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“Each one of these is practically a gold bar.”

“Is the boss about to become the richest man in the North?”

The mercenaries, excited, each commented as they began mining.

Though calling it “mining” was an exaggeration, they had to smash rocks until they were manageable and load them onto carts. A few blunt tools were enough for the job.

The detailed processing would be done at the estate, so the mercenaries didn’t need to worry.

Some of the mercenaries started whispering among themselves.

“Hey, let’s pocket a few of these.”

“Yeah, even the tiniest ones are worth a fortune.”

“No one will notice if we just grab some of the scraps.”

It was an unspoken rule among mercenaries to skim a little on jobs like this without the employer noticing.

Even though triple the usual pay was great, and they were thankful for being well taken care of, stealing a bit was a separate issue—a habit, a customary practice ingrained in them.

At that moment, Gordon shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear, proudly declaring, “I’m not taking anything! Triple the pay is more than enough for me!”

“You, you bastard!”

“Shh! Quiet! You know you’d benefit from taking some, too!”

The other mercenaries, flustered, called out to him, but Gordon confidently shouted again, “I don’t care about money at all!”

The mercenaries glanced at Gordon like he was insane and quickly moved away from him.

Watching this scene with an impressed look, Ghislain whispered to Gillian, “You need to watch out for guys like that. Mercenaries who claim they don’t care about money? They’re the craziest of them all. If they didn’t care about money, they wouldn’t be mercenaries in the first place.”

Gillian nodded and then warned the mercenaries, “If it’s discovered that anyone took even a single scrap, I’ll have their head. It’s a contract violation, so no one will have any complaints when I cut them down, right? Don’t let greed get the better of you.”

As Gillian growled, the mercenaries couldn’t hide their disappointment.

They had considered pocketing a piece or two of a runestone during the work, but because he was so strict, they had no choice but to give it up.

Then, suddenly, Gordon reached into his pants, fiddled around for a moment, and pulled out a few shards of runestone before casually tossing them on the ground.

“This bastard!”

“What the hell? When did you grab those!”

“Hey, you crazy fool!”

The other mercenaries cursed at him in disbelief while Gordon nonchalantly wiped his nose and briskly walked away.

Ghislain, watching the dumbfounded Gillian blink in surprise, whispered again, “See what I mean? Heh.”

“…Indeed.”

Gillian sighed and reiterated to the mercenaries, “If you value your life, don’t pocket a single fragment. Load everything onto the carts.”

Hearing his firm tone, the mercenaries could only smack their lips in frustration.

Having witnessed Gillian’s abilities firsthand, none of them dared to oppose or challenge him.

Still, they continued their work in good spirits.

After all, they were lucky to be alive, and with the promise of a hefty payment, they didn’t feel a strong need for any additional income.

“Come on, let’s load it up quickly.”

“Break off as much of the attached rock as you can. We need to load a lot.”

Though the mercenaries chattered, they continued working diligently, and soon, the carts were filled to the brim with runestones.

As Ghislain watched the carts being loaded, he instructed the mercenaries to leave a few of them empty.

“Why?”

“Isn’t it better to take as much as possible?”

When the mercenaries asked, Ghislain shook his head and replied, “We’re taking the Python’s corpse.”

The unexpected words left the mercenaries baffled.

“Why take that? Are you planning on eating it?”

“How are we supposed to transport something that big?”

They couldn’t understand Ghislain’s decision to prioritize the corpse over the runestones, especially considering how much money they could make from selling the runestones.

Several carts were already filled with the inner bark of the Dirus Ent, so if they wanted to carry the Blood Python’s corpse too, there wouldn’t be much room left for the runestones.

“The Blood Python’s corpse will keep other monsters from approaching. When we build roads in the future, we can scatter its blood and flesh around the area. That will keep the roads safe for months.”

Seeing the mercenaries blinking in confusion, Ghislain elaborated further.

“With no monsters approaching, we’ll be safe when we head back. The hide and scales can be used to make armor, and we can coat our weapons with its venom. The corpse has many useful purposes.”

The mercenaries, finally understanding, nodded their heads.

“Ahh…”

“That makes sense.”

“Our boss is so young, but sometimes, he talks like he’s been through everything.”

“Right? I never would have thought of that.”

Monsters are highly sensitive to the scent of other creatures. If the smell of a powerful monster like the Blood Python were in the area, others wouldn’t dare come near.

Besides, even if they used all the carts, they wouldn’t be able to take all the runestones with them.

To ensure they could return the remaining runestones safely in the future, it was a better strategy to deal with the Blood Python’s corpse now.

The mercenaries loaded several carts full of runestones and then headed to where the Blood Python’s corpse lay.

“Gillian, Kaor, create an opening so we can cut it.”

Ghislain, still not fully recovered, was unable to use his mana properly.

Thus, Gillian and Kaor had to use mana, struggling as they peeled back the serpent’s tough scales.

Once they created a gap, the mercenaries rushed in and began cutting away at the corpse with all their might.

But the creature was so massive and challenging that it took several hours just to make some progress.

All they had done was mine some runestones and carve up Blood Python’s body, but the evening was already approaching.

“We’ll rest here after finishing up and head back tomorrow,” Ghislain announced, prompting the mercenaries to hustle.

The mercenaries finished chopping up the Blood Python’s body, loading what they could onto the carts and tying everything down securely with ropes.

The creature was so enormous that they could not take it all. Despite their efforts, they barely managed to load half of the corpse onto the carts.

But Ghislain didn’t seem disappointed as he observed the work.

He planned to return soon anyway and gather the rest of the corpse later.

Before long, the carts were filled to the brim, and the mercenaries threw their hands up in celebration.

“Wooo! We’re done!”

“There’s no room for anything more.”

“We’re finally heading back!”

With all the work completed, the mercenaries could enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep for the first time in a while.

Although they maintained a watch just in case, no monsters appeared, likely due to the presence of the Blood Python’s corpse.

At dawn, the mercenaries continued clearing the path and dragged the heavy carts forward.

Since there were no horses, they had to push and pull the carts by hand, naturally slowing their pace.

The runestones were still attached to the rocks, and the size and weight of the Blood Python’s corpse were no joke, so their progress was inevitably sluggish.

Even though they covered the piled cargo with cloth, the sheer height of the load left parts of it clearly visible.

“Ugh, this is the first time I’ve had to pull a cart instead of a horse.”

“Hauling this stuff is harder than fighting.”

“Well, we’ve cleared enough of the road now, so laborers should be able to come through soon.”

Though they were happy to be on their way back, a few minor grumbles slipped out as they spent the entire day pushing the heavy carts.

Still, the return trip was much easier than the journey in. The road they had cleared earlier made the path smoother, and the Blood Python’s corpse kept monsters from attacking them.

Their slow pace meant it took an entire day.

As they spotted familiar landmarks and signs of their earlier passage, they realized they were nearing the forest’s edge.

“Hey, we’re almost there.”

“Tonight, we’re really going to sleep comfortably.”

“Come on, let’s push just a bit more.”

As everyone summoned the last of their strength to continue, a group of people emerged from outside the forest and approached them.

Once they were close enough, Ghislain recognized who they were.

“They’re soldiers from the estate.”

The knights and soldiers of the Ferdium estate approached, their expressions grim.

Ghislain nodded once and addressed the knight at the front.

“Doesn’t look like you came to greet us.”

The knight nodded in response.

“You’re alive. We were out searching for you, Young Lord. You made the path quite easy to follow.”

Ghislain shrugged.

“Well, there’s no need to search anymore since I’ve returned safely. Sorry for causing concern.”

Still wearing a heavy expression, the knight stepped forward and spoke again.

“We’re here to arrest you, Young Lord.”

At his words, the mercenaries were taken aback.

They didn’t understand the situation, unaware that Ghislain had disobeyed the lord’s orders by entering the Forest of Beasts without permission.

However, Ghislain and Gillian had anticipated this outcome, so their reactions were much calmer than the others.

With a firmer tone, the knight added, “This is by order of the lord. If you cooperate, you won’t get hurt.”

His words were laced with threat, but Ghislain merely grinned playfully.

“I’m a little busy right now. Not to mention, I’m not feeling well.”

“You still don’t understand, do you? Then we’ll have to take you by force.”

Screech.

The knight slowly unsheathed his sword, glaring at Ghislain with contempt.

Now that he had the authority, he was tempted to provoke Ghislain into resisting, using it as an excuse to beat him senseless.

‘If you weren’t the Young Lord, I would’ve killed you a long time ago. Lucky, you survived the Forest of Beasts. Please, resist me.’

The knight, who had always looked down on Ghislain, raised his sword and pointed it at him.

“Go ahead, why don’t you resist like you usually do? I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. Should I break a leg? Or maybe an arm?”

It was an outrageously disrespectful thing to say, especially to the Young Lord. The knight was intentionally provoking Ghislain.

‘I’ll beat you to a pulp so you’ll never dare act up again.’

As the knight stepped forward with those thoughts, a sudden clang rang out.

Ching! Chaang!

All the mercenaries simultaneously drew their weapons, surrounding the knight and soldiers.

“You bastards!”

The knight, startled, looked around as the mercenaries advanced with fierce, intimidating glares.

The men who had faced death multiple times now radiated an air so sharp and dangerous that the soldiers, their faces going pale, began to retreat.

“W-what is the meaning of this?!”

The knight was incredulous.

Moving under the lord’s orders, he had expected the mercenaries to retreat immediately without a word.

He hadn’t paid any attention to the mercenaries near Ghislain, believing they were irrelevant.

Never did he expect them to display hostility like this openly.

“I am a knight, acting under the lord’s command! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

The knight shouted, brandishing his sword.

But his threats were met with laughter from the mercenaries.

“Hah, that only works within the estate.”

“Even though we’re at the edge, this is still the Forest of Beasts.”

“Got any proof that we killed you? I doubt anyone would even come looking for you out of fear.”

“Just scatter your corpses around the forest. The monsters will clean up, and no one will find a trace of you.”

The knight, hearing their brutal words, turned to Ghislain in panic.

Even with his ability to wield mana, he wasn’t confident he could take on so many mercenaries, especially ones so fierce and experienced.

“Y-Young Lord!”

The knight’s voice trembled as he called out, but Ghislain merely shrugged, feigning ignorance.

Seeing this, the mercenaries became more resolute.

“Heh, let’s handle this ourselves.”

“Yeah, no one will know if we wipe them out.”

“Let’s keep it simple. As long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

“We worked hard to clear this path, and now they want to use it for free?”

The mercenaries’ killing intent began to rise.

They were seriously considering killing all the knights and soldiers present.

The knight felt the bloodthirsty atmosphere, gulped, and retreated a few steps.

‘T-they’re crazy. These bastards are all insane.’

No matter how reckless someone was, they wouldn’t dare kill a knight acting under the lord’s orders.

But these men seemed to be as unhinged as Ghislain himself.

The knight quickly scanned his surroundings, trying to think of a plan.

There were only about fifty mercenaries left.

The number was similar to the soldiers he had brought, but he was unsure they could win a fight.

‘I-I need to call for reinforcements…’

But it was too late. The mercenaries had already surrounded them, cutting off any chance of escape.

‘These guys aren’t amateurs.’

From their formation and dangerous auras, they were clearly experienced fighters.

Realizing escape was impossible, the knight turned to Ghislain, yelling desperately.

“What are you doing?! Call off the mercenaries immediately! Are you out of your mind, trying to kill a knight acting under the lord’s orders?!”

At that moment, Gillian, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward, holding an axe.

“Now that I look at you closely, you really are a disrespectful bastard, aren’t you?”

Seeing the cold look in Gillian’s eyes, the knight realized that death was closing in.

If he died here, his body would never be found.

His only option left was…

Thud.

“Young Lord, please spare me!”

He fell to his knees, begging for his life.