54th Chapter: If You Don’t Like It, Just Say So. (1)
At the southern edge of the Brivant Territory, the mercenaries gaped at the massive tower soaring majestically in the middle of the flamboyant city.
“Wow… So this is the Tower of the Bloody Flame…”
“This is my first time here too.”
“It looks even more splendid than Raybold, doesn’t it?”
“They say the Tower of Crimson is the best, but this one is no slouch in appearance!”
No matter how overshadowed by the Tower of Crimson, a Mage Tower was still a Mage Tower.
Surrounding the gigantic and ornate tower were numerous shops.
As stores catering to magicians started popping up one by one, the whole area transformed into a city.
The security system established ostensibly to protect the Tower of the Bloody Flame also safeguarded the surroundings and the Brivant Territory.
The development of Brivant Territory was greatly attributed to the presence of the Mage Tower.
The Count of Brivant even had to keep an eye on the Mage Tower Lord, indicating just how intimidating their power was.
Ghislaine looked around with a relaxed demeanor, yet couldn’t help but admire inwardly.
“Impressive.”
The city’s exterior was marvelous, but even more surprising was the response of the people.
Despite the presence of fierce mercenaries milling about, they didn’t seem particularly afraid. They didn’t feel threatened at all.
That alone spoke volumes about the state of public order here. The consciousness of the people was elevated.
Although Ghislaine had visited cities with Mage Towers during his time as the Mercenary King, he had yet to see one as developed as Brivant.
“The public order and city layout are excellent, but… the cleanliness of the streets and people is remarkably high. Did the Mage Tower do something?”
Typically, magicians are absorbed in their studies and seldom do anything beneficial for others.
Though the areas around Mage Towers develop faster than others, it’s generally a result of trading with magicians.
However, the surroundings of the Tower of the Bloody Flame were much cleaner and more advanced than those near other Mage Towers.
“It might be true that the Tower Lord has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies, as the rumors suggest.”
It couldn’t be discounted that the Tower Lord had a personality that couldn’t tolerate dirt or maybe got swept away in lordly play and thus improved the surroundings.
In any case, for Ghislaine, who aimed to develop the territory, this city had a lot to learn from.
“Wow, it seems like people here are living really well.”
“All the houses look like mansions owned by nobles, don’t they?”
“Look at the roads! They seriously designed this city with intention.”
The people of Brivant were dressed in luxurious clothes and exuded delightful fragrances as if they were all nobles.
They passed by, glancing curiously at the mercenaries walking around.
Usually, the mercenaries would strut confidently down the streets, but for some reason, they felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere and shuffled along.
“Damn, we look just like country bumpkins!”
The mercenaries grumbled while busy looking around.
The polished and clean city was unlike anything they had ever seen, even in Raybold, which was considered one of the wealthy territories in the North.
While they were gawking, the mercenaries overheard whispers from the crowd.
“Are those mercenaries from the North? Look at their clothes. They scream ‘country folk!’”
“Do they smell funny to you?”
“We’re the clean ones; everyone else lives like that. Poor things. Tsk tsk.”
“What could mercenaries be doing all the way out here?”
The mercenaries felt their cheeks flush with embarrassment.
Normally, they would have scowled and created a ruckus, but now, the splendid scenery of the city and the stylish appearance of the people had them so intimidated that they couldn’t even think of retorting.
But of course, there’s always a hot-headed mercenary.
“Hey, damn it! It’s so noisy! Want to die?”
Several members of the Cerberus Mercenary Group started to pull out their weapons, trying to intimidate the onlookers.
The people who had gathered and were chatting quickly stepped back in surprise. However, even while dodging, they didn’t seem particularly afraid.
“Oh dear, what a sight. Why are they so angry?”
“They just haven’t been taught better; it’s a shame. Tsk tsk tsk.”
“Where do they think they are, causing such a scene?”
“If we watch this twice, someone might get murdered.”
One of the Cerberus mercenaries gritted his teeth at the crowd’s reaction and was about to charge out.
But Ghislaine firmly stopped him.
“That’s enough. Don’t pay attention to those comments; just move quietly.”
“No! Captain! They’re insulting us!”
“We are country folk, after all. Just let them gawk.”
Ghislaine said with a chuckle. Kaor glared from behind, as if to say, behave yourself.
The mercenaries scrunched their faces in frustration.
People seemed to falter or keep their distance whenever they looked at them. Yet here, they were merely treated as a joke, boiling their insides.
They wanted to knock someone out, but with Ghislaine and Kaor holding them back, they couldn’t make a move.
The group walked towards the Mage Tower, heads hanging low.
They didn’t feel great about becoming an unexpected spectacle for others.
However, as they got closer to the tower, the mercenaries began to gape in admiration once again.
It was obvious they were overwhelmed by the tower’s immense size, which was hard to take in at a glance.
‘Simple-minded, as always.’
Ghislaine shook her head in disbelief as she followed behind the mercenaries.
Meanwhile, the gatekeeper guarding the entrance to the Mage Tower squinted as he spotted Ghislaine’s group approaching from a distance.
‘A group tour, huh? Tsk tsk, they don’t look like they can afford a trip.’
The reasoning for thinking of a tour group was simple. Nobles often visited this city to meet mages or to sightsee the tower.
The large number of people also added to this impression.
When that many people were wandering around together, it typically meant one of two things: a group of nobles on a tour, or a merchant group selling goods.
However, as the group got closer, the gatekeeper’s expression became increasingly grim.
He went.
Ghislaine’s party looked far too shabby to be tourists, and their expressions weren’t exactly inviting either.
If they were nobles or from a large merchant group, it would be expected to greet them with smiles, but there was no need to manage their expressions for those ruffians.
Although he was just a gatekeeper, he was, after all, the face representing the Mage Tower.
If he treated them too kindly and ended up looking foolish to a bunch of beggars, it would tarnish the Mage Tower’s authority.
He may be an inconsequential commoner, but the enormous background of the Mage Tower gave him a certain swagger.
‘Still, I work at the Mage Tower; I’m not just any ordinary person. Ahem.’
They say it’s better to be a noble’s dog than to be born a dog. The gatekeeper fit that description perfectly.
As Ghislaine and the mercenaries approached close enough to be recognizable, he also noticed the carts they were dragging behind.
Only then did the gatekeeper realize the purpose of Ghislaine’s visit.
‘Seeing how much they’re loaded, it looks like they didn’t come for sightseeing but to sell something.’
Sometimes, mercenaries or adventurers would come to the Mage Tower to sell rare items they had found.
It was rare for them to come in groups like Ghislaine’s, but it wasn’t unheard of.
If they were mercenaries or adventurers, their shabby attire made sense.
‘Hmm, with so many carts, it doesn’t seem like it’s anything rare or valuable. From the outline covered in cloth, it doesn’t look like timber… looks like byproducts from monsters or beasts.’
Having deduced that much, the gatekeeper clicked his tongue.
Though the Tower of the Bloody Flame had been pushed down to second place now, it used to be ranked first until recently.
That meant they made a lot of money and that the mages had quite the discerning eye for items.
In short, it was lavish.
Because of that, they ended up getting surpassed by other towers, but they still had the old habits of only buying the highest quality materials, such as monster or beast hides.
Naturally, there was a separate merchant group that exclusively supplied such goods.
If it was something the mercenaries had brought, it probably had many flaws and wasn’t of very good quality. If it was a rare item, that would be a different story, but there was no reason to buy common materials from mercenaries.
‘It’s better to send them away.’
The gatekeeper firmly decided in his mind and waited for Ghislaine’s party to approach.
As Ghislaine arrived at the entrance of the Mage Tower, he dismounted from his horse. When he stepped forward, Belinda gasped and grabbed him.
“Where do you think you’re going? Let Uncle Gillian handle it!”
Ghislaine turned around with a sulky expression.
“Do I really have to? I ended up stepping in at Raybold’s too.”
“That was then! You can’t just jump in at the start.”
Belinda clung tightly to Ghislaine while giving Gillian a pointed look. Gillian silently walked over to the gatekeeper.
“This is the Grand Duke of Perdium…”
The gatekeeper interrupted Gillian’s words with a nonchalant expression.
“Not buying.”
“…What?”
“I said I’m not buying what you brought.”
The gatekeeper wore an arrogant expression.
It wasn’t the kind of treatment one would expect to give to nobles. But, seeing Ghislaine’s party as a bunch of mercenaries, it was a natural reaction.
Ghislaine crossed his arms in the back and sighed inwardly.
With their scruffy appearance, everyone they came across tended to look down on them.
Back in his days as the Mercenary King, he could have wandered around dressed like this with even his followers in bizarre outfits, and no one would dare to look down on him.
I couldn’t ignore the martial arts.
Just hanging a single flag symbolizing the King of Mercenaries made everyone either bow their heads or run away.
But now, with the name Perdium hardly known, I had no choice but to be judged by my appearance alone.
‘Well… when I get some money, I should dress up a bit.’
I didn’t blame the gatekeeper.
It was natural to judge a stranger based on their appearance. Back when I was the King of Mercenaries, they recognized me because of the flag.
I understood that… but I had no intention of wasting time idling at the door.
In the end, Ghislaine stepped forward.
“I don’t want to bicker with the gatekeeper. Bring the transaction officer of the Mage Tower. No, I need to meet the Tower Master.”
The gatekeeper looked utterly astonished.
“I-I’m telling you, we don’t buy just anything at the Tower of the Bloody Flame. And you want to meet the Tower Master? Even Lords can’t just walk in on the Tower Master.”
Gillian, unable to endure the gatekeeper’s rude words, growled.
“Who do you think you are, gatekeeper? You must think you have two lives or something? Bring him here this instant!”
The gatekeeper flinched a bit, stepping back at that momentum.
He was surprised because no one had ever treated him so harshly since he took up the position.
But he soon shook his head, regaining his composure.
‘Don’t be scared! I’m the face of the Tower!’
He had enough confidence that even just a couple of mages from the Tower could sweep away these beggars.
“D-Do you even know where you are?! How dare you cause a ruckus! Can’t you just back off already?!”
Seeing the gatekeeper struggling, Ghislaine sighed.
‘At this rate, we won’t get in today.’
He silently gestured to Kaor.
Kaor looked around, deftly pulled a piece of Runestone from the wagon, and approached Ghislaine.
He was careful because if it became known that there were several wagons full of Runestones, the area would surely become chaotic.
‘Still, he’s the captain, huh? At least he has some sense.’
Ghislaine felt a bit pleased and presented the Runestone in front of the gatekeeper.
“You work at the Tower, so you must know what this is, right? I’ve come to sell this.”
The gatekeeper stared at the piece of stone Ghislaine offered, examining it closely.
The crystal shard emitted a soft glow, captivating him.
He frowned in confusion at first, but then his eyes widened in realization. He recognized the Runestone.
As the gatekeeper stood frozen, Ghislaine couldn’t help but grin mischievously and spoke again.
“You’re really not going to buy it? Seriously? Can I just leave?”
Only then did the gatekeeper snap out of it, as if splashed with cold water.
The mages had been in a very irritable mood lately, especially with the recent influx of customers at the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
If it got out that he turned away a guest with such a significant amount of Runestones, he was sure to lose his head, not just his position.
The gatekeeper waved his hands in panic.
“W-Wait! Please, just come in! I beg you!”
There was no guarantee that all the cargo in the wagon was Runestones, but at that moment, he couldn’t afford to think about such things.
As the warmly welcoming gatekeeper passed by, Ghislaine gave him a few light pats on the shoulder.
“I’ll definitely tell the Tower Master that the gatekeeper is doing a great job here.”
