Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Want to Make a Bet with Me? (4)
Alfoy and the wizards appeared with relaxed smiles.
They had also heard the rumor that spread throughout the territory.
It was said that Ghislaine had made a bet she absolutely couldn’t win.
The wizards were confident Claude would win the bet.
‘Hehe, this evil spirit is finally going to be utterly humiliated. Good job, Chief Officer. I trusted you!’
Alfoy had no intention of hiding his laughter.
How could he not be happy at the thought of Ghislaine facing great embarrassment?
If he had known this would happen, he would have treated Claude a little better, Alfoy chuckled to himself.
The other wizards looked equally pleased.
Only Vanessa was sulking with her head down.
After clearing his throat a couple of times, Alfoy faced Ghislaine boldly.
“Ahem, what did you call me for?”
Now that he had become a lord, he couldn’t just speak casually as he used to.
Even though he was the heir of the mage tower, he couldn’t expect to be treated like a nobleman such as the tower master or elders.
Ghislaine replied nonchalantly.
“Why did I call you? Because I need magic for something important. You have to pay attention to this.”
“I heard the rumors. You aren’t trying to use magic to raise the land’s productivity, are you?”
“What?”
Ghislaine frowned. Alfoy spoke quickly.
“It’s crazy to handle all that cultivated land just among ourselves! If you forcefully raise the productivity, the land will become even less fertile afterward, you know?”
Powerful magic or divine power could temporarily raise the land’s productivity.
But no lord had ever actually used that method.
Because using it even once would ruin the land. It was the cost of forcibly extracting life force.
To solve the side effects, one would need to draw in surrounding mana every time, which required a high-level wizard or priest.
If they were going to hire them, it would be much more beneficial to use that money to buy food.
Of course, Alfoy didn’t care if Ghislaine’s land was ruined or not.
Even if there were no such side effects, he had no intention of helping.
“I haven’t even learned such magic in the first place. And using shortcuts goes against the fairness of the bet.”
“What do you mean? I’ll be making a magic circle in the open space behind the castle.”
“A magic circle?”
Alfoy clicked his tongue inwardly.
Since it wasn’t about cultivating the land but making it behind the castle, he was likely planning to do something useless.
“Right, I’ll use runestones to create a Mana Convergence Circle. I’ll overlap the regeneration magic circle and add another magic circle… No, forget it. There’s no point in explaining further to you. I’ll skip the detailed explanations.”
The wizards tilted their heads at the explanation.
It was not only lacking in detail, but it was also the first time they had ever heard of such a type of magic circle.
Alfoy pretended to be arrogant and asked.
“No, what kind of magic circle is this? Do you know what magic is?”
“It’s very important. Just prepare for it. I don’t have the time to explain everything. I’ll check it thoroughly, so be careful. Quickly and surely. Got it?”
“Tch, it’s obvious that the Mana Convergence Circle is the core. Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”
A magic circle that artificially gathers mana in one place using runestones is called a Mana Convergence Circle.
Training the Mana Circulation Method within it allowed one to accumulate mana slightly faster than usual.
It was a magic circle that anyone who used mana, whether knights or wizards, would dream of.
But not just anyone could use it.
To make a single convergence circle, several runestones were required, yet the duration of the magic circle wouldn’t last more than a week.
After just a few days, the runestones would lose their power and break.
Unless they were an exceptionally promising knight from a rich territory, ordinary knights might only experience a Mana Convergence Circle once in their lifetime.
Of course, Ghislaine, who owned runestones, was a different case.
‘Even Count Balzac, the Swordmaster of the Delphine Faction, only used it for about a month with support when he was young, right?’
Even the famously wealthy Delphine family only allowed truly talented individuals to experience it briefly.
“Will you be using it yourself, my lord?”
“Why would I use this?”
Ghislaine asked in disbelief. Alfoy raised his chin and inquired.
“If you’re not going to use it yourself… are you planning to make several of them?”
“Oh, that’s a rather sharp question. Do you have an idea of what it’s for?”
“Hmph, of course. So how many are we making?”
“About… 200?”
“Excuse me?”
The wizards all gasped at Ghislaine’s words.
To make 200 Mana Convergence Circles, the amount of runestones required would be astronomical.
Undoubtedly, it would take the quantity that had previously been sold to the mage tower.
But Alfoy soon nodded as if he understood.
“Certainly… that much is necessary.”
Currently, there were nearly three hundred mercenaries.
To let all of them train, that amount would be required.
“While it’s good to spend money for rapid growth… if you spend this much, it won’t last long, though?”
Ghislaine responded a little surprised.
“Once is enough. You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you? To have grasped it already, I underestimated you.”
Alfoy shrugged in a way that seemed to invite more praise.
“Based on what I’ve seen from you, it’s strange not to know. You’re always moving as if you’re in a hurry.”
“You know well. Anyway, I’m busy, so be quick and prepare. If you have questions, ask Vanessa. She knows the most about magic circles in our territory.”
“But why on earth are we overlapping other magic circles? I’ve never seen anything like this… Which mage tower’s method is this? Unverified magic circles are very dangerous. Are you sure about this? Moreover, something this complicated will take a long time to work…”
“Ah, I guess you weren’t educated. Stop talking and just hurry up.”
Alfoy, who had been filled with curiosity and questions as a wizard, gulped at Ghislaine’s fierce expression and stepped back.
He was curious, but if he kept pressing, he might get hit.
“Well, since you’re asking that much, I’ll give it a try.”
“Make sure to create something solid because I’ll be inspecting it. Still, I saw a little more from you today. For what you do, you’re actually quite smart.”
Ghislaine threw out words that could either be a compliment or an insult and left.
For some reason, Alfoy felt a sense of pride and strutted about.
“Vanessa, did you hear? Prepare to make the magic circle. It has to last for a few days, so let’s carve it properly.”
“Yes, indeed! Understood.”
Vanessa couldn’t hide her surprised expression.
She had no idea why they were making the Mana Convergence Circle, but to have guessed the lord’s intentions upon hearing it was quite impressive.
Still, she thought that indeed, being the heir of the mage tower had its merits.
Alfoy began to direct the wizards to carve the magic circle in the open field.
The wizards began their work with confidence, but that confidence didn’t last long.
“Um, how was this done again?”
“Doing it like this won’t connect the magic circuits.”
“This isn’t my area of expertise…”
Creating a magic circle properly requires extensive research.
If anything is even slightly wrong, the magic circle won’t activate, and it can sometimes lead to dangerous explosions.
To draw 200 of these already intricate complex overlapped magic circles, Alfoy and the other wizards were completely at a loss.
“What should we do? If this goes wrong, we’re all done for. That guy… Lord Ghislaine is definitely bad-tempered.”
Alfoy bit his nails anxiously.
Vanessa, who had been fidgeting while watching the wizards, quickly jumped in.
“Um, I-I’ll try to fix this part.”
“Uh, okay. Give it a go. I’ll give you a chance.”
Vanessa meticulously carved the magic circle without a single error. While it took a long time due to the lack of mana, she didn’t miss even a tiny line.
As she checked parts that others couldn’t even catch, it was only natural that Vanessa gained authority.
Before long, Vanessa took the lead among the wizards.
Alfoy, who had been pushed back subtly, awkwardly cleared his throat repeatedly.
“Oh, this kid has really studied hard. When did she study while doing laundry?”
Other wizards nodded in admiration.
They had known about her decent knowledge from the previous war, but now it was clear it was far more than just decent.
She drew the magic circles without a hitch; in terms of magical knowledge, she seemed to surpass even the elders of the mage tower.
With a sigh of relief thanks to Vanessa, Alfoy muttered while helping her.
“But what in the world is this magic circle? I’ve never seen it before. Is it a proper magic circle? Where did it come from? Just throwing in good elements doesn’t guarantee it’ll be effective.”
“Well, um, since the lord ordered this, we’re just doing what we’re told…”
“Is it something like the House of Perdium’s vision? I hadn’t heard there was a wizard from that family.”
Alfoy speculated, but ultimately shook his head.
“Eh, let’s just do what we’ve been told. If something goes wrong, the lord will take responsibility, right? I guess I’m just being paranoid because I feel like I’ll lose the bet. Is he trying to win the mercenaries’ favor with this? Tch… what a pathetic man.”
Vanessa, who had heard everything, made a sulky face, but Alfoy didn’t notice.
“Yes, yes. Then let’s redo the circuit over there… No, what are you doing? Not there, here… Ah, do you not know this? Haven’t you studied?”
“Uh, uh? Sorry. Is this right?”
Her words, directed at Alfoy and the wizards, began to carry a hint of sarcasm, but no one noticed.
*
The news that the Mana Convergence Circles would be set up spread rapidly.
And 200 of them, no less!
The mercenaries, who thrived on rumors, couldn’t possibly miss this.
Suddenly, the conversations about gambling and drinking disappeared, and everyone was discussing the Mana Convergence Circles.
“Will the captain teach us the Mana Circulation Method too? A lot of us don’t even know it, right?”
“He’s said multiple times that he’ll make us an elite group, so probably.”
“Oh, in that case, we’ll definitely need to sign a long-term contract.”
The mercenaries now knew they couldn’t just survive by renewing their year-long contracts.
Soon, a new proposal would come, and they would have to choose one side without hesitation, whether they liked it or not.
It was likely that they would lure them into a long-term contract with the bait of the Mana Circulation Method and the Mana Convergence Circles.
Days passed amid the expectations of the mercenaries, and finally, the Mana Convergence Circles were completed.
“This I made… No, this is the Mana Convergence Circle made with Vanessa! You all must be seeing something like this for the first time in your lives? Hahaha!”
Alfoy boasted, but the mercenaries ignored him and rushed toward Ghislaine.
As Ghislaine checked each magic circle to see if they were properly carved, she displayed a slightly surprised expression as the mercenaries charged in.
“Why are you all here in such a hurry? I didn’t call for you. What’s going on?”
The answer came from Gillian.
“Everyone seems very interested now that you mentioned the Mana Convergence Circle.”
Seeing the curiosity and expectation in everyone’s eyes, Ghislaine chuckled.
“Don’t worry too much; everyone will get their turn. Just avoid being overly greedy.”
At those words, the mercenaries were convinced.
This Mana Convergence Circle was truly prepared for them!
The impatient Gordon couldn’t hold back and jumped in.
“So who’s going in first? What about the Mana Circulation Method?”
“Who’s going in first? They’ll be the ones going in first.”
Ghislaine casually replied, stretching her hand to the side.
The weary-faced Claude dropped a pouch onto her palm.
Ghislaine took a handful of what was inside.
Plump and glossy grains of wheat revealed themselves.
As everyone blinked in disbelief, Gordon asked again.
“Wait… are you telling me they’ll be the first ones to go in?”
“Yep.”
“That’s wheat, isn’t it?”
“Correct.”
“Did they… learn the Mana Circulation Method too?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Gordon swallowed hard and threw out his last question.
“Are you saying that all that tremendous money that went into the Mana Convergence Circle… is going to be spent on wheat first? Not me?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been saying! How many times do I have to tell you? And why would you be the first to go?”
Ghislaine exclaimed in irritation.
Realizing she wasn’t joking, everyone’s expressions twisted.
To burn that expensive runestone on something that was not even a person but mere wheat!
