Chapter 220

I calmly said,

“How can you be so certain…?”

“Ahem, whether you believe me or not is up to you. I’ve said all I can.”

Old Man Baker crossed his arms.

Perhaps because he had finally revealed what he had been struggling with, his expression seemed relieved.

“The decision is yours. What will you do? Will you trust my swordsmanship once again and strive to reach the end, or will you continue to search for another difficult path?”

Old Man Baker pressed me for an answer.

‘This is the final question.’

I smiled wryly to myself.

He knew that there was no point in dragging things out any longer, now that he had shown all his cards.

By the way, the way he emphasized “difficult path” made me chuckle, as it revealed his true intentions.

If I cut him off here, he would reluctantly let me go, but he still wanted to hold onto me.

“Hmm.”

I pretended to think seriously.

It would be too anticlimactic if I immediately agreed after putting on such a show.

After a moment of silence, I spoke again.

“Trust… As I said before, I’m the son of a merchant family, so I’m confident in my ability to judge people, just like I can distinguish between gems and stones.”

“You did say that.”

“And in my eyes, you’re definitely someone I can trust.”

“Ahem, thank you.”

I didn’t miss the sparkle in Old Man Baker’s eyes when he heard those words.

He seemed to think it was a hopeful sign.

It was time to meet his expectations.

“So I’ll trust you again, and your swordsmanship. I’ll trust the true secret technique you mentioned, the one that can reach the wall.”

“Hahahahahaha.”

Old Man Baker laughed heartily, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

We reached out and shook hands.

“You made the right decision. You made the right decision.”

“Thank you again, sir.”

A heartwarming ending.

I smiled.

Old Man Baker smiled too.

* * *

There was another thing I had to prepare.

And it would require a lot of money.

The Tower of Light.

One of the Six Great Magic Towers, located in the Holy City.

As a magic tower that specialized in light magic, it had maintained a close relationship with the Church for a long time.

That was also the reason why it was based in the Holy City.

I had business at the Tower of Light.

“Welcome.”

A female employee, who seemed to be a receptionist, greeted me on the first floor.

She was probably a mage too.

90% of the people who belonged to a magic tower were mages.

Judging from her youthful face, she seemed to be a trainee.

“Is this a general inquiry?”

“Hmm, an inquiry… It’s more like a special request.”

“Yes? What kind of request?”

“Donation.”

“Ah, a donation.”

The employee nodded and smiled.

It was a common reaction.

Donations.

They weren’t anything special for a magic tower.

The scrolls, magic books, and items of a magic tower weren’t unlimited resources that could be used freely.

Only a small portion was available to the general public.

It was a natural form of resource management, from a business perspective.

The Six Great Magic Towers were the best in this field, and magic items and scrolls were special resources that couldn’t be obtained just anywhere.

That’s why they had a membership system.

You could raise your membership level by donating a certain amount of money.

Naturally, the higher your level, the greater the benefits you could enjoy.

At the highest levels, even high-ranking mages could be hired.

And in that regard, Max Celtrine was…

‘Zero.’

His membership level was zero.

The reason was simple.

It was the Tower of Light.

If it was a magic tower that specialized in powerful offensive magic, it might be a different story, but there was no way Max would be interested in the Tower of Light, which mainly specialized in healing and support magic.

So he had no relationship with them whatsoever.

But.

I needed them.

Because I was him, but not him.

“Then, first, let me confirm your name. Your name is?”

“Max Celtrine.”

“Ah, Mr. Max Celtrine. Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen you before. Thank you so much for visiting us again and deciding to make a donation. Please wait a moment.”

The employee, with her youthful face, put on a practiced customer service smile.

…Why are you making me feel awkward?

I had never been here since possessing this body.

And there was no way he would have come here before.

The employee quickly moved to check the membership list.

I thought I saw her freeze in shock for a moment… Was it just my imagination…?

And soon.

The employee approached me with an awkward gait, unlike before.

She was still smiling, but the corners of her eyes were trembling slightly, as if she was embarrassed.

“Ah, I apologize. It was my mistake. I have a bad memory, so I sometimes make these kinds of mistakes. Please excuse me, sir.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s fine, so please proceed quickly.”

“Yes, yes, sir. Since this is your first time, I’ll give you a basic explanation…”

“Ah, the explanation is fine. Let’s skip to the main point.”

“Yes? Are you sure…?”

“I said it’s fine.”

The employee was flustered.

But perhaps she had been trained to accommodate customers’ requests, she calmly responded.

“Um… Then, first, the amount you wish to donate…”

“10,000 gold.”

I said casually.

“Yes, I understand, 10,000 gold. Then I’ll just… Huh?”

The employee, who had been writing on a notepad, suddenly tilted her head in confusion.

“Sir, I think you made a mistake. You said 10,000 gold. Could you please tell me the amount again…?”

“10,000 gold.”

“Yes, that’s what you said. So please tell me again…”

“10,000 gold.”

“Sir?”

“10,000 gold.”

“I’m sorry, but if you keep doing this…”

The employee looked at me as if I was a nuisance.

I understand.

Slap.

So I placed a check for 10,000 gold, bearing the seal of the Reynos Trading Company, in front of her.

The employee narrowed her eyes.

“Hmm? What’s this… Eeeeeek?!”

The employee’s eyes widened in shock.

Her scream was so high-pitched that it almost pierced the air.

She stood frozen like a statue, completely stunned.

Then, she suddenly sprang to life.

“L-Loyalty! Loyalty! Sir, I love you! Thank you! I love you!”

“…”

What is this, the military?

Why are you pledging loyalty…?

“Ah! T-Tenth floor! Tenth floor! I’ll escort you to the tenth floor! Thank you, I love you, sir!”

The tenth floor.

The top floor of the Tower of Light, a restricted area where only VVIPs could set foot.

And I had just gained access to it.

The power of 10,000 gold was truly amazing.

Something a protagonist could only dream of.

‘This is why everyone wants to be born with a silver spoon.’

I chuckled inwardly and followed the employee.

* * *

“Hahaha, welcome.”

A middle-aged man greeted me with a friendly smile.

I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely a nice person.

Anyone would have that expression in front of a 10,000 gold donation.

“Please, have a seat.”

The middle-aged man gestured for me to sit on an expensive-looking crocodile leather sofa.

I sat down, and the middle-aged man sat across from me.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Celtrine family, a prestigious family in the Empire. It seems like the future of the family is even brighter with such a devout successor, hahaha.”

The middle-aged man started with flattery.

I responded with a light smile.

“You flatter me. But…”

“Ah, excuse my manners. I’m Iruka, the deputy tower master of this humble tower.”

The middle-aged man introduced himself.

Iruka, the deputy tower master.

The fact that the deputy tower master himself came out to greet me showed the power of 10,000 gold once again.

The deputy tower master was usually appointed from among the tower master’s most trusted confidants.

So while they might not be the most skilled mage, they were definitely the second-in-command.

Having such a person personally attend to me was practically the highest level of treatment.

I expressed my gratitude.

“Ah, you’re the deputy tower master. Thank you for such a warm welcome.”

“Haha, you’re welcome. It’s only natural to treat a valued guest with respect.”

The deputy tower master continued with a smile.

“Then, how about some tea?”

“I’d love some.”

Soon, exquisite tea was served, and we chatted for a while.

After finishing our tea, I got to the main point.

“What’s the donation procedure?”

“Ah, you seem to be in a hurry. I’ll prepare it right away.”

The deputy tower master, who had been cautiously navigating the conversation, afraid of offending me and changing my mind, immediately took out a document when I brought up the topic.

It seemed to be a donation agreement.

I skimmed through it and picked up a pen.

“Just a signature, right?”

“Haha, of course.”

Scribble, scribble.

I signed my name.

The agreement was made.

I immediately took out the 10,000 gold check and handed it to the deputy tower master.

The deputy tower master couldn’t hide his excitement, but he tried to maintain his composure.

He seemed to be holding back, afraid of looking like someone who was obsessed with money.

“So I’m a special customer of the Tower of Light now, right?”

“Oh, of course. A very special customer.”

“That’s good to hear. Then, is it possible to make a bulk purchase?”

Bulk purchase.

It wasn’t normally possible.

Because they had set limits on the number of items they sold to each individual, which allowed them to maintain high prices and exclusivity.

It would be difficult to break that basic policy.

But.

“Haha, of course. It’s definitely possible. You’re a very special customer.”

The deputy tower master readily agreed, laughing heartily.

…Even mages become monsters of capitalism in front of too much money.

I chuckled inwardly, realizing the truth of society, and opened my mouth.

“That’s great. I wanted to donate a large number of scrolls to my alma mater.”

“Ah… A donation to your alma mater… You’re such a wonderful person.”

I could sense the deputy tower master struggling to hide his strange look.

Donating to one’s alma mater wasn’t strange.

There were quite a few people who did that.

The problem was that it was scrolls.

I was probably the only weirdo who wanted to donate a large number of scrolls.

And to make a donation for the sake of making a donation.

There was no stranger chain of events than this.

It wasn’t like I was taking out a loan to pay off a debt.

“That alma mater is…”

“Lepheria Academy.”

“Ah, what a wonderful school. No, the best school.”

The deputy tower master seemed to have regained his composure.

A 10,000 gold donation, followed by a bulk purchase of scrolls.

If it brought him this much profit, he would even be willing to bury the scrolls in the ground himself.

“Then, what kind of scrolls are you looking for?”

“Holy Light.”

“Ah, Holy Light.”

Holy Light.

It was an offensive magic spell that had little effect on ordinary monsters.

However, it was highly effective against undead and demons.

It could be considered a special attack magic.

The problem was that there weren’t many situations where it could be used.

It was almost as if you would never encounter undead or demons in your life.

“It’s a truly wonderful spell, hahaha. It’s perfect for exterminating those scary undead and demons. You have a great eye for magic.”

The deputy tower master was trying to persuade me, just in case I changed my mind.

I could sense his determination to get rid of his dead stock.

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Haha, as expected.”

The deputy tower master nodded repeatedly.

“So how many do you need?”

“2,000.”

“2-2,000…?!”

The deputy tower master was speechless.

He was so excited that his hands were trembling as if he was drunk.

A chance to get rid of 2,000 pieces of dead stock.

I would be excited too.

“Do you have enough in stock?”

“Oh, of course! Of course we have enough! If we’re short, we’ll work through the night to meet your needs!”

The deputy tower master’s resolute declaration.

His eyes were sparkling as if this was the biggest project of his life.

There wouldn’t be any problems.

I chuckled inwardly.

“Then I would like you to donate them to my alma mater in my name on the date I specify. I don’t have enough hands to handle it myself…”

“Hahaha, don’t worry. That’s part of the service. It’s only natural.”

Clap.

We shook hands warmly.

‘With this…’

The picture in my mind for that day was slowly coming together.

“