Chapter 356
Chapter 356: Finally Here. (2)
Ghislaine, with her head ringing, couldn’t hide her astonishment and asked,
“Um… what the hell is going on right now?”
“What do you mean what’s going on? I’ve brought back those runaway slaves. There have been so many of them escaping lately. Do you think these punks can evade my grasp?”
Alfoy spat on the ground as he spoke. He was nothing less than a local gangster.
‘Still, that guy seemed a bit mage-like at first…’
Though he’s a fool, he certainly had that arrogant and noble mage aura initially. But now, there wasn’t a trace of that left.
As Ghislaine struggled to find words in disbelief, Alfoy patted his armband and continued,
“I’m the administrator of the wizards. Administrator. The head of the research lab is too soft-hearted for this kind of stuff, you know. So I’m doing it.”
When Ghislaine glanced at Claude, he shrugged his shoulders.
“He said he’d do it! Someone has to do it anyway. The lord can’t keep catching and beating them himself, can he? It wouldn’t be right for the head steward or butler to take care of it either. So I allowed it.”
“Then does that mean Alfoy and those guys are off the hook?”
At that, Alfoy snapped back,
“If I do the work and the construction, who’s going to catch these guys and manage them? Huh? Someone has to do this job! Do you have any idea how many more mages are running away these days? It’s been really tough on me!”
Caught up in Alfoy’s vigorous attitude, Ghislaine found herself nodding unintentionally. Someone definitely had to take on the administrator role seriously.
Alfoy seemed to be enjoying his little power trip. He didn’t have to work much, just catch and beat the runaways while ordering them around.
“This job is perfect for me! From now on, there’s no need for the lord to come and beat them up personally. Just leave it all to me!”
This was way better than construction. Alfoy and his friends had indeed learned all the worst things from Ghislaine.
Dark, who had been sneakily peeking outside in Ghislaine’s consciousness, thought,
‘So there isn’t just one crazy person here.’
To think that a mage was rolling around like a slave. This territory was undoubtedly the only place like this in the kingdom, nay, the entire continent.
Noticing Ghislaine hesitating, Alfoy added more excuses.
“These guys are just wandering mages, so they’re different from us. They can just escape if they want. We have to catch them for sure!”
That was a valid point. The wizards who came in under the pretext of setting up a branch at the Tower of the Bloody Flame and the newly recruited mages were in a different situation.
The newcomers could ditch contracts and just vanish, hiding wherever they wanted.
Or they could run off to another kingdom.
Anyway, this much deserved recognition. Ghislaine had made the contracts, and Claude had sweet-talked the mages into signing, but it was Alfoy who ensured the contracts were upheld.
It seemed that being a fellow mage, Alfoy knew better than anyone how to torment other mages.
If Alfoy managed the mages properly, it meant Ghislaine only had to manage Alfoy, creating the most ideal pyramid structure.
Looking at Alfoy, Ghislaine asked for confirmation,
“But is it okay? They’re still fellow mages. Their reputation among wizards might take a hit.”
At that, Alfoy wiped his nose with his finger and smirked.
“Heh, I’m used to being the villain now.”
“…Right.”
Isn’t that just being a bad guy? It’s so obvious he wants to show off his authority.
Ghislaine clicked her tongue inwardly and shook her head a few times before saying,
“Fine, I’ll leave the management of this side to Alfoy. Make sure you handle it well.”
At those words, the wizards wore expressions of despair. From what they’d experienced so far, Alfoy and his friends were undoubtedly brutal.
Alfoy clenched his fists.
“Phew, that was a close call.”
With Ghislaine’s remark, Alfoy and his friends let out a sigh of relief, fearing that they might be sent back to construction work.
“Just know that if something urgent comes up, you’ll be pulled in.”
“Oh, of course! That much is a given.”
Alfoy replied, grinning. Having gone through a lot since coming here, he seemed to have gained a bit of leisure now.
After finishing the inspection, Ghislaine asked Claude,
“How’s the Tower of the Bloody Flame doing lately?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. They got heaps of runestones and are absolutely ecstatic about it. They’re aggressively expanding their influence.”
Thanks to Ghislaine sending more than enough runestones for her training before, the Tower of the Bloody Flame was able to stay afloat by producing various goods.
With a flood of runestones coming in, it was only natural for them to grow even further.
“They’re also recruiting a ton of mages.”
“Really? Don’t they have a branch over here? Aren’t they paying attention?”
“They probably think they’ve already given their share to us and have forgotten all about it. Besides, they were mostly sending us lower-circle mages who lacked skills or were hitting their limits anyway.”
Ghislaine chuckled at that. They wouldn’t have any clue about how much their magical abilities had improved since coming here.
Just looking at Alfoy and his friends was enough proof. A mere 3-circle master could beat up and capture a 4-circle mage without a problem.
The common sense among mages that circle ranking is everything was being shattered here. It’s not for nothing they say that real battle experience is crucial.
“Send over a few more runestones.”
“Huh? Why? Really, why are we doing this?”
“Once the Tower of the Bloody Flame gets bigger, it’ll attract challengers.”
As Ghislaine smiled slyly, Claude clicked his tongue. It was clear she was up to something.
Runestones were now like excess stock for them. They’d brought in a significantly larger amount than before.
A few days later, while Ghislaine was busy dealing with backlog issues in the territory, Claude came to her with new information.
“The lord of the Tower of the Bloody Flame has visited.”
“Finally here then.”
Ghislaine smiled as everything unfolded as she had predicted.
*
Thanks to the recent influx of cash, the Tower of the Bloody Flame was in a festive mood every day.
With an increase in runestones, the skills of the apprentices rapidly improved, and they were able to recruit many new mages as well.
Though they stuttered momentarily due to being overshadowed by the Crimson Tower that had produced a 7-circle mage, the traditional powerhouse still had substantial strength.
“Wow, with this, we must be the best in the North, right? Did I not reclaim that title?”
Hubert sat on a jeweled chair, grinning as he lifted his wine glass.
Old habits die hard; now that he had money, he was indulging in luxury again.
“Ugh, I really don’t get why he’s like this.”
“How could such a guy be the tower lord?”
“He just got a bit lucky, that’s all.”
The elders clicked their tongues internally but didn’t show it much. Hubert’s penchant for lavishness was well-known.
Honestly, it couldn’t be denied he was a lucky person.
“Had it not been for Count Penris, we would have been finished long ago.”
“Why is he suddenly giving us runestones so cheaply? He sold us a lot of food too.”
“That guy isn’t the type to give away for no reason.”
The questions the elders had were the same as those occupying Hubert’s mind. He was a petite, extravagant man, but he wasn’t foolish.
“Why is that brat suddenly being so nice to us?”
“Um, I’m not sure?”
“Nobody gives away for free. He’s the type to take more than he gives.”
“Right.”
“Ugh, it feels uneasy receiving something without a reason.”
Both food and runestones were vital resources. Receiving so much support from Penris, it was no wonder the tower was thriving.
Yet, because Penris was the one giving, Hubert couldn’t purely enjoy the joy of receiving.
The elders felt uneasy too, but they had no choice.
“Just accept whatever he gives you.”
“If it weren’t for Count Penris, we’d be done for.”
“And we don’t want to go back to how things were before, do we?”
At that, Hubert nodded. He really didn’t want to return to the past.
“What if that brat hadn’t come?”
Hubert murmured with a distant look in his eyes. Just thinking about it was horrible.
It felt like they had suffered a ton, but ultimately, they survived thanks to Count Penris. In fact, they had grown strong enough to aim for being number one in the North again.
He felt a hint of gratitude toward Count Penris. At that moment, the elders didn’t miss their chance and said,
“Now that we’re at this point, how about we go visit and offer him a grand gift?”
“That’s right. If someone has helped you, there should be a proper etiquette.”
Hubert pouted and waved his hand.
“I’ll go later. I’m in a good mood right now, so leave me alone.”
While he should go pay his respects, he wanted to postpone it as much as possible. Since Ghislaine had received the title of Count, she could no longer visit like before as a senior figure.
He would have to bow deeply, but he wasn’t ready for that yet.
After seeing the elders’ watchful gazes, Hubert hurriedly changed the subject.
“Oh, right. They said the Crimson Tower suggested a collaboration event?”
At Hubert’s question, the elders chuckled.
“It seems like they’re feeling anxious.”
“Why would we even do that? What good would it do?”
“They’re clearly trying to stir trouble.”
Hubert nodded at the elders’ words.
“It feels like that brat is trying to humiliate us…”
The collaboration event would inevitably involve duels among the apprentices. They clearly intended to show off their superiority and embarrass them here.
If, by any chance, they were to lose, not only would it be a shame, but it could also result in a decline in trades with merchants or nobles.
“Just keep ignoring them. Just because he’s a 7-circle mage doesn’t mean he’s everything. If we maintain our dominance, they’ll be the ones to wither away.”
Hubert gritted his teeth as he spoke.
The elders all agreed. There was no good reason to participate in that collaboration event. Winning would certainly yield benefits, but the losses in case of defeat were too substantial.
They had started to understand how the situation was unfolding. After getting the go-ahead from Ghislaine, they learned that the Crimson Tower had a monopoly on runestones.
“Alright, let’s ignore those guys and continue as we are. And as for Count Penris… Hm, I appreciate him, but I’ll see him later.”
Just as Hubert was brazenly holding his ground, bad news began to trickle in.
“The dispatched wizards were ambushed and killed!”
“The Stable Merchant Group has withdrawn from the contract!”
“All the magical tools in the stores have been stolen!”
The tower’s business started facing obstacles. The shops opened by the tower as they expanded their influence were being robbed, and the merchant groups that had contracts with the tower were cutting ties left and right.
The most painful loss was that the wizards deployed here and there had been attacked and killed.
“You bastards!”
Hubert shouted in fury as he heard the reports. Just when they were recovering stability, accidents happened left and right.
It was obvious. The Crimson Tower was behind this.
The elders were also furious and shouted,
“Those lunatics!”
“To suddenly pull something like this! It feels like they want to end it all!”
“We can’t just sit idle!”
The fact that wizards had been killed was a serious matter. The problem was that the Tower of the Bloody Flame had no choice but to handle this themselves.
The tower’s business had to be resolved between towers. Otherwise, it could create a collusion with the nobles.
It was an unwritten rule that a tower shouldn’t interfere in the affairs of a territory.
While they could covertly provide support from behind, a noble could only intervene directly when the residents faced severe damage or if there were significant disruptions in territorial management.
Conversely, if there was enough justification to do so, it meant they could step in openly.
“They must really be crazy. Otherwise, why would they refuse the collaboration event and go this far?”
Hubert touched his smooth forehead and fell into deep thought.
No matter how much the nobles didn’t interfere in the fights between towers, there was a limit to that.
If things got too heated or damage seemed too significant, mediation would step in.
Neither the lords nor the towers benefited from getting on each other’s bad side, so towers would usually halt in their fights at a proper point. In fact, such direct conflicts were rare.
In these times, being reckless could attract suspicion from the Crown Prince Faction or Duke Faction. If unlucky, they might end up under various restrictions due to grievances.
Thus, it was incomprehensible for Hubert to understand why the Crimson Tower was suddenly acting out.
“Ugh… why are they acting like this? Do they really want to hold the collaboration event that badly? Is it really a matter of humiliating us?”
“Lord! A decision must be made!”
Despite the elders’ urging, Hubert couldn’t easily settle his heart.
If it were a fight against another tower, he would have led his apprentices to obliterate them.
But the lord of the Crimson Tower was a 7-circle mage. Including himself, the elders would hardly match even if they all charged in together.
Even if they managed to prevent the tower lord from advancing, there was no one to take on the other elders.
They had more apprentices here, but the odds of losing were higher if they faced them head-on.
That’s how overwhelmingly powerful superhuman strength was. So Hubert couldn’t hastily suggest a full-scale war.
After quite a while of contemplation, Hubert gritted his teeth and said,
“Accept the collaboration event.”
“Huh? What do you mean… no way?”
“Yeah, looks like they’re dying to embarrass us, but if it’s a duel, we can win.”
“Um… it’s customary for the tower lords and elders to sit out of the competition in collaboration events. Our apprentices might struggle against Delmood’s apprentices…”
While they had more members, the apprentices’ skills would undoubtedly surpass theirs, given their master was a 7-circle mage. That reputation was already out there.
But Hubert spoke with shining eyes, showing no sign of worry.
“Let’s go meet Count Penris.”
“Huh?”
Taken aback by the sudden remark, the elders questioned him. Hubert continued with a solemn expression.
“We just need to borrow Vanessa for a bit.”
When in need, going to Ghislaine was indeed the right answer.
