As soon as the mages left the room, Gillian turned to Ghislain, puzzled.

“My lord, what do you mean by a personal mage? Weren’t you originally just planning to hire some mages?”

Gillian, along with Belinda, had known about Ghislain’s plan to hire mages because he had briefly explained it to them before. Still, neither of them had expected the negotiation to succeed as it did.

“Well, it’s just an added benefit. They couldn’t provide the full ten mages, so I’m getting something else in return.”

“The elder implied that she’s not much of a talent and mostly does menial tasks. Are you sure she’s suitable?” Gillian asked, his concern evident.

“It’ll be fine. It’s not about how talented someone is but how you use them.”

Hearing Ghislain’s certainty, Gillian refrained from asking further. It wasn’t his place to question his lord’s decision on how to utilize people. He just hoped the new addition wouldn’t become a hindrance.

Meanwhile, Kaor, who had been quietly listening, wore a perplexed expression.

Receiving a single servant in place of four missing mages seemed like a poor trade, no matter how he looked at it. And making a servant the personal mage of a noble? That was unheard of.

‘What in the world is he thinking?’

Ultimately, Kaor didn’t care about who Ghislain chose as his personal mage or what losses were incurred. He was just curious about Ghislain’s plan, though he knew Ghislain wasn’t obligated to explain anything to him.

Still, there was one thing he needed clarification on.

“My lord, is this really about preparing for a territorial war?”

“Exactly. It’s better to be ready, just in case,” Ghislain replied.

“Hiding that the mages are from a tower is fine, but wouldn’t it be better to at least publicly announce that we’ve hired mercenary mages? With the runestones, if we show we’re training an army, it might deter anyone from attacking us.”

Kaor’s suggestion had merit. Sometimes, flaunting one’s strength could prevent war from breaking out altogether.

However, that logic didn’t apply in this situation.

The Delphine family would attack Perdiem no matter what. A few hired mages wouldn’t scare them. If anything, they would likely scoff.

Perdiem was still weak in every aspect, so the only chance of victory was to keep their true strength hidden.

“For now, I’d prefer to keep our forces hidden. You’ll need to keep this secret too, Kaor.”

“Well, you know me. I’ll keep quiet as long as the money’s right. Hell, I’d even tell someone my wife’s underwear color if you paid me enough,” Kaor replied with a mischievous grin.

Ghislain chuckled at the response.

At that moment, Hubert and the elders re-entered the room, leading a group of mages.

Six of them were dressed in extravagant robes and wore confident expressions.

Behind them, one woman stood awkwardly, fidgeting nervously.

‘There she is.’

The moment Ghislain spotted her, a genuine look of relief and happiness crossed his face.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties. Her dark red hair was a mess, and unlike the other mages, her robe was tattered and dirty.

Her face showed anxiety and nervousness as she glanced around, making it clear just how poorly she was treated at the tower.

Hubert smiled as he introduced the group to Ghislain.

“These are the mages who will assist you for the next year. I’ve emphasized the importance of secrecy, so you needn’t worry.”

One of the younger men stepped forward to introduce himself. His demeanor suggested he was a capable mage, and he naturally led the others, who appeared to be older than him.

“My name is Alfoy. I’ve been tasked with leading the mages. Per the Tower Lord’s orders, I’ll serve you with all due diligence, my lord.”

His words were polite, but his expression was anything but. It was clear that he was only doing this because he was ordered to, and his gaze toward Ghislain was condescending.

Despite his smug look, Ghislain didn’t care. These mages were just temporary tools, after all.

“I am Ghislain Perdiem. I appreciate your assistance. You must be quite talented to have become a 3rd Circle Master at such a young age.”

Before Alfoy could respond, Hubert interjected with a cough, answering on his behalf.

“Not to brag, but Alfoy is one of the most promising talents in our tower. There’s probably no one of his age who can rival him. I’ve personally taken a special interest in his growth.”

One of the elders chimed in, adding, “Alfoy is the Tower Lord’s apprentice and our tower’s future successor. We’re really sending our best.”

In reality, they had no choice but to send their prized apprentice since they lacked trustworthy candidates. Still, they intended to make the most of it by showing off.

“I see. I didn’t expect you to send your apprentice. I’m honored,” Ghislain replied with a polite smile, though he wasn’t truly impressed. After all, the mage he wanted was someone else.

But he didn’t mind complimenting Alfoy. Flattery cost nothing.

“A successor of the tower, huh? That’s reassuring. I’m looking forward to it.”

Alfoy bowed his head respectfully, though his expression was far from humble.

“You can speak freely with me, my lord. The Tower Lord emphasized that I am to assist you to the fullest. You are a very important guest to our tower.”

He was deliberately emphasizing the Tower Lord’s attention to make it clear that Ghislain should feel grateful.

Hubert, watching, nodded with satisfaction. Alfoy, too, was pleased, thinking he had done well.

But Ghislain was not from their world.

“Understood. I’ll count on you. You have a lot of work ahead of you in the territory, so don’t get too comfortable.”

Ghislain’s casual dismissal made Alfoy’s eyes widen in shock.

Usually, when someone offered deference, the recipient would return the courtesy. But Ghislain was treating him as if he were just another subordinate, without a shred of respect.

Alfoy had never been treated like this before, especially as the heir to the tower. No one had ever dared to look down on him.

Yet this disheveled noble didn’t even care to hide his disdain.

‘This ignorant bumpkin… He doesn’t even know his place!’

Fuming internally, Alfoy had no choice but to bow his head again, his face flushed with anger.

‘I’ll endure this for a year. But once I’m the Tower Lord, let’s see if he still dares to treat me like this.’

As Alfoy swallowed his pride, the other mages came forward one by one to introduce themselves to Ghislain.

After all six had greeted him, the woman who had been standing at the back hesitated, unsure of what to do.

One of the elders, clearly annoyed, pushed her forward with a scowl.

“What are you waiting for? Go greet the lord! All you do is eat, and you don’t even have the decency to show respect. Tsk.”

The woman stumbled forward, unable to hide her fear. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

“I-I greet you, my lord. M-my name is Vanessa.”

Ghislain smiled at her kindly and extended his hand.

“I’m Ghislain Perdiem. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Vanessa, startled by his gesture, hurriedly wiped her hands on her robe and nervously shook his hand.

She kept bowing her head, unable to meet his gaze. Ghislain chuckled and spoke again.

“No need to be so tense. The Tower Lord has explained everything to you, right?”

But Vanessa quickly shook her head, trembling.

“N-no. I wasn’t told anything… I was just cleaning when…”

Her voice trailed off as she became unsure of how to explain her situation. Ghislain frowned and shot a sharp look at Hubert.

It was a silent but clear question—what’s going on here?

Hubert, realizing Ghislain’s displeasure, hastily explained.

“In the rush to bring her here, we didn’t have time to fully brief her. Vanessa, you are to leave the tower and serve this lord from now on. Do you understand?”

“What?” Vanessa gasped, looking between Hubert and the elders, shocked.

She had always feared that the tower might abandon her, but she never expected it to happen so abruptly.

“My master told me I could stay in the tower…” Vanessa’s voice shook as she spoke, but Hubert cut her off harshly.

“Your master, Lonato, is dead. Are you refusing the Tower Lord’s command?”

“N-no, but…” Vanessa stammered.

Seeing Ghislain’s growing displeasure, Hubert quickly changed his tone, speaking more softly.

“This is a good opportunity for you, Vanessa. Isn’t it better to serve this lord than to do menial work here in the tower?”

“But I can’t even properly use magic…”

“Enough of your excuses!” Hubert snapped, cutting her off before she could reveal too much.

Vanessa, on the verge of tears, didn’t know what to do. One of the elders, with a serious expression, tried to console her.

“The tower has taken care of you for years, hasn’t it? You should repay that kindness by serving the lord.”

Vanessa hung her head in despair.

Tears welled up in her eyes as the realization sank in.

Her worst fear had come true—she was being cast out of the only place she had ever known.

Ever since her master had passed away, she had lived in constant fear of being thrown out. Having grown up in the tower, she had no idea how to survive in the outside world.

To avoid that fate, she had even accepted doing menial tasks, but it had all been for nothing.

Vanessa briefly glanced at Ghislain before quickly lowering her head again.

‘I’m scared…’

She didn’t understand why this noble wanted her, and the uncertainty of what would happen terrified her.

‘I wanted to become a mage so badly… I worked so hard…’

Tears began to fill her eyes.

Her master, Lonato, had taken her in as his apprentice because of her intelligence. He had taught her magic, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never accumulate mana within her body.

Though she excelled at learning the theory of magic, her body simply couldn’t channel the energy to cast spells. Her master had been sympathetic but was unable to find a solution.

After his death, she had been treated like a burden by the other mages.

Despite this, Vanessa had refused to give up. She cut back on sleep to search for a reason for her inability to use magic, diligently continuing her studies.

She clung to the hope that one day she would be able to cast magic like the others.

‘I don’t want to leave…’

If she left with this lord, she would no longer be able to study magic.

Here in the tower, even if she was treated like a servant, she still had access to magical knowledge.

But in a noble household, she would be reduced to nothing more than a maid.

Vanessa’s reluctance was evident as she hesitated to respond. Seeing her hesitation, Hubert’s frustration boiled over.

“What are you waiting for? Greet the lord properly!”

Hubert was growing anxious. If Vanessa continued to delay, Ghislain might change his mind, which would complicate everything.

In his impatience, he revealed his temper.

“Do you think you can stay here and keep learning magic if you refuse this?”

Vanessa flinched in fear as Hubert raised his voice.

The elders chimed in, further pressuring her.

“You’ll be better off going with the lord. It’s for your own good.”

“You’re too talented to stay here, doing menial work. This is your chance.”

“After all the care we’ve given you, isn’t it time you repaid us?”

Under the weight of their words, Vanessa’s face turned pale.

It was clear that the decision had already been made for her. She wasn’t in a position to refuse.

They were right that she owed the tower for everything it had done for her.

“I-I understand…”

Though her mind accepted it, her voice cracked as she tried to speak. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying.

Seeing her distress, Ghislain sighed and stepped forward.

“You’ll scare her if you keep speaking so harshly. You should be more gentle.”

Hubert and the elders awkwardly cleared their throats, avoiding eye contact with Ghislain. They just wanted him to take Vanessa and leave.

Ghislain gently patted Vanessa on the shoulder and spoke softly.

“I need your help, Vanessa. I want you to be my mage. Will you come with me?”

Vanessa looked up at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

There was something kind and welcoming in Ghislain’s expression, as if he were genuinely happy to meet her.

That small kindness gave Vanessa a glimmer of hope. In a shaky voice, she asked,

“If I refuse… will I be allowed to stay here?”

“Really? You won’t regret that?”

“Y-yes…”

“You will.”

Ghislain’s smile vanished as he gave her a stern reply.

“If you stay here, you’ll die.”