Alpoi participated in the large-scale construction work happening in the territory every day. His mana was constantly drained, with no time to replenish it, and the exhaustion was clear in his sunken eyes. But no matter how tired he was, he couldn't stop. He knew well what would happen if he was caught slacking off. “Seriously, what is this? There has to be a limit to how much work you can give us! This is too much!” “We came here as mages of the proud Scarlet Flame Magic Tower, not to do such menial labor! This isn't what we signed up for!” The newly arrived mages complained to Alpoi every day. But no matter how much they grumbled, Alpoi, looking half-dead, could only shake his head. “The master... no, the lord ordered it, so we have to...” “What a cowardly excuse!” The new mages couldn’t understand. How had Alpoi, once so full of confidence as the heir to the Magic Tower, ended up like this? But Alpoi wasn’t the only one who seemed off. The other mages, too, kept their heads down and focused solely on their work. What in the world had happened? “Tell us! Why are you so obediently doing such lowly tasks?” “Well... because it’s fun...” “If it’s fun, why are you crying?!” “Because... it’s so fun... I could cry...” “Don’t spout nonsense!” The new mages, unable to tolerate this any longer, decided to take action. The Magic Tower had instructed them to follow the lord’s orders, and the head of the branch was setting an example by working hard. For a few days, they held their tongues and did as they were told... But they couldn’t keep being used like this. It wasn’t just a matter of pride. The more they watched the older mages, the more a bad feeling gnawed at them. All of them had dark circles under their eyes and were covered in dust and grime from the construction work. They looked nothing like the elegant, dignified mages they were supposed to be. “Let’s go together!” “Where to?” “To confront the lord and tell him we refuse to do this work! If he insists, we’ll return to the Magic Tower! You’ll come with us too, right, head of the branch? Let’s demand this firmly!” “I don’t know... That’s scary...” “Ugh!” The new mages gritted their teeth, frustrated with Alpoi’s cowardice. It was embarrassing to even call him the heir to the Magic Tower. “Pathetic. We no longer recognize you as the Tower Master's successor!” “I’m definitely going to report this to the Tower Master!” “Let’s go and confront the lord ourselves!” With fiery determination, the mages stormed off. It seemed they were planning to threaten the lord into either letting them quit or leave the territory altogether. Even though the mages had insulted him, Alpoi could only stare blankly as they left. But as soon as they were out of sight, the expressions of Alpoi and the remaining mages shifted. “Hehehe, fools.” They suppressed their laughter, careful not to let it be heard by the departing mages. Their acting would have been in vain otherwise. “If I have to suffer, so will they.” “Let’s see how they like it.” They had endured every insult, all for the satisfaction of seeing others suffer the same fate. “Hehe, they have no idea how terrifying this lord is. They’re in for it now.” “Idiots. Do they even realize what they’re getting into?” “Man, I was so nervous! Once they sign the contract, we’ll dump all the work on them.” “Yeah, they’ll understand why we’ve been suffering soon enough.” “Some people only learn after getting smacked around.” Their last hope, the elder, had already left. Since they couldn’t escape, the best they could hope for was for the workload to be spread out among more people. That would mean at least a bit more sleep. The mages had gotten very good at thinking on their feet. Just as they had expected, Ghislain was now looking down at the complaining mages with a blank expression. “We can’t do this work anymore!” “You need to treat us properly! If not, we’re returning to the Magic Tower!” Ghislain stroked his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. “I thought I told Alpoi to manage this properly... Didn’t he try to stop you?” “Stop us? He refused to come with us! The man’s a wreck, drooling and sitting around in a daze! He’s changed because of all this construction work, hasn’t he?!” Ghislain, holding his forehead, let out a soft laugh. “Hah, this guy, trying to outwit me. What a funny guy.” “What’s so funny, lord? Are you mocking us?” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 The mages, not understanding why Ghislain was laughing, only grew angrier. “Alright, don’t get too worked up. So, if I keep you on the construction project, you’re saying you’ll leave, right?” “Exactly!” “Didn’t the Tower Master tell you to cooperate with our territory’s needs? I’m sure he even mentioned construction.” “Yes, but who actually throws mages into construction work? No noble would dare!” “But I discussed this with the Tower Master beforehand, and we signed a contract. This would be a breach of contract. I’ve been supplying an enormous amount of rune stones, and you’ve all benefited from that.” “We understand, but this is too much! Even if you’re a lord, you can’t force us into labor! From now on, we’ll only focus on research and defending the territory.” Ghislain stood silent for a moment, staring at the twenty mages standing before him with their heads held high. It seemed these mages didn’t understand the weight of a contract. If he let them go, they’d still be punished by the Tower Master for breaking the contract. “Hah, I guess the Tower Master didn’t explain things well enough. Mage pride really is a tricky thing.” Sure, he could send them back to be disciplined, but that would be a waste of time. With so much work to do, losing these mages would delay his plans significantly. “Hmmm, what to do...” Ghislain knew exactly why Alpoi had sent the mages to him, but he wasn’t really inclined to enslave them all. That wouldn’t suit his self-proclaimed “peace-loving” nature. Nor did he have the time to make bets like before. “Sigh, this breaks my heart, but there’s no other way.” “What do you mean by that?” “Just wait a moment.” Ghislain gestured for the mages to calm down, then called out toward the door. “Hey, someone, bring me a club.” A soldier entered a moment later, carrying a finely polished club. The craftsmanship was evident in every groove of the wood. As Ghislain twirled the club in his hand, the mages’ faces twisted in outrage. “What are you doing? This is beyond disrespect!” “Disrespect? I don’t think that’s the issue here. Let’s focus on what matters. How about we make a bet?” “A bet?” “Attack me all at once. If you manage to land even a scratch, I’ll grant your request. But if you lose, you’ll each sign a contract.” “A contract for what?” “Oh, I hate dragging things out, so let’s get straight to it. If you manage to even slightly injure me, you’ll get to relax and do whatever you want. I’ll give you all the rune stones you ask for, and anyone who wants to can return to the Magic Tower immediately.” Hearing this, the mages' eyes gleamed. Though none of them were higher than 3rd-circle mages, there were still twenty of them. Even with their relatively low rank, twenty mages working together could easily defeat any knight. “You’ll regret this.” All the mages gathered their mana at once. They had built up a lot of resentment toward Ghislain lately, and now they had a chance to let it all out. As twenty mages concentrated their mana, the objects around them began to tremble. But Ghislain, smiling serenely, just watched. “Ah, I really didn’t want to add more slaves... I’m trying so hard to live a good life, but the world keeps pushing me in the wrong direction.” With graceful movements, Ghislain swung the club through the air, cutting through the flow of the mages’ mana. That day, twenty more slaves were added to the territory. A few days passed since the twenty-six mages had begun throwing themselves into construction work with tear-filled eyes. Claude came to report to Ghislain. “All the herbs you requested have arrived, and the tools are prepared.” “Good, let’s start immediately.” “What exactly are you planning to make? Is this some kind of specialty product like the mana-infused wheat?” Claude was genuinely curious. He had examined the blueprints Ghislain had handed him, but they seemed to involve boiling, dissolving, mixing, and refining—things typically seen in alchemists’ labs when they were making strange concoctions. “It’s something the nobles will love. But if I tell you now, it’ll ruin the surprise. Just wait and see.” ‘Ugh... should I believe this or not?’ Claude was itching to make a snarky comment but held his tongue. He had gotten into trouble with Ghislain not too long ago. Now was the time to lie low and observe. ‘There’s no way someone can keep succeeding. I’ll watch and wait for the right moment to make another bet.’ It was the common mistake of compulsive gamblers. Having succeeded last time, they convince themselves that failure is more likely next time. Even someone as smart as Claude, the top of his academy, wasn’t immune to that faulty thinking. Grinning to himself as he plotted how to win back his freedom, Claude missed the exasperated look Ghislain gave him. Ghislain clicked his tongue and moved to a new area. The so-called "herbal development lab" was a fancy name, but in reality, it wasn’t much. On one side were piles of herbs, and on the other were tools arranged according to Ghislain’s designs. “This place really does look like an alchemist’s lab,” Ghislain remarked as he examined the room. In truth, the product he was about to create had originally been developed by a collaboration between mages and alchemists in the future. So, calling it an alchemist’s lab wasn’t too far off the mark. “Bring in the mages.” The mages, who were suddenly dragged in, were ordered to inscribe magic circles onto the tools. Alpoi, looking pale and exhausted, gritted his teeth as he drew the magic circles. He understood that some of the circles were designed to extract the herbs' properties or purify impurities, but beyond that, he had no clue what the final product was meant to be. ‘I’m not even going to ask. Whatever it is, it’ll just be more nonsense.’ As curious as he was about what the tools would be used for, Alpoi forced himself to remain silent. ‘I won’t ask. I’m not going to ask. Asking will only bring me more pain.’ Luckily, the magic circles were relatively simple, so the work was completed within a day. Curiosity is the mage's natural instinct. Just as they were about to leave, thoroughly drained of mana, Alpoi finally broke and asked the question he had been holding back. “What are you making? What is this?” “It’s something that’ll make a lot of money. Want to guess? If you guess right, I’ll let you go free. But if you’re wrong, I’ll add ten more years to your sentence...” “No! I’m not gambling!” Alpoi huffed, muttering curses under his breath as he stomped out of the room. “Wow, that first loss must’ve really traumatized him. He’s gotten a lot better at saying no.” Ghislain, half impressed, half disappointed, clicked his tongue and called in the workers. Some sorted the herbs, others boiled water, and some managed the fire. None of the workers had any idea what they were doing; they simply repeated the tasks they were given without question. “I wonder what the lord is making this time?” “Seems like he’s making some sort of medicine.” “Do we care? Let’s just do what we’re told. It’s probably something good for you, right?” Several days passed before a thick, black liquid finally flowed out of the last piece of equipment. Ghislain dipped his finger into the liquid and sniffed it, frowning. “This isn’t the right color. Something must’ve gone wrong. The smell is off too.” He didn’t get it right on the first try. Without the exact recipe, he had expected some trial and error. The knowledge he had from his past life was limited, and replicating such a complex process wasn’t easy. But Ghislain wasn’t worried. Recreating something that had already existed was far easier than creating something from scratch. Since he knew the general outline, tweaking the details would only take time. Over the next few days, Ghislain made small adjustments to the proportions of the herbs, the reaction times, and the magic circles. After several attempts, he finally achieved the desired result. “Oh, perfect. This is it.” Unlike before, a pure white extract now flowed from the equipment, and Ghislain smiled in satisfaction. The product was finally complete, and while that was reason enough to be pleased, there was something even more satisfying. In his previous life, this very product had been the primary source of income for the Duke of Delphine. Ghislain chuckled as he imagined the people who were, at this very moment, tirelessly working to develop this product elsewhere. “Go ahead and do your best, fools. You’re already too late.”