Oscar returned to his room and took a moment to organize his thoughts.
‘I guess you could say I’ve untangled at least one thread.’
For the first time, he revealed his true identity to someone who could consistently and directly help him.
The thought made him both nervous and a little excited, but the outcome didn’t seem bad.
‘...Of course, I couldn’t share everything with Sasha.’
In particular, he avoided discussing anything related to Gilly.
Oscar’s assumption about why Gilly had left the White Tower was still just a theory.
Moreover, Sasha’s animosity toward the ones who left turned out to be far deeper than he’d anticipated.
For now, it seemed better to investigate that matter alone.
‘Then, what I need to prepare for now is...’
It was, without a doubt, the Night of the Mages.
The exact date was supposed to be announced soon through an official notice.
‘If Emperor really shows up there, things might go a bit smoother.’
But who knows?
Would he really come?
Normally, Oscar wouldn’t believe that the busy Emperor would personally attend such an event.
However, since the Night of the Mage was being revived after decades of absence, the possibility wasn’t entirely off the table.
‘Besides, this event is bound to be closely monitored by the imperial family.’
The intent behind reviving the Night of the Mage, which had once failed, was glaringly obvious.
It had been 21 years since the war with the demon race ended.
The empire, noticing the demons starting to stir again, likely wanted to strengthen its foundation.
‘...The empire’s greatest strength is its swords and magic.’
If Oscar’s guess was correct, the reorganization of knights loyal to the Emperor had already been completed.
Now, through the Night of the Mage, they intended to reassess and elevate the capabilities of the mages as well.
‘The past 21 years could be described as peaceful at best, stagnant or complacent at worst.’
While the Magic Towers had achieved several business successes during that time, their fundamental combat power hadn’t changed.
If anything, judging by the mages Oscar had encountered, it seemed like things had regressed.
‘Take Moira Maine, a Level 5 mage from the Blue Tower, as an example.’
Twenty-one years ago, a Level 5 mage was someone capable of holding their own in battle.
But Moira’s skills were abysmal.
Even as an alchemist in the potion department, her level was shockingly low.
‘The Black Tower mages I met in Hendel weren’t particularly threatening compared to the past, either.’
Of course, that was partly due to their completely altered magic system.
But the results were the same.
Oscar, lost in thought, suddenly raised his head.
‘Wait, now that I think about it...’
The Night of the Mage was always held in the same location.
It had to be, since a specific venue had been built just for the event.
The Emperor at the time had invested an astronomical amount of money in constructing it—even by today’s standards.
‘But after the Night of the Mage was abolished, I heard it wasn’t maintained.’
The place... would it even be cleaned?
The next day, Oscar entered the Special Affairs Department and clicked his tongue.
"...What the hell is this?"
A banner reading [Welcome Back, Honored Warrior! ☆] hung on one wall, accompanied by colorful balloons.
As Oscar frowned, Veronica emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth and greeted him.
"Yo, Your Majesty."
"What’s all this?"
"Potions Department kids heard you were coming back, so they decorated."
"...They came here a few days ago and put this up?"
Still brushing her teeth, Veronica nodded.
"They’re a diligent bunch."
She disappeared back into the bathroom, rinsed her mouth, and returned, glancing over herself briefly.
"Well, at least you came back in one piece."
"Wait, are you seriously worried about me?"
"Worried? For a monster like you? No way. I’m just being polite."
She walked over to the fridge and pulled something out—a rather delicious-looking cake.
"The Potion Department kids left this for you too."
"What are they, an event planning team now?"
Oscar chuckled bitterly.
Why weren’t they busy making the potions they were supposed to?
Veronica placed the cake on the desk and sat down.
"They probably thought whatever you did this time was a big help. I read about it in the paper—it was impressive."
"What did it say?"
"Why don’t you read it for yourself?"
Oscar took the stack of newspapers she handed him and skimmed the headlines.
[The Fortress of the Blue Tower Finally Cracks? The White Tower Secures Exclusive Potion Supply Contract for the Western Front.]
[Ripples in the Potion Market: The White Tower Challenges the Blue Tower.]
[A New Two-Power System? Major Shift in Potion Market Dynamics.]
[Who is Oscar Crucian? The Alchemist Who Won Over Commander Theodore Bale.]
"Hmm."
It seemed the exclusive supply deal with the Western Front had made waves.
The press was already speculating how the Blue Tower would respond to the White Tower’s bold challenge.
‘The Blue Tower must be... no, definitely furious.’
The situation was akin to kicking someone when they were down while everyone else egged them on.
Of course, this brought both advantages and disadvantages to the White Tower.
‘Now everyone will know about the White Tower’s potions.’
The potions supplied to the Western Front would leave no doubt about their quality.
At the same time, with the rivalry against the Blue Tower now firmly established, the White Tower’s visibility was higher than ever.
"Do you think this is okay?"
"Even if it’s not, what choice do we have? It’s a mountain we had to climb eventually and an opponent we had to face someday."
The timing had just come a little sooner than expected.
There was no avoiding it forever.
‘If anything, this could be an opportunity.’
To be honest, in terms of sales, the White Tower’s potions still couldn’t compete with the Blue Tower’s.
The media had exaggerated the rivalry to create a dramatic narrative.
‘But depending on how we use this opportunity, we could shift public perception.’
Oscar felt confident.
After all, they were about to release their trump card, the Tears of the Star.
"Did anything happen while I was away?"
"Anything? Oh, I gained a few wins against Killian in sparring."
"Nice, well done."
So, nothing significant happened.
After exchanging some light updates, the door opened, and Killian walked in.
“It’s been a while.”
“You’ve been doing well, I assume?”
“A steady and disciplined life is a virtue we forest warriors must uphold.”
That meant he was doing well.
Killian took a seat and placed a flyer on the desk.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“They were handing these out in front of the bulletin board on my way back from training.”
Oscar’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the flyer Killian had brought.
“It’s here.”
It was an announcement for the Night of the Mages.
[Night of the Mages]
Date: March 14th, midnight.
Location: Artificial Island, Ivemir.
Participants: Limited to twenty 4th-level mages, ten 5th-level mages, and five 6th-level mages.
We invite all mages to join us.
The flyer was so simple it bordered on bare-bones.
Perhaps sharing the same thought, Veronica murmured,
“Night of the Mages? What’s that?”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s some event that was held a few times in the past but was discontinued.”
“It’s a day when mages from all towers gather,”
Oscar explained for the two who were unfamiliar with it.
“It was first held about 210 years ago. It ran seven times in total before it was abolished.”
“And what exactly happens on that day?”
“It was originally intended to be a day for mages from all towers to gather, exchange knowledge, and foster camaraderie...”
Veronica and Killian’s faces immediately turned sour.
“...That was the original plan, but naturally, that kind of thing was never going to happen.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Who on earth came up with such a ridiculous idea?”
“The emperor of that time.”
The moment Killian heard this, he moved his chair away from Veronica, as if to distance himself from her statement.
“Hey, why are you moving away? I mean, I didn’t know, so it’s not like I meant anything by it!”
“Insulting the imperial family is a serious crime.”
“Anyway, despite its initial intent, it turned into an event to rank the towers’ hierarchy.”
Considering the prideful nature of mages, it wasn’t surprising.
The event was ultimately abolished because the competition grew so intense that fatalities occurred.
“...Doesn’t it feel like the timing to participate is really bad?”
Veronica expressed her concerns.
“It’s no secret that the Black Tower envies us, and the Blue Tower has been itching to bring us down over the potion incident. On top of that, the Yellow Tower keeps filing lawsuits demanding fair compensation for using their magical engineering technology for our delivery services, right?”
“Hm.”
Thinking about it that way, they certainly had a lot of enemies.
It meant that two of the four major towers were gunning for the White Tower.
‘...And even though they’re not showing it, the Red Tower might dislike us too.’
Was this really the treatment deserved by a tower that had produced heroes of humanity?
Oscar let out a faint sigh and said,
“Anyway, each tower will select their elite mages to participate in the event. And of course, all of us will be going as well.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the office door swung open, revealing a familiar face.
“Ta-da! I’m back!”
It was Fran.
The three of them briefly glanced at him and then turned back to continue their conversation.
“Wait a second! Hey, I said I’m back!”
“Then hurry up and sit down. Why are you just standing there?”
“No, I was so lonely and struggled so much during my closed training...”
At that moment, Fran noticed the balloons and banner hanging on the wall.
Seeing the cake on the table, he looked touched and asked,
“Wait, is this... for me? Can I eat it?”
Oscar and Veronica exchanged glances briefly before nodding in unison.
“Yeah, it’s for you. We prepared it specially.”
“This cake is yours, so eat it quickly and clean up.”
“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to prepare something like this... I’m really moved...”
Well, since good things are good, watching Fran tear up while eating the cake made it feel worthwhile.
Then, someone knocked on the office door.
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
The door opened cautiously, and Sasha stepped in.
“...Huh?”
“Hm?”
“What?”
Seeing her, the three of them looked as if they’d seen a ghost and immediately stood up.
““We greet the Tower Master.””
“Yes, it’s nice to see you all.”
Oscar also slowly stood up and bowed lightly.
“I greet the Tower Master.”
Of course, the fact that she was his apprentice and their true relationship was their secret.
In front of others, they were still just a Tower Master and one of her mages—that was the extent of their relationship.
“Hmm, so this is the Special Operations Office...”
Looking around the room, she asked,
“It’s a bit barren. Is there anything the office needs?”
“We’ll let you know if anything is necessary. Is that why you’re here...?”
“Oh, no. I came today to ask you all for a favor.”
After glancing at the Night of the Mages pamphlet on the desk, Sasha continued,
“The artificial island Ivemir, where the Night of the Mages will be held, is in the north. I didn’t know this, but every time the event was held, mages from our tower were always responsible for managing the island alongside the royal family.”
“...Don’t tell me?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Sasha smiled brightly.
“It seems that the four of you will have to go ahead and clean up the island first.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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