ushernet Chapter 124
Chapter 124
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 124: Artificial Island, Ivemir (1)
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.
The state of mages from the other Four Great Magic Towers would soon be revealed.
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."
“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]