Chapter 123

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Chapter 123: Return (5)

Sasha cried.

She cried so much that her eyes swelled up like balloons.

“……”

Now, as if she felt awkward about the situation, she kept avoiding his gaze.

If anyone were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly think he was the one who made her cry.

“Here.”

Oscar, who naturally pulled out a handkerchief, strode over to Sasha.

She flinched and looked cautious, but he didn’t care and brought the handkerchief right to her nose.

Just like in the old days.

“Blow.”

“…Hngh!”

After hesitating for a moment, Sasha blew her nose hard, even clearing the snot, and then looked visibly more refreshed.

But then, she started avoiding his gaze again.

Oscar, who had folded the snot-covered handkerchief several times and tucked it into his pocket, asked:

“What’s wrong? Feeling awkward?”

“Well… obviously.”

Her voice was so quiet it sounded like ants crawling.

Carefully, she opened her mouth again.

“Can I… ask you just a few more questions?”

“Ask as many as you want.”

“Then, what was the first thing I ever said to you?”

The first thing Sasha ever said?

Usually, a baby’s first words are something like “Ma” or “Pa.”

Babies often say words like “Mama” or “Papa” first.

But in Sasha’s case…

“It was ‘Ka.’”

It seemed like she was trying to say “Oscar” but couldn’t manage the first syllable.

“So, whenever you were hungry, you’d cry out, ‘Ka~ Ka~’ nonstop. Back then, you couldn’t even control your bladder, so I had to change your diapers—”

“Th-that’s enough! Next question!”

Her face flushed red, Sasha quickly tried to change the subject.

“When I was little, I broke something once. We promised to take that secret to our graves. What was it?”

“Well…”

Honestly, this was a bit confusing.

The reason was simple: this crybaby and he had made such promises countless times.

“Which promise are you talking about?”

“…The one where I got on my knees and begged for forgiveness.”

“Ah, if it’s that one, are you talking about the time you accidentally broke Lloyd’s favorite flower while admiring it?”

Back then, Lloyd had been so determined to find the culprit that he studied tracking magic with fire in his eyes.

As a side note, he eventually figured out on his own that Sasha was the culprit.

But when he found out it was the youngest, he decided to pretend not to know.

“…That’s right.”

Sasha slowly nodded her head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Then, for the first time, she looked him in the eyes.

“You really are my Master.”

“I told you so.”

“You’re really… my Master…”

“Ah, wait.”

He quickly stopped her when she looked like she was about to cry again.

“I get that you’re sad, but you’ve already cried for 20 minutes.”

“…What can I do if tears keep coming out?”

“Well, can you try holding back a little? We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Sniffling, Sasha nodded.

“I’ll try.”

“Good. And if there’s anything else you want to ask, just ask.”

“…How did this happen to you?”

“That part, I don’t know either. I was definitely dead, but when I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital room.”

The memories of that day, not long ago, resurfaced vividly.

“At first, I thought someone was messing around with my soul. But the Sage of the Stars denied that. They said resurrection isn’t such a simple concept.”

“……”

Sasha seemed to ponder something for a moment, then cautiously asked:

“So… did Oscar truly die?”

“Like I said before, he drank an illegal potion and died. Otherwise, my soul wouldn’t have been able to enter this body.”

“…I see.”

For a brief moment, Sasha’s expression turned bitter.

Having been close to countless deaths, Oscar understood how she must be feeling.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, there’s no need for you to apologize, Master.”

In the grand scheme of time, she was right.

After the young Oscar drank the illegal potion and died, his soul had entered this body.

But Sasha still couldn’t erase the bitter expression from her face.

“I always thought he was a child who’d eventually shine bright… That’s the part I find so heartbreaking.”

“…He was a remarkable mage.”

Oscar closed his eyes and spoke.

“So, I’m thinking of making sure his revenge is carried out.”

“Revenge? For what?”

“You might not know this, but that boy wasn’t a mana deficiency patient.”

When he explained that all 20 of his body’s mana circuits had been deliberately blocked, Sasha clenched her fists in fury.

“Th-those terrible people! Who are they?!”

“I don’t know. But they’ll show themselves to me soon enough.”

At the Night of mages.

When the news of him reaching Level 4 became widely known.

“…If you ever need my help, just let me know. I want to take revenge too.”

“Alright.”

With her eyes blazing with determination, Sasha suddenly looked straight at him.

“And there’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Am I the first person to know you’ve returned?”

In her unwavering gaze, there was an indescribable pressure.

Her blank expression was so stern that, for a moment, she reminded him of Lloyd.

Unconsciously gulping, Oscar nodded.

“Of-of course. You’re the first one I’ve told.”

Well, excluding the Spirit King of the Wind and the dwarves—though that was just a minor technicality.

Hearing his answer, Sasha’s expression immediately softened.

“That’s a relief. For a moment, I thought you might have told him at the Red Citadel.”

“…Him? No matter what, he’s still your senior.”

“Senior or not, aren’t you angry? He betrayed you and ran straight to the enemy’s tower master!”

Of course, every time he thought about it, his heart felt heavy.

But after meeting Lloyd in person, he couldn’t bring himself to criticize him.

The way he looked now… he didn’t seem happy at all.

Oscar let out a bitter smile and shook his head.

“He must have had his reasons. Anyway, I had already decided in my heart that you, who have consistently protected the White Tower, were the first person who deserved to know this secret.”

That was a lie.

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“Wow, really? I’m so happy!”

Seeing how happy Sasha was made him feel a little guilty.

As he gave her an awkward smile, the excited Sasha kept talking.

“So, the success of restoring the potion’s formula and the magic was all thanks to your knowledge, Master.”

“That’s right. Honestly, I wanted to restore all the high-level magic I remember.”

“That would be difficult, though. If you had done that, you might have been kidnapped to a secret imperial military base and subjected to experiments.”

As expected, Sasha understood the risks all too well.

It was funny how they ended up reaching the same conclusion.

“In any case, I’ve already prepared for that.”

Oscar revealed that he had entrusted all his materials to Edna Sol Laplace.

Hearing this, Sasha paused for a moment.

“...I see. At least you considered those of us left behind.”

“Of course. If I didn’t have faith that you could manage on your own, I wouldn’t have made that decision.”

Faith.

At that word, Sasha’s expression suddenly became somber.

“I’m sorry. I feel like I didn’t live up to that expectation.”

“That’s not your fault. If anything, you’ve done far better than I expected.”

Especially the way she monopolized the delivery market by utilizing Ouroboros and magical engineering for airship operations.

Oscar gave her the highest praise for that.

“I probably wouldn’t have even thought of something so ingenious. You’ve been a genius since you were young.”

“W-What are you saying? If it were you, Master, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad in the first place.”

Blushing from the compliment, she laughed bashfully.

“Then, to retrieve the high-level magic and various materials, we’ll need to find Edna first.”

“I already know where she is. When I visited Baran, I learned her whereabouts through the Blood Tower.”

Sasha’s eyes narrowed.

“...You know where she is but haven’t retrieved the materials yet? She must be in a very hard-to-reach place.”

“Sharp as ever.”

Oscar turned his gaze to the north.

Beyond the northern plateau, past the barren wasteland, stood a mountain range like a natural fortress blocking the way.

“Edna is beyond the Red Mountains. I suspect she couldn’t escape from there on the day the Great Emperor died.”

“...That’s impossible. Didn’t she always fly through the skies when she traveled?”

“She did.”

That was precisely why dragons were called demigods and guardians of balance.

Despite their enormous size, it was nearly impossible to spot them flying through the stratosphere with the naked eye.

“But for some reason, she couldn’t escape the Red Mountains. That’s the truth.”

“Hmm, the Red Mountains…”

After some thought, Sasha spoke up.

“With the White Tower’s current power, crossing the Red Mountains is impossible.”

“I agree. That’s why I plan to somehow secure the help of the imperial family.”

If the imperial family assisted, rescuing her wouldn’t be impossible.

The problem was figuring out how to gain their support.

“There are three ways to do that,”

Sasha said, holding up three fingers.

“The first is the most dangerous: I go directly to the Emperor and inform him of your return.”

“Rejected.”

Oscar immediately shook his head.

“I plan to share my return only with people I’ve personally judged trustworthy.”

Sasha didn’t know the Emperor.

And, for that matter, neither did Oscar anymore.

‘It’s unlikely, but if he’s become a completely different person from before…’

Informing him of his return could be an irreparable mistake.

So, no matter what, he intended to confirm it for himself first.

“I agree with you. Then the second method is to win the Oscar at the White Night Festival and secure a private audience with the Emperor.”

“That’s definitely the easiest option.”

If he could meet the Emperor in person, he’d find a way to make it work.

“And the last method… is the Night of the mages.”

“The Night of the mages? You mean the one being revived this year?”

“That’s right. It’s not certain yet, but there’s a rumor that the Emperor himself will attend.”

The Emperor might attend the Night of the mages?

If that was true, it meant he could see him very soon.

And it seemed much more likely than winning an Oscar.

“If I can gain the imperial family’s support and bring Edna back… things will improve.”

The glory of the past.

The brightest and most beloved days of the White Tower.

Restoring it all wouldn’t just be a dream.

“Don’t worry.”

Sasha clenched her fists tightly and made a resolution.

“From now on, I’ll support you with everything I have. Once everything is revealed and it’s the right time, I’ll even return the Tower Master position to you.”

“No, I don’t need the Tower Master position.”

Oscar firmly shook his head.

He didn’t want to take away his disciple’s position—it just didn’t feel right.

‘And more than anything…’

He’d always thought of himself as an excellent mage, but not a great leader.

Smiling faintly, Oscar patted Sasha’s head.

“You’re a much better Tower Master than I am. So be confident.”

“M-Master…!”

In the end, Sasha burst into tears and cried for another twenty minutes.

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