Episode 104: Want to make a bet with me? (4)
Alfoy and the wizards appeared with leisurely smiles.
They too heard the rumors that were widely spread throughout the territory.
There was a rumor that Giselle had made a bet that she could never win.
The wizards were confident that Claude would win the bet.
‘Hahaha, this devilish bastard is finally going to be completely humiliated. Good job, Commander. I believed in you!’
Alfoy didn’t even think about hiding his laughter.
How could I not be happy when Jiselle was so humiliated?
Alfoy chuckled to himself, thinking that if he had known this would happen, he would have been nicer to Claude.
The other wizards also had good complexions.
Only Vanessa had her head bowed with a gloomy expression.
Alpoy coughed a couple of times and then faced Giselle confidently.
“Ahem, why did you call me?”
Now that I’m a lord, I can’t speak informally to him and be a troublemaker like before.
Even though he was the successor to the Magic Tower, he was not treated as a noble like the tower lord or elders.
Jiselle answered with an indifferent expression.
“Why did you call me? I called you because I have to use magic. It’s very important, so you have to be careful.”
“I’ve heard rumors. You’re not trying to increase your intelligence with magic, are you?”
“what?”
Jiselle frowned. Alpoy continued speaking urgently.
“It’s impossible for us to handle all that reclaimed land by ourselves! Do you know that if we forcefully increase the land power, the land will become even more barren next time?”
You can instantly increase your intellect by using powerful magic or divine power.
But there was no lord who actually used that method.
Because if you use it just once, the land will be ruined. It was the price of forcibly extracting life force.
To resolve the side effect, you need to draw in surrounding mana every time, and this method can only be used by high-level magicians or priests.
It’s much more profitable to use the money to buy food rather than hiring them.
Of course, Alpoy didn’t care if Giselle’s land was in shambles or not.
Even if there were no such side effects, I have no intention of using force.
“I never learned that kind of magic in the first place. And using tricks is against fair play.”
“What are you talking about? I’m going to create a magic circle in the empty lot behind the castle.”
“A magic circle?”
Alfoy clicked his tongue inwardly.
Judging from the fact that it wasn’t a reclamation area and was being built behind the castle, it seemed like they were going to do something else useless.
“Yes, I will use the runestone to create a mana concentration circle. Stack the regeneration magic circle, and additionally, another magic circle… … No, that’s enough. What good will it do to tell you? I will skip any further explanation.”
The wizards tilted their heads after hearing the explanation.
The explanation was a little insincere, but it was also the first time I had heard of a magic circle of this type since I was born.
Alpoy asked, pretending to be timid.
“No, what kind of magic circle is this? Do you know what magic is?”
“Very important. Get ready first. I don’t have time to explain everything. I’ll check everything thoroughly, so do it carefully. Quickly and surely. Understand?”
“Tch, it’s obvious that the Mana concentration camp is the center. Do you think I don’t know this much?”
A magic circle that artificially gathers mana in one place using rune stones is called a mana concentration circle.
If you practice the Mana Training Method inside it, you can accumulate Mana a little faster than usual.
It was a magic circle that anyone who used mana, whether a knight or a wizard, dreamed of.
But not just anyone can use it.
It took several runestones to create one magic circle, but even so, the magic circle’s duration did not exceed a week.
After just a few days, the rune stones will lose their power and break.
Unless you were a highly sought-after knight from a wealthy estate, the experience of mana gathering was something that most knights would only experience once in their lifetime.
Of course, the case of Giselle with the Rune Stone is a bit different.
‘Count Balzac, the sword master of the Delphine Dukes, also received support when he was young and only used it for about a month?’
Even the Duke of Delphine, famous for being wealthy, only gathered the truly talented and gave them a brief period of experience.
“Are you going to write it yourself, Your Majesty?”
“Why am I writing this?”
Jiselle asked in bewilderment. Alpoy raised his chin and asked.
“If I’m not going to use it myself… … . Do I need to make several?”
“Oh, that’s a sharp question. Do you have any idea where I’m going to use it?”
“Huh, that’s to be expected. Then how many should I make?”
“One… two hundred?”
“yes?”
All the wizards were terrified by Giselle’s words.
The amount of runestones required to create 200 mana concentration circles would be enormous.
I don’t know for sure, but it was definitely the same amount as what was sold at the rooftop before.
But Alpoy nodded as if he understood.
“Sure… … I guess that much is necessary.”
There are currently close to three hundred mercenaries.
That would be necessary for all those people to enter and train.
“It’s good to spend money to grow it quickly, but… … If you spend this much money, you won’t be able to maintain it for long, right?”
Jiselle answered, a little surprised.
“Once is enough. But you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you? You figured it out already? I must have been fooling you.”
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Alfoy shrugged his shoulders as if to ask for more praise.
“It’s strange that I don’t know about the actions the Lord has taken so far. He’s always moving in a hurry.”
“I know. Anyway, since you’re busy, please prepare quickly. If there’s anything you don’t know, ask Vanessa. She’s the one who knows the magic circle the best in our territory.”
“But why on earth do other magic circles overlap? I’ve never seen anything like this before… … . Which magic tower’s method is this? Unverified magic circles are extremely dangerous. Are you sure? And something this complicated takes time to work on… … .”
“Oh, you really talk too much, I wonder who would call you an educated person. Don’t spit it out and just move on.”
Alfoy, who had been questioning with great curiosity as a wizard, took a step back, licking his lips at the sight of Giselle’s fierce expression.
I’m curious, but if I keep asking questions, I’m going to get hit.
“Well, since you asked me to do so much, I’ll try my best.”
“I’ll check it out, so make sure to do it. But I checked it out again today. He’s a smart guy for what he does.”
Jiselle said something that was neither a compliment nor an insult and left.
Alpoy felt proud for some reason and smiled.
“Vanessa, you heard? Get ready to make a magic circle. It’s going to last for a few days, so let’s carve it properly.”
“Yes, yes! I understand.”
Vanessa couldn’t hide her surprised expression.
I have no idea why I create a magic circle, but I guessed the Lord’s intention as soon as I heard it.
No matter what, I still felt that he was the successor to the Magic Tower.
Alfoy commanded the wizards and began to carve a magic circle right in the open space.
The wizards began their work with confidence, but their momentum did not last long.
“Oh, how did you do this?”
“If you do this, the magic circuit won’t connect.”
“This is not my field… … .”
Magic circles are a field that requires a long period of study to be properly drawn.
If you make even the slightest mistake, the magic circle will not activate, and sometimes it will have dangerous effects such as exploding.
I have to draw 200 magic circles, especially overlapping magic circles that I’ve never seen before.
Alfoy and the other wizards were at a loss as to what to do.
“Oh my, what should we do? If this goes wrong, we’ll all be in trouble. That bird… … The lord has a bad temper.”
Alpoy bit his nails in anxiety.
Vanessa, who had been fidgeting while watching the wizards do their thing, quickly intervened.
“I, I, I will try to fix this part.”
“Oh, okay. Give it a try. I’ll give you a chance.”
Vanessa carved the magic circle without a single error. It took a long time because she lacked magic power, but she did not miss even the smallest line.
It was only natural that Vanessa would gain authority because she could see into things that others could not.
Vanessa quickly became a leader among the wizards.
Alfoy, who was secretly pushed back, kept coughing in vain with an embarrassed expression.
“Oh, she studied a lot. She studied hard. When did she study like that while doing laundry?”
The other wizards nodded in admiration.
I knew from the last war that even if you don’t have magic power, you have a lot of knowledge.
But now that I look back, it wasn’t just mediocre.
He had no trouble drawing magic circles, and it seemed that his magical knowledge was at least that of an elder of the Magic Tower.
Alfoy, who was relieved thanks to Vanessa, muttered instead of helping her.
“But what on earth is this magic circle? I’ve never seen one before. Is this a proper magic circle? Where on earth did you get it? It’s not like it’ll work just by putting all the good things in it.”
“Well, well? I’m doing it because the Lord told me to do so… … .”
“Is it something like the vision of the Ferdium family? I haven’t heard of a wizard in that family.”
Alfoy made several guesses before finally shaking his head.
“Hey, let’s just do as you say. If something happens, the lord will take responsibility. Seriously, I’m going to do all sorts of things because I feel like I’m going to lose the bet. Is this how I can win the favor of the mercenaries? Tsk tsk… People really are pathetic.”
Vanessa, who had been listening from the side, made a pointed expression, but Alfoy did not notice.
“Yes, yes. Then reconnect the circuit over there… … . No, what are you doing? Not over there, but here… … . Oh, don’t you know this? Didn’t you study it?”
“Uh, uh? Sorry. Is this the right place?”
There was a hint of nagging in her words to the Alpoina wizards, but no one noticed.
* * *
Rumors of a mana concentration camp being established spread quickly.
There are a whopping 200 of them!
There was no way that the mercenaries who lived off of rumors would not know.
At some point, the talk about gambling and drinking disappeared and everyone started talking only about the Mana House.
“Will the captain teach us the Mana training method? Most people don’t know that, right?”
“How many times have you said you would make us elite? Why not?”
“Oh, then at least we should sign a long-term contract.”
Mercenaries also now knew that they could not endure renewing their one-year contracts.
Surely a new offer would come sooner or later, and then I would have to choose one side, whether I liked it or not.
Perhaps they will use the Mana Concentration Method and Mana Concentration Circle as bait to induce long-term contracts.
After several days of anticipation from the mercenaries, the mana concentration camp was finally completed.
“It’s a mana concentration camp that I made… no, that I made with Vanessa! Have you ever seen anything like this in your lives? Hahahaha!”
Although Alpoy was snarling, the mercenaries paid him no mind and rushed towards Giselle.
Jiselle, who was checking one by one to see if the magic circle was properly engraved, looked a little surprised when the mercenaries barged in.
“Why did you suddenly come looking for me like this? I didn’t call you. What’s going on?”
The answer came from Gillian.
“It seems like everyone is very interested in the Mana Focus.”
Jiselle snickered at the sight of eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
“Don’t worry too much, your chance will come one by one. Don’t be greedy.”
The mercenaries were convinced by those words.
This mana concentration camp really prepared for themselves!
Gordon, who is quick-tempered, couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward.
“Then who goes in first? What is the Mana training method?”
“Who will go in first… … These guys will go in first.”
Jiselle spat out indifferently and stretched out her hand to the side.
Claude, with a tired look on his face, placed his pocket on his hand.
Jiselle took out a handful of what was inside her pocket.
Sturdy, glossy wheat grains appeared.
While everyone else was just blinking, Gordon asked again.
“Surely… … is that what you mean by going in first?”
“huh.”
“Isn’t that a grain of wheat?”
“yes.”
“By any chance… … did they also learn the Mana training method?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Gordon swallowed and asked one last question.
“In that huge sum of money spent on mana gathering… … the wheat grains are the first ones to go in? Not me?”
“Oh, that’s right! How many times do I have to say it? No, and why are you the first?”
Jiselle spat out in annoyance.
Only then did people’s expressions distort as they realized that this was not a joke.
How dare you burn that expensive runestone on something as simple as a grain of wheat!
