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Chapter

60. Where Would You Use a Fool? (3)

The wizards clicked their tongues inwardly.

‘Oh, crazy fool.’

‘Tsk, tsk, he was definitely not normal.’

‘It’s no wonder there’s no communication with someone like him.’

The three who were escorting Ghislaine were also secretly surprised.

Ghislaine was playful and mischievous, but he wasn’t the type to threaten the weak for no reason.

‘Wasn’t he just trying to comfort him?’

‘What do you think you can accomplish by threatening someone who is already scared, Young Master!’

However, regardless of how surprised the others were, Ghislaine coldly continued.

“For now, the Mage Tower has already handed you over to me. Even if you don’t come with me, it won’t be easy for you to stay here. Even if you could stay… well.”

Ghislaine shrugged.

“If you want to die, I can’t stop you.”

Vanessa trembled in fear.

There was no emotion in Ghislaine’s words. If he had a murderous intent to kill her here because she wouldn’t follow, it would be different.

His tone was so blunt and apathetic, almost like reciting the truths of the world, that it only fueled her fear.

In the end, Vanessa, her lips trembling, spoke in a voice mixed with tears.

“Ah, I understand. I will serve you, Young Master, with all my heart.”

At that, Ghislaine seemed relieved, smiling again as he spoke softly.

“Good, I appreciate it. You won’t be disappointed.”

The wizards and Ghislaine’s party were momentarily left speechless, dumbfounded by the blatant change in her attitude, as if he had never threatened her at all.

Hubert was the first to snap back to reality, moving closer to Vanessa.

“Good, good. You thought well. Your master, Ronato, would be happy in the heavens.”

With a satisfied smile, he approached Vanessa, who only lowered her head in silence.

To her, her opinion was no different than a dog barking.

Her only hope was to take the opportunity and ask Ghislaine to let her continue her studies.

‘Hmm, I was indeed obedient back then.’

Ghislaine thought for a moment as he looked at Vanessa.

‘A fool with a plant eater, what a lack of insight. To speak of the greatest genius of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. He may be a failed genius, but still.’

Vanessa was the primary reason Ghislaine came to the Tower of the Bloody Flame.

Of course, it was also an easy situation to exploit, but if she hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of coming all this way.

Ghislaine, who was lacking in every aspect, needed a powerful ‘hit.’

He was confident that Vanessa would play that role. Even if she refused, he intended to drag her along forcibly.

‘Staying here would only lead to a miserable end.’

Ghislaine wasn’t lying. This wasn’t a threat. He only spoke the truth.

If Vanessa stayed at the Tower, not only would her life be in danger, but many others as well.

If left as is, she would become a murderous monster beyond imagination.

*

The first time Ghislaine learned of her was during a time filled with chaos in the world.

His follower, who was highly interested in rumors and information, blabbed about the ‘Crimson Nightmare.’

“Crimson Nightmare?”

“She’s a crazy woman from the Ruthania Kingdom. They say her skills are quite formidable. She’s a 7th Circle Mage, you know? A 7th Circle.”

“Ruthania Kingdom….”

Being from the Ruthania Kingdom, his hometown, stirred a sense of nostalgia.

“Isn’t her alias quite cool? ‘Crimson Nightmare.’”

As he showed interest, the follower excitedly continued.

“What was her name… Ah, it’s Vanessa. They say she turned the entire northern Ruthania into a sea of flames. A mage who learned the Mana Circulation Method, apparently?”

“A mage who learned the Mana Circulation Method?”

Even for Ghislaine, who had experienced all sorts of bizarre events as a mercenary, this was the first he had heard of such a thing.

“Yes. I guess that’s why she went crazy. She’s setting fires everywhere and killing people, and the local lords are in trouble. With no clear purpose, she’s just a woman crazy for playing with fire.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. You can reach that level using the Mana Circulation Method.”

“You were admiring that?!”

The essence of a mage’s circle or the Mana Circulation Method is the same—it’s storage of mana in the body.

So theoretically, you could cast spells using the Mana Circulation Method, but no one does it because the efficiency of magic declines.

But the fact that someone could generate more firepower than most mages with the Mana Circulation Method was truly impressive.

Ghislaine clicked his tongue in regret.

“What a waste. If she weren’t crazy, she could have been a great help in the world. I wish she had been under me instead.”

With that level of skill, she could have become a valuable asset to fight against the countless disasters sweeping the continent.

“No, wait, is it still possible? I have many crazy people under me, but after beating them a few times, they all turned around.”

The follower gulped upon hearing Ghislaine’s mumble.

“What are you planning to do with her?”

“Let’s bring her, that ‘Vanessa’ girl.”

“No way, what would you want with a crazy arsonist?”

“Well, that’s something you need to figure out.”

“…I didn’t catch that?”

Ghislaine grinned without answering. It was a clear order to find out immediately.

The follower’s face turned pale as he rushed out.

*

The details the follower dug up about Vanessa were quite a common tale.

An orphan, barely surviving without parents, was picked up by a mage.

But Vanessa couldn’t sense mana, so she couldn’t become a mage.

Yet she didn’t give up and worked hard, but no one believed or acknowledged her. Then, by chance, it seemed she acquired the Mana Circulation Method.

It was said that even at the Mage Tower, she had sought to learn the method but failed repeatedly, yet somehow was able to grasp that alone.

As someone who had reformed his family’s Mana Circulation Method, Ghislaine could easily guess the reason for Vanessa’s madness.

“It’s impossible to properly master such a method without a teacher and with no knowledge. But I feel like something could be done if it’s fixed.”

The more talented individuals there are to face disasters, the better.

Ghislaine looked back at the slacker follower beside him.

“Where is she now?”

“Well, the last report said she was… near some mountain. Come to think of it, news has been quiet lately. I wonder where she’s hiding.”

Ghislaine narrowed his brow.

“Let the kids loose to track her down. As fast as possible.”

As he got up, the follower, surprised, asked.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to look for her too.”

“What’s with the sudden change? You used to refuse even local requests because you found them bothersome.”

The follower was shocked to hear that the usually sedentary commander would take action himself, but Ghislaine paid no mind as he stepped outside.

He had a bad feeling.

*

Not long after, Ghislaine discovered Vanessa hiding in the mountains.

“I found you. You’ve hidden well, haven’t you?”

“AAAHHH!”

As soon as Vanessa was spotted by Ghislaine, she screamed and unleashed a barrage of magic.

In a state of animalistic instinct, she realized that he was a dangerous predator.

BOOM!

A massive magic circle appeared around Vanessa as she floated in the air.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Pillars of fire erupted, and huge fireballs rained down.

However, Ghislaine deflected them effortlessly, dodging as he moved closer to her. He was not someone who would be defeated by such a chaotic, thoughtless, and unplanned attack.

“AAAAHHHH!”

When her attacks kept missing, perhaps out of frustration, Vanessa began to pour all her strength into her next strikes.

Multiple magic circles started forming around her.

“Wow, using multi-casting? And this many?”

Ghislaine was taken aback.

Multi-casting is a skill that requires pure talent, regardless of the amount of mana amassed.

No matter how high one’s circle was, a person not blessed with sensitivity couldn’t perform multi-casting.

“Really tempting.”

KABOOM!

Fireballs crashed into the spot where Ghislaine had been standing.

As before, he dodged easily, but the flames surged, completely engulfing the area in thick smoke.

Ghislaine clicked his tongue and released his mana. Swept by the raging mana, the surrounding flames flickered out.

“Behave yourself!”

Stretching his arm towards Vanessa, he clenched his fist tightly. In that moment, Vanessa’s body jerked, and she froze.

As he pulled back his arm as if to draw something in, she was helplessly dragged towards Ghislaine.

“AAAAHHHH!”

“Stay still.”

Ghislaine grasped Vanessa’s neck with one hand and forced mana into her body. The mana spread through her veins, rushing throughout her frame.

But as Ghislaine checked her condition, he couldn’t help but frown.

‘This is…’

Vanessa’s core was already broken. She was barely holding on, thanks to reaching the 7th Circle.

Given she had hidden in the mountains, it was likely she had not been in good health for some time. Exhausted beasts instinctively seek safe places.

And within the brief moment she attacked Ghislaine, her condition worsened severely.

‘Tsk, what a shame. It’s already over.’

If he had come just a bit earlier, he might have gained a useful subordinate.

Thinking she would die anyway, Ghislaine tightened his grip, ready to grant her a peaceful end.

At that moment, he locked eyes with Vanessa as she raised her head.

Thanks to the mana Ghislaine injected, it seemed she had regained her senses, as her eyes reflected relief and regret instead of madness.

“…Have you come back to your senses?”

Ghislaine set her down on the ground. She staggered, struggling to regain her balance.

“…Who are you?”

He shrugged.

“The strongest and most famous mercenary in the world.”

After pondering for a moment, Vanessa nodded.

“You must be the Mercenary King I heard about through rumors.”

Even while she spoke those short words, she was coughing intermittently.

“Did you come to take me?”

“No, I’m here for recruitment.”

“What an honor, for someone like you, to come personally….”

As she flashed a hazy smile, Vanessa painfully leaned forward. A pool of blood spilled onto the ground. Ghislaine clicked his tongue.

“I was hoping to recruit you, but looking at your state, you probably can’t join our mercenary group.”

“…Is that something one says in front of a person spitting blood?”

Vanessa scowled, but Ghislaine only snickered.

“Why would I care about a wannabe subordinate? It won’t profit me at all.”

As he continued speaking, it seemed he realized something.

“No, if I take you, I’ll probably get a bounty.”

“Get lost, you bastard…”

Vanessa shot a fireball at Ghislaine. However, before the magic could even reach him, it extinguished in mid-air.

“I’m cutting down your lifespan. It’s because of your stupidity that you ended up like this.”

She was unable to respond, coughing up blood instead. All she could do was glare at Ghislaine with an annoyed look.

Ghislaine grinned.

“Well, if you’ve got something to say, go ahead. I’ll at least listen to your last words.”

“Last words… I don’t have anyone to leave them for.”

“Then you might as well air out your grievances.”

She let out a hollow laugh and collapsed to the ground, as if losing the strength to stand.

“I just… liked magic… and… I just wanted to become a mage…”

Vanessa hugged her knees, curling up.

“It wasn’t about mastering a Mana Circulation Method I didn’t understand… because of me… so many people died…”

“Regretting that isn’t the right thing.”

Ghislaine clicked his tongue in admonition.

“You should have come to me earlier. I’m famous for fixing crazy people. You’ve regained your senses now, haven’t you?”

“You… must hear a lot about my bad temper.”

“What are you talking about? Who’s as kind-hearted as I am?”

Vanessa looked at him, incredulous, shaking her head.

“You live rather comfortably, don’t you…?”

“Because I’m a mercenary.”

Ghislaine, grinning, added, “Next time, don’t hesitate and come directly to me. Talented people are always welcome.”

Vanessa blinked in silence. The speed at which her eyelids moved was gradually slowing down.

In a voice that whispered like a fading candle, she softly spoke.

“Yeah, mercenaries… sound fun…”

With those last words, her breath completely ceased.

A single tear rolled down her face, drawing a clean line across her dirty cheeks.

Ghislaine looked down at Vanessa’s corpse for a moment.

Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the body to cash in on the bounty, but…

He clicked his tongue softly and set her corpse ablaze.

It was the first and last consideration he would show to someone who might have become a subordinate.

 

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