Episode 42 Now It’s Becoming Somewhat Useful. (5)
The terrified mercenaries continued their attack even after the Blood Phyton was killed.
“Stop! Stop! I’m dead now!”
Only after Gillian shouted several times did the mercenaries put down their weapons and fall back.
Before we knew it, the sun had begun to set, and a red glow was coloring the surroundings.
The corpse of a giant snake lying there with hundreds of weapons stuck in it looked even darker and redder in the sunset.
Everyone was silent as if they had made a promise at the sight of that magnificent sight.
After waiting for a while, Blood Phyton did not move. Only then could the mercenaries accept reality.
“Ha, haha… … . I won… … . I won!”
Everyone started shouting, starting with one mercenary’s shout.
“I got it! I caught this monster!”
“Hahahaha! This guy is really dead!”
They killed a monster that they thought they could never defeat.
No, it was as if their employer had killed them all by himself.
“But is the employer okay with it?”
“Let’s go!”
Mercenaries swarmed around Giselle.
Jiselle spoke with difficulty, barely lifting her hand while lying down.
“Uh… … Everyone… … worked hard… … .”
The mercenaries cheered at the sight.
“I’m alive! My employer is alive!”
“Wow!”
The mercenaries’ cheers were endless as they survived the battle against an unbeatable enemy.
Their excitement was also fueled by Giselle’s outstanding performance.
“Hahahaha, long live the Jiselle Mercenary Corps!”
“For now, let’s just go with the Giselle Mercenary Corps!”
The mercenaries excitedly chanted Giselle’s name.
Jiselle smiled faintly as she watched the mercenaries laughing and chatting, swept up in the atmosphere.
“Simpletons… … .”
And then I lost consciousness.
* * *
Jiselle slowly opened her eyes as if waking up from sleep.
Gillian, who was watching him from the side, said in surprise.
“Your Majesty, are you of sound mind? Are you all right?”
Jiselle nodded slightly while lying down and asked in a cracking voice.
“Belinda?”
“There is no danger to his life. He is taking herbs to stabilize himself and is asleep, so don’t worry.”
“What about the mercenaries’ damage?”
“More than half of them are dead. … … But if it weren’t for you, Confucius, we would have been wiped out.”
“……okay.”
“But, Master, please do not do this again. What good will it do if you die?”
Gillian urged him, seeming frustrated.
I’d rather kill all the mercenaries than take my time and catch them. Where on earth would you find an employer willing to risk his life?
“… … I see. Gillian is starting to resemble Belinda more and more.”
When Giselle made a joke, Gillian forced the corners of her mouth to turn up.
Kaor came over and said with a big smile.
“I’ve seen a lot of crazy people in my life, but I’ve never seen anyone as crazy as Confucius. I never dreamed that you could catch that monster like that.”
“I don’t feel so good when I keep hearing people say I’m crazy.”
Jiselle tried to sit up as she answered, but was soon struck with excruciating pain.
“Ugh!”
“Oh, you have to move carefully. The wound is serious.”
Gillian supported him, surprised.
Jiselle slowly examined my body. My entire body was wrapped in bandages without fail.
Judging by the fact that his whole body was still tingling, it seemed like the poison hadn’t completely gone away.
I could use my mana to extract the bad energy inside my body, but it seemed like it would take some time for my damaged bones and muscles to recover.
This was the first time in my life that I had used this much mana.
I used a technique that would be difficult to endure even for a short time with my current physical condition, but I kept using it until I lost consciousness… … .
It was only natural that my body was a complete mess.
‘Time… … .’
Jiselle stared blankly up at the sky. The sunlight was shining down so brightly that it was blinding her eyes.
It was sunset when I caught the Blood Python, but now the sun was high in the sky.
It seemed like he had been unconscious for longer than expected.
At that moment, the mercenaries who had confirmed that Jiselle had woken up came rushing in.
“The captain has finally woken up!”
“Captain, are you okay?”
“Oh, I believed you!”
The mercenaries chattered around Jiselle without stopping, their expressions of joy not hidden.
Jiselle looked at them one by one.
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Unlike when we first met, their faces were filled with confidence and composure.
And the trust that can be felt in their eyes.
As they fought battles to the death, the bond between them and Jiselle grew incredibly strong.
Although it started out as a contractual relationship, it has now become a relationship where they risk their lives together.
‘It reminds me of old times.’
Jiselle smiled without realizing it, feeling a sense of longing.
“I’ll give you another day to rest, so get some rest and check on your injuries. The monsters won’t show up anymore.”
The mercenaries were hesitant, but they trusted Jiselle and rested comfortably.
Surprisingly, not a single monster appeared.
Thanks to this, the group was able to fully recover their physical strength and begin to move in good condition.
After moving around for a while, Jiselle looked around and spoke to the mercenaries.
“We’re almost there. It’s over here.”
The mercenaries began to chatter, unable to hide their expectant eyes.
“Is there anything that really makes money?”
“It could be something like gold or silver.”
“Anyway, we finally got there.”
Everyone moved busily towards the final goal with excited hearts.
And soon after, the sight that appeared left everyone speechless.
“This, this is… … .”
“Is this true?”
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
The mercenaries, without exception, opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Gillian looked back at Giselle, unable to hide her wavering eyes.
“Oh, Your Majesty. There really is something worthwhile. This, this is… … .”
Giselle smiled and answered, facing the stuttering Gillian.
“Yes, it is a very expensive item.”
Scattered before their eyes were shards of crystal stuck to the stone, emitting a blue light.
The light from each piece was faint, but when countless pieces came together, even the forest filled with darkness became bright.
There is only one crystal in the whole world that emits its own light.
It is a mineral called rune stone.
Runestones contain magical powers and are used to create magical tools and barriers. They are items that would make any magician dazzled.
Moreover, since there were only a few places where it could be mined and the quantity was extremely small, it was literally expensive to get.
Such runestones are scattered here like pebbles.
“Wow!”
“Wow! These are all rune stones!”
“Hey, how much is this?”
The mercenaries jumped around excitedly. Jiselle also couldn’t hide her surprised expression.
‘This is much more than I heard in my past life.’
It was definitely a different feeling from just reading the records and vaguely imagining it and seeing it in person.
When I saw the rune stones spread out before my eyes, I was filled with joy enough to forget all the hardships I had endured.
The mercenaries were talking nonsense, but then they looked back at Giselle in surprise.
“There was something that really made money, right?”
“How on earth did you know this?”
“What we did wasn’t that crazy!”
The mercenaries had a hard time calming down their excitement.
Anyone who sees this magnificent sight filled with runestones will be unable to come to their senses.
Jiselle said as she looked at the mercenaries.
“You all worked hard. Thanks to you, we were able to come this far.”
The mercenaries all bowed their heads with solemn expressions.
Many died on their way here, and those who survived fought a battle that pushed them beyond their limits.
Having reached my destination after overcoming such excruciating pain, I couldn’t help but feel a different kind of emotion.
Jiselle looked around at the mercenaries again and continued speaking.
“Since you have arrived safely, I will pay you an additional allowance. I will pay you three times the original commission fee. I will also send the same condolence money to the families of the deceased.”
“Wow! It’s hot!”
“As expected, the captain is the best at showing off his money!”
“This is totally awesome! This is awesome!”
The mercenaries shouted excitedly, even throwing down their weapons.
It is a place that we have finally arrived at after much hardship and sacrifice.
I’m glad I survived, but my allowance tripled.
Certainly their leader knew how to write and handle himself with gusto.
Then Gillian approached Giselle and asked quietly.
“Your Majesty, we have already paid a lot of compensation. Is there any need to pay more? It would cost a lot of money to pay the families of the dead.”
Where in the world is there an employer who sends condolence money to the family of a mercenary who died?
The wages received by mercenaries included an allowance for taking such risks.
Once you get the money, it’s over, whether you live or die.
Although there were some employers who occasionally gave bonuses when work was successful, three times the allowance was an absurd amount.
“It’s okay. If you’re not going to use it, then it’s okay, but if you’re going to use it, then it’s definitely better. This level of compensation is only right for those who have risked their lives and suffered.”
Jiselle answered as if it was a given.
Gillian looked at Giselle without saying a word.
There was no sign of regret at all.
‘Isn’t it a waste of money?’
The Giselle that Gillian had seen so far seemed rather frugal for a noble.
Usually, young nobles of Giselle’s age tend to spend a lot of money out of vanity, but Giselle has never indulged in extravagance.
At first, I thought that Yeongji was poor and had no choice but to be frugal.
But what I saw while exploring the Demon Forest was not like that.
Giselle spent money without sparing any expense when she felt it was necessary.
‘I don’t know about anything else, but Confucius’s talent is truly extraordinary.’
Gillian has also led a mercenary band, so he knows how difficult it is to compensate someone as generously as Giselle.
Gillian smiled happily without realizing it, thinking that her young master seemed to be a generous person who wasn’t bound by money.
Belinda, who had fallen asleep after taking a powerful calming herb, also woke up and learned of the situation.
“Ah… … . There are really that many runestones… … . You really succeeded… … . This is unbelievable… … .”
Her lips were chapped and she looked haggard from the pain, but she tried to smile brightly.
Jiselle smiled as she lay there.
“Thanks to Belinda. If you hadn’t blocked me with your body back then, I probably wouldn’t have succeeded. Your body is stronger than I thought. You must be working out hard.”
Belinda answered, her lips quivering as if to tell me not to talk nonsense.
“Ha, don’t do that again… … . Why did you go into that stinky monster’s mouth… … .”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, everything’s resolved, so you can rest easy now. Let’s start with treatment right away when we get back. I think the shock caused the mana to flow back and completely confuse his insides. At least his organs didn’t burst.”
Belinda rested for a long time, but still couldn’t move her body properly.
Although he survived the powerful impact, his insides were completely ruined in return.
Potions and herbs didn’t do much for the mana flow that was disrupted. It was best to rest until the flow stabilized.
“Huh… … I dodged it well… … . It was sudden, if it was normal I wouldn’t have been hit… … .”
Even though she was lying down, Giselle smiled and covered her with a blanket as she was still full of pride.
If we had left Belinda behind in the estate, clearing the way would have been more difficult.
Now that I think about it, I’m really glad Belinda was there.
“Okay. Now get some rest. I’ll be back soon, so get some more sleep.”
At Giselle’s words, Belinda closed her eyes and muttered softly.
“Don’t just eat the jerky… … take out the seasoning… … and make soup with it… … .”
“Okay, okay. Don’t worry and rest.”
When Jiselle nudged her, she smiled faintly and quickly fell asleep.
After making sure Belinda was asleep, Giselle looked around at the mercenaries and said.
“Okay, then let’s start copying money.”
