IDGM 61

Chapter 61

Calius tilted his head as if he couldn’t quite accept it.

“Even if it were possible to set up a teleportation magic circle that isn’t monitored by the Mage Tower, didn’t Chloe try to stop Count Elbern from installing one here?”

“As I said before, this place has excellent conditions for installing a teleportation circle. If one is set up here, communication with the outside will become much more active.”

I planned to aggressively expand my business.

For that, I needed a more convenient way to interact with the outside world.

Communicating with the outside over several days of treacherous travel, like I am now, would be a huge limitation for the business.

“I plan to extend my influence widely. For that, a teleportation circle is essential.”

Teleportation circles have a fatal flaw: they could inadvertently draw outside armies.

So, a defensive fortress must be installed near any teleportation circle.

Of course, I also planned to build a defensive fortress atop the cliffs.

But there was another, more certain way to prevent outside invasions.

“Installing a teleportation circle known only to me.”

What if I were the only one who knew about it, and the only one who could use it?

Calius couldn’t comprehend how a teleportation circle could be used privately.

I asserted my plan.

“We can hire a wizard not affiliated with the Mage Tower to secretly install the teleportation circle.”

“If such a grand wizard existed, the Mage Tower wouldn’t simply let him go.”

I gave a meaningful smile.

“What if there’s a grand wizard who’s been expelled from the Mage Tower?”

“Being expelled would mean he committed a serious wrongdoing. He must have been either stripped of all his powers or executed.”

That was true.

I was targeting a grand wizard who had been expelled and lost all his powers.

“I know a wizard. He’s currently powerless and expelled, but I know a way to help him regain his strength.”

“…!”

“Moreover, I know a way to make him come to Ronheim on his own. So, if Calius agrees, I’m thinking of setting the bait now. What do you think?”

I looked at Calius earnestly.

Surely, my words must have sounded absurd to him.

If he doubted or didn’t trust me even a little, he wouldn’t have agreed to listen.

Calius thought for a moment and then asked.

“And what exactly do you hope to achieve by doing this?”

I said firmly.

“I want to make money.”

“Money?”

“Yes. A lot of it.”

Calius shook his head slightly, as if that wasn’t a sufficient answer.

“Money is only a means. What do you hope to achieve by obtaining that means?”

“I want money itself to be the goal.”

At least for now, that was truly the only goal.

To intercept the money Andrea would earn in the future before he did.

To disrupt everything he so desperately wanted and take everything he aimed to possess.

To return to him the crushing helplessness he had forced upon me.

“Once Andrea is crushed, then comes Kabala.”

I couldn’t explain to Calius why I harbored such dark, bitter thoughts.

All I could do was look at him, hoping he’d understand my sincerity.

“I promised. I’ll help you. Using the wealth I accumulate, we’ll reclaim Ronheim.”

Calius stared at my desperate gaze for a long moment, then finally nodded.

“Honestly, I’m not entirely convinced, but as Chloe says, let’s give it a try.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Watching the Arental army trample Ronheim years ago made me realize that Ronheim needed change. We can no longer rely on the methods of the old kings to protect it.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“I wish I had realized it sooner.”

I held his hand firmly.

“It’s not too late!”

I pressed my hand twice, three times, trying to give him strength.

“Let’s make change together. I’ll help you.”

Calius and Chloe returned to the castle. Chloe couldn’t stay outside for long because of the cold.

The snow cats had been roaming outside, but when Calius entered the castle, they casually followed and sprawled on the floor of the reception room.

Chloe lingered nearby, reassured that the snow cats didn’t attack humans. Calius watched her.

Chloe seemed fascinated by the snow cats’ long tails.

She carefully grasped the tip of a cat’s tail while it was napping on the floor.

The snow cat opened one eye, looked at Chloe, and lazily swiped its tail to push her away.

The snow cats had long, thick tails, and they were strong.

“Ah!”

Calius caught Chloe, who staggered from the swipe, with a single hand.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you.”

Chloe looked up at him with a bright, pure smile.

Calius quietly watched as she wandered near the snow cats, peeking around curiously, despite almost losing her balance.

“She’s unpredictable.”

At first glance, she seemed like an innocent child, but her mind was full of grand plans.

And those plans were meticulous and astonishing.

“From the start, she intended to place a teleportation circle where the gold mine is.”

Her mention of creating a flower garden was metaphorical.

A teleportation circle, from a simple perspective, was a large, complex diagram.

From above, the diagram looked like a dazzling flower.

Bards sometimes likened travelers using teleportation circles to bees or butterflies moving around the world.

“It wasn’t just that she wanted to leave far away that led her to choose Ronheim.”

Calius had been completely wrong to think she might turn back, unable to withstand the severe northern cold before even stepping into Ronheim.

Chloe had never complained about the cold or difficulty.

Her focus was entirely on executing her grand plan, above the cold, the eyes of others, or the harsh environment.

“She is by no means weak.”

She was neither a fugitive nor a loser.

Chloe was…

“A pioneer with ambition.”

Calius chuckled softly as he watched Chloe laugh like a child, having finally succeeded in petting a snow cat’s head.

“I want to make money.”

“A lot of it.”

How could someone who said they chased money look so innocent?

She wasn’t calculating or greedy, despite her desire for money.

She planned to use her earnings to feed her people and develop Ronheim, not just for personal gain.

Calius sensed that Chloe had an unspoken desire beyond accumulating wealth.

“I promised. I’ll help you. Using the wealth I accumulate, we’ll reclaim Ronheim.”

“Let’s make change together. I’ll help you.”

The hands holding him were firm and resolute.

“Ronheim’s independence and her ultimate goal must align.”

It was probably revenge against Kabala and Andrea.

Surely, she had her own difficult circumstances, impossible to explain.

If Kabala was involved, it wouldn’t have been an ordinary ordeal.

Calius had his own difficult, unspoken reasons, connected to Kabala.

He clenched his fist tightly.

“The shadow of Kabala over Ronheim must be removed as soon as possible.”

Currently, there was a traitor in Ronheim who had helped Kabala assassinate the Saint.

Calius had been secretly searching for that traitor for a long time.

Leaving him be might result in Chloe being taken away as easily as the Saint once was.

“I have to protect her.”

After Ronheim’s defeat by the Arental Empire, Calius had only seen a bleak future—but through Chloe, he glimpsed hope for the first time.

Protecting Chloe was no longer just a husband’s duty, but a mission as Ronheim’s leader.