200 episodes, three times the current price. (1)
Ghislaine, having checked the remarkably quick and smooth (?) development status of the territory, reviewed the next plan.
“Development is something that will need to continue anyway… The conflict between the Crown Prince Faction and the Duke Faction is bound to intensify in the future.”
Marquis Branford probably didn’t want this, but he must have realized that the civil war was being hastened because of Ghislaine.
Desmond’s Army alone provided enough evidence.
Ghislaine already knew that Desmond’s Army had been stopped by the 2nd Corps. That was the very outcome Ghislaine had been aiming for, and the Marquis Branford had acted just as Ghislaine had hoped.
But the problem starts now.
“I’m done stalling with Amelia.”
Count Desmond had moved his troops, even discarding the mask and justification of neutrality.
His involvement, especially focused on Amelia’s rebellion, indicated he had indeed decided to target this area directly.
Whether his attack would coincide with the civil war or happen earlier was something to keep an eye on.
“Now it’s Harold’s turn.”
Desmond was regarded as one of the strongest in the North along with Raybold.
While it might fall somewhat short compared to other regions, a great lord is known for a reason.
To be called a great lord, one must have excellent knights, numerous strong soldiers, and rich resources to support them.
Ghislaine, momentarily examining the map, muttered to herself.
“Raybold’s strength will diminish due to Amelia… For a while, the title of strongest in the North will belong to that rascal Harold.”
After all, Raybold would eventually be claimed by Amelia. Even if Ghislaine leaked information, it was evident that Count Raybold wouldn’t stand a chance against her.
But Ghislaine had no intention of letting Amelia easily take Raybold.
“Well, thanks to Amelia, we’ve also explored the Forest of Monsters, and drawn the attention of the Duke Faction and Harold. When you think about it, she’s quite a useful woman.”
Ghislaine recalled the past when she had extracted money from Amelia in exchange for silence.
She couldn’t be sure if that choice was the best. Amelia was certainly a formidable and dangerous person.
But at that time, it was the best option for Ghislaine.
There was no way Count Raybold would believe the words of a worthless fool with nothing to back them up. Even if the Count had faith in Ghislaine, Amelia wasn’t someone who could be easily dealt with.
“Having succeeded in fending off Amelia might have just made things even more dangerous afterward.”
They would have been looking for someone other than Amelia, and they wouldn’t have let Ghislaine off the hook for thwarting their plans.
It’s different now.
Penris had grown too big to hide from and Harold was starting to feel threatened.
And that created a situation where Ghislaine faced a risk unlike any before.
In the end, to seize control of the North, there was no choice but to confront it head-on.
I had no choice but to confront them head-on.
“The Crown Prince Faction has a limited time to keep the Duke Faction in check. Before that time runs out, we need to smash Desmond with overwhelming power.”
To even stand a chance against the Duke Faction, all the lords of the North must be beneath our feet.
If we intend to subjugate them all through war, the damage will inevitably be great. Therefore, we must demonstrate overwhelming strength and make them kneel on their own.
How well we prepare from now on is of utmost importance.
“I’ll need more runestones. For the time being, I have to reduce the amount I sell to the Mage Tower.”
There will be many places where runestones will be needed in the future. The most significant use will, of course, be for territory development and increasing our power.
I anticipated this degree of preparation even when I first set out to find the runestones. It’s just that the time has finally come.
“Speaking of which… we will arrive soon.”
Not long ago, I received a letter from Hubert, the master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
He congratulated me on my victory in the war and mentioned that he would check in on how Ghislaine was doing after so long.
Seeing right through his underlying motives, Ghislaine gazed out the window with a relaxed smile.
*
A few days later, Hubert arrived with the elders of the Mage Tower.
When the mages arrived, a small commotion stirred near the Lord’s Castle.
The Tower of the Bloody Flame is famous in the North, but its members are also quite rare to see in person.
“The master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame has arrived!”
“Really? A person as renowned as that is here to meet our lord?”
“That’s right. They’re riding an incredibly splendid wagon and brought a lot of attendants.”
“If such a person has come in person, it must mean our lord’s reputation has risen significantly?”
The laborers working in the workshop were chatting about the guests. In a corner of the workshop, Alfoy, who was etching a magic circle, lit up at their words.
“The tower master is here? Stay calm, stay calm!”
Sweating nervously, Alfoy tried to compose himself.
After being ‘abandoned’ here, he thought he would never have the chance to see the tower master Hubert.
But now that Hubert was here, this was the perfect opportunity to escape from this place.
If he finds out that I’m living as a slave, the tower master definitely won’t just pretend he doesn’t know.
Alfoy, calming the mages who were getting restless around him, quietly said, “This is our chance. I’ll go meet the tower master. You all create some distraction.”
At Alfoy’s serious words, the mages nodded and immediately sprang into action.
“Uh, where did I put the tools?”
“Call the priest over. I’m not feeling well.”
“Hey hey hey! We need to move this quickly! Where are the dwarves?”
The mages, suddenly bustling about, created a chaotic atmosphere.
“I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”
Taking advantage of the commotion, Alfoy slipped out of the workshop as if naturally heading to the restroom.
“Haaste.”
He cast a speed-increasing spell on himself and swiftly moved.
There wasn’t much time. If he lingered too long, people would start looking for him.
“Okay, let’s run!”
Giving it his all, Alfoy sprinted towards the castle.
By now, the sun had set and darkness engulfed the surroundings. It would be hard for the guards in the distance to catch sight of someone moving quickly.
“Haah, haah!”
Using up what little mana he had left from working, he quickly found himself out of breath.
He thought working at the construction site had improved his stamina, but it seemed he had overdone it.
“Hang in there, Alfoy! You can do it! You’re a fiery man who never gives up! Ugh, my heart hurts!”
As the hope of escaping this hellish place surged within him, his heart began to race wildly.
“Just a little more! Just a little further! If Master sees me, he’ll surely free me from the slave contract…”
“If that’s the case, you must surely release the slave contract…”
As Hubert came to mind, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him.
The Hubert he had observed until now was lazy, extravagant, and incredibly narrow-minded.
Would someone who had so much to gain from the lord really free him? Even I wouldn’t risk a loss for the sake of a disciple…
“Profit, what are you thinking right now?! What kind of bastard abandons his disciple… no, where is there a master like that?! Even so, my master is not like that!”
There wasn’t much castle left. He didn’t need to lose focus over pointless thoughts.
If he made a ruckus up ahead, Hubert would surely find him.
Just as Alfoy was sprinting at tremendous speed, expending his magic power, he suddenly stopped.
“What is this?!”
Swoosh!
Suddenly, dense darkness surged around him, and the world before him started to warp.
In the face of this unidentified phenomenon, Alfoy quickly gathered his magic in his hands.
In this territory, it was beneficial to attack first when encountering something strange.
However, before Alfoy could cast a spell, a hand shot out from the darkness, tearing through it.
Snap!
“Ah, shit…”
Alfoy’s consciousness cut off as his head turned.
Looking down at the fallen Alfoy, Belinda sighed.
“Phew, this guy is getting quicker at sensing things and harder to catch. Even though it’s dinner time and he should be nearly out of magic, he’s moving at this speed? How has his magic efficiency skyrocketed like this?”
Practicing construction non-stop while using magic every day made it impossible for his skills not to improve.
The skill level stayed the same, but his magic management ability and application had bizarrely developed.
When facing off in real combat, such things became more threatening. They might not realize it, but to Belinda’s eyes, this Mage could probably go toe-to-toe with average knights.
After clicking her tongue a few times, Belinda tossed Alfoy back into the workshop.
The Mages who witnessed the unconscious Alfoy showed openly disappointed expressions, while Belinda just smiled briefly before leaving.
Although his skills had improved, he still had a long way to go before surpassing Belinda.
*
“It’s been a while, Tower Master. The Elders have also arrived.”
“Oh, really? I was surprised to hear you won again. You really are good at fighting. So, how have you been?”
Hubert smiled broadly at Ghislaine’s greeting.
He was genuinely pleased. His heart had nearly dropped upon hearing that this guy had started another war.
If he fell, the Mage Tower would also struggle; he wished he would think about that.
Hubert and the Elders exchanged shallow greetings with relief on their faces before chatting about how they had been.
Mostly, Hubert boasted about how well he was doing lately.
“The nobles of the territory are bringing me so many gifts to get on my good side…”
“Oh, yes.”
“At social gatherings, I’m the most popular…”
“Oh, yes.”
“So, if you get closer to me, it would really help the territory going forward…”
“Oh, yes.”
Ghislaine’s indifferent responses made Hubert click his tongue.
Honestly, the guy before him was doing exceptionally well lately. Riding on the coattails of Marquis Branford made it difficult for him to assert the authority of the Mage Tower Master like before.
“Ahem, so, how’s the branch doing? Is it really helping a lot? And how’s Alfoy?”
“Of course. He’s been a great help to the territory. Would you like to meet Alfoy while you’re here? Since it’s late, why don’t you relax and catch up with your disciple before heading back? I have to get busy now…”
Ghislaine’s subtle attempt to chase him away startled Hubert, who waved his hands in protest.
He waved his hands in surprise.
“No, no! As long as you’re doing well, that’s enough. Why meet? I’m not here to see him. He’ll manage on his own. You don’t need to worry.”
“Ah, is that so? Then what brings you here? Is there something you need?”
At the direct question, Hubert and the Elder fidgeted like a puppy that needed to pee.
Ghislaine chuckled and continued speaking.
“Feel free to say whatever. Why make it so complicated between us?”
“Right? Just between us, haha.”
Hubert beamed brightly before cautiously asking, “Um… could we possibly buy some food? We need a lot.”
“Well, you know food is extremely expensive these days, right?”
“Ah, I know! But the number of people at the Mage Tower has increased, and you see… Even if we have the money, it’s not easy to get what we want.”
Ever since receiving Runestones from Ghislaine, the Tower of the Bloody Flame had gradually been regaining its former glory.
The number of disciples had increased, which meant more servants had to be hired to support them.
Magic tools and scroll sales were booming, and funds were piling up again like in the old days.
But then the drought hit, and everything came to a halt.
Even the Tower of the Bloody Flame, known as the best in the North, was coming to Ghislaine to buy food, so there was no need to mention other places.
“Ugh… Getting food these days is really tough. But I heard there’s a lot of food here…”
“The Mage Tower doesn’t seem like it would starve, though?”
“Ah, don’t even mention it. We’re consuming hundreds of servings a day, and it’s becoming increasingly hard to get. Prices are skyrocketing to the point where it’s driving me crazy.”
At least whatever was available in the market was being swept away by nobles changing the laws of the territory to maintain their armies.
Thanks to the authority of the Mage Tower and ample funds, they had managed to hold on until now; otherwise, they’d have collapsed ages ago.
Count Cabaldy, who had amassed such wealth, was also forced to let his soldiers go hungry.
Droughts were terrifying like that. Once a famine struck, there’s almost no supply until at least the next harvest season.
Sweating while confessing his honest feelings, Hubert said, “How about… selling us some food together? Your population has increased, so it won’t be easy… But isn’t it said that true friends share hardships?”
Hubert wasn’t exactly sure how much food Ghislaine had. He’d only heard rumors that there was really a lot.
But the guy in front of him sold precious food to save soldiers and even fought a war with it.
‘Ugh, I don’t know why he did something so crazy, but… perhaps now that the population has increased, he might not have any surplus. What if he says he won’t sell?’
Though anxious, Hubert came to see the situation since there was nowhere else to turn.
After hearing everything, Ghislaine nodded, appearing unconcerned.
“We still have plenty of food. Even after taking what we need, there’s enough left.”
“R-Really? Is it really that much? Then can you sell us some! We don’t need as much as what we would sell to the nobles. Just enough to safely feed our people for 2 years…”
The Tower of the Bloody Flame was once so large it was called the best in the North.
When you added in the disciples being taught there and the hired help, they easily exceeded several hundred.
The amount needed to safely supply such a number for two years would be enormous.
Ghislaine smirked and stretched out three fingers like before.
“Three times the current market price.”
The faces of Hubert and the Elder twisted in shock.
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