Beneath a dim, green-tinged sky, Rhodes walked along a rough cobblestone road with his maid at his side.
This area was still firmly under the Clock Tower's jurisdiction—closer to its core than the crumbling courtyard "gifted" by Yggdmillennia. Protection and restraint went hand in hand here.
The estate itself covered nearly a full square kilometer. It, too, had been a gift from one of the Clock Tower's families, presented as a congratulatory offering for the opening of the Arcane Garden.
That family was the Edelfelt line. Quite a few magi from Edelfelt now worked within Rhodes' Arcane Garden. Their manpower shored up the weakness of Rhodes' foundations, restrained the excesses of a prodigy with abnormal talent, and quietly tightened the bond between both sides.
Edelfelt, Valualeta, even the Clock Tower's famously aristocratic Sophia-Ri family had all approached Rhodes more than once, testing the waters with polite conversations and veiled offers.
All of them failed.
Once they understood Rhodes' principles, disappointment followed—along with quiet anticipation of his downfall.
By refusing most of the Clock Tower's invitations, Rhodes had offended its most arrogant members. The rest chose neutrality, or worse, subtle encouragement. Among the newer magi with no backing, rumors spread freely: Rhodes would eventually pay for his arrogance.
Rhodes, however, was not as foolish as they hoped.
Through countless discussions, he left a deep impression on every family. Through calculated exchanges of interest, he secured the open support of many.
Of course, every one of those families questioned his origins. No one truly believed he was merely a sixteen-year-old boy. Somewhere in history, they were sure, lurked the ancient monster he truly was.
"Master…"
As they stopped before the gilded gates of the manor, RyuZU extended an arm, hesitating.
"What is it? You don't need to hold back around me." Rhodes smiled lightly, a trace of genuine relief in his tone. He was pleased she hadn't gone straight for the throat.
"Hm?" RyuZU smiled faintly. Her gem-clear eyes, however, carried open disdain. "You said the same thing last night when you were doing those disgusting things to me. Is that one of your preferences? Still, I don't hate a terrible master…"
"I really shouldn't have hoped you'd fix that sharp tongue." Rhodes shrugged. He had personally designed RyuZU this way. Responsibility was unavoidable.
"Oh? You call this sharp-tongued?" RyuZU tilted her head. "I see it as kind correction. Very effective, too. At least you haven't used those disgusting little tools these past few nights."
She smiled sweetly as she mocked him. A faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks, her long legs pressing together despite herself—memory clearly at work.
"Correction only works on perverts," Rhodes said dryly. "I'm still a normal human being. Probably."
He chuckled, then grew serious. "Enough. What did you want to say, RyuZU?"
"Simple." She dropped the girlish act, confusion surfacing. "Why sell Mystic Codes to Valualeta, one of the Twelve Lords? We don't lack funds. And sooner or later, we may become enemies of the Clock Tower. What you're doing now is arming a future opponent."
"Not understanding politics is tragic, RyuZU." Rhodes' smile thinned, a hint of loneliness in his eyes. "No country sells its most advanced weapons. They export downgraded models, even obsolete junk, to weaker nations and rake in obscene profits. I'm doing the same thing. Nothing more."
"But—" RyuZU tried to press further.
Rhodes placed a finger against her soft, rose-colored lips.
"Wait a moment. Let me show you what real power looks like."
◇◇◇
Inside the manor gifted by a prominent Clock Tower family, the once antique estate had been completely modernized.
Technology saturated every corner. Laser trip mines. Fully automated anti-aircraft guns. The place reeked of a certain nation's aesthetic—simple, brutal, efficient.
After all, only that place would use anti-aircraft cannons to execute criminals.
Cameras watched every angle. Golems and Automatons disguised as decorations lurked in shadow. Every suit of gleaming armor was a ferocious Steel Golem. Behind every classical painting waited a vicious M18A1 Claymore mine, each device enhanced with magic—deadlier for its concealment.
The manor looked elegant.
In truth, it was one of the most impregnable fortresses in the world.
An entire infantry company would be annihilated before breaching it, swallowed whole by merciless traps.
Beneath the estate, connected by elevators, waited eight squads of mercenaries—twelve men per squad, ninety-six in total—standing ready.
Fully armed, bodies gleaming with steel and magic alike, each built like a sculpted war god and trained to modern military standards.
Standing atop a platform, Rhodes wrapped an arm around RyuZU's slender waist. He smiled broadly, like a general inspecting his troops, his voice carrying a faint edge of pride.
"These men were once ordinary humans. Mercenaries hired by Kairi Shishigou from the Middle East. I reforged them into flesh golems. Reinforced bones, overwhelming regeneration. They can fight a rampaging Wolverine head-on, or mow down targets with sixty-millimeter autocannons. And their loyalty is absolute."
"You used Arcane Magic to implant suggestions?" RyuZU murmured, staring at their slightly vacant eyes. "That's… excessive."
"I pay them the highest wages in the world," Rhodes replied without shame. "One year of service earns them tens of thousands of pounds."
RyuZU twisted the soft flesh at his waist hard.
"I'm saying, if you're going to touch my waist, don't shove your hand inside!"