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The Pallor arrived at the hideout and looked around. The presence of the persistent pursuer could no longer be felt.

Feeling relieved that he had finally shaken off the pursuer, the Pallor began to clear the stones blocking the entrance to the hideout.

Thinking he could now safely eat and recover his strength, his pace in clearing the stones quickened.

Focused on his task, Pallor unknowingly loosened the tentacle covering Gordon’s mouth.

Gordon didn’t miss the opportunity.

“Over here!!”

It was the loudest shout he had ever made in his life.

Graaah!

Startled, Pallor wrapped his tentacle around Gordon’s neck and lifted him into the air.

Though Gordon’s breath was cut off, he clenched his eyes shut and screamed again.

“I said, over here!!!”

Graaah!

Infuriated, Pallor slammed Gordon to the ground.

It was certain that the pursuer would hear the shout and find them soon. Pallor decided he had no choice but to devour Gordon and hide.

Pallor raised his scythe-like arm high.

“Ugh…”

Gordon sat on the ground, eyes closed.

The fear of death washed over him, leaving him unable to scream anymore. He felt the warmth spreading between his legs.

Shiiik!

Just as Pallor’s scythe was about to strike Gordon’s head, something flashed through the dark forest and flew toward him.

Thwack!

Belinda’s dagger embedded itself in Pallor’s arm.

Due to the poison coating the blade, Pallor’s pale skin began to char and turn black.

Graaah!

Pallor let out a scream of agony, but it didn’t last long.

Pook!

Ghislaine’s sword flew in right after and pierced Pallor’s head.

Crack!

And soon after, Gillian’s axe split Pallor’s body clean in half.

“I-I’m alive!”

Seeing the three people standing before him, Gordon shouted in relief.

Tearing a ‘Light’ scroll to check Gordon’s condition, Ghislaine smiled and said, “You did well, Gordon.”

At those words, Gordon couldn’t hold back his tears any longer.

He was overwhelmed with gratitude for Ghislaine, who had risked everything to come after him and save him.

Though he knew that as a mercenary, shedding tears was something he should avoid for fear of losing muscle, he just couldn’t hold them back this time.

“Waaaah! Thank you so much! Waaah!”

As Gordon sobbed awfully, Belinda chimed in with a single comment.

“But, um, your clothes… Did you, by any chance, wet yourself?”

Gordon’s tears instantly dried up, and his face turned red as he shyly turned his head away. Belinda burst into laughter at the sight.

Meanwhile, Ghislaine inspected the poorly concealed entrance to the cave.

“So, this is their hideout, huh.”

It would be foolish to leave after coming all the way here without checking out the hideout.

The group immediately entered the cave.

Graaah!

The Pallors inside the cave let out shrieks the moment they saw them.

Judging by their torn and battered appearances, it was clear they were the ones who had fled earlier.

“I was disappointed that we couldn’t catch them all, but it looks like they gathered here. This makes things easier.”

Now that they had found the hideout, eliminating them here and now would make their journey much smoother.

With a cruel smile, Ghislaine looked around at the creatures.

“Kill them all.”

Before Ghislaine even finished speaking, Belinda and Gillian mercilessly slashed through the Pallors.

Graaah!

The weakened Pallors, who had already been fighting mercenaries, couldn’t put up much of a fight and were quickly massacred.

Even if the Pallors had been in perfect condition, Gordon was the only person in the group without mana control, so eliminating them wouldn’t have been difficult for the others.

After killing the last Pallor, which had been desperately trying to flee, Ghislaine glanced around the cave and spotted something unusual.

“What is this…?”

Belinda and Gillian also noticed the pile in the corner and looked surprised.

“Aren’t these human bones?”

As Belinda said, not only were monster bones scattered around the cave, but also what appeared to be human bones.

“These look like the remains of people who unofficially explored the Forest of Beasts,” Gillian remarked.

Ghislaine nodded in agreement.

People have attempted to explore the Forest of Beasts in the past, but that was a long time ago.

Ghislaine knew that it had been several decades since the Ferdium Estate had banned entry into the Forest of Beasts.

However, the tattered clothes and tools strewn among the bones seemed to be no older than a few years.

‘So, people have recently explored this place in secret, avoiding Ferdium’s notice…’

While he had some ideas about who might be involved, Ghislaine couldn’t be sure yet. They might have been just adventurers.

Deciding to set aside thoughts on unsolved problems for now, Ghislaine resolved to investigate later. He sealed off the cave and returned to the rest of the group.

* * *

The mercenaries, anxiously awaiting Ghislaine’s return, immediately grabbed their weapons when they sensed movement coming from the forest.

But when they saw Ghislaine emerge from between the trees, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Though they mourned the thought of Gordon’s possible death, they knew they needed Ghislaine to survive in this forest.

“The Young Lord has returned!”

With smiles of joy, the mercenaries approached Ghislaine.

Belinda and Gillian soon followed, and finally, Gordon appeared, sporting an awkward grin.

“Waaah!”

The mercenaries cheered so loudly it seemed the forest itself would shake.

“Gordon’s back! Gordon’s alive!”

“The Young Lord did it!”

Never in his mercenary life had he encountered someone like Ghislaine.

Typically, nobles and employers treated mercenaries as disposable.

There was a common expectation that mercenaries would be sacrificed whenever necessary, and even the mercenaries themselves had come to accept this as usual.

But Ghislaine’s actions went beyond shocking them—he stirred something new within their hearts.

Their employer was a person, unlike the hypocrites they were accustomed to.

“If we follow that man, we might actually make it out of here alive.”

When one mercenary muttered this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Being a good leader to mercenaries wasn’t difficult. Feed them well, pay them properly, and secure steady work.

However, to earn their genuine trust and loyalty, something more was required.

It was the ability to make decisions and lead in a way that could save their lives, even just once more.

Ghislaine fought ahead of everyone, protecting them, and he had the determination never to abandon his followers.

He had become the perfect leader they could trust and follow for the mercenaries.

“His actions so far aren’t a facade. That man is genuine.”

“Yeah. We need to repay that sincerity.”

“Who would’ve thought there’d be a noble like him?”

With their fear put to rest, the mercenaries looked at Ghislaine and recalled the mercenary creed they had momentarily forgotten under the forest’s terrifying grip.

They had regained their original mercenary mindset—living with death by their side.

But there was one man who couldn’t hide his displeased expression even as the others regained their resolve. His face twitched with annoyance.

‘Idiots, it’s just luck. How long do they think it’ll last? In the end, we’re all going to die!’

Manus, who had hidden behind the other mercenaries, pretending to fight, had survived once again.

To him, this forest wasn’t ordinary.

The monsters here were far stronger than those outside the forest—so much so that they couldn’t even be compared.

‘Are they really celebrating another victory? We’re still at the forest’s edge, and yet we’re already encountering such grotesque creatures. Who knows what else is out there!’

Until now, their employer had solved problems with his astonishing abilities, but on closer inspection, there had been more than a few close calls.

If their employer had been even slightly weaker or made a wrong decision, they would’ve all been wiped out on numerous occasions.

‘I’m not going to keep playing this dangerous gamble. You fools!’

This time had been no different. If the employer’s judgment had been off, they would all be dead.

One mistake and total annihilation would be unavoidable.

That was Manus’s view of the Forest of Beasts.

‘Damn it. If I want to make it out of here, I need to convince a few of them to join me… but looking at the situation, that seems unlikely.’

He didn’t have the courage to try to leave on his own.

Wandering monsters will always exist without a habitat, and Manus worries about how his employer might react if he decides to leave.

‘I need to find the right moment and convince a few of them to leave with me. Even if it means paying a penalty, I must get out of here.’

However, everyone was brimming with motivation—overflowing, even.

Trying to stir them up now would obviously fail. Worse, he might end up beaten to death, so it was best to stay quiet.

‘Once a few more die, they’ll get scared and snap back to reality.’

Manus endured with that expectation.

Though they were full of misplaced enthusiasm now, he believed that they’d be forced to confront the truth when danger struck again.

As daylight broke, the mercenaries finished preparing and began moving.

With the Pallors wiped out, there was no need to worry about monsters tracking them.

“This is supposed to be Pallor territory, right? There definitely seem to be fewer monsters around.”

“Yeah, and the ones we do see don’t seem to live nearby. They’re probably just roaming around looking for food.”

Monsters still appeared occasionally, but their numbers and frequency were far less than before.

“Even so, if we let our guard down, we’re dead. Just follow the employer’s orders.”

With their attitudes transformed, the mercenaries became more seasoned and sharp with each battle.

Ghislaine looked at them with a satisfied smile.

‘Nothing beats life-or-death combat. At this point, they’re better than the soldiers of the estate.’

While individual mercenaries might be stronger, the general belief was that mercenaries couldn’t stand up to a regular army in organized group warfare.

But the mercenaries under Ghislaine’s command were now moving with the discipline of a proper military unit.

‘Their mindset has definitely changed.’

The battles were still dangerous, and casualties continued to mount, but the mercenaries no longer wavered.

All they did was try their best to follow Ghislaine’s orders.

Because they trusted him, Ghislaine could now lead them more easily than before.

Kaor, watching the group move as one, couldn’t help but let out an admiring remark.

“These guys, who jumped in just for money, have completely changed. They’re moving like an actual army now. They weren’t like this before.”

“It’s all thanks to our Young Lord,” Gillian replied proudly, keeping his response short and firm. Kaor twitched his lips and turned his head away.

‘Damn it, anyone would think he’s their hidden son or something.’

Kaor’s tongue itched to respond, but he kept silent, knowing a comment would lead to an argument.

‘Am I really backing off right now? Just because I don’t want to fight that old man?’

Kaor tilted his head, puzzled by his serious expression.

It was unthinkable for the commander of the Cerberus Mercenary Corps to avoid a fight just to keep from arguing.

Kaor found himself deep in thought over this matter.

While Kaor was lost in his endless musings, the group quickly passed out of Pallor territory.