The mercenaries wore confused expressions.

The Forest of Beasts immediately made them think of harvesting runestones, but they had brought too many carts for that.

It was also strange that they had packed shovels instead of pickaxes.

“Is everyone ready? Let’s move out!”

But Ghislain never explained things in detail.

As always, the mercenaries had no choice but to follow his lead as he charged ahead. They simply had to keep up with him.

Like the wind, they rode and arrived in Ferdium after two days.

Scovan, who was guarding the outskirts of the Forest of Beasts, tilted his head in confusion when he saw Ghislain and his group approaching from a distance.

They occasionally came to collect runestones, but never with so many carts.

“Are they planning to take everything this time?”

But his guess was immediately proven wrong.

Ghislain and his mercenaries turned their horses toward a completely different direction, far from the usual runestone harvesting area.

Scovan, alarmed, shouted after them.

“My lord! Baron! Where are you going? That’s not a proper path!”

The path Ghislain had previously created was now a proper road, complete with barricades on both sides.

But the untamed areas were still swarming with monsters.

Scovan, panicked, rushed to catch up, but Ghislain and his mercenaries had already vanished into the forest.

“Damn it, what’s gotten into him?”

He scratched his head in frustration, while Ricardo, standing beside him, chimed in.

“Why is he going in that direction? Maybe he’s discovered something new?”

“I don’t know. There’s no point trying to understand that man. It’s best to just pretend we don’t see anything.”

Scovan shook his head and clicked his tongue.

Whether Ghislain was aware of their complaints or not, he galloped deeper into the Forest of Beasts.

As they ventured further in, the thick trees began to block their path.

But Ghislain didn’t slow down and instead shouted to the mercenaries following behind him.

“Cut the carts loose!”

At his command, the mercenaries immediately cut the carts loose from their horses.

With the horses freed, they caught up to Ghislain.

As they advanced deeper, the towering trees that marked the boundary of the forest’s outer regions came into view—the Dirus Ents.

Everyone was familiar with these monsters by now.

Ghislain charged straight toward the ones pretending to be ordinary trees.

“Break through!”

“Whoa, what’s happening all of a sudden?!”

Though the mercenaries cursed under their breath, they raised their spears.

Thanks to their constant training and previous experience in the war against the Forest of Beasts, they quickly responded to Ghislain’s orders.

Dodging between the trees, they executed a swift charge through the obstacles.

BOOOOM!

ROOOOAR!

The Dirus Ents let out a mixture of agonized and shocked roars.

These monsters typically attacked by ambushing slow-moving prey.

But with Ghislain and his group charging in at full speed, they had no time to react.

The spears, driven with momentum, pierced through their tough exteriors and embedded themselves deep inside.

If one were to compare this scene to when they first entered the Forest of Beasts, it was clear how much the mercenaries had improved.

NEIGH!

However, the mercenaries didn’t come out unscathed.

The impact of driving their spears into the Dirus Ents had knocked some of them off their horses.

Even those who managed to stay in the saddle had lost grip of their weapons.

As Ghislain shattered one of the Dirus Ents into pieces, he shouted, “If your horse dies, you’ll be running five hundred laps around the training grounds! Fight them three to one!”

“Captain! You could’ve given us a heads-up!” one mercenary complained in frustration.

Ghislain laughed heartily in response.

“Do your enemies give you a heads-up before they attack? You should always be on guard!”

BOOOOM!

Even as he spoke, Ghislain continued to decimate the Dirus Ents one by one.

In the past, Ghislain had single-handedly taken down most of the Dirus Ents.

Now that his mana had more than doubled, they were no match for him.

Restless after gaining new strength, Ghislain threw his spear aside and leaped off his horse.

As soon as he activated his cores to the second stage, his eyes glowed red.

BAM! BAM!

With just two punches, a Dirus Ent was split into three pieces.

Ghislain rampaged through the battlefield, slaughtering the monsters that the mercenaries had locked into defensive formations.

ROOOOAR…

Before long, the last of the Dirus Ents had fallen.

While the mercenaries had managed to take down a few, most of the kills were credited to Ghislain and Gillian.

Teaching them the mana cultivation techniques could wait for another time.

For now, the goal of training them through real combat had been achieved.

Ghislain glanced around the battlefield and asked, “Any dead?”

No one responded. It seemed there were no fatalities.

“Then, those whose horses died, step aside.”

About twenty mercenaries, all looking dejected, stepped out of formation.

Honestly, asking them to protect their horses in such chaotic battles was unreasonable.

But since many had succeeded in doing so, it was hard to protest.

“When we return to the estate, you’ll run five hundred laps around the training grounds and participate in special training. For now, go borrow some horses from Ferdium and retrieve the carts we left behind. The rest of you, take a break.”

A short while later, the mercenaries returned with horses and carts.

Ghislain handed each of them a cart and picked up a shovel himself.

“Now, start filling these carts with the soil around here. Keep shoveling until the carts are full.”

The mercenaries exchanged puzzled looks.

After coming all the way to the Forest of Beasts and fighting through monsters, was their reward really just dirt?

As usual, they didn’t understand the order, but their bodies moved reflexively, accustomed to Ghislain’s commands.

As he watched the mercenaries fill the carts, Gillian cautiously approached Ghislain and asked, “My lord, why are we collecting soil?”

Ghislain paused, thinking about how to explain it.

“The Forest of Beasts has been untouched for a long time. The soil here is still rich with life.”

“Is that so?”

Ghislain grabbed a handful of soil from the ground. It was almost black in color, indicating how fertile it was.

“See? It doesn’t even look like the soil from our territory.”

“Couldn’t that just be because it’s a different location?”

“No. This forest is old, and over the years, layers of fallen leaves and decaying monster corpses have added nutrients to the soil. It’s bound to be more fertile than land that’s been farmed continuously.”

“Hmm…”

Gillian nodded in understanding.

What Ghislain said wasn’t exactly groundbreaking knowledge, but it was surprising coming from him. Most people assumed Ghislain only excelled in combat.

“I can feel the life in this forest. Look at the size of the plants, trees, and monsters here. By mixing this soil with the soil in the reclaimed land, we’ll be able to replenish the lacking nutrients. And maybe later, we can even cultivate this place.”

While they were talking, the mercenaries had finished filling the carts with soil. Thanks to their strength, the work was done quickly.

Ghislain and the mercenaries tied the carts to their horses and left the Forest of Beasts.

Rumble!

As they disappeared into the distance with carts full of soil, Scovan and Ricardo watched them, blinking in confusion.

“Why did they take so much dirt? It’s not like it’s valuable.”

“Didn’t you say not to think about it?”

“…Let’s stick to that.”

Upon returning to the estate, Ghislain immediately gathered the workers.

“Mix this soil evenly into the new reclaimed land! The ratio should be one part new soil to two parts old soil.”

The workers looked bewildered.

Where had this new soil come from, and why were they mixing it into the reclaimed land?

An old man, hesitant, stepped forward and asked, “My lord, what kind of soil is this?”

“It’s ancient soil. Think of it like… fertilizer.”

Hearing the word “fertilizer,” the old man furrowed his brow in concern.

“Hmm… My lord, we’ve already tried using plenty of manure.”

The soil here was so dry and rough that nothing could grow in it.

They had tried spreading manure multiple times to fix the problem, but it hadn’t worked.

If they used too much manure, it wouldn’t absorb into the ground and would just rot, so increasing the amount wasn’t an option.

“And mixing in twice as much fertilizer as the existing soil? That seems like far too much.”

“No, it’s the right amount.”

“But I’ve heard you’ve already cast magic to keep the land warm and moist. If we mix in that much fertilizer, won’t the crops just rot?”

“It’ll be fine. It has to be strong enough to prevent weeds from growing and to keep pests away.”

“Well…”

The old man sighed, frustrated by Ghislain’s illogical reasoning.

If weeds couldn’t grow in such soil, how could crops?

It was baffling. The workers could only shake their heads in disbelief.

Since Ghislain had taken charge of the estate, most of his decisions had been practical and beneficial.

But when it came to farming, he seemed to have an inexplicable stubbornness.

Still, he was their lord. And since he was paying them well, they had no choice but to comply.

“Alright, we’ll start working on it immediately.”

“Good, make sure to mix it thoroughly and start planting right after.”

“Understood.”

After Ghislain left, the workers exchanged uneasy glances as they began their task.

“Has the Chief Administrator still not surrendered? The bet’s supposed to end soon.”

“Maybe our curse wasn’t strong enough.”

The estate’s people, skeptical, began planting.

They were grateful for Ghislain’s efforts and generosity. If the crops grew, it would be a blessing.

But farming wasn’t as simple as that. If it were, there wouldn’t have been people fleeing to the mountains to escape starvation.

They felt sorry for their lord, who had done so much for them but was now throwing away time and money out of pride.

The deeper their sighs grew, the more uneasy Belinda became, biting her nails in worry.

“There’s only a week left…”

Money and labor had been wasted, and the experts Ghislain had brought in were on the verge of leaving.

But that wasn’t the biggest issue. What worried Belinda the most was that Ghislain might end up humiliated.

If word got out that a nobleman had lost a bet to his vassals and been swindled out of his money, he would be a laughingstock in aristocratic society.

The reckless image he had worked so hard to shed through his achievements in battle would return, only now with the added stain of being a fool.

“How hard would it be to kidnap that Chief Administrator? Ugh, this is driving me crazy!”

Time continued to pass, filled with everyone’s fears, concerns, anger, and sighs.

Finally, the day before the bet was set to end arrived.

Claude sighed in relief, smiling to himself.

“Of course. There was nothing to worry about.”

Ghislain had acted so confident that even Claude had been a bit nervous.

But in the end, nothing had happened.

Tomorrow, the bet would be over, and Claude would collect his winnings and leave.

At the final meeting in the great hall, Claude gave his last report.

“…That’s everything. It’s been tough, but also enjoyable. I’ll never forget the kindness the lord has shown me and my sister, Anna.”

Ghislain, looking indifferent, responded, “Isn’t it a bit early for farewells? There’s still a day left.”

“What could possibly happen in a single day? But I’ll double-check tomorrow, just to be sure.”

The vassals exchanged nervous glances, none daring to speak.

The tension in the room was palpable, except for Kaor, who was chuckling to himself.

Claude, smiling broadly, said goodbye to everyone.

“Farewell, everyone! I’m finally free from this estate’s chains and burdens. I’m off to find my own happiness. I wish you all the best!”

The great hall fell into an awkward silence.

Claude, ecstatic, spread his arms wide and shouted, “Claude is free!”

At that moment, a low-ranking official who had been inspecting the reclaimed land rushed in, pale as a ghost.

He stammered as he spoke.

“Th-there are sprouts… in the fields. I-it’s growing already… how is this possible?”

“What?”

Claude turned to the official, his face contorting in disbelief.

Ghislain, a smug smile creeping across his lips, stood up.

“Shall we all go take a look?”

It was time to confirm the results of the bet.