322화 넌 할 수 있어. (1)
“Queen Grex… what is that?”
“She’s their leader. She’s the core of maintaining their race.”
“Where is she?”
“I know. Just follow me.”
“Then can’t we just go and kill her? Why do we have to kidnap her?”
Ghislaine shook his head at Kaor’s words.
“No, we need to kidnap the queen to draw them out.”
Only then did the people understand Ghislaine’s plan. But understanding it and agreeing to it were two different matters.
“Do we really have to do it that way? Can’t we just go kill her? I mean, fighting in the fortress is safer, but it seems unnecessary to be scared.”
Ghislaine let out a small laugh at Kaor’s arrogant remark.
“If we go and fight, we will all die.”
“They seemed really weak…”
Kaor pouted. It seriously seemed like the lord was a bit scared this time.
Grex was so weak that even a skilled soldier could handle it alone. If it were him, he could probably take down hundreds or thousands by himself.
Having suffered a bit of humiliation during the ogre incident, Kaor wanted to show off his skills in front of everyone. Grex was the perfect prey.
‘They’re such easy targets; I could take down a lot of them in style.’
Determined to shake off the humiliation he previously felt, Kaor said firmly.
“Just give me a few kids. I’ll sweep through them all.”
“You’ll really die if you go. Let’s go catch the queen together.”
“Ha! Seriously! I can wipe them out all by myself!”
Kaor shouted with one leg shaking, exasperated. Seeing him getting all ruffled, Belinda frowned.
“Let’s do as the Young Master says. Don’t you know you can’t let your guard down in the Forest of Monsters? Do you really think you can go in and fight without knowing what might come out?”
“What? Why are you siding with the lord? You always oppose whatever we want to do!”
“When have I ever? I don’t do that! I’m always on your side!”
The two began another subtle battle of nerves. Kaor grimaced and glared at Belinda.
‘Ugh, should I just hit her? But I might lose in a fight… I really can’t gauge her skills.’
Belinda looked back at Kaor with a similar expression.
‘If you say it, I’m going to oppose it. I’ll oppose it no matter what.’
This wasn’t the first time they had engaged in this, either. Whenever they encountered each other in the territory, they would often have these nerve-wracking exchanges.
Gillian stepped in to separate the two, and only then did they both turn away with a huff.
Ghislaine shook his head several times before continuing.
“We need to catch her as quietly as possible, so I’ll only select a few. For now, let’s take the people here and a few knights, and… let’s bring Alfoy along, too.”
At that, everyone tilted their heads.
It was true that Alfoy had talent for his age, but compared to the folks here, his skills were a bit lacking.
Meaning, he wasn’t the level you could comfortably take along on a dangerous mission.
“Are you saying we should take Alfoy? Not Vanessa?”
If they needed a mage, it would be more logical to take Vanessa rather than Alfoy.
But Ghislaine shook his head.
“Vanessa needs to stay here. She has work to do.”
“Do we really have to take Alfoy, then? With this many people, we shouldn’t need Alfoy.”
As Belinda pointed this out, Ghislaine grinned.
“We need him as bait.”
“Bait? He’s going to die with those skills, you know?”
“No, he won’t die.”
“How do you know that?”
“It seems he has some strange luck. I never overlook that kind of thing. Luck is a skill, you know.”
At Ghislaine’s rather vague response, Belinda felt frustrated and closed her mouth.
It was indeed true that Alfoy had survived the power of the goddess. It couldn’t be denied that he had strange luck.
But would Ghislaine really act for such a reason? He was always absurd, yet he usually had some rationale behind his actions.
And could the person who was caught as a slave due to Claude’s scheming really be considered lucky?
She found it hard to believe he was sincere, but it was difficult to contest it now that Ghislaine was so insistent.
‘He’s so eager to take him… But still, his skills are too lacking.’
After a moment of contemplation, Belinda spoke.
“If we have to kidnap her safely, why not use a hot air balloon? We have a spare left in Perdium, so we can get it quickly.”
“Oh, for you to think of that. As expected, Belinda is smart.”
“I’m a graduate of the Royal Academy.”
“I don’t believe it. Anyway, the hot air balloon won’t work. It’s dangerous to have anything hovering in the sky in the Forest of Monsters. We’d be attacked right away. From a very long distance, too. That’s why there are hardly any birds in this Forest of Monsters.”
“What? What will attack us?”
“There’s stuff like that. It’s not something we can handle yet. Quite dangerous.”
Before Belinda could ask again, Ghislaine quickly changed the topic.
“Alright, let’s move quickly. The longer we wait, the more tired the soldiers will get.”
Thus, a kidnapping team was formed to capture Queen Grex.
Ghislaine, Belinda, and Kaor were accompanied by a few knights, including Gordon and Lucas, as well as Alfoy.
Except for Alfoy, everyone was among the most skilled in the Penris Army.
Gillian couldn’t follow them as Ghislaine was in charge of command and combat preparations in the fortress.
Alfoy went into an uproar upon being informed he was included.
“What?! Why do I have to go to such a dangerous place! No! I’m not going!”
“You’re the man who defeated a god, right? Only the skilled are going, so of course you have to go too!”
With his one pride, Alfoy was as good as anyone in the territory. At the mention of needing skilled people, he bit his lip in frustration.
He wanted to go. He wanted to succeed magnificently in the mission and be revered by others.
‘But I also don’t want to die if I go.’
As he was stuck in indecision, Ghislaine whispered gently.
“If you’re missing out, Claude will make fun of you like crazy.”
At Claude’s name, veins popped on Alfoy’s forehead.
His life had been ruined because of that jerk. But he absolutely could not tolerate being mocked.
“Fine, I’ll go! I’ll go! Isn’t that enough?!”
And so, the kidnapping team, comprising skilled and slightly lacking individuals, set out.
Since they had removed the fortress’s door, they descended by rope. They would climb back up using the rope upon their return.
As they passed through the open field stretching like a road, they soon saw the dense trees again.
The sight was filled with gigantic trees, casting a gloomy atmosphere as light struggled to break through.
Ghislaine and his party moved quickly. Everyone was decent enough, so their speed was quite fast.
“Keek?”
The deeper they went, the more Grexes they noticed. The party, having received a heads-up from Ghislaine, pierced through each one they saw with their weapons.
Fwoosh!
“Keek!”
The Grexes were defenseless against Ghislaine’s party, which appeared suddenly.
Even if there were many of them, it was only a few dozen at most. Sometimes there were only a handful. The grex’s power was not enough to stop this party, which had soldiers who were a level above.
Belinda alone could take down dozens of Grexes at once.
She shrugged her shoulders casually.
“Not too hard, huh? Looks like these are the only ones in this area.”
It was clear it was the Grexes’ territory, as no other monsters were seen at all.
Ordinary wandering monsters might be common, but the deeper they ventured, they found no traces whatsoever.
All that remained were the bodies carried by the Grexes.
“Keek!”
The Grexes attempted to charge at the party every time they appeared while waving their antennae. But not a single small scratch was inflicted on the party.
So easy, it was too easy. People began to wonder why Ghislaine had made such a commotion about going to the fortress.
If they’re this weak, they could simply lead in soldiers and cause total devastation. Sure, there were a few, but it wouldn’t be impossible to capture them in a few days.
Still, Ghislaine continued to move with a cautious expression.
“We’re almost there. From now on, let’s approach slowly.”
The party followed him, puzzled. It seemed like even though it was their first time here, they were moving forward without any hesitation.
It really looked like he knew exactly where Queen Grex was. They were dying to know how he knew that.
It was obvious no one would ask since he probably wouldn’t give a proper answer.
“Oh…”
Lucas, who followed from behind, let out a slight exclamation.
As they followed the direction Ghislaine was moving, the terrain definitely changed. The densely standing trees began to thin out, and the space between the trees widened.
And the group found a mass of Grexes lurking in the distance.
“Eek… what is that…”
“Yikes… that’s disgusting…”
“Young Master, can we really kidnap that?”
While the hundreds of wriggling Grexes looked revolting, the one among them looked even more grotesque.
Though it was still quite far away, those present could see well enough to notice that it was many times larger than an ordinary Grex.
It wasn’t just its size. Unlike the Grexes with nearly degenerated eyes, this one had several eyes and a round protruding belly, as if pregnant with eggs.
It also sported multiple extra antennae, and its head stretched long back.
As everyone squinted at the hideous sight, Ghislaine grinned.
“That’s Queen Grex. Now let’s take her back to the fortress. Her combat ability isn’t much to worry about.”
“Ugh, how on earth will we take her? It feels better just taking care of it here.”
Belinda scrunched her face up.
Taking her definitely wouldn’t be a problem. Even though she was larger than the Grexes, she was only about as big as an ordinary ogre.
They had prepared several strong ropes, so among those present, they could adequately bind and take her away.
But the mere thought of carrying that disgusting thing was something they did not want to do.
Kaor swallowed several times and then agreed with Belinda’s opinion.
“Can’t we just kill and leave? Honestly, even if there are a lot here, it’s only a few hundred and we could kill them all.”
It was rare for the two to have matching opinions. Even in such a landmark situation, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, we can’t. That would put us in danger. We need to capture her alive and drag her back, so keep that in mind.”
Everyone involuntarily sighed. Capturing and dragging it away would cause that many legs to flail and scream, which sounded truly disgusting.
Even Gordon, who had gone through all sorts of battles, looked a bit burdened as he spoke.
“Then how are we going to kidnap her? Shouldn’t we kill all those nearby Grexes first?”
Even though there were hundreds, the people gathered here could get rid of them in no time. Yet again, Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, we can’t fight here.”
“Then how do we kidnap her?”
“It’s time for the bait to shine. We need to lure Queen Grex here. Then we can capture her and get out.”
At that, the party immediately looked at Alfoy. Alfoy turned pale and said,
“How am I supposed to lure that monster here?”
“Just go show off some flashy magic. Then slowly back away, and it will chase you.”
With wide eyes, Alfoy looked at Ghislaine, as if to say what kind of crazy talk this was.
“Those things… they come after any human on sight. There are hundreds of them. Are you saying I should go alone, show them some magic, and bring one back? Do you think that’s even possible?! Huh? Please be sensible here!”
“It’ll be fine. Just approach slowly. Queen Grex won’t kill you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. If I go in there, I’ll be dead immediately. If it’s real, let’s go together. Let’s go together!”
Ghislaine shook his head decisively.
“No. You can’t go together. You have to go alone for it to work.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! How can I go alone! Especially that far!”
“You must go alone for Queen Grex not to attack.”
Alfoy continued shaking his head in disbelief.
“I don’t want to go. I can’t. I don’t believe you. I’m someone who has been backstabbed after trusting people.”
While getting mixed up in gambling and becoming a slave was his responsibility, the root cause was Claude’s smooth-talking.
Alfoy was convinced that he had been tricked by that jerk’s sweet words.
With Alfoy’s obstinate reaction, Ghislaine grabbed his shoulder.
“Trust me.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m not Claude.”
“Ugh…”
Alfoy pressed his lips together. It was a short exchange, but it resonated in his heart.
Now that he thought about it, Ghislaine had succeeded in many things that people wouldn’t believe.
Could it be that in this absurd situation, he was the most reliable person?
There was a vulnerability about Alfoy that gradually began to waver.
“Why… why does it have to be me?”
“Because you’re the only one who can use magic here. And…”
“And?”
“Only a man who defeated a god can perform such a miracle.”
Thud!
Those words struck Alfoy’s heart hard.
Despite what others might say, it was true that he had overcome the power of the goddess. That was the source of his remaining pride, worthy of being passed down from son to grandson.
Now that the accomplishment was brought up, Alfoy could not refuse.
After a moment of contemplation, he raised his head with a determined look.
“Yeah, I’m Alfoy. The man who defeated a god.”
“You can do it?”
“I’ll try, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll run away immediately.”
Even so, he was still scared enough to leave a way out. Ghislaine nodded, as if it were natural.
“Then if it gets dangerous, I’ll come help right away.”
“I trust you. Don’t abandon me.”
Alfoy said with a worried gaze. Ghislaine just smiled.
Once, in the Forest of Monsters, Ghislaine had said something to the mercenaries. It was when Gordon was captured.
He now said those same words to Alfoy.
“I’ve never abandoned anyone who followed me.”
At those words, Alfoy’s eyes sparkled as if he was slightly touched, then he shook his head vigorously. It felt like something was really being taken from him.
“Ugh, I’ll go! Just keep your eyes peeled.”
With a huff, Alfoy slowly stepped forward.
As he approached with a tense expression, the Grexes soon spotted him.
“Keek!”
“Kaak!”
The Grexes charged at Alfoy, screaming. Having hundreds of Grexes rushing at him was terrifying in itself.
Just as Alfoy froze in a panic and tried to escape.
Queen Grex cried out loudly.
“Cawww!”
As if on cue, all the Grexes that had been approaching stopped dead in their tracks.
Both Alfoy, who had been trying to flee, and those hiding behind him gasped in surprise.
Swallowing dryly.
Alfoy took a nervous step forward.
Then, something even more astounding happened.
Swoosh…
The Grexes parted to make way. It was as if the sea had been split.
“W-what is this…?”
Alfoy trembled and took another step forward. The Grexes retreated a little more with every step he took.
At that moment, he thought.
‘I… I am the man who defeated a god. They recognize that! Ahahaha!’
He was truly showing a miracle.
