ushernet Chapter 112
Chapter 112
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w
Chapter 112: The Mage of Ashes (2)
Clink.
“......”
Oscar lowered his gaze to the bracelet fastened around his left wrist.
Then, he stared intently at Lloyd, his expression clearly asking, What’s with this tasteless thing?
“It’s handcuffs,”
Lloyd replied nonchalantly, meeting his gaze.
“They track your location and mana usage, and can also restrict your magic.”
“What the hell...”
Why would anyone put something like this on him?
As Oscar glared at him in disbelief, Lloyd responded with genuine curiosity.
“Why that reaction? Do you not realize you’re a hostage?”
“I didn’t expect to be treated like a criminal, though.”
“To me, you’re no different from someone who might run off and report to the imperial family at any moment.”
With that indifferent remark, Lloyd entered his massive tent.
Oscar followed him inside, taking a moment to survey the stark interior.
It was a far cry from the room he remembered from their childhood.
Perhaps it was Oscar’s wistful gaze that annoyed him, as Lloyd frowned.
“There’s nothing worth staring at. Why so fixated?”
“It’s just... more barren than I expected. I thought there’d at least be a flower or two, given your magic is related to them.”
Lloyd was a mage of a unique discipline.
He possessed the power of “Blooming Eternity”—capable of reviving any flower he had ever seen.
‘Because of that ability, his room was once filled with vibrant flowers of every kind.’
Even the greenhouse on the tenth floor, bursting with colors, had been his doing.
While other kids were obsessed with ancient creatures, Lloyd was simply enamored with flowers.
He was so meticulous about them that one might think he aspired to be a floral designer rather than a mage.
But now, as a somber 30-year-old adult, Lloyd shook his head firmly.
“That’s a misconception. I don’t like things that wither quickly—flowers, promises, that sort of thing.”
“......”
This promise-obsessed man claims to dislike promises?
Was it his fault?
While Oscar hesitated over what to say, Lloyd rolled back a large rug on the floor.
Beneath it was a door made of thick steel.
“The lab is this way.”
With a snap of Lloyd’s fingers, the heavy door creaked open.
He gestured with a tilt of his chin.
“Go down.”
“......”
Descending the stairs in silence, Oscar was taken aback by the unexpectedly spacious room.
“Did you create this place specifically for seed research?”
“It’s a repurposed space that previous occupants used as a vault.”
As he examined the room, Oscar noticed another door and asked,
“What’s behind that door?”
“You don’t need to know. And don’t open it—no matter what.”
His expression brooked no argument or further questions.
Oscar nodded and began listing the materials he needed.
“A large pot, flasks of various sizes, a precision scale... and holy water, too.”
“Anything else? You might also need mana isolation devices or detection lenses.”
“For that...”
Clink.
Oscar raised his left arm.
“If you let me use magic, I can handle it myself.”
“......”
Lloyd nodded slightly at Oscar’s confident demeanor.
“I’ll have the equipment delivered within 30 minutes.”
* * *
Oscar’s daily routine was simple.
As long as he spent about 15 hours researching, the rest of the time was his to use as he pleased.
In his free time, he meditated, took walks, and ate meals.
‘Honestly, being taken hostage by my own student felt absurd and humiliating at first...’
“That’s enough for today.”
“You seem to be spending less and less time on research. Is something happening outside?”
Lloyd hesitated briefly before nodding.
“The orcs are gathering. A massive army, larger than anything seen in the last 30 years.”
“Thirty years... Do you have any idea why?”
“Normally, I’d just think a great leader had emerged and leave it at that.”
Lloyd glanced at the seed lying on the table.
“But now, I can’t think that way.”
“You suspect that the orc leader also possesses a seed?”
“It’s not a suspicion—it’s a certainty. I obtained these seeds by killing high-ranking orc leaders.”
Was the shrinking time for research a result of the increasing need to monitor the frontlines?
Oscar asked,
“When do you think the battle will start?”
“Soon. At most, two weeks.”
Lloyd’s indifferent gaze turned toward Oscar.
“I’ll make sure you leave before then, so don’t worry. But you’ll have to swear on the oath parchment first.”
“...”
Truly, he lacked any sense of warmth to the very end.
* * *
Afternoon, after lunch.
Oscar, taking a walk to digest his meal, suddenly heard shouting.
“Don’t run your mouth just because you’ve got a tongue.”
“Oh? Did I say something wrong?”
As he approached the crowd that had gathered, he saw soldiers split into two opposing groups.
Oscar nodded to himself.
‘Factional strife.’
It was obvious—one side consisted of mages, while the other was knights.
At the forefront, a knight standing nearly two meters tall was glaring down at a mage.
“Bet you lot in the ashes are relieved our captain went missing. Got yourselves the commander’s seat without lifting a finger, huh? Or was the whole disappearance just a lie?”
“...Are you insulting the honor of the Red Tower?”
“Honor? Funny you’d mention that when you didn’t even organize a search party for your missing commander. Don’t see the orcs gathering outside, do you?”
The hostility was palpable.
‘So the original commander, a knight, went missing during a mission.’
After that, the orcs began gathering, leaving no room to organize a search party.
The tension between the factions only deepened.
Then, unable to hold back his anger, the knight crossed the line.
“Pfft! You fake mages are all the same.”
“...”
The mage from the Red Tower, his face spat on, closed his eyes.
At a glance, it seemed like he was trying to suppress his emotions, but it was just a moment to prepare himself.
When he opened his eyes again, a chilling killing intent was evident in his gaze.
The air grew heavy, and fiery magic began to swirl, contrasting the coldness in his eyes.
Just then—
“Cease, all of you.”
“...!”
“...!”
With Lloyd’s voice, the raging magic disappeared like a lie.
Demonstrating the authority of a 7th-level high mage, he gave a dry command.
“Disperse. Return to your posts.”
“...Understood.”
“Tch.”
No additional punishment followed.
It seemed Lloyd judged that lowering morale on the brink of war would be inefficient.
“...”
But to Oscar, the situation looked dire.
The rift between the two factions seemed irreparable.
‘It’s like a ticking time bomb.’
A bomb that might explode in the middle of a battlefield.
As Oscar wrestled with unease, a week passed in the blink of an eye.
The research on the seed had also reached its final phase.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w