Chapter 59: What Do You Even Use a Fool For? (2)
As soon as the mages left, Gillian asked Ghislaine, “Your Highness, what do you mean by ‘Exclusive Mage’? Didn’t you originally plan to only have mages for support?”
Thanks to Ghislaine’s previous rough explanation of the plan, Belinda and Gillian were aware that they intended to hire a mage.
They certainly didn’t expect it to go this well.
“Well, it’s just a bit of a side gig. I couldn’t even fill ten mages, you see.”
“From what the Elder said, this person doesn’t seem to be particularly impressive and appears to just do menial tasks. Are they really suitable?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It all depends on how you use a person.”
With Ghislaine’s firm statement, Gillian had nothing more to say.
How to use a person is the lord’s discretion, so there’s no need for subordinates to question it. Gillian just hoped this new character wouldn’t be a hindrance.
Meanwhile, Kaor was wearing a strange expression, even after hearing the explanation.
Receiving one maid instead of four lacking mages just doesn’t add up, no matter how you look at it.
And to take that maid as an ‘Exclusive Mage’—where in the world does a noble make a maid from the Mage Tower an exclusive mage?
‘Seriously, I really can’t figure out what they’re thinking.’
In reality, it didn’t matter to Kaor who the employer hired as an exclusive mage.
While he was curious about their thinking, Ghislaine didn’t have any obligation to explain herself to him.
Still, there was one thing he needed to confirm.
“Your Highness, is hiring the mages truly in preparation for territorial warfare?”
“Yeah, just in case. It’s better to be prepared than not.”
“Even if we keep the Mage Tower origin a secret… wouldn’t it be better to disclose that we hired mercenary mages? With the Runestone, if we say we’re training soldiers extensively, they wouldn’t dare interfere.”
Kaor made a valid point. Sometimes, showing strength can deter wars.
But this time, that logic didn’t apply.
Duke Delphine was bound to attack Perdium. Those guys wouldn’t be scared by hiring a few mages.
It would be lucky if they didn’t just laugh.
Perdium was still inferior to their enemies in every aspect, so they had to hide their full power to secure a victory.
“For now, I want to keep it as hidden as possible. Kaor, you need to keep this secret well.”
“Well, I can say anything for the right amount of money, even the colors of my wife’s underwear.”
Kaor’s cheeky answer made Ghislaine chuckle.
Soon, Hubert and the elders came in with a group of mages.
She brought them in.
Six mages wearing flashy robes and exuding confidence.
And behind them stood a woman, shuffling nervously.
“Finally, we meet.”
Ghislaine’s expression brightened as she spotted the woman.
The woman appeared to be in her early twenties.
Her dark red hair was a tangled mess, and unlike the other mages, her robe was tattered and filthy.
With a face full of anxiety and restlessness, it was clear to see how much she had been bullied at the Mage Tower.
Hubert smiled as he introduced the mages to Ghislaine.
“Now, these are the mages who will assist you for the next year. They’ve been instructed to keep this a secret, so you shouldn’t worry.”
One young man among the six stepped forward to introduce himself.
Seeing him naturally leading the older mages, he was evidently quite skilled.
“I’m Alfoy. I’ve been entrusted with the important task of leading the mages. By the command of the Tower Master, I will serve you with all my heart from now on.”
His words were polite, but his expression told a different story.
He just seemed to be following orders for the sake of it.
Alfoy had a smirk on his lips as he looked down at Ghislaine, almost as if she were a village girl.
Despite his annoying demeanor, Ghislaine didn’t care. After all, he was just temporary manpower.
“I am Ghislaine, Grand Duke of Perdium. I look forward to working with you. To be a 3rd Circle Master at such a young age is quite a talent.”
Hubert cleared his throat and answered on her behalf.
“Well, it’s not a boast, but… this fellow is among the most promising talents in our Mage Tower. I’d wager there’s hardly anyone his age better than him. I’ve put in a lot of effort.”
One of the Elders chimed in from the side.
“Alfoy is the Tower Master’s disciple. You could say he’s the heir of our Mage Tower. So, what do you think? We’ve done our best.”
In truth, they had no reliable candidates, so they were forced to pull in their precious heir, but they were going to take credit for it.
“Is that so? I truly had no idea you would send the Tower Master’s disciple.”
Ghislaine responded with a smile, though she wasn’t genuinely impressed.
After all, there was someone else she was really interested in.
Still, she readily complimented Alfoy. Flattery costs nothing, after all.
“The heir of the Mage Tower, how reassuring! I have high expectations.”
Alfoy naturally lowered his head in response.
“Please, speak comfortably. The Tower Master instructed us to wholeheartedly serve you. You are a very important guest to our Mage Tower.”
He purposefully feigned humility to emphasize how much Hubert had invested in Ghislaine.
It was his own way of currying favor with his superiors while showing courtesy to the guest.
Hubert looked satisfied. Alfoy also believed this was a job well done and felt content.
However, the person in front of them lived in a different world.
“I understand. I look forward to working with you. You’ve got a lot to do in the territory. Don’t let your guard down from now on.”
As Ghislaine spoke down to him as if she had been waiting for this, Alfoy’s gaze wavered sharply.
Typically, when someone feigned humility, the other person would reciprocate out of courtesy.
No one had ever treated him quite this way, especially not someone of such a shabby appearance, who, instead of respecting him, treated him like a subordinate.
He treated me like a lamb.
There was no thought of courtesy or regard for him whatsoever.
‘This, this ignorant village idiot… clueless about his place!’
Alfoy ground his teeth in shame but couldn’t show it on the outside.
All he could do was look down, hiding his reddened face out of anger.
‘Since you say there’s an important contract, I’ll endure it for a year. But… let’s see if you can act like this even after I become the Mage Tower lord.’
While Alfoy was biting back his frustration, other mages stepped forward one by one to greet Ghislaine.
Even after the six of them greeted him, the woman standing behind couldn’t seem to settle down and looked lost.
One of the elders shoved her back with annoyance.
“What’re you doing? Hurry up and greet the young master! You think you can just slack off without picking up on things? Tsk tsk.”
Suddenly pushed forward, the woman couldn’t hide her fearful expression. She opened her trembling mouth.
“I, I greet you, young master. My name is, um, Vanessa.”
Ghislaine smiled at her, who was all nervous, and extended his hand.
“I am Ghislaine Perdium. Let’s get along well from now on.”
Vanessa, flustered, rubbed her hands on her robe before shaking his hand.
Bowing repeatedly, Ghislaine chuckled and said again.
“You don’t have to be so tense. You must have heard the detailed explanation from the tower lord, right?”
At that, Vanessa shook her head, trembling.
“I, I didn’t hear anything… I was cleaning when…”
She trailed off. Ghislaine frowned and looked at Hubert.
It was a wordless pressure of confusion. Hubert, flustered, quickly made an excuse.
“Since we brought you here in a hurry, the message hasn’t been conveyed yet. Vanessa, you are to leave the Mage Tower and serve this young master from now on. Do you understand?”
“What?”
Vanessa looked startled, staring at Hubert and the elders.
While she had prepared herself to be abandoned by the Mage Tower someday, she never expected to be informed so suddenly.
“M-Master told me to stay at the Mage Tower…”
Vanessa protested with a trembling voice, but Hubert shouted sternly.
“Oh no! Ronato is already dead. Are you saying you’ll defy the tower lord’s orders?”
“B-but…”
Hubert glanced at Ghislaine, whose expression was mysterious, then shifted his tone to a gentle whisper.
“It’ll be a good opportunity for you too. Isn’t it better to serve the young master as his exclusive mage than to do menial tasks here?”
“B-but I can’t even use magic properly…”
“Ugh! Why are there so many excuses?!”
Hubert gasped, cutting off the fact that Vanessa couldn’t use magic.
Vanessa was at a loss, on the verge of tears. One of the elders beside her comforted her with a serious expression.
“Have we not fed you for years as an orphan at the Mage Tower? You must serve the young master well to repay that kindness, understand?”
Vanessa hung her head low.
It felt like tears might spill at the realization that she had indeed been abandoned.
After her master died, she had been anxious about when she might be kicked out.
Having lived only in the Mage Tower since childhood, what could she possibly do out there?
She had been willing to be a maid just to stay at the tower, but it was all for nothing.
Vanessa cautiously lifted her gaze to look at Ghislaine but then quickly ducked her head again.
She lifted her head to look at Ghislaine, then quickly lowered it again.
“Scary…”
Not knowing why this person wanted her and uncertain of her fate, she couldn’t help but feel fear.
“I really wanted to be a Mage… I worked hard for it…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Ronato had taken her in as his apprentice, impressed by Vanessa’s intelligence, and taught her magic.
But no matter how hard she tried, magic power never accumulated within Vanessa’s body.
She had learned all the spells in her head, but without magic power, she couldn’t cast any spells. Her master felt sorry for her but couldn’t find a solution.
After he passed away, she was left alone and treated as a useless pest in the Mage Tower.
Still, she didn’t give up. She reduced her sleep to find the cause and diligently researched spells.
She never lost hope that one day she would be able to use magic too.
“I don’t want to go…”
If she followed that noble, she could no longer study magic.
At the Mage Tower, though treated like a maid, she could still study magic.
But in a noble house, she would really end up doing maid duties.
As Vanessa hesitated and couldn’t answer properly, Hubert shouted angrily.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and greet the noble!”
He had barely managed to reduce the number of Mages by giving her away, and stalling would surely change Ghislaine’s mind, causing a headache.
In his impatience, he unknowingly showed his temper.
“Do you think if you don’t listen to me, you can keep practicing magic here!”
Startled by his loud voice, Vanessa shrank back.
The Elders also threw in harsh comments.
“It would be better for your future if you go when that noble wants.”
“Your talent is so great that you can’t display it here, so just leave while you can.”
“You should have some conscience after all the care we gave you at the Mage Tower!”
Under the heavy atmosphere, Vanessa’s face turned pale.
It was already decided that she would follow Ghislaine. Vanessa was not in a position to refuse that.
It was also true that she had to repay the favor she had received from the Mage Tower until now.
“Ah, I understand…”
She understood logically, but her voice got stuck in her throat and wouldn’t come out. Eventually, she ended up showing her tears.
Seeing this, Ghislaine let out a deep sigh and stepped forward.
“If you all speak so harshly, won’t this person get scared? You should be gentle.”
“Cough, cough…”
Hubert and the Elders cleared their throats and looked away.
They just hoped he would quickly take Vanessa and leave.
Ghislaine patted Vanessa’s shoulder and said,
“I need your help. I really want to have you as my Mage. Won’t you come with me?”
Vanessa looked into Ghislaine’s eyes.
In his gaze, there was a warmth as if meeting an old friend after a long time.
With that warm voice and look, Vanessa felt a glimmer of hope. She asked with a trembling voice.
“What if… what if I refuse? Can I… stay here?”
“Really? Won’t you regret it?”
“Y-Yes…!”
“You will regret it.”
Ghislaine’s smile faded as he answered firmly.
“If you stay here, you’ll die.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
