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‘Ugh, you crazy bastard.’

‘Tsk, tsk, as expected, he’s not normal.’

‘Of course, trying to negotiate with a guy like that wouldn’t work.’

Even the three people accompanying Ghislain were secretly surprised.

Ghislain might have been playful and mischievous, but he wasn’t the type to threaten the weak without reason.

‘Wasn’t he trying to comfort her?’

‘What are you doing, my lord? Why would you threaten someone who’s already terrified?’

But despite everyone’s shock, Ghislain continued coldly.

“For now, the tower has already handed you over to me. Even if you don’t follow me, it’ll be hard to stay here. And even if you could stay… well.”

Ghislain shrugged his shoulders.

“I mean, I don’t have the right to stop someone who’s determined to die.”

Vanessa trembled with fear.

There was no emotion in Ghislain’s words. If he’d been implying he would kill her if she didn’t follow, it would have been a different matter, but the way he spoke, calmly and detached, as if stating an undeniable truth, only intensified her terror.

In the end, Vanessa, with trembling lips and a voice mixed with sobs, spoke up.

“I, I understand. I will serve you faithfully, Young Lord.”

Then, as if relieved, Ghislain smiled again and spoke gently.

“Good, I’m counting on you. You won’t be disappointed.”

The mages and Ghislain’s group momentarily lost their words, dumbfounded. The sudden shift in his demeanor, as if he hadn’t just threatened her, was absurd.

Hubert was the first to regain his composure and quietly approached Vanessa.

“Good, good. You made the right choice. Your master, Lonato, would be pleased in heaven.”

Vanessa only lowered her head without saying a word, feeling that her opinion was no more significant than a dog’s bark to these people.

Her only hope now was to find the right moment to ask Ghislain to allow her to continue her studies.

‘Hmm, she was still so docile at this point.’

Ghislain fell into thought as he looked at Vanessa.

‘A parasite and a fool. How blind they were. To think they had the greatest genius of the *Crimson Flame Tower* * *right in front of them. Although… a failed genius.’

Vanessa was the main reason Ghislain had come to the *Crimson Flame Tower*.

Of course, the fact that it was an easy opportunity to rip people off was also a reason, but if Vanessa hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of coming all this way, investing both time and effort.

Ghislain, who lacked strength in almost every way, needed a powerful trump card.

He was convinced that Vanessa would be that very trump card. Even if she had refused, he had already made up his mind to take her by force.

‘Staying here will only lead to a miserable outcome.’

Ghislain hadn’t lied. It wasn’t a threat either. He had only spoken the truth.

If Vanessa remained in the tower, not only would she be in danger, but many others as well.

If left as she was, she would become an unimaginable mass murderer.

* * *

Ghislain had first heard about her during a time when the world was in chaos.

One of his subordinates, who had a penchant for rumors and information, had mentioned the “Red Nightmare.”

“The Red Nightmare?”

“She’s that crazy woman who ran wild in the Ritania Kingdom. They say her abilities are no joke? 7th Circle, can you believe it? 7th Circle.”

“The Ritania Kingdom, huh…”

Something about the mention of his homeland, the Ritania Kingdom, stirred a sense of nostalgia in him.

“And that alias? Isn’t it so cool? ‘The Red Nightmare.’”

Seeing Ghislain show interest, his subordinate grew even more excited as he continued.

“What was her name again… Ah, right, Vanessa. They say she turned the entire northern region of Ritania into a sea of fire. Supposedly, she’s a mage who learned the Mana Breathing Technique.”

“A mage learned the Mana Breathing Technique?”

Even Ghislain, who had encountered all sorts of bizarre things during his mercenary days, had never heard of a mage mastering the Mana Breathing Technique.

“Yes. Maybe that’s why she went mad. She’s been setting fires everywhere and killing indiscriminately, causing trouble for all the lords. They say she has no real purpose—just a woman obsessed with playing with fire.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. So you can reach that level with the Mana Breathing Technique?”

“Wait… *that* * *impressed you?!”

Whether it was the mage’s circle system or the Mana Breathing Technique, both fundamentally stored mana within the body.

In theory, one could cast magic using the Mana Breathing Technique, but no one did it. The reason was simple: magic cast through it was less efficient.

But here was someone producing more firepower than most mages using the Mana Breathing Technique—wasn’t that truly remarkable?

Ghislain clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“What a waste. If only she hadn’t gone mad, her talents could’ve contributed greatly to the world. She would’ve been better off under my command.”

With skills like hers, she could have been a valuable asset in fighting against the numerous calamities that plagued the continent.

“Actually, is it still possible? I’ve dealt with crazy people before, and a few beatings fixed them.”

His subordinate’s face turned pale as he overheard Ghislain mumbling to himself.

“Who… who are you planning to deal with?”

“That Bar-something girl. Let’s bring her in.”

“Wait, where are you planning to take that insane arsonist, and for what?”

“That’s for you to figure out.”

“…I must’ve misheard?”

Without answering, Ghislain simply grinned slyly. It was a clear signal to get on with the task immediately.

The subordinate turned pale and bolted out of the room.

* * *

The story his subordinate brought back after investigating Vanessa’s background was all too common.

She was an orphan, barely surviving without parents in her childhood, until a mage eventually took her in.

However, Vanessa couldn’t sense mana, so she couldn’t become a mage.

Despite not giving up and trying hard, no one believed in her or acknowledged her efforts. Then, by chance, she seemed to have found and learned the Mana Breathing Technique.

She had even tried to learn it within the towers, failing multiple times, but for some reason, it seemed she was only able to master that particular technique.

As someone who had modified his family’s breathing technique and made it his own, Ghislain could easily guess why Vanessa had gone mad.

“Without a teacher and no understanding of the Mana Breathing Technique, there’s no way she could’ve mastered it properly. Still, with the right adjustments, she might have potential.”

The more talented people there were to deal with the looming calamities, the better.

Ghislain turned to his subordinate, who was dawdling nearby.

“Where is she now?”

“Not sure. The last reported sighting was… near some mountain. But come to think of it, there hasn’t been much news lately. Maybe she’s hiding somewhere.”

Ghislain furrowed his brows.

“Send out the men to track her. As soon as possible.”

When he stood up from his seat, one of his subordinates, looking a bit surprised, asked back.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to look for her myself.”

“What wind blew in all of a sudden? You normally find designated requests too bothersome to even accept.”

His subordinate was shocked that the leader, who rarely moved from his seat, was personally stepping out. But Ghislain didn’t care and headed outside.

He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Ghislain to track down Vanessa, who had been hiding in the mountains.

“Found you. You hid well, didn’t you?”

“Ahhhh!”

As soon as Vanessa was spotted by Ghislain, she let out a scream and began wildly firing off spells.

She was like a beast, driven by pure instinct. Yet, it was precisely because of this primal state that she immediately recognized her opponent as a dangerous predator.

Boom!

A massive magic circle appeared in the air around Vanessa.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Pillars of fire shot up, and enormous fireballs rained down.

But Ghislain effortlessly swatted them aside and dodged, steadily closing in on her. He wasn’t the kind of person to be caught off guard by such random, thoughtless, and tacticless attacks.

“Kyaaah!”

Perhaps frustrated by her inability to land a hit, Vanessa began pouring out all of her remaining power.

Dozens of magic circles began forming around her.

“Wow, you’re even doing multi-casting? And that much at once?”

Ghislain was genuinely surprised.

Multi-casting wasn’t something just anyone could do, regardless of how much mana they had. It required pure, innate talent.

Even those with high-circle magic couldn’t perform multi-casting if they lacked the necessary instincts.

“Now that’s something I’d like to have.”

Boom! Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

Fireballs rained down like meteors onto where Ghislain had been standing.

As always, he dodged them with ease. But as the flames surged, thick, acrid smoke filled the area, swallowing up everything around them.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and unleashed his mana. The intense flow of mana swept through the surroundings, causing the flames to flicker and eventually die out.

“Calm down, will you!”

He extended his arm toward Vanessa and clenched his fist tightly. In that instant, Vanessa’s body jerked to a halt, frozen in place.

As if pulling something toward him, Ghislain bent his arm, and Vanessa helplessly was dragged in his direction.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Stay still.”

Ghislain gripped her struggling neck with one hand and forcibly infused mana into her body. The mana coursed through her veins, spreading throughout her body.

But after checking Vanessa’s condition, Ghislain involuntarily grimaced.

‘This is…’

Vanessa’s core was already shattered. She was only holding on because she had reached the 7th circle.

Considering she had been hiding in the mountains, it was clear her condition hadn’t been good for some time. Like a beast whose strength had waned, she had instinctively sought a safe place.

And in the brief moments she had spent attacking Ghislain, her condition had rapidly deteriorated.

‘Tsk, what a shame. It’s over.’

If he had found her just a bit sooner, she might have become a useful subordinate.

Thinking it would be kinder to put her out of her misery, Ghislain tightened his grip on her neck.

At that moment, his eyes met Vanessa’s as she lifted her head.

Thanks to the mana Ghislain had infused into her, she seemed to regain her senses. In her eyes, the madness was replaced with traces of relief and regret.

“…Have you come to your senses?”

Ghislain lowered Vanessa to the ground. She stumbled, struggling to find her balance before finally standing upright.

“…Who are you?”

He shrugged.

“The strongest and most famous mercenary in the world.”

Vanessa hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“You must be that King of Mercenaries I’ve only heard rumors about.”

Even as she spoke, she had to stifle coughs in between her words.

“Did you come to capture me?”

“No, I came to recruit talent.”

“It’s an honor, someone like you… coming to find me….”

Vanessa forced a faint smile, but her body bent forward in pain as she coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Ghislain clicked his tongue.

“I was going to recruit you, but seeing your condition, it seems you won’t be joining our mercenary corps after all.”

“…Is that really something you say to someone coughing up blood?”

Vanessa snapped irritably, but Ghislain only scoffed.

“Why should I care about someone who’s not even worth having as a subordinate? It’s not like there’s money in it.”

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something and let out a small exclamation.

“Actually, if I turn you in, I could still collect the bounty.”

“Get lost, you bastard….”

Vanessa hurled a fireball at Ghislain, but the spell fizzled out in midair before it could even reach him.

“You really are shortening your own life. It’s that kind of stupidity that got you in this mess.”

She couldn’t answer, too busy coughing up more blood. She could only glare at him with frustrated eyes.

Ghislain chuckled.

“Well, if you’ve got any last words, now’s the time. I’ll listen to a final wish, at least.”

“Last words… I don’t have anyone… to leave them for.”

“Then you could at least complain about your situation.”

She let out a bitter laugh before collapsing to the ground. It seemed even standing had become too much for her.

“I just… liked magic… I only ever wanted… to become a mage….”

Vanessa hugged her knees and curled up.

“Studying that mana cultivation technique… I shouldn’t have done it… So many people died… because of me….”

“That’s not what you should regret.”

Ghislain clicked his tongue and scolded her.

“You should’ve come to me sooner. I’m famous for fixing lunatics. You’ve regained your sanity, haven’t you?”

“You must hear… a lot of people say… you’re a real piece of work….”

“What kind of nonsense is that? There’s no one as good-natured as me.”

Vanessa looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head slowly.

“Really living carefree, aren’t you….”

“I’m a mercenary, after all.”

Ghislain smirked and added.

“Next time, don’t hesitate. Just come straight to me. I’m always open to skilled people.”

Vanessa blinked silently. Her eyelids began to droop, gradually slowing down with each blink.

As if she were a flickering candle about to go out, she whispered in a faint voice.

“Yeah… Mercenary life… sounds fun….”

With those words, her breathing ceased completely.

A single tear fell, drawing a clean line down her dirtied face.

Ghislain stared down at Vanessa’s lifeless body for a moment.

On any other day, he would’ve taken the corpse to collect the bounty… but today, he simply clicked his tongue softly and set the body ablaze.

It was the first and last bit of consideration he would ever show to someone who might have become one of his subordinates.