Vanessa's madness was primarily caused by her improper mastery of mana cultivation techniques, but the emotional wounds inflicted by the world around her also contributed to her condition.

The resentment festering in her heart, intertwined with her flawed mana cultivation, had eventually surfaced.

Even among knights, there were those who, during their training, occasionally succumbed to similar internal demons.

‘But this life will be different.’

Ghislain had decided to teach her the proper mana cultivation technique and guide her along the way.

If Vanessa could fully utilize her talents, she would become a great asset in the upcoming war.

Though there wasn’t much time to amass the amount of mana she needed, Ghislain had already planned a solution for that.

‘I’ll make sure that doesn't happen again.’

He was determined to bring her along, even if it meant using force. Not that Ghislain ever resorted to threats.

Having fulfilled his purpose at the Tower of Crimson Flame, Ghislain felt immensely satisfied. He smiled contentedly and said, "Now that the deal is settled, I’ll be leaving. I'll bring the Runestone once things settle down in my territory."

At his words, the Tower Lord and the elders couldn't hide their relief.

They were overjoyed that the irritating man was finally going to leave on his own.

However, Hubert's well-trained tongue, honed from countless social gatherings, posed a problem.

“Oh, why leave so soon? Why not take a tour around the city and rest for a while? I may not be bragging, but I’ve put a lot of effort into running this city, and there’s plenty to see.”

Hubert spoke with an expression full of pride.

“Hm, should I?” Ghislain responded, seemingly positive, causing the faces of everyone around to immediately fall.

The elders glared at Hubert, silently asking why he had to say something so unnecessary.

Hubert, too, wore a bitter expression, unsure of what to do.

‘You clueless bastard.’

It was basic social etiquette to politely decline such invitations, but the rude man before them clearly lacked such skills.

Watching the ever-changing expressions of the wizards, Ghislain chuckled inwardly.

‘They’re terrible actors, really.’

Though Ghislain wasn’t exactly a master of deception himself, the wizards’ lack of subtlety was laughable.

After all, how often would geniuses, praised since their youth, need to bother catering to others?

As much as he enjoyed teasing them, Ghislain had many things to do and couldn’t afford to waste any more time here.

“No, I have a lot of work to attend to as well. Next time, I’ll enjoy the city properly.”

Hubert’s face brightened immediately. He hurriedly responded before Ghislain could change his mind.

“Yes, yes, of course. The Grand Duke can’t be away from his territory for too long. The money’s already prepared, so you can check it. We’ll also send the wizards soon.”

The wizards were set to depart later, arriving separately in Ghislain’s territory. If they traveled together, rumors might spread that he had brought wizards from the Tower of Crimson Flame.

Ghislain emphasized once more to Hubert, “Make sure Vanessa arrives safely at my territory. Take good care of her until then. She’s my personal mage now, so she must be treated well. She can’t get hurt.”

“Of course! She’ll be treated like an esteemed guest, you have nothing to worry about,” Hubert replied with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Ghislain approached Vanessa and spoke in a soft voice. “I’d like to leave together, but I can’t. Stay safe on your way.”

“Yes, my lord,” Vanessa replied, her expression dark and somber. Ghislain reiterated his advice.

“If anyone bothers you, tell me right away. Don’t bottle it up. If you let it fester, it’ll only lead to trouble. Understood?”

Vanessa, not fully understanding his words, simply nodded.

“Yes, I understand.”

After giving her shoulder a couple of reassuring pats, Ghislain turned to leave.

As they all headed down to the lobby, they found the mercenaries already waiting.

Wagons were loaded with chests full of gold coins.

“Check the amount,” Ghislain ordered. The mercenaries immediately began counting the money.

The wizards looked displeased. Counting the money right in front of them—how vulgar! Did they really think they’d cheat them? How dare they!

Moments later, a mercenary spoke up, somewhat puzzled.

“We’re short by three gold coins. I thought wizards were smart, but it seems they can’t do basic math?”

The wizards’ faces flushed red with embarrassment.

The sheer amount of money made it likely a simple mistake.

It was a small sum considering the overall deal, but it was still a disgrace to the reputation of the Tower.

Hubert stammered in embarrassment, “It must have been an error on the part of the one handling the calculations. I’ll double-check it immediately. Apologies.”

Ghislain sighed and called out, “Gordon.”

“….”

Gordon quietly reached into his crotch and pulled out five gold coins, tossing them into the chest with a clink.

“….?”

A moment of stunned silence filled the lobby.

The fact that Gordon had taken the money was one thing, but the mercenaries had also miscounted.

Kaor grabbed Gordon by the neck, dragging him to a corner and punching him.

“You piss-stained idiot! I’m not letting this slide today. Didn’t you say you didn’t care about money?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh! Sorry! I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get my share early… Ouch! Stop hitting me! I’m serious! No more violence!”

Watching Gordon get beaten in the corner, Hubert and the elders could only blink in disbelief.

Ghislain offered them a sheepish smile.

“I apologize. You see, some of them aren’t very well-educated. Ha ha. Well, we’ll be on our way now.”

Before the wizards could respond, Ghislain quickly turned around and said, “Let’s get out of here, you idiots.”

His group swiftly exited the tower.

Even after they had left, the wizards stood there, too stunned to say a word.

As soon as they left the city, Ghislain suddenly stopped, realizing something. “Oh, I forgot about the gatekeeper.”

Belinda looked at him in disbelief.

“Weren’t you just messing with him out of spite?”

“Messing with him? I’m always sincere.”

“Yeah, right…” Belinda glared at him, but Gillian subtly stepped between them.

“Your plan really worked, my lord. I never expected the tower to agree to all of your terms.”

“Looks like your luck is really turning, sir. Everything’s going so well.”

“Those wizards are fools, aren’t they? Why on earth did they agree to everything?”

“Well, maybe they are fools. But we’ll be meeting plenty of fools in the future.”

Though there was a clear reason behind it, Ghislain wasn’t about to explain just yet. He merely smiled.

“And what about that woman? Why did you make her your personal mage? She doesn’t seem useful at all.”

Kaor asked again, skeptical of Vanessa’s abilities.

She didn’t exude any mana or even any presence. She was just a plain woman who had been serving as a maid at the tower—hardly someone knowledgeable or skilled.

But Ghislain simply smiled again without answering.

“You’ll find out later.”

Kaor looked at him, confused for a moment, then gave Ghislain a thumbs-up with a sly grin on his face, clearly having some other thoughts in mind.

Ignoring him, Ghislain spoke to Gillian. “We’ve only climbed one step. It’s time to prepare for the next.”

“Yes, sir.”

They couldn’t afford to let their guard down. They had no idea what forces their enemies would mobilize or what kind of power they would bring to the fight.

Letting down one’s guard in war was as good as throwing away one’s life.

Ghislain wanted a decisive victory.

‘Anyone who dares to cross us will pay with their life.’

His expression grew colder, more determined than ever.

Homerne, the governor of Feridium, spent his days waiting anxiously for Ghislain’s return, wondering when he would finally show up.

Since his plan to have others ask for money on his behalf had failed, he had no choice but to ask for funds directly.

But it had been a month since the Grand Duke had left to sell the Runestone, and he hadn’t returned.

‘What’s going on? Why isn’t he back? Could he have been robbed by bandits?’

Once that unsettling thought took root, Homerne couldn’t sleep properly.

He had every reason to be worried.

Ghislain was Feridium’s only hope. No, it wasn’t Ghislain—it was the Runestone he had taken that held the future of Feridium.

‘What if he got captured by bandits and was killed? Damn fool! He should’ve taken more soldiers!’

Of course, the truth was that Feridium didn’t even have a hundred soldiers to spare in its current state.

Still, Homerne believed that even a small number of soldiers would have been better than none at all.

‘Even if he dies, we can always extract more Runestones from the mine… But wait, we don’t even have the money to hire workers!’

Though he was worried about Ghislain’s safety, if the man really was dead, Homerne had to consider what to do with the remaining Runestones.

At least Ghislain had cleared the way to the resource site, so they should be able to find it easily.

‘Ah, this is driving me crazy! Not knowing whether he’s alive or dead… What should I do?’

The entire castle had become restless with talk of the Grand Duke. Everyone was concerned.

The Count of Feridium, who had been staying in the northern fortress, would need to return soon, but without Ghislain’s return, he too couldn’t leave.

Since Ghislain had left without telling anyone his destination, it was impossible to know where he was.

‘I can’t wait any longer. I need to go find him.’

After waiting two more days, Homerne finally received permission from Zvalter to assemble a small search party. It consisted of one knight and about a dozen soldiers—a modest group.

They couldn’t afford a larger party, but since Ghislain had taken a substantial force with him, it shouldn’t be too difficult to trace his whereabouts.

As they were about to leave the castle, a cloud of dust appeared on the horizon, signaling the arrival of a group.

“What is that?”

“Is it an attack? There’s been no word of any threat!”

“Close the gates! Shut them now!”

A large armed force, numbering in the hundreds, was approaching, but they carried no banner to reveal their identity.

Terrified, the guards scrambled to close the gates and assess the situation.

“Wait, isn’t that…?”

One of the knights recognized the rider at the front of the group, and his eyes widened in surprise.

It was the Grand Duke.

“It’s the Grand Duke! He’s returned!”

“Then who are those soldiers behind him?”

“Are they mercenaries? But their equipment is far too good for that.”

Upon hearing that Ghislain had returned, Homerne rushed to the castle gates, wide-eyed at the sight of the force behind him.

“What the… What is this?”

Ghislain reined in his horse and laughed heartily. “Have you come to greet me, governor?”

“Uh, no… Grand Duke, what is the meaning of this? Where did all these soldiers come from?”

“They’re the ones I’ve hired to clear the Forest of Beasts and defend the territory.”

“H-hired? Mercenaries?”

“Yes.”

Homerne, bewildered, scanned the mercenaries from head to toe.

Though their weapons varied, their armor and horses were nearly identical, all shining like they were brand new.

Suppressing a sense of foreboding, Homerne asked, “Clearing the forest is one thing, but… defending the territory? What do you mean by that?”

“Now that we’ve discovered the Runestone resource site, other lords will surely come to invade. We need to be prepared.”

Homerne pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘This fool! Does he think war is some children’s game?’

Though a territorial war over the Runestones was likely inevitable, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

“Mercenaries can be hired once the war actually begins! How soon do you think other lords will attack over a newly found resource? At least a year or two needs to pass before that happens!”

Despite Homerne’s impassioned speech, Ghislain merely shrugged, his expression indifferent.

Homerne was wrong.

Once war broke out, it would be too late to hire mercenaries, as no one would take Feridium’s side. They’d be on their own.

But who would believe him if he said that now?

Better to be thought mad than to be unprepared.

“Anyway, I’ve already hired them, so we’ll make use of them to clear the Forest of Beasts if no war breaks out.”

“Ugh… Fine. But what about the money? How much is left from the sale of the Runestone?”

“It’s all spent.”

“What?”

“I used it all to hire mercenaries and secure supplies. There’s nothing left.”

“Not a single coin?”

“Not a single coin.”

“…..”

“…..”

For a moment, the two men stood in silence.

Tears welled up in Homerne’s eyes as he clutched his forehead, staggering.