ushernet Chapter 36
Chapter 36
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 36: Free City (1)
In Sirin, located in the northern continent, winter arrives unusually early.
Snow began falling heavily as soon as November started, blanketing the entire city under a white quilt in the afternoon.
Oscar was seated on the sofa, admiring this beautiful view.
‘There’s no need to worry about the potion business for a while.’
After the supplements became a massive hit, the potion business also stabilized smoothly.
In fact, most of the work was being handled by Lena, his senior.
‘The warehouse is well-stocked. Now, it’s time to start strengthening the White Tower's power.’
Of course, he had already laid a solid foundation for novice mages through the 'Reinterpretation of Basic Magic' lectures.
But that was just the groundwork.
Thinking the White Tower's standards would improve with just that much was unrealistic.
‘The real issue is breaking through the ceiling that holds us back. But that will only be solved if we regain the high-level magic.’
In truth, the loss of high-level magic should never have happened in the first place.
Before 'The Night of Purge,' he had entrusted Edna Sol Laplace, the dragon, with all of the White Tower’s records as a precautionary measure.
...but it seemed like something went wrong.
He had asked her to pass all the records to whoever succeeded him as the White Tower’s Tower Master.
However, that promise has not been fulfilled even after twenty years.
‘She’s not the type to betray me. There must be some unavoidable reason.’
After a moment of contemplation, Oscar stood up.
If something truly had happened to her, rather than waiting indefinitely, it would be best to go find her.
‘First, I should gather some information.’
That information could be found by scouring the White Tower's library.
There was nothing that library didn’t have.
* * *
The White Tower’s library, holding centuries of history, was filled with all kinds of ancient books.
Each of them was known as a famous text and considered priceless historical treasures.
“...it certainly used to be like that.”
Now, the shelves were filled with basic magic theory books or research papers, things you could find at a local bookstore.
Some of the shelves even held picture books, as if to awkwardly fill the empty spaces.
It was like a children’s library at an academy.
‘Even the reddest flower can’t last ten days...but I never imagined that the centuries it took to fill this library could vanish in a single day.’
He hadn’t imagined he would be the cause of it either.
As Oscar realized this, cold sweat trickled down his spine.
‘If I hadn’t listened to Majiro’s suggestion to make copies of all the library's records...’
By now, he would’ve been pounding the ground in regret.
Luckily, he had made copies of all the books and records here and left them with Edna.
Which meant that if he found her, he could turn all these picture books back into famous texts.
Oscar sighed in relief and approached the librarian to ask a question.
“Do you have any materials related to dragons?”
“Follow me.”
The librarian confidently led him to a section where rows of fairy tale books were neatly arranged.
Picking one of the books, the librarian recommended it enthusiastically.
The Brave mage and the Cowardly Lizards
“This one is really good. It’s about Oscar Sage, and the dragons. It’s a touching true story.”
“...I don’t mean books like these. I’m looking for real information on dragons.”
“Ah, such records wouldn’t be here. You’d probably have to go to the capital’s library to find them.”
Oscar chuckled at the title as he read it.
Cowardly lizards... indeed, those lizards deserved that label.
‘An exalted race born to be mediators of balance and entrusted with recording the world’s history.’
These beings with all sorts of reverent titles had fled and abandoned the world when the Great Demon Emperor emerged.
“Oh, but I heard that there was one dragon who fought alongside humans until the end... what was their name again?”
"Uh... By now, he must have already traveled far from Sirin. His stated reason on the request was to visit the Free City of Baran, which is a 14-hour journey by car."
"Wait, Baran...?"
The Deputy Master quickly recalled who was currently in Baran and said urgently,
"Contact our branch in Baran right away. Tell them to send Oscar back the moment they find him."
* * * * *
Pop, pop.
"..."
The driver kept glancing nervously at the rearview mirror.
Understandably so, because the passenger he had picked up in Sirin didn’t seem normal at first glance.
"So soft."
Pop! Pop!
Oscar tapped on the seat, rolled down the window, and even stuck his hand outside, acting rather strangely.
‘If he were some country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time, I might understand... But Sirin used to be one of the continent's cultural capitals. And I picked this passenger up right at the White Tower’s entrance, so he must be a mage. I’ve heard that some mages lose their minds from their obsession with research... And even if that’s not the case, mages who treat human life like flies are surprisingly common.’
"Hey, sir, what’s this?"
The mage grasped the handle on the door frame, used for holding onto when the car shook, and asked.
"It’s a handle, sir."
"What happens if I pull it?"
"It breaks."
"Oh."
Oscar quietly released the handle.
From his behavior, he seemed like a decent person.
And now that he looked closer, Oscar was quite handsome, almost like a noble.
"So, why are you visiting Baran?"
"I’m looking for someone. I need to collect something from them."
Their life, perhaps?
The driver forced an awkward smile as he responded,
"Haha. I hope you get what you’re looking for."
"Thank you. It shouldn’t be too hard; just a bit of blood needs to be shed."
So it was their life...
The driver swallowed hard and didn’t say another word until they reached their destination.
The Free City of Baran—a jungle of cold concrete where only money and power mattered. Oscar couldn’t help but admire it upon arrival.
"Wow, it’s flashy."
The sun was setting, and colorful lights were already shining from the buildings all around.
Just 30 years ago, this place had been a wasteland where big casinos were planning to open; now, it had developed dazzlingly.
‘Impressive, sure, but I’ve got work to do.’
Oscar took a map from his pocket and found his destination.
‘The Blood Tower, the branch of the Blood Tower... Looks like I need to head that way. When it comes to finding people, there’s no place like the Blood Tower, though it’s a shame I’ll need to shed a bit of blood as payment.’
As Oscar entered a dim alleyway at twilight, a voice called out.
"Stop right there."
A man leaning against the alley wall lowered his pipe from his mouth and spoke.
Smoke drifted into the air, and through the haze, his eyes gleamed red, like jewels, as he stared at Oscar.
"I’ve been waiting for you, Oscar Crucian."
"...For me?"
"Yes, someone’s been looking for you."
From the magical energy he sensed, he could tell this man was a mage.
The Blue Tower was the most likely suspect.
‘Of course. They’ve lost more than just a few coins on that potion business, so they must have been waiting for a chance to get back at me. But I didn’t expect them to send someone the moment I left Sirin. Ruthless, really.’
Oscar gathered his magical energy and asked,
"What if I refuse?"
"Then I’ll have no choice but to take you by force."
The man let out another cloud of thick smoke that filled the alleyway as the two of them clashed.
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]