Chapter 61
Chapter 61: What Use for a Fool? (4)
Vanessa’s madness was largely due to her mislearning of the Mana Circulation Method, but the scars left by the world around her were also significant.
The pent-up frustration within her must have intertwined with her flawed application of the Mana Circulation Method, bursting to the surface.
Even among the knights, there were those who occasionally found themselves falling prey to such mental demons during their training.
“But this life will be different.”
Ghislaine intended to teach her the proper Mana Circulation Method and support her properly.
If Vanessa could unleash her talents to their fullest, she would be a great asset in the ongoing war.
Time was short, so they might not accumulate as much magic power as needed, but Ghislaine had already considered that.
“I won’t let that happen this time.”
To do that, she had to bring Vanessa in, even if it meant resorting to threats. Of course, Ghislaine didn’t actually threaten anyone.
Having realized all her objectives upon arriving at the Tower of the Bloody Flame, Ghislaine felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment. She smiled contentedly and said,
“Now that our transaction is concluded, I will take my leave. I’ll return with the Runestone as soon as the situation in the territory stabilizes.”
Upon hearing Ghislaine’s departure, the tower lord and elders could hardly hide their joy.
It was no surprise they were pleased to see someone they despised leaving of their own volition.
But the problem lay with Hubert, whose trained tongue from countless social gatherings now stirred.
“Oh dear, why leave so soon? You should take some time to explore the city and relax. I won’t brag, but I have put a lot of effort into city management, so there are plenty of sights to see!”
Hubert flashed an almost prideful expression.
“Hmm, really?”
However, when Ghislaine responded positively, everyone’s faces immediately crumpled.
The elders shot Hubert disapproving looks, silently scolding him for uttering such pointless words.
Hubert, in turn, wore a face as if he had bitten into a rancid ginger, unsure of what to do.
“Oh, the clueless idiot.”
Gracefully rejecting pleasantries is foundational to social interactions, yet the rude fellow right in front of them seemed utterly oblivious to this basic principle.
Watching the shifting expressions of the mages, Ghislaine chuckled to herself.
“They really can’t act worth a dime.”
While she wasn’t particularly skilled in acting herself, the mages were painfully obvious in their poor performance.
After all, how often did those highly regarded prodigies have to cater to others’ whims when they were young?
It was amusing to tease them a little, but Ghislaine had her own tasks to tend to instead of wasting more time here.
“No thank you. I have much to do, so I must take my leave. I’ll have to enjoy it the next time I come around.”
At that, Hubert’s expression brightened considerably. He hastily added before Ghislaine changed her mind,
“Right, right. The Grand Duke shouldn’t be away from his territory for too long. The money is already prepared, so check it out. I’ll ensure the mages are sent out on time.”
The mages were to set out a bit later and enter the territory separately from Ghislaine and her group.
If they moved together, rumors would spread about mages following them from the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Ghislaine emphasized once more to Hubert,
“You must ensure Vanessa arrives safely at the territory. Please take care of her until then. Now that she’s my exclusive mage, you should treat her very well. She cannot be harmed, you know.”
“Of course! I will treat her like a precious guest, so don’t worry.”
Hubert responded with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Ghislaine approached Vanessa and spoke softly.
“I would like to set off together, but unfortunately, circumstances won’t allow it. Just be careful on your way back.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Vanessa’s expression was incredibly gloomy. Ghislaine urged her once more,
“If anyone bothers you, make sure to tell me. You can’t keep it bottled up inside. If you explode later, it will be a big problem, you understand?”
Though it was incomprehensible to Vanessa, she simply nodded.
“Yes… understood.”
Ghislaine gave her shoulder a comforting pat and turned to leave.
Once they all descended to the lobby, mercenaries were already waiting there.
The wagon was loaded with chests of gold coins.
“Verify the amount.”
As soon as Ghislaine commanded, the mercenaries began counting the money immediately.
The mages wore displeased expressions. Were they really that petty as to check right in front of them? Did they think they were shortchanged? How dare they look down on them!
Not long after, the mercenaries spoke with a puzzled tone.
“We’re short 3 gold. They say mages are clever, but it seems they can’t count.”
In an instant, the mages’ faces turned crimson.
The amount was substantial, making it seem like a blunder.
While it was a trivial sum considering the scale of the transaction, it was an embarrassing mistake given the tower’s reputation.
Hubert stammered, flustered.
“It appears the person in charge of the calculations made an error. I will check again. My apologies.”
Ghislaine sighed and called for someone.
“Gordon.”
“…….”
Gordon quietly reached into his groin, pulled out 5 gold coins, and clinked them into the chest.
“……?”
Silence enveloped the lobby for a moment.
It was problematic that Gordon had taken the coins, but the mercenaries had miscounted as well.
Kaor seized Gordon by the neck and dragged him into a corner, swinging his fist.
“You little piss pants! I won’t let this slide today! You said you didn’t care about money!”
Whack! Whack! Whack!
“Ugh! I’m sorry! I thought it’d be fine to take what I was supposed to get upfront! Agh! Stop hitting! I can’t take it! Ack! Violence, stop!”
Hubert and the elders could only blink at the sight of Gordon being beaten in the corner.
Ghislaine chuckled awkwardly at them.
“I’m terribly sorry about this. There are just so many uncultured folks around here. Hahaha, well, I’ll take my leave now.”
Before the mages could utter a word, Ghislaine swiftly turned and said,
“Come on, let’s hurry and leave, you fools.”
Ghislaine’s group quickly exited the tower.
Even then, the mages stood there in stunned silence, utterly speechless.
As they reached the city, Ghislaine suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed,
“Oh no! What about the gatekeeper?”
Belinda looked at Ghislaine in disbelief.
“Were you teasing me out of annoyance?”
“Teasing? I was always sincere.”
“Sure, right.”
Gillian subtly shielded Belinda from Ghislaine’s piercing glare.
“Truly, Your Highness’s plan was successful. I never imagined the tower would accommodate all of your conditions.”
“It seems the Young Master’s luck has finally turned. Everything he does is going well.”
“Aren’t they all just fools pretending to be mages? Why did they agree to everything?”
“Yeah, they must really be fools. You’ll meet plenty more fools in the future.”
There were clear reasons behind it, but Ghislaine couldn’t explain now. She simply smiled.
“By the way, why did you take that woman as your exclusive mage? She doesn’t seem useful at all.”
Kaor asked once more.
An ordinary woman who showed no sign of mana or prowess.
She must have merely played the role of a maid in the tower and likely had little education or relevant qualities.
Yet Ghislaine merely laughed in response to the question without giving an answer.
“You’ll find out later.”
Kaor seemed puzzled for a moment, then soon gave Ghislaine a thumbs-up. It was hard to decipher what he was thinking, but a wicked smile adorned his lips.
Ignoring Kaor, Ghislaine spoke to Gillian.
“We’ve only ascended one step. Now we need to prepare for the next stage.”
“Understood.”
They couldn’t afford to let their guard down, as they had no idea what sort of individuals the enemy might bring forth and to what extent their forces might rise.
Being careless in war equated to putting one’s life on the line.
Ghislaine firmly desired a clear victory.
“I’ll make sure anyone who touches us pays with their life.”
The determination gleaming in her expression was colder than ever.
*
Count Homern of Perdium spent day after day eagerly awaiting Ghislaine’s return.
Having failed to secure any favors from those nearby, there was only one direct approach left: asking for money outright.
However, the Grand Duke, who had gone to sell the Runestone, had yet to return even after a month.
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t he come back? Did he happen to run into bandits and get robbed?”
Once that thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t sleep properly.
It was only natural to be worried in such a situation.
Ghislaine was the hope of this territory. No, it wasn’t Ghislaine himself, but the Runestone he had taken that was Perdium’s hope.
“What if he was captured by bandits and killed? How foolish! He should have taken more soldiers with him!”
In truth, considering Perdium’s current situation, it was unreliable to provide even a hundred soldiers for support.
Still, Homern was certain it was better than having none at all.
“Even if the Grand Duke were to die, we could still gather the Runestone from the territory… No wait, thinking about it, we don’t even have the money to hire laborers!”
Though he worried about the Grand Duke’s safety, he also had to consider what to do with the remaining Runestones if he were dead.
At least Ghislaine had cleared a path to where the Runestones were located, so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult.
“Argh! It’s maddening not knowing whether he’s alive or dead. What should I do?”
The other retainers seemed anxious as well, and the fort was buzzing with talk about the Grand Duke.
They could not leave the Northern Fortress vacant forever, so Count Perdium had to return to the fortress, but with Ghislaine not back yet, he too couldn’t depart.
He had left without mentioning his destination, making it impossible to guess where he might be.
“This won’t do. I have to go look for him. Where on earth could he have gone?”
Homern waited two more days before finally receiving permission from Zvalter to set up a tracking party. It was a small group, consisting of one knight and about a dozen soldiers.
They couldn’t afford to form a large tracking party, but given the scale of the forces Ghislaine had taken, finding his whereabouts wouldn’t be incredibly difficult even with a smaller number.
Just as they were about to open the castle gate and set off, a cloud of dust appeared in the distance as a group approached.
“What, what’s that?”
“Are we under attack? There was no alert!”
“Close the castle gate! Close it immediately!”
Armed forces numbering in the hundreds were advancing. Their banners were not visible, making it hard to identify them.
Frightened, the people hurried to shut the gates first and rushed to figure out what was happening inside.
“Uh, that person…?”
One of the knights recognized the rider leading the way and was startled.
“It’s the Grand Duke! The Grand Duke has returned!”
“And what of the forces behind him?”
“Are they mercenaries? But their equipment seems far too good for that?”
Upon hearing the news of Ghislaine’s return, Homern rushed to the castle gate.
He stared in disbelief at the forces following Ghislaine.
“Whoa, what’s going on here?”
Ghislaine halted her horse in front of the gate and laughed heartily.
“Did the Chief Officer come out to greet me?”
“N-no, Grand Duke! What is all this? What’s happened to the forces behind you?”
“They are people I hired to develop the Forest of Monsters and defend the territory.”
“H-hired? Mercenaries?”
“Exactly.”
Homern was flabbergasted as he scanned the mercenaries.
Though their weapons varied, their armors and steeds appeared remarkably similar, gleaming as if they were brand new.
Suppressing his foreboding, Homern asked,
“Okay, I can understand about developing the forest, but… what do you mean by defending the territory?”
“With the discovery of the Runestone resource site, other lords will likely invade, right? So we need to prepare.”
Ghislaine stated this nonchalantly, causing Homern to hold his forehead in disbelief.
“This foolish boy! Does he think war is just a child’s plaything?”
While tales of the Runestones would eventually spread, it wasn’t going to happen right away.
“You could have hired mercenaries once the war began! How long has it even been since we found the Runestones? At least a year must pass before any invasion, and yet already!”
Homern passionately argued, but Ghislaine merely shrugged nonchalantly.
Homern’s opinion was flawed.
If mercenaries were only hired after the war began, they wouldn’t be appropriately gathered. No one would side with Perdium.
But who would believe such a statement if it were uttered now?
Better to get labeled as a madman and prepare for themselves.
“Still, since they’re already hired, there’s no helping it. If a war doesn’t break out, we can put them to work in the Forest of Monsters.”
“Ugh… then what about the money? How much is left from the sale of the Runestones this time?”
“I’ve used it all.”
“Pardon?”
“I spent everything hiring the mercenaries and preparing supplies, so now there’s no remaining money.”
“Not a single penny?”
“Not a single penny.”
“…….”
“…….”
A moment of silence fell between the two men.
With tears glistening in his eyes, Homern pressed his forehead and staggered back.
