Chapter 57: If You Don’t Want It, Then Forget It. (4)
Hubert looked at the Elders. However, the Elders could do nothing but make awkward faces.
“Damn it, useless bunch!”
With no one savvy in business, there was no one to lead this transaction.
“You know, young friend, you have quite the nerve. But transactions don’t just go as you wish. You’ve come this far, and we should be able to trade comfortably, so let’s stick to the twofold price I mentioned earlier. That should be enough…”
Before he could finish his words, Ghislaine stood up again.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“I was saying that it might not be enough!”
“Is that so? I must have misunderstood.”
Hubert and the Elders looked at each other with sorrowful expressions.
Runestones were already expensive, and at three times the price, it would require a tremendous amount of money.
Even if the Mage Tower had plenty of money, a sum like that would uproot its foundations.
– Someone say something! Is there no way?
– What if he goes again!
– Isn’t that guy just crazy?
Hubert and the Elders exchanged looks and communicated silently for a while.
Ghislaine waited leisurely. After all, the conclusion was practically decided, so there was no reason not to show some consideration as the victor.
Eventually, Hubert sighed with a near-death expression.
“Alright. We’ll buy everything at three times the price.”
Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor gasped in surprise.
To think this absurd and ruthless deal would actually succeed.
But Ghislaine nodded as if it were the most natural outcome.
“Very well. You’ve timed this perfectly.”
“Perfectly? What a load of crap…”
Hubert muttered as he turned his head to hide his contorted expression.
He didn’t want to be fooled by this young trickster, but the situation was too dire.
The other Elders merely smacked their lips, failing to even think about overturning the Tower Master’s decision.
Ghislaine smiled inwardly at the sorcerers wearing expressions like they just bit into a lemon.
“It’s better to buy at a high price now. It’ll only get more expensive later. Better than dying from an angry tantrum, right?”
If just a little more time passed, they’d be unable to find any Runestones even at five times the price.
The Bloody Flame Tower would have tightened the distribution in collaboration with most merchant groups.
Hubert would later learn this fact and collapse from anger.
“Well, at least I’ve gathered enough money.”
Ghislaine, who understood the Mage Tower’s situation and future better than anyone in the Tower, would not let this opportunity slip by.
For Ghislaine, these were reasonably logical conditions.
“The money will be prepared right away. The Runestones brought here will all be purchased by the Tower of the Bloody Flame. Please wait here for a moment.”
“Darige.”
Hubert was practically bursting with impatience to hand over the money and send Ghislaine and his crew packing.
But Ghislaine’s conditions didn’t stop there.
“I haven’t finished stating all my conditions yet.”
“What?”
Hubert’s eyes widened in surprise.
The seller named a price, and the buyer agreed. It should have been a simple transaction—just give the money and be done with it—so what else was left?
Ghislaine whispered in a smooth voice.
“Additionally, please send ten mages to Perdium Territory. The duration is one year.”
“Mages?”
“Yes, you need to send those who are at least 3rd Circle Masters.”
In territories without exclusive mages, it’s common to request mages from the Mage Tower. The Tower charges a ridiculously high fee for this service.
While not as lucrative as selling magical tools or scrolls, dispatching mages was one of the Mage Tower’s major sources of income.
“How much will you pay? Our mages are quite expensive.”
With the hope of recouping the money he had lost, Hubert’s eyes gleamed. He planned to charge the arrogant noble more than the price of a runestone to make up for it.
However, Ghislaine was far more ruthless than Hubert anticipated.
“Oh, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. The price for the runestone, including the dispatch of mages, is three times the market rate. Hahaha.”
“What?! This crazy bastard….”
Hubert’s face turned beet red as he grabbed the back of his neck in disbelief.
“Tower Lord! This guy must really be looking down on us!”
“This is absolutely unforgivable!”
“This is nothing short of an insult!”
The Elders strained their necks in anger, raising their voices in protest.
In stark contrast, Gillian quietly reached for the sword at his waist, while Kaor and Belinda merely observed, intrigued, glancing at the back of Ghislaine’s head.
If Ghislaine was attacked, he planned to respond immediately.
Ignoring the commotion, Ghislaine reiterated his terms.
“Three times the market rate, plus the dispatch of ten mages at least 3rd Circle Masters. That is my condition.”
“How dare you speak such nonsense here! Requesting mages as a throw-in? I’ve never seen such a transaction in my life!”
“What a strange individual you are. If you dislike it so much, then just forget it.”
Ghislaine abruptly stood up from his seat.
“I came to the Tower of the Bloody Flame to consider this, and I must say I’m a bit disappointed. It can’t be helped, though. Maybe the Tower of Crimson will send me what I want.”
Hubert was so angry he felt tears coming to his eyes.
But at that moment, he had to play along, knowing full well he was being toyed with. He rushed in front of Ghislaine to block his path.
“Hey! Why is this young person so impatient? You should listen to what people have to say until the end! You said you’ve never seen such a deal before, then you’ll see it in the future, won’t you?!”
“I’ve misinterpreted again, it seems. I just tend to be a bit hasty.”
Ghislaine smiled slyly and gracefully crossed his legs as he sat back down.
‘Words aren’t getting through; I can’t win this one.’
Hubert swallowed his tears inwardly.
Usually, people try hard to make a good impression on them. But this arrogant brat acted like he didn’t care about the Tower or anything else.
‘Is this guy for real? He’s definitely someone who only lives for today. If only I didn’t need those runestones, I would’ve set him on fire already!’
But pride wouldn’t let him just send Ghislaine away.
‘If all those runestones enter the Tower of Crimson, the gap will only widen.’
That, above all, was something he would never allow.
“Uh, right. Ten mages of the 3rd Circle… Is there some big construction going on in the territory? Or are they creating a new barrier?”
“No. We need combat mages.”
“What?”
Hubert frowned slightly.
When a mage participates in combat, they usually demand more money as a danger allowance. But right now, everything had to be offered for free.
“Are you thinking of going monster hunting?”
When he asked for confirmation, Ghislaine shook his head.
“We need mages for war, specifically for territory battles.”
Hubert’s expression stiffened.
The Elders glared at Ghislaine with terrifying eyes and shouted, “What are you talking about!”
Mages belonging to the Mage Tower cannot participate in inter-territory disputes. It was a law established for that reason.
If the powerful Mage Tower sided with a specific territory, the whole nation could be manipulated by the Mage Tower, hence the legislation.
If caught violating this law, both the mage and the Mage Tower to which they belong face severe penalties.
“Mages from the Mage Tower can’t participate in territory battles. Are you saying you’re a noble yet don’t know that?”
Only free mages, those who research alone or wander the world, could join territory battles.
“Are you seriously thinking that we can just chase the mages out of the Tower, have a war, and then let them come back?”
There were nobles who had tried such tricks before. And when the truth was revealed, one entire Mage Tower was buried in the kingdom.
Ghislaine nodded lightly.
“Well, it’s similar. I hope we can keep our identities thoroughly hidden and participate. We must ensure we are not caught. We need to act as if we belong to our territory.”
In history, there might have been such cases. But trusting these rookies to try it out was far too risky.
Regarding the Runestone transaction, the Mage Tower was in a rough spot, so they could listen to demands for higher prices.
But this was crossing the line.
“How dare you…”
Hubert began to unleash his magic.
“You don’t really think you can make such dangerous remarks and walk out of here unharmed, do you?”
An overwhelming surge of magic caused the entire room to tremble.
The Elders also began to channel their magic, pressuring Ghislaine.
“You must be a fool if you think you’ll learn a lesson after getting hurt.”
“Do you think we’re a joke just because we’re accommodating your wishes?”
“I’ll show you what happens when you go against a mage’s temper.”
The justification was clear. Ghislaine had made the first dangerous remark.
As the atmosphere turned tense, Belinda and Kaor also readied their weapons.
Their opponents were mages of the 6th and 5th Circles.
It wouldn’t be easy to defeat them even if everyone here attacked together.
Gillian prepared to charge forward.
“If it comes to it, I’ll have to take the hit.”
He was determined to protect Ghislaine even at the cost of his own life.
On the other hand, Kaor had a vicious glint in his eyes and curled his lips into a grin.
“I’ll take out that guy first.”
He lowered his stance while keeping his gaze on Hubert.
With everyone’s attention focused on Ghislaine, he planned to strike the moment magic was released and slice through his neck.
If he eliminated Hubert, it would be much easier to deal with the remaining Elders.
“Our employer has some skills, he’ll manage somehow. If he dies… well, can’t be helped. I’ll just write ‘fool’ on his grave.”
Meanwhile, Belinda shot a glance at the back of Ghislaine’s head, glancing back and forth.
“I have to use Kaor as a shield and sneak the Young Master out to escape. I can’t possibly survive this! Young Master! There’s a time and place for bravado! Seriously, how can you be so reckless!”
She quietly moved behind Kaor.
He shifted his position backward.
“Hmm, I guess I need to kick a little harder. Then it’ll land right in front of the Mage Tower Master.”
Kaor was so focused on Hubert that he didn’t even register Belinda moving behind him.
A tense situation.
But at that moment, Ghislaine’s voice perfectly disrupted their breathing.
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“What?”
He sounded disturbingly confident, like a madman.
“I found a source of Runestones in the territory. There are far more Runestones than what I brought with me. Quite a lot, really. Hehe.”
At the shocking revelation, Hubert and the Elders forgot they were releasing magic power.
“Roughly… there’s more than ten times what I brought this time. Are you really… not interested? I could even offer it at market prices next time.”
Ghislaine wiggled three fingers. Hubert could no longer hold back.
‘How dare he insult me with Runestones!’
…though it was a staggering amount.
While he was at a loss for words, the devil’s whispers continued.
“After that, I can provide you with Runestones in a stable manner. According to the contract terms, I could supply only this Tower of the Bloody Flame, not the Scarlet Tower. Ever heard of a monopoly contract?”
What a tempting whisper! The Mages forgot their social standing and flared their nostrils.
“What a snake of a man!”
“How dare you have such a vile tongue…?”
But even as they verbally denied it, their hostility had significantly lessened.
“If you can receive a stable supply of Runestones, it’s only a matter of time before the Tower of the Bloody Flame becomes the best Mage Tower in the North. Or perhaps even the best in the kingdom.”
Receiving a stable supply of Runestones was practically what they had been wishing for.
Moreover, Ghislaine had stirred their ambitions and insecurities.
The already deflated Mages found it tough to get angry again.
That was exactly Ghislaine’s aim.
“Oh dear, seems my proposal isn’t to your liking. Then I’ll just head to another Mage Tower.”
“Hey now! Why is this young one so impatient? Who said no?”
As Ghislaine tried to stand again, he shot a sulking glance at Hubert.
“Didn’t you just try to intimidate me with magic because I didn’t please you? My heart isn’t really up for it right now.”
‘Seriously? As if your heart is weak… you might as well have a Dragon Heart stuck in there!’
While Hubert grumbled internally about Ghislaine, he widened his eyes and awkwardly started to act.
“Well, that was just… checking if you’re someone I can work on important matters with. Right? You all chime in.”
Hubert unnecessarily pressed the Elders.
After a moment’s daze, the Mages nodded eagerly as the Mage Tower Master glared at them.
“Y-yeah, we wanted to see if you’re trustworthy.”
“For you to stand tall without being intimidated by our magic power, you truly must be a person of great caliber.”
“That young friend knows how to push and pull effectively. Hahaha.”
Looking around at the awkwardly laughing Elders, Ghislaine smiled and asked.
“So, am I qualified enough?”
Hubert hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a deflated expression.
“Yeah, do tell me more about what this territory war is about…”
Somehow, it felt like he was throwing the entire Tower of the Bloody Flame into the devil’s hands.
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