Chapter 55
Chapter 55: If You Don’t Like It, Then Don’t. (2)
The mercenaries who entered the lobby of the Mage Tower looked around in wonder.
The spacious lobby was beautifully decorated with plants they had never seen before.
Expensive-looking statues were placed everywhere, making it hard to tell if it was a Mage Tower or the palace of a wealthy noble.
Seeing the mercenaries gawking with their mouths agape, Sylvain, the apprentice mage guarding the lobby, frowned.
“Tch, what’s with this mob of beggars? Why are they crowding in here?”
A typical reaction from a mage of the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Sylvain wasn’t always this way; living in the tower had colored his personality.
“Did the gatekeeper let them in out of fear?”
Though their appearance was shabby, Ghislaine’s group at least had weapons on their belts.
Even a gatekeeper at the Mage Tower couldn’t stop a crowd pushing in since they were just a commoner unable to use magic.
Sylvain sighed. It seemed he had to take care of that bunch of ruffians himself.
As Sylvain arrogantly squared his jaw and approached the mercenaries, the gatekeeper rushed over to him with an anxious expression.
“Tch, didn’t I tell you not to let anyone in? So many of them, and they’re all scared; how are we supposed to guard the Tower of the Bloody Flame, the best in the North…”
Before Sylvain could finish speaking, the gatekeeper whispered urgently in his ear.
Sylvain narrowed his eyes and nodded a few times before bowing deeply to Ghislaine.
“A most esteemed person has arrived! May I ask from where you hail?”
“I am Ghislaine Perdium, Grand Duke of Perdium.”
Sylvain displayed a look of admiration and nodded vigorously.
“Ah, indeed, you are the Grand Duke of Perdium! I have heard much about the noble and brave reputation of Perdium. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary individual!”
Though he spoke elegantly, the truth was Sylvain had no idea where Perdium was located.
For now, he saw the nobleman before him and the precious items he brought, so he decided to flatter him first.
Ghislaine was well aware of this and simply smiled, not falling for the insincere flattery.
“I’ve come to sell Runestones, but I have quite a lot. I’d like to meet a high-ranking mage who can responsibly handle the transaction. Ideally, I’d like to speak directly to the Tower Master.”
“I’ll send word; please wait a moment.”
Sylvain immediately bowed down and guided Ghislaine’s group to the reception room.
As he exited the reception room, he firmly warned the maids.
“Make sure our guests do not feel uncomfortable. Do your utmost to attend to them.”
After emphasizing this several times, Sylvain hurried off to see the Tower Master.
Ghislaine’s group had brought several wagons. If they were all filled with Runestones, that was an enormous quantity.
During the heyday of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, even the trading guild would acquire this many Runestones.
Normally, it was absurd for someone as low-ranking as Sylvain to meet the Tower Master directly.
But now, there was no time to go through the usual channels for reporting. Ghislaine might change his mind and leave at any moment.
‘With that amount of Runestones, he shouldn’t be angry.’
Grasping his racing heart, Sylvain rushed to see the Tower Master.
Meanwhile, a serious meeting was taking place on the top floor of the tower.
“Are you telling me we’re running out of Runestones?”
A middle-aged man, slightly balding but with a magnificent mustache, wore a displeased expression.
“Yes, if this continues, the gap with the Crimson Tower will grow wider.”
An old man with a long white beard replied. The middle-aged man sighed heavily.
“How did we let it get this bad…”
This gloom-ridden man was Hubert, the Master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame and a 6th Circle Mage.
Despite being over sixty, his powerful magic allowed him to maintain a youthful appearance for a long time.
He took great interest in his looks and appeared younger than his age.
However, recently, wrinkles were rapidly accumulating on his face.
“Isn’t there any good solution?”
Hubert looked around the room, asking.
The five Elders seated beside him were at a loss for words.
Hubert, growing impatient, raised his voice.
“How are we supposed to defeat the Crimson Tower like this? They were below us in rank! Does that not hurt your pride?”
The Elders discreetly averted their gazes, cursing him silently.
“Seriously, can’t you just play nicely with the nobles and focus on training?”
“Isn’t the Master of the Crimson Tower a 7th Circle Mage? How can we win against that?”
“After spending all day on vanity and luxury, now you’re in an uproar…”
Mages tended to be incredibly individualistic by nature.
As such, they were skilled at blaming others. No, they would start by blaming others first.
The Elders thought they had fallen behind due to the Master’s lack of abilities, while Hubert believed the mages at the Tower of the Bloody Flame became complacent overall.
Finally, one Elder raised his hand. Since they were part of the same tower, they couldn’t keep pushing responsibility onto each other.
“Of course, we should improve the skills of the mages. We need to demonstrate who the true masters are in the North.”
The Tower of the Bloody Flame and the Crimson Tower belonged to the same elemental magic school and had been rivals for a long time.
Their fields of magic were similar, and since they were both based in the North, it was only natural for them to be competitors.
“No, but how do we improve our skills? Are we supposed to all conduct experiments bare-handed?”
When gauging a mage’s skills, the number of spells they can activate serves as the criterion.
To activate magic, one must interpret the incantation in their own way and imbue it with their will; if done incorrectly, magic could backfire and cause bodily harm or even destruction.
Naturally, you couldn’t conduct research bare-handed, and Runestones were essential to safely absorb the impact.
“If we run out of Runestones, we won’t be able to train properly!”
“…That is true.”
Without Runestones, mage safety couldn’t be ensured.
Moreover, using Runestones made it easier to increase one’s mana and could serve as auxiliary mana, making it an essential resource for mages.
“Are we beggars here? Don’t we have money? Only poor mages resort to that kind of training!”
“The Master of the Crimson Tower trains bare-handed too…”
“Don’t talk about that guy! Besides, how do we know if that’s true? If I had Runestones, I could easily rise to 7th Circle too!”
Hubert shouted loudly, filled with excitement.
The Elders, though outwardly silent and bowing their heads, began to sharply criticize him internally.
“Seriously, is it that easy? If it were as simple as that, the past Tower Masters would all have reached 7th Circle by now.”
“Honestly, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before the Crimson Tower becomes the best in the kingdom.”
Aside from the exclusive mage at the Duke Delphine Faction, the only one who had reached 7th Circle in the kingdom was Delmood, the Master of the Crimson Tower.
Oblivious to what the Elders were thinking, Hubert clenched his teeth in frustration.
“Gah! If I just had more Runestones, I could reach 7th Circle too! If that beggar Delmood can do it, why can’t I?”
Hubert was sensitive to being compared to Delmood.
Delmood, the pathetic beggar, was said to have been mistreated by his master and couldn’t even receive living expenses from the tower yet still reached 7th Circle.
Hubert, raised in the best conditions, with ample support as an heir, couldn’t help but feel inferior.
One Elder, glancing at Hubert, cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.
“However, the traders say they have no stock. They may have raised the prices at the Crimson Tower… but they’re still saying they have none even if we agree to the price, so we have no way to procure Runestones.”
Most traders who dealt with the Tower of the Bloody Flame had either reduced or completely ceased their supply of Runestones.
While Runestones were indeed precious items, there had been an unusually low amount available lately.
“Ah, what’s going on? Why has it suddenly become so difficult to acquire Runestones?”
They had spent their lives mastering magic in the tower, remaining oblivious to worldly affairs. They had only been living off the legacies passed down from their ancestors.
Thus, even in this situation, they couldn’t discern what had gone wrong.
Hubert rubbed his face with his palms and asked wearily.
“How is the artifact production coming along?”
“With the lack of Runestones, that’s becoming difficult as well.”
Creating and selling magical tools and scrolls was the tower’s biggest source of income.
If they lacked Runestones, they couldn’t produce magical tools either.
Hubert felt like crying.
The once most esteemed Tower of the Bloody Flame, not only had lost its title of the best in the North during his generation, but was also growing steadily weaker.
At this rate, the tower would truly devolve into merely a scroll shop.
“Is there really no way to procure Runestones?”
“The only option left is to travel to other regions and gather small amounts. But we have many people and many needs!”
“The Crimson Tower doesn’t have many people either, right? Surely they’re taking everything!”
“There are rumors about that, and most say they’re selling out to the Crimson Tower… but to be honest, I’m not sure. They might be buying high-priced stocks just because they find it difficult too.”
“What if we offer to pay them even more? We have money, right? We still have some capital available.”
“No, that’s not it. There simply aren’t any goods available! It’s like the supply has dried up! And right now, we’re already spending a lot of money just to cover the extra costs.”
They were unable to ascertain whether the Crimson Tower was collecting all the Runestones or if there was truly a shortage.
It was a depiction of those lost in their own selfish pride, living complacently.
“As our money dwindles… and we can’t acquire Runestones… our apprentices’ skills will only worsen… heh heh heh. What a mess…”
Who would dare to perform magic experiments bare-handed even if the Master, Hubert, was too frightened to do so?
At this rate, not only would they fail to progress, but they would ensure their own demise through stagnation.
“Hah…”
“Phew…”
“Ugh…”
Intelligent yet foolish mages all hung their heads and sighed.
“We need to enlist some capable traders. Let’s leave this to the professionals.”
One Elder suggested. Hubert and the other Elders nodded in agreement.
They believed themselves well-versed in the truths of the world and all its wisdom but lacked any knack for trade.
“Ah, I should have paid attention sooner.”
In the previous generation, there were not only mages but also excellent merchants in the tower.
However, after gaining the title of the best, they became complacent and failed to utilize such individuals.
Thinking it sufficient to just have someone to handle the money, they were complacent, assuming they’d attract traders offering good prices.
Though late, everyone agreed they needed to recruit professionals now.
“Well then, let’s find a decent individual first…”
Bang bang bang!
At that moment, someone outside loudly knocked on the door.
Hubert suppressed his irritation and said.
“We’re in a meeting. Come back later.”
Bang bang bang!
“I said we’re in a meeting!”
Bang bang bang!
Despite numerous demands to leave, the individual continued to knock. Hubert gritted his teeth and stood up.
“Ugh, whoever it is, I’ll roast their head off!”
“I’m coming in!”
With a crash, the persistent knocker burst in without permission. Hubert glared at him menacingly.
“Who are you? Who sent you? What are the guards doing? Your head will be the first to burn.”
The Tower operated on a master-apprentice system with a very strict hierarchy. The Tower Master had no reason to meet with lowly apprentices.
Naturally, Hubert didn’t recognize Sylvain.
Under the oppressive atmosphere, Sylvain trembled and said, “S-someone has come to sell Runestones.”
“What? Runestones?”
Hubert and the Elders leaned in with curious expressions.
The Tower Master managed to calm his demeanor, but Sylvain still couldn’t relax.
Feeling the focused gazes upon him, he swallowed hard.
“It’s not a small amount like the other trading guilds. It’s enormous! There are over ten wagons, all filled to the brim with Runestones!”
As soon as he finished his sentence, everyone who had been sitting stood up in an instant.
