novelraw Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93 : Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Is this what it feels like to have a body that betrays one's will?
Jeremy managed to move his trembling hand and opened the door to the tower lord's office.
Screech.
At the same time, he felt the sticky mana peculiar to the vice-tower lord.
'My goodness, Dragon God !
To think that that human, who is here less than one day a year, would be in the Magic Tower today!'
Jeremy went down the stairs, spewing out words without taking a breath.
"Ah!
The vice-tower lord was here!
Young lord, that is our vice-tower lord.
Please direct your inquiries to the vice-tower lord, and I have some urgent business, so I will be going down now.
I hope you achieve what you desire, and I hope to see you again... next……."
Without even knowing what Ian, who was slightly impressed by his appearance, was thinking.
'Oh.
Is he trying to not give me a chance to speak?
He's smart.
If they offer to support one of us, I should bring that mage.
He's quick-witted, looks smart, and has a sense of responsibility.'
It was a historic moment where the exclusive mage of Moner, who would later be called the sage in the darkness, was decided.
* * *
Upon entering the tower lord's office, a man, so fat it was hard to believe he was a mage, offered a greeting.
"Well, well, what an unexpected meeting.
Greetings, I am Varik, the vice-tower lord of the Reime-Front Hold branch, and I am honored to meet the young master of Moner."
Even though he was at the top of the tower, he seemed to know who I was.
It was a rather strange ability, but considering the vice-tower lord was a mage who performed 'miracles', it wasn't that surprising.
After all, even Count Sven would be able to feel my presence from his office.
"Ah, you know who I am, so this will be quick.
Did you happen to hear what I said below?"
"Yes, I did.
But……."
The vice-tower lord dragged his words as if he had something to say, but I wasn't that curious, so I just said what I had to say.
"Then, I would appreciate it if you could vacate the tower by today."
The vice-tower lord frowned, openly expressing his displeasure.
"This tower is the property of the Magic Tower.
How can the young lord discuss its rights?"
Varik's logic was quite plausible.
All Magic Towers were the property of the 'Star of Wisdom', a gathering of mages, and the 'Magic Tower Main Building', which was hidden somewhere on the continent.
Anyone who tried to move a Magic Tower at will would become an enemy of these two organizations, which were practically the entire mage community.
'It's not like becoming an enemy means there will be military retaliation or anything…….'
But the blow was by no means negligible, as it would become impossible to obtain various magic spheres, including scrolls and potions.
They would also take indirect revenge, such as by releasing more magic spheres to enemy countries.
Come to think of it, it was a method worthy of mages who always rationally maintained their position as the "gap".
Just by claiming that all Magic Towers were one, they were getting what they wanted without any military or financial loss.
The mages of this world were always the "gap", so they were skilled in "gapjil" (abusing their power).
'Tsk, that's all because they've never been on the receiving end of the "eul".'
For "gapjil" to work, the other party had to willingly become the "eul".
Of course, I had no intention of doing so.
Thinking that I was in a difficult position, the vice-tower lord said with a good-natured smile.
"Hahaha!
Don't worry too much.
This tower is the property of the Magic Tower, but we would never ignore the rights of the Count and the young lord."
"Ah, my apologies.
I was just thinking about a psycho's strategy."
As expected, there was much to learn from mages.
I should tell Trimia about this later.
"That, this tower……."
Again, for "gapjil" to work, the "eul" had to be in a position of need.
If the castle walls were covered in magic cannons , or if there were tons of scrolls, or if useful magic spheres were scattered everywhere, or if, at the very least, they had provided enough potions to make clerics unnecessary.
If any of these were true, I would have left the Magic Tower alone, even if it meant taking a loss in the mana stone trade.
'If they had at least installed three or four magic cannons, I would have held back because it would have been a waste.'
Unfortunately, the mages were greedy beyond measure.
"...No matter how I think about it, I don't know if this Magic Tower is of any help to Moner."
To the point where the Magic Tower looked more like a robber than a Magic Tower.
"So, do as you please, whether you move the tower with magic or pull out the bricks one by one.
As you said, this tower belongs to the Magic Tower."
After moistening my throat with tea, I continued.
"What I want is simple.
Whatever method you use, just vacate this land by tomorrow."
So, if you put yourself in our shoes, they are the ones in a position of need, not us.
'If not us, where will they get their mana stones?'
Playing the "eul" against those who "gapjil".
This was the secret technique I had learned while dealing with countless nobles and royals in the game.
The Scoundrel Art First Form Eulgapdungapsul - The Art of Switching Between Eul and Gap.
* * *
"...Yes?"
The vice-tower lord's mouth foamed, as if the shock of being hit by the secret technique was not small.
Hmm, perhaps he was trying to weaken my resolve by appealing to my emotions.
As expected, I couldn't let my guard down when dealing with a mage.
"Ahem, ahem.
Is the vice-tower lord not accustomed to conversation because he only reads books at his desk?
It's a simple matter.
The mages and the Magic Tower are of no help to this domain, so please vacate this land."
"Young lord, this old man does not know what the young master of Moner is thinking, but……."
Talking more than necessary usually meant he was scared.
Or maybe he didn't understand because I spoke too gently.
Just in case, I kindly explained it to him so that the vice-tower lord could understand.
"Ah, forget it.
Just get out with this tower."
A confident "gap" doesn't need to blabber on.
"No, the, the tower, how……."
There was no need to be persuaded, no need to be persuaded with logic or reason.
Just silently demand what you want.
"Here.
My land.
Get out."
Then the other party will take the bait on their own.
* * *
Today was an exceptionally good day.
Just this morning, hadn't the administrators of the main tower recognized his efforts in working his fingers to the bone in this remote place and offered him the position of 'tower lord'?
That's why.
That's why he had come to this detestable Magic Tower that he didn't want to be in for even a day.
He had only come to boast to the tower lord who had always looked down on him with magic.
"Haaaak.
Cough, cough."
Varik realized for the first time today that if you get too angry, you stop breathing.
"Here, here.
Drink this tea."
When he raised the teacup given to him by the scoundrel of Moner, he saw that it was empty.
'This... this cruel and ruthless scoundrel!'
The rumor of him being a scoundrel was an understatement.
No matter how he looked at it, he was not a scoundrel, but a demon.
After quickly gulping down some water, he gasped for breath and shouted.
"Even if you are the young lord, isn't this too much!?"
"What is?
Ah… I really didn't know the cup was empty.
Here, here, here……."
A hollow laugh escaped him at the sight of the young lord trying to pour him more tea.
What did an empty teacup matter when he had just declared war on the Magic Tower, the repository of magic and knowledge and the very master of it all?
Seeing that, his boiling anger actually subsided.
'Right, I may not be as good as the tower lord when it comes to magic, but when it comes to a deal like this, I'm better.
It's a relief that I'm here.
Just because a conceited brat spouts nonsense as he pleases doesn't mean it's all true.'
This was Front Hold.
A battlefield where all of Moner's forces fought to fend off monsters.
No matter how much of a scoundrel he was who had inherited the blood of Moner, he wouldn't be able to act rashly here.
'The Count must have ordered him to do this.
Indeed, is a master different even if he is a knight?
Such a deep scheme to send a brat like this to shake my composure…….'
Having organized his thoughts, he said in a calm voice.
"Young lord, let's stop the jokes here."
"Hmm?"
"I understand that you want something from us.
Even if I only read books at my desk, as long as I don't close my ears, there's no way I wouldn't know what's happening outside."
Right, a war.
He was surely here to request support from the Magic Tower in preparation for a war.
Hadn't there been a commotion about Orcs and mutant Orcs for the past few weeks?
'Hmph, no matter how much you struggle, you brat, do you think you can deceive me, the great Varik, who is praised as the tongue of Ouroboros?!'
As long as he had grasped the opponent's intentions, this war of words was as good as over.
"I apologize, but this is a small branch, so it is difficult for us to be of help in a major event like a war.
However, we cannot ignore the grace of the ducal family and the Count who have helped us in many ways over the years."
Varik racked his brain as hard as a mage trying to manifest the 6-circle magic called a miracle.
To find a suitable point where he could show the bare minimum of sincerity to the ignorant brats who were coming on strong, while not incurring a major loss.
And then, with a face as proud as a great mage who had achieved the impossible, he said.
"I will give you 100 high-grade potions and 100 detoxification potions, and 30 scrolls containing low-grade fire attack magic.
And!"
Varik believed that the talent of a mage was the ability to read the opponent's 'desire'.
To fulfill the opponent's desires with mana and magic.
Wasn't that the essential power of magic?
'So, what the fortress needs most to fight the monster called the 'Ork' is…….'
"100 fire resistance scrolls!
And I'll give you one hundred of each: low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade!"
To show off as much as possible with the fire resistance scrolls that were always in stock, while satisfying the opponent, wasn't this skill magic itself!
"How about it, young lord?!"
The moment he was waiting for the predetermined answer.
"...Are you, by any chance, insane?"
A pleasant compliment tickled his ear.
* * *
"Don't worry.
A fire resistance scroll is not cheap, but how can we not give it to the fortress that is working for the safety of the continent!
I'll even pay for it out of my own pocket……."
Ian stared at Varik with narrowed eyes.
'Tsk, it's my own fault for choosing to talk to a mage.'
What use was a detoxification potion against an Orc?
And what could he do with a mere hundred potions?
Even in that vicious game, he had given each person three potions, so with 100, a decad would have to use one each.
In the first place, he didn't even need potions since he had stimpacks.
The crowning glory of this pathetic offer was the 'fire resistance' scroll.
Unless the Orcs had learned some kind of superhuman strength and started breathing fire without his knowledge, the fire prevention scrolls were useless.
It was an offer full of nothing but 'chicken ribs' (something that is not very useful but is a waste to throw away).
His mind cleared up at the humiliating offer that he would never have made unless he looked down on his opponent.
Grit.
These bastards, they seemed to be looking down on Moner quite a bit.
'Moner and the Count, that might be possible.
They've been taken for a fool for so long.'
But I can't stand being looked down on.
No, just in case, I had cut down a manager in the market, a cleric, a Demonkin, a noble, an Orc, and even a legion commander's toe.
And you still look down on me?
"They say all mages have something in common with liches, and it seems that's true."
When he growled with a stern face, the flustered vice-tower lord tilted his head and answered.
"Yes, that's right.
All mages yearn for the pursuit of truth even after death……."
"No—"
Ian, who cut off the vice-tower lord's words, said with a smirk.
"You all seem to carry around spare lives."