CHAPTER 60: What would you even do with that idiot? (3)

The mages silently clicked their tongues in disapproval.

'What a lunatic.'

'Tsk tsk, just as I thought, he's not normal.'

'Of course, he'd be unreasonable to negotiate with.'

Even the three who accompanied Ghislain were somewhat surprised.

Ghislain was cunning and playful, but he wasn't one to intimidate the weak without reason.

'Weren't you trying to comfort her?'

'Honestly, what good does it do to scare someone who's already terrified, young lord!'

But regardless of their reactions, Ghislain continued speaking coldly.

"Look, the tower has already handed you over to me. Even if you don't follow me, it'll be hard for you to stay here. And even if you could… well."

He shrugged.

"It's not my place to stop you if you're bent on dying, after all."

Vanessa shuddered in fear.

There was no emotion in Ghislain's words. If there was any intent to kill, she might have sensed it, but he spoke in such a calm, absolute tone that it only increased her terror.

In the end, Vanessa stammered through tears, her voice trembling.

"Y-yes… I'll serve you faithfully, young lord."

Ghislain smiled softly, appearing relieved, and spoke in a gentler tone.

"Good. I promise you won't regret it."

Both the mages and Ghislain's party were momentarily speechless, taken aback by his sudden shift in demeanor as if he'd never been threatening.

Hubert was the first to regain his composure, approaching Vanessa with a slight smile.

"Good, good. That was a wise choice. Even your mentor, Lonato, would be proud of you from above."

Vanessa remained silent, bowing her head.

To these people, her opinion mattered about as much as a dog barking.

All she could hope for was an opportunity to ask Ghislain to allow her to continue studying.

'Hmm, she really was innocent back then.'

Ghislain looked at Vanessa, lost in thought for a moment.

'Calling her a fool and a burden... they're truly blind. They don't realize they're looking at the greatest genius of the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower, a failed genius, but still.'

Vanessa was the main reason Ghislain had come to the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower.

Of course, the situation made it easy to drive a hard bargain, but if it weren't for Vanessa, he wouldn't have bothered making this long journey.

With limited resources, Ghislain needed a powerful "trump card."

He was certain Vanessa would be that card. Even if she'd refused, he'd planned to take her by force.

'Nothing but a miserable end awaits her here.'

He hadn't lied, nor had he threatened her. He'd simply stated the truth.

If Vanessa stayed at the tower, not only would she face ruin, but many others would suffer as well.

Left unchecked, she would become a killer beyond imagination.

***

Ghislain first learned about her during a chaotic period, through one of his subordinates, who loved spreading rumors and news. He'd told him about the "Red Nightmare."

"The Red Nightmare?"

"She's a crazy woman who caused havoc in the Kingdom of Lutania. They say she's incredibly powerful—a 7th-circle mage."

"The Kingdom of Lutania, huh…"

The mention of his homeland stirred a strange sense of nostalgia.

"And isn't that title just perfect? 'Red Nightmare.'"

His subordinate, seeing Ghislain's interest, went on excitedly.

"Her name… ah, Vanessa, that's it. They say she turned the entire northern region of Lutania into a sea of flames. Apparently, she's a mage who mastered the mana cultivation technique."

"A mage mastered the mana cultivation technique?"

A mage cultivating mana? Ghislain, who'd seen all sorts of strange things in his mercenary work, had never heard of it before.

"Yes. I think that's why she's gone mad. She sets everything on fire and kills indiscriminately, leaving the lords in quite a predicament. They say she has no real purpose—she's just a pyromaniac."

"Wow, impressive. So it's possible to reach that level using the mana cultivation technique."

"That's what impresses you?!"

Both the mage circle system and the mana cultivation technique were, at their core, methods of storing mana in the body.

In theory, it was possible to cast magic with the cultivation technique, but no one did it because it was highly inefficient.

But the fact that she could produce more firepower than the average mage using that technique was indeed extraordinary.

Ghislain clicked his tongue in sympathy.

"What a waste. If she hadn't gone mad, her talent could've been a great asset to the world. If only she had been under my command."

With her power, she could've been one of those rare people who fought against the many calamities that plagued the continent.

"No, wait, is there still a chance? I've had plenty of madmen in my service who turned out just fine after a few beatings."

Hearing Ghislain's musings, his subordinate's eyes widened in alarm.

"You're planning to do what, exactly?"

"That Vanessa girl—let's bring her in."

"Aren't you worried about hiring an arsonist lunatic?!"

"That's for you to figure out."

"…Did I hear you right?"

Ghislain's grin was answer enough. His subordinate turned pale and ran off immediately.

***

The backstory his subordinate uncovered about Vanessa was a common one.

She was an orphan, barely surviving, who was taken in by a mage.

But Vanessa couldn't feel mana, and therefore couldn't become a mage.

Still, she didn't give up, tirelessly working, though no one trusted or recognized her efforts. Then, by chance, she found a manual for the mana cultivation technique and began practicing it.

She had apparently tried many times to learn it within the tower, only to fail repeatedly. Somehow, she managed to succeed in mastering that technique alone.

As someone who had modified his own family's technique, Ghislain quickly deduced why she'd lost her sanity.

"Practicing a strange mana cultivation technique without a master? Of course, it went wrong. But it's something that could potentially be fixed."

The more people capable of handling disasters, the better.

He turned to his hesitant subordinate.

"So, where is she now?"

"Well… the last report was from near some mountain. Now that I think about it, things have been quiet lately. She's probably hiding somewhere."

Ghislain frowned.

"Send out scouts and find her. As quickly as possible."

As he rose to leave, his subordinate asked in surprise.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to look myself."

"Why the sudden interest? You usually hate taking specific jobs."

His subordinate was astonished that their captain, notorious for his reluctance to take direct action, would go himself, but Ghislain ignored him and walked out.

He had a bad feeling.

***

It wasn't long before Ghislain tracked Vanessa down, hiding deep in the mountains.

"Found you. Quite the hiding spot, huh?"

"Ahhhh!"

The moment she realized she'd been discovered, Vanessa screamed and started firing off spells indiscriminately.

Though she was little more than a beast driven by instinct, she recognized Ghislain as a dangerous predator.

BOOM!

A massive magic circle appeared around the floating Vanessa.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Pillars of fire shot up, and huge fireballs rained down.

But Ghislain deflected or dodged them with ease, gradually closing in on her. There was no way he'd be defeated by such random, uncalculated attacks.

"Kyaaah!"

Frustrated that he kept dodging, Vanessa unleashed all her remaining power.

Around her, about a dozen magic circles began forming.

"Wow, she can use multiple casting? And that many?"

Ghislain was amazed.

Multi-casting wasn't simply a matter of having large mana reserves; it required pure talent.

No matter how high a mage's circle is, someone without that innate ability couldn't perform multi-casting.

"Impressive."

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Fireballs rained down like meteors on the spot where Ghislain had been standing.

As usual, he dodged easily, but the rising flames and thick smoke filled the area.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and released his own mana. The intense wave of mana extinguished the surrounding flames.

"Enough of this!"

He extended his hand toward Vanessa, clenching his fist tightly. Vanessa's body suddenly froze.

When he pulled his arm back as if drawing her to him, she helplessly drifted toward him.

"Kyaaa!"

"Hold still."

He gripped her throat, forcing mana into her body. The mana spread through her bloodstream.

But upon examining her condition, Ghislain couldn't help but grimace.

'This is…'

Vanessa's core was already damaged. She was barely hanging on due to her 7th-circle strength.

Given that she'd hidden herself in the mountains, she probably hadn't been in good health for a while. Like wounded animals, the exhausted sought safe havens.

Her brief struggle had only worsened her condition.

'Tsk, what a pity. She's finished.'

If he'd found her sooner, she could have been a useful subordinate.

Since she was dying anyway, Ghislain decided to end her suffering.

At that moment, he met her eyes.

It seemed she'd regained some clarity thanks to the mana he'd infused. Her gaze, once filled with madness, now held relief and regret.

"…You've come to your senses."

He set her down, and she wobbled as she tried to steady herself.

"…Who are you?"

He shrugged.

"The strongest, most famous mercenary in the world."

After a brief hesitation, Vanessa nodded.

"So, you're the Mercenary King I've heard about."

She coughed several times during her short reply.

"Did you… come to capture me?"

"No, I came to recruit you."

"It's an honor… that someone… like you… would come in person…"

She smiled weakly, then suddenly bent over in pain, blood spilling onto the ground. Ghislain clicked his tongue.

"I came to recruit you, but it seems joining my mercenary corps is out of the question."

"…That's what you say… to someone who's coughing up blood?"

Vanessa scowled, but Ghislain scoffed.

"Why should I waste energy on someone who's not even useful? You're not even worth money."

He paused, then chuckled as he realized something.

"Actually, I could probably claim a bounty for bringing you in."

"Get lost… you bastard…"

Vanessa shot a fireball at him, but it fizzled out before reaching him.

"Short-sighted as ever. It's no wonder you ended up like this."

She couldn't respond, coughing up blood instead, and merely glared at him.

Ghislain grinned.

"Go ahead, say your last words. I'll listen to your final request."

"Last words… I have no one… to leave them for."

"Then go ahead and complain, if you like."

She laughed weakly, finally collapsing to her knees, seemingly out of strength to stand.

"All I… ever wanted… was to be… a mage…"

Vanessa hugged her knees, curling up.

"Learning that strange mana technique… was a mistake… So many people died… because of me…"

"That's not the regret you should have."

Ghislain clicked his tongue, scolding her.

"You should've come to me sooner. I'm known for fixing lunatics. You're back to your senses now, aren't you?"

"You… must get… called awful… all the time."

"What nonsense. Where could you find a person as kind as me?"

Vanessa looked at him in disbelief and shook her head.

"Living carefree, aren't you?"

"That's a mercenary's life."

Ghislain grinned.

"Next time, come to me right away. I always welcome talent."

Vanessa only blinked in silence, her eyelids growing heavier with each passing moment.

In a faint, fading voice, she murmured.

"Right… a mercenary… sounds fun…"

And with that, her life faded.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, carving a clean line on her dirty face.

Ghislain looked down at her body.

On any other day, he might have taken her corpse in for the bounty…

But instead, he clicked his tongue softly and set her body ablaze.

It was the first and last gesture of respect for someone who could've been his subordinate.

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