Chapter 158: Two-Way Street (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Two-Way Street (1)
Felix closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.
Even after reviewing the budget proposal several times, he couldn't hide his sheer bewilderment.
"...They're really providing this much support?"
"I couldn't believe my eyes at first either," his subordinate replied. "The amount so far exceeded our initial expectations that I actually went to the official in charge to double-check. But they said there was no mistake. In fact, they told us that if we ever find the magic tower's operating costs insufficient, we just need to draft a new proposal and submit a request."
Felix's eyelids trembled.
Written on the document before him...
A monthly budget of 2,000 gold. That amounted to 24,000 gold a year.
It was an astronomical sum.
According to the document, they were offering a monthly stipend large enough to sustain eight thousand people for an entire year. It was such an unrealistic figure that he couldn't readily accept it. People often called mages "money-eating monsters." Unlike aura swordsmen, who grew through physical training, mages required vast quantities of expensive resources like grimoires and mana stones to ascend to higher circles. It was common knowledge that training a single 3rd Circle mage required at least 5,000 gold.
Simply put, as a mage's circle rose, the required funds increased exponentially.
This was why magic towers, despite being neutral forces, maintained friendly relations with specific nations. They received basic operating funds from state-level powers, and in return, they lent their strength in times of emergency. Historically, noble families had also tried to take in magic towers. However, no matter how wealthy a family was, the monthly operating costs were too staggering to ignore. A simple friendly relationship didn't yield enough profit to justify the massive investment.
Ultimately, they severed ties with the magic towers one after another.
Thus, magic towers became a measure of national power. The Kronos Empire proved its immense strength simply by maintaining seven of them.
'I was prepared for a budget cut, to some extent.'
When they left the Frank Kingdom, he hadn't expected much financial support from Dmitry.
Although Dmitry was called the tycoon of Cairo, providing thousands of gold in monthly operating costs was a completely different matter. All the Phoenix Magic Tower wanted was a place that would accept their fire. Felix believed Dmitry had already done its best simply by offering them a home, and he had been fully prepared to endure a poor financial situation for a while. In truth, because the Phoenix Magic Tower had few members, their upkeep only cost a few thousand gold. Large-scale magic towers burned through over ten thousand gold a month.
Yet, Roman Dmitry had offered them a monthly budget of 2,000 gold.
His plans to desperately sell magic items to make ends meet were pleasantly shattered by this single budget proposal.
'Roman Dmitry. He didn't accept us on a whim. He must have judged that he could fully afford it, bringing the Phoenix Magic Tower into Dmitry only after careful consideration. With 2,000 gold a month, we can easily run the magic tower without any issues.'
Felix, however, didn't know the truth.
Ever since Dmitry's iron mine reform, Dmitry had been sweeping up all the money in Cairo.
Unofficially hailed as the greatest tycoon in the kingdom, the wealth they amassed was far beyond the scale of a mere barony. Furthermore, they had recently formed an alliance with Marquis Valentino. The Marquis was not a man of empty words. To keep his promise that 'the more money there is, the better,' he sent an astronomical sum to Dmitry every single month.
Two thousand gold a month?
It was pocket change.
Dmitry was rapidly expanding its scale, completely hidden from the eyes of the world.
And...
"Tower Master. You should come see this."
Dmitry's support was not limited to money.
* * *
Before them lay a vast plot of land.
Pointing toward it, Chris spoke.
"We plan to begin construction in a week. As you can see from the blueprints, we designed it to accommodate at least a thousand people, keeping in mind that the Phoenix Magic Tower might expand its influence in the future. We've also secured advance space to arrange the essential facilities required for a magic tower. We completed these blueprints after conducting thorough research, but if you find anything lacking, please let us know."
"...This is more than enough. No, it's too much."
Felix looked around at the vast, open land.
Just imagining building the Phoenix Magic Tower's new home here made his emotions swell.
The Frank Kingdom.
In the process of hosting the Phoenix Magic Tower, they had broken many of their initial promises. At first, they had clearly sworn to build a magic tower that rivaled those of the empire, but they constantly nitpicked over the astronomical construction costs. What even a kingdom-scale power could not provide, Dmitry had laid out before them without even being asked.
The blueprints Chris handed over... just a brief glance at them revealed how much meticulous effort had gone into their creation.
"To be honest, I'm a bit dazed," Felix admitted. "Our Lord promised us full support, but I never expected it to be to this extent. Frankly speaking, this is a scale too grand for a noble family to handle. Why on earth is he going this far?"
He was genuinely curious.
A massive budget and the construction of a grand magic tower.
It was perfect.
He had chosen to come to Dmitry without expecting much, but this place felt like a utopia for the Phoenix Magic Tower.
Chris replied, "From what I have observed, there is no special reason behind our Lord's goodwill. Before you, Lord Felix, everyone who swore loyalty to our Lord experienced the exact same thing. I achieved rapid growth as a swordsman with our Lord's help. Kevin's entire family escaped the slums and entered the castle. Everyone who follows our Lord is rewarded far more abundantly than the hardships they endure."
This situation—Roman's subordinates didn't find it strange at all.
Just a few days ago, the mages of the Phoenix Magic Tower had been strangers. But now, they were inside his fence.
Felix was left speechless.
Chris looked at him with a calm expression.
"You will have to get used to it. For the sole reason that one has sworn loyalty, our Lord treasures his people more than anyone else. And from now on, we will live for such a man."
* * *
Meanwhile, Hans had been having a hectic morning since the crack of dawn.
"Just because I am not here, Young Master Roman's routine must not be disrupted in the slightest. Young Master Roman always trains in swordsmanship for about an hour after finishing his morning duties. You must prepare a towel to wipe his sweat and moderately lukewarm water right on time. After guiding him to his lunch, you must organize his afternoon schedule and report it to him. After that..."
Hans's explanations were endless.
His successor, a servant named Murphy, was frantically writing down the instructions with a dazed expression.
In truth, Hans hadn't wanted to take on an assistant, but as Roman's workload increased, he realized he couldn't handle it all on his own. Thus, he had selected a successor with the utmost care. Countless people wished to serve Roman Dmitry, and Murphy had been chosen after beating odds of thousands to one.
A brilliant talent who had even graduated from the Adelian Academy, Murphy was an elite in his own right. However, as was the way of the world, being a mere rookie meant he wasn't proficient from the start.
'Why on earth is there so much work?!'
Hans's daily routine, from morning to night, was entirely dedicated to Roman Dmitry.
Normally, Murphy would have just followed Hans around and observed, but today was the day Hans was taking time off.
Hans's granddaughter, born to his only son Harrison, was celebrating her birthday.
Hans had planned to finish all his duties for Roman before visiting his son, but because Roman had practically forced him to take the day off, he had agreed to leave early. In fact, Roman's initial order was for him to leave the day before. However, Hans had stubbornly refused, insisting he couldn't possibly do that, so he ended up handling his duties until this morning.
Only after grilling Murphy for a long time did Hans finally pack a light bag and set off.
'I hope my pretty granddaughter likes the jointed doll.'
His heart fluttered with excitement.
Harrison lived in Adelian, not Dmitry.
Having graduated from the academy thanks to Hans's support, Harrison had settled in Adelian as soon as he came of age, declaring he would start a business. Ten years had passed since then. Harrison had become the respectable owner of a food supply company. It wasn't a massive enterprise, but his name was well-known in Adelian.
His son's only daughter—his granddaughter—was a priceless treasure.
Hans walked toward the castle gate with light steps, planning to travel quickly in a carriage he had rented in advance.
However...
"We have been waiting for you."
"Lord Hans, please board the carriage."
In front of the castle gate, a scene entirely contrary to his expectations unfolded.
The carriage Hans had rented was supposed to be a cheap one, but a carriage adorned with brilliant ornaments stood before his eyes. Waiting beside it were Dmitry's soldiers. At first, Hans thought it had nothing to do with him, but after looking around and confirming there was no one else, his face filled with bewilderment.
"...Were you waiting to pick me up?"
"Yes. It is Young Master Roman's order."
For the stubborn Hans, who insisted on working until the very last moment, Roman had prepared a small gift.
* * *
Just like Hans, Harrison was also having a hectic day.
'If I finish all the deliveries this morning, I can attend my daughter's party by lunchtime.'
Even on his daughter's birthday, there were no holidays for a self-employed business owner.
Harrison had sorted the food ingredients to be delivered at the crack of dawn, quickly distributing them to his clients alongside his employees. Among them was his most important client.
Arriving at the estate of the Count Adelian family, he called for the manager in a cautious voice.
"I have brought the food supplies."
The manager of Adelian, Butler Jordain, was an incredibly fastidious man. He often pointed out flaws in a grumbling tone, and on days when Harrison brought ingredients of even slightly lower quality, he had to be prepared for a massive uproar. Because of this, Harrison could never hide his nervousness when delivering to the Count Adelian family. If he ever fell out of Jordain's favor, it would be difficult to do business in Adelian, so he always delivered excessively top-quality ingredients, even if it meant taking a slight loss.
Yet, Jordain's reaction today was strange.
"I heard it's your daughter's birthday today? You must be busy, so just leave the goods there and go quickly."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"My good man, I heard you've been working since the crack of dawn just to celebrate your only daughter's birthday. I, Jordain, am not such a heartless person. Just leave the ingredients out front. I will take care of them myself, so go on without worrying about the rest."
Harrison was bewildered.
Jordain was absolutely not the type of person to do this. He couldn't accept it as pure goodwill; rather, he suspected there might be some malicious intent.
'Could he be trying to change suppliers?'
It was highly likely.
If Harrison just left the ingredients and departed, Jordain—despite having told him to go—would surely turn around and hold him responsible for a botched delivery.
"No, it's fine. I will move them right away."
"Hey, man!"
"This is my job. I cannot let you trouble yourself, Lord Jordain."
Harrison blocked out the protests. Calling his employees, he hurriedly began moving the crates of ingredients.
Flustered, Jordain seemed to realize he couldn't stop Harrison and quickly called out to the estate's servants.
"Call all the servants currently working! Help Harrison carry the ingredients right now! The sooner we finish, the sooner our Harrison can return to his daughter's side. Hurry up and help!"
It was truly bizarre.
There was no ill intent in Jordain's words or actions. It was pure goodwill. Thanks to the help of Adelian's servants, Harrison was able to finish his work early.
'...What on earth is going on?'
Even as he wrapped up his work, Harrison couldn't shake off his uneasy feeling. Jordain was not someone who would cooperate so readily. No matter how much he thought about it, it defied common sense.
But what could he do?
The work was already finished.
Having completed all his deliveries, Harrison quickly headed home.
It was time to see his only daughter, his precious treasure.
* * *
This party was supposed to be a modest gathering.
The plan was to invite a few neighbors to celebrate his daughter's birthday and have a simple gift-opening session.
Indeed, up until this morning, there hadn't been a single variable in Harrison's plan. But as soon as he arrived home, he was greeted by a bizarre sight.
Thud.
He dropped his daughter's gift.
In front of his house, a massive outdoor party venue had been set up, occupying the entire spacious yard.
Rare delicacies from land and sea—the likes of which he had never seen in his life—were laid out in abundance. People of unknown origin were moving busily, carrying platters of food around the venue. That wasn't all. On one side, a full orchestra was preparing to play classical music.
As his eyes took in the unbelievable scene, his jaw dropped.
"...What on earth is happening?!"
No matter how he looked at it, something was seriously, terribly wrong.