The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 174: Sirin's Afternoon (1)

After hearing the whole story, Sasha parted her small lips.

“So, all of this happened because of the first Tower Master's will?”

“Yeah. As his disciple, I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“...That’s true.”

With her master sitting right before her, she couldn’t exactly say otherwise.

In the end, she reluctantly nodded.

“I get that you had no choice. Still, it would have been better if you had told me in advance.”

“I’m sorry about that. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Had he known the layers would expand like this, he would have definitely reported it first.

After all, it made no sense for the Tower Master to be unaware of what was happening in the tower.

He had assumed it would be a simple task—just closing a spatial rift.

That was his mistake.

‘At least she didn’t scold me too harshly,’

He thought, feeling a slight sense of relief.

Just then, Sasha furrowed her delicate brows.

“Hmm. Then the remaining issue is the imperial family.”

“The imperial family?”

Oscar tilted his head in confusion, prompting Sasha to explain.

“Yes, this was a massive incident involving the expansion of the tower's space. The tremor was so large that no one in Sirin could have missed it. This will definitely reach the ears of the imperial family.”

“Which means...?”

Even if it was just a formality, there would inevitably be an investigation into the incident.

Realizing this, Oscar's eyes narrowed.

“I see. So that’s why you looked troubled.”

“Yeah…”

Sasha responded gloomily, shaking her head vigorously.

“But don’t worry! I’ll do my best to cover it up.”

“No, don’t do that.”

“Huh?”

“Just report exactly what happened.”

“But if you do that, the imperial family will find out about your spatial magic!”

“They probably will.”

There were only a few people who knew he could manipulate spatial magic.

He had never been desperate to keep it a secret, but there was no need to flaunt it either.

To a mage, possessing magic that others couldn’t wield was like having an extra life.

“It’s a shame, but this could actually be an opportunity.”

“An opportunity? What kind of opportunity?”

“A chance to find out if there are agents of Black Fingers inside the imperial family.”

“!”

Startled, Sasha quickly glanced around and lowered her voice.

“Agents inside the imperial family? You really think they’re there?”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger if they weren’t?”

Black Fingers was operating in the shadows across the entire empire.

If he were one of them, he would do everything in his power to take root in the imperial family.

‘By planting someone from their ranks... Or, if that’s not possible…’

They could always turn someone already within the imperial family to their side.

Those two methods were essential steps for the group.

Oscar had only recently begun to suspect this.

‘Neil Brion.’

When the imperial strike force secretly raided NewTech, he had already fled.

Unless he had some form of clairvoyance, it was only logical to assume that information had leaked from within the imperial family.

‘If that’s true, it’ll be a huge problem.’

It would mean the enemy was fully aware of their movements.

No matter what strategy they devised, it would be impossible to crush Black Fingers if their plans were constantly exposed.

After hearing Oscar’s reasoning, Sasha blinked in thought.

“Hmm, I understand what you’re saying, Master. But isn’t there another way? Do you really have to take on this risk yourself?”

“It’s the surest way.”

Oscar responded briefly.

“To Black Fingers, I’ve become quite the thorn in their side.”

The Cadena Plague, the nightmare in Vince’s territory, the Western Front, and now the Salvation Church and NewTech.

Every time their plans crossed paths with him, they were shattered.

By now, they were undoubtedly seething with rage.

If he were to reveal his hidden power in such a situation, there was no way they would keep the information to themselves.

“...You’re still the same.”

Sasha’s voice was slightly damp, her tone filled with mixed bitterness and nostalgia.

She smiled weakly, her expression both fond and pained.

“You always throw yourself into danger if you can. Even when you don’t have to.”

“With great power comes great responsibility, remember?”

“From my experience, there are way more people with power who dodge responsibility.”

She had a point.

The world was full of people who enjoyed all the privileges of power while shirking its responsibilities.

“Which is exactly why people like me need to exist.”

“...It’s unfair.”

“The world is unfair.”

Pouting slightly, Sasha’s dissatisfaction was evident.

But there was one thing Oscar was certain of.

“If you were in my position, you would’ve made the same decision.”

“Me? Why would I?”

“Because you’re Sasha Maestro.”

She was kind-hearted, righteous, and always tried to follow his example.

Oscar smirked faintly.

“You’re the most like me out of my three disciples.”

“Wh-what? You can’t just say something like that…”

Sasha’s face turned red all the way to her ears.

She ducked her head in embarrassment, but Oscar could tell she was delighted.

“Anyway, report everything as it happened.”

“Well, since you’re asking me to, I’ll do it… but are you really sure about this?”

“Hmm.”

Everyone knew that great power in the hands of the weak often led to disaster.

But now, Oscar could finally say with some confidence:

“I’m not weak anymore. Neither am I, nor the White Tower.”

The White Tower was raking in money with its potion and delivery businesses.

Both ventures were deeply intertwined with ordinary citizens, causing the tower's reputation to soar rapidly.

‘Money and fame. With those two secured, what the tower needs now…’

Was power.

Of course, a tower's strength couldn’t grow overnight.

‘First, there needs to be a reason.’

And the White Tower already had that reason.

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It had won the Magic Night tournament outright, defeating all the prestigious towers.

If news spread to the imperial court that the White Tower’s master had inherited the 『Space』 magic from the first tower master?

‘At the very least, the talk of expelling us from the Four Great Magic Towers will disappear.’

With the White Night Festival approaching, it was best to earn as many points with the imperial family as possible.

‘More than anything, this power.’

Clenching his fist tightly—Wooong!—the surrounding space trembled violently.

Ever since he closed the rift in space, his magic had grown even stronger.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Previously, it had been used only for emergency escapes, but now, it seemed viable for offensive use as well.

“I can take on most opponents, no matter who they are.”

“If Master thinks so... I won’t say anything more.”

That voice carried the boundless trust of a baby bird toward its mother.

Was this why people raised children or disciples?

Oscar smiled gently and spoke.

“And at the end of this month, I’m going to release a new potion.”

“A new potion at this time... Is it something like a flu remedy?”

“No, it’s an elixir. I think it’s about time to start selling it.”

An elixir?

Sasha tilted her head, but soon her eyes widened as if she had seen a miracle.

“No way... The Tear of the Stars?”

“That’s right.”

The White Tower’s legendary potion, known to bring even the dying back to life.

Only three bottles were made per year, and even a fortune couldn’t guarantee a purchase.

“I knew you could make it.”

“I know everything.”

Oscar tapped his forehead with his index finger.

“All the knowledge is in here. I just never had the right excuse to use it.”

“I see. But there’s no problem releasing alchemy-related knowledge now.”

“Yeah, my reputation’s already tied to it anyway.”

Whenever the media mentioned Oscar, alchemy was always a key topic.

A once-in-a-century genius of alchemy, they called him.

He didn’t particularly care what they said, but he intended to use it to his advantage.

“If they see me as that, I might as well become it. A genius of alchemy.”

Oscar wrote down the required ingredients and handed the list to Sasha.

She glanced at the densely packed notes and clicked her tongue.

“Wow... Just the cost of these materials is worth several mansions in the capital.”

“But once it’s complete, who cares? People will bring fortunes worth hundreds of mansions just to buy it.”

“Are you going to sell it?”

Oscar shook his head.

If he started preparations now, three bottles would be ready by winter at the latest.

He had already decided their fates.

“One will be presented to the Emperor, another will be kept in the White Tower, and the last one…”

Oscar made a coin shape with his fingers.

“I’ll auction it.”

“Auction?”

Sasha pondered for a moment before nodding in understanding.

“You’re not just after the money.”

“Exactly. The money is one thing, but what I want is publicity.”

The legendary elixir, created by the White Tower.

To obtain it, the wealthy from all over the continent would flock to Sirin.

That would naturally boost the city’s economy and elevate the White Tower’s reputation.

“With that kind of recognition, next year, talented mages will start coming to the White Tower.”

“...Do you think so?”

“No doubt about it.”

Oscar’s reasoning was simple.

The White Tower was a blue ocean.

“The other Four Great Magic Towers? They’re a complete red ocean. Even prodigies struggle to climb the ranks there.”

In those towers, talent was just the baseline requirement.

What really determined success was political skill and the ability to align with the right faction.

In short, it was a never-ending headache.

But the White Tower?

“There’s nothing here. It’s a free pass.”

If you had the ability, there was no need to deal with annoying internal politics.

Just pure, unfiltered talent—that was the most attractive prospect for young mages.

“This year, recruiting skilled newcomers will be tough, but next year will be different.”

The White Tower would start gaining real momentum then.

Oscar was sure of it.

“If anyone else said they could achieve this in just a year and a half, I wouldn’t even bother talking to them. They’d be a complete fraud.”

But Oscar was making it happen.

The difference between the White Tower from a few months ago and now was night and day.

Sasha, who had been gazing at him with admiration, suddenly hesitated before cautiously speaking.

“Um... Master.”

“No.”

“Huh!? I haven’t even said anything yet!”

“I can guess what you’re about to say.”

At this point, he could tell just by looking at Sasha’s eyes what she was thinking.

…Hopefully, this was only happening with him.

She shouldn’t act like this in public.

“You were about to ask when I’d take back the position of Tower Master, weren’t you?”

“W-what? How did you know?”

“Forget it.”

Oscar replied indifferently.

“My time has already passed. You’re the rightful Tower Master who held firm when the White Tower’s reputation was crumbling. The current White Tower Master is you, Sasha Maestro.”

Besides, he personally felt that he wasn’t suited for the position.

He might be a great mage, but he wasn’t a great tower master.

“...If you ever change your mind, please let me know. I have no attachment to this position.”

“Have some.”

“Ow!”

He barely flicked her forehead, but she acted like it was a major hit.

Rubbing her forehead, Sasha muttered.

“The imperial court might investigate this matter, so please refrain from traveling long distances for a while.”

“That’s not a problem.”

He had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

His plan was to train in the tower until he reached Level 5.

The only thing that might count as “traveling” would be…

‘Moving around within Sirin territory for Special Operations work.’

With the other members immersed in training, he would probably be operating alone for a while.

But within that range, nothing major should happen.

…Probably.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]