"Head Butler!"
A knight standing beside Homerne quickly supported him as he staggered.
He managed to steady himself, but his legs were still trembling as if he might collapse again at any moment.
"We already have so many urgent expenses in the estate... and you spent it all? And on nothing but these useless mercenaries…?"
Even if a war did break out, what difference would an additional three hundred soldiers make?
It would be better to offer the Runestones to neighboring lords and ask for reinforcements.
Or they could surrender and pledge a portion of the Runestones. Winning a territorial war didn't mean they'd wipe out every noble and vassal in their households.
"We should have used that money on our knights and soldiers instead!"
By the look of it, Ghislain had not only hired mercenaries but also equipped them with top-notch gear.
This fool had blown through their funds, all in some naive attempt to build up his own forces.
Homerne's pale face was filled with disappointment as Ghislain responded with a smile.
"I've kept aside five thousand gold coins for my father. Don't worry too much; I'll secure more Runestones soon enough."
Still, Homerne's expression remained dark.
Even if Ghislain could secure more Runestones, there were plenty of pressing needs for funds right now.
He'd been counting on the money Ghislain would bring back... and the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
'Leaving money to a reckless young fool like him was a mistake. We have to secure control of the Runestones here in the estate.'
Unable to even speak, Homerne's face held only sorrow.
At that moment, a carriage approached from the distance.
Drawn by eight white horses, it was an opulent, grandiose carriage that only the wealthiest nobles could afford.
Soon, the carriage came to a stop in front of Ghislain. The door opened, and a series of figures cloaked in black robes stepped out one by one.
The last man to step out looked at Ghislain and greeted him.
"Oh, so the young lord came out to meet us personally? You're finally starting to act a bit like a proper noble. Ha ha ha."
The arrogant voice belonged to Alpoi, from the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower.
Ghislain had instructed them to time their arrival in Perdium to coincide with his, and it seemed they'd managed it well, arriving at almost the same time.
Looking at the conceited mage, Ghislain let out a sigh.
"They never listen, no matter what you tell them."
He'd specifically asked them to arrive discreetly, but the carriage was so extravagant that it had probably turned a lot of heads along the way.
At least everyone in the group wore black robes, which was something.
Homerne, glancing back and forth between Ghislain and Alpoi, finally asked in bewilderment.
"Who are these people?"
"My mercenaries."
"What kind of mercenaries dress in robes and ride around in carriages like that…"
After glancing between Ghislain and the "mercenaries," he shook his head and muttered.
"Well, you all enjoy your little war game. I'm sure it'll be fun."
With that, Homerne staggered back into the castle, knowing that if he stayed any longer, he'd probably lose his mind with frustration.
Ghislain shrugged, then looked over at Vanessa, who was standing timidly behind the mages.
"You made it here safely. No trouble along the way?"
"N-no trouble at all, young lord…"
"Did anyone bother you?"
"N-no, no one did."
"Good, that's a relief. Let's head inside."
The mages climbed back into their carriage, and the mercenaries followed Ghislain into the castle.
After passing through the outer walls and stopping in front of the main keep, Ghislain turned to Belinda and tasked her with arranging rooms for the mages.
"Belinda, please prepare rooms for the mages. I'll take the mercenaries to the garrison."
"Understood. I have some tidying up to do anyway."
Just as he was about to lead the mercenaries away, something caught his attention.
"These guys, really…"
The mages were standing around with their hands behind their backs, leisurely inspecting the keep and making haughty comments.
"Hmm, this castle has an interesting architectural style, suitable for the climate of this region…"
"Not extravagant, but it has a functional, classic feel to it…"
"It's built with a sense of harmony and proportion, with each space thoughtfully arranged…"
Mages showing off like this was typical, so Ghislain could ignore it.
The problem was that, while they were having their lofty discussion, Vanessa was struggling to unload heavy crates from the carriage by herself.
The crates were so heavy that she couldn't hide her difficulty. After unloading a few, she ducked back into the carriage to get more. They'd brought quite a bit of baggage, and it would take several trips to unload everything.
Ghislain approached the mages with a cold expression.
"What exactly do you think you're doing? I clearly told you not to mistreat Vanessa."
"That woman's used to this sort of work. Best to leave it to someone who knows what they're doing."
Judging by their smirking responses, it seemed the mages had quickly forgotten their position after leaving the tower.
Clearly, they'd treated Vanessa poorly in Ghislain's absence.
Ghislain called out to Vanessa, who was in the middle of unloading.
"Vanessa, stop and come here."
"No, young lord. I'll finish unloading…"
Ghislain's voice turned icy.
"Whom do you think you're serving? You're to follow only my orders."
But Vanessa glanced nervously at Alpoi, unsure of what to do.
Ghislain raised a finger, gesturing for her to come over, and she lowered her head, walking hesitantly toward him.
"Listen carefully. From now on, you are to ignore everyone else's orders and follow only mine. Understood?"
"Y-yes, understood."
Ghislain gave Vanessa firm instructions, then turned to Alpoi and spoke sternly.
"Vanessa is no longer your servant. She's now mine, so don't treat her disrespectfully. I'll overlook this incident, but if it happens again, you'll pay with your lives."
"Ugh… treating such a lowly woman like this…"
Alpoi gritted his teeth in humiliation.
He couldn't understand why Ghislain was paying attention to a mere servant instead of to him, the successor of the Scarlet Flame Tower.
And Ghislain's continued disrespect toward him was insufferable.
'Should I just kill him?'
The thought of casting a spell and blasting that arrogant face crossed his mind.
Without the elders from the tower around, he found it difficult to control his anger.
'I could just claim it was an accident.'
Consumed by rage, Alpoi started exuding a menacing aura.
The mercenaries nearby looked displeased and each gripped their weapons.
Alpoi was so openly radiating killing intent that it was impossible to ignore.
Clearly, he had no sense of caution, pampered as he was by the tower.
Ghislain sneered.
"Talking to people like you doesn't work, does it?"
"What did you say?"
Frowning, Alpoi watched as Ghislain approached one of the guards at the gate.
"Give me that spear."
"Pardon?"
Without waiting for a response, Ghislain took the spear from the guard and snapped it in half.
Crack!
The estate was so poor that even the soldiers' spears had cheap wooden shafts.
With the spearhead removed, the shaft became a crude but handy stick.
Holding the stick, Ghislain walked up to Alpoi, tapping it against his palm.
"For idiots with nothing but filth in their heads…"
"What did you say?"
"There's only one way to handle them."
"You bastard!"
Enraged by the insult, Alpoi summoned his mana.
Vwooom!
The circles in his heart spun with power as he began to cast his spell.
KABOOM!
He reached out, intending to unleash the might of his magic.
Whack!
"Urgh!"
But before he could do anything, pain exploded across his vision, leaving him stunned.
"What… what just happened?"
He had no idea how he'd been hit.
He couldn't even see the attack coming, nor did he understand why his magic had been interrupted.
"You…!"
Alpoi tried to gather mana again, but Ghislain was faster.
Smack!
"Argh!"
This time, the blow landed even harder, and Alpoi instinctively clutched his head.
Pain surged through his entire body.
Thud! Thud!
"Gah!"
Taking his time, Ghislain mimicked the mages' earlier posture, clasping his hands behind his back and beating Alpoi with only one hand.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
"Urgh! Wait, stop!"
Alpoi felt like he was going crazy.
Every time he tried to gather mana, the perfect blow interrupted him.
It was as if something were blocking his flow from inside his own body.
Whack! Whack!
"Gahhh!"
And the most infuriating part was that he couldn't even fall down.
Whenever he started to topple, a swing from the stick would prop him back up.
"Urgh!"
"Stop this!"
Unable to bear watching any longer, the other mages began to release their mana to intervene.
Clink! Clank!
But as soon as they made a move, the mercenaries quickly pressed their weapons to the mages' throats.
The mages couldn't move a muscle.
"Ugh…"
The other mages watched in horror as Alpoi continued to be thoroughly thrashed.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Alright, alright! I give up!"
For the first time in his life, Alpoi experienced real pain.
He'd grown up as the tower's prized heir, indulged and unchecked.
This sort of brutal treatment was something he'd never even imagined.
"Hmm, maybe that's enough."
When Ghislain finally stopped, Alpoi collapsed to his knees on the ground.
"Ugh… oww…"
Crouching down in front of the gasping Alpoi, Ghislain spoke.
"You really don't think things through, do you? Are you even a mage? This is our estate. Do you think you'd get away with this? Would you even be able to escape?"
If Ghislain had been injured or killed by Alpoi's magic, Alpoi would've faced immediate execution.
He hadn't even considered the consequences in his fit of rage.
Coming to his senses, Alpoi glanced around.
His fellow mages were similarly subdued by the mercenaries.
"Ugh…"
Grinding his teeth, he was painfully aware of his helplessness.
With three hundred mercenaries surrounding them, the six mages would be torn apart if a real fight broke out.
"Y-you bastard…"
Alpoi staggered to his feet, trembling with humiliation.
The pain was excruciating, but the blow to his pride hurt even more.
"No noble has ever treated us like this! Show us the respect we deserve!"
Ghislain just smirked dismissively.
"You're just reserves. Backup magical power, really. This is the least I could do for you. If you want respect, then behave."
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]