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When it came to the Forest of Beasts, the first thought that came to mind was mining Runestones, but the number of carts was far too many for that.

It was also strange that they were packing shovels instead of pickaxes.

“If you’re all set, let’s move out!”

But then, when had Ghislain ever taken the time to explain everything in detail?

All the mercenaries could do, as they always had, was follow behind Ghislain, who dashed out ahead.

Like the wind, they ran, and in just two days, they arrived at Ferdium.

Skovan, who guarded the Forest of Beasts, tilted his head as he saw Ghislain’s group approaching from afar.

They had come occasionally to mine Runestones, but it was the first time they had brought so many carts.

“Are you planning to sweep up everything this time?”

But his guess was quickly proven wrong.

Ghislain and the mercenaries turned their horses in a completely different direction, away from where the Runestones were located.

Skovan shouted in alarm.

“Young Lord! No, Baron! Where are you going? That’s not a road!”

The path Ghislain had originally created was now paved, with palisades erected on both sides.

But the uncharted areas were still teeming with monsters.

Skovan hurried to chase after them, but Ghislain and the mercenaries had already disappeared into the depths of the forest.

“Damn, what’s gotten into them all of a sudden?”

He scratched the back of his head and sighed. Ricardo, who was beside him, nodded in agreement.

“Seriously, why are they going in there? Maybe they found something new?”

“I have no idea. How are we supposed to understand what he’s thinking? It’s easier to just pretend we don’t know.”

Skovan clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

Whether he was aware they were grumbling about him or not, Ghislain raced like a whirlwind, heading deeper into the Forest of Beasts.

The deeper they went, the more the thick trees obstructed their path.

Without any intention of slowing down, Ghislain shouted to the mercenaries following him.

“Detach the carts!”

The mercenaries, riding their horses, immediately cut the carts loose at his command.

The now slightly freer horses quickly closed in behind Ghislain.

As they ventured further, they began to see the enormous trees encircling the outskirts of the forest—Dirus Ents.

They were monsters the group had already encountered before.

Ghislain charged directly at them, as they slyly pretended to be mere trees.

“Break through!”

“Damn it! What the hell is this all of a sudden!”

Despite their curses, the mercenaries raised their spears.

They had experienced a war with the Forest of Beasts, and thanks to their relentless training since then, they were able to respond instantly to Ghislain’s command.

The group executed a flawless charge, dodging obstacles that lay between the trees as they advanced.

Boom!

Roarrr!

The Dirus Ents let out screams, a mix of pain and shock.

Dirus Ents were monsters that attacked by ambushing prey that approached slowly.

But with Ghislain’s group charging in at high speed, spears thrust forward, the Ents had no time to react.

The momentum of the charge drove the spears deep, piercing through their tough outer bark.

Considering how, when they first entered the Forest of Beasts, the mercenaries could barely aim their weapons, this scene showed just how much they had improved.

“Heeiiing!”

But the Dirus Ents weren’t the only ones who took damage.

The mercenaries couldn’t completely absorb the shock when they drove their spears into the Ents.

With the cries of distressed horses, a few mercenaries were thrown off their mounts.

Even among those who managed to stay on their horses, quite a few had lost their weapons.

Ghislain, who had shattered the body of a Dirus Ent blocking the way, shouted loudly.

“If your horse dies, it’s 500 laps around the training grounds! Team up in groups of three to take down one!”

“No, boss! You should’ve at least warned us beforehand!”

One of the mercenaries grumbled in frustration, and Ghislain burst out laughing.

“Do enemies give you a heads-up before they attack? You’ve got to stay alert at all times!”

Boom!

Even as he spoke, Ghislain continued to demolish one Dirus Ent after another.

In the past, he had managed to take down most of the Dirus Ents on his own.

Now, with his mana reserves more than double what they used to be, there was no way these Ents could pose a threat to him.

Moreover, he had been itching to test out his newfound strength.

Ghislain even tossed aside his spear and leapt off his horse.

As soon as he activated his core to the Second Stage, his eyes glowed red.

Bang! Bang!

Roaaaar!

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

Ghislain darted around, massacring the monsters that the mercenaries had trapped in their defensive formations.

Roaar…

Before long, the last of the Dirus Ents had been brought down.

In truth, the mercenaries had managed to take down only a few; most of the heavy lifting had been done by Ghislain and Gillian…

Teaching them mana cultivation techniques could wait for later.

For now, the objective of training through live combat had been sufficiently met.

After scanning his surroundings, Ghislain spoke.

“Anyone dead?”

No one responded. It seemed there were no casualties.

“Then those whose horses died, step aside.”

About twenty mercenaries stepped out of the formation, their faces showing dismay.

Honestly, expecting them to protect their horses in the middle of such a chaotic battle was an impossible order.

But since there were still quite a few who managed to keep their horses intact, it was hard for them to complain.

“When we return to the estate, run 500 laps around the training grounds and join in the special training. For now, borrow horses from Ferdium and bring back the carts we left behind on the way. The rest of you can take a break.”

After a while, the mercenaries who had lost their horses returned, bringing back new mounts and the carts.

Ghislain assigned a cart to each mercenary and picked up a shovel for himself.

“From now on, start loading the soil around here into the carts. Keep going until they’re full.”

The mercenaries openly showed their confusion.

They had come all the way to the Forest of Beasts, fought a battle, and the spoils were… dirt?

As always, it was an incomprehensible order, but their bodies, accustomed to obedience, moved instinctively.

While watching the mercenaries shovel soil into the carts, Gillian carefully approached Ghislain and asked,

“Lord, why are we taking this soil?”

Ghislain hesitated, pondering how best to explain it, before he finally answered.

“The Forest of Beasts hasn’t been touched by human hands for a very long time. That means the soil’s fertility is still intact.”

“Is that so?”

Ghislain grabbed a handful of soil from the ground. The soil was a dark color, almost black.

“Look at this. It’s a completely different color from the soil in our estate, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t that just because it’s from a different location?”

“No, that’s not it. Since the forest has been around for ages, things like fallen leaves would have piled up over time… And when the corpses of monsters decompose, they become nutrients. It’s bound to be more fertile than land that has been farmed continuously.”

“Wow…”

Gillian let out a small exclamation.

What Ghislain was saying wasn’t exactly new.

But the fact that it was coming out of Ghislain’s mouth was surprising in itself.

He thought Ghislain was only good at fighting, so how did he know about things like this?

“This forest is brimming with life. You can tell just by looking at the size of the plants, trees, and even the monsters. If we mix this soil with the barren land, it’ll help replenish the lacking fertility. And if we have the time later, we can even set up farmlands here.”

As the two of them talked, the mercenaries approached, saying they had filled the carts with soil. They were all strong, so the task was quickly done.

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

Thud thud thud thud!

As they vanished, carts loaded with soil, Skovan and Ricardo blinked in confusion as they watched them disappear into the distance.

“It’s not like it’s expensive. Why are they hauling so much dirt?”

“Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t think about it?”

“…Right. Let’s just do that.”

* * *

As soon as Ghislain arrived back at the estate, he gathered the laborers.

“Alright, mix this with the soil in the new farmlands! Use a ratio of one part old soil to two parts new soil.”

The laborers looked bewildered.

Where had this soil suddenly come from, and why were they being told to mix it into the farmlands?

An old man cautiously asked.

“May I ask what kind of soil this is?”

“It’s very old soil. Think of it like… compost.”

At the word ‘compost’, the old man furrowed his brow with concern.

“Hmm, my lord. We’ve already tried applying fertilizer several times.”

The soil here was too rough and dry, to the point that crops simply couldn’t grow.

They had tried spreading manure on it multiple times to resolve the issue, but it hadn’t been very effective.

If they applied too much, it wouldn’t be absorbed by the soil and would just rot, so increasing the amount hadn’t been an option either.

“And… mixing in twice as much compost as soil? That’s too much.”

“No, that’s just the right amount.”

“I heard you also cast a spell to keep the ground warm and moist. If you mix this much compost in such a condition, everything will just end up rotting.”

“It’s fine. It has to be that strong so that weeds can’t grow and pests don’t come, right?”

“Well, but…”

The old man, who had been trying to convince Ghislain, sighed in frustration.

If even weeds wouldn’t grow, how were crops supposed to thrive?

Ghislain kept insisting that everything would be fine, using logic that made no sense, leaving the laborers baffled.

Most of the projects Ghislain had undertaken since coming to the estate were reasonable and necessary.

But when it came to farming, he was being particularly stubborn.

Still, it was an order from the lord, and they were paid well, so they couldn’t refuse.

“W-We’ll start the work right away.”

“Good. Make sure to mix it thoroughly and properly sow the land.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Ghislain left, everyone began working with uneasy expressions.

“Has the Chief Overseer still not surrendered? I heard the bet ends soon.”

“Maybe the curse effect wasn’t strong enough?”

The estate residents, with skeptical looks, started the sowing work.

It would be great if the food supply increased. They were grateful for the lord’s efforts, but…

Some things just weren’t meant to be.

If farming were as easy as talking about it, there wouldn’t have been people fleeing to the mountains out of desperation from starvation.

They were grateful to the lord who had been so generous, which made it even more pitiful.

It was sad to see him waste time and money on a matter of pride.

As the residents sighed deeply all over the estate, Belinda was also nervously biting her nails.

“There’s only one week left now.”

The funds and labor were running out, and the people they had painstakingly recruited were about to flee.

It was one thing if it resulted in a loss, but Ghislain facing serious embarrassment was a bigger problem.

If word spread that he lost a bet to a vassal and was forced to pay up, he wouldn’t be able to show his face in a noble society.

He had barely managed to shake off his wild, reckless image thanks to his achievements in the war.

Who knows how great of a feat he would need to accomplish to recover from a reputation as an easy target.

“Should I just kidnap that Chief Overseer? Ugh, this is driving me crazy!”

Time passed amidst everyone’s concerns, worries, anger, and sighs.

Finally, the day before the promised date arrived.

Claude let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

“As expected. I was nervous for no reason.”

Ghislain had been so confident that even Claude felt a bit tense.

But just as he predicted, nothing unusual had happened.

Once this last day was over, the bet would end.

All he had to do was take his money and leave.

During a meeting held that day in the main hall, Claude gave his final report.

“…That’s all. It’s been challenging, but I’ve enjoyed my time here. I will never forget the kindness the lord has shown Anna and me.”

Ghislain responded with a nonchalant expression.

“Isn’t it a bit early for farewells? There’s still a day left.”

“What could possibly happen in just one day? Well, I’ll make sure to pack my things and confirm everything tomorrow before I leave.”

The vassals, sensing the tension, kept their mouths shut.

Among the group of people with uneasy expressions, only Kaor was quietly chuckling.

Claude kept smiling and bid farewell to the others.

“Goodbye, everyone! I’m throwing off all the shackles and restrictions of this estate and setting off to find my happiness. I hope you all find yours, too!”

The main hall was filled with silence.

Claude, feeling elated, spread his arms wide and shouted loudly.

“Claude is free!”

Just then, a lower-ranking official who had been inspecting the farmlands rushed in, his face pale.

He stuttered as he spoke.

“T-The fields… The seeds… They’ve sprouted. H-How are they already growing? Could they be mistaken?”

“What?”

Claude turned to the official, looking like he was talking nonsense.

Ghislain stood up, a sly smile spreading across his face.

“Shall we all go and take a look?”

It was time to confirm the results of the bet.