356

Episode 356: Finally here. (2)

Jiselle, who was dizzy, asked without hiding her bewildered expression.

"Uh… … . What is the situation right now?"

"What's the situation? I've brought back some runaway slaves. There have been a lot of them running away lately. You little punks, do you think you can avoid my hand?"

Alpoy spat on the floor and said, "There was no such thing as a neighborhood thug.

'But I think he was a bit like a wizard at first... ... .'

Although he was a fool, he certainly had the air of an arrogant and noble wizard at first. But now, there was not even a speck of that.

While Giselle was speechless in shock, Alpoy tapped his armband and spoke.

"I am the manager of the wizards. Manager. The director of the research center is weak-willed and can't do this kind of thing well. That's why I am doing it."

As Giselle looked at Claude, Claude shrugged.

"You said you would do it? Well, someone has to do it anyway. The lord can't always catch them and beat them up, right? It's not something the chief of staff or the head of the household can do. That's why I gave permission."

"Then Alpo and those guys don't work?"

Then Alpoy said with a fever:

"If I do the construction and work, who will catch and manage these guys! Huh? Someone has to do this work! Do you know how many magicians have run away these days because of the increase in magicians? I'm having a hard time these days!"

Giselle nodded without realizing it at Alpoy's force. Certainly, someone must properly fulfill the role of administrator.

Alpoy seemed to really enjoy being a captain. He didn't have to do any work, and all he had to do was catch runaways and beat them up while ordering them around.

"I'm perfectly suited for this job! From now on, you don't need to do anything yourself, so leave this to me!"

This is much better than doing construction. Alpoy and his friends learned only the really bad things from Giselle.

Dark, who was peeking outside from inside Jiselle's consciousness, thought.

'There's more than one crazy guy here.'

How could a wizard be slaves in this world? This is the only place in the kingdom, no, on the continent, where such a place exists.

Alpoy, who saw Giselle slightly worried, made another excuse.

"These guys are wandering wizards, not like us. If they just run away, that's fine. We have to catch them for sure."

That was also true. The situation was different for the wizards who came in under the pretext of establishing a branch of the Red Flame Tower and the newly recruited wizards.

The newcomers are the ones who can throw away their contracts and everything and run away to live in hiding.

Or maybe they jump to another kingdom.

In any case, this was something that had to be acknowledged. The one who created the contract was Giselle, and the one who persuaded the wizards to sign it was Claude, but the one who made sure that the contract was carried out successfully was Alfoy.

It seemed that he knew better than anyone how to harass wizards, perhaps because he was a wizard himself.

If Alfoy could properly manage the wizards, he would only have to manage Alfoy himself, so the most ideal pyramid shape would be possible.

Jiselle looked at Alpoy and asked for confirmation.

"But you're a fellow wizard, so is that okay? Your reputation among wizards will be bad."

Then Alpoy snickered, wiping his nose with his finger.

"Heh, villains… … I'm used to it now."

"...okay."

Isn't he just a villain, not a villain? Doesn't it seem like he wants to be a bad guy?

Jiselle clicked her tongue inwardly and shook her head several times before speaking.

"Okay, from now on I'll leave the management of this place to Alpoy. He'll do a good job."

The wizards looked despairing at those words. From what they had experienced so far, Alfoy and his friends were truly ruthless.

Alfoy clenched his fist.

'Phew, that was almost a disaster.'

Alpoy and his friends, who had been anxious that Giselle would turn them into construction sites again, breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I know that I have to be involved when something urgent comes up."

"Oh, of course. Of course, that's the case."

Alpoy answered with a hearty laugh. He also seemed to be quite relaxed now, having been through a lot since coming here.

After finishing her inspection, Giselle asked Claude.

"How is the Red Flame Tower these days?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. He got a lot of runestones and was really excited. He's aggressively expanding his power."

The Red Flame Tower was able to survive by making various products thanks to the Rune Stones that Jiselle had sent in excess of the amount needed for training.

But since a large number of rune stones have come in, it is natural that it will grow larger.

"We are also recruiting a lot of wizards."

"Really? There's a branch here too. Don't you care?"

"I think they thought they had already given it to us and forgot about it. From the beginning, they were mainly sent to low-circle magicians whose skills were lacking or had reached their limits."

Jiselle snickered at those words. You would never know how much their magical powers have improved since they came here.

You can tell just by looking at Alpoy and his friends. He's only a 3rd circle master, but he can catch and beat up a 4th circle wizard who runs away.

The common sense of magicians that the circle is absolute was broken here. It's not for nothing that practical experience is said to be important.

"Push the runestone a little more."

"Yes? Why? Why are you really doing that?"

"The bigger the Red Flame Tower becomes, the more troublemakers there will be."

Claude clicked his tongue as Giselle smiled sinisterly. It was clear that she was up to something.

Anyway, there are more runestones left now, because I brought a lot more than last time.

The next few days, while Giselle was concentrating on dealing with the piling up work at the estate, Claude came to her with some news.

"The Lord of the Red Flame Tower has arrived."

"You're finally here."

Jiselle smiled as things turned out as expected.

* * *

Thanks to the recent boom in money making, the Red Salt Tower was in a festive mood every day.

As the number of rune stones increased, the disciples' skills also increased rapidly, and many new magicians could be recruited.

Although it was briefly pushed back by the Crimson Tower that produced the 7th Circle Magician, it still had the staying power expected of a traditional powerhouse.

"Wow, at this point, aren't we the best in the North? Have I found my place again?"

Hubert sat on a chair encrusted with jewels, smiling broadly and lifting his glass of wine.

He said that he couldn't give up his bad habits, so when he started having money, he started living a life of luxury again.

'Oh my, I really don't know why he's like that.'

'That guy is the top lord.'

'I guess I was just a little lucky.'

The elders clicked their tongues inwardly, but did not make a big fuss about it. Hubert's extravagant tendencies had been well known since long ago.

Honestly, there's no denying that he's a lucky guy.

'If it weren't for Earl Fenris, we would have perished long ago.'

'Why are you suddenly giving us Runestones at such a low price? You used to sell us a lot of food.'

'Isn't that guy the kind of guy who would just spread the word for no reason?'

The doubts that the elders felt were also shared by Hubert. He may be narrow-minded and extravagant, but he is not a fool.

"Why is that kid suddenly being so nice to us?"

"Well, well?"

"He's definitely not the kind of guy who'd give something away for free. He'd rather take more if you asked for more."

"Yes."

"Ha, it feels a bit weird to receive it for no reason."

Food and runestones were both important resources. With Fenris providing them in abundance, the Magic Tower was bound to prosper.

Of course, since he was the one giving it, Hubert could not be purely happy while receiving it.

The elders were also uncomfortable, but they had no choice anyway.

"Just take what is given to you."

"Without the Earl of Fenris, we are doomed."

"You don't want to go back to how things were before, do you?"

Hubert nodded at those words. He really didn't want to go back to the old days.

"What would have happened if that kid hadn't come then?"

Hubert muttered with a hazy look in his eyes. It was terrifying to even think about it.

It seems like they were robbed and beaten to the bone, but in the end, they survived thanks to Earl Fenris. Now, they have even grown to the point where they are aiming to become the best in the North again.

I felt a little grateful to Earl Fenris. Then the elders spoke without missing a beat.

"Since it's come to this, why don't you go and say hello with a big gift this time?"

"That's right. There must be a case where a person receives grace."

Hubert pouted and waved his hands.

"Later, I'll go later. Don't touch me right now, I'm in a good mood."

It was true that I should go and greet her, but I wanted to put it off as long as possible. Now that Giselle was a high lord with the title of count, I couldn't go as an adult like I used to.

I had to lower my head, but I didn't want to do it yet.

Hubert quickly changed the subject after seeing the elders' cold gaze.

"Oh, that's right. You said we should have a meeting at the Crimson Tower?"

The elders chuckled at Hubert's question.

"I guess they're on a shit-line."

"Why do we do that? We're on good terms."

"It's clear that they're making a fuss."

Hubert also nodded at the elders' words.

"I think those kids are trying to embarrass us right now… … ."

Exchange meetings inevitably involve confrontations between disciples. It was clear that they were trying to show off their superiority and humiliate us.

If you lose, not only will you lose face, but your trade with the merchants and nobles may also decrease.

"Just keep ignoring me. Do you think that if you're a 7th circle, that's enough? If we keep taking the lead like this, you'll be the one to dry up this time."

Hubert said, gritting his teeth.

The elders all agreed. There was no point in having a meeting like this. It would certainly be beneficial if we won, but the loss would be too great.

They also now roughly knew what was going on. After hearing Jiselle's words, they found out that the Crimson Tower had monopolized the Rune Stones.

"Okay, let's just ignore them and keep going like this. And Count Fenris… … Ugh, thanks, but I'll see you later."

While Hubert was brazenly holding on, bad news began to arrive one by one.

"The wizards who were dispatched were attacked and killed!"

"Stable Top has withdrawn the contract!"

"All the magic items in the shop were also stolen!"

The brakes were starting to be applied to Matap's business. The stores that Matap had opened as it expanded its influence were being robbed, and the merchants that had contracts with Matap were breaking off business with them one after another.

The most painful loss was that the wizards who had been dispatched here and there were attacked and killed.

"These motherfuckers!"

Hubert, who received the report, became furious and started screaming. Just as he was finally recovering his strength, accidents broke out here and there.

It was obvious even without looking. It was clear what the Crimson Tower was doing.

The elders also cried out in indignation.

"Those guys are crazy!"

"Why are you suddenly doing this! It really seems like you're going to see the end!"

"We can't just sit still either!"

The fact that the wizards were dead was a big deal. The problem was that the Red Flame Tower had to resolve this on its own.

Matters of the Tower must be resolved among the Matters themselves, otherwise collusion with the nobles may occur.

It was an unwritten rule that was in line with the rule that the rooftop should not interfere with the affairs of the territory.

Although they can secretly support you from behind the scenes, the only time a noble can directly intervene is when the people of the fief are seriously harmed or when there is a major disruption to the operation of the fief.

In other words, it means that if you have that much justification, you can come to the forefront at any time.

"Those guys are clearly crazy. Otherwise, why would they refuse to come to this conclusion for such a… … ."

Hubert rubbed his smooth forehead and fell into thought.

Even if nobles do not interfere in the fight between magic towers, there is a limit.

If the fight gets too heated or seems like it will cause too much damage, then mediation comes in.

Since there is no good in fighting with the lords, the magic towers also stop fighting at an appropriate level. No, in fact, there are very few cases where they fight directly like this.

Even in these times, if you use your power recklessly, you could arouse the suspicion of the pro-prince or pro-gong faction. If you are unlucky, you could be charged with the crime of treason and face various restrictions.

So, Hubert couldn't understand why the Crimson Tower suddenly disappeared.

"Ugh… … Why on earth are they doing this? Do they really want to have a meeting that badly? Do they want to embarrass us that much?"

"Your Majesty! You must make a decision!"

Despite the elders' sanctification, Hubert could not easily make up his mind.

If the opponent had been another magic tower, he would have taken all his disciples and burned them to the ground.

However, the Crimson Tower Master is a magician who has reached the 7th circle. Even if all the elders, including himself, rush in, they can barely make a match.

Even if they blocked the magic tower like that, there was no one to deal with the elders there.

Although the number of disciples was much greater on this side, the probability of defeat was higher if they fought head-on.

That's how strong the power of a superhuman is. That's why even Hubert can't rashly suggest starting an all-out war.

After much thought, Hubert finally spoke, gritting his teeth.

"Accept the exchange."

"Huh? What is that…? No way?"

"Yeah, it looks like they want to embarrass us, but if it's a showdown, we can win."

"That… … It is customary for the tower lords and elders to be absent from the exchange meeting. It is a bit difficult for our disciples to defeat Delmud's disciples… … ."

There are more people here, but the disciples' skills are definitely higher than here. Because the master is from the 7th circle. There was already a rumor about that.

But Hubert spoke with shining eyes, without showing any sign of worry.

"Let's go see Earl Fenris."

"yes?"

The elders were taken aback by the sudden remark and questioned back. Hubert continued with a solemn expression.

"Just ask to borrow Vanessa."

When I felt regretful, the right answer was to go to Jiselle.