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The spacious lobby was beautifully adorned with plants they had never seen before.

Expensive-looking statues were placed here and there, making it hard to tell whether they were in a mage’s tower or a wealthy noble’s castle.

Seeing the mercenaries gawking with their mouths open, Sylvain, the apprentice mage guarding the lobby, frowned.

‘Tsk, what is this? A bunch of beggars crowding in to dirty the floor?’

It was a typical reaction from a mage of the Crimson Flame Tower.

Sylvain hadn’t always been this way. It was only after spending time in the Crimson Flame Tower that he became influenced by its atmosphere.

‘Did the doorkeeper let them in out of fear?’

Though their appearance was shabby, Ghislain’s group each had at least one weapon strapped to their waist.

Even if the doorkeeper was from the mage tower, they were just a regular person without magic, so it would’ve been hard for them to stop a large group forcing their way in.

Sylvain let out a sigh. It seemed that he would have to handle these beggars himself.

As Sylvain arrogantly raised his chin and approached the mercenaries, the doorkeeper ran up to him with a panicked expression.

“Tsk tsk, I told you not to let just anyone in. You got scared because there were too many of them, and yet you claim to guard the greatest Crimson Flame Tower in the North….”

Before Sylvain could finish his sentence, the doorkeeper whispered into his ear.

Sylvain narrowed his eyes, nodded a few times, and then immediately bowed at a right angle to Ghislain.

“We are honored by your presence! May I ask where you have come from?”

“Ghislain Ferdium, Young Lord of Ferdium.”

Sylvain nodded with a look of admiration.

“Ah, so you are the Young Lord of Ferdium! I have long heard of the noble and valiant reputation of Ferdium. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary person, and it seems my judgment was correct!”

Though he spoke flatteringly, in truth, Sylvain didn’t even know where Ferdium was located.

He simply recognized that Ghislain was a noble and had brought valuable goods, so flattery was the safest bet.

Knowing this as well, Ghislain merely smiled at the honeyed praise without being swayed.

“I’ve come to sell runestones and have quite a large quantity. I’d like to meet with a high-ranking mage who can handle the transaction. If possible, I’d prefer to meet the Tower Master directly.”

“I will send word immediately, so please wait for a moment.”

Sylvain immediately bowed his head and led Ghislain’s group to the reception room.

As soon as he exited the room, he sternly warned the maids.

“Make sure to treat the guests with utmost care so they don’t feel uncomfortable.”

After repeatedly emphasizing this, Sylvain hurriedly ran off to the Tower Master.

Ghislain’s group had brought several carts. If they were all filled with runestones, the quantity was immense.

Even in the days when the Crimson Flame Tower was considered the best, the merchant guilds could not procure such a large amount of runestones.

Usually, someone as low-ranking as Sylvain wouldn’t even dream of meeting the Tower Master in person.

But now, there was no time to go through the usual steps and channels. Ghislain could change his mind and leave at any moment.

“I shouldn’t get scolded with a Runestone of that level.”

Sylvain clutched his pounding chest and rushed towards the Tower Master.

Around that time, a serious meeting was taking place at the tower’s top floor.

“The Runestones are running out?”

A middle-aged man, whose hair was thinning but sported a stylish mustache, wore an unpleasant expression.

“That’s correct. At this rate, the gap with the Scarlet Tower will only widen,” replied an elderly man with a long white beard. The middle-aged man let out a sigh.

“Hah, how did it come to this…”

This melancholic man was none other than Hubert, the Tower Master of the Crimson Flame Tower and a 6th-circle mage.

Even though he was over sixty, his high mana level allowed him to maintain a youthful appearance for quite a long time.

He also cared a lot about his appearance, which made him look younger than his age.

However, recently, wrinkles had begun to spread quickly across his face.

“Isn’t there any good solution?”

Hubert glanced around the room as he asked.

The five elders seated on either side of him remained silent.

Frustrated, Hubert urged them loudly.

“No, how are we supposed to surpass the Scarlet Tower at this rate? They were below us! Below! Does this not hurt your pride?”

The elders subtly turned their heads, inwardly grumbling.

‘Well, if only you hadn’t spent so much time mingling with nobles and focused more on training.’

‘Their Tower Master is a 7th-circle mage. How are we supposed to compete when ours is only at the 6th-circle?’

‘He spent all his time dressing up and indulging in luxuries, and now he’s throwing a fit…’

Mages, by nature, are a highly individualistic bunch.

Thus, they’re also very good at shifting blame. In fact, blaming others is the first thing they do.

The elders believed that the Crimson Flame Tower had fallen behind because their Tower Master had failed to advance his skills.

On the other hand, the Tower Master believed that the entire tower had grown lazy, which is why they had been overtaken.

Eventually, one of the elders raised a hand. They were, after all, part of the same tower, and passing responsibility around wouldn’t get them anywhere.

“Of course, we need to improve the skills of the mages. We have to prove who the true masters of the North really are.”

The Crimson Flame Tower and the Scarlet Tower both belonged to the same school of fire magic and had been rivals for a long time.

Since they shared a similar magic system and were both based in the North, it was inevitable that they would become competitors.

“Well then, how exactly do you plan to improve them? Do you want everyone to conduct experiments bare-handed?”

A mage’s skill is typically measured by how many spells they can cast.

To activate magic, one must interpret spell formulas in their own way and imbue them with their will. If done improperly, the magic can go haywire, causing the mage’s body to explode or leaving them permanently disabled.

Naturally, the research couldn’t be done bare-handed; Runestones, which could absorb the shock from failed spells, was absolutely necessary.

“If the Runestones run out, we won’t even be able to train properly!”

“…That’s true.”

Runestones were essential to ensure the safety of mages.

But that wasn’t all. Using Runestones allowed mages to quickly increase their mana and could even be used as auxiliary mana sources. In short, they were indispensable materials for any mage.

“Are we beggars? Do we lack money? Working with our bodies is something only poor wizards do!”

“Even the Tower Master of the Scarlet Tower trained with nothing but his body…”

“Stop talking about that bastard! And how do we even know that’s true? If I had a Runestone, I could easily reach the 7th circle too!”

Hubert shouted at the top of his lungs in frustration.

Though outwardly silent with bowed heads, the elders secretly began mocking him in their thoughts.

‘Yeah, right, like that’s so easy. If it were as simple as he says, every past Tower Master would have reached the 7th circle.’

‘Honestly, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the Scarlet Tower becomes the greatest in the kingdom.’

Except for the court magician employed by the Delfine Duchy, the only person in the kingdom who had reached the 7th circle was Delmud, the Tower Master of the Scarlet Tower.

Unaware of what the elders were thinking, Hubert clenched his teeth and huffed angrily.

‘Ugh! If only I had enough Runestones, I could reach the 7th circle too! If even someone like Delmud managed it, why wouldn’t I?’

Hubert was always sensitive when being compared to Delmud.

That miserable Delmud had supposedly reached the 7th circle despite being mistreated by his master and not even receiving a living stipend from the tower.

Hubert, raised as the heir in the best of environments with abundant support, couldn’t help but be plagued by inferiority.

One of the elders, noticing Hubert’s growing agitation, cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject.

“However, even when we inquire with the merchant guilds, they all claim to have no stock. The Scarlet Tower has driven the prices up considerably… but even when we agree to match those prices, they still insist that none are available. There’s no way to obtain any Runestones.”

Most merchant guilds that dealt with the Crimson Flame Tower had either reduced their Runestone supply or ceased it altogether.

While Runestones were indeed rare, their availability had noticeably decreased in recent times.

“Sigh, why has it come to this? Why has it suddenly become so difficult to acquire Runestones?”

They had lived their entire lives immersed in the study of magic within the tower, completely ignorant of the workings of the outside world. They simply relied on the wealth passed down by their predecessors.

As a result, even in this situation, they couldn’t grasp where things had gone wrong.

Rubbing his face with both hands, Hubert asked in a weary voice, “How is the artifact production coming along?”

“With the shortage of Runestones, that’s becoming increasingly difficult as well.”

The creation of magical tools and scrolls was the tower’s primary source of income.

Without enough Runestones, they couldn’t continue producing magical tools.

Hubert felt like crying.

The once-great Crimson Flame Tower, which had been considered the pinnacle of its kind, had not only lost the title of the best in the north during his tenure but was now steadily weakening.

The tower wouldn’t just decline at this rate—it would turn into nothing more than a scroll shop.

“Is there really no way to obtain Runestones?”

“The only option is to travel to other regions and bring back small quantities. But we have many people, and there are many places we need to use them.”

“The Scarlet Tower has a lot of people, too, don’t they? They must be buying up everything, right?”

“There are rumors, and most people do say that they’re selling everything to the Scarlet Tower… but honestly, it’s hard to say. If they’re also struggling to get them, then of course they’d raise the price to buy as many as possible, wouldn’t they?”

“How about offering more money than they are? We still have plenty of funds, don’t we?”

“I told you, there’s just no stock! They’ve dried up completely. Besides, we’re already spending a fortune by paying extra to get whatever we can.”

They couldn’t determine whether the Scarlet Tower was hoarding all the Runestones or if the supply had genuinely dwindled.

This was the state of those who had lived complacently, basking in their pride as the best.

“The money’s running out… we can’t get any Runestones… and now even the apprentices are getting worse and worse… Ha ha ha, what a joke.”

Even Hubert, the Tower Master, was too scared to conduct magic experiments without proper tools. Who would take the risk?

If things continued like this, instead of progressing, they were bound to stagnate and eventually collapse.

“Sigh…”

“Haa…”

“Ugh…”

The so-called intelligent yet clueless wizards all bowed their heads, letting out long sighs.

“We need to recruit a skilled merchant. Let’s leave this matter to an expert.”

One of the elders suggested. Hubert and the other elders nodded in agreement.

They prided themselves on studying the laws of the world and claiming to understand all truths, but when it came to commerce, they were utterly incompetent.

“Sigh, we should have paid attention to this earlier.”

In previous generations, the tower didn’t only house wizards. There were those skilled in commerce as well.

But after achieving their reputation as the best, they grew complacent and stopped valuing such people.

Since people would flock to them, offering reasonable prices, they thought all they needed was someone to tally the money.

Though it was late, they all agreed on the necessity of bringing in an expert now.

“Well then, let’s find someone suitable…”

Boom, boom, boom!

Just then, someone began knocking loudly on the door from outside.

Suppressing his irritation, Hubert spoke.

“We’re in a meeting. Come back later.”

Boom, boom, boom!

“I said we’re in a meeting!”

Boom, boom, boom!

Despite several warnings to leave, the person kept banging on the door. Hubert, grinding his teeth, rose from his seat.

“Grrr, whoever it is, I’ll burn their head off.”

“I’m coming in!”

Bang!

Without waiting for permission, the persistent individual violently opened the door and entered. Hubert glared at him fiercely.

“Who are you? Who let you in? What are the guards doing? Lay your head down. I’ll burn every last strand of hair off your head.”

The magic tower operated under a strict apprenticeship system with a rigid hierarchy. The Tower Master would have no reason to deal with a low-level magician.

Naturally, Hubert didn’t recognize Sylvain.

Sylvain, trembling under the frost-like tension in the room, stammered as he spoke.

“Someone… someone’s here to sell us Runestones.”

“What? Runestones?”

Hubert and the elders leaned forward, curiosity lighting up their faces as they looked at Sylvain.

Although Hubert’s anger subsided a bit, Sylvain still couldn’t relax.

Feeling the weight of everyone’s attention on him, he swallowed nervously.

“It’s not just a small amount like what other merchants bring. It’s a massive load. There are more than ten carts, and they’re all packed with Runestones!”

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone in the room jumped to their feet.