“I can’t believe this! You can’t sell the Runestone? This is not what we agreed upon! Why did we send the Mages at our expense? Didn’t we offer you triple the market price? Suddenly throwing this at us is trouble!”
Ghislaine sighed as if to emphasize that he was also in a very troublesome situation.
“As you know, we almost had a big disaster this time, right? There will be more Lords eyeing the Runestone in the future.”
Hubert glared at Ghislaine, but he couldn’t deny it was true.
“If the Rumor spreads, the number of interested Lords could increase.”
Ghislaine nodded.
“We’re short on Troops and Supplies. While selling the Runestone could earn a lot of Money, it’s still a limited resource.”
“So sell it to us, then! If that’s the case, I’ll give you five times my market price!”
Hubert shouted desperately.
But Ghislaine shook his head with a heavy expression.
“Money isn’t the issue. Even if we secure the funds, it takes time to grow our Troops and gather Supplies. What if someone else invades in the meantime?”
“…Another War, I suppose.”
It seemed impossible, but a War had already erupted faster than expected.
Hubert couldn’t be certain about anything concerning the Future.
Seeing Hubert’s Response, Ghislaine chuckled inwardly. This is why desk-bound folks are amusing.
“If a War breaks out, we’ll have to blow up the Runestone again. That’s the only way to stop a large army.”
Hubert’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Are you crazy? You’ll blow up the Runestone again? At this rate, it will run out in no time!”
“I can’t help it. Do you think I wouldn’t feel bad about it? With that Money, we could train Soldiers, improve Facilities, and develop the Territory immensely. But if we lose in War, it’s all for nothing. There’s no other choice.”
“Oh, give me a break! Don’t spout nonsense!”
“Is it reasonable for me to sell the Runestone while watching the Territory fall apart?”
“Th-that’s….”
Hubert had no retort and clenched his teeth.
Ghislaine was right in every aspect.
With the Territory’s survival on the line, he couldn’t just say to earn Money.
Still, he needed to convince him somehow.
I had to persuade them somehow.
If we don’t have the Runestone, the Tower of the Bloody Flame will go down in flames too.
“Then we can use the money from selling the Runestone to gather troops…”
I did my best to come up with an answer, but Ghislaine let out a dismissive snort.
“Hah, Lord. In what world will you gather thousands of troops? Soldiers don’t just fall from the sky. Our territory has a small population.”
“We could hire mercenaries.”
“I hired mercenaries all over the North with the money from selling the Runestone last time, and that only got me just over three hundred men. I already hired nearly two hundred before that, so the mercenaries are running dry now.”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Not small, but not large either. There were thousands of them attacking last time.”
“…….”
Ghislaine pretended to look pitiful and continued speaking.
“I love money too, and I want to sell all of this. I said earlier, I want to keep a good transaction going. But if the territory is destroyed, what good will that do?”
Hubert felt lost.
That didn’t mean he could suggest selling the territory and heading somewhere else.
If he sold the land passed down from his ancestors, he’d be pointed at and called disgraceful no matter where he went.
No, before that, if they left Perdium, the Runestone would disappear too.
“W-We will guarantee and help you as much as we can! How about submitting the Runestone to the royal family for protection?”
Hubert spouted out whatever solutions came to mind.
“Or we could form alliances with other lords and connect with them? Partnering with the Temple would be good too. Becoming a vassal of Duke Delphine would ensure safety!”
Ghislaine almost laughed at that last comment but held it back.
They couldn’t reveal that they were the enemies. Otherwise, the Mage Tower would change its stance immediately.
“That might work to some extent. But couldn’t other lords do the same? If you promised to present the Runestone after winning the war, who would even try to stop you?”
Ghislaine pretended to be bitter, shaking her head disapprovingly.
“I’ve thought a lot about it, but no matter how I consider it, there’s no plan. It’s a war that will keep happening; when they attack again, we’ll just have to blow up the Runestone.”
In the end, there was only one thing Hubert could say.
“Mages! We’ll send more Mages! If the royal family hates it, the other lords do too, the Temple too, we will help you!”
At that moment, Ghislaine hurriedly covered her rising smile with her hand. If she was going to act, she had to commit.
“Oh… now that I think about it, such a method exists. If powerful Mages from the Tower of the Bloody Flame are sent, it would be reassuring. But are you sure about that?”
“We’ve already dispatched Mages anyway, so it’s pretty much the same boat! Eventually, if rumors spread, the lords will know.”
“But hasn’t it not been discovered yet?”
Hubert shot a glare at Ghislaine.
“Can’t you swear that it won’t get out…? I mean, it won’t be rumored?”
“What kind of talk is that? Am I that kind of person?”
Ghislaine shrugged, feigning innocence.
He shrugged his shoulders.
However, Hubert’s piercing gaze didn’t waver.
To blow up a Runestone, a Mage is required.
Yet, an explosion happened in a place where one couldn’t find a Mage like Perdium, making it seem like they were advertising the presence of a Mage here.
Certainly, there would be those who dig deeper, and if that happened, the identities of the Mages could be revealed at any moment.
Excuses might get him out of trouble somehow, but…
Hubert sighed.
He just wanted to buy a Runestone, but the more he got involved with that guy, the more things felt oddly tangled.
Then Ghislaine smiled with a comforting demeanor.
“What do you see me as, to say such things? I also want to be with the Tower of the Bloody Flame for a long time.”
“Good talker.”
Ghislaine pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
“I was moved by the Master’s resolution to send more Mages despite the risks.”
“Ahem, then we sell the Runestone as planned?”
Then Ghislaine lowered his voice subtly and continued.
“Since you’re already taking on the risks, why not invest a little more?”
“What? Invest more in what?”
When Hubert asked back, Ghislaine stiffened his expression seriously.
“Establishing a branch of the Mage Tower in our Territory.”
“What? A branch?”
Hubert made a baffled expression.
“We don’t establish branches like that. No, all Mage Towers across the continent don’t. Not just the Mage Towers but any group contemplating transcendent realms feels the same. Even someone like you, as a Noble, should know that.”
Those who shared a Vision must gather in one place, helping each other to elevate their realms faster.
If they scatter around trying to increase their power, they might actually become weaker.
There’s also a significant reason to not leak their own Vision to the outside.
“I understand. But if you’re going to send additional Mages anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to establish a branch?”
“Still, officially establishing a branch contradicts the founding intent of the Tower…”
“You’re just worried that the dispatch of Mages might become common knowledge. If we establish a branch, we can avoid such controversies.”
“What?”
“Being in a territory with a Mage Tower means interaction, and since they say they’ll protect it, what can others do?”
Hubert’s expression became complicated.
Since there had been no such cases so far, he hadn’t even thought of it.
‘Right. I can receive the Runestone up close… If I send a few people to pretend it’s a branch, that should work, right?’
Why hadn’t he thought of that all this time?
Because he believed that one shouldn’t break customs passed down for a long time.
Not colluding with political factions and not getting involved in disputes. Not siding with anyone but not becoming an enemy to anyone. Focusing solely on elevating their own realm.
The intent of the one who first established the Tower had been passed down and became an unwritten rule.
Since everyone naturally thought that way, no one sought to ally with them.
‘But just because it’s the right thing doesn’t mean it’s always the correct course of action in every situation.’
Tradition and customs often become fixed ideas that bind people.
It often becomes a fixed idea.
However, there was nothing like that in Ghislaine Perdium.
He simplifies the complex and pushes things to his own favor.
You could say he’s an enlightened person, or call him a beastly brat who disregards customs.
But to revive the Tower of the Bloody Flame, a free-thinking mindset like Ghislaine’s was needed.
It’s much better to survive and be called shameless than to be ruined while trying to uphold tradition and customs.
Hubert was lost in thought until he quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of the other person’s voice.
“If you don’t want to, I’ll just take my leave. When I’ve grown my power and it’s safe, if the Runestones are still available, I’ll come back.”
Ghislaine stood up as if to leave.
Hubert, no longer surprised, rushed to stand in front of the door.
“Ah, you know, it’s just been that way until now. If the tower owner were to do so, why not? Sending a few more people and setting up a branch with the ones I sent earlier isn’t a bad idea. It would also be a good opportunity to teach Alfoy about being an heir.”
Mages are folks who prioritize personal accomplishments over loyalty to the Mage Tower.
If they can’t continue to receive supplies of Runestones, the tower will fall apart—so what good will the intentions of the predecessors do then?
Convincing them on this would naturally lead the elders and other mages to agree without objections.
“Thank you for your generous decision.”
Ghislaine lowered his head with a relaxed smile.
‘The objective has been achieved.’
Recruiting mages will greatly help in protecting and developing the territory.
Unlike how he used to hire them under false pretenses as mercenaries, now he can receive support openly.
Mages are much harder to nurture than knights.
Even if Ghislaine knows the future, he simply doesn’t have enough time to train mages directly.
He came to the tower to minimize that time as much as possible.
‘Why would I blow up the Runestone again? It’s a waste.’
He will need a lot of Runestones to execute the plans he has set forth.
And the enemies aren’t fools; they wouldn’t fall for the same trap twice.
“Ahem, well, setting up a branch is my first time, so I’ll need some time to gather information and prepare.”
“Well, that’s natural. Understood.”
“Is there suitable land in Perdium? No matter how much you call it a branch, if the Mage Tower is established, people will flock there. It needs to be spacious, well-connected, and have good terrain.”
This was something he couldn’t compromise on. The surrounding environment of the Mage Tower was equivalent to its pride.
Ghislaine nodded.
“I’ll offer you the location you desire. However, it’s not in Perdium.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
He asked to come to his territory, but it’s not Perdium?
Talking to this guy makes it impossible to predict where the conversation will twist.
“Then where are you saying I should go?”
Ghislaine flashed a sly smile and replied.
“Baron Penris’ Territory. That’s where I’m the lord.”
“The lord? You’re a lord?”
This guy is a lord? Is this a sign that the kingdom is doomed?
Hubert’s face turned pale.
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