Chapter 356: It Has Finally Begun (2)
Ghislain, feeling a sharp headache, couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he asked in disbelief.
“What… What exactly is going on here?”
“What does it look like? We’re bringing back runaway slaves. Lately, a lot of these scum have been running away. You little bastards, did you think you could escape from me?”
Alfoi spat on the ground with a loud ptooey, looking every bit like a common thug.
‘Still, didn’t he seem a bit like a proper mage at first…?’
Though a fool, Alfoi initially exuded the arrogance and elegance characteristic of mages. But now, there wasn’t a shred of that left.
While Ghislain was too dumbfounded to respond, Alfoi tapped on the armband on his sleeve and spoke proudly.
“I’m the manager of the mages. The manager. The research director is too soft-hearted to handle this kind of thing. That’s why I’m doing it.”
When Ghislain turned to Claude, he shrugged.
“He volunteered for it. Someone has to do it anyway, right? The lord can’t keep bringing them back and beating them up himself, can he? And neither the Master of Arms nor the steward could handle it. So, I allowed it.”
“So, does Alfoi and his crew not do any real work?” Ghislain asked skeptically.
At that, Alfoi flared up, raising his voice.
“If I were doing construction or other tasks, who’d be catching and managing these runaways, huh? Someone has to do this job, don’t they? Do you even know how many mages are running away now that their numbers have increased? I’ve been busting my back lately!”
Caught up in Alfoi’s forceful rhetoric, Ghislain found himself nodding unconsciously. He had a point that someone did need to manage the situation properly.
It was clear Alfoi relished his role as manager. He avoided actual labor, instead taking pleasure in capturing escapees, bossing them around, and ordering them about as he pleased.
“This job suits me perfectly! From now on, the lord won’t need to handle these matters personally. I’ll take care of everything myself! Leave it to me!”
To him, this was far better than doing construction work. Alfoi and his friends had mastered learning only the worst possible behaviors from Ghislain.
Watching the scene unfold from the recesses of Ghislain’s mind, Dark muttered to himself.
‘So, there’s more than one lunatic here.’
A place where mages were treated like slaves surely, this was the only place like it in the entire kingdom, perhaps even the whole continent.
Seeing Ghislain waver slightly, Alfoi quickly added more justification.
“These mages are wanderers. They’re not like us. They’ll just run away if we let them. We need to handle this firmly.”
As much as it sounded like an excuse, he wasn’t wrong. The mages who had joined under the pretext of establishing the Crimson Flame Tower’s branch and the newly recruited ones were in entirely different situations.
The latter group could simply abandon their contracts and go into hiding or even flee to another kingdom.
At any rate, Alfoi’s claim was valid. While Ghislain had drawn up the contracts and Claude had coaxed the mages into signing them, it was Alfoi who ensured those agreements were enforced. Clearly, as a mage himself, he excelled at tormenting other mages.
If Alfoi could manage the mages effectively, then Ghislain would only need to manage Alfoi, forming an ideal hierarchical pyramid.
Turning to Alfoi, Ghislain asked for confirmation.
“Still, aren’t you worried? Being a fellow mage, this might ruin your reputation among them.”
Alfoi smirked, wiping his nose with his finger.
“Heh, being the villain… I’m used to it by now.”
“…I see.”
‘Not just a villain more like a complete scoundrel. His eagerness to play the tyrant is painfully obvious,’ Ghislain thought, clicking his tongue internally as he shook his head.
“Fine, I’ll leave the management of this matter to you. Do your best.”
Hearing those words, the mages around them wore expressions of utter despair. From what they had already experienced, Alfoi and his crew were absolutely merciless.
Alfoi clenched his fist in triumph.
‘Whew, that was close.’
Alfoi and his companions, who had been dreading the possibility of being sent back to the construction site, breathed sighs of relief.
“But keep in mind, if there’s an emergency, you’ll have to step in and help. Understood?”
“Of course! That’s only natural,” Alfoi replied with a wide grin. Having endured plenty of trials and tribulations here, he now carried himself with a noticeable air of confidence.
After finishing his inspection, Ghislain turned to Claude with a question.
“How’s the Crimson Flame Tower doing lately?”
“Oh, don’t even get me started. They’ve been ecstatic after getting their hands on a heap of Runestones. They’re aggressively expanding their influence.”
Previously, Ghislain had sent more Runestones to the tower than he needed for his own training, which had allowed them to develop various products and recover somewhat. But now, with a significant influx of Runestones, their growth was inevitable.
“They’re also recruiting a lot of mages.”
“Really? Don’t they care about our branch here?”
“They seem to have forgotten about it entirely. After all, they initially sent us low-tier mages who had already hit their limits.”
***
At Ghislain’s sly smile, Claude let out a sigh. Clearly, he was scheming something.
There was no shortage of Runestones now. They had secured a much larger supply than before, making it possible to distribute them even more freely.
Over the next few days, Ghislain focused on clearing the backlog of estate matters. Then, Claude brought unexpected news.
“The Tower Master of the Crimson Flame Tower has arrived.”
“They’ve finally come.”
A grin spread across Ghislain’s face, pleased that events were unfolding as expected.
Thanks to their booming financial success, the Crimson Flame Tower was in perpetual celebration. With the increased supply of Runestones, their apprentices’ skills were improving rapidly, and they were recruiting new mages in significant numbers.
Though briefly overshadowed by the Scarlet Tower, which had produced a 7th-circle mage, the Crimson Flame Tower’s resilience and long-standing reputation were shining through once again.
“Ha! Doesn’t this mean we’re now the best in the North? I’ve reclaimed my rightful place, haven’t I?”
Hubert, sitting in a chair encrusted with countless jewels, grinned broadly as he raised a glass of wine. As always, he indulged in extravagance the moment money came his way.
‘Good grief, why is he like this?’
‘This guy as our Tower Master? What a joke.’
‘Just a bit of luck, that’s all.’
The elders silently clicked their tongues but refrained from voicing their complaints openly. Hubert’s tendency for lavish spending was far too notorious to be worth mentioning.
It couldn’t be denied, however, that he had been extraordinarily fortunate.
‘If not for the Count of Fenris, we’d have been ruined long ago.’
‘Why did he suddenly start supplying us with cheap Runestones? And why is he selling us so much food?’
‘That guy isn’t the type to hand out favors without reason.’
The elders weren’t the only ones harboring doubts Hubert felt the same. While narrow-minded and fond of luxury, he wasn’t an idiot.
“Why is that brat suddenly being so generous with us?”
“Well… who knows?”
“No way he’s doing it for free. He’s the type who’d wring us dry if given the chance.”
“Exactly.”
“Ugh, it’s unsettling to accept something for nothing.”
Both food and Runestones were vital resources. Receiving such abundant support from Fenris allowed the tower to flourish. Yet, knowing the nature of their benefactor, Hubert couldn’t take this generosity at face value.
The elders shared his unease but recognized they had no choice.
“Let’s just accept what we’re given.”
“If it weren’t for the Count of Fenris, we’d be doomed.”
“Do you want to go back to how things used to be?”
At those words, Hubert nodded. Returning to their former state was unthinkable.
“What would have happened if that brat hadn’t come to us back then?”
Hubert muttered with a wistful look in his eyes, the thought alone sending chills down his spine.
Though it felt like they had been taken advantage of, the Count of Fenris had ultimately saved them. Thanks to him, they were now strong enough to aspire to reclaim their title as the best in the North.
For a brief moment, Hubert even felt a flicker of gratitude toward the Count. Sensing the opportunity, the elders spoke up.
“Why don’t we prepare a grand gift and pay him a visit to express our thanks?”
“Indeed. If someone does you a favor, it’s only proper to show courtesy.”
Hubert pouted and waved them off.
“Later, later. Don’t bother me while I’m in a good mood.”
He knew they were right he ought to visit and express his gratitude. But he wanted to postpone it as much as possible. Ghislain, now a great lord with the title of Count, was no longer someone he could approach as an elder figure.
He would have to bow low, and he wasn’t ready for that yet.
Noticing the elders’ sharp gazes, Hubert hastily changed the subject.
“Oh, right. Didn’t the Scarlet Tower propose some kind of exchange event?”
At Hubert’s question, the elders chuckled.
“They must be getting desperate.”
“Why would we bother? It’s not like we’re on good terms.”
“They’re clearly up to something.”
Hubert nodded in agreement.
“Those bastards are probably trying to humiliate us…”
Exchange events inevitably involved apprentice duels, a stage for demonstrating superiority and, in this case, likely an attempt to humiliate the Crimson Flame Tower.
If they were to lose, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing face; their deals with merchant guilds and nobles could dwindle as well.
“Just keep ignoring them. So what if they have a 7th-circle mage? If we maintain our dominance, they’ll end up shriveling away this time.”
Hubert ground his teeth as he spoke.
The elders all agreed. There was nothing to gain from such an event. While winning could bring benefits, the potential losses from losing were far too severe.
By now, they had pieced together what was happening. Ghislain had tipped them off, and upon investigation, they discovered that the Scarlet Tower had monopolized Runestones.
“Alright, let’s just keep doing what we’re doing and ignore those bastards. And about the Count of Fenris… Ugh, I’m grateful, but I’ll deal with him later.”
While Hubert stood his ground with shameless confidence, bad news began to trickle in.
“Several mages sent on assignments have been killed in attacks!”
“The Stabil Merchant Guild has rescinded its contract!”
“Our magical equipment stores have been completely looted!”
The tower’s operations were hitting one snag after another. Their shops, established during their expansion, were being raided, and merchants who had contracts with the tower were severing ties one by one.
The most devastating blow was the loss of mages sent out on assignments who had been ambushed and killed.
“Those bastards!”
Hubert roared in fury as he received the reports. Just as they were beginning to regain their strength, crises were erupting everywhere.
It was obvious. This was the work of the Scarlet Tower.
The elders, just as furious, shouted their agreement.
“They’ve gone mad!”
“Such sudden aggression they must want to settle this for good!”
“We can’t just sit back and do nothing!”
The death of mages was no trivial matter. The problem, however, was that the Crimson Flame Tower would have to handle the situation on its own.
The unspoken rule was that mage tower disputes had to be resolved between mage towers. Otherwise, it could lead to accusations of collusion with nobles.
This principle mirrored the notion that mage towers should not interfere in estate matters. Nobles could secretly support them, but direct involvement was only justified when the estates or their people faced significant harm.
In other words, if the situation provided sufficient justification, nobles could step in openly.
“Those lunatics must have lost it. Otherwise, why would they go this far just because we refused the exchange event?”
Hubert rubbed his smooth forehead, lost in thought.
While noble involvement in mage tower disputes was typically avoided, there were limits to how far a conflict could escalate before mediation became necessary.
Mage towers, too, had little to gain from alienating lords. They usually stopped fighting well before reaching that point. In fact, direct clashes like this were rare.
In these politically fraught times, careless use of power could draw suspicion from the Royal or Ducal factions. At worst, they could face punishment for insolence, resulting in numerous restrictions.
Thus, Hubert couldn’t understand why the Scarlet Tower was suddenly acting so recklessly.
“Ugh… What’s their deal? Do they really want the exchange event that badly? Do they just want to humiliate us that much?”
“Tower Master! You need to make a decision!”
Despite the elders’ urgings, Hubert struggled to make up his mind.
If the opponent were another tower, he might have led his apprentices into an all-out assault, laying waste to their base.
However, the Scarlet Tower’s master was a 7th-circle mage. Even if Hubert and all the elders teamed up, they might barely manage a draw.
Even assuming they could handle the master, there was no one left to deal with the Scarlet Tower’s elders.
While the Crimson Flame Tower had more apprentices, their chances of winning a direct confrontation were slim.
Such was the overwhelming strength of a transcendent mage. Hubert couldn’t lightly propose full-scale war.
After agonizing for a long time, Hubert finally ground his teeth and spoke.
“Accept the exchange event.”
“What? Are you serious…? Surely not!”
“Yes, they’re dead set on humiliating us, but we can win this duel.”
“The… exchange event duels traditionally exclude tower masters and elders. It’ll be our apprentices against theirs. And their apprentices… well, they’re likely stronger. The master is a 7th-circle mage, after all. That’s already well-known.”
Despite these concerns, Hubert’s eyes gleamed with determination.
“Let’s visit the Count of Fenris.”
“Pardon?”
The sudden statement left the elders flustered. Hubert continued with a solemn expression.
“We’ll ask to borrow Vanessa.”
When desperate, Ghislain was always the answer.