The mages silently clicked their tongues in disbelief.

'What a lunatic.'

'Yeah, he's clearly not all there.'

'No wonder we couldn’t negotiate properly with someone like him.'

Even Ghislain’s companions were taken aback. While Ghislain was known for his playful and mischievous nature, he wasn’t one to threaten the weak without reason.

'Wasn't he supposed to comfort her?'

'What’s he doing, scaring someone who's already terrified?'

Despite everyone's reactions, Ghislain’s voice remained cold and detached as he continued.

“The truth is, the tower has already handed you over to me. Even if you choose not to follow me, staying here won’t be an option. And even if they let you stay... well...”

He shrugged, a casual gesture.

“If you really want to die, that's your choice. It's not my place to stop you.”

Vanessa trembled with fear.

There was no emotion in Ghislain’s tone, no hint of malice, but that made it all the more terrifying. It wasn’t a direct threat to kill her, but rather a calm, indifferent statement about her fate.

Her lips quivered as she struggled to hold back tears, her voice breaking as she finally gave in.

“I... I understand. I will serve you with all my heart, my lord.”

Ghislain's demeanor shifted instantly. His harshness melted away as he smiled warmly at her, his voice now soft and reassuring.

“Good. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

Both the mages and Ghislain's party were momentarily stunned by the sudden change. It was as if he’d never threatened her at all, his cheerful attitude completely at odds with what had just transpired.

Hubert was the first to regain his composure, moving towards Vanessa with a satisfied smile.

“Well done. I’m sure your late master Lonato would be proud of you.”

Vanessa kept her head down, offering no reply. It wasn’t like her opinion mattered to these people anyway. Her only hope was to find an opportunity to ask Ghislain if she could continue studying magic.

'Hmm... she was still so gentle back then.'

As Ghislain watched Vanessa, memories flickered in his mind.

'Calling her a fool or a freeloader... they really have no idea. She’s the greatest talent this tower ever had, even if she is a failed genius.'

Vanessa was the true reason Ghislain had come to the Crimson Flame Tower in the first place.

Sure, the opportunity to fleece the tower for a good deal had been a bonus, but if Vanessa hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have wasted his time coming all this way.

With his limited forces, Ghislain needed a trump card, a powerful ace in his hand.

And he was certain Vanessa was that ace. Even if she had refused, he had planned to force her to come along.

'Leaving her here would lead to a disaster... for everyone.'

Ghislain hadn’t lied to her, and it hadn’t been a threat. It was the truth.

If Vanessa stayed in the tower, not only would she endanger herself, but countless others would suffer as well.

Left unchecked, she would become a mass murderer of unimaginable proportions.

Ghislain first learned about Vanessa during a time of great turmoil across the continent.

One of his subordinates, who was always tuned in to rumors and information, had excitedly told him about the “Red Nightmare.”

“The Red Nightmare?”

“Yeah, some crazy woman from the kingdom of Lutania. Supposedly she’s a 7th Circle mage, which is no joke.”

“Lutania, huh…”

Hearing that name made Ghislain think of his homeland, which he hadn’t visited in a long time.

“And the title, ‘Red Nightmare’? Pretty cool, right?”

Seeing Ghislain's interest, the subordinate continued to ramble on.

“Her name’s Vanessa, I think. Apparently, she burned down half the northern region of Lutania. They say she mastered mana cultivation techniques.”

“A mage who mastered mana cultivation?”

Even with all his years of mercenary work, having experienced a wide range of strange occurrences, this was the first time Ghislain had heard of such a thing.

“Yeah, that's probably what drove her mad. She’s been going around torching everything and killing people left and right. The lords up there are tearing their hair out trying to deal with her. She’s like a pyromaniac with no goal other than chaos.”

“Impressive. So it’s possible to reach such a level through mana cultivation?”

“You’re impressed by that?!”

Both mages and those who practice mana cultivation share a common principle: they store mana within their bodies. Theoretically, a person could cast magic through mana cultivation, but no one did it because it was far less efficient.

Yet, here was someone who could produce greater firepower than most mages, using mana cultivation alone. It was incredible.

Ghislain clicked his tongue, disappointed.

“Such a waste. If only she weren’t insane, she could’ve been a great asset. If she had worked under me, things would’ve been different.”

With that kind of power, Vanessa could have been an invaluable force against the many calamities that threatened the continent.

“Then again... maybe it’s not too late. I’ve fixed crazier people before, haven’t I? After a few beatings, they all got better.”

His subordinate, hearing Ghislain's muttering, recoiled in horror.

“What are you planning to do now, boss?”

“Why don’t we recruit her? Bring her over.”

“Recruit… a pyromaniac murderer?! Where would you even use her?”

“Well, that’s your job to figure out.”

“…I didn’t hear that.”

Ghislain gave him a mischievous grin, the silent order clear.

His subordinate turned pale and quickly scurried off.

The story that the subordinate gathered about Vanessa was all too common.

She had been an orphan, barely surviving until she was taken in by a mage.

But despite her intelligence and diligence, Vanessa couldn’t sense mana and had failed to become a proper mage.

She hadn’t given up, though, and kept trying, even if no one believed in her. Eventually, it seemed she had stumbled upon mana cultivation techniques.

According to the reports, Vanessa had attempted to learn mana cultivation from the Crimson Flame Tower, but she had repeatedly failed. Somehow, though, she managed to master a variation of it on her own.

Ghislain, having modified his own family’s cultivation techniques, immediately understood why she had gone mad.

“She didn’t have a proper master, nor did she understand the technique she was learning. It’s no wonder she went insane. Still, if I could just fix her up, she’d be incredibly useful.”

With the number of calamities on the rise, they needed as many strong warriors as possible.

Ghislain turned to his subordinate, who was still hovering nearby.

“So, where is she now?”

“Last I heard, she was spotted near some mountain. There hasn’t been any word about her lately, though. Maybe she’s gone into hiding?”

Ghislain narrowed his eyes.

“Send out a search party. I want her found, quickly.”

As Ghislain stood up, his subordinate asked in surprise,

“Where are you going?”

“To look for her myself.”

“What’s gotten into you? You usually turn down jobs like this, even when they’re specific requests.”

It was rare for their lazy commander to take action personally, so the subordinate couldn’t help but be shocked. But Ghislain ignored him, already heading out the door.

There was a bad feeling gnawing at him.

It didn’t take long for Ghislain to find Vanessa, hiding deep in the mountains.

“There you are. Found you.”

“Aaahhh!”

The moment Vanessa saw Ghislain, she let out a scream and began wildly firing off spells.

She was like a wild animal acting purely on instinct, but it was clear she recognized the danger in front of her.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Enormous magical circles appeared around her, conjuring pillars of flame and massive fireballs.

But Ghislain effortlessly dodged and deflected the attacks as he steadily approached her. A barrage with no strategy or forethought like this was nothing to him.

“Kyaaa!”

Vanessa, frustrated that her attacks weren’t working, poured every ounce of her power into an even bigger assault.

More than a dozen new magic circles began to form around her.

“Multiple casting at that level? She’s doing all this?”

Ghislain was genuinely impressed.

Simultaneously casting several spells at once, regardless of how much mana one had, required an immense amount of natural talent.

Even high-circle mages struggled with it, unless they had been born with the right aptitude.

“I really want her now.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Meteor-like fireballs rained down on Ghislain’s location. He sidestepped and deflected each one, but the flames engulfed the surroundings, filling the area with choking smoke.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and unleashed his mana. His powerful aura swept through the area, smothering the flames and clearing the smoke.

“Stop struggling!”

Ghislain extended his hand toward Vanessa and clenched his fist tightly. Instantly, Vanessa’s movements froze.

With another pull of his arm, her body was yanked toward him as if by an invisible force.

“Kyaa!”

“Calm down.”

Ghislain grabbed her by the neck and infused her body with his mana. The energy flowed through her meridians, circulating throughout her body.

But as he examined her condition, his brow furrowed.

‘This is…’

Vanessa’s core had already been shattered. She was only managing to hang on because she had reached the 7th Circle.

It seemed her health had been deteriorating for some time, given how she had gone into hiding in the mountains. Animals often seek out safe places when they’re nearing the end of their lives.

In the short time it had taken her to fight Ghislain, her condition had worsened significantly.

‘What a waste. She’s done for.’

If he had found her just a bit sooner, he might have been able to save her.

Ghislain, now resigned, prepared to put her out of her misery.

But just as he was about to end it, Vanessa’s eyes, once clouded with madness, suddenly cleared.

Thanks to the mana he had given her, she had regained some of her sanity. Her gaze, now filled with regret and relief, locked with his.

“You’re back to normal now.”

Ghislain gently lowered her to the ground. She stumbled, barely able to stand.

“Who… are you?”

He shrugged casually.

“The most powerful and famous mercenary in the world.”

Vanessa took a moment to process that before nodding slightly.

“I’ve heard the rumors... So, you’re the Mercenary King.”

She coughed, struggling to get the words out.

“Did you… come to capture me?”

“No, I came to recruit you.”

“That’s… an honor… to be sought out… by someone like you…”

A faint smile tugged at her lips before she was overcome by a violent cough, spewing blood onto the ground.

Ghislain clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“I had planned to recruit you, but I guess you’re too far gone.”

“…Is that… really something you say… to a dying person?”

Vanessa glared at him through her coughs, but Ghislain just smirked.

“Why waste pleasantries on someone who can’t even be useful to me?”

But then he paused, as if realizing something.

“Wait, maybe there’s a bounty on your head. I could at least get a reward for bringing you in.”

“Get lost… you bastard…”

Vanessa weakly conjured a fireball and flung it at him. It fizzled out before it even reached him.

“You’re only cutting your own life short. No wonder you ended up like this.”

She was coughing too much to respond, glaring at him through tear-filled eyes.

Ghislain chuckled.

“Well, if you’ve got any last words, now’s the time. I’ll at least let you say them.”

“…Last words? Who would I even… say them to?”

“Well then, complain about your life, I guess.”

Vanessa let out a dry laugh before collapsing to the ground. She didn’t even have the strength to remain standing.

“All I wanted… was to become a mage. I just wanted… to use magic…”

She curled up, hugging her knees as she spoke between labored breaths.

“I should never have… learned that stupid… mana cultivation. Because of me… so many people… died…”

“No, that’s not what you should regret.”

Ghislain clicked his tongue.

“You should have come to me sooner. I’m famous for fixing lunatics. Look at you, you’re back to normal now, aren’t you?”

“…You really are… a bastard…”

“You’re not the first to say that.”

Vanessa shook her head in disbelief.

“You’re too carefree… must be nice…”

“Well, I’m a mercenary.”

Ghislain grinned before adding,

“Next time, don’t hesitate. Come straight to me. I always welcome strong talent.”

Vanessa’s eyelids fluttered as she blinked slowly. Her breaths grew shallower and her voice fainter.

“Being a mercenary… sounds like… fun…”

Those were her final words. Her breath faded, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a clean trail across her dirty face.

For a moment, Ghislain stood silently, looking down at her lifeless body.

Normally, he would’ve taken the corpse to collect the bounty, but…

Clicking his tongue, he ignited the body in flames.

It was the first and last show of respect for someone who could’ve become his ally.