Chapter 56: If You Don’t Like It, I Don’t Care (3)
The Mage Tower Master and the five Elders hurried down to meet Ghislaine. Normally, they’d be full of pride and wouldn’t budge an inch, but the situation was urgent.
However, Hubert, once he reached the lobby, didn’t show any urgency and leisurely approached Ghislaine, still wanting to uphold his last shred of dignity.
Holding his head high, the Mage Tower Master spoke to Ghislaine.
“Are you the one here to sell the Runestone? I am Hubert, the Mage Tower Master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. A 6th Circle Mage.”
In any country, a 6th Circle would be treated like a Count or a high-ranking Noble. Plus, being the Mage Tower Master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, his authority was no joke.
Ghislaine, accepting his condescension, replied, “It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ghislaine Perdium, here to sell the Runestone.”
“Cough, well then…”
Hubert continued but glanced at Ghislaine’s companions and unintentionally halted his speech.
‘…What’s this? Bandits? Here to swindle me?’
He was aware of a poor territory called Perdium in the north. But no matter how poor it was, Ghislaine’s group did not look like a noble entourage at all. They were filled with rough and fierce-looking guys that would put bandits to shame.
‘Are they really Nobles? What in the world are these guys?’
Especially the tall guy with red hair, who was standing with a cocky expression and tilted head, staring at him.
‘…Is he challenging me?’
Having never experienced such a trivial provocation, Hubert was flustered and turned his head away. The man with graying hair, who looked older, seemed relatively normal, but the rest were utterly disgraceful in both demeanor and appearance.
It was the first time in the history of the Tower of the Bloody Flame that such uncouth characters had been allowed in.
Hubert studied Ghislaine once more. He was somewhat handsome and had a decent presence among his group, but for a Grand Duke of a territory, his attire was quite shabby, and it made no sense that he was mingling with such lowlifes.
Hubert leaned towards an Elder next to him and whispered, “Is there a newly formed bandit group around here?”
“Well… I don’t think so around here.”
“Right? We swept them all out.”
“Yes, we cleaned them up completely.”
The Mage Tower Master narrowed his eyes slightly.
‘Then where the hell did they come from…? Are they really from Perdium?’
With a perplexed expression, Hubert continued, “Cough cough, you’re claiming to be the Grand Duke of Perdium? But your companions’ appearances seem… Is this how soldiers dress in Perdium? Is this the trend in that town?”
“No, these are my mercenaries,” Ghislaine clarified.
“Ah… so they’re not bandits, but mercenaries?”
“Was it?”
Only then did Hubert nod.
In impoverished territories with few soldiers, it was common for a lord or their direct lineage to hire mercenaries only when traveling abroad.
“Yeah, well, anyway, coming here instead of the Tower of the Bloody Flame was truly a good decision.”
While he greeted them with a smile, Hubert suppressed his irritation internally.
In the past, the tower’s owner wouldn’t even show their face unless it was absolutely necessary, much less personally engage in a transaction.
It was beneath the dignity of the lord of the most prestigious mage tower in the North to bicker with a mere merchant.
‘I’ll make sure to get my money’s worth for stepping in myself.’
The tower master said with a haughty expression, “First… let’s confirm how much there is.”
He casually glanced over the runestones piled on the wagon and muttered, almost dismissively, “Not as much as I expected. I came here thinking there’d be a ton… what a waste.”
In reality, there were way more than he anticipated, enough to make his heart race.
The elders almost cheered but quickly put on stern faces when they noticed Hubert.
“Ahem, really not as much as I thought. The quality doesn’t seem that great either…”
“But since you’ve made the effort to come all the way here, why not just buy it all?”
“Well, sure. Young man, where else would you sell this if not here? Hmmm.”
“Exactly. If not us, you’ll just get scammed somewhere else. The world is a scary place, ha ha ha.”
Watching the elders exchange banter, the mercenaries wore broad grins.
Kaor turned his head and muttered quietly, “You guys really suck at acting.”
With flushed faces, Hubert and the other mages were flaring their nostrils, trying to hide their embarrassment.
One elder even seemed short of breath, constantly exhaling while clutching his heart.
It was strange that they couldn’t recognize it was an act even after seeing such a spectacle.
The mercenaries began to huddle together and whisper.
“Hey, the tower’s not much. You can tell they’re just putting on a show to cheapen the price.”
“Exactly. Normally, places like this cut through the nonsense and deal straightforwardly.”
“Every place where people live is the same. Acting all dignified, but it’s just for show.”
To the mercenaries who had seen all sorts of people, the mages’ clumsy performance was as transparent as glass.
However, Hubert didn’t hear the mercenaries chatter.
He took a deep breath as if trying to cool his flushed face.
“Shall we discuss things in detail then? Follow me.”
Ghislaine, Belinda, and Gillian stepped onto the magic circle following the mages.
At the back, Kaor glanced back before stepping onto the magic circle, saying, “Hey, keep your eyes peeled. If even one piece goes missing, the thief and whoever let it happen will get their heads cracked.”
The mages frowned at the crude expression, but the mercenaries nodded as if it was the most natural thing.
Once Kaor stepped up, the magic circle flickered a few times, and Ghislaine’s group was transported to the top floor of the tower.
This magic circle also required runestones to maintain. It’s a glimpse into just how versatile runestones could be.
Ghislaine followed quietly with a smile, ‘With that amount, it’s enough to lose your mind. Especially for you guys.’
Among the documents Ghislaine had collected in his previous life was information about the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
The Tower of the Bloody Flame had been stuck in a perpetual second place in the North, overshadowed by the Tower of Crimson.
Its influence had diminished so much that the tower master later died of heartbreak.
A mage, known for their rationality above all else, had died of a broken heart.
While the situation wasn’t as dire as in his previous life, things weren’t looking good either—not by a long shot. It was only going to get worse from here on out.
However, it wasn’t good either. It would only get worse from here.
“I wish I had come a bit later.”
If he had arrived any later, the Mage Tower Lord would have not only kneeled before Ghislaine but also bowed his head to the ground.
But Ghislaine, in the urgent situation, couldn’t afford to arrive any later.
“Still, I must be prepared to strip down to my underwear. Hehehe.”
The place they arrived at was furnished with luxurious chairs and tables, just like the reception room. Refreshments were already prepared.
Ghislaine sat down with a leisurely expression. The other three stood behind him.
Hubert and the five Elders sat in a row before Ghislaine.
“Let me introduce these individuals. They are the Elders of our Mage Tower. All of them are 6th Circle Mages and key figures leading the Tower of the Bloody Flame,” Hubert said.
As soon as Hubert finished speaking, the Elders wore arrogant expressions and introduced themselves one by one.
It was as if they were saying, “You know who we are, right?” But sadly for them, Ghislaine was not interested at all.
“I see. Nice to meet you.”
His confident attitude made the Elders’ faces harden just a bit.
Usually, young ones like him would bow deeply and flatter them upon meeting, but Ghislaine showed no sign of that.
One of the Elders sneered and asked, “Isn’t Perdium Territory a poor territory in the North? How did you manage to bring back a Runestone from such a place? Don’t they barely have enough food to eat?”
Belinda frowned at the dismissive remark, but Ghislaine simply smiled and replied, “I was lucky. By the way, it’s impressive that all of you are 6th Circle Mages.”
Typically, Mages who signed exclusive contracts with Lords were 4th Circle. If all five Elders were 6th Circle, it meant the Mage Tower was quite powerful.
Hubert and the Elders wore proud expressions, but as Ghislaine continued speaking, their faces distorted.
“After all, it’s a place that deserves to be called the second best in the North. Hahaha.”
“Ugh, that brat.”
Hubert gritted his teeth at the insulting remark.
But Ghislaine kept smiling innocently, as if he knew nothing.
It was clear that arguing further would only tarnish the Mage Tower’s reputation. Hubert took a deep breath to calm his boiling anger.
“Ahem, it seems you don’t know much coming from another territory. That’s just a rumor. We are still the best Mage Tower in the North.”
“Oh, really? Well, I’ll take your word for it.”
From the back, Kaor chuckled softly. Belinda covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes betrayed her as they sparkled with laughter.
Only Gillian stood still with an indifferent expression, just like before.
Hubert and the Elders glared at the two rude individuals.
But instead, they shrugged their shoulders, wearing a shameless expression that suggested, “So what?”
“These impudent brats.”
The Mages frowned, thinking that these were indeed poor, uneducated fools lacking dignity.
While they boiled with frustration, they knew that engaging further with such lowly creatures wouldn’t lead to anything good.
“Alright, enough pointless chatter. Let’s get to the point. How much are you planning to sell it for? By the way, I really dislike being overcharged. It’s an insult. You’ve heard rumors of how scary I am, right?”
Hubert spoke threateningly, trying to dampen the other’s momentum.
He intended to buy all the Runestones Ghislaine brought back at any cost.
If he couldn’t continue to procure Runestones, he’d never be able to surpass the Crimson Mage Tower.
“I must secure them all. I cannot let even a single one fall into the hands of the Crimson Mage Tower.”
With that amount of Runestones, it would be profitable to create magical tools and sell them.
Selling magic tools could be profitable.
Before that, he could raise the level of himself and the mages belonging to the Mage Tower a notch.
‘All those runestones are ours.’
His mind was filled with the thought of securing the runestones.
Seeing the burning desires in the eyes of the mages, Ghislaine smirked.
“I’ll need to charge double the market price.”
“What?”
The tower master frowned. He may have said he hated overcharging, but how dare they try to openly overcharge him?
“Young noble, you are truly clueless about the ways of the world. Did I not just say I hate being overcharged? Do my words sound amusing to you?”
As Hubert growled, other elders also got angry.
“How dare you assume this is where you can do as you please!”
“Are you disregarding the Tower of the Bloody Flame, Perdium?”
Ignoring the scowls of the mages, Ghislaine said nonchalantly,
“Make it two and a half times.”
The mages briefly stared at Ghislaine in bewilderment before they erupted in excitement.
“Kid! You think such a pathetic ploy will work?!”
“How dare you spew such nonsense…!”
“Do you really want to see how this ends?!”
The mages clenched their fists and raised their hands. However, Ghislaine merely glanced at them and said again,
“Make it three times.”
“…”
By that point, all the mages had shut their mouths. Somehow, they felt that if they opened them, Ghislaine would just raise the price again.
The tower master and the elders stared at Ghislaine with fearsome eyes, unable to utter a word for a long time.
The three people accompanying Ghislaine were equally bewildered.
No matter how precious runestones are, who would pay three times the market price?
For that kind of money, they could simply approach a merchant group and buy some.
They couldn’t understand why he was behaving so oddly when they had come all this way to sell something.
Belinda looked at Ghislaine with worried eyes.
‘Is that bad habit of the Young Master flaring up again? The mages might be too arrogant and took offense.’
She glanced at Gillian and Kaor, standing beside her. They didn’t seem inclined to dissuade Ghislaine.
Just a stony-faced man pledging to follow his lord’s wishes, and a rascal chuckling at the prospect of entertainment made Belinda grumble internally.
‘Seriously, am I the only one thinking about the Young Master here?!’
Whether he knew of Belinda’s worries or not, Ghislaine waited a moment before silently standing up.
At his sudden motion, Hubert’s eyes widened.
“Why are you getting up…?”
“I think you’re not really interested in making a deal. We should hurry to the Tower of the Bloody Flame. I hear they’ve been making good money there and offering fair prices for runestones.”
With that, Ghislaine strode confidently towards the door.
Hubert, his face paling, quickly grabbed Ghislaine.
“Hey! Why is a young person like you so impatient? I said I hated overcharging, not that I wouldn’t pay it!”
The tower master hurriedly blocked the door.
Ghislaine narrowed his eyes, looking him over before leisurely nodding.
“Well, if that’s the case, shall we have a bit more discussion?”
Ghislaine gracefully sat back down.
Hubert’s expression sank like a stone. The elders beside him fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
Belinda, who was completely unaware of the situation the Tower of the Bloody Flame was in, couldn’t understand why they were panicking.
‘Why on earth is the Young Master insisting on this? Have all these old men lost their minds?’
Ghislaine’s relaxed voice echoed in the room.
“So, will you agree to buy them all at three times the price?”
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