Chapter 346
Chapter 346: I’ll Need to Prepare Ahead (2)
The Tower of the Bloody Flame is a hidden blade of the Duke Faction. They had no reason to care about the Mage Tower’s unspoken rules if they were planning to overthrow the kingdom anyway.
In my past life, they wiped out Mage Towers that didn’t comply. And at the forefront of that was indeed the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Delmood, the master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, was someone they raised specifically to be the tower’s head.
He took over the Mage Tower by killing the previous master and the master’s disciples under the guise of a duel.
However, no one could stop him. There was no basis to intervene because it was deemed a legitimate duel, and also, there was no one left to intervene. The hierarchy of wizards in the Mage Tower is determined by strength.
Conversely, this means that if I kill him, the Tower of the Bloody Flame will be rendered helpless.
Digging into memories of my past life, Ghislaine gave Claude a new order.
“Lower the price of the Runestones provided to the Tower of the Bloody Flame by half. Tell them to use it to expand their influence faster.”
Claude and the retainers were all shocked at those words.
“What? No way, even though we got a huge amount of Runestones this time, you want us to give them such a ridiculous offer?”
“Right. It won’t be forever, just for the time being. They’ll appreciate it.”
Claude looked at Ghislaine with a doubtful expression. The lord was known to hit when he did strike, but he wasn’t one to just freely give things for no reason.
In fact, he seemed to take more from others. Wasn’t the territory they were in also taken from someone else?
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“Just… since we’ve sent many wizards to their branch in the Tower. Consider it a gift?”
“…….”
None of the retainers in the war zone believed that statement. For starters, the lord’s tone was very suspicious. It felt like he didn’t want to give but was forcing himself to do it.
As the retainers suspected, Ghislaine was intentionally trying to push the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
‘Those guys at the Tower of the Bloody Flame must be having a headache right about now.’
The mission assigned to the Tower of the Bloody Flame was to ruin the Tower of the Bloody Flame. For that, they received a tremendous amount of money from the Duke Faction and Harold.
They monopolized the Runestones with that money. Their plan was to choke the Tower of the Bloody Flame to death.
However, after Ghislaine arrived, that plan began to stall. The Tower of the Bloody Flame came back to life with the Runestones they received from Ghislaine.
‘We need to grow the Tower of the Bloody Flame even more so that those guys will pick a fight.’
It was difficult for Ghislaine to attack the Tower of the Bloody Flame outright. Sure, he could attack, but that would come at a great cost.
Setting aside the political issues, the level of wizards in the Mage Tower was high, and the master was a superhuman of the 7th circle. Engaging them head-on would result in tremendous losses.
There’s only one way.
‘I need to lure him out and cut his neck myself.’
He had to be killed in a situation that wasn’t war. To do that, they needed to shake things up enough to get them moving.
If the Tower of the Bloody Flame suddenly became stronger, they’d definitely make different moves than they do now.
Ghislaine was planning to use just that moment.
While thinking about countering Delmood, another 7th circle wizard came to mind.
‘Eloise from the Duke Faction’s 7th circle.’
He was the only 7th circle wizard in the kingdom before Delmood reached the 7th circle.
Others might not know, but Ghislaine, who fought the Duke Faction in his past life, knew well. He was aware that Eloise had become a master of the 7th circle.
‘I need to prepare ahead of time to face him.’
Eloise was an extremely tricky wizard to deal with. He was different from other wizards who were merely destructive; he could change the conditions of the battlefield in an instant, making him a dangerous presence. Especially since Eloise excelled in that regard more than anyone else.
His subordinate wizards could be blocked by Vanessa, but not Eloise. They had to find a method to shut down his magic.
‘I need to act while I still have time.’
Having sorted out his thoughts, Ghislaine gave his retainers new orders.
Although the administrative side was completely organized around Claude, the military side was still under his control, leading to many overlapping authorities and tasks.
“Our military has grown significantly, so we need to reorganize the structure. First, I’ll appoint Gillian as the commander of the territory’s military. He will oversee the local guard and the layout of the troops.”
“Ohh!”
The people nodded as if they had anticipated this.
The commander was the position that oversaw all the territory’s forces. In truth, Gillian already had that much authority, but it was important that he was officially appointed.
“I will do my best to fulfill my duties.”
Gillian calmly knelt and accepted his position.
Currently, the training and management of troops were being shared between Ghislaine and him.
As the duties of the territory increased, Ghislaine would become busier. He couldn’t skip overseeing the knights.
So, it was better for Gillian to take charge of training the soldiers.
Ghislaine glanced at Ascon and Lumina, then spoke.
“Lucina will take command of the Archer Cavalry. She will also oversee the training of the new recruits and the management of the horses.”
“Ah!”
Ascon was the representative of the elves, but it was Lumina who actually led the archer cavalry. So, this time, they officially separated the roles.
Ascon still wore a lackluster expression. He had no interest in high positions anyway. He was reluctantly sticking to being the representative of the elves.
“The commander of the Public Order unit will be Max.”
“Yes!”
The resolver, Max, who got caught while gambling, was recognized for his skills and received a position.
Ghislaine also promoted other commanders to new positions. Since the wizards had already been reorganized around Vanessa, there was no need to designate them separately.
As this lineup had been in his mind for a long time, the appointments went smoothly.
Then, Kaor, who hadn’t left yet, exploded.
“What about me?! I want to be the Knight Commander!”
Seeing Kaor huffing and puffing, Ghislaine scratched his chin.
‘This guy has a lot on his plate.’
Having been treated as a mere laborer in the Duke Faction, Kaor huffed in frustration. Ghislaine nodded and continued.
“You are the commander of the Labor Assault Brigade.”
“That doesn’t seem very impressive.”
Kaor made a face of displeasure. Gillian had just become the military commander of the territory, while his position sounded too shabby.
He couldn’t accept that. Even if Gillian had followed the lord a little faster than him, that didn’t seem fair.
Just as he was about to throw a fit, Ghislaine’s words continued.
“Moreover, you will serve as the Leather Devourer of the Shadow Mountain Range and the Leather Envoy of Penris.”
Kaor tilted his head. The name sounded lengthy and impressive, but it didn’t quite feel like a title.
After all, he was the Leather King of Ironcliff. He wanted something cool for himself within the territory too.
Seeing Kaor pout, Ghislaine couldn’t help but chuckle and continued.
“You will take command of the Penris Assault Brigade.”
“Assault Brigade?”
“I will have you select skilled individuals from the hunters and the elite soldiers of the territory. Also, knights from the Cerberus Mercenary Group will be assigned to the brigade. I’ll continue to oversee the training of the knights for the time being, though.”
Kaor curiously asked, “What exactly will that do?”
“I will assign you the most dangerous missions during a war. Therefore, it must be composed of capable individuals. But, they will be an independent unit that takes orders only from me, no one else.”
“Ohh!”
At the mention of being an independent unit, Kaor’s eyes widened, and everyone was taken aback.
It was rare in a small territory, but larger territories often had one or two special units. Their names and compositions varied slightly based on their objectives and missions.
However, the assault brigade Ghislaine was talking about wasn’t such a special unit.
An assault brigade was something suited for a mercenary group. Usually, knights would take the first assault in the territorial army.
The same was true for Penris. During rotation, knights would lead the assault, so having an ‘assault brigade’ wasn’t necessary at all. The Labor Assault Brigade only had its name but was essentially just a prisoner brigade.
Thus, the Penris Assault Brigade would, instead of leading ‘assaults’, become a special operations unit responsible for the most dangerous, brutal, and filthy tasks during a war.
It was clear that they would follow only the lord’s orders.
Even knowing that, Kaor smiled satisfactorily and nodded.
“That suits me well.”
It felt manly. Plus, he wouldn’t have to take orders from Gillian. That pleased him the most.
In fact, Ghislaine had just expanded the Labor Assault Brigade while changing its name.
Still, this special unit would be active in various fields going forward.
“When we return to Ironcliff this time, gather some decent hunters to manage that place before coming back. The trade with the Kingdom of Turian has stabilized, so Lord Grant, the fortress commander, will back you up.”
“Understood!”
Kaor replied enthusiastically. Ironcliff was nice and free, but sometimes the harsh environment could get tiresome.
As the commander of the assault brigade in the territory, he wanted to return and show off to everyone.
The assassination unit was doing just fine under Belinda’s management, so there was no need to mention that.
“Claude will take care of the support for each unit.”
“Understood.”
After completing the reorganization and appointments, Ghislaine wrapped up the meeting.
“The tasks regarding the Tower of the Bloody Flame will proceed as such, and for now, we will focus on recruiting and utilizing the mercenary groups.”
Due to Ghislaine’s capricious command, Runestones prepared for the Tower of the Bloody Flame were separately arranged. People began moving to recruit mercenary groups from other regions.
Dominic would take it upon himself to assign mercenaries where military strength was needed. Kaor left for the Shadow Mountain Range again with the hunters, and Gillian took charge of the training for the territory’s troops.
The administrators poured their energy into developing the territory and various enterprises. They needed to lead the territory toward quicker advancement using the newly acquired resources.
Once more, the territory began to bustle with activity.
*
“How was it? Did you manage to settle in these past days?”
“Yes!”
Ghislaine called Arel to the training ground for the first time in a while.
He had taught swordsmanship whenever he had the chance, but Ghislaine was too busy to see Arel every time.
So, Arel had spent most of his time training with the soldiers. Of course, Gillian would occasionally help him, but that was insufficient.
“I will teach you the Mana Circulation Method now.”
At those words, Arel looked tense. He still didn’t know the Mana Circulation Method. He wanted to learn quickly, but training his body was a priority, so he hadn’t learned it right away.
Indeed, Arel had grown quite well in shape after undergoing harsh training while eating well over the time.
“Sit down. You probably have a rough idea from what you’ve heard, but you need to endure. If you get it wrong, you might die.”
Arel bit his teeth and sat down.
He had heard how hard it was for the knights to force themselves to learn the Mana Circulation Method. So, he’d prepared himself for it to some extent.
However, Ghislaine’s intent seemed a bit different.
“It’s a more dangerous power than what knights use. Keep your wits about you.”
Ghislaine was planning to instill a more powerful Mana Circulation Method into Arel. Though modified, it was closer to what he used than what knights would use.
“Let’s begin.”
Without further explanation, Ghislaine placed his palm on Arel’s back.
Woooooong!
A powerful mana entered Arel’s body, beginning to whip it around like a storm.
“Gah!”
Arel instinctively opened his eyes wide and let out a moan.
It felt like blades were shredding through his insides. He felt he wouldn’t last a few seconds.
His mouth opened involuntarily. He wanted to faint right then and there.
“Endure, you must endure to live.”
Ghislaine began to create mana roads in Arel’s body with immense force. Every time the mana passed, Arel was about to scream in agony.
“Ugh…….”
“Think of the barbarians. Remember that time and hold on. You need to get stronger to take revenge.”
At those words, Arel gritted his teeth until they felt like they would break. Unable to withstand the pain, blood tears began to flow from his eyes.
Dudududud!
As a core formed below Arel’s belly button, mana spread throughout his body. Even amid the agony that felt like being torn apart, Arel held on.
What kept him enduring was simply one thing.
― He must get stronger.
To ensure he wouldn’t go through that pain ever again. He had to get stronger to protect those he loved in this harsh world.
With that single-minded resolve, Arel could endure despite the blood pouring from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Ghislaine continued to push the mana while slightly nodding his head.
‘He really could hold on.’
The reason Ghislaine taught Arel a more powerful and dangerous Mana Circulation Method was because he believed in Arel’s tenacity.
Even though Arel had been killed by Ghislaine’s subordinate during the one-year war, Ghislaine bore no grudge against him.
He had no relation to the ruin of Perdium and was simply consumed with the massacre of barbarians.
He had no idea how Arel had survived in his past life. However, he caught Harold’s eye, became a knight, and was eventually appointed commander of the Northern Fortress in place of the fallen Perdium.
It must have been because his thirst for revenge against the barbarians was recognized.
Arel had made remarkable achievements in countless battles against the barbarians, earning the title of Baron. He was even known as the ‘Barbarian Slayer.’
He had climbed to that position through endless pain driven solely by revenge.
It was impossible without tremendous willpower, a desire for vengeance, and sheer tenacity.
Ghislaine believed that and imparted the more powerful and dangerous Mana Circulation Method to Arel.
Gwooooon!
The mana spun energetically and began to settle into Arel’s body. What felt like a brief moment for Ghislaine must have felt like an eternity for Arel engulfed in pain.
However, Arel, as expected, was still holding on while spilling blood profusely.
Even hardened mercenaries who had been trained for a long time couldn’t endure like this boy was.
Once the foundation was set, Ghislaine gently pulled his hand away.
Thud.
At that moment, Arel lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.
Seeing that, Ghislaine smiled.
“Excellent.”
Ordinary people would never be able to withstand the pain he just endured, but Arel managed to do it. It was clear that his reputation for tenacity in his past life was well-deserved.
“Hmm, I’ll need to do this a few more times. I wonder how I should manage it…”
This wouldn’t be the end; just like the knights, he would need to have mana drawn to him multiple times.
After pondering for a moment, Ghislaine nodded.
“It seems we can do it while taking you along with me.”
Ghislaine had no intention of staying calmly in the territory.
To deal with the Duke Faction’s 7th circle wizard, he needed to prepare new strengths ahead of time.
Now, it was time to go gain that power.
