The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

“30th Chapter: Follow Me with All Your Might. (2)”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

Before Ghislaine could answer Gillian’s question, a few mercenaries chuckled and stepped ahead of the two.

“Our employer seems to have suddenly gotten scared.”

“Looks like there’s nothing here, so why did you stop?”

“Just leave this to us and relax. That’s why you hired us, right?”

They laughed at Ghislaine, swinging their axes.

There are always some people in a group who just don’t get it.

To them, Ghislaine was just a young, inexperienced rookie—a complete amateur.

They thought they could handle it just fine if they were simply given the destination, so they found it amusing that he insisted on giving instructions.

In fact, it was only the Cerberus Mercenary Group that prepared for combat after hearing Ghislaine’s words.

The other mercenaries stood by, watching to see what nonsense their employer was babbling about.

“Stop.”

As Ghislaine said coldly, the mercenaries ahead awkwardly halted their steps.

“What’s got you so worked up?”

“It doesn’t look as dangerous as the rumors say, let’s just get on with it.”

“You said it’s not that far, right?”

Even though the mercenaries grumbled, Ghislaine maintained a stern expression and continued talking.

“Slowly come back this way. You’ll die if you stay there.”

The mercenaries squinted in confusion, unable to understand what Ghislaine was saying.

But Ghislaine kept his eyes on the mercenaries, visibly tense, and raised one hand.

“Everyone, prepare for combat, you idiots. When someone talks, you should listen.”

Despite the harsh tone, the mercenaries reluctantly picked up their weapons.

They didn’t like it, but it was still their employer’s command, so they couldn’t continue to refuse.

Ghislaine slowly lowered his stance, preparing to dash out.

The mercenaries in front smirked and shook their heads.

Though they didn’t understand his sudden behavior, they had to act like they were following along since he was so tense.

“Come on, let’s go. Our employer sure is a scaredy-cat.”

Just as the mercenaries turned around while chuckling, Ghislaine noticed Gillian and Belinda looking at him with concern before suddenly stiffening and turning their heads.

Kaor cursed under his breath and drew his sword.

[We didn’t expect it to move. Completely oblivious, we stepped into the inner area, and as we ventured deeper…]

Only then did the mercenaries feel something stirring.

[They attacked us.]

The vines wrapping the trees began to swirl like a whirlwind.

And at lightning speed, they shot out toward the mercenaries at the front.

At that moment, Ghislaine’s body lunged forward.
He went out.

As a vine was about to attack a mercenary, Ghislaine’s sword moved swiftly.

Swish!

The vine that aimed to capture the mercenary was cut, and it began to ooze a sticky black liquid.

“W-what the?!”

Startled by the sudden attack, most of the party couldn’t react. They merely stood frozen, unable to comprehend the situation.

However, Ghislaine remained calm and moved quickly.

Swish!

Another vine that was flying toward a different mercenary was slashed.

But there were already dozens of vines coming at him, and Ghislaine couldn’t fend them all off alone.

“Uaaagh!”

Several mercenaries who couldn’t dodge were caught and dragged away.

Ghislaine grabbed the collars of the mercenaries he saved and threw them back toward the party before diving toward the vines.

He aimed to rescue those who were captured.

But the path was already blocked.

“Tch, too late.”

Dozens of vines surrounded him, coming from all directions.

Ghislaine tightened his grip on the sword and jumped into the air, spinning his body.

Swoosh!

The vines that had been closing in on him were all cut down.

Landing among the vine pieces, Ghislaine slid back in a half-circle.

“Young Master!”

“Your Highness!”

Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor quickly rushed toward Ghislaine.

“Snap out of it! Form up!”

As Ghislaine yelled, the dazed party members quickly readied their weapons into a combat stance.

“Uaaagh!”

“Help me!”

The captured mercenaries screamed and thrashed.

As everyone was deep in thought about what to do, the trees connected to the vines began to stir slightly.

“W-what is that?!”

Soon, the bark of a giant tree cracked open, revealing a shape resembling a distorted mouth.

The trees began to chew the mercenaries they had caught.

“Graaaah!”

Chilling sounds mixed with screams echoed through the forest. Other mercenaries, watching their companions being eaten alive, gasped in horror.

“Are the trees moving?!”

“Could it be… Ents?!”

Hearing the terrified voices of the mercenaries, Ghislaine shook his head inwardly.

Ents were guardians of the forest, more like spirits or fairies than monsters.

They loved peace and sometimes shared ancient knowledge, protecting the forest’s races.

They were definitely not grotesque beings that devoured life.

The trees that had swallowed the mercenaries whole began to stir and move again.

Two holes seemed to split open above their gruesomely gaping mouths.

Within those holes were dark eyes.

Seeing those eyes filled with malice sent shivers down the spines of the mercenaries.

[That was not an Ent. While they looked like Ents at a glance, they were sinister, rough, and disgustingly unsettling. We named them after an ancient word.]

Ghislaine murmured the name of the trees before him.

“Dirus Ent.”

[Fortunately, Count Balzac managed to fend them all off, but most of the soldiers had already suffered from the ambush. Having lost our vanguard, we had no choice but to return to the outpost.]

Even the past Ruthania Kingdom, when it initially gathered its strength to pioneer, experienced its first failure due to the Dirus Ent’s ambush, which was fatal.

[They spread wide, wrapping around the Forest of Monsters. In other words, they were akin to guardians of the Forest of Monsters. Such beings… who would be caught off guard if they did not know about them…]

Remembering that phrase, a chilling smile formed on Ghislaine’s face.
A chilling smile spread across Ghislaine’s face.

“We’ve got this!”

The reason everyone around could not sense the presence of the monsters, even though they were right in front of them, was simple.

Until they move, they are just wood, so no one suspected a thing.

Kuuooooh!

Dozens of Dirus Ents began to stir, bellowing their monstrous cries.

Thick branches intertwined like vines, coming down like arms, while roots that had been pulled from the ground intertwined to form legs.

The mercenaries’ faces turned tense at the sight.

“They, they’re moving.”

“What the heck is that? They’re not even Ents!”

“Damn it, with them right there, who would notice?”

They were similar enough to trees to blend seamlessly into the forest, deceiving everyone.

It was a monster that could exploit the weaknesses of those who were unaware.

KRAAAAH!

The Dirus Ents, now with a form that could move, glared at Ghislaine and let out a roar of fury.

Their hunting instinct was to wait until prey ventured deep in, then ambush them when they couldn’t escape, devouring them afterward.

However, if the prey sensed danger and didn’t approach, the Ents had no choice but to uproot themselves and move.

Having to exert unnecessary strength, their rage was bound to fall on Ghislaine.

KRAAAAH!

Another monstrous roar erupted from the Dirus Ents.

“First row! Raise your shields! Block the attacks with everything you’ve got!”

At Ghislaine’s command, the mercenaries at the front lifted their shields.

But their expressions looked anything but comfortable.

“Fighting those huge things?”

These creatures were just like the trees that made up the Forest of Monsters.

They were bound to be much larger than monsters living in the forest.

As the mercenaries faltered at the sight of the massive beasts, the Dirus Ents launched their vines.

Thud! Thwack!

“Uwaaaah!”

The mercenaries holding shields were knocked backwards or toppled over.

The Dirus Ents were incredibly strong matched to their size, and the mercenaries couldn’t withstand their attacks.

The mercenaries waiting behind quickly fired arrows in a panic.

Though the arrows lodged into the bodies of the Dirus Ents, they couldn’t pierce the tough bark.

“W-what do we do now?”

“They’re just trees! It’s useless unless we chop them down completely!”

As the mercenaries were thrown into disarray, Ghislaine shouted again.

“Everyone, throw the lamps!”

The weakness of wood is fire.

It was common sense everyone knew, but it was a dangerous method to use here.

“Young Master! Are you crazy? We should just run!”

“Lord! We can’t set the forest ablaze!”

Belinda and Gillian shouted in horror.

Even if they drove them back with fire, if the forest burned down it would be meaningless. In fact, it would only bring about greater danger.

Monsters losing their habitats would surge out, and the Perdium Territory, closest to the forest, would become a wreck.

That’s why past lords of Perdium had to give up on the idea of burning the forest to turn it into farmland.

But Ghislaine, unfazed, grabbed a lamp and shouted.

“It’s okay! They’ll feast on the fire! Hurry and throw them! The back row, ready fire arrows!”

Crash!

The lamp that hit a Dirus Ent shattered, spilling oil everywhere.

Seeing that, the mercenaries scrambled to pick up lamps and started throwing them like mad.

“Ah, I don’t care anymore! Just throw it!”

“Whatever happens to the forest! Our lives come first, right!? The employer told us to do it!”
“All of them.

Krooooh!

The Dirus Ents let out unpleasant howls as they wildly swung their vine-like arms.

However, the mercenaries at the forefront held their shields up with all their strength to withstand the attacks.

Realizing the vine attacks were ineffective, the Dirus Ents started to trudge slowly towards the party.

It was clear they intended to crush the mercenaries.

“Shoot!”

At that moment, Ghislaine shouted.

Fire arrows shot out towards the Dirus Ents surrounding them.

Krooooh!

Flames erupted from the bodies of the Dirus Ents, which were covered in oil.

They paused, seemingly in pain, swaying unsteadily.

Fire spread all around, and everything began to be engulfed in flames.

The Dirus Ents at the back charged through the flames, but they could not escape the ramps and fire arrows being thrown at them.

Krooooh!

The mercenaries gulped as they watched the Dirus Ents scream in agony.

“Should we just burn them all and run?”

“I’m getting out of this territory. If the forest burns down, it will become a monster paradise. This place is done for. The employer is really insane.”

“Wait, something feels off.”

Creeeeak!

As the Dirus Ents writhed in pain, hazy steam began to rise from their bodies.

“The fire… it’s going out!”

“What! Is it fire-resistant or something?”

The flames were being sucked into somewhere, and gradually extinguished.

As the fire went out, the steam filled the surroundings, obscuring their sight.

Soon after, the smoke dispersed.

Gulp.

The mercenaries swallowed hard, tense.

What soon appeared were the Dirus Ents once again, and they were in shock.

“What, what is that…?”

The sight of the Dirus Ents, with their bark burned or stripped away, revealing their inner flesh, was the epitome of grotesqueness.

Their inner flesh, entirely black, looked moist and smooth like soft pudding.

The hollow eyes and the sharp teeth visible in their mouths combined with the sleek black skin evoked disgust.

Screech.

Even more astonishing was that they stepped on and touched the embers on the ground without care.

Touching their black skin extinguished the flames effortlessly.

“The fire just…”

The mercenaries were horrified.

What had once been strong foes had now transformed into monsters impervious to fire.

“Right. That’s not just simple wood.”

Only then did the mercenaries realize what they were dealing with.

It looked like wood, but it wasn’t entirely wood.

Wrapped in a hard shell, it was a creature that moved around and hunted its prey.

[Their outer shell is no different from a sturdy wooden bark. While they are weak to fire, the soldiers’ weapons surely wouldn’t penetrate them. But their inner flesh was different. It could resist a 4th circle fire spell…].

“This is crazy. This is not a forest we should be messing with.”

“If this is the first monster we encounter, what could the others be like?”

“We need to go back. Settling this place was impossible from the start.”

The mercenaries lost their will, terrified.

On the other hand, Ghislaine smiled a knowing smile as she recalled memories.

“Their inner flesh looks very tender.”

The mercenaries stared at Ghislaine in disbelief.

With fire not even working, why was she so relaxed?

The employer was becoming more and more insane to them.”

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