Chapter 24: Birds of a Feather
Just as Ghislain and Gillian prepared to head out again, Belinda ca rushing in.
“Young Master! What do you an by developing the Forest of Beasts? Rumors are already spreading that you almost caused trouble again!”
It seed the story had spread quickly. As soon as Belinda heard the rumor, she ca to find Ghislain.
“Oh, Belinda. I was planning to find you anyway, so this is perfect. I need to ask you for sothing.”
“What is it?”
“Gather so 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 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, Horne said that if I cause trouble again this ti, he’ll really lock 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 soone 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 ? 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 go into the forest instead?”
“Aaagh! You’re driving crazy!”
Belinda protested fiercely, but after Ghislain’s repeated mix of threats and pleas, she eventually seed 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 ti. You might actually get locked up.”
“It’s sothing that must be done. If you help, it’ll be a success. Will you do it?”
Belinda had always been particularly weak when it ca 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 ti. Sure enough, she sighed and weakly nodded her head.
“Sigh, you’ve really grown… but maybe a bit too much.”
“That’s a complint, 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 so rcenaries.”
“Take care. It’s a sha I can’t go with you this ti… but Gillian will be with you, so it should be fine.”
With Belinda seeing them off, Ghislain and Gillian imdiately left the estate.
Their destination was the Zimbar Estate, located close to the Ferdium Estate. It was ho to the Cerberus rcenary Corps, and among the surrounding territories, it had the most rcenaries.
As soon as they arrived in Zimbar, the two headed straight for the rcenary Guild and requested that they gather rcenaries to fill their ranks.
The head of the rcenary Guild was a man who appeared to be in his fifties. When they ntioned recruiting people for the developnt 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 rcenary 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 docunted.
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 ti, recruiting rcenaries?’
Though the guild head thought Ghislain was up to sothing foolish, he couldn’t turn away a custor. After all, what was the job of a rcenary? Even if the employer was a fool, as long as they paid, the rcenary 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 rcenaries rather than rcenary groups if possible. If it’s too difficult, you can hire groups only if they have fewer than thirty mbers.”
“Understood. You’re quite frugal.”
Ghislain planned to fill the ranks mostly with individual rcenaries instead of hiring large rcenary 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 rcenaries, Ghislain casually asked the steward,
“Do you happen to know where the Cerberus rcenary Corps is staying?”
The steward frowned as soon as he heard the question. Just hearing that na made his stomach churn with irritation.
“Cerberus… You an that pack of mad dogs?”
“Yeah, those guys.”
“Those lunatics… I an, 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 recomnd 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 .”
Seeing that Ghislain wasn’t about to change his mind, the steward grumbled to himself,
Sigh, it’s a eting of kindred spirits, I suppose.
The steward had a rough idea of what Ghislain was thinking. The Cerberus rcenary 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 ca with a catch.
The steward was curious to see what would happen when these troublemakers t their match, but still, he couldn’t recomnd them with a clear conscience.
“I’ve done my best to object. Don’t co complaining to later.”
After emphasizing his warning several tis, the steward scribbled sothing down on a slip of paper and handed it to Ghislain.
“They’re staying here.”
“Thanks. Well then, let’s go et them.”
The Cerberus rcenary Corps was a relatively famous small rcenary group in the North. It was known for its skill, but its hiring fees were lower than those of other rcenary 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 nickna “Mad Dogs.” They were more commonly referred to as the Mad Dog Corps than by their actual na.
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 rcenaries.
Even for rcenaries, they were on par with knights-in-training, and when they fought, they didn’t hesitate to use any ans 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 rcenary 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 rcenary Corps was staying. He looked around and clicked his tongue.
“Whistle… this place is a ss.”
They were camped outside the city, living in a few shabby tents. So were gambling, and others were just lying around, sleeping. None of them seed to have washed; their hair was wild, their clothes were yellowed, and they looked like they slled even from a distance.
One of the rcenaries, who was lying down, noticed Ghislain and Gillian approaching. Picking his nose, he lazily asked,
“Who’re you?”
Judging from their clothes, the rcenary 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 rcenary replied as if it were too much trouble,
“The boss is busy; co back tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Without further comnt, Ghislain turned around and left. Due to the rcenary recruitnt process, he had to wait a few days anyway, so he decided to leave for now.
The next day, Ghislain returned to the Cerberus rcenary Corps.
“I’m here to et the leader.”
The sa rcenary, who was picking his nose yesterday, chuckled and replied,
“He’s busy today, too. Co 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 gas 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 sa thing happened the next day, and the day after that. Every ti, the rcenaries sent Ghislain away with mocking smiles.
Then, on the fifth day, when Ghislain ca by again, the rcenary made a circle with his fingers and said, “If you want to et 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 rcenary’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 co back tomorrow, noble? You’re a bit slow for your age.”
The rcenaries 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 et again. This is my last warning.”
“Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Bring plenty next ti.”
The rcenaries laughed and waved mockingly as Ghislain and Gillian left.
The next day, the rcenary greeted Ghislain with the sa 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 rcenary by the throat.
“What…? Hey! Let go! You wanna die, you bastard?”
The rcenary swiftly pulled a dagger from his chest to stab Gillian.
Crack!
“Arghhh!”
With the sound of bones breaking, the rcenary’s scream echoed loudly.
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