The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 219: Eternal Moment (7)
Into a space of nothingness, where nothing existed, another form of nothingness seeped in.
What resulted was a nameless erosion, a soundless collapse.
An explosion that couldn't be heard.
Shards that couldn't be seen.
And yet, the clash of nothingness with nothingness paradoxically birthed something greater than anything—Existence.
“......”
Even as the world built upon solitude crumbled around him, Oscar did not flee.
He simply stood still, gazing at Edna.
‘Compared to how long she must have waited...’
This was merely a fleeting moment.
Oscar slowly closed his eyes.
For a dragon who lives a near-infinite life, the most essential virtue is an unshakable heart.
Emotions easily fluctuate, clouding the perspective of an observer and corrupting their judgment.
Raised under such teachings, Edna Sol Laplace was a near-perfect observer.
After all, she was a being who felt no emotions whatsoever.
“......”
Edna worked tirelessly to maintain that near-perfect state.
She vowed to avoid unnecessary emotions and had long since closed the doors to her heart.
Moreover, she had created a spell called Solitary World to ensure that emotional state remained eternal.
Thanks to that, she could remain perfect and was continuously praised by her clan.
“......?”
At least, until someone entered her Solitary World.
‘A strange creature. A human. A mage.’
When she first sensed his presence, she didn’t pay him much mind.
He’d surely get lost for a while and then leave again.
But instead, he kept moving deeper into her world—closer to where she was.
“......!”
She still clearly remembered the expression he wore when he first discovered her.
Joy.
An emotion she had long lost—so distant she could no longer even remember when she’d last felt it.
“......”
From that day on, the human visited her at the same time every day.
But she never spared him a glance.
He seemed curious, likely due to his nature as a mage, but surely it wouldn’t last long.
‘Even chasing him away would mean revealing my emotions.’
So Edna chose to thoroughly ignore him.
And truly, he wasn’t much of a bother.
He didn’t interfere with her.
But neither did he disappear.
That, in itself, was strange.
Most intruders crumbled under the emptiness of this space and never returned.
“......”
“......”
That strange coexistence lasted for more than two weeks.
Edna never drove him away.
Nor did she accept him.
She continued as always—reading or walking through her quiet world.
The only difference was the presence of a human within it.
“......”
For the first few days, he tried to speak to her.
But he must’ve realized it was futile, because he soon stopped trying.
Instead, he picked up a twig and began drawing geometric magic circles on the ground, over and over.
‘A magic circle?’
Without realizing, a feeling of curiosity stirred within her, and she was startled.
No, even being startled must be considered an emotion.
With a quiet sigh, she resolved again not to show any interest in him.
But she broke that resolution before a week had passed.
Solitary Garden—a magic spell.
The human mage’s talent was remarkable.
Simply by seeing and experiencing her world, he had managed to replicate it.
“Oh, hello.”
In front of a surprised Edna, he finally spoke.
“My name is Oscar Sage. What’s yours?”
“......”
The moment she heard that question, Edna had a premonition.
That this human would be the one to unlock the tightly shut door of her heart.
As an observer meant to record the world, Edna began following Oscar Sage.
In the process, she came to experience firsthand the things she had only known through knowledge.
“Here, this is the imperial capital.”
“...Oh.”
She witnessed the civilization humans had built.
“This is the magic of our Mage Tower. It holds the essence of the great mages before us.”
“...That’s incredible.”
She came to understand how a short-lived race could flourish.
She recognized the greatness of knowledge passed from one generation to the next.
“If a king trips while walking, he becomes King-kong.”
“...Ah.”
She even came to grasp the emotion called anger, something she’d never been able to comprehend just from reading.
As she experienced these things, her unwavering heart began to soften—but she didn’t find it unpleasant.
‘Why? I’m moving farther away from being the perfect observer.’
She didn’t know the reason, but each time she encountered a new emotion, it felt like the emptiness in her chest was being filled.
At the same time, doubts about her role as an observer began to form.
“Oscar, why do you think the gods told our kind to observe and record history?”
“Well... isn’t it because you guys live the longest? You’re the only ones who can record the full span of the continent’s history.”
“Then why are there periods where no records exist?”
“Maybe everyone went into hibernation. Or maybe nothing noteworthy happened during those times.”
Gaps in the historical record that appeared at regular intervals.
So-called “Periods of Silence.”
Just as her suspicions about them deepened, the clan elders summoned her.
“There are rumors that you’ve been associating with a human. Are they true?”
“They are.”
“Humans are highly emotional creatures. You must know that the more you mingle with them, the more exposed you’ll be to countless emotions.”
“I do know that. But I have one question: why must we not feel emotions?”
“Because emotions could interfere with the accurate recording of history.”
“Then wouldn’t it be enough if we simply distinguish between personal and official matters?”
“...That is the most difficult thing of all.”
She couldn't understand the elders of her kind, who looked at her as if she were immature.
If one can properly distinguish between public duty and personal feelings, then why must dragons be emotionless?
Why must dragons be free from feeling altogether?
That question, however, would soon be answered with the outbreak of the war against the demons.
“...What did you just say?”
“We're leaving this world.”
Fearing the demons, the dragons boldly prepared to abandon the world.
Edna looked around at the dozens of her kin gathered in the mountain range and shouted.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“What are you saying? If we just leave like this, who will observe and record the history of this world?”
“...A brief blank spot in history is acceptable. But if we all die, the records will be lost forever.”
“...Lies.”
Edna shook her head.
She had come to understand why the elders had told her not to feel emotions—why things like the “Age of Silence” existed.
“You’re just afraid of dying.”
“...It is the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many.”
“Tch, this is why we shouldn’t let petty emotions get the better of us.”
The dragons abandoned her and the world.
They fled to become just another of the countless stars scattered across the night sky.
She grieved deeply over their irresponsibility and shamelessness, and declared:
“...I will continue to observe and record.”
On the star where all the other dragons had left, she alone remained to record the history of the war.
During that time, she dearly wished to help the humans she had grown close to—but she held herself back.
“Don't get involved.”
Oscar never asked for her help.
“You just need to distinguish between duty and emotion and record history as it is. That is your mission.”
“...Is that really okay?”
“It’s okay.”
Oscar smiled brightly.
“We’re friends, aren’t we?”
A true friend never demands you abandon your mission for their own gain.
And so the two gave their all from their respective positions.
Edna never once regretted her decision, and she was grateful to Oscar for respecting her.
“This Observer and the continent will never forget the noble sacrifices of the heroes of the White Tower.”
“Of course... they mustn’t be forgotten.”
Her friend closed his eyes.
He had fallen into an eternal slumber, never to awaken again.
“......”
Edna gently closed his eyes and did what had to be done.
Scratch, scratch.
[The Great Sage, deceased.]
[132 sixth-level mages of the White Tower, killed in action.]
[19 seventh-level mages of the White Tower, killed in action.]
[2 eighth-level mages of the White Tower, killed in action.]
[Oscar Sage, ninth-level mage and White Tower Master... killed in action.]
But why?
The hand holding her pen trembled more than ever.
Drip, drop.
The moment she saw the droplets on the paper, she realized—
“Ah.”
—that they had fallen from her own eyes.
It was the first time Edna truly understood what “sorrow” and “regret” felt like.
‘I couldn’t protect my friend...’
But she knew.
She understood how great the legacy of human knowledge passed down through the generations truly was.
And because of that, she had to return the materials Oscar entrusted to her back to the White Tower.
‘At the very least, his final wish...’
Just this once, not as an observer, but as someone’s one and only friend.
Fwoosh!
Edna, now in her dragon form, soared into the demonic sky.
She flew high enough to leave the clouds far below and headed for the White Tower.
Crack!
Lightning pierced through her massive body—falling from a perfectly clear sky.
Her wings, charred in an instant, could no longer function, and she plummeted to the ground.
[Screech!]
No matter how mighty a dragon she was, falling from several thousand kilometers in the sky left her gravely wounded.
To make matters worse, demons began to surround her from all directions.
‘It was... planned from the start...’
She forced her heavy eyelids open and summoned her remaining magic.
Then she created it.
A vast world meant only for herself and her friend.
‘If I cannot fulfill our promise... then at least—’
She had to prevent these precious materials from falling into demonic hands.
Fueled by that determination alone, Edna maintained the Solitary World.
With a dragon’s immense magic, it would last decades without fail.
‘It’s unlikely any humans will make it here.’
This was the demon realm—beyond the Red Mountains.
Too dangerous a land for humans still struggling to recover from the war.
Fifteen years passed within the Solitary World she created, and her thoughts began to slow.
‘Magic... running out.’
Even thinking now cost too much energy.
So she made the final decision: to shut down her own thoughts and use her body’s life force to preserve the world.
‘With this...’
Maybe the faint regrets of her helplessness that day would finally be soothed.
That was the end of Edna’s remembered consciousness.
And now—
She had experienced this feeling once before, decades ago:
the sensation of her world collapsing.
Edna’s heavy eyelids slowly opened.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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