The mercenaries looked around curiously as they entered the lobby of the magic tower.
The spacious lobby was beautifully decorated with plants they'd never seen before.
Expensive-looking statues were placed throughout, making it difficult to tell if this was a magic tower or a wealthy noble's castle.
Seeing the mercenaries gawking with open mouths, Sylvain, an apprentice mage tasked with watching over the lobby, frowned.
'Tsk, what's this? A crowd of beggars dirtying up the floor?'
A typical reaction from a mage of the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower.
Sylvain hadn't always been like this, but spending time in the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower had affected him.
'Did the gatekeeper let them in because he was scared?'
Despite their shabby appearance, each member of Ghislain's party carried at least one weapon on their hip.
The gatekeeper was just an ordinary person who couldn't use magic, so it would've been difficult for him to stop a group forcing their way in.
Sighing, Sylvain realized he'd have to deal with these ragged visitors himself.
Sylvain arrogantly lifted his chin and approached the mercenaries, but the gatekeeper hurried over with a concerned look.
"I told you not to let just anyone in! Just because they outnumber you, you panic? How can you be trusted to guard the north's greatest magic tower if—"
Before Sylvain could finish his rant, the gatekeeper whispered something in his ear.
Narrowing his eyes, Sylvain nodded a few times, then turned and bowed at a perfect right angle toward Ghislain.
"It is an honor to have such distinguished guests! May I ask where you're from?"
"Ghislain Perdium, heir of Perdium."
Sylvain nodded, feigning admiration.
"So, you are indeed the heir of Perdium! I've heard much about the noble and brave reputation of the Perdium family. From the start, I knew you were no ordinary person!"
Despite his flattering words, Sylvain actually had no idea where Perdium was.
All he knew was that they were nobles who'd brought valuable goods, so he began with flattery.
Ghislain, aware of this, merely smiled, unfazed by Sylvain's honeyed praise.
"I'm here to sell Rune Stones, and I have quite a lot. I'd like to meet with a high-ranking mage who can handle this transaction. Ideally, I'd meet the tower lord directly."
"I'll send word right away. Please wait here for a moment."
Sylvain bowed again and led Ghislain's group to the reception room.
As soon as he left the room, he sternly warned the maids.
"Make sure our guests are as comfortable as possible."
After repeating this instruction several times, Sylvain rushed off to find the tower lord.
Ghislain's party had brought several carts, and if all of them were filled with Rune Stones, it was an enormous quantity.
Even during the peak years of the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower, no merchant guild had ever delivered this many Rune Stones.
Under normal circumstances, an apprentice like Sylvain wouldn't even dream of meeting the tower lord directly.
But there was no time to go through the usual steps. Ghislain might change his mind and leave at any moment.
'With that many Rune Stones, I shouldn't get in trouble.'
With his heart pounding, Sylvain hurried toward the tower lord.
Meanwhile, a serious meeting was taking place on the top floor of the tower.
"Our supply of Rune Stones is almost depleted?"
A middle-aged man, slightly balding but with an impressive mustache, looked displeased.
"That's correct. At this rate, the gap between us and the Crimson Magic Tower will only widen."
An elderly man with a long white beard replied. The middle-aged man sighed.
"Ha… How did it come to this…"
The man, looking gloomy, was Hubert, the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower's lord and a sixth-circle mage.
Though over sixty, Hubert retained a youthful appearance thanks to his strong magical powers.
He took great interest in grooming his appearance, looking younger than his years.
Recently, however, his face had begun showing more wrinkles.
"Is there any way to address this?"
Hubert looked around at the others.
The five elders seated beside him remained silent.
Hubert, growing frustrated, raised his voice.
"What, so we're just going to let the Crimson Magic Tower surpass us? They used to be below us, below! Does this not wound your pride?"
The elders subtly turned their heads, silently cursing him.
'Maybe if he spent less time with nobles and more time training…'
'Their tower lord reached the seventh circle; how are we supposed to compete when ours is only at the sixth?'
'He spends all his time dressing up and indulging in luxuries, and now he's complaining…'
Mages were inherently individualistic.
As a result, they were quick to blame others. When the Crimson Magic Tower surpassed them, the elders blamed the tower lord's lack of skill.
Meanwhile, the tower lord believed they'd fallen behind because the Scarlet Flame mages had grown lazy.
Finally, one of the elders raised his hand. Since they were all part of the same tower, they couldn't just keep pointing fingers.
"Of course, we need to improve our mages' skills. We must show the north who the true authority is."
The Scarlet Flame Magic Tower and the Crimson Magic Tower both specialized in fire magic and had long been rivals.
Their magic systems were similar, and they were both based in the north, so it was only natural for them to be competitors.
"Yes, but how are we going to improve? Are we going to conduct experiments with our bare bodies?"
In assessing a mage's skill, the number of spells they could successfully cast was crucial.
To cast spells, one needed to interpret the formulas uniquely and imbue them with will. A small mistake could cause the magic to backfire, resulting in severe injury or even death.
Of course, conducting experiments without any safeguards was unthinkable, so Rune Stones, which absorbed the impact of spells, were essential.
"If we run out of Rune Stones, our training will come to a standstill!"
"...That's true."
Rune Stones were indispensable, ensuring the mage's safety.
Beyond that, Rune Stones made it easier to increase one's magical power and served as supplementary mana reserves, making them essential for mages.
"Are we beggars? Are we so poor that we have to train with our bare bodies? Only poor mages do that!"
"The Crimson Magic Tower's lord trained without Rune Stones…"
"Don't mention him! And how do you know that's true? If I had enough Rune Stones, I'd reach the seventh circle in no time too!"
Hubert, visibly agitated, shouted.
The elders kept their heads down but inwardly mocked him.
'Sure, if it were that easy, all past tower lords would've reached the seventh circle.'
'Honestly, it seems like it's only a matter of time before the Crimson Magic Tower becomes the best in the kingdom.'
Apart from the mage employed by Duke Delphine, the only person to have reached the seventh circle in the kingdom was Delmude, the lord of the Crimson Magic Tower.
Unaware of the elders' thoughts, Hubert gritted his teeth in frustration.
'Argh! If I just had more Rune Stones, I could reach the seventh circle too! If Delmude could do it, why couldn't I?'
Hubert was particularly sensitive about being compared to Delmude.
Delmude, who had endured hardship under a strict mentor and received no financial support, had managed to reach the seventh circle.
Having been raised in luxury as a successor with abundant resources, Hubert couldn't help but feel a complex mix of envy and inferiority.
One elder, sensing Hubert's mood, cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"But even when we ask the guilds, they all say there's no supply. The Crimson Magic Tower raised the price drastically… but even if we match it, they still say there's none available."
Most guilds that traded with the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower had either reduced their Rune Stone supply or stopped altogether.
Rune Stones were rare, but recently, they'd become even scarcer.
"Why is it so difficult to acquire Rune Stones suddenly?"
Having spent their lives immersed in magic within the tower, they were out of touch with the outside world. They'd simply lived off the wealth handed down from previous generations.
They had no grasp of the underlying issues in this situation.
Rubbing his face in exhaustion, Hubert asked in a tired voice.
"How is the artifact production coming along?"
"Without enough Rune Stones, even that's starting to become difficult."
Creating magic artifacts and scrolls was the tower's biggest source of income.
A shortage of Rune Stones meant they wouldn't be able to make magic tools.
Hubert felt like crying.
The Scarlet Flame Magic Tower, once the pride of the north, had not only lost its title but was gradually weakening under his leadership.
At this rate, it would cease to be a true magic tower and instead become little more than a scroll shop.
"Is there truly no way to get more Rune Stones?"
"Traveling to distant regions to buy small quantities is all we can do. But with the number of people and needs we have…"
"Doesn't the Crimson Magic Tower have just as many people? Are they taking everything?"
"There are rumors, and it's said that most of the stock goes to them… Honestly, I'm not sure. They probably buy at high prices because they're struggling to obtain them too."
"Why not offer even more money? We have funds, don't we? We still have some reserves."
"I'm telling you, there just aren't any available! Supplies have run dry. And we're already spending a fortune buying what we can at inflated prices."
They were unsure if the Crimson Magic Tower was hoarding the supply or if there was truly a scarcity.
This was the reality of a group that had grown complacent, taking their status for granted.
"Our money is running out… We can't get enough Rune Stones… And our disciples are falling behind… Ha! What a joke."
Even the tower lord, Hubert, was too afraid to perform magic experiments without protection, so who would?
At this rate, they would stagnate and eventually crumble without any progress.
"Sigh…"
"Ugh…"
"Huh…"
The intelligent yet oblivious mages all bowed their heads, sighing.
"We need a competent merchant. Let's leave this to an expert."
One of the elders proposed. Hubert and the other elders nodded in agreement.
They prided themselves on understanding the truths of the world, but when it came to commerce, they had no talent.
"If only we'd thought of this sooner…"
In the past, the tower had included not just mages but also skilled merchants.
But once they'd attained their reputation as the best, they'd grown arrogant, neglecting to keep such people around.
They thought it enough to simply have someone handle basic finances, given that buyers flocked to them and offered good prices.
It was late, but everyone agreed they needed to recruit an expert now.
"Then let's find someone appropriate…"
Knock knock knock!
At that moment, someone began pounding on the door outside.
Suppressing his annoyance, Hubert said, "We're in a meeting. Come back later."
Knock knock knock!
"I said we're in a meeting!"
Knock knock knock!
Even after repeated commands to leave, the person continued pounding. Grinding his teeth, Hubert rose from his seat.
"Argh, who is it? I'll burn that head to a crisp."
"Excuse me! I'm coming in!"
Bang!
The intruder flung the door open without waiting for permission. Hubert glared at him fiercely.
"Who are you? Who let you in? Where are the guards? Lay your head down. I'll roast every hair off."
The magic tower operated on an apprenticeship model, with a strict hierarchy. The tower lord rarely interacted with lower-ranking mages.
Naturally, Hubert didn't recognize Sylvain.
Trembling from the icy atmosphere, Sylvain stammered.
"S-someone's here to sell Rune Stones."
"What? Rune Stones?"
Hubert and the elders immediately leaned forward, looking at Sylvain with curiosity.
Although Hubert had calmed himself, Sylvain still couldn't shake his nerves.
Feeling their intense gazes, he swallowed.
"It's not just a small amount like the other guilds bring. It's a massive quantity. Over ten carts, all loaded with Rune Stones!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room shot to their feet.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]