"Hmph."

Belinda snorted as she moved closer to Ghislain.

She didn’t actively attack the Dirus Ents. With the mercenaries already charging in, there was no need for her to interfere. In fact, she was more focused on keeping an eye on Ghislain, ready to pull him out of danger at any moment.

"Waaah!"

"Groooaaar!"

As the mercenaries swarmed the Dirus Ents, the monsters began to falter.

While each individual mercenary wasn’t strong, there were over a hundred of them. They swarmed each Dirus Ent, with dozens of mercenaries attacking a single one at a time.

"Groooaaar!"

The Dirus Ents, slashed at indiscriminately, started to collapse one by one, black liquid oozing from their wounds.

Boom!

"Aaaagh!"

Of course, the mercenaries weren’t unscathed. Every time a Dirus Ent swung its massive limbs, any mercenary who failed to block the blow was sent flying.

"Groooaar!"

One of the Dirus Ents, having just knocked away several mercenaries, raised its enormous foot and aimed at a fallen mercenary, preparing to stomp him flat.

"N-No! Please!"

The mercenary, seeing the massive shadow looming over him, screamed in terror. Sensing his end, he shut his eyes tight.

Thud!

Instead of the expected pain, he only heard a dull impact. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Ghislain standing before him, blocking the monster's foot with his giant sword.

"Huh, what?"

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you!"

"Groooaar!"

Creak.

The enraged Dirus Ent pressed down with all its might, causing the ground beneath Ghislain’s feet to crack as he was slowly pushed back.

"Get out of here. Now."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The mercenary quickly scrambled away, rolling to safety.

As soon as he was clear, Ghislain spun his body and withdrew his sword. The Dirus Ent’s foot slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.

Boom!

Ghislain, wasting no time, swung his sword once more.

Slash!

The sword cut clean through the Dirus Ent’s ankle.

"Groooaaar!"

The monster, howling in agony, staggered and began to topple. Ghislain relentlessly slashed at the fallen Dirus Ent, hacking it to pieces.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The mercenary who had just been saved could only watch in awe as Ghislain tore through the Dirus Ent. It was a brutal, savage style of fighting, unlike anything he had ever seen from a knight or noble.

It was rough, merciless, and terrifyingly efficient—more like the fighting style of mercenaries or bandits.

‘He's terrifying, but incredibly strong,’ the mercenary thought, utterly mesmerized by the display.

While the mercenary stood dazed, Ghislain moved on to the next target, cutting down more Dirus Ents as he moved through the battlefield.

Thanks to Ghislain’s rampage, the number of Dirus Ents dwindled quickly.

"Groooaar…"

Though it took some time, eventually, all of the Dirus Ents fell.

"We… we won!"

The mercenaries, panting and exhausted, collapsed to the ground. Yet, despite their victory, no one cheered. Instead, they sat in silence, all eyes fixed on Ghislain, who stood with his head tilted back, eyes closed.

Thud!

Ghislain stabbed his sword into the ground and turned around, causing the mercenaries to flinch.

They had been completely overwhelmed by the sheer force he had displayed. To them, Ghislain wasn’t a young noble anymore—he was a fearsome warrior.

"Hmph."

Ghislain gazed at the crowd with an unreadable expression. The mercenaries still looked stunned.

"Enjoyed the show?"

No one dared to respond. Despite being paid to fight, they had tried to run out of fear. They had mocked him as a spoiled noble, but in the end, they were the ones who had failed.

"If you can fight, but let fear get the better of you, you’ll die."

He had once said the same thing to a soldier who had panicked when they faced orcs. Just like back then, Ghislain had deliberately fought alone this time.

Whether the motivation was survival, money, or personal growth, it was crucial to fight by one’s own will.

Instilling confidence in the ability to fight—reaching the most dangerous places first—showing overwhelming strength to make the impossible possible.

That had always been Ghislain’s role.

It was why, even in his past life, mercenaries had trusted and followed him.

"From now on, anyone who tries to run will be the first to lose their head."

His icy expression and terrifying glare made the mercenaries instinctively nod in agreement.

In the suffocating atmosphere, Ghislain continued speaking.

"I can’t promise everyone will survive, but I will save as many of you as I can."

The mercenaries nodded again.

"I’ll always be at the front."

At that, Belinda scowled, but the mercenaries, their faces now set with determination, kept their eyes on Ghislain.

"Follow me with all your strength."

When he finished speaking, the mercenaries stood up, grabbing their weapons with resolved expressions.

Belinda, watching Ghislain command the mercenaries with ease, was slightly taken aback.

‘The mood changed completely in an instant.’

Recently, Ghislain had been more relaxed and playful. While this was much better than the irritable, snappish behavior he used to display, he had never acted as seriously as most other nobles.

‘Maybe the Forest of Beasts has him on edge… No, there’s something different about him.’

Now, all the mercenaries were hanging on his every word. His actions on the battlefield had impressed them so deeply that no one could dismiss him as just another young noble anymore.

But just as suddenly as Ghislain had shown that serious side, he was now helping treat the injured, patting the mercenaries on the shoulder, and cracking jokes.

‘I can’t figure him out at all. Is he developing some sort of split personality?’

After watching Ghislain for so long, even Belinda was starting to question who he truly was. It felt like he had become a completely different person overnight.

After taking some time to treat the wounded and rest, the group resumed their work.

The difference this time was that the mercenaries moved quickly and efficiently, without any of the sluggishness they had shown before.

"Collect some of that inner skin."

"Huh? Why would we take that?"

The mercenaries, unsure of Ghislain’s intentions, hesitated. What was the point of collecting the flesh of these monsters?

"We can use it to make fireproof clothing or equipment to extinguish fires."

Hearing his explanation, the mercenaries nodded in understanding, letting out murmurs of appreciation.

"Ah, yeah, it did block the heat and snuff out flames quickly."

"If we use it right, it could be really useful."

To the mercenaries, it was clear that the material could be effective for fire resistance. Creating gear that could block heat in the event of a fire would be quite practical.

As he watched the mercenaries eagerly harvesting the skin, Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.

‘This should be useful.’

According to records from his past life, the hide of the Dirus Ents could withstand up to 4th-circle fire magic. With the right application, it could yield incredible results.

Ghislain already had plans for how to use it.

"We don’t need to take everything. We can come back and collect more next time."

Since no one else ventured into this area, they could retrieve the rest when they returned to reinforce the path.

Once the mercenaries had gathered a sufficient amount of material, they piled the bodies of the Dirus Ents together and resumed clearing the path.

For the remainder of the first day, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

However, from the second day onwards, monsters began attacking them constantly.

By the third day, the mercenaries were certain—the Forest of Beasts was far beyond anything they had imagined.

"Damn it! This place is insane!"

"Why do these monsters keep coming out?"

"There’s no time to rest!"

The endless stream of monsters had thoroughly worn down the mercenaries.

They had been prepared to fight monsters, knowing they were entering the Forest of Beasts, but they had assumed it would be within reasonable limits.

"I had no idea this place would be like this…"

One of the mercenaries muttered, and the others nearby all nodded in agreement.

The monsters that lived in this forest were much larger and stronger than those found outside.

While it would take five or six mercenaries to take down a monster outside, in the forest, it required several times that number.

Not only were the monsters more powerful, but they were also grotesque in appearance, enough to unnerve anyone who laid eyes on them.

Monsters like giant man-eating plants seemed almost cute compared to the bizarre and terrifying creatures lurking in the forest.

The worst part was that the attacks never stopped.

"I just want to sleep properly for once…"

The mercenaries hadn’t had a proper rest in three days. The monsters attacked them day and night without pause.

"Heh, and we’re just at the edge of the forest. What the hell is living deep inside?"

One mercenary muttered bitterly to himself.

Although three days had passed, they hadn’t covered much distance.

Clearing the path was slow work, and the constant monster attacks kept delaying their progress.

If the edge of the forest was this dangerous, there was no telling what kind of horrors awaited deeper inside.

Now, the mercenaries understood why no one had ever attempted to pioneer this forest before. Clearing this area would require not just a territory’s resources but the backing of an entire nation.

"Still, thanks to the employer, the damage has been relatively light."

"Yeah, it’s like he isn’t scared of anything."

"How does he do it?"

Despite their exhaustion and fear, the mercenaries held out because of Ghislain.

As he had promised, Ghislain always fought at the front. Belinda and Gillian had repeatedly tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen.

Being at the front put him in the most danger, but Ghislain never hesitated. He was always the first to charge, minimizing the damage the mercenaries took.

"Sometimes, he’s scarier than the monsters. It’s like he turns into a demon when he fights."

"Still, there are a lot of us who owe him our lives. If it weren’t for him, we’d all be dead by now."

As time went on, the mercenaries began to admire Ghislain more and more.

"Maybe we really will make it out of here alive."

"As long as we follow the employer, we might just be okay."

While each mercenary had their own thoughts, they all agreed on one thing: Ghislain was doing his utmost to keep them alive.

That belief gave them the strength to keep going.

"Groooaaar!"

"Aaaagh!"

"Help me!"

Monsters like the Dirus Ents, whose habitats had been documented, could be dealt with in advance, minimizing casualties.

However, Ghislain couldn’t always be there to stop every threat.

The forest was teeming with monsters. Some wandered without specific territories, and others moved around for various reasons.

These monsters often appeared from the sides or rear, catching the group off guard.

"Hold on! I’m coming!"

Whenever that happened, Ghislain was the first to charge in and save the mercenaries.

Before long, his body was covered in cuts and bruises.

Being the first into every fight and never holding back inevitably took its toll.

"Young Master! Leave it to the mercenaries! Stop doing this! Are you insane?!"

Belinda couldn’t understand why he was acting like this.

No employer fought on the front lines like this.

Even in war, commanders stayed as safe as possible. The survival of the leader was essential to the survival of the group.

But Ghislain recklessly pushed himself to the extreme.

Every time she watched him fight, Belinda felt her heart drop.

‘Doesn’t he care about his own life?’

She had already acknowledged his skills—he was certainly impressive.

Whenever a monster appeared, he gave the best instructions for how to handle it. His judgment and command abilities were remarkable, but his insane fighting style overshadowed everything else.

As Belinda’s concern for Ghislain grew, so did the mercenaries’ dependence on him.

"The employer saved us again."

"It’s actually safer to stay near him."

"What kind of noble is he? Maybe in his past life, he was a vanguard commander or something."

"Haha, yeah, he really suits that role."

In larger mercenary groups, the most dangerous jobs were typically assigned to a vanguard unit.

What Ghislain had been doing was no different from leading a vanguard.

And considering that he had spent much of his previous life as a vanguard commander, the mercenaries weren’t wrong in their assumptions.

Every time they saw Ghislain fighting amidst the monsters, the mercenaries couldn’t help but feel strange.

At first, they had felt only awe, but as time went on, they began to trust him more.

"The employer is doing this for us."

That casual remark from one of the mercenaries made the others nod in agreement.

Mercenaries were often looked down on as one of the lowest professions, seen as nothing more than people who sold their lives for money.

But Ghislain never showed any signs of looking down on them.

He always put his own body on the line for their sake, and he acted more like one of them than a noble.

Naturally, the mercenaries found themselves drawn to him.

Of course, not everyone felt the same.

The endless battles and the powerful monsters had completely broken some mercenaries’ spirits.

One of them was Manus, a weaselly mercenary.