"
Monsters like the Dirus Ent, whose habitats were documented, could be prepared for, minimizing the damage.
But Ghislain couldn't always block every danger.
This forest was teeming with monsters.
Some wandered without fixed habitats, or those that moved around for various reasons.
Such monsters would suddenly appear from the sides or even from behind, not just from the front.
"Hold on! I'll be there!"
In moments like those, Ghislain would run faster than anyone else to save the mercenaries.
Before long, his body was covered in wounds.
He fought ahead of everyone and never held back, so it was only a matter of time before this happened.
"Young Lord! Let the mercenaries handle it! Stop stepping in like this! Have you gone mad? Why are you doing this?"
Belinda couldn't understand at all.
No employer fights like this, putting themselves in harm's way.
Even in war, commanders keep themselves safe as much as possible.
The leader of a group must survive for the rest of the group to survive as well.
But Ghislain was recklessly pushing himself to the extreme.
Every time Belinda saw him like that, her heart would sink with fear.
'Does he not care about his own body?'
She had seen enough of Ghislain's skill. He was good, to the point where it was worth acknowledging.
When monsters appeared, he always found the best way to deal with them and gave out precise orders.
His judgment and command were at an incredible level, but his frantic way of fighting overshadowed everything else.
As Belinda's concerns grew, the mercenaries' dependence on Ghislain deepened.
"Once again, the employer saved us."
"It's safer to stay close to the employer."
"What kind of noble is like this? Maybe he was a charge leader in a past life or something."
"Hahaha, yeah, a charge leader suits him perfectly."
A separate charge unit is often formed in large mercenary corps to take on the most dangerous tasks.
What Ghislain had been doing so far was no different from leading such a charge unit.
In his past life, Ghislain had primarily served in charge units, so the mercenaries' words weren't wrong.
The mercenaries couldn't help but feel a strange emotion whenever they saw him rampaging among the monsters.
At first, it was just awe, but as time passed, a growing sense of trust in Ghislain began to take root.
"The employer is doing all this for us."
Everyone nodded at someone's passing remark.
Mercenaries were treated as one of the lowest professions.
The notion that they were despicable people who sold their lives for money was deeply ingrained.
However, Ghislain showed no sign of looking down on the mercenaries.
He always put his body on the line for them and was even more easygoing and bold than the mercenaries themselves.
Because of that, the mercenaries were gradually drawn to Ghislain.
Of course, not everyone felt the same.
Some had lost their fighting spirit entirely due to the relentless battles and powerful monsters.
One such individual was Manus, a mercenary with a face like a sneaky rat.