Chapter 54
Chapter 54: If You Don’t Like It, Then Don’t
At the southern end of the Brivant territory, the mercenaries gaped at the massive tower that stood tall in the heart of the splendid city.
“Wow… So this is the Tower of the Bloody Flame…”
“I’ve never been here before.”
“It looks even fancier than Raybold, huh?”
“They say the Crimson Tower is the best, but this one doesn’t seem too shabby either!”
No matter how much it was overshadowed by the Crimson Tower, a Mage Tower was still a Mage Tower.
Surrounding the gigantic and ornate tower were countless shops.
As stores targeting Wizards sprang up one by one, the place had essentially transformed into a city.
The security system established under the pretense of protecting the Tower of the Bloody Flame was watching over both the tower and the Brivant territory.
The development of the Brivant territory owed a great deal to the Mage Tower.
Even the Count of Brivant had to be mindful of the Mage Tower Lord; their influence was tremendous.
Ghislaine looked around with a relaxed demeanor, yet couldn’t help internally admiring the scene.
‘Impressive.’
The city’s appearance was magnificent, but what astonished him even more was the people’s reaction.
Even with rugged mercenaries swarming, they didn’t seem intimidated. They didn’t feel particularly threatened.
That alone showed how good the public order was here. The people’s conscious level was high.
Ghislaine had visited cities with Mage Towers while being the Mercenary King in other countries, but none had developed like Brivant.
‘Fantastic public order and urban structure, but… the people and streets are unusually clean. Did the tower pull some strings?’
Typically, Wizards only focused on their own research, not doing much to benefit others.
While the areas surrounding Mage Towers tended to develop more quickly than other districts, that was mainly because they were involved in trade with the Wizards.
However, the area around the Tower of the Bloody Flame was remarkably cleaner and more developed than around other towers.
‘Maybe it’s true that the Tower Lord has a cleanliness obsession.’
It was also possible that the Tower Lord simply could not tolerate the surroundings being dirty and took action.
Or he could just be indulging in his lordly role and deliberately developing the area like this.
In any case, for Ghislaine, who aimed to advance his territory, this city had many lessons to offer.
“Wow, it must be really prosperous here.”
“All the houses look like mansions owned by nobles, huh?”
“Look at the roads. They’ve really committed to making this a city.”
The people of Brivant all seemed to wear luxurious clothes and exude pleasant fragrances.
They walked by while glancing at the mercenaries with curiosity.
Normally, mercenaries would stride confidently down the streets, but for some reason, they felt overwhelmed and timid in that atmosphere.
“Damn, we feel like complete bumpkins, huh?”
The mercenaries grumbled while busy looking around.
This sophisticated, clean city was a sight they hadn’t seen even in Raybold, one of the wealthiest northern territories.
While the mercenaries were admiring the surroundings, they heard whispers from people nearby.
“Are those mercenaries from the north? Look at their clothes! They’re totally out of touch.”
“Don’t they smell a bit off?”
“We’re clean! It’s just those other places that live like that. How pathetic. Tsk, tsk.”
“Wonder what the mercenaries are doing all the way out here?”
The mercenaries felt their faces redden with embarrassment.
Typically, they would have glared and started a ruckus.
But now, the city’s splendid scenery and the polite appearances of its people made them too intimidated to retort.
Of course, a hot-blooded mercenary was bound to exist.
“Hey! What the hell? Are you itching for a fight?”
A few members of the Cerberus Mercenary Group drew their weapons and started threatening the surrounding people.
The clusters of gossiping folks stepped back in surprise. Yet, even as they dodged, they didn’t look particularly scared.
“Oh dear, what a scene. Why are they getting so worked up?”
“They’re just uneducated, that’s all. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“What kind of place do they think this is to act up like that?”
“If they keep this up, someone might end up dead.”
One of the Cerberus members, grinding his teeth at the reaction of the people, was about to charge forward.
But Ghislaine stopped him firmly.
“Enough. Don’t mind those words and just move quietly.”
“No way! Captain! Those guys are—”
“They are just bumpkins like us. Let’s just enjoy the view.”
Ghislaine chuckled as Kaor glared from behind as if to say behave yourself.
The mercenaries twisted their faces.
People looking at them seemed hesitant or backed off in fear. But here, they were just treated lightly, which boiled their insides.
They instinctively wanted to knock someone out, but with Ghislaine and Kaor holding them back, they couldn’t move recklessly.
The group walked with their heads down toward the tower.
Feeling like an unintentional spectacle wasn’t exactly pleasant.
However, as they got closer to the tower, the mercenaries once again gasped in admiration.
It was evident that they were overwhelmed by the tower’s size, which was impossible to take in all at once.
‘How simple-minded.’
Ghislaine shook his head, following behind the mercenaries.
Meanwhile, the gatekeeper watching over the entrance to the tower squinted at the approaching group from afar.
‘Are they a tourist group? Tsk, tsk, they don’t seem well off but here they are, enjoying themselves.’
The thought of tourists popped into his mind for a simple reason: nobles often came to visit the Wizards or tour the tower.
The sheer number of people contributed to that impression.
When a large crowd gathered like this, it typically meant one of two things: a group of noble tourists or a merchant group selling their goods.
However, as the group drew closer, the gatekeeper’s expression soured.
Ghislaine’s group dressed too shabby to be tourists, and their impressions were unsavory.
If they were nobles or big merchant groups, it would make sense to greet them warmly, but there was no need to keep such niceties for this lot.
Although he was merely a gatekeeper, he was also the face of the tower.
If he treated them too kindly and ended up looking foolish in front of a bunch of ragtag beggars, it would tarnish the tower’s authority.
He was just a commoner of little note, but the imposing background of the Mage Tower gave him confidence.
‘But still, I work at the tower; I’m not just anyone. Ahem.’
They say being a dog born into a noble family is better. The gatekeeper was exactly that.
As Ghislaine and the mercenaries drew closer, the carts they had brought along came into view.
Only then did the gatekeeper realize the group’s intention for coming.
‘Oh, judging by how loaded they are, they must not be here for sightseeing but to sell something.’
Sometimes, mercenaries or adventurers would bring rare items to sell at the tower.
It was rare to see a group come together like this, but it wasn’t unheard of.
If they were mercenaries or adventurers, their shabby attire made sense.
‘Hmm, seeing all those carts, they probably don’t have anything too rare or expensive. Judging by the covered shapes, they don’t look like wooden products… So, they must be byproducts from monsters or beasts.’
Having reached that conclusion, the gatekeeper clicked his tongue.
Even though the Tower of the Bloody Flame had now been pushed down to second place, it had once been counted as number one.
That meant they had earned a lot of money, and the Wizards’ standards for items were quite high.
In simple terms, they were luxurious.
Because of that, they had been overtaken by other towers. However, an old habit lingered; they only purchased top-quality goods like monster hides or beast byproducts.
Naturally, there were exclusive merchant groups that supplied such items.
If what the mercenaries brought back was subpar or riddled with flaws, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble to buy common materials from them unless they were truly rare.
‘It’s better to send them away.’
The gatekeeper steeled himself, waiting for Ghislaine’s group to approach.
As soon as they arrived at the tower’s entrance, Ghislaine dismounted. Belinda gasped, grabbing him.
“Where do you think you’re going? Let Uncle Gillian handle it!”
Ghislaine turned back with a sullen expression.
“Do I really have to? I took the lead in Raybold anyway.”
“That was then! You shouldn’t rush in at the start!”
Belinda clung to Ghislaine tightly, giving Gillian a hint. Gillian silently walked over to the gatekeeper.
“This gentleman is the Grand Duke of Perdium…”
The gatekeeper interrupted Gillian’s words with a bored expression.
“Not buying.”
“…What?”
“We’re not buying what you brought.”
The gatekeeper wore a haughty expression.
His demeanor was not one typically shown to a noble. But to him, seeing the group as just a bunch of mercenaries made it a natural reaction.
Ghislaine sighed internally, crossing his arms behind him.
Looking shabby had them disregarded by everyone they encountered.
During his time as the Mercenary King, even when he dressed sloppily, no one dared ignore him.
Just hanging the flag representing the Mercenary King would have made everyone bow their heads or clear the way.
But currently, with no mention of being a Mercenary King and even the name Perdium hardly recognized, they were bound to be judged by appearances.
‘Well… once I get some money, I’ll have to dress up a bit.’
He held no ill feelings toward the gatekeeper.
It was only natural to judge someone by their appearance upon first meeting. Back in the days of the Mercenary King, his flag made him recognizable.
He understood that… but he had no desire to waste time dawdling at the entrance.
Ultimately, Ghislaine stepped forward.
“I don’t want to squabble with the gatekeeper. Bring the trade representative from the tower. No, I want to meet the Tower Lord.”
The gatekeeper looked at him incredulously.
“No, we’re not buying. The Tower of the Bloody Flame doesn’t buy just anything. And you want to meet the Tower Lord? Not even the Grand Duke can meet the Tower Lord freely.”
Gillian couldn’t hold back any longer and growled at the gatekeeper’s rudeness.
“You cheeky gatekeeper! Do you think you have two lives? Get someone to summon them, right now!”
The gatekeeper flinched back, feeling a twinge of fear from Gillian’s aura.
He had never been treated so harshly since taking on the role of gatekeeper, and it surprised him.
But soon he shook his head, regaining his composure.
‘Don’t be scared! I’m the face of the tower!’
After all, just a couple of Wizards showing up could easily sweep these beggars away.
“D-Do you know where you are misbehaving? Get lost at once!”
Seeing the gatekeeper flail, Ghislaine sighed.
‘At this rate, we won’t get in today.’
He silently signaled to Kaor.
Kaor looked around and nonchalantly pulled a small shard of runestone from one of the carts, approaching Ghislaine.
He was careful; if word got out that there were multiple carts of runestones, it would cause quite a stir.
‘Still a good leader. He has some perception.’
Ghislaine felt secretly pleased as he took the runestone, holding it out before the gatekeeper.
“You work at the tower, so you must know what this is, right? We came to sell this.”
The gatekeeper examined the piece Ghislaine presented, twisting and turning it in his hands.
The shard of crystal radiated a soft glow, enchanting him momentarily.
The gatekeeper furrowed his brows in confusion but soon widened his eyes in realization. He recognized the runestone.
As the gatekeeper froze, Ghislaine gave a mischievous smile and spoke again.
“Really not buying? Really? Can I just leave?”
Only then did the gatekeeper snap back to reality like he had water thrown on him.
Given that they were being overshadowed by the Crimson Tower, the Wizards were already in a bad mood.
News that they had chased away a customer with that quantity of runestones would surely cost the gatekeeper his job.
Waving his hands frantically, the gatekeeper exclaimed.
“W-Wait! Just a moment! No, please, just come inside! Please!”
There was no guarantee that the rest of the cargo in the cart would also be runestones, but at that moment, the gatekeeper didn’t have the capacity to think about that.
As Ghislaine passed by the enthusiastically welcoming gatekeeper, he gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
“I’ll be sure to tell the Tower Lord that the gatekeeper here is doing a good job.”
