Chapter 42: You’re Finally Becoming Useful. (5)
Gripped by fear, the rcenaries continued their assault even after the Blood Python was dead.
“Stop! Stop! It’s already dead!”
Only after Gillian shouted several tis did the rcenaries drop their weapons and step back.
By now, the sun had begun to set, casting a red glow over the surroundings.
The enormous snake’s corpse, pierced by hundreds of weapons, appeared even darker and redder under the sunset’s light.
Everyone fell silent at the majestic sight as if by so unspoken agreent.
After waiting for a while, the Blood Python still didn’t move. Only then could the rcenaries accept the reality.
“Ha, haha… We won… We won!”
At one rcenary’s exclamation, everyone else began to shout.
“We got it! We killed this monster!”
“Ughahaha! It’s really dead!”
They had slain a monster they had thought impossible to defeat.
No, rather, their employer had practically killed it single-handedly.
“But, is the employer alright?”
“Let’s go check!”
The rcenaries rushed over to where Ghislain lay.
Still lying down, Ghislain weakly raised his hand and spoke with difficulty.
“Ah… everyone… you did well….”
At his words, the rcenaries cheered loudly.
“He’s alive! The employer is alive!”
“Wooaaah!”
The rcenaries’ joy seed endless, having survived an unbeatable foe.
Ghislain’s remarkable feat only fueled their excitent.
“Hahaha, long live the Ghislain rcenary Corps!”
“For now, let’s just call it the Ghislain rcenary Corps!”
The rcenaries enthusiastically chanted Ghislain’s na.
Watching the rcenaries laughing and chatting under the influence of the mood, Ghislain smiled faintly.
“Simple fools…”
And with that, he lost consciousness.
* * *
Ghislain slowly opened his eyes as if waking from a deep sleep.
Next to him, Gillian, who had been watching over him, spoke in surprise.
“Young Lord, are you awake? Are you alright?”
Lying down, Ghislain gave a slight nod and asked in a cracked voice.
“Belinda?”
“Her life is not in danger. She’s taken so dicinal herbs and is resting, so you needn’t worry.”
“The rcenaries’ casualties?”
“More than half died… Still, if it weren’t for you, we’d all have been wiped out.”
“…I see.”
“But, Young Lord, please, never do that again. What’s the point of all this if you die?”
Gillian, frustrated, scolded him.
After all, what kind of employer would risk their own life instead of taking the ti to defeat the enemy, even if it ant losing all their rcenaries?
“…I understand. Gillian, you’re starting to resemble Belinda more and more.”
When Ghislain made a joke, Gillian forced a stiff smile.
Kaor approached with a sly grin and said,
“I’ve seen plenty of crazy people in my life, but none as crazy as you, Young Lord. I never would’ve imagined you’d kill that monster in such a way.”
“Hearing I’m crazy so often doesn’t exactly feel great.”
Ghislain tried to get up as he answered, but a surge of intense pain soon followed.
“Ugh!”
“Oh no, you must move carefully. Your wounds are severe.”
Gillian, startled, hurriedly supported him.
Ghislain slowly examined his own body. Bandages were wrapped around him from head to toe.
His entire body still felt numb and tingling, indicating that not all the poison had been expelled yet.
Though he could use mana to extract the remaining toxins from his body, it would take so ti for his broken bones and muscles to heal fully.
It was the first ti in this life that he had used such an overwhelming amount of mana.
He had continuously used a technique that was difficult to endure, even for a short period in his current state, until he eventually lost consciousness…
It was no surprise that his body was in complete disarray.
“Ti…”
Ghislain blankly gazed up at the sky. The sunlight was so bright it almost blinded him.
They had captured the Blood Python around sunset, but now the sun was high in the sky.
It seed he had been unconscious for longer than he thought.
At that mont, the rcenaries, having noticed that Ghislain had woken up, rushed over in a crowd.
“The boss is finally awake!”
“Boss, are you alright?”
“Oh, I knew you’d pull through!”
The rcenaries couldn’t hide their joy and continued chattering around Ghislain without pause.
Ghislain looked at each of them one by one.
Unlike when he first t them, their faces now brimd confidently and easily.
And the trust that radiated from their eyes.
Having gone through life-threatening battles together, the bond between Ghislain and the rcenaries had grown unbelievably strong.
What had started as a re contract had now evolved into a relationship where they were willing to risk their lives for each other.
“It reminds of the old days.”
Feeling a sense of nostalgia, Ghislain couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“Rest for another day, take it easy, and tend to your injuries. There won’t be any more monsters appearing.”
The rcenaries were a bit skeptical but trusted Ghislain, so they rested comfortably.
Surprisingly, not a single monster appeared during their break.
Thanks to that, the group fully recovered their strength and set off in good condition.
After traveling for a while, Ghislain glanced around and spoke to the rcenaries.
“We’re almost there. It’s just ahead.”
The rcenaries, unable to hide their anticipation, began chatting excitedly.
“Do you really think there’s sothing valuable?”
“Maybe it’s gold or silver.”
“Well, we’re finally getting there, at least.”
With hearts filled with excitent, they all busily moved toward their final goal.
But soon after, the sight that unfolded before them left everyone speechless.
“This, this is…”
“Is this for real?”
“It’s… incredible!”
The rcenaries, one by one, widened their eyes in astonishnt.
Gillian, unable to hide his trembling gaze, looked back at Ghislain.
“M-my lord. There really was sothing valuable here. This, this is…”
Facing the stamring Gillian, Ghislain smiled and replied.
“Yes, it’s a very expensive treasure.”
Before their eyes, shards of crystal attached to the rocks glowed with a faint blue light scattered all over the place.
While each shard emitted only a dim light, the sheer number of them lit up the dark forest together.
Only one kind of crystal in the entire world emitted its own light.
It was a mineral known as Runestone.
Runestones contained magical power and were used to create magical tools or barriers. For any mage, they were an object of obsession.
Moreover, the locations where Runestones could be harvested were scarce, and the quantity available was extrely limited, making their value astronomical.
And now, this place was littered with Runestones as if they were re pebbles.
“Wowww!”
“This is incredible! They’re all Runestones!”
“H-how much is this even worth?”
The rcenaries, overwheld with excitent, couldn’t contain themselves. Ghislain, too, couldn’t hide his astonishnt.
‘There are far more than I heard about in my previous life.’
The feeling of seeing it in person was completely different from rely reading about it in the records.
Looking at the vast array of Runestones before him filled him with so much joy that he montarily forgot about all his hardships.
The rcenaries, after their initial excitent, turned to Ghislain in amazent.
“There really was sothing valuable here, wasn’t there?”
“How in the world did you know about this?”
“What we did wasn’t so crazy after all!”
The rcenaries could hardly calm down from their excitent.
No one could remain composed before such an overwhelming sight filled with Runestones.
Ghislain, observing the rcenaries, spoke.
“Everyone, you’ve done well. We made it here thanks to your efforts.”
The rcenaries all bowed their heads solemnly, their expressions becoming serious.
On their way here, many had died, and those who survived had fought battles that pushed them beyond their limits.
The sense of accomplishnt was overwhelming after enduring such imnse suffering and finally reaching their destination.
Ghislain looked around at the rcenaries once more and continued.
“Since we’ve arrived safely, I’ll give you all an additional reward. I’ll pay you three tis the original fee. For the fallen, I will send the sa compensation to their families.”
“Wooohooo! That’s aweso!”
“As expected, no one shows off like the boss!”
“This is huge! Absolutely huge!”
The rcenaries cheered wildly, even throwing their weapons into the air in celebration.
After enduring extre hardship and heavy losses, they had finally arrived at their destination.
Not only were they glad to be alive, but now their pay had tripled.
Clearly, their leader knew how to reward them generously and manage them effectively.
At that mont, Gillian quietly approached Ghislain and asked in a low voice.
“My lord, you’ve already paid them a hefty sum. Is there really a need to give them even more? And sending compensation to the families of the deceased will cost a considerable amount as well.”
In this world, what employer would send condolence money to the families of fallen rcenaries?
The wages rcenaries received were supposed to account for such risks.
Once they had been paid, whether they lived or died, that was the end of the matter.
Occasionally, employers give bonuses when a mission succeeds, but offering three tis the standard pay was unheard of.
“It’s fine. If you’re going to spend it, it’s better to spend it properly. These people risked their lives and worked hard, so this level of reward is only fair,” Ghislain answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Gillian looked at Ghislain silently.
There wasn’t a hint of hesitation or regret.
‘Isn’t he worried about wasting money?’
From what Gillian had seen, Ghislain was frugal for a noble.
Most young nobles around Ghislain’s age spent lavishly due to vanity, but Ghislain had never once indulged in luxury.
At first, Gillian thought it was because Ghislain’s estate was poor, and he had no choice but to save money.
However, after observing Ghislain during the expedition to the Forest of Beasts, that didn’t seem to be the case.
When Ghislain deed sothing necessary, he spared no expense.
‘Whatever else may be said, the young lord’s capacity is certainly extraordinary.’
Since Gillian had led a rcenary corps himself, he understood well how difficult it was to reward people as generously as Ghislain did.
Thinking that his young lord had a magnanimous character, one unconstrained by money, Gillian couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Belinda, who had been asleep after taking a powerful sedative, finally woke up and took in the situation.
“Ah… So many Runestones… You really succeeded… I can’t believe it…”
Her lips were cracked, and her face was haggard from the pain, but she forced a bright smile.
Ghislain looked at her lying there and smiled back.
“It’s thanks to you, Belinda. We probably wouldn’t have succeeded if you hadn’t blocked it with your body. You’re tougher than I thought. You must train a lot.”
Belinda twitched as if telling him to stop saying such nonsense.
“Ha… Please don’t do sothing like that again… Why on earth did you dive into that filthy, stinking monster’s mouth…”
“Alright, alright. In any case, it’s all over now, so you can rest easy. When we return, we’ll get you treated right away. I think the mana backlash has wrecked your insides pretty badly. Luckily, your organs didn’t rupture.”
Even though Belinda had been resting for so ti, she still couldn’t move her body properly.
Though she had survived the powerful impact, her insides had been completely wrecked as a result.
Potions and herbs weren’t very effective in restoring the disrupted mana flow. The best thing for her now was to rest until it stabilized.
“Hmph… I dodged well, that’s all… It just caught off guard… I wouldn’t have gotten hit under normal circumstances…” Even bedridden, Belinda’s pride was undiminished. Ghislain, chuckling, tucked her in with a blanket.
Cutting through the path would have been more difficult if he had left Belinda behind at the estate.
Looking back now, he was truly glad she had been with them.
“Alright. Now, get so proper rest. We’ll be heading back soon, so sleep a little longer.”
At Ghislain’s words, Belinda closed her eyes and mumbled softly.
“Don’t just eat the jerky… Get the seasoning… Make so soup…”
“I got it, I got it. Don’t worry, and just rest.”
As Ghislain reassured her, Belinda smiled faintly before drifting back to sleep.
After ensuring she was asleep, Ghislain spoke to the rcenaries.
“Alright then, let’s start printing money.”
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