“That’s right! This is like printing money,” one of the mercenaries exclaimed with glee. “These crystals are worth their weight in gold,” another added. “Is the boss going to be the richest man in the north now?” The mercenaries were buzzing with excitement as they began mining the Rune Stones. Mining, in this case, just involved smashing the stones into manageable sizes and loading them onto carts. A few blunt tools were all they needed. The more delicate processing would be done back at the estate, so the mercenaries didn’t need to worry about the finer details. A few of the mercenaries huddled together, whispering among themselves. “Hey, let’s grab a few of these for ourselves.” “Yeah, even the tiniest ones are worth a fortune.” “If we just pocket a few crumbs, no one will notice.” It was an unspoken rule among mercenaries that during jobs like this, they would skim a little off the top without their employer noticing. Even though they were promised triple the pay and Ghislain treated them well, the habit of sneaking things on the side was deeply ingrained. But then, Gordon suddenly shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’m not taking anything! Triple pay is more than enough for me!” “What the hell?” one of the others muttered. “Shh! Keep it down! You’ll ruin it for all of us!” another mercenary hissed. Gordon, completely unphased, boldly declared again, “I’m not interested in money at all!” The other mercenaries exchanged bewildered glances, as if looking at a madman, before they slunk away from him. Ghislain, watching this scene with amusement, leaned over and whispered to Gillian. “Watch out for guys like him. Mercenaries who claim they don’t care about money are usually the ones who go wild when they get a taste of it. If he didn’t care about money, he wouldn’t be in this line of work.” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 Gillian nodded, then turned to the rest of the mercenaries and issued a warning. “If anyone is caught pocketing even a single shard of Rune Stone, I’ll personally take off their head. It’s a breach of contract, so you’ll have no one to blame but yourselves. Don’t get greedy.” Gillian’s growl made it clear he wasn’t joking, and the mercenaries’ excitement quickly deflated. Many of them had hoped to sneak away with a couple of Rune Stones, but after that stern warning, they knew they had to give up. Just then, Gordon reached into his pants, fiddled around for a moment, and then pulled out several pieces of Rune Stone before tossing them onto the ground. “What the hell?!” “When did you even grab those?” “Are you nuts?!” The other mercenaries shouted at him in disbelief, but Gordon just wiped his nose and strolled off without a care. Gillian blinked in shock, while Ghislain snickered and whispered, “Told you.” “...You were right,” Gillian sighed and then barked at the rest of the group. “If you want to keep your head, don’t even think about sneaking anything. Now, load everything onto the carts.” The mercenaries sighed in disappointment, but they knew better than to defy Gillian. Still, they worked with a sense of satisfaction. After all, they had survived, and they were going to be paid handsomely for their efforts. It wasn’t as if they needed the extra income that badly. “Come on, let’s load up.” “Smash the stones free and pack as much as we can.” As the mercenaries worked hard, the carts quickly filled with Rune Stone. Ghislain, watching the progress, then gave an unexpected instruction. “Leave a few of the carts empty.” “What? Why?” “We should take as much as we can, shouldn’t we?” The mercenaries questioned him, but Ghislain shook his head. “We’re taking the Blood Python’s corpse with us.” The mercenaries stared at him in confusion. “Why would we do that? You planning to eat it or something?” one of them joked. “And how are we even going to transport that huge thing?” They couldn’t understand why Ghislain would prioritize the Blood Python’s body over filling the carts with Rune Stone, which was worth a fortune. Especially since several carts were already filled with Dirus Ent hides, there wasn’t much space left for the Python’s enormous body. “If we have the Blood Python’s corpse with us, other monsters won’t approach. When we build the road later, we can scatter its blood and flesh along the path. That should keep it safe for months.” The mercenaries blinked in surprise, so Ghislain continued explaining. “With its scent, the monsters won’t come near us while we travel back. Its skin and hide can be used to make armor, and the venom can be applied to our weapons. The body is valuable in more ways than one.” The mercenaries finally understood and nodded in agreement. “Ah, that makes sense.” “He’s right.” “Our boss may be young, but sometimes he talks like someone who’s been through it all.” “I never would’ve thought of that.” Monsters were indeed sensitive to the scent of other creatures. If they caught a whiff of something as strong as a Blood Python, they’d stay far away. Even if they used all the carts, there was no way they could transport all the Rune Stone. Taking the Python’s body was a practical choice for their immediate safety. The mercenaries filled several carts with Rune Stone, then moved on to the Blood Python’s corpse. “Gillian, Kaor, clear a path through the scales so we can cut it up.” Ghislain wasn’t in any condition to use mana properly, so Gillian and Kaor took on the heavy task of peeling away the Python’s tough scales using their mana. Once they created an opening, the other mercenaries moved in and began cutting up the corpse. But the Blood Python was enormous, and its hide was incredibly tough, so it took them several hours just to carve out the sections they needed. By the time they finished mining the Rune Stone and cutting up the Blood Python, evening was upon them. “We’ll rest here tonight and head back in the morning,” Ghislain announced, and the mercenaries quickly set about preparing camp. After cutting up the Blood Python, they loaded as much of the meat, hide, and bones as they could onto the carts and secured it with ropes. Even with all their efforts, they could only take about half of the Python’s body. But Ghislain wasn’t too concerned. He planned to return and collect the rest soon enough. Once the carts were fully loaded, the mercenaries raised their hands in triumph. “Yeah, we’re done!” “We can’t fit anything else!” “Finally, we’re heading back!” With their work complete, the mercenaries enjoyed a much-needed rest. Though they still posted guards, it seemed the Blood Python’s corpse was enough to keep other monsters at bay, as none appeared during the night. When morning came, the mercenaries finished clearing the path, then began hauling the carts along the way back. Without horses, the men had to push and pull the heavy carts themselves, which significantly slowed their pace. The Rune Stone was still attached to chunks of rock, and the Blood Python’s body parts were incredibly heavy, so there wasn’t much they could do about it. Even with the carts covered by tarps, the sheer amount of material piled high was impossible to fully conceal. “Man, I’ve never hauled carts like this before.” “Moving all this stuff is harder than fighting.” “Well, we’ve cleared enough of a path that laborers should be able to come in soon.” Despite their grumbles, the mercenaries were in good spirits. The return trip was much easier than their journey in. They had already cleared most of the path, and with the Blood Python’s scent, there was no danger of a monster attack. It took them a full day of slow progress, but eventually, they neared the edge of the forest, recognizing the familiar landmarks they had left behind. “Hey, we’re almost there!” “Tonight, we’ll sleep in proper beds.” “Let’s push through the last stretch.” As they trudged onward, squeezing out the last bit of their strength, a group approached them from outside the forest. Once they got closer, Ghislain recognized who they were. “Those are the soldiers from the estate.” A group of soldiers and knights from the Perdiem estate was heading their way, their expressions grim. Ghislain nodded as they neared and addressed the knight at the front. “Looks like you’re not here to greet us.” The knight nodded stiffly. “We’ve been searching for you, my lord. It wasn’t hard to follow the path you left.” Ghislain shrugged casually. “Well, there’s no need to keep looking. I’ve returned safe and sound. Apologies if I caused any worry.” The knight’s expression didn’t change as he stepped forward. “We are here to arrest you, Lord Ghislain.” The mercenaries gasped in shock. They had no idea that Ghislain had defied the lord’s orders by entering the Forest of Beasts without permission. But Ghislain and Gillian had expected this outcome and remained unfazed. The knight’s voice grew firmer. “By the lord’s order, you must come quietly, or there will be consequences.” It was a clear threat, but Ghislain responded with a mischievous grin. “I’m a little busy right now, and I’m not feeling too great.” “You still don’t understand, do you? Then we’ll take you by force.” Screeet. The knight drew his sword slowly, glaring at Ghislain with disdain. Having received authority from the lord, he was itching for an excuse to use force. If Ghislain resisted, it would give him the perfect opportunity to beat him senseless. ‘If you weren’t the heir, I would’ve killed you already. You’re lucky to have survived the Forest of Beasts. Go on, resist. Please.’ As the knight raised his sword toward Ghislain, his thoughts dripping with malice, he took a step forward. Clang! Shhhk! Suddenly, every mercenary drew their weapons, surrounding the soldiers and knights in an instant. “What the—?!” The knight looked around, bewildered, as the mercenaries closed in, their expressions deadly. These men, who had faced death multiple times, exuded an aura of menace so sharp it sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers. The soldiers, pale-faced and trembling, instinctively took a few steps back. “What do you think you’re doing?!” the knight shouted, his voice full of disbelief. He had expected the mercenaries to fall in line, to cower at the sight of the lord’s banner. After all, who would dare oppose the estate’s authority? But instead, they had drawn their weapons and were now openly hostile. “You fools! Do you know what you’re doing? I’m acting under the lord’s orders! You’ll all be executed for this!” The knight brandished his sword wildly, trying to intimidate the mercenaries. But instead of backing down, they just laughed. “Hah, that might work back in the estate.” “But we’re in the Forest of Beasts now.” “Who’s going to find your body out here? We’ll just leave your corpses for the monsters to clean up.” The knight’s confidence wavered as he glanced at Ghislain, realizing how precarious the situation had become. Even with his sword, there was no way he could take on this many hardened mercenaries. Noticing his hesitation, one of the mercenaries sneered and added, “Go ahead, keep talking. Let’s see how well that works out for you.” The knight swallowed hard as fear crept in. ‘They’re all insane. These bastards are out of their minds.’ Normally, no one would dare to threaten a knight acting under the lord’s orders, but these mercenaries were clearly cut from a different cloth. They were just as unhinged as their leader. The knight quickly realized that fighting wasn’t an option. ‘We need reinforcements...’ But as he looked around, he saw that the mercenaries had already closed ranks, cutting off any chance of escape. They had trapped his soldiers with no way out. ‘These aren’t just any mercenaries...’ The way they moved, their posture and discipline—it was clear they were no ordinary group. These men were battle-hardened veterans. Seeing no way to win, the knight turned back to Ghislain and shouted in desperation. “Do you understand what you’re doing? Call off your mercenaries! You can’t kill a knight acting on the lord’s orders! Are you insane?!” At that moment, Gillian, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward, hefting his massive axe. “You’ve got a filthy mouth, don’t you?” The cold look in Gillian’s eyes made the knight realize how close to death he truly was. If he died here, his body would never be found. He had one option left. With a thud, the knight dropped to his knees. “Please, Lord Ghislain, spare my life!”