NOVEL NEXT Chapter 658
“Let’s stop being fools.”
Ghislaine seriously tried her best to stay out of the hero party’s affairs. She thought it wouldn’t be too bad to continue her good deeds if she could help Deneb develop her abilities.
After all, her divine power was one of the powerful weapons that could save the world.
But this approach was clearly problematic. If she left them alone, they’d get caught up in incidents long before they had a chance to strengthen their skills.
The three of them remained standing there, looking blank, completely baffled by the idea of forming a mercenary group.
Ghislaine calmly began to explain.
“I know what dreams you guys are chasing. I’ve been watching you, but this way of doing things is pointless.”
“…….”
“It’s not that I’m saying you shouldn’t do good deeds. I’m saying if you’re going to do it, do it right.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Deneb cautiously asked,
“Do it right?”
“Yeah. You need to grow your power and build your reputation properly. You need people who will support you; only then can you change the world.”
“…….”
“And let’s put an end to this foolishness. If you grow strong enough to take down only the bad guys, it will change the world.”
“I just… wanted to…”
“I understand your intentions. But look at the results. Even when you help them, they don’t even thank you. They just take advantage of your kindness because you seem weak. In this world, doing good isn’t something anyone can do.”
Deneb’s face fell as he looked sad. All he wanted was to follow the Will of the Goddess and help people.
But Ghislaine wasn’t wrong either. The things he initially tried to accomplish with good intentions kept failing because of his lack of ability.
He couldn’t even help people properly, nor could he stop the priests. The situation was even worse than before he tried to help.
‘Doing good isn’t something even I can handle.’
That thought made him feel sad. The world was one where you had to have qualifications even to do good.
As an awkward silence fell over them, Yulien changed the subject.
“But why focus on a mercenary group?”
“How can you, who aren’t even nobles, gather your allies and grow your influence? You don’t even have a home. For now, a mercenary group is suitable. You can roam around, gather people, do good deeds, grow stronger… and make money too.”
To raise Deneb’s divine power, they would have to take down some evil or do good deeds, or use their divine power a lot.
So, there was no thought of stopping their good deeds altogether. Ghislaine just wanted to make it a bit more intense and proper.
But the idea of forming a mercenary group wasn’t exactly appealing to the three of them.
In this era, mercenary groups were practically crime organizations. They often fought over turf and absorbed rivals.
Deneb asked,
“If we become mercenaries… can’t we end up doing wrong things?”
Mercenaries operated for the benefit of their employers. Most wars were fought not between good and evil but over interests colliding.
Ghislaine shook her head and answered.
“We won’t do any nasty business. But there might be unavoidable circumstances.”
“Unavoidable circumstances?”
“Like killing a villain’s underling only to find out they were actually a good person. In the heat of battle, you won’t have the time to check. If you waste time worrying about that, you’ll be the ones who die before you can change the world.”
Deneb nodded, understanding.
She also had a firm side in such matters, which was why she never hesitated when fighting bandits.
The doctrine valued punishing evil. The belief was that if you eliminate the bad, only the good would remain, and suffering would cease.
In that process, judging who was innocent and good was obviously impossible.
Even the church taught that a little sacrifice was necessary to alleviate such worries.
The idea was that if you let evil be because you’re afraid of sacrifice, it would bring greater suffering.
Ghislaine looked around at the three of them and continued.
“With the way you’ve been doing things until now, you can’t create the world you want. It’s better to work as mercenaries and go track down bad people to deal with them. That would save more people.”
Ghislaine emphasized that even while working as mercenaries, they should minimize personal gain and focus on punishing evil.
She could leave at any moment, so she didn’t want to deeply shake their values.
After listening quietly, Yulien spoke up, having been curious from their conversation.
“But what if… someone has to sacrifice themselves to save more people…? What should we do then?”
It was a tough question with no right answer. Everyone would think of different responses.
After a brief pause, Ghislaine sincerely spoke. Even though she didn’t want to heavily influence their values, something in her felt like being honest.
“I’m not saying to sacrifice innocents for the greater good. That’s not something I like either.”
To Ghislaine, the greater good wasn’t important. What mattered to her was protecting the people she valued.
And as she grew stronger, the number of people she needed to protect increased.
Ghislaine conveyed her thoughts candidly to Yulien.
“What’s right and wrong differs based on personal standards. I’m simply telling you to gain strength if you want to carry out your will.”
“My will…?”
“Yeah. Even if it means killing countless people.”
“…….”
“As long as you believe the path you tread is the right one.”
Ghislaine continued with a grin, her eyes filled with deep trust.
“I believe you will walk the right path.”
Yulien gazed at Ghislaine with trembling eyes.
He had been friends with Astion since childhood, but he barely knew Ghislaine. Why did she have such confidence in him when she hadn’t known him for long?
Yulien was silent for a while. Ghislaine simply waited in silence.
After some deep thought, Yulien finally clenched his fist.
“Alright.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t be a fool anymore.”
“Oh…….”
“Now, I’ll move toward a bigger goal.”
Yulien believed Ghislaine’s words were correct. He realized that during this journey.
He wanted to help people, but things didn’t go as planned. Instead, he saw even more of people’s vile sides.
Of course, he didn’t think helping people was wrong now.
‘But without power and influence, I can’t help properly.’
Didn’t he nearly die at the hands of a mere priest from a small city?
Ultimately, the final goal was to eliminate the Demon Realm. Only when the Demon Realm was gone could the world be at peace.
The fundamental reason for the current bleakness of the world was the long war against the Demon Realm.
“Let’s create the best mercenary group. And let’s make a name for ourselves. Once we do, many will want to join us. Then we can change the world.”
And… they would need to become stronger to protect those they held dear.
Yulien glanced at Deneb and swallowed his last words. That was merely his personal ambition.
Ghislaine tried her best not to change Yulien’s values. But she did not realize that Yulien’s flimsy beliefs were beginning to take a solid shape due to her words.
Oblivious, Ghislaine beamed brightly at Yulien’s decision.
“Exactly! Deneb can do it too, right?”
Deneb, who had been deep in thought, nodded as well. She too realized through this incident that her power was lacking.
She wouldn’t stop doing good deeds. If she saw someone in trouble, of course, she would help.
But it would be different from before. When it was time to be firm, she would be firm, and when it was time to fight, she would fight.
And she planned to prioritize bigger goals over small good deeds. That would truly be the path to saving many.
Thus, Deneb’s convictions began to gradually solidify thanks to Ghislaine.
Kyle had a relieved expression. He knew those two wouldn’t entirely stop being fools, but at least they wouldn’t live as frustratingly as before.
Seeing that everyone seemed to understand, Ghislaine wore a beaming smile.
In the back of his mind, Dark asked.
― Master… is this really okay?
‘What do you mean?’
― Can you just create a mercenary group and keep impacting their values like that? They might end up growing like that while still doing small good deeds, or they could encounter different fortunes?
‘I don’t know.’
― What?
‘Ah, it’s so frustrating, what do you want me to do about it.’
― ……
‘So, I explained it as best as I could. They can keep doing good! I just mean to lay off the foolishness a bit and prioritize building a foundation. I just gave them a goal. A goal.’
― ……So what if they accidentally find enjoyment in mercenary work like you and end up fighting every day?
‘Eh, they’re not that kind of people anyway. But even if they were, it wouldn’t matter.’
― ……
‘The saint told them to do as they please. I think it’s fine to do it. After all, they didn’t have a specific goal before.’
It wasn’t that they shouldn’t do good deeds; it was about gaining strength and influence to help properly.
It was also a warning not to drain themselves with unnecessary foolishness while claiming they would do good.
And she had clearly laid out the immediate goal to pursue. Fighting against the Demon Realm was a distant concern.
So this didn’t seem like a huge problem.
Even after listening to Ghislaine’s explanation, Dark continued to express doubt.
― Ah, this doesn’t feel right. It seems like you’re getting too involved in their past.
‘No, from what I see, leaving them to be fools feels more wrong.’
While the two were bickering, they heard Astion’s voice.
― Thank you.
‘Huh? Were you awake?’
― Yeah, I’ve been quietly watching.
‘This is a sneaky one, pretending to sleep. But what are you thanking me for?’
― I was also frustrated watching them being fools.
‘…….’
― So I kept trying to avoid people. If I accidentally get swept up in this mess, I’ll die.
Astion had been carefully leading the group, avoiding dangers. They even worked with nearby soldiers to take down bandits.
Originally, he had postponed the journey altogether, knowing that the two of them couldn’t handle the world’s injustices yet.
Then, when Deneb said she would go on her training pilgrimage, he reluctantly decided to join.
― Deneb’s a priestess in training. Helping people and doing good are naturally her responsibilities. But I always thought problems would arise in a world like this.
This was an experience they needed to have once, but he had worried that they might get seriously hurt. Thanks to Ghislaine, they managed to pass it safely.
Moreover, the fact that they were going to focus on becoming stronger with a mercenary group eased his mind a bit.
― I don’t know where you learned the Mana Circulation Method and swordsmanship, but it’s impressive. I’ll be counting on you for a while.
Astion felt relieved. Ghislaine was nurturing her friends without leading them astray.
Ghislaine wanted to say, “Actually, they taught me,” but she held her tongue. Saying it would just complicate things.
Instead, she asked something else.
‘So, you have plans too, right? If you do, let me know, and I’ll help with that. We need to get strong quickly.’
She didn’t know when she would break free from this body. Ghislaine planned to do everything she could before that.
But Astion said in a powerless voice,
― It’s not the right time to talk yet. Focus on making those friends stronger.
‘Aren’t you just saying that because you don’t have a plan? Are you just wandering around training aimlessly?’
― ……I do have a plan!
Astion snapped back. Ghislaine clicked her tongue. He acted all tough, but she sensed he didn’t really have a plan.
Still, he was a wizard who had reached the 9th Circle. She figured he’d manage something on his own.
‘Then while you’re awake, tell me everything you know. It’s a hassle to ask them every time.’
Ghislaine was genuinely curious about so many things in this era. So she had to ask the three of them whenever she had questions.
But since they all came from rural backgrounds, they only had hearsay. Hearing it from Astion, who was brighter, seemed better.
Astion replied with a tired voice.
― You fool… because of you, that can’t happen…
‘Why not?’
― The size of my world can’t handle you right now… Just being awake for a while wears me out…
‘Ah, so that’s how it is.’
Ghislaine quickly understood. Most people would find it hard to handle her consciousness.
Unlike other possessed individuals who merely shared information and vanished, she had taken over his body and was actively moving around.
So Astion couldn’t stay awake indefinitely.
― Yeah… I’ll sleep again for a bit… so please take care of them…
‘Don’t worry. By the next time you wake up, I’ll be stronger.’
― That’s… good to hear…
With those words, Astion drifted back to sleep.
* * *
Once they arrived in another city, Ghislaine’s first stop was the Mercenary Guild.
The guild clerk scoffed at the sight of the four.
“So, a bunch of greenhorns want to become mercenaries?”
Ghislaine nodded.
“I’d like to get our mercenary rank and ID swiftly. Can we take the test right away?”
The clerk chuckled at her audacity.
“Seems like you think mercenary work is a joke. Looking around, it’s obvious a bunch of misfits come here saying they want to be mercenaries. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”
“Yeah, I know. So, could you stop lecturing me?”
“Well, if you want to die early, who am I to stop you? What’s your specialty? What can you do? You don’t look like you could fight properly at all?”
“I’m a mage.”
“What? A mage?”
The clerk was taken aback. Mage mercenaries were rare.
Usually, mages didn’t do mercenary work. They made much more money and were safer doing other jobs.
Furthermore, mages despised wandering around. They preferred to be holed up in a tower reading books.
Those who worked as mercenaries were either fugitives committing crimes or just weird folks who enjoyed roaming.
So, it was only natural for the clerk to regard the greenhorn in front of him with suspicion.
“What Circle are you at? 1st Circle?”
“5th Circle.”
“Ha, is this kid kidding? You want to die?”
Being 5th Circle meant they could be an exclusive mage in a territory. Why would such a mage want to become a mercenary?
Certainly, the kid before him looked too young. Even considering there were mages who looked youthful, it was hard to believe they were truly 5th Circle.
The clerk abruptly stood up, wanting to give the clueless novice a harsh lesson.
“How dare you come here and joke around?”
With an intimidating expression, he reached out, but he soon froze with wide eyes.
“W-What….”
Whring!
Dozens of enormous magical spears floated around Ghislaine.
Seeing the clerk dumbfounded, Ghislaine grinned.
“Shall I demolish this place right now?”
“N-No… wait… just a moment…”
The clerk waved his hands frantically. He didn’t know if she was really a 5th Circle mage, but he could feel the gravitas from each spear hovering in the air.
They seemed at least above 3rd Circle.
Now that they confirmed she was indeed a mage, he couldn’t keep pressing on. He quickly lowered his tone.
“L-Let’s proceed with the test for your party.”
Ghislaine nodded and withdrew her spears. Then she spoke.
“We’ll also register for our mercenary group.”
“Mercenary group registration? You all formed a mercenary group?”
“Yeah, the name will be…”
Ghislaine glanced at her companions and continued.
“Let’s call it the Yulien Mercenary Group.”
Whether it was the future or not, she was determined to make a definitive mark while diving in.