Hubert looked at the elders, but they stood there with awkward expressions, not knowing what to do.

‘Damn it, useless fools!’

There was no one among them well-versed in business, so there was no one to lead this negotiation.

“The young man is quite firm, I see. But transactions don’t always go exactly the way one wants. Since you’ve come all this way, and we can conduct this deal smoothly, let’s settle on double the price as we initially discussed. That should be more than suff—”

Before Hubert could finish speaking, Ghislain stood up again.

“Take care.”

“I meant it wouldn’t be sufficient!” Hubert exclaimed, flustered.

“Is that so? I must have misunderstood,” Ghislain replied with a slight smile.

Hubert and the elders exchanged uneasy glances.

Runestones were already expensive, and paying three times the market price would require an immense amount of money.

Even the wealthiest Magic Tower would feel the strain if such a large sum were spent all at once.

—Someone say something! Is there no other way?

—What if he really leaves?

—Isn’t he just crazy?

The Tower Lord and the elders exchanged frantic glances, communicating silently through their expressions.

Ghislain waited leisurely. After all, the outcome was already decided, and as the victor, he could afford to be gracious.

Eventually, Hubert let out a deep sigh, his face filled with resignation.

“Fine. We’ll buy everything at three times the market price.”

Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor gaped in disbelief.

This absurdly ruthless negotiation had somehow succeeded.

But Ghislain simply nodded, as if the outcome was only natural.

“Good. You’ve made the right decision.”

“Right decision, my foot…” Hubert grumbled under his breath, turning away to hide his contorted expression.

As much as he wanted to avoid falling for the young man’s scheme, the situation was too dire.

The other elders could only smack their lips in frustration, unable to oppose the Tower Lord’s decision.

Ghislain watched the miserable expressions of the mages with an inner smile.

‘It’s better for them to pay more now. Later, the price will be even higher. Better than dying from stress.’

In a short time, runestones would become scarce, and the price could increase fivefold, making them impossible to obtain.

This was because the Crimson Tower would monopolize the trade by securing deals with most merchant guilds.

Hubert would eventually discover this and fall ill from the stress.

‘At least I’ve secured enough money.’

Ghislain, who knew the Tower’s situation and future better than anyone else, wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip by.

To him, this was a reasonable deal.

“We’ll prepare the money right away. The Red Flame Tower will purchase all the runestones you’ve brought. Please wait here for a moment.”

Hubert was eager to pay and quickly get rid of Ghislain’s group.

But Ghislain wasn’t done yet.

“I haven’t mentioned all the conditions.”

“What?”

Hubert’s eyes widened.

The selling side had named their price, and the buying side had agreed. The transaction should be complete once the money was exchanged—what else was there?

Ghislain spoke softly but firmly.

“In addition, I want you to send ten mages to the Perdiem territory for one year.”

“Mages?”

“Yes, they must be at least 3rd Circle Masters.”

In territories without their own mages, it wasn’t uncommon for lords to request mages from a Magic Tower.

In return, the Tower received a substantial sum of money.

Though it didn’t bring in as much as selling magical tools or scrolls, providing mages was still a significant source of income for the Tower.

“How much are you willing to pay? Our mages don’t come cheap.”

Hubert’s eyes gleamed at the thought of recouping some of the money he’d just lost.

He intended to charge the insolent noble more than enough to make up for the cost of the runestones.

But Ghislain was far more cunning than Hubert anticipated.

“Oh, I think you’ve misunderstood. The price we agreed on—three times the market price—includes the mage deployment.”

“What? You crazy—”

Hubert’s face turned beet red as he staggered, clutching the back of his neck.

“Tower Lord! This man clearly thinks we’re fools!”

“This is outrageous!”

“It’s an insult!”

The elders raised their voices, veins bulging with anger.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Gillian quietly placed his hand on the sword at his waist, ready to respond if Ghislain was attacked.

Unlike Kaor, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, or Belinda, who was glaring at Ghislain’s back, Gillian was prepared to defend him the moment things turned violent.

Meanwhile, Ghislain calmly reiterated his terms.

“Three times the market price, plus ten 3rd Circle Master mages for one year. Those are my terms.”

“How dare you—do you even know where you are? No one has ever demanded mages as a free add-on to a deal!”

“You seem very upset. If you dislike the terms, let’s forget it.”

Ghislain stood up again.

“It’s disappointing, though. I came to the Red Flame Tower first out of consideration. But I suppose I’ll have to try my luck at the Crimson Tower.”

Hubert was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes.

But he had no choice but to endure. He rushed over and blocked Ghislain’s path once more.

“Wait, wait! Young man, why are you in such a hurry? You should hear me out! I only meant to say it’s an unusual deal, something we haven’t done before. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do it now, does it?”

“Ah, I see. I misunderstood again. I tend to be a bit impatient,” Ghislain said with a sly smile as he sat back down, crossing his legs elegantly.

‘There’s no way to win with words against him.’

Hubert swallowed his frustration.

Most people tried to stay on good terms with the Magic Tower. But this arrogant noble acted as if he couldn’t care less.

‘Is he really crazy? He must be one of those reckless types who live like there’s no tomorrow. If we weren’t so desperate for runestones, I’d have burned him alive by now!’

But Hubert’s pride couldn’t let him simply send Ghislain away.

‘If those runestones end up in the Crimson Tower’s hands, the gap between us will only widen.’

Hubert would rather die than see that happen.

“Fine. Ten 3rd Circle mages… Is there some large project in your territory? Or are you building a new barrier?”

“No. I need combat mages.”

“What?”

Hubert’s frown deepened.

Mages involved in combat were paid extra for danger. But in this case, they’d have to provide them for free.

“Are you planning to hunt monsters?”

Ghislain shook his head.

“No. I need them for a territorial war.”

Hubert’s expression turned stony.

The elders, too, glared at Ghislain with wide eyes.

“What nonsense is this!”

Mages from a Magic Tower were forbidden from participating in territorial wars by law.

A powerful entity like a Magic Tower favoring one side could lead to the entire nation falling under the Tower’s control, so this rule was strictly enforced.

If mages from a Tower were caught participating in such conflicts, both the mage and the Tower would face severe punishment.

“Mages belonging to a Tower are prohibited from engaging in territorial wars. As a noble, you should know that!”

Only independent mages or wandering sorcerers could take part in such conflicts.

“You’re not suggesting that we send our mages away, let them fight, and then take them back, are you?”

Some nobles had tried that trick before. And when they were caught, their Magic Tower had been completely erased from the kingdom.

Ghislain nodded slightly.

“Well, something like that. I expect them to fight under strict secrecy. They must hide their identities completely and act as if they are from our territory.”

While there were cases of such things happening in history, trusting such a young man with this dangerous scheme was too much.

Overpaying for runestones was one thing, but this crossed the line.

“How dare you—” Hubert’s magical energy began to rise.

“You really think you can make such a dangerous demand and walk out of here unharmed?”

The immense magical power caused the entire room to tremble.

The elders, too, released their magic, putting immense pressure on Ghislain.

“You need a good beating to learn your lesson.”

“You think we’re fools to give in to all your demands?”

“We’ll show you what happens when you anger a mage.”

Their justification was clear—Ghislain had made the first dangerous move.

As the atmosphere grew hostile, Belinda and Kaor grabbed their weapons.

Their opponents were 6th and 5th Circle mages—defeating them wouldn’t be easy, even with all of them fighting together.

Gillian prepared to charge forward.

‘If it comes to this, I’ll have to protect him with my body.’

He was ready to sacrifice himself to shield Ghislain.

Meanwhile, Kaor smirked and lowered his stance, eyeing Hubert with murderous intent.

‘I’ll take him out first.’

He focused on Hubert, ready to strike the moment magical energy surged.

Without the Tower Lord, dealing with the elders would be much easier.

‘Our crazy employer should be able to handle himself for a bit. If he dies… well, I’ll just carve “stupid” on his tombstone.’

At the same time, Belinda eyed Ghislain’s back, glancing behind her.

‘I’ll use Kaor as a shield and drag the young master out of here. I’ll have to kick him pretty hard. Right in front of the Tower Lord should do it.’

Kaor, focused entirely on Hubert, was unaware of Belinda’s plan.

The situation was on the verge of exploding.

Then, Ghislain’s calm voice disrupted the tense atmosphere.

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

“What?”

He was too calm—like a madman.

“We’ve discovered a source of runestones in our territory. There are far more there than what we brought today. Quite a lot more.”

His shocking words caused Hubert and the elders to freeze, their magical energy dissipating.

“Roughly ten times the amount we brought today. Would you still not want it? I could sell them at market price next time.”

Ghislain held up three fingers, shaking them teasingly. Hubert couldn’t hold back any longer.

‘How dare he mock me with runestones!’

But it was too much.

While Hubert was at a loss for words, Ghislain continued with his devilish whisper.

“I can also supply them consistently in the future. Depending on the contract, I might even provide them exclusively to the Red Flame Tower. Have you heard of an exclusive contract?”

What a tempting offer. The mages forgot all decorum, their nostrils flaring.

“You’re a sly snake!”

“Spouting nonsense with that wicked tongue…”

But their hostility had lessened.

“If you secure a stable supply of runestones, it’s only a matter of time before the Red Flame Tower becomes the top tower in the North again. Maybe not just the North, but the entire kingdom.”

A steady supply of runestones was exactly what they wanted most.

And Ghislain knew how to play on their desires and inferiority complex.

With the mages already losing their momentum, it was difficult for them to remain angry.

Exactly as Ghislain had planned.

“Well, I see my proposal doesn’t interest you. I suppose I’ll head to the Crimson Tower.”

“Wait! Young man, why are you always in such a rush? Who said we weren’t interested?”

Ghislain, who had started to rise, looked at Hubert with a blank expression.

“Didn’t you just try to intimidate me with your magic? I’m not sure my heart can take it.”

‘What heart? This guy probably has a dragon’s heart or something!’

While Hubert cursed inwardly, he widened his eyes and awkwardly began to act.

“That was just… to see if you were strong enough to handle such an important deal. Wasn’t that the case, everyone?”

Hubert dragged the elders into his excuse.

The mages, who had been dazed for a moment, quickly nodded as Hubert glared at them.

“Yes, that’s right. We were just testing your mettle.”

“You weren’t intimidated by our magic, which shows you have great character.”

“Young man, you certainly know how to negotiate. Haha.”

Ghislain smiled as he looked around at the awkwardly laughing elders.

“So, do I pass?”

Hubert hesitated for a moment before nodding weakly.

“Fine. Now, tell me about this territorial war…”

Somehow, it felt like they were handing over the entire Red Flame Tower to the devil.