“What did you say?”
The threatening glare from Elder Clayton of the Earth Tower caused the subordinate mage who came to deliver the order to shrink even further.
“All ten disciples under Greck are… ahh! I’m just the messenger, Elder!”
His fierce look made it so only his disciples could smile back at him in the tower, and Clayton, who usually tried to smile as much as possible, barely managed to contain the surge of killing intent at the subordinate mage’s reaction.
“Yeah, I know. I’m aware. The tower master, this guy… until the very end…”
It wasn’t the fault of the guy delivering the message. The bad one had to be the tower master.
Clayton sighed deeply and forced his anger down.
“To where? For how long?”
He asked, hoping that the tower master at least had a shred of conscience.
“It’s the Macline territory, in the southwest countryside. The construction period is half a year…”“What?”
Despite the calm tone, the mana and killing intent that rapidly filled the room was overwhelming.
Elder Clayton’s impassive face did not show it, but the strength of the anger within him was palpable, and the subordinate mage clutched his chest.
“*Cough* Elder!”
“Hmm. This is rather regrettable.”
Once again, Clayton barely suppressed his anger and allowed the subordinate mage to regain his breath.
The mage had barely come to his senses before Clayton approached with a grim face and asked,
“So, is that absurd—no, is that order truly without falsehood?”
“Yes, yes! Of course.”
“Huuh. I see.”
Another deep breath from Clayton and the killing intent soared once more, causing the innocent subordinate mage’s complexion to change constantly.
“Alright, you may go now.”
“Th-thank you!”
Clang!
The mage dashed out of the room, making a ruckus, with Clayton’s menacing gaze following him.
Of course, the anger wasn’t directed at the mage, but rather the true instigator of the order.
‘Macline? A territory I’ve never heard of, and for as long as half a year? Hah.’
So far, it had been continuous but short-term stints to the outskirts of Grang.
And just when he thought those stints were getting slightly longer, now it seemed they were being sent externally for good.
All were 20-somethings, at an age ripe for development, and his disciples were instead stuck doing labor without training.
“Radios, tower master of the Earth Tower. You really want to do this?”
Everything started after he reached the 5th circle and became an elder a year ago.
Only 50 years old and already at the 5th circle. Although his age didn’t quite fit the term ‘elder’, the rules didn’t forbid him from becoming one.
The disciples of his competitors, who vied for the position of tower master in the previous generation, must have been displeased with his position being threatened.
Yes, he could understand that much. Clayton comprehended up to there.
“But to touch my disciples, even if not me? To this extent?”
He had tried to be patient, but this was too much.
His disciples couldn’t even train or research, nor find time to rest, due to all the field work being pushed onto them by the tower master.
And now, they had just returned this morning, only to be assigned another such long-distance assignment straight away.
“It’s time to sort this out once and for all.”
Elder Clayton of the Earth Tower kicked the room door and left with a look of fury.
* * *
“These are…?”
Logan glanced at the tower master with a grim look, and the tower master nodded with a smile.
“Yes. These are the young men who will assist the young master for half a year. Greck, aren’t you their representative? Greet him. This is Logan Macline, the young master. You’ll be working for him for the next six months.”
“Huuh. I am Greck, a 3rd circle mage. Please take good care of me.”
Greck, who looked like he could be in his thirties, stepped forward to represent the ten mages, and let out a sigh with a brief greeting.
More than anything, what caught the eye were the deep shadows under his eyes and his pale complexion.
Not only him, but the others behind him looked equally worn.
“I am Logan Macline.”
After exchanging names and sending the young mages off for a moment, Logan spoke with a cringed face,
“They look like they’re about to collapse any moment, tower master. Are these really the right people?”
“They might look tired, but they are our most experienced young talent in construction. They will fulfill their roles.”
“Hmm…”
“Perhaps they are tired, but these friends are our tower’s specialists in construction. Haha.”
Specialists in construction.
Even Logan, who was not a mage, knew that no mage would be happy to hear that.
It was a statement no different from belittling one’s own disciples.
Recalling the gloomy faces of the young mages he just saw, Logan looked at the tower master skeptically, but there was no flicker of emotion on the tower master’s face.
“They certainly seem competent.”
Instead, the compliment seemed to harden the tower master’s expression even more.
“Haha. Yes, they are indeed competent. Competent indeed…”
Listening to the tower master’s soulless praise, Logan fell into deep thought.
‘The deal itself isn’t bad. But…’
– A monthly 1.2 million gold. 120 collapse scrolls and the support of ten mages.
After a three-hour argument, that figure was agreed upon while Radios’s face looked almost cramped.
He had basically slashed the cost of mage support.
From Logan’s perspective, it was a satisfying deal, but he was somewhat uneasy because the exhausted mages seemed more capable than he anticipated.
His senses perceived the level of these mages as…
‘Almost young mages at the 3rd circle master level and nine 2nd circle experts and masters.’
Moreover, all in their twenties, they were talents who would be coveted in any tower.
To let such people go for a fraction of their worth? And attract antipathy in doing so?
Understandably, he couldn’t help but feel that there was another hidden motive.
“Here, it’s specified in the contract.”
Bang.
Perhaps sensing his hesitation, the tower master quickly pushed the contract, freshly sealed with his stamp.
Ink not even dry, the conditions agreed upon and the tower master’s stamp were already there.
As if to say, you wouldn’t refuse this, would you?
Finding the gesture increasingly suspicious, Logan hesitated.
‘Why are the terms so favorable?’
As Logan furrowed his brow, lost in thought, a harsh voice accompanied by a loud bang at the door cut through the air.
“Tower master! Let’s have a word.”
The cool voice was accompanied by a fierce face with piercing eyes and a wild beard.
Accompanied by a scar that ran from his right forehead to above his left lip, he looked more like a veteran mercenary or an assassin than a mage.
Moreover, his massive physique hid beneath his robe, radiating a certainty of a solid muscular build.
At first glance, he seemed better suited to armor than a robe.
“Clayton?”
Radios’s voice revealed slight alarm, and behind the forcefully opened door, young mages attempting to restrain him appeared.
“Master!”
“Master, you don’t have to do this!”
The tower master’s spacious room was suddenly as noisy as a marketplace, and Logan gazed surprisingly at the newly arrived mage.
‘5th circle!’
Logan’s senses clearly felt the five earth-toned circles resting in the man’s heart.
Radios’s face grimaced, as the presence behind him flinched, not only due to the appearance of a serial killer.
But the tower master’s expression hardly changed.
“Elder Clayton. We have a guest. We’ll talk after the matter is finished.”
“That matter is about my disciples. I must discuss it now.”
“…Elder Clayton. Do you really want to embarrass yourself in front of a guest?”
“How embarrassing, tower master. You’re presenting the young people who are the future of the tower as mere laborers…”
“Enough!”
Radios’s face blushed with Clayton’s sharp retort.
However, after looking at Logan once over, he sighed deeply and continued,
“Everything is for the tower’s benefit. Are there others who work as well as your disciples?”
“That’s exactly my question! Why only make ‘my’ disciples work so hard? Especially today, when they just got back.”
The harsh gaze flew towards him, but Radios maintained an impassive face.
“Ah! For the sake of the tower, I tell you! It is said that youthful hardships are even sought after! It’s all for their good!”
“So you want to torture my disciples because you can’t order me, an elder, around? Did you think I would stand by?”
As the unexpected quarrel stretched on, Logan quietly derived the necessary information from their conversation.
‘This was it.’
Logan realized why such a favorable contract was so easily penned.
It was the internal conflict of the tower that became a stroke of luck for him.
“If you don’t like the tower master’s orders, you and your disciples are free to leave now.”
“Ha! Is that supposed to be a serious statement?”
As Clayton’s anger rose, and mana visibly surged, the tower master’s mana also started exploding in response.
Vroom.
The same earthy tones, yet entirely different auras of mana clashed, shaking the entire room.
‘Wow!’
The sight of a confrontation between high-level mages promised to be interesting, but…
‘That’s not the issue now.’
With a clearer picture of their situation, Logan’s unease faded. And what needed to be done?
He quickly took out his identification badge and stamped it at the bottom of the contract.
Bam!
“Now, with this, the contract is established. The ten standing there, follow me.”
The poised voice cut through the tense atmosphere, drawing everyone’s eyes towards Logan.
“Ah! You two… Well, do as you please. The contract is still valid even with a new tower master, right?”
But on Logan’s face holding up the contract, there was only a smile.
The two opposing mages looked flabbergasted at Logan.
Yet, their responses were starkly different.
“Cough. I’m sorry you had to see such an ugly sight. Very well. The scrolls will be sent as soon as they are ready.”
“Tower master. I haven’t finished talking!”
“Elder Clayton! Are you really going to resort to force in front of an official contract of the Earth Tower? Remember your status!”
Interrupted by Rumerun’s words, Clayton glared at him with eyes that could spit fire, but the words were not incorrect.
Clayton’s face trembled with unresolved anger, but he reluctantly retracted his gaze and stepped back.
Watching him, both the tower master and Rumerun smiled, but Clayton uttered an unexpected declaration.
“Fine! Then I will follow my disciples.”
“Clayton!”
“An elder intending to follow a construction site and neglect the tower’s dignity!”
“Dignity of the tower comes after my disciples! My kids, who can’t even rest because of some ruthless scoundrels, I will go with them to expedite the work so they can rest.”
“Truly willful. If that’s how you insist… Well, do as you please. A 5th circle mage in construction.”
The cold exchange between the tower master and the elder seemed to conclude there, but there remained a crucial issue.
“Uh… Both of you? I have no intention to employ a 5th circle mage.”
With Logan’s words, the mages’ gazes turned back to him.
‘Why would a construction project need a 5th circle mage? It’s a waste of money.’
The labor costs of a mage above the 5th circle were astronomical.
There were terrifying rumors about a starting price of 1 million gold, and Logan had no intention of such wasteful spending.
‘Absolutely not!’
As Logan prepared to decisively cut off any objection, something unexpected happened.
“I simply intend to help with my disciples’ work. I do not plan to take any money for it. My goal is to facilitate the quick completion of the work.”
Hearing those blissful words like music from heaven, Logan immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“We will serve you in the best way, Elder. How would you like your carriage to be prepared?”
The sudden shift in demeanor even caused Clayton’s grim face to briefly blank in surprise.
“…A simple one would suffice, my lord.”
“I will prepare it so that you can travel comfortably.”
Who was the employer, and who was the laborer?
While everyone gazed in bewilderment, Logan simply beamed.
‘Aha! Top-notch staff for free!’
With a 5th circle mage, to the extent that the originally intended collapse scrolls were virtually unnecessary.
Therefore, Logan could readily nod to Clayton’s next words.
“Just give us one more day. My disciples need to rest up before we depart.”
“Of course. I also have things to settle.”
The contract with the tower was a jackpot, and Logan’s smile showed no signs of fading.
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