Chapter 56

Chapter 56: If You Don’t Like It, Then Forget It. (3)

The Tower Master and the five elders hurriedly came down to meet Ghislain. Normally, they would have been too proud to move an inch, but the situation was urgent.

However, when Hubert finally descended to the lobby, he approached Ghislain leisurely without showing any sign of haste.

Even in this situation, he wanted to maintain the last shred of his dignity.

With his head held high, the Tower Master spoke to Ghislain.

“Are you the one who came to sell the Runestone? I am Hubert, the Tower Master of the Crimson Flame Tower. A 6th-circle mage.”

In any country, a 6th-circle mage was treated as a high-ranking noble, equivalent to a count or higher.

Moreover, being the Tower Master of the Crimson Flame Tower, his prestige was not something to be taken lightly.

Ghislain accepted his condescension without resistance.

“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Ghislain Ferdium. I am here to sell the Runestone.”

“Hmm, I see. Well then...”

As Hubert continued speaking, he scanned Ghislain’s companions but stopped mid-sentence, his mouth closing involuntarily.

‘...What is this? Are they bandits? Are they here to scam us?’

Hubert was aware that there was a poor estate in the north called Ferdium.

However, no matter how impoverished the estate, Ghislain’s group didn’t resemble a noble entourage at all.

They looked more like a gang of rough, vicious thugs than anything else.

‘Is he really a noble? Who the hell are these people?’

In particular, the tall, red-haired man stood with his head tilted, staring at Hubert with an arrogant expression.

‘...Is he looking for a fight?’

Having never experienced such blatant provocation in his life, Hubert was flustered and turned his head away.

The man with graying hair, who appeared somewhat older, at least looked decent, but the rest of the group dressed and behaved in an utterly vulgar manner.

It was the first time in the history of the Crimson Flame Tower that such uncouth individuals had been allowed inside.

Hubert examined Ghislain again. At least his face was clean, and he seemed intelligent, making him the most presentable of the group.

But it was hard to believe he was the Young Lord of an estate, given his shabby attire and the fact that he associated with such crude people.

Hubert whispered discreetly to the elder next to him.

“Is there a newly formed bandit group around here?”

“Hmm... There shouldn’t be any around here.”

“Right? Didn’t we wipe them all out?”

“Yes, we took care of them all.”

The Tower Master furrowed his brow slightly.

‘Then where the hell did these people come from...? Are they really from Ferdium?’

Hubert, his expression uneasy, continued speaking.

“Hmph, you say you are the Young Lord of Ferdium? But your companions... Do soldiers in Ferdium dress like this? Is this the local fashion?”

“No. These are mercenaries who travel with me.”

“Ah... So they’re mercenaries, not bandits?”

Only then did Hubert nod in understanding.

It wasn’t uncommon for lords from impoverished estates to temporarily hire mercenaries when they traveled, especially when they lacked soldiers.

“Well, in any case, it was wise of you to come here instead of the Scarlet Tower.”

Though outwardly courteous, Hubert suppressed his irritation.

In the past, as the Tower Master, he wouldn’t have personally handled such a transaction, nor would he have even shown his face.

Since it would lower his dignity to haggle with a mere merchant as the most prominent Tower Master in the North, he thought to himself:

‘I’ll make sure I’m well compensated for stepping in personally.’

With a smug expression, the Tower Master spoke.

“First... let me check how much you’ve brought.”

He glanced over the pile of Runestones on the cart, then muttered as if it was nothing special.

“It’s not as much as I thought. I came because I heard it was a massive amount. What a waste of time.”

In reality, the quantity was enough to make his heart race.

After seeing Hubert, the elders, on the verge of celebrating, quickly masked their expressions with a serious demeanor.

“Ahem, yes, it’s really not as much as expected. The quality doesn’t look particularly impressive either...”

“Still, since they’ve come all this way, wouldn’t it be polite to buy everything?”

“Let’s do that. After all, where else would a young fellow like him sell all this? Hmm.”

“Of course. Otherwise, he’d probably get swindled somewhere else. The world is a dangerous place, hohoho.”

The mercenaries couldn’t help but smirk at the back-and-forth exchange between the elders.

Kaor turned his head and muttered quietly.

“They’re terrible actors.”

Their anger simmered, but they knew that engaging in a verbal spat with such lowly individuals wouldn’t do them any good.

“Alright, let’s cut the pointless chatter and get to the point. How much are you thinking of selling them for? Just so you know, I really hate being overcharged. That’s disrespecting me, don’t you think? You must have heard how terrifying I am.”

Hubert spoke threateningly, trying to intimidate Ghislain right from the start.

He was determined to buy every last Runestone Ghislain had brought, no matter what.

If they failed to secure Runestones, they would never be able to surpass the Scarlet Tower.

‘I have to secure them all. There’s no way I’ll let even a single Runestone fall into the hands of the Scarlet Tower.’

With that many Runestones, they could profit by selling magic tools.

More importantly, they could elevate not only his own skills but also the skills of every mage in the tower.

‘Those Runestones are all ours.’

Hubert’s mind was consumed with the thought of acquiring the Runestones.

Seeing the greedy looks in the mages’ eyes, Ghislain smirked.

“I’ll need double the market price.”

“What?”

The Tower Master’s face twisted. He had just mentioned that he hated being overcharged, yet Ghislain boldly inflated the price.

“You’re a young noble who knows far too little about the world. Didn’t I just say that I hate being overcharged? Are you mocking me?”

As Hubert growled, the other elders grew furious as well.

“How dare you. Do you know where you are?”

“Is that wretched Ferdium estate trying to insult the Crimson Flame Tower?”

Despite the mages’ scowls, Ghislain remained unbothered, responding calmly.

“Two and a half times.”

The mages were momentarily dumbfounded, staring at Ghislain before erupting in anger.

“You scoundrel! Do you think such a cheap trick will work on us?”

“How dare you make such an outrageous demand...!”

“Do you really want to see this through to the end?”

The mages gritted their teeth, raising their hands in preparation for a spell. But Ghislain, glancing at them briefly, spoke again.

“Three times.”

“......”

At that point, the mages all fell silent. They somehow felt that Ghislain would raise the price even further if they spoke again.

The Tower Master and the elders stared at Ghislain with fierce eyes, unable to say anything for a long time.

Ghislain’s three companions were equally bewildered.

No matter how valuable Runestones were, who in their right mind would buy them for three times the market price?

If they were going to spend that much, they could simply go to a merchant guild and purchase them there.

After traveling for days to sell the goods here, it was perplexing why Ghislain acted as if he had no intention of selling.

Belinda looked at Ghislain with concern in her eyes.

‘Is this one of the Young Lord’s bad habits again? Maybe he’s annoyed because the mages are too arrogant.’

She glanced at Gillian and Kaor, standing beside her. Neither of them seemed inclined to intervene.

Gillian stood like a stoic figure, ready to follow his master’s will, while Kaor was chuckling, seemingly entertained by the whole situation.

Belinda grumbled inwardly.

‘Honestly, I’m the only one who really cares about the Young Lord!’

Whether he noticed Belinda’s concern or not, Ghislain waited for a moment before silently standing up.

Hubert’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden movement.

“Why are you getting up...?”

“It seems you have no intention of making a deal. I should head to the Scarlet Tower. I’ve heard they’ve been doing well lately and are offering good prices for Runestones.”

With that, Ghislain turned and began striding towards the door.

Hubert’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly grabbed Ghislain’s arm.

“Wait! Young man, why are you in such a rush? I said I don’t like being overcharged, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay a higher price!”

The Tower Master quickly stepped in front of the door, blocking Ghislain’s path.

Ghislain narrowed his eyes, observing him before nodding leisurely.

“Well, if that’s the case, shall we continue our discussion?”

With grace, Ghislain returned to his seat.

Hubert’s expression grew increasingly sullen, and the elders beside him fidgeted anxiously, unsure of what to do.

Belinda, who was unaware of the Crimson Flame Tower’s precarious situation, couldn’t understand why they were so desperate to follow Ghislain’s lead.

‘Why are they going along with everything the Young Lord says? Have all these old men gone senile?’

Ghislain’s calm and confident voice echoed through the room.

“So, will you buy everything for three times the price?”