CHAPTER 61: What would you even do with that idiot? (4)

Vanessa's madness was largely due to her improper mastery of the mana cultivation technique, but the pain inflicted by the world around her had likely also contributed.

The accumulated resentment in her heart must have meshed with the flawed technique, surfacing as madness.

Some knights, too, occasionally fell into such inner demons during their training.

'But this life will be different.'

Ghislain planned to teach her the correct mana cultivation technique and personally supervise her.

If he could help Vanessa fully unleash her potential, she'd become a powerful ally in the coming war.

There wasn't enough time for her to build up a substantial amount of mana… but he had something in mind for that, too.

'I'll make sure that doesn't happen this time.'

To do so, he had to bring her along, even if it meant intimidating her. Although, of course, he hadn't actually threatened her.

Having achieved everything he'd come to the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower for, Ghislain felt deeply satisfied. Smiling, he spoke.

"With the transaction completed, I'll take my leave. Once the situation in my territory stabilizes, I'll bring more Runestones."

The tower lord and the elders visibly rejoiced at his words.

They couldn't help but be thrilled to see the annoying young noble leave on his own.

But Hubert's mouth, trained through countless social gatherings, was the problem.

"Oh, why leave so soon? You should explore the city a bit and take a break. Not to brag, but I've taken extra care in running this place, so there's plenty to see."

Hubert wore a subtle expression of pride.

"Hm, should I?"

But when Ghislain responded positively, their faces immediately soured.

The elders cast Hubert a reproachful glance, as if to ask why he'd said something so unnecessary.

Hubert, too, looked awkwardly distressed, as if he'd bitten into something bitter.

'What a clueless fool.'

In proper society, it was basic etiquette to recognize a polite invitation and decline. But the arrogant man before him lacked any such basic understanding.

Watching the mages' ever-changing expressions, Ghislain chuckled inwardly.

'They're terrible actors.'

Although he wasn't the best actor himself, the mages' lack of subtlety was laughably blatant.

Then again, when you're a prodigy praised from youth, how often would you need to appease others?

Though it was amusing to toy with them, Ghislain had no time to waste lounging here.

"No, I really do have a lot to take care of, so I'll be on my way. Next time, I'll be sure to enjoy the city."

Hubert's face brightened immediately. He quickly replied before Ghislain could change his mind.

"Quite right, quite right. A young lord shouldn't be away from his estate for too long. The funds are already prepared, so feel free to inspect them. The mages will be sent promptly as well."

The mages were scheduled to travel separately to avoid rumors that the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower had dispatched mages alongside Ghislain.

Ghislain emphasized to Hubert once again.

"Please ensure that Vanessa arrives safely at my estate. Until then, take great care of her. She's my personal mage now, so you must treat her well. She can't afford any injuries."

"Of course! We'll treat her as an honored guest, so don't worry."

Hubert responded with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Ghislain approached Vanessa, speaking to her in a gentle voice.

"I'd like to travel together, but circumstances prevent that. Take care and travel safely."

"Yes, young lord."

Vanessa's expression was clouded with anxiety. Ghislain repeated his advice.

"If anyone bothers you, make sure you tell me. You shouldn't bottle things up. If you do, it could lead to something disastrous. Understand?"

Though she didn't fully understand, Vanessa simply nodded.

"Yes… I understand."

Ghislain patted her shoulder a few times and turned to leave.

When they reached the lobby, Ghislain's mercenaries were already waiting.

Several crates of gold coins were loaded onto the wagon.

"Check the amount."

At Ghislain's command, the mercenaries immediately began counting the money.

The mages looked displeased. How vulgar, to count the money right in front of them—did he really think they'd shortchange him?

After a moment, one of the mercenaries spoke up in confusion.

"We're short by three gold coins. I thought mages were supposed to be smart, but I guess they're bad at math?"

The mages' faces flushed with embarrassment.

It was likely a minor mistake, given the vast sum involved, but considering the tower's reputation, it was a humiliating error.

Hubert stammered awkwardly, flustered.

"It must have been a mistake by the one who calculated the amount. I'll double-check. My apologies."

Sighing, Ghislain called out to someone.

"Gordon."

"…"

Gordon quietly reached into his pocket, pulled out five gold coins, and tossed them into the crate with a jingle.

"...?"

An awkward silence settled over the lobby.

Not only had Gordon taken money on the side, but the mercenaries' own count had been off.

Kaor grabbed Gordon by the neck, dragged him to a corner, and started punching him.

"You thieving little punk! Today, you're not getting away with this. Didn't you say you didn't care about money?"

Whack! Whack! Whack!

"Ugh! I figured I'd just take what was mine… Ack! Stop hitting me! I won't hold back! Ow! No more violence!"

Hubert and the elders stood blinking, watching Gordon get pummeled in the corner.

Ghislain turned to them, giving a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Apologies for the scene. As you can see, I have plenty of unrefined people. Ha ha ha. Well, we'll be off now."

Before the mages could say anything, Ghislain quickly turned and announced.

"Alright, let's get out of here, you ruffians."

Ghislain and his party swiftly left the tower.

The mages stood in silence, too stunned to say anything.

Once they'd exited the city, Ghislain suddenly stopped and muttered, "Ah, I forgot something."

"What's that?" asked one of his companions.

"I forgot to tell the gatekeeper."

Belinda looked at him incredulously.

"Weren't you just messing with him?"

"Messing with him? I'm always sincere."

"Yeah, right…"

Gillian quietly stepped between them as Belinda shot him a glare.

"It's incredible that your plan actually worked, young lord. I never thought the tower would agree to all the terms."

"Seems like the young lord's luck has finally turned. Everything's going perfectly."

"Those mages aren't geniuses; they're fools. Why did they give in to all your demands?"

"Right, I suppose they must be fools. And we'll meet plenty more of them in the future."

Though he had a clear reason, he couldn't explain it just yet, so Ghislain merely chuckled.

"By the way, why make her your personal mage? She doesn't seem useful at all."

Kaor asked again.

Vanessa looked like an ordinary woman, devoid of any mana or presence.

Given that she'd been doing maid duties in the tower, she likely had little knowledge or skill.

Ghislain simply smiled at his question, offering no explanation.

"You'll understand later."

Kaor looked at him in puzzlement before eventually giving him a thumbs-up, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Ignoring Kaor, Ghislain turned to Gillian.

"We've only climbed one step. Now, we prepare for the next."

"Understood."

They didn't know who their enemies would send, or the strength of the forces that would attack, so there was no room for complacency.

Complacency in war was the same as throwing your life away.

Ghislain wanted a decisive victory.

'I'll make sure anyone who dares cross us understands the cost.'

His expression, firm with determination, was colder than ever.

***

The head butler of Perdium, Homerne, spent his days anxiously awaiting Ghislain's return.

Having failed to raise funds by appealing to local officials, he was left with no choice but to request money directly.

But even after a month, the young lord, who'd set off to sell the Runestones, had not returned.

'What's going on? Why hasn't he come back? Did he run into bandits and get robbed?'

Once such thoughts took hold, he could hardly sleep.

He had every reason to be worried.

Ghislain was the only hope for the territory. No, it wasn't Ghislain himself—it was the Runestones he'd taken that were the hope of Perdium.

'What if he was killed by bandits? Fool! He should have taken more soldiers!'

Not that they could have sent a hundred soldiers even if they'd wanted to; Perdium didn't have that kind of manpower.

Still, Homerne believed some protection was better than none.

'If he's dead, we could retrieve the Runestones from the mine… No, wait, we don't even have the money to hire workers!'

While he was concerned for Ghislain's safety, he also worried about what they'd do with the remaining Runestones if the young lord really had perished.

At least Ghislain had marked a path to the Runestone site, so it wouldn't be too hard to locate.

'Argh! Not knowing whether he's dead or alive is driving me mad. What should I do?'

The castle was abuzz with rumors about the young lord, as the other vassals were growing worried too.

Since the northern fortress could not be left empty any longer, Count Perdium had to return to the fortress soon, but since Ghislain had not returned, the Count could not leave either.

Since he hadn't disclosed his destination, no one had any idea where he might be.

'Enough of this. We'll have to go look for him. Where could he have gone?'

After waiting two more days, Homerne finally received permission from Zwalter to assemble a small search party. It was a modest group, comprising one knight and about ten soldiers.

They didn't have the resources to send a larger group, but since Ghislain had left with a large enough party, asking around should be easy.

Just as they were about to open the castle gate and depart, a group kicked up a cloud of dust on the horizon, rapidly approaching.

"What… what's that?"

"Are we under attack? There was no warning!"

"Close the gates! Close the gates immediately!"

Hundreds of armed soldiers were approaching, and they bore no flags to indicate who they were.

Panicked, the guards closed the gates and tried to assess the situation.

"Oh… isn't that…?"

One knight recognized the figure leading the charge and gasped.

It was the young lord who had left the territory.

"It's the young lord! The young lord has returned!"

"Then who's this army following him?"

"Are they mercenaries? But their equipment looks too high-quality for that."

Hearing that Ghislain had returned, Homerne rushed to the gate, only to stop in shock upon seeing the forces behind him.

"What… what on earth is that?"

Ghislain halted his horse in front of the gate, laughing heartily.

"Ah, the head butler came to greet me?"

"N-no, young lord! What's going on here? Who are all these soldiers?"

"They're mercenaries hired to clear the Forest of Demonic Beasts and defend the estate."

"H-hired? Mercenaries?"

"That's right."

Homerne scanned the mercenaries in stunned silence.

Their weapons varied, but their armor and horses were nearly identical, shining as if brand new.

Suppressing a sense of dread, Homerne asked.

"Clearing the forest is one thing, but… what do you mean, defend the estate?"

"Since we discovered a Runestone resource, other lords will come to invade, won't they? We need to be prepared."

Ghislain said this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Homerne put his hand to his forehead.

'This foolish boy! Does he think war is child's play?'

The rumors about the Runestones would eventually lead to a territorial war, but not right away.

"We can hire mercenaries when the war begins! The other lords won't come to invade just because we found Runestones! It'll be at least a year or two before that happens, if ever!"

Though Homerne argued passionately, Ghislain simply shrugged nonchalantly.

Homerne was wrong.

Once the war began, they wouldn't be able to hire mercenaries. No one would stand by Perdium.

But who would believe that now?

It was better to prepare on his own, even if they thought him mad.

"In any case, the mercenaries are already hired. If war doesn't come, we'll use them to clear the Forest of Demonic Beasts."

"Ugh… Then what about the money? How much of the Runestone proceeds do we have left?"

"It's all spent."

"What?"

"I spent it all hiring the mercenaries and preparing supplies. We have no money left."

"Not a single coin?"

"Not a single coin."

"…"

"…"

A heavy silence fell between them.

With watery eyes, Homerne clutched his forehead, swaying in despair.

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