The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 230: An Old Promise (4)
“Take my hand.”
Edna extended her hand to Sasha.
The lake of emotions, unlike when Edna had entered, was now calm.
But Sasha, staring at that hand, gently shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but... could you give me a little time alone?”
“For what reason?”
“Even if I leave now, I won’t be much help anyway.”
Though she had been freed from the whispers of her Heart Demon, that didn’t mean it had vanished.
Even if unseen and unheard, the demon in one’s heart always remained.
More importantly, she had yet to break through level 7.
That’s precisely why she wanted to see it through to the end.
Looking down at the pitch-black portion sunk at the bottom of the lake, Sasha spoke.
“But if I can say a proper farewell to that thing... then it’ll be a different story.”
Because it wasn’t just about escaping the Heart Demon, but overcoming it.
She would gain a clear clue—perhaps even a revelation—that could push her to level 8.
Edna hesitated briefly before opening her mouth.
“...There isn’t much time left.”
“I know. But thanks to you, Edna, I think I’ve realized what I was missing.”
Sasha smiled softly as she made her request.
“It won’t take long.”
There was indeed a new sense of stability in her that hadn’t been there before.
After a moment of watching her, Edna gave a small nod.
“I’ll be waiting outside.”
The moment she exited Sasha’s inner world, Edna let out a light gasp.
Kaya, who had quickly approached, frowned upon seeing Sasha still unconscious.
“Did it fail...?”
“No. It succeeded. I made it safely into Sasha’s inner world.”
Considering the odds had been lower for failure, it could only be described as luck.
As she steadied her breathing, Edna bit her lip as she looked at Oscar, who was still locked in desperate battle.
“But from here on... it’s up to her.”
What Sasha would return with from the bottom of that lake depended entirely on her.
At the bottom of the lake of emotions.
That black, smoke-like substance rippling below was uninviting.
But Sasha, her face set with resolve, slowly reached out toward it.
Splash!
The black smoke stretched out like seaweed and engulfed her.
In the next instant, she found herself in a space filled with pitch black.
‘Where... is this?’
No matter where she looked, all she could see was that dark color.
Instinctively, Sasha understood—it was negative emotion.
Just looking at it made her stomach churn.
Then, sensing a presence in the darkness, Sasha gathered her mana.
“Light.”
A small orb of light flickered from her fingertip, pushing back the darkness.
And that’s when she saw—someone standing in front of her.
It looked exactly like her, but the atmosphere was completely different.
This was her Heart Demon—the demon of her heart.
“You came?”
The Heart Demon smiled softly as it spoke.
Though it was called a smile, it was twisted beyond recognition—a sneer.
“To be honest, I didn’t think you’d show. I figured you’d run away again, just like always.”
“...”
“What, cat got your tongue now that you’re face to face with me? Are you scared again?”
“No.”
Sasha slowly shook her head.
“I’m not scared. It’s just...”
“Just what?”
“I feel sorry.”
“...Huh?”
The Heart Demon’s face momentarily went blank.
Never in its existence had it expected to hear that from its own conscious self.
“Sorry? To me?”
“Yes. Like you said, I always ran away. You were born out of that disappointment, weren’t you?”
“...Hmm.”
The Heart Demon made a bored face.
“You’re not wrong. I’m a creature made from all your weakness and negativity. So what? Don’t tell me you think a little apology’s going to make us hug it out and call it a day?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. At least you’re not that stupid. Then go ahead—what excuse have you prepared this time?”
“No excuses this time.”
Sasha replied calmly.
“I’m weak.”
“...”
“I know I’m still lacking a lot. I’m still scared of so many things. Even right now, I want to turn and run from this place.”
The Heart Demon’s lips twisted upward, unmistakably mocking.
“So you do know. Then why are you here? Why not run away again, crying all by yourself like before?”
“Because I’m tired of that.”
“...What?”
“I’m sick of crying alone, running away, being anxious all the time.”
There was a depth in Sasha’s eyes now that hadn’t been there before.
“...”
The Heart Demon narrowed its eyes.
Sasha was looking straight at it—without flinching, without avoiding.
Facing her own weakness head-on.
“I used to hate admitting that I was weak. I thought that if I did, the weight of the White Tower Master’s crown would crush me.”
But that wasn’t true.
Because of her refusal to admit weakness, she had kept running, and in doing so, had only pushed herself closer to the edge.
“So? You’re just going to accept your weakness and call it a day?”
“No. I’m going to keep moving forward.”
The Heart Demon had whispered to her that she didn’t deserve the title of Tower Master.
That any one of her fellow disciples would’ve led the White Tower better than her.
“...Everything you whispered to me until now—honestly, you were probably right.”
Because deep down, she had believed it herself.
And that’s why the Heart Demon could whisper it.
Up until now, she had been too scared to admit and face it.
But now was different.
“So what if I fail?”
Everyone faces crisis.
Even if you lose to it, as long as you have something to lean on, you can always get back up.
“...What an incredibly pathetic mindset.”
The Heart Demon sneered.
“‘So what if you fail’? Go ahead, then. Fail all you want. But with that kind of light, shallow mindset, you’ll never grow.”
“No. I can grow.”
What is growth?
Some say it’s being better than the person you were yesterday.
Then who decides what “better” means?
And by whose standard?
‘I was mistaken.’
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Sasha had always believed that a mage’s growth came only through an increase in mana or the refinement of technique.
So she cut down on sleep to squeeze in more mana breathing, used every spare moment to study and train.
She had worked tirelessly to improve her skills and never missed a chance to review what she had learned.
‘...Master.’
Now that she thought about it, her master—so incomparably strong—had always carried a sense of calm.
She had assumed that was simply the leisure of the powerful.
‘But it wasn’t.’
It was Edna, the one who had watched him more closely than anyone else, who spoke up.
—Oscar is a strong person. But the reason he's truly strong is because, when necessary, he can lean on others without hesitation.
Thanks to her, she was able to realize something.
The reason her master had always seemed so strong was because he didn't try to fill himself to the brim.
He left room for someone else to fill in what he lacked.
That was something she could never even dream of doing, when she hadn’t left even a sliver of space within herself.
“Failure wasn’t allowed. I thought the only way to grow was to force things—pile them on, plaster over every crack.”
That mindset had worked, to a point.
At least until she had reached the threshold of level 7.
But breaking past the human limits—ascending to the realm of level 8—was something that method could never achieve.
“In fact, I had to let go.”
Let go of obsession.
Let go of torment.
Eventually, even let go of herself.
That is the true meaning of Wu Wei—non-action through effortless action.
[PR/N: Taoist concept, doesn't mean literally doing nothing, but rather acting in a way that is natural, spontaneous, and in harmony with the flow of the universe]
“...Ah.”
Sasha let out a breath, a weight lifted from her chest, leaving a refreshing clarity behind.
She felt almost foolish for having struggled so hard, when the answer was so simple.
“......”
The heart demon, who had been silently watching her, asked:
“Then, have you grown compared to yesterday?”
“Yes.”
Sasha answered without hesitation.
“I may not be able to prove it. But I was definitely less shaken than I was yesterday. My chest feels lighter, my head clearer. I’ve found some peace in my heart. And I’ve gained enough courage to face the parts of myself I used to hate.”
“...I see.”
The heart demon nodded quietly.
And then, it smiled—just slightly.
This time, there was no trace of mockery in its expression.
“Yeah. You really don’t seem like the coward you were yesterday. You’ve grown. No doubt about it.”
As it gave its acknowledgment, the heart demon slowly began to fade.
And with it, the pitch-black space around them began to crack and crumble.
“...Thank you.”
“You were apologizing earlier. Pick one—either thank me or say sorry.”
The heart demon closed its eyes slowly and dissolved into smoke.
But there was likely no lingering regret.
Its face held nothing but relief and peace.
And as the space completely collapsed, cracks also began to form on Sasha’s body.
“Kh...!”
As a spear of wind flew toward him, Oscar yanked on the thread of space without hesitation.
In this battle, there was no room for the luxury of thought.
He had to rely purely on instinct just to survive—things were that dire.
“Huff... huff...”
Sweat and blood dripped from Oscar’s entire body.
Meanwhile, Silmarion had changed not at all since the start.
This fight could probably go on for days.
‘So damn strong...’
He had already exhausted his mana—his world-liberation spell was gone.
Even his [Blink] spell could only be used three or four more times at best.
Oscar gave a bitter smile.
‘Well, my life was just a bonus anyway...’
His only regret was not being able to protect the people who had come all this way with him.
It was then that Silmarion murmured:
—The fae...
“Yeah, yeah. Trying to destroy again?”
—Top priority... elimination requested...
“...Huh?”
It was a line Oscar had never heard since the start of their battle.
And just as he sensed something was off—
A massive surge of energy erupted from behind, where Kaya’s group had been.
“...What the—”
White mana shot up into the sky, like a pillar of light.
Oscar, watching the scene with trembling eyes, bit his lip unconsciously.
That was the mark—a new 8th-level grand mage had appeared in this world.
“You’ve worked so hard.”
A gentle voice came from beside him.
Its owner reached out and placed a hand on his sweat-drenched shoulder.
“From here on, I’ll take over.”
“....”
Oscar lowered his head, not wanting to cry.
But it wasn’t just relief that filled him—it was something deeper.
He had just witnessed a child, once no bigger than his hand, rise to the level of 8.
And now, that same child was strong enough to protect everyone in his place.
His chest swelled with overwhelming emotion.
“...I’m counting on you.”
Oscar gave a small nod.
At that moment, a massive spear of wind came flying toward him.
“Really now...”
Crack-crack-crack!
The spear froze in midair and shattered before it could reach Oscar.
It couldn't pierce through Sasha’s white mana.
With her warm smile now gone, Sasha spoke in a voice that had turned slightly cold.
“How rude. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
—Destroy...
“Understood.”
With a calm voice, powerful mana surged from Sasha’s body.
“World Liberation.”
One Thought, Pure Land.
Where once the pillar of light had stood, a white tower now rose.
The bloody mountain trail where Oscar had struggled was now a lush green field.
Compared to the world she had created before when facing Yuribe, this one had a whole new level of clarity—its resolution and completeness on a different scale.
“Mad Wind Silmarion.”
The master of this world, Sasha Maestro, spoke.
“I’ll end your suffering as quickly as I can.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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