The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“Why…?”

Tower Master Perido clutched his head as it grew dizzy, leaning heavily into his chair. Both Leopard Tower and Cornelius Tower had outright rejected Perido’s proposal.

In fact, they didn’t even allow the messengers sent by him to enter, turning them away at the door. Perido felt a wave of emptiness, like being betrayed by trusted allies.

The large magic tower cartel formed within the Leslie Kingdom was moving with meticulous and grand plans.

Leopard, Cornelius, and Skyler Towers had agreed to endure some losses together for a while to increase their market share, and they had also decided to divide several medium-sized magic towers amongst themselves.

Unfortunately, Perido Tower had been chosen as Skyler Tower’s prey. Perido probably thought that if he held on long enough, he could ask for help from Skyler’s rival towers if things got worse.

Yet, the fate of Perido Tower had already been decided by these three massive powers.

‘These despicable bastards!’

It wasn’t as if Perido didn’t know them; he had greeted them at tower master meetings or conferences. And in some cases, they had even collaborated on joint research or development, lending production lines during urgent times.

All he got in return was cold betrayal and disregard. A cold anger began to burn slowly within Perido’s mind.

‘I can’t just collapse like this!’

If they were to go bankrupt in this state, the tower with a history of centuries would be sold off at a pittance, and he and his mages would end up living like slaves.

If saving the tower was impossible, shouldn’t he at least sell it at a reasonable price?

The tower master sprang to his feet and summoned his mages.

“Inform every medium to large magic tower within the kingdom immediately. Tell them that if there is anyone willing to purchase, we will sell the tower at a fair price.”

“Tower Master…”

It was as good as a complete surrender. The affiliated mages, realizing this, wore expressions of despair and couldn’t hide their sorrow.

“Hurry. We don’t know how far their influence reaches.”

It might already be too late, but they had no choice but to hope that someone within the kingdom would step forward to make a reasonable offer.

*

“Welcome.”

Raul visited Perido Tower for the second time.

The difference from the first visit was that the tower master’s complexion had darkened significantly, and the overall atmosphere of the tower seemed gloomy.

Ultimately, Tower Master Perido had found no alternative solution. None of the magic towers in the Leslie Kingdom wanted to take the risk of opposing the three major powers.

In the end, Tower Master Perido had no choice but to bring up Raul’s proposal, which he had postponed until the last possible moment.

After a brief greeting, he spoke in a dejected voice, “So we meet again like this. Is the offer you mentioned before still valid, Viscount Raul?”

“Of course. I am still willing to take over Perido Tower, and I am ready to deal with any issues that arise during the process.”

“Is that so.”

The tower master looked blankly down at the table for a while, then sighed and asked.

“If you don’t mind me asking, may I know the reason? Frankly, what drives you to take on the apparent risks to acquire our tower? Is it because of ‘that technology’?”

“I cannot deny it. I highly value ‘that technology’. It’s something I absolutely cannot give up.”

Raul’s resolute answer caused the tower master’s pupils to shake.

“Sigh. To be honest, the ‘Multi-Core Control Technology’ is still in its infancy. There’s no guarantee how long it will take to perfect it, or if it can even be controlled effectively. I don’t understand why everyone covets it so much. I wish this technology had never been discovered.”

The tower master’s lament practically conveyed his regrets. Raul’s eyes gleamed at this revelation.

‘Strange. The developer himself lacks confidence. He doesn’t seem to grasp its true value. Is there something I’m missing?’

The Multi-Core Control Technology.

It was a groundbreaking technology that had elevated Perido Tower, a middle-tier magic tower, to a leading position in Power Armor development.

Previously, Power Armors could operate using only a single core. However, this technology enabled multiple cores to function simultaneously, resulting in significant advancements in the power, durability, and utility of Power Armors.

The critical point was that despite it being developed three years ago, no other magic tower had managed to replicate it.

Although the Empire had started producing inferior duplicate cores, their commercialization had only just begun, underscoring the technology’s immense value.

Regardless, it was clear to Raul that this technology was something he absolutely needed to secure.

“By summoning me, can I assume you’re willing to sell the magic tower to me?”

When Raul inquired, the tower master nodded silently. He took a sip of his tea and spoke in a voice laden with regret.

“This situation has made me realize many things. I thought I had dedicated my life to this country and the magic world, but when a real crisis hit, no one came to help. Now, I no longer feel the need to remain tied to the Leslie Kingdom. I want to go somewhere we are wanted.”

“You’ve made a wise decision. Although the infrastructure isn’t fully established yet, I promise sufficient investment and support to ensure there’s no lack in anything. Thank you truly.”

Raul clenched his fist under the table. Having swayed the tower master’s heart, Raul now had the justification to make his move.

Barely managing to maintain a neutral expression, Raul turned and asked Department Head Dario, who had been present at the meeting,

“Can we proceed with the acquisition process immediately?”

“Yes, I’ll look into the detailed procedures and contact you right away.”

The tower master’s expression seemed noticeably lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Raul shook hands with the tower master and left in high spirits.

*

The next day. Raul gathered with his party in the conference room to discuss the acquisition of the three towers (Graneck Tower, Jedo Tower, and Perido Tower).

The acquisitions of Graneck and Jedo Towers had already reached the final stages, with paperwork completed. What remained was determining the treatment of the tower’s assets and members.

“It might be a good idea to leave the tower buildings for now and later use them as branches for the First Knight Order or offices for new magic towers.”

Raul agreed with Bernard’s suggestion. Eventually, the plan was to establish branches and trade offices of the First Knight Order in capital cities and major cities.

“We have signed contracts with about 80% of the mages. The remaining 20% intend to retire or move elsewhere, and we are drawing up IOUs and debt certificates accordingly.”

Unfortunately, the towers were not privately owned, and all members collectively bore responsibility for the tower’s debts.

Thus, those leaving the tower had to assume a portion of the debt commensurate with their rank. Even in this case, Raul was extending considerable grace.

Typically, mages from bankrupt towers faced endless labor in workshops until their debts were cleared, with no choice in the matter.

Since Raul planned to establish a new magic tower, he had no intention of accepting those unwilling into his fold.

“What about the knights and craftsmen?”

“They all agreed to stay.”

“That’s a relief. They’ll be working under you, so take good care of them.”

“Yes, Master.”

It was a given that Nakia would be appointed the master of the new First Magic Tower. Having already reached the rank of a 6th circle master and possessing deep knowledge in alchemy, she was more than qualified for the role.

There were three essential components needed to manufacture Power Armor:

A specialist mage to inscribe the magic circles controlling the core and the force field,

An alchemist to craft the mana rods and artificial muscles of the Power Armor and concoct the magical lubricants flowing within,

A blacksmith to produce the exoskeleton and armor of the Power Armor.

A facility that could house all three and produce Power Armors directly was considered a Power Armor manufacturer (or magic tower).

While Nakia’s knowledge of magic circles might not be as profound, Raul believed that with the new talents recruited via the tower acquisition and shared information, she could fully realize her potential.

“Now, about Perido Tower…”

Just as Raul started talking about Perido Tower, there was a commotion outside.

‘What’s going on? It sounds noisy enough to be heard from here.’

This place was an annex of Gray Tower. Small but with a neat garden and surrounded by a wall, it wasn’t usually a noisy location.

Knock knock.

“Excuse me, Master. It seems you should come out for a moment.”

A servant butler, looking slightly flustered, called for Raul. Wondering what was going on, the group stepped outside the annex to clearer sounds.

“Dirty foreign capitalists, leave this country!”

“Leave! Leave!”

“Perido Tower, which is trying to sell national core technology to foreign countries, repent!”

“Repent! Repent!”

“Gray Tower that colludes with foreign nobles, apologize!”

“Apologize! Apologize!”

Raul couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

‘They’re using such tactics here as well?’

It made him realize that people were the same everywhere. Raul didn’t bother stepping outside; instead, he floated into the air and looked down at the protesting crowd.

Rabel cast an invisibility spell, ensuring that no one outside could see him. There were roughly a hundred protesters. Aside from a few who were inciting the crowd, most had dirty faces and wore worn-out clothes.

Each held a placard with some message written on it, though Raul wondered how many of them could even read what it said. Passersby glanced at the protesters and their signs, whispering to each other.

By evening, they would likely be talking about this scene in the taverns. When Raul descended back into the garden, the chief mage of Gray Tower, Elmer, was already outside.

Raul bowed his head in apology.

“I’m sorry for causing such a disturbance. It looks like Gray Tower is getting undeserved criticism because of us.”

Elmer waved his hand dismissively, smiling as if it was no big deal.

“Well, these things happen from time to time. When you have a peculiar tower master, all sorts of events occur. No matter how noisy they get, they will soon disperse. Don’t pay it too much attention.”

He then waved his hand, completely blocking the outside noise from reaching within the walls.

“Frankly, none of the tower members pay any mind to it. They rarely venture out, so they likely don’t even know there’s a protest outside right now.”

“Still, I feel like we’re being a burden….”

“Honestly, I don’t like the current state of the kingdom either. Still, as long as you are our guest, we will ensure your safety. Just be cautious when you go out.”

“Thank you.”

The truth was, this place was almost like an extraterritorial area even within the Leslie Kingdom. The existence of the great sage known as Gray carried that kind of weight.

‘I don’t like it, but for now, I’ll just observe. We’ll be leaving once the acquisition is completed anyway.’

There was no benefit in getting involved with a clueless protest crowd. It seemed the protest issue would quietly blow over, but another problem arose elsewhere.

“I apologize. It appears to be beyond my ability to resolve this matter…. The chairman of the association also wishes to convey his regrets.”

Mage Dario, who had visited a few days later, bowed in apology.

“It’s alright. This isn’t the fault of you or the association.”

Raul spoke these words but silently clicked his tongue.

‘The Leslie Kingdom has really gone off the deep end. They altered the legal regulations just because of one magic tower.’

The story was as follows. Although not to the extent of modern Earth, the nations of Connect had laws in place to protect vital industries and commerce.

In the Leslie Kingdom, there were regulations to protect the core national strength, which included magic towers, restricting the sale or investment of such towers to foreign entities.

Perido Tower, a medium-sized tower with a modest capital and personnel, was originally exempt from this restriction. However, within a few days, the protection criteria had been drastically lowered, bringing Perido Tower under its scope.

Arbitrarily lowering the protection criteria without consultation was bound to cause friction in trade and relations with foreign countries. Despite this, the kingdom was signaling its unwillingness to easily relinquish Perido Tower.

‘After dealing with Perido Tower, they’ll likely revert the regulations quietly. But if they think I’m an easy target, they’re mistaken.’

Raul immediately called for Kane.

“Kane, gather the relevant materials and report them to our country immediately. It would be better if we could coordinate with the Templeton Duchy through Dalton. Also, kindly send these materials to the capital cities of the Marcus Kingdom, Brennan Republic, and Holy Empire. And don’t forget to submit them to the media as well.”

Such interesting matters should be shared for maximum enjoyment.

While it might not directly help Raul in acquiring the tower, the Leslie Kingdom would suffer considerable losses from this event.

“How does this affect the acquisition of Perido Tower?”

In response to Raul’s query, Mage Dario answered apologetically,

“We will likely have to go through a special auction process via public bidding.”

As Raul listened to the explanation of the process, a smirk gradually formed on his lips.

‘Yeah, I didn’t expect this to end quietly. Let’s have a proper showdown.’

With renewed resolve, Raul called for a meeting.

(To be continued)