The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 232: An Old Promise (6)
Oran stared at the giant eyeball in front of him and thought:
‘They’ve probably gotten far away by now, right?’
It had been about four hours since his standoff with this grotesque creature began.
If Oscar and Kaya had fled at full speed, they would’ve already reached the first peak by now.
“Hoo, well then... since preparations are done... shall we begin?”
Every inch of visible space was already lined with threads like a spider’s web.
The reason he chose to go to such extremes was simple.
‘There’s no hope anyway.’
Was it because he didn’t think a rescue team would arrive?
No.
If anything, he was certain one would come.
His senior, Kaya Lockwood, was someone who knew how to take care of her comrades.
And even though they hadn’t spent much time together, Oscar also seemed trustworthy enough.
‘The problem is my stamina.’
Oran had done the calculations himself.
Even if they made it down the mountain quickly and brought help, it would still take at least four days.
‘And I’m not confident my body can last that long.’
That’s why he was preparing for battle—
Because his chances would be higher if he fought while he still had some stamina and mana left.
‘Or maybe... all of this is just a pathetic excuse.’
Maybe what he really wanted was just to be freed—
Freed from the constant unease that tormented him, from the nightmares that haunted him every night.
Oran drew up his mana.
“Let’s begin.”
With his gesture, countless threads began to dance.
In an instant, the Eye Thief’s limbs were bound by reinforced threads, and—
SPLURT!
Blood gushed out like a fountain from the Eye Thief’s body.
The massive eyeball curved into a crescent, as if laughing, and then—
The creature disappeared from sight.
‘It broke free from the threads and escaped.’
Even though his mana-reinforced threads were sharp enough to slice through steel,
It still wasn’t enough to restrain the Eye Thief.
Oran calmly scanned his surroundings.
‘Not that it matters.’
Because his own eyes weren’t capable of tracking the creature anyway.
As if to prove that, a chill ran down his spine, and the hair on his body stood up.
“Knew you’d try something like that.”
Just as he yanked his body backward—
The Eye Thief dropped down onto the spot where he’d just been standing.
Its left arm was buried in the ground up to the elbow.
‘A piercing strike using its sharp claws. Just like before.’
Even as Oran analyzed the situation calmly, he swallowed hard.
Those claws were sharp enough to cut his threads.
If he hadn’t reacted in time, the claw would’ve pierced him straight from the crown of his head to his spine.
‘...Could I stitch myself back together with mana threads?’
Impossible.
If he got hit by that, his brain would be reduced to mush and he’d die instantly.
As the thought of death floated through his mind,
Adrenaline began flooding Oran’s brain.
‘One hit and I’m dead. Meanwhile, I’ll probably have to land dozens—no, hundreds—of hits to kill it.’
The odds were completely against him.
It was like playing on a chessboard tilted entirely in the enemy’s favor.
Even so, Oran didn’t give up.
“Ensemble.”
Dozens of threads strewn across the area suddenly tightened, aiming to sever the Eye Thief’s neck.
Snap! Snip!
As the creature tried to pull out its embedded arm,
It swung its other arm and slashed through the threads in one motion.
Then, pulling out its trapped arm, the Eye Thief launched itself at Oran.
‘It’s coming.’
The moment he sensed it, Oran raised a massive wall of threads.
A solid barrier woven from tens of thousands of threads.
SLASH!
But the Eye Thief furiously slashed with both arms, and the wall was shredded in moments.
‘Two seconds, huh?’
That was enough.
More than he’d expected, even.
Already retreating, Oran’s hands moved in a flurry.
“Piercing Thread.”
Threads tangled in the air shot forward like spears.
The Eye Thief tried to fend them off, but there were too many.
Thunk! Thud!
Spears of thread pierced its flank and thigh, and blood began to flow from the wounds.
“In the end, they’re all the same.”
No matter how monstrous the opponent—
Even if they seemed unbeatable—
They were still living beings with red blood just like him.
‘Maybe... just maybe...’
As he manipulated the threads connected to his left hand, a sudden sound—
Slice!
“...?”
His mind was slow to register the situation.
His left wrist felt strangely light.
Then came a spray of blood, and Oran’s face twisted in agony.
‘This bastard... cut off my hand to stop me from manipulating the threads...!’
He’d lost focus for just half a second, and in that brief moment, it had closed the gap.
He was going to die.
Just as he was about to make one final desperate move—
“....”
The Eye Thief, who had just sliced off his hand and raised its arm to sever his neck next, suddenly froze.
Then, it turned its head to look at something.
A flicker of hesitation passed over its large eye.
After a brief moment of thought, it slowly lowered its arm—
And without a second glance, turned away and left.
“...What?”
Oran muttered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Spared?
The Eye Thief spared him?
One of the Five Calamities of the Crimson Mountains?
He only understood why after a girl dropped down from the sky.
“Good. I wasn’t too late.”
Sasha Maist murmured, staring at Oran’s empty wrist.
“Your limbs aren’t all intact, but... you can heal that much yourself, right?”
“...White Tower Master.”
Oran let out a breath full of mixed emotions as he recognized her.
Just a few hours ago, she had been lost in mind demon corruption.
Now, she looked as if she’d stepped into a realm he couldn’t even imagine.
“I don’t know whether to say thank you or congratulations first.”
“Neither. Just think of it as me returning a favor.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
With that, Sasha conjured a breeze and handed him the severed hand.
“Let’s reattach that properly first before we go back. If we go back like this...”
She’d probably get scolded by her master for being late.
Once Oran reattached the hand using Emergency Stitch,
She finally said:
“Let’s go.”
To the place where those waiting for them were.
When Oran returned with Sasha, he looked sheepish as he faced the group.
“Well... I made all that effort to look cool, and then I come back rescued. Kinda embarrassing.”
“Still, it all worked out in the end.”
“You did good.”
Oscar and Kaya genuinely welcomed his return.
Kaya, in particular, quickly scanned his body and muttered,
“So that eyeball freak is strong. You even lost a hand.”
“...Is it that obvious?”
“I’ve known you too long. I can tell when you’ve stitched something up with threads.”
“That thing was insanely strong.”
Grumbling, Oran listened to what had happened here—
And his jaw dropped.
“You erased the Storm? What the hell...?”
Even though Sasha had reached Level 8, Oran couldn’t help but be shocked.
He knew what she had been capable of before.
Just a single digit change, and her power had skyrocketed beyond belief.
He muttered honestly:
“With that kind of strength, isn’t she on par with the other four Tower Elders?”
“Probably not. Those people have been at Level 8 for decades.”
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Oran nodded quietly and muttered to himself.
"Thinking about it like that, I’m curious how powerful the previous head of the White Tower was—he reached level 9, right?"
"My master? I doubt even ten of me right now could stand a chance against him."
"...Wait, is the gap really that big?"
"Of course. My master is the greatest mage in history."
"Hmm, hmm."
Feeling awkward at the disciple’s praise for her teacher, Oscar cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"At our current pace, we should be able to exit the mountain range within two days."
"...Hey, once we’re down, open a portal to the nearest inn or hotel, would you?"
"Yeah, good idea."
Oscar nodded.
He wanted to soak in hot water himself.
"Let’s keep moving."
“......”
A man sat silently on horseback, gazing at the Red Mountains.
A short distance away, a group of his subordinates muttered among themselves.
"What is the Deputy Commander waiting for over there?"
"Who knows. Maybe he sensed some kind of magical flow from the mountains?"
"I didn’t feel anything."
"Of course not. You think you’re on his level?"
Still, despite the sudden patrol, the subordinates didn’t complain.
Their superior always had his reasons.
"Wait. What’s that?"
"...People? No, if they’re coming down from the mountains—are they demons?!"
Spotting figures descending from the Red Mountains, the soldiers urgently spurred their horses.
"Deputy Commander!"
"Don’t make a fuss."
Though his command was calm, the man watched the approaching group with sharp eyes and finally spoke.
"It’s been a while."
"...Lloyd Schultz?"
The one who responded was Oscar Crucian, looking quite bedraggled.
He hadn’t expected to run into Lloyd here of all places, and asked, visibly flustered,
"What brings you here...?"
"The first peak of the Red Mountains falls under our Western Front jurisdiction. I sensed a familiar magical presence, so I came."
Then Lloyd added coolly,
"But crossing the Red Mountains—was that an officially reported expedition to the Imperial Court?"
"Ah, well..."
Unauthorized entry into the perilous Red Mountains was strictly forbidden by the Empire. Oscar hadn't expected him to press that point and was momentarily caught off guard.
"It’s fine. I crossed with a guardian."
From the back, Sasha stepped forward, pulling down her hood.
Her gaze was confident and sharp—very unlike her usual demeanor.
She looked Lloyd straight in the eye and said,
"You do know that a Tower Master has personal investigative authority to cross the Red Mountains, right? And companions are permitted as well."
"......"
Lloyd stared at her for a moment, then turned to glance at the rest of the group.
But with their hoods pulled low, he couldn’t make out who they were.
"Are their identities confirmed?"
"Yes. Or do you not trust me, the head of the White Tower?"
"Uh... Apologies, ma’am, but even so, this is part of our official duties..."
"Enough."
Lloyd cut off the knight who was politely trying to press the matter.
"If the White Tower Master vouches for them, their identities are confirmed."
"......"
Sasha didn’t thank him.
She simply kept glaring at him, as if something about him deeply irritated her.
Oscar, observing the situation, spoke up.
"Ah, then we’ll be on our way. We don’t want to be late for the White Night Festival."
"The White Night Festival?"
Lloyd turned and replied,
"That already started two days ago. Even if you traveled at top speed, it would probably be over by the time you arrived."
"Oh, that’s fine."
Then Oscar pulled on a thread of space and opened a portal.
Lloyd, rarely surprised, showed interest.
"Is this that 'space' magic?"
"Yes, quite convenient, isn’t it?"
"If the opportunity arises, I’d like to study it."
"I’ll give you plenty of time next time."
As Oscar and his group disappeared through the portal, the soldiers could hardly hide their amazement.
"So that’s the space magic we’ve heard so much about..."
"Rumor has it that it builds upon Lord Ado Vail’s advancements."
"I thought the White Tower had fallen, but they still have quite a few talents."
"Now that you mention it, the White Tower Master seemed much more formidable than the rumors say."
"......"
Lloyd nodded as he listened to them.
‘You've gotten a lot stronger, Sasha.’
The little girl who used to cry almost daily had become a full-fledged level 8 archmage.
She hadn’t declared it outright, but Lloyd could tell the moment he saw her.
Then, turning in the direction of the capital, he murmured softly,
"...Then I suppose it’s time for me to move as well."
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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