That's Exactly It! (2)
They say there's no problem, so you'll make one for them?
It was an incredibly bold and creative way to solve a problem.
Ghislain, who had now completely become a bandit, muttered under his breath.
"Wouldn't it be nice if they just let us meet them when we ask politely? Why do they always make us do bad things? I'm really a pacifist, you know."
"..."
No one could say a word. Their thoughts had come to a halt for a moment.
But they couldn't just let Ghislain go like this. This wasn't something on the scale of toppling a kingdom—this was a problem on a whole other level.
Even Yulian, who was usually quiet and obedient, and typically went along with whatever Ghislain suggested, hurriedly grabbed him.
"No! You can't!"
"What can't I do?"
"You just can't!"
"I haven't even said I'm going to do it yet."
"You're going to cause trouble! You can't do that to the elves!"
If they caused a commotion in the kingdom, there were ways to manage it afterward. It would still be among humans. But messing with the elves risked starting a racial war.
Especially if the incident happened in the place where the Grand Chieftain, the leader of all elves, resided—it would be even more dangerous.
Ghislain brushed Yulian's arm off and spoke.
"Ah! I have a whole plan, okay? Just hear me out before trying to stop me!"
"Can you at least take off your mask first?"
Even the fact that he was hiding his face made Yulian uneasy. At Yulian's request, Ghislain clicked his tongue, lowered the mask slightly, and spoke.
"Listen carefully. The elves are at peace right now, right? They have no problems and nothing to desire. So, of course, they won't grant our request, right?"
They all knew that much. But even so, wasn't it wrong to create a problem from their side?
Yulian asked in a trembling voice.
"S-So, what are you planning to do?"
Ghislain continued, looking confident and unbothered.
"We'll do it the easy and fast way. I'm not trying to cause pointless trouble. We'll target only the core."
"How?"
"What we need is the Holy Stone, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll sneak into the forest and find out where the Holy Stone is located."
"And after that?"
"Then we just take it."
"Y-You're saying we should steal it?"
"Hey! Don't call it stealing! I've never stolen anything in my life!"
Dark, who had suddenly appeared beside Ghislain, chimed in loudly.
"Yeah! If we have to take from someone, we raid them! We don't sneak around and steal like cowards!"
"B-But you're literally saying you'll sneak in and take it...?"
"We're just borrowing it without saying anything."
"...We call that stealing."
Ghislain sighed, looking frustrated.
"Listen closely. If I borrow the Holy Stone without telling them, there's going to be a huge uproar. The elf army will probably storm this city."
Just imagining it was horrifying. History books might record it as the moment a racial war began—sparked by a mistake made by Yulian's mercenary group.
Ignoring the pale faces around him, Ghislain continued.
"That's when you, Yulian, step up and say you'll get the Holy Stone back. You catch me and resolve the situation!"
"...."
"And then, as compensation, you ask to borrow the Holy Stone—just for a little while!"
"...."
"How's that? Not bad, right? I think it's a great plan."
"......."
It really was a great plan—because it might trigger a full-scale war. No, more likely, Ghislain would just get caught and killed before he could pull anything off.
Come to think of it, Ghislain was always like this. His plans and operations were always insane.
The problem was that his insane plans always succeeded. So everyone just ended up going along with him.
But this time felt different. The risks, and the potential fallout, were unlike anything before.
Everyone was too overwhelmed to even argue back.
'Where did this mercenary group go wrong, exactly?'
'Maybe being branded a heretic would be better than being remembered as history's greatest villain?'
'So this is why normal life is so hard...'
As everyone sat stunned, Ghislain tried to soothe them.
"Either way, we can't go back empty-handed. We're already on bad terms with the Serana Church, right?"
Everyone wanted to say because of you, but no one voiced it aloud. Each of them owed Ghislain their life at least once.
And Ghislain himself didn't seem too concerned about the issue with the Church. He was confident he could deal with that much on his own.
He had a reason—completely unrelated to the Church—why he had to get the Holy Stone, no matter what.
'We need to find out if the Holy Stone is related to Deneb's awakening. That will determine our next move.'
No matter how strong Yulian, Kyle, and Astion became, if Deneb didn't awaken, it would all be meaningless. Without the "Saintess," humanity couldn't win the war against the Demon Realm.
The key to saving humanity hinged on whether Deneb and Yulian could awaken.
And the Holy Stone could be the clue they needed. Ghislain had to verify that—even if it meant stealing it by force.
But Yulian, unaware of Ghislain's motivations, could only sigh.
"Making peace with the Church is something we talk about if we succeed. If you get caught stealing the Holy Stone, you might not even make it out of the forest alive. Did you forget Cylan's warning?"
"Don't worry. I'm good at fighting in forests too. I'm not afraid of any 'Wrath of Nature.'"
"Ghislain, 'natural death' doesn't mean you die in nature."
"....I didn't expect you to say something like that. You've grown a lot."
"Can't we think of another plan?"
"No matter how I look at it, this is the only way. It's dangerous, but it's worth a shot."
"Even getting into the forest won't be easy."
When talking about the elves, the mayor had also mentioned the forest.
Occasionally, greedy humans would try to invade the forest. So the elves had put up their own defenses.
They'd built watchtowers and outposts along the forest entrances to keep an eye out for intruders.
The forest was vast, and they lacked the manpower to cover it all—but they had the spirits on their side.
Spirits roamed the forest and filled the gaps in the surveillance network.
Yulian pointed this out, but Ghislain responded confidently.
"I can sneak past that level of security. And I don't have to succeed in one try. I can make multiple attempts and gradually pinpoint the location."
When Ghislain got this determined, there was no stopping him. It was better to help and ensure he succeeded.
In the end, Yulian decided to get involved too.
"So, what do we need to do?"
"I'll leave one of Dark's clones behind, so stay ready. If anything happens, I'll call you right away."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Let's find a map. It's an ancient forest, so someone must've been there before. Even a rough idea of the terrain will make things easier."
Yulian nodded. To improve their chances, they needed every piece of information they could get.
Soon, the mercenaries scattered and returned with everything they could find about the forest. Even the city's mayor offered what he had.
Since it was a restricted area for humans, no proper maps existed. But there were fragments passed down over generations.
Some were from people who accidentally entered and made it back, others from mages who secretly observed the forest and sketched it.
Some intel came from wartime interactions, and some from humans who tricked or seduced elves into revealing secrets.
Once all that was gathered, a somewhat usable map was formed.
It was a patchwork and couldn't be fully trusted—but it was better than nothing. After all, their goal was to sneak into the forest's center.
When the preparations were complete, Yulian gave a final warning.
"If you get spotted by the elves, you must not kill anyone. That would escalate everything. Just knock them out—even if it's hard."
"You don't need to worry about that part either. Didn't you all hear what the mayor said? The elves who live in the forest have no immunity to humans. Someone like me can convince them without a fight."
Pure elves easily fall for human lies and show interest in them. That's precisely why the elves who have dealt with humans are extremely wary of them.
Ghislain chuckled as he suddenly thought of the elves he knew.
'Elves of the future are already completely worn down by life.'
They lied just as well as humans and were just as sly.
Of course, even such elves were helpless against Claude's scheming.
Tightening his mask again, Ghislain spoke.
"I'll call you if I need you, so be ready to move right away."
"Got it. Don't worry about us—just go."
The dice had now been cast. All they could do was hope that Ghislain would succeed.
Shrrrrk.
Lionel, who had been silently watching until now, drew his sword and pointed it at Ghislain.
"I can't watch this any longer."
"What is it now?"
"Do you think the mission given to us by His Holiness is some kind of joke?"
"I put my heart and soul into everything I do."
"This kind of madness is unacceptable. Because of you, a war between humans and elves could break out. And the one who will bear that responsibility is His Holiness."
"Hmm, I think I've explained enough already."
"It's not enough. I will not allow you to enter the forest."
"But His Holiness said to do whatever it takes, even if it damages his honor. And I don't move around seeking permission from anyone."
"That's because he didn't know you were this insane. I'll say it again—I will not allow it."
"Your opinion doesn't matter. I'm going in now."
"Stop right there!"
As Ghislain moved, Lionel immediately swung his sword.
CLAAAANG!
Lionel's sword was blocked by Ghislain's staff. Ghislain spoke in a low voice.
"Kyle."
Kyle slowly drew his sword and asked,
"Should I kill him? I never liked him anyway."
"No, that's not how friends treat each other. Just subdue him. Help Kyle, everyone—we can't let anyone die."
Yulian also drew his sword, looking resigned. The other mercenaries picked up their weapons and surrounded Lionel.
They were used to coordinating attacks against powerful foes. Even if Lionel was a high-level knight, it was impossible to take them all on alone.
Ghislain slipped back with a smile.
"My friends here are innocent, so let's not spill unnecessary blood. Once you're exhausted, cool your head for a while."
"S-Stop! I said stop!"
Lionel tried to chase Ghislain, but had to stop when an attack came in.
CLAAANG!
Lionel's and Kyle's swords clashed with a burst of sparks.
Kyle grinned wickedly.
"Where do you think you're going? Play with me a bit first."
"You bastard..."
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their swords began to move rapidly. Unlike the anxious Lionel, Kyle remained calm and composed.
Lionel had no room to worry about Ghislain anymore. Yulian's blade had already slipped into the fray.
"Guh! You bastards!"
Lionel was shocked. The mercenaries he had dismissed were far more skilled than he'd imagined.
He hadn't been going all out, but then again, neither were they.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The three of them were evenly matched. But since Lionel was being attacked by two at once, he was inevitably being pushed back.
And the mercenaries had him surrounded. The veteran mercenaries, skilled in timing, attacked Lionel whenever they saw an opening.
Watching from a short distance, Ghislain felt reassured and withdrew. As long as Yulian and Kyle didn't let their guard down, Lionel wouldn't be able to break through.
Lionel also couldn't afford to fight to kill. He wouldn't dare murder mercenaries at full force.
"Stop! I said stop!"
Lionel kept shouting for them to stop. But no one listened.
He had never experienced anything like this before and was thrown into confusion. These people didn't operate on common sense.
"I-I said stop..."
Once Ghislain disappeared, Lionel finally let his sword fall limp. There was no point in fighting anymore.
He was so angry, he felt like he might cry. He was a noble holy knight. Everyone always listened to him and respected him.
When he said stop, people stopped. When he said go, people obeyed. That was how things always were.
He had never been ignored like this before. It was unbearably humiliating.
In the end, Lionel lowered his head and spat out the rage in his chest.
"You sons of btches... fcking lunatics... goddamn maniacs..."
It was the first time in his life that he had ever cursed.
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