Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Slurp.
"This is Myeongjeong tea. A herbal blend to clear the mind—a specialty of our Magic Tower. Please, have a taste."
Redios extended a teacup while carefully observing the expression of his unexpected guest—no, his golden goose—who had visited the tower after a long time.
'At least he's young. If I can just coax him properly...'
Currently—or more accurately, this month—the tower's finances were in such dire straits that even the Tower Master himself had to personally grovel for a mere 1.5 million gold.
The highest-value products the tower produced were undoubtedly artifacts.
But artifacts, which started at a minimum price of 10 million gold, were lucky to sell even a few per year due to their scarcity of buyers.
Consequently, the main revenue stream came from the relatively cheaper (?) scrolls. In that regard, the Earth Magic Tower, which he presided over, was at a slight disadvantage.
Outside of wartime, earth magic found its utility mostly in farmland development, agriculture, or large-scale civil engineering projects.
But few nobles were willing to spend expensive scrolls on such "menial" tasks.
'They can just mobilize their territory's peasants for that.'
Thus, the Earth Magic Tower was perpetually strapped for funds.
Contrary to rumors, the tower's decline had nothing to do with his tenure as Tower Master.
It was only natural for the Tower Master to divert some of the tower's budget for his own research. The gossip that this undermined the tower's overall competitiveness was nothing but baseless nonsense.
Of course, the fact that this month's budget was stretched thin was partly due to his excessive withdrawals—but in return, he had discovered a clue that could lead him to transcendence. That was hardly a bad thing.
'If I prosper, the tower prospers. Exactly, that's how it should be.'
"Hmm. A tea worthy of the Tower Master's pride. The aroma is excellent."
"Haha. You have a discerning eye. But you said you wanted to purchase 150 Collapse Scrolls?"
Redios blurted out the words and immediately regretted it.
Lost in his thoughts for a moment, he had carelessly jumped to the main topic after receiving an unexpected compliment—uncharacteristically impatient for a noble. It was a clear misstep.
"Yes, that's correct."
Fortunately, this generous golden goose showed no particular reaction.
In that case, perhaps it wasn't too late to test the waters.
"Hahaha. It's been a while since we've had such a large transaction—I'm a bit excited. But there's actually a slight issue."
"An issue, you say?"
"As you may know, 4th-Circle scrolls require the guidance of at least a 5th-Circle mage to produce. And such high-level personnel are scarce even in our tower."
Redios casually laid the groundwork while gauging the other's reaction.
"...And?"
The guest's eyes darkened, and the atmosphere instantly turned frosty.
This was not the reaction he had anticipated from his golden goose.
'Still, I should probe a bit further.'
Gulp.
Redios swallowed nervously before cautiously continuing.
"As you're aware, scrolls are expensive to produce, so we can't keep them in stock beforehand..."
"So what you're saying is—you can't sell me the quantity I want?"
But before Redios could finish, the guest's voice had already turned icy.
"N-No! Of course not! I merely meant that fulfilling an order of 150 scrolls might take some time... Haha. Ahem."
Redios flinched and hurriedly backtracked.
"Then I suppose there's no choice. I was planning to purchase 150 scrolls monthly, but if even that is difficult... I'll just take my business to the Royal Magic Tower—"
"W-Wait! My lord!"
"Hmm?"
"M-Monthly, you said?"
Redios wondered if he had misheard.
"Yes. 150 scrolls per month, for six months—totaling 900 scrolls."
But it was neither an auditory hallucination nor a misunderstanding.
"Ugh..."
His hand shot up involuntarily, and he nearly let out a cheer—
"...Ahem."
"What are you...?"
"My apologies. I was just stretching—I'm a bit tired."
With the acting skills honed over decades, he barely managed to salvage the situation.
He believed he had perfectly controlled his expression.
"Well, if even 150 scrolls would be delayed, then fulfilling the same quantity monthly for six months would be outright impossible. Thank you for the tea."
But the footsteps of this god of wealth showed no sign of stopping.
The sound of those steps echoed like thunder in his ears, leaving Redios with only one choice.
"Not at all! It's possible! No—it must be done!"
"Huh?"
"What I meant earlier was... well, unless I personally intervene, that's the case. Yes, exactly."
"You're saying it's possible?"
"Absolutely! Hahaha. 150 scrolls per month. 1.5 million per month. Six months—9 million. Hehe. I see. A splendid sum."
Redios lifted his teacup to hide his expression, unaware of the words spilling from his own mouth.
"Ah—hot!"
His trembling hands betrayed even the barest pretense of composure.
"Are you alright, Mage?"
"Cough. Yes! Yes! I'm fine. M-My apologies. Please, wait just a moment!"
Dignity was the least of his concerns now.
If this deal went through, he could silence the elders' criticisms about his excessive research expenses in one fell swoop.
With that hope fueling him, Redios bolted out the door like an arrow.
"150 4th-Circle scrolls per month? We'd have to mobilize the other elders for production. Do you think they'll comply willingly?"
"We have to! Not just for one month—six months! 9 million gold! Even a third of that would be enough to resume my halted research!"
"To persuade the elders, you'll need to share at least some of the profits."
"That's unavoidable. Compromise where necessary—or squeeze the underlings dry if you must! This is the first clue to transcendence I've found in twenty years!"
"But our other contracts—"
"No 'buts'! Cancel all other commissions! Pay the penalties! It's not like we have any major deals right now!"
"Ahem. Understood. But—"
"And if we play our cards right, we might even rope in those—"
"Huh? Ah..."
The final words were too muffled to hear, but Logan had already learned enough.
'Ah, so that's why a Tower Master is acting like this...'
Thanks to his Force-enhanced hearing, he had unintentionally eavesdropped and grasped their predicament.
Creak.
Shortly after, the door opened again, and Redios returned with a stern-looking middle-aged man.
"Ahaha. Young master, this is Romerun, an elder of our tower. He oversees scroll production."
"Romerun."
Compared to Tower Master Redios, Elder Romerun's slight bow carried far more gravitas.
'4th-Circle?'
However, Romerun's visible magical proficiency was somewhat puzzling.
"An... elder, you say?"
"That's correct."
Even in the magic-scarce Grandia Kingdom, Romerun's level and age seemed insufficient for the title of elder.
'Well, not my concern.'
Rumors of the Earth Magic Tower's decline had circulated ever since this sleazy-looking Tower Master took office over a decade ago—hardly surprising.
'I just need to buy what I came for.'
Fortunately, judging by their conversation, that was entirely possible.
But then the Tower Master made an unexpected proposal.
"What if, instead of scrolls, you hired mages directly?"
"Huh?"
Even Logan couldn't help but be taken aback.
Mages were notoriously prideful and arrogant, often deemed impossible to deal with.
Especially for something as "lowly" as a construction site—such work was mocked even among mages.
Thus, Logan hadn't even considered direct hiring.
'Is this place different? Unlikely.'
Though his common sense was being upended, the answer was clear.
'Of course I'll take it!'
Why were disposable scrolls so expensive?
Production costs played a role, but the bigger reason was that most lofty mages refused to dirty their hands with manual labor, preferring to hole up in their research labs.
If he could hire a 4th-Circle mage, he'd get the effect of not 150 scrolls—but 300.
And at a much lower cost.
"You have 4th-Circle mages willing to travel to a rural construction site?"
He couldn't hide the eagerness in his voice, but given the circumstances, there was no need for self-reproach.
However—
"Ah, haha. There seems to be a slight misunderstanding. My apologies."
"Huh?"
"I can't just order around 4th-Circle mages. They're the tower's most valuable assets."
"Tch..."
Logan was disappointed, though it was only natural.
Anywhere in the world, 4th-Circle mages—classified as high-level spellcasters—were a tower's core strength.
Forcing them into undesirable work risked losing them to rival institutions—a loss only the tower would suffer.
"Then why bring it up...?"
"Only because I wondered if I could offer you a better alternative."
Now, the Tower Master seemed less like a mage and more like a merchant.
"What if we reduce the number of scrolls and instead dispatch some 2nd or 3rd-Circle disciples?"
Logan nearly laughed aloud at the so-called "better alternative."
In essence, they'd send a few low-level mages for appearances while pocketing the full payment.
"My apologies, but—"
"Ten!"
Before Logan could outright refuse, the Tower Master cut in faster.
"...Huh?"
"Nine 2nd-Circle mages and one 3rd-Circle mage. They're a team accustomed to working together at various construction sites. I'll assign them to you."
Logan couldn't help but be tempted.
Under those terms, it might be far better than hiring a single 4th-Circle mage—especially for a long-term construction project rather than a battlefield.
Moreover, the idea of mages specializing in construction was something he'd never imagined.
"Hmm. If I can hire mages at a lower cost, I'm all for it. The reason I came here was to expedite the construction, after all."
Seeing Logan's positive response, Redios seized the opportunity.
"Then how about 120 scrolls, plus these mages for the duration of the project?"
"120 scrolls?"
Effectively trading 30 scrolls for ten mages.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn't a bad deal.
"Well, that sounds acceptable."
The moment Logan nodded, the Tower Master and elder broke into broad grins.
Both sides believed they had struck the perfect deal.
"Now, regarding such a large, long-term transaction—could you offer a discount? How much would be possible?"
But at Logan's next words, Redios's expression twisted again.
The Tower Master had revealed his hand too soon.
'How will he respond?'
Logan smiled inwardly as he waited for the reaction.
They must have guessed that his visit was related to groundwork construction.
Even with the Royal Magic Tower's Class Magic and Wizard School handling multiple attributes, they couldn't surpass the Earth Magic Tower in groundwork projects.
In this field, they held an unrivaled position.
Moreover, mages pathologically despised the idea of "discounts" being applied to their high-class magical wares—it offended their pride.
But Logan was certain this proposal would work.
Not just because of their earlier conversation, but—
"Hehe. You must be in quite a hurry, no?"
"Not particularly. I just want to finish the construction quickly. Money isn't an issue."
"Ahaha. How generous. Though you could always just mobilize your peasants."
This was the prevailing mindset among most nobles in the Grandia Kingdom at this time.
Investing heavily in territory development was only for emergencies.
Otherwise, the foolish belief that peasants could be exploited for "cheap" labor was rampant in noble society.
'No wonder the Empire crushed us so easily.'
—The purpose of all imperial decrees is "for the people." That is, for the sake of the populace. Serving the people is serving the nation.
—Prosperity for the people is the foundation of national strength.
These words would later head the Ares Empire's legal code, proclaimed by the Emperor.
Even Logan in his past life had been stunned upon hearing them—it was a concept he'd never considered before.
What did it matter if the peasants—mere property of the nobility—spoke well of their lords?
'That's what I used to think.'
But that notion vanished the moment he experienced the Imperial War.
When the knight orders or mage corps—the backbone of the army—collapsed, the soldiers of the Grandia Kingdom fled in droves.
In contrast, Imperial soldiers would charge forward even after their main forces were defeated, desperate to hinder the enemy's advance.
That difference in mindset consistently yielded results far beyond mere disparities in military strength.
And it was only after everything was over that he realized this stemmed from how rulers treated their people.
Most other nobles likely came to the same realization.
'A prosperous people make a strong nation.'
A simple truth he only understood after the kingdom's fall.
Thus, for now, he had to play along with their perspective.
"If the price doesn't meet my expectations, I'll just take my time and mobilize peasants."
In truth, Logan had no intention of forcing unpaid labor on his people—but no one else needed to know that.
"Hehe. I see. Of course, a 'discount' from the Magic Tower... Hehehe."
Only bewildered muttering and hollow laughter followed.
Seeing their hesitation, Logan decided to apply a bit more pressure.
"Not interested? Then I'll just go to the Royal Magic Tower—"
"N-No! Wait...!"
He hadn't even moved, but Redios looked ready to grab his sleeve and beg.
His tongue flicked nervously over his lips, making his already sleazy face even more unsightly.
And Logan's silent cheer only added fuel to the fire.
'You said you found a clue to transcendence, didn't you? You can't give up now.'
The threshold where high knights became aura users.
The boundary where 5th-Circle mages ascended to 6th-Circle archmages.
For most, this barrier—known as the "Wall of Demons"—was an insurmountable divide separating the transcendent from the ordinary.
And those who most desperately wished to cross it weren't those still far away—but those who had just begun to glimpse what lay beyond.
"Hehe. The scrolls are priced according to regulations... Ahem. I suppose there's no choice."
In the end, the Tower Master surrendered to greed and swallowed his pride.