ushernet Chapter 51
Chapter 51
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 51: Mage Hunter (1)
In the city of Rouen, known as the Heart of the East, the Yellow Tower stood as a unique landmark, its appearance distinct from any conventional mage tower.
Instead of a cylindrical shape, it seemed as though hundreds of cubes of varying sizes had been stacked together in a haphazard manner.
“The Head of the Department of Magical Engineering is entering!”
The department with the most power in this highly distinctive Yellow Tower was, without a doubt, the Department of Magical Engineering.
It boasted unparalleled influence, credited with changing the world in just 20 years.
Moreover, its head, Tony Haberz, was the only disciple of the tower’s master.
As the brown-haired man in his mid-thirties with a neatly combed pomade hairstyle entered the conference room and naturally took the seat of honor, he surveyed the room and spoke in a voice that subtly invoked tension.
“Let’s begin the meeting. As usual, let’s hear about the activities of the other towers first.”
At his words, an elderly mage who had prepared the report opened his mouth.
“The Red Tower has secured command over a large-scale monster subjugation operation. The commander is said to be Lloyd Schultz, the Ash Wizard and disciple of the Red Tower Master.”
“Was there no way for us to intervene?”
“Well, it seems... the military is too heavily influenced by the Red Tower...”
The elderly mage trailed off, casting cautious glances around.
The mages of the Yellow Tower were all somewhat intimidated by Tony.
It wasn’t that he was known for being cruel or for handing out punitive measures excessively, yet he inspired unease regardless.
“So, the Red Tower will achieve the most notable results in this subjugation, then.”
If the commander was from the Red Tower, they would undoubtedly position their mages to reap the greatest rewards.
Tony nodded indifferently, as if he hadn’t expected anything different.
Wasting energy on the impossible was the height of inefficiency.
“When the day comes that they make a major mistake, our turn will come. What about the Blue Tower?”
“Oh, it seems they are in quite a predicament.”
A mage in charge of monitoring the Blue Tower eagerly replied, sensing a chance to improve the atmosphere.
“Recently, the Blue Tower has been ceding its share of the potion market to the White Tower. While, for now, it’s merely irritating for them, if this continues, it could become a significant problem.”
Tony nodded.
‘The Blue Tower certainly seems to have taken a major tumble lately. They’ve been careless.’
Their attempt to undercut the White Tower with a discount campaign had backfired, stabbing them in the back.
He wouldn’t have made such a foolish move if it had been him.
With a slightly appeased expression, Tony commented,
“So, the White Tower must be celebrating right now.”
“Indeed. Most of all, they are likely rejoicing in the achievements of Oscar Crucian.”
“...That’s a name I’ve been hearing more often lately.”
To be honest, he had thought he would never hear that name again.
Once discarded by all the mage towers as a broken toy, what reason was there for his resurgence?
“Yes, and there’s more news about him. While completing a mission in Baran City, he reportedly encountered the Tattooist.”
“...That’s quite unfortunate news.”
As a fellow mage, Tony couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.
The Tattooist was a mage from the brutal and notorious Violet Brigade, with a massive bounty on her head.
For a novice mage to cross paths with her was akin to being swept up in a natural disaster.
“Did he die?”
“No. Surprisingly, he wasn’t gravely injured. Just a few days’ rest, and he’ll be fine.”
“...He encountered the Tattooist and came out with only minor injuries?”
Tony’s face showed disbelief.
Never before had there been such a mild outcome from an encounter with her.
“Yes, and what’s causing even more buzz is that Oscar Crucian has ascended to Level 3.”
“Level 3? Isn’t he a mana-deficiency patient?”
“That’s correct, which is why there are rumors that he might have found a cure for mana deficiency.”
“A cure for mana deficiency...”
If true, it would be a discovery of the century.
Mana deficiency was an incurable disease that even the greatest mages had failed to resolve.
“We’ll monitor that situation further.”
“Understood. Additionally, regarding the White Tower, they seem to have recently taken an interest in magical engineering.”
“...Magical engineering? In the White Tower of all places?”
Tony tilted his head slightly.
It didn’t make sense.
The White Tower’s current ventures—delivery services, potions, and supplements—had nothing to do with magical engineering.
Clicking his tongue, Tony muttered absently.
“Let’s move on to the next agenda.”
* * *
Just before leaving the Hoover estate, a stranger came to visit.
“Greetings. I am Klein Mathis, a Level 5 mage and the branch manager of the Blood Tower’s Baran office.”
“...Oscar Crucian, Level 3 mage of the—”
Oscar mumbled the part about the White Tower.
If the man realized he was from the White Tower, he would surely demand 30% more in fees.
But his desperate attempt to conceal it crumbled pathetically.
“You’re with the White Tower, I see. Surviving an encounter with that tattooist isn’t exactly obscure information.”
“...”
Oscar reluctantly searched his pockets.
How much more would that be if it’s a 30% hike?
850,000 bels?
Just as he was mentally calculating the additional payment, Klein suddenly pulled out a pouch of money and handed it to him.
“...What is this?”
“It’s the 1.1 million bel advance payment you gave us. Please verify it.”
“What I mean is, why are you returning the money?”
“To be blunt, we failed to find the person in question. Our tracking magic kept breaking during the process.”
Magic breaking?
‘Could it be...?’
A bad thought crossed Oscar’s mind as he accepted the pouch.
“Do you have any idea why that might be?”
“Yes. On this continent, there are a few areas where the flow of magic becomes so unstable that our tracking spells fail. Based on where the spells broke down this time...”
Klein continued with an uneasy expression.
“The person you’re searching for is likely beyond the Red Mountains.”
Bad premonitions often prove correct; once again, the Red Mountains were the cause.
In the past, tracking spells frequently failed when searching for demons beyond those mountains.
“At any rate, since we’ve returned the contract payment, consider the matter nullified.”
After bowing briefly, Klein quickly left the room, as though eager to sever any ties with the request.
Oscar stared at the money pouch on the table, deep in thought.
‘Beyond the Red Mountains...’
Could it be that after his death, she was unable to escape the gray zone beyond the mountains?
If true, it would perfectly explain why she hadn’t sent any information to the White Tower for the past 20 years.
But why?
That question lingered in his mind.
‘The demons couldn’t detect her as she soared silently above the clouds.’
Thanks to her, they had reaped enormous advantages throughout the war.
If she couldn’t escape that place, there had to be another reason.
‘...One thing’s for sure—she’s not dead.’
The proof was that the Blood Tower’s tracking spell worked up to a certain point.
And if she had been in mortal danger, she would’ve used her unique spell, Garden of Eternity.
That spell rendered everything within a certain radius—including the caster—uninterruptible and frozen in place.
‘If she used that spell, she wouldn’t be able to move, but she also wouldn’t die.’
It severed the surrounding space entirely from the world.
In fact, if the White Tower had failed to kill the Great Emperor, Plan B would have involved her deploying that spell.
Edna would have sacrificed herself to trap the Great Emperor in stasis alongside her eternally.
‘I’ll need to go beyond the Red Mountains to confirm anything...’
At his current skill level, it was out of the question.
He would need to be at least Level 5 or 6 to navigate the area safely.
‘For now, the priority is...’
Growth.
While contemplating how to grow stronger quickly, someone knocked on his door.
“Come in.”
A servant of the Hoover family entered, holding a large wired communicator.
“Oscar, sir, a call from the White Tower.”
[Translator - Clara]
[Proofreader - Gun]