"I'm sure that the Whipper Kingdom side knows the worth of these documents better than anybody else."

Nobody responded to Cale's comment.

They were currently in the Chiefs' tent.

Toonka, Harol, as well as the other Chiefs, were all gathered together with Cale. Cale's group was by his side, like they were protecting him.

"...Yes. We are well aware."

Cale held back his laughter while seeing how slowly Harol responded to him.

[A mana storage device that used the principles of ancient powers.]

Harol was a poor soul who hated magic because he could feel mana but could not become a mage because he could not store mana.

However, a mana storage device, as well as part of the research regarding it, was now in front of him. Something that would give him the opportunity to use magic had appeared.

'I'm sure that he wants to get his hands on it.' Cale touched the small cloth pouch in front of him. "And this is supposedly the mana storage device?"

Harol's eyes started to shine at Cale's comment.

– You are right, Human. I raised it.

The seed that Cale had passed off to Raon a year ago was the mana storage device. However, the item currently in Cale's hand was not that seed.

Once that mana storage device sprouted and then developed into a plant...

He had simply taken one of the plants and extracted the seed. Of course, this seed was modified as well.

"Rosalyn, is this usable right now?"

"No. It is currently in seed form, but it is too dry to be used. You might be able to use the seed and the research documents to create a new device however......"

Rosalyn stopped talking and peeked toward Harol.

Cale also observed Harol's reaction. Harol could not hide his greed for this seed and the research documents, even if they were damaged.

Cale verified this before moving on to the next topic. "[The reason for developing magic resistance], This is some tremendous research as well."

This time, it was Toonka and the other Chiefs' turns to flinch. The reason that they were able to defeat the mages had a lot to do with their magic resistance.

This document regarding the reason for developing magic resistance was something that they needed, as well as something that they could not pass off to anybody else.

Cale looked toward Toonka. Toonka smiled back at him.

Cale turned away and asked the Whipper Kingdom's side. "Well, it's only a portion of the research, so it probably isn't that important. I can just throw it out, right?"

Bang! The table shook. Someone had kicked the table with anxiety.

"Of course, I was joking."

Huuuu. Someone let out a sigh.

"It may just be a portion of it, but it is valuable information."

Cale recalled what Rosalyn and Raon had discussed with him before.

"Cale, it would take at least ten years to figure things out with just these files. Although, it is only ten years if talented mages are leading the research."

"Human, you need to be able to control magic to be able to research that."

Cale focused on those words.

Research that required mages to complete.

Harol would do whatever it took to continue the research. In order to do that, he would need to hire some mages.

Rosalyn had accurately pointed that out for Cale. "Cale, we might be able to have the Whipper Kingdom's weakness in our hands."

"I knew it. There are many times you and I are thinking the same thing."

"Right? Isn't that why we're friends?"

The Whipper Kingdom's leadership, who claimed their goal was to get rid of magic, was using mages to do magic research.

Something like that was bound to happen if the Whipper Kingdom acquired these documents, and Cale just needed to find an informant to gather some evidence of it.

Rosalyn and Cale were smiling while thinking about having that information in their hands, while Raon was looking inside the box and giving his feedback.

"This is no more than the scraps."

The actual seed was safely in Raon & Rosalyn's lab that Raon liked to go whenever he's free.

"Toonka."

"Y-Yes?"

"I will hand these documents to you."

Toonka's expression quickly changed.

"D-Do you mean that?"

Cale looked toward Harol and nodded his head. "Of course."

Tap. Tap. Cale tapped the table with the cloth bag in his hand.

The dry seed made a dull noise as it hit the table. The Whipper Kingdom's side all flinched at every tap.

Cale did not care as he proceeded with what he wanted to say. "I spent ten billion gallons on this Magic Tower without managing to gain anything from it. Now that I have found something, I plan to sell it all to you. Toonka, what would you do in this situation?"

"...I would try to get as much compensation as possible."

"Correct."

Chief Harol started to frown. If it was the Cale that he knew, and if it was him in Cale's position, he would try to take as much money back as possible. Especially since the Magic Tower itself was gone now.

'But our financial state is not very good right now.'

They did not have much money available because they were preparing for a war with the Empire. However, Harol wanted to get those two documents, no matter what.

'But we also cannot fight them.'

Cale had quite a large amount of power. Their war against the Empire would be delayed if they started to fight Cale. Delaying the war any longer was not good for the soldiers' morale.

'He'll try to get more than ten billion, since he bought the Magic Tower for ten billion.'

The Empire would happily pay ten billion gallons for it if Cale tried to sell it to them. Both Harol and Toonka were well aware of this fact.

"This is what I'm thinking." Cale opened up his left hand.

"Ah." Harol let out a gasp.

Five fingers.

"Fifty billion gallons!?" Toonka shouted with surprise.

Harol quickly started to smile. 'We can negotiate now that we know the starting point.'

You always started higher than what you wanted at the beginning of a deal. Harol was about to speak in order to properly start negotiating, but...

Cale was a bit faster. "Fifty billion? No, just give me five billion."

"Excuse me?" Harol asked with confusion.

'Did he really say five billion?'

Cale put on a gentle and pure smile. His warm gaze swept by the leaders in the room. "Yes. Five billion."

He had already agreed to sell the actual documents to the crown prince for quite a sum. It would be great if the Roan Kingdom's mages managed to eat up the Whipper Kingdom once it was weakened by the Empire.

Cale recalled the conversation he had with the crown prince last winter.

"Cale, sell it for five billion to those poor souls. It's not like you were the one who paid the ten billion gallons to purchase the Magic Tower in the first place."

"I planned on selling it to them for ten billion, but I will do as you command, your highness."

"Good. Wouldn't it be great if you could be their benefactor? That's what you're really aiming for, isn't it?"

"Of course."

"You terrible bastard." Alberu cursed at Cale as he started to laugh.

"Thank you for the compliment, your highness." Cale laughed with him as well.

"The Whipper Kingdom is currently struggling. I feel like it is a fair deal for your current situation."

"You, you really! Really, such a noble, I...!" Toonka could not speak properly, as he looked toward Cale with teary eyes.

Cale found this to be a very strange sight, but maintained his smile.

Toonka finally stood up from his chair and started to shout. "Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Cale had never seen someone thanking him after buying scraps for five billion gallons. However, Cale naturally responded back. "As long as you know."

Harol could not understand Cale's calm demeanor. 'As long as you know?'

This was a chance for Cale to get a significant profit. He had two documents that could harm the Whipper Kingdom in his hands. But he was not going to be greedy?

Harol could not believe it. However, at the same time, he had no choice but to believe it. He had heard it with his own ears.

'This is the person who purchased the Magic Tower for ten billion and did not even investigate it.'

Cale had said that he wanted to own the twentieth floor of the Magic Tower when he made the purchase. He didn't send anybody to do any investigations afterwards.

Harol had someone watching the tower at all times throughout this past year, just in case Cale found something. However, Cale really did nothing with the Magic Tower since making the purchase.

"...Are you not greedy for money?" Harol could not help but ask.

He could see Cale shaking his head. "Do you know how much money is in the Henituse territory? We have more money than you can ever imagine. I am the first son of the Henituse family."

'Right.' Harol had forgotten about that. Cale was someone who had no issue spending ten billion gallons like it was nothing.

Cale gave one more reason for the confused Harol to accept the situation.

"I know that the documents in my hands are files that any of the continent's powers would want to obtain. I do not wish to be in the middle of the storm caused by that."

However, Cale didn't really mean it. He knew that the center of the storm was the calmest spot. That was why he was selling it to both the Whipper Kingdom and the crown prince.

"Young master-nim, you are saying that you don't want to be in a dangerous situation, so you will sell it to us right now? Is that it?"

"Yes. That is correct. As you know, I am a peace lover."

This reason was acceptable for Harol, since Cale was the person who did not even want to reveal Harol's identity.

Harol turned away from Cale and looked around the tent. The other Chiefs looked like they still had some questions, but Toonka and the warriors' side seemed to be in awe of Cale.

'It is something I need anyway.'

The mana storage device was extremely tempting, since it was said to mimic Ancient Powers. Harol and the others in the Whipper Kingdom considered Ancient Powers to be the greatest of powers.

"That sounds good to me. Commander Toonka-nim, what do you think?"

Toonka did not respond to Harol's question and instead reached his large hand out toward Cale. Toonka's serious expression, which was extremely different than his usual idiotic expression, explained his sincere feelings to Cale.

"Thank you very much."

Cale stood up and shook Toonka's hand.

"If you're thankful, don't forget about this."

"Of course. I will not forget about your benevolence."

With Toonka as the representative, the Whipper Kingdom purchased the documents that were found in the secret lab of the Magic Tower from Cale Henituse for five billion gallons.

The contract was settled quickly because the Whipper Kingdom rushed it.

Cale returned to his tent after the contract was signed. "What's wrong? Why are you following me here?"

Cale looked toward Choi Han, who was following him into his tent. Choi Han was holding the contract and a note for five billion gallons. "Cale-nim."

"What is it?" Cale undid the top button of his shirt that had been almost suffocating him all morning and did not pay much attention to Choi Han.

"You really are amazing, Cale-nim."

"Huh? What's this all of the sudden?" Cale chuckled at the compliment.

"Cale-nim, your abilities are top notch. I don't think there is anybody else who is so talented in this kind of sca-, no, strategy. I am terrible in this aspect."

"Were you trying to say scam?" Cale recalled how terrible Choi Han's acting had been.

"Ah, no, I wasn't... anyway, Cale-nim, I think it would be best to be as careful as possible with the next individual we plan on meeting."

Cale finally realized why Choi Han had followed him back to his tent. The individual they were planning to meet next was the Gold Dragon.

"Cale-nim, you may always be making a move looking two steps ahead, but that Dragon is strong. It is possible that both Raon and I may not be enough."

– He thinks I will not be enough?! I am much stronger than he thinks!

Raon's retort filled Cale's mind, but Cale agreed with Choi Han for once. Choi Han quietly stood there observing Cale.

"Yes, Choi Han, you are right."

Choi Han's expression brightened a bit after seeing Cale agree with him.

Cale had already thought about this meeting with the Gold Dragon many times.

In terms of priorities for this meeting, it was safety first, safety second, and safety third.

"Since I have the Indestructible Shield, should I stand in front? The shield might be able to withstand one or two attacks."

Choi Han vigorously shook his head. That was not what he had wanted. He was the best fit to protect Cale from the front, not behind.

"No, please leave it to me. I will protect Cale-nim and everybody else as well. I will use everything I have to make sure of it."

This type of response was what Cale didn't like to hear. "You only think about protecting everyone, then who will protect you?"

"...I never thought about that." Choi Han wavered a little.

'Choi Han had never used his full strength to fight until now. That was the same for Raon as well.'

– I am here, Human. Another Dragon cannot even compare to me.

Cale sighed at Raon's bluff. "Raon, even if you're great and mighty, you are only 5 years old right now. An adult Dragon has more experience than you."

– Experience...

"Choi Han, you can go to rest now."

"Ah, yes, Cale-nim."

Cale petted the invisible Raon who was staying on his bed once Choi Han left the tent. He took a gold coin out of his pocket.

"Anyway, here you go, your reward for doing good job. Thanks to you, the plan was a success."

"Oohh!" Raon removed his invisibility and carefully take the gold coin with his two front paws.

"This is a gold coin! It's the first time I got one."

This was the reward for Raon's part in destroying the Magic Tower. Although it wasn't the first time he saw it, Raon seemed to be focused on this gold coin he owned for the first time.

Cale stared at Raon's chubby cheeks, his hands was itching. "..."

Raon seemed to noticed the stare, he put away the gold coin and asked. "Human? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Cale lightly pull Raon's round cheeks.

"H-Human?"

"Isn't gold coin great?"

"It is great, Human! But what are you doing to the great me?"

"Ah. I'm sorry I can't help it when I see your round cheeks." Cale let go of Raon's cheek after seeing that Raon had become lively again.

"I forgive you! Just this once. It's not because you gave me a gold coin!"

"Okay!" He had promised to give Raon a gold coin, however... "On and Hong-."

Meeeeeeow, hehe.

Meeeow!

There was laughter mixed in with the meows. Cale could see two kittens crawling into his tent without even knocking. Of course, they were On and Hong.

Cale flipped the coins and continued to speak after seeing their sparkling eyes. "Here you go."

Two gold coins flew across the room and On and Hong caught them out of the air, showing more agility than ever before.

Cale observed On, Hong, and Raon all laughing while holding onto their gold coins before laying down on the bed.

'... I just hope he isn't a crazy Dragon.'

Cale hoped that the Gold Dragon they were going to meet was normal. The three children averaging 8-years-old, stood guard while he slept. These children were much stronger than most average Knight Brigades.

***********************************

The next morning.

Although it was early in the morning, Toonka and the other Chiefs came out to say goodbye to Cale. Cale had never seen such an expression on Toonka's face before.

Toonka looked embarrassed as he started to speak. "You're going sightseeing for a bit?"

"Yes. I told Chief Harol my itinerary, so you don't need to worry about me stabbing you in the back."

"I won't worry. Cale, I trust you."

Cale felt disgusted, listening to Toonka calling his name gently like that.

It became even worse as Toonka continued to speak. "Ahem, you can relax as long as you are in the Whipper Kingdom. And feel free to let me know if you are ever in trouble."

Cale was fine with a crazy Toonka, but this extremely nice Toonka made Cale feel uncomfortable. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I wish for your victory against the Empire."

"Of course."

Cale started to think while observing Toonka nod his head, as if that was a foregone conclusion. 'As much as I hate it, the Whipper Kingdom has no chance of winning this war.'

However, contrary to Cale's opinion, the forces around the continent had differing opinions.

They saw this as a war between the Empire, which was in chaos after the destruction of the Church of the Sun, and the Whipper Kingdom, who were a tightly-knit group specializing in offense.

Many were thinking that it was difficult to determine the results of the war. That was because the Whipper Kingdom's goal did not seem to be taking over the Empire. They just seemed focused on taking control of a few of the Empire's castles.

Furthermore, it seemed logical that the Whipper Kingdom would go after the Empire. With the development of Alchemy, the Empire had a stronger connection to magic than most other kingdoms.

'However, this is the Empire they are going up against. Still, I won't let them win easily.'

Cale determined that the Empire would win the war as he reached his hand out to shake Toonka's hand. Toonka thought it was a goodbye handshake, and so he immediately started to shake it.

However, Cale took a step forward and whispered in Toonka's ear. "Alchemy is sneakier than magic. Protect your warriors with magic resistance."

Toonka's shoulders flinched. Cale smiled at the people who were wondering what they were talking about and added something else.

"I'm certain that the Empire has a mole in your army. Although you have probably investigated already, look again if you didn't find them. Start with the people close to you. That is the Imperial Prince's usual method. Make sure that you find the mole."

Cale moved away from Toonka and looked into Toonka's eyes as he said the next part. "Kill them."

Cale let go of Toonka's hand and gently asked. "Don't you trust me?"