I Heard the Gist. (1)
This time, there was no need to rush like before.
Unless the Salvation Church went all-in, there was no way they could harm the Dragon Lord.
Besides, Artherion's dwelling was in the frozen wastelands. The Salvation Church had no means to stir up trouble there.
Of course, if the so-called Prophets joined forces, it might be possible, but the risk was far too great.
Attacking elsewhere would be more beneficial, and there was no reason to send elite forces to a dragon only to lose them prematurely.
Thanks to that, Ghislain was able to move with a bit more ease than before.
"You all know our next destination, right?"
At his words, everyone nodded with tense expressions. Even the audacious Erenes was no exception.
Dragons were beings one might only see during the Great War. No one dared approach their territories lightly.
Let alone an ordinary dragon—this time, they were going to meet a Dragon Lord. Who wouldn't be nervous?
Ghislain gave a brief chuckle and continued.
"There's no need to be so scared. Just because it's a dragon doesn't mean blades don't work on them."
"......"
No one could say anything. He was already thinking about stabbing the strongest lifeform known to exist.
Where in the world did that confidence come from?
Everyone was engulfed in anxiety.
'Please, just don't provoke the dragon.'
'No matter how strong Ghislain is, fighting a dragon? That's too much.'
'Forget miracles—maybe the real miracle is that we're still alive so far?'
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Ghislain clicked his tongue.
'Should I just tell them I've already taken down Artherion?'
People already half-thought he was insane. If he said that, they'd just think he was completely insane.
Besides, with their current strength, taking down Artherion wasn't even possible. So Ghislain decided not to bring it up.
'Sigh, it's such a shame that I can't say I really did it.'
His lips itched to speak, but he held back. He even recalled something Elena once said.
— Oppa, your mouth is the problem. I'm begging you, stop saying scary stuff.
— ......What did I even say?
— Just stop with the weird talk. Don't let weird things happen again because of you.
— ....Fine.
Back then, hadn't he been blamed for a dragon appearing because of him?
Thanks to that, all kinds of wild rumors had spread. He didn't want to go through that again.
So Ghislain smacked his lips and suppressed his inner desire.
He didn't rush blindly toward their next destination.
Recently, dark mages had been causing havoc everywhere, and many villages had suffered serious damage.
Among them were remote villages that hadn't received proper support. Whenever they found one, the Yulian Mercenaries would pause their journey and offer aid.
The most common tasks were treating the sick and helping rebuild the villages.
In this era, there were countless people who couldn't get treatment even for minor illnesses.
But Deneb, whose holy power had been rapidly increasing since her Awakening, healed them with incredible ease.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The people she healed—and their families—bowed deeply to her with tearful voices.
To those who had never even seen holy power from afar in their lives, she was nothing short of a miracle.
Deneb always smiled compassionately and gave them her holy power without hesitation.
Every time, Ghislain would step forward and make sure everyone knew exactly who she was.
"This woman right here is the Saintess, sent by the Goddess to save the world!"
"Oooooooooh!"
"Spread word of the Saintess's birth far and wide! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
The people responded with unreserved cheers for Deneb.
After all, there was no reason to doubt someone who cured the sick with holy power and extended a warm hand with the kindest smile.
Deneb tried to stop Ghislain, saying it was embarrassing, but he didn't care and kept promoting her.
And it wasn't just Deneb that Ghislain promoted.
"What? Monsters showed up nearby? Then our Yulian Mercenaries will handle it!"
"What? No bread? Then eat meat! Oh, no meat either? Then our Yulian Mercenaries will go get it for you!"
"What? Your house got destroyed? Then our Yulian Mercenaries will build you a new one!"
He spread the name 'Yulian Mercenaries' so much that people started to get tired of hearing it.
The Yulian Mercenaries had already made quite a name for themselves across multiple kingdoms. But Ghislain still thought it wasn't enough.
'If we're going to spread the name, let's do it right.'
From city slums to remote villages, even to people living deep in the mountains—
He wanted everyone to know the names Yulian Mercenaries and Saintess Deneb.
Yulian and Deneb had to be supported by every human on the continent. It was an ambitious vision indeed.
So, even while continuing their journey, Ghislain constantly helped people and focused on spreading their name.
Then one day, Yulian quietly approached Ghislain and said,
"Ghislain. Did you notice?"
"Yeah. Let's leave them alone for now."
For some time now, there had been people secretly tailing them. Not many, but they seemed fairly skilled.
It was hard to say when they'd started following. They'd passed through many villages, making it difficult to pinpoint the origin.
Ghislain didn't rush.
They were still keeping their distance and were scattered in multiple directions.
Rather than act rashly, it was better to first identify who they were.
Ghislain sent Dark into the sky and dispatched Erenes's spirits to closely observe the pursuers.
'Hmm...'
Through Dark's eyes, he saw people dressed like ordinary travelers.
But they couldn't actually be random travelers heading the same way.
Their movements were stealthy and cautious—more like assassins or thieves.
Even so, he couldn't be sure they were enemies yet. Ghislain decided to wait until they came a little closer.
While on the move, the group arrived at a reasonably large village.
It, too, had clearly suffered a monster attack, as reconstruction efforts were in full swing.
"Let's stay here for a while. Help out the villagers too."
If the people tailing them really were after them, this would be the place to catch them.
Ghislain immediately went to the village chief and said,
"We're the Yulian Mercenaries. We'd like to help rebuild the village, free of charge."
"Truly?"
"Of course. But in return, we ask that you spread our name far and wide—to everyone who comes through this place."
"If you help us, that's the least we can do! Thank you so much."
The chief bowed his head and smiled broadly.
Rebuilding a village required great costs and manpower.
While the local lord provided some financial support, labor was severely lacking.
So when dozens of strong mercenaries volunteered to help, the villagers were naturally grateful.
There were nobles and groups that tried to build fame this way now and then, so the chief didn't suspect them too much.
Besides, there was nothing in the village worth stealing anyway.
"All right, let's get moving! Just do what we always do!"
From that day, the Yulian Mercenaries began helping with full-scale construction—chopping wood, hauling stones, and more.
Some went hunting, bringing back meat and hides. Deneb healed the sick, winning over everyone's hearts.
The villagers treated them with utmost hospitality.
Every meal was prepared with care, and they even did the mercenaries' laundry and chores as a way of showing thanks.
"They're called the Yulian Mercenaries, right?"
"Can't believe a mercenary band like that exists in times like these."
"And the Saintess? She healed all the sick, they say."
"It's truly the Goddess watching over us. We have to spread their names far and wide."
Just as Ghislain intended, the reputation of the Yulian Mercenaries steadily grew among common people.
Then, during this pleasant period, Ghislain spotted some new travelers entering the village.
'......Hmm.'
They were the ones who had been tailing the group.
They naturally paid the village chief and decided to stay for a few days.
But why had they suddenly approached, after keeping their distance for so long? Could it really be that their routes just happened to overlap by chance?
That was hard to believe, especially since not all of them had entered the village—some were still waiting outside.
Those who did come in were simply resting quietly, without any contact with the villagers.
'I need to watch them a bit longer.'
He still didn't know who they were or what they wanted. If he acted rashly, he might miss the bigger threat.
So Ghislain simply ordered the mercenaries to stay on guard and not let their guard down.
And so, both sides spent their time in an uneasy tension.
But Osval was different.
He never really had any thoughts in his head. So, of course, he didn't feel any tension either.
That night, after drinking some alcohol given to him by the villagers, Osval stepped outside for some fresh air.
"Phew... it's a night that stirs revolutionary urges."
He deliberately let the alcohol take hold—it just felt better that way.
Still tipsy, Osval set off on a nighttime stroll.
If he found a nice rock somewhere, he planned to carve his revolutionary ideals into it.
While wandering the village alone, he spotted a building with its lights still on.
"Hm? What's that place?"
It was probably the building they were using as a temporary inn. He remembered it, since they had helped with the construction.
Suddenly, a mischievous thought popped into Osval's head.
'If I remember right... behind that place...'
Construction was ongoing in various areas. So at night, the village women would gather in one spot to bathe.
That place was the detached annex behind the inn.
Osval quietly crept in that direction. His intentions were noble—he just wanted to make sure the village women were safe.
As he got closer, he pressed his ear against the building's wall.
"Don't you think those mercenaries are really something? You don't find people like that these days."
"Yeah, but a few of them were covering their faces. I'm curious what they look like."
"Rumor has it they're covering up because they're too handsome and pretty."
He could hear the village women chatting inside. Most of what they said were compliments about the mercenary group.
'To think we're being praised like this... this really is revolutionary.'
Feeling rather pleased, Osval started climbing the wall using the construction materials scattered on the ground—there was a small window up high.
'All for the revolution.'
He wanted to ensure the village women's safety, and, incidentally, see if any of them might be recruited as future revolutionaries.
But maybe he was in too much of a hurry—or maybe it was the alcohol.
His foot slipped off the material.
Crash!
"Whoa!"
Startled, Osval let out a shout. At the same time, a scream came from inside.
"Kyaaah! Who's there!"
"It's a pervert!"
"Someone's peeping on us!"
Osval felt revolutionarily wronged.
He hadn't even gotten a proper look yet. But a failed attempt was still an attempt—if he got caught, he'd be in serious trouble.
He quickly tried to flee the scene, but a few men staying at the inn burst outside.
"Who goes there!"
"Stop right there!"
But Osval didn't stop.
"Move out of the waaay!"
Crash!
Osval shoved the men aside with sheer force.
Ordinary village youths couldn't withstand his strength and were sent flying.
After throwing off several of them, Osval rushed back to the mercenaries' lodging.
"Huff, huff!"
"What the heck? What happened? Why are you so out of breath?"
"What were you doing out alone at night?"
Other mercenaries questioned Osval, whose face was flushed and breathing raggedly.
Flustered, Osval stammered and lied.
"R-revolution..."
"What?"
"N-no, I mean... there were some thugs bothering the village women, so I taught them a lesson."
"Oh, nothing serious then."
The mercenaries didn't think much of it.
They'd already dealt with plenty of gangs and crime rings on their journey.
Of course, all of it had been done free of charge. That was one of the reasons the Yulian Mercenaries had become so well-known.
The mercenaries let it go, but the villagers didn't.
Rumors of a "shadow lurking near the bathhouse" spread quickly among the townspeople. The problem was, some of the youths had seen Osval's face.
A short while later, the village chief and a group of people came looking for Ghislain.
Among them were the youths who'd been struck by Osval, as well as a few very angry women.
Ghislain blinked in confusion, not understanding what was going on. Then one of the mercenaries whispered in his ear.
"Osval apparently roughed up some local thugs."
Ghislain tilted his head.
That's a good thing—so why does everyone look so upset?
After thinking for a moment, he nodded to himself.
'Ah. I think I get what's going on.'
The thugs were probably under the village chief's thumb. And the women must be their family or friends.
'I've seen this kind of setup before.'
A village where the chief and his kin held all the power, squeezing the residents behind the scenes.
Ghislain had seen far too many places like that. And each time, he had thoroughly cleaned house.
After all, the Yulian Mercenaries were always righteous—and very proactive.
Ghislain's expression instantly turned cold. His tone grew icy as well.
"What's the matter?"
Feeling the shift in atmosphere, the village chief flinched and stammered.
"D-did you happen to hear what happened?"
"I heard the gist. So?"
"W-what do you mean, so? I just didn't think... someone like him would..."
"You didn't think he was like that? Then you thought wrong. We do this all the time."
"W-we do?"
"Yeah. All of us in the Yulian Mercenaries."
At Ghislain's firm words, the nearby mercenaries beamed with pride.
The villagers, on the other hand, wore expressions of shock.
Osval lowered his gaze.
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