Chapter 97

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Chapter 97: The Sage of the Stars (1)

The comforting coziness of the room, returning after several days, was short-lived.

Someone knocked on the door.

Thinking they’d leave if he pretended not to be there, he ignored it, but a familiar voice called out to him.

0Strange. I was sure he came back.

There was no mistaking it—Lena White.

She wouldn’t come looking for him without a reason.

‘In other words, this must be work-related.’

Dragging his tired body to the door, he opened it, and Lena’s face lit up with a startled, rabbit-like expression.

“You were here after all. I thought you weren’t inside because you didn’t respond even after I knocked for ages.”

“Normally, if there’s no answer after two or three knocks, wouldn’t you just leave?”

“Wouldn’t that seem rude? And impatient, too.”

“…….”

Lost for words, Oscar guided her to the sofa and asked,

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing too major. The military contacted us. They want to purchase our potions.”

“The military? Surely not...”

Noticing his narrowing eyes, Lena quickly interjected,

“I know what you’re thinking, but I haven’t contacted them since I warned you not to stir things up with the Blue Tower unnecessarily.”

“So, they approached us first about buying potions?”

“Yep.”

“...That’s unexpected.”

Oscar muttered with a frown.

The military’s key positions were dominated by the Red Tower, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume their influence was behind this decision.

‘Then why are they trying to do business with us, even if it means alienating the Blue Tower?’

Besides, didn’t they refuse the last time he asked?

He looked at Lena and asked,

“Has anything happened recently to cause a rift between the Red Tower and the Blue Tower?”

“Not that I know of. If anything, I heard the Blue Tower has been accommodating the Red Tower more lately, perhaps because of us.”

“...Then it’s even harder to understand.”

“Did you hear the recent news about the Red Tower acquiring the rights for a large-scale monster extermination?”

It was his first time hearing about it.

He’d been too busy handling various commissions lately to pay attention to other news.

“No, I haven’t.”

“The commander of that extermination force is none other than the ‘Mage of Ashes,’ Lloyd Schultz.”

What?

Oscar, stunned, asked in disbelief,

“Did you just say Lloyd Schultz?”

“Yep, the one we know better as the ‘traitor.’ He’s the one who contacted us directly.”

“......”

Lloyd Schultz.

Once his first disciple in a previous life, now a student of the Red Tower’s master.

Lena speculated,

“Maybe he felt a bit guilty about betraying us? It seems like he’s trying to look out for us in his own way.”

“......”

That couldn’t be it.

Lloyd wasn’t the type to feel such shallow emotions like guilt.

To put it kindly, he was pragmatic.

To put it bluntly... no, Oscar decided not to dwell on that.

“He did, however, attach one suspicious condition.”

“What condition?”

“You.”

“......”

Oscar flinched.

“Does he seem to know about me?”

“Yep. He knows you’re the one who developed the cure for the Cadena flu and several potions. He mentioned needing someone with extensive alchemical knowledge. As a condition for a long-term contract, he requested that you personally deliver the first batch.”

“Ah...”

So, he singled him out solely for his alchemical expertise?

It wasn’t as if Lloyd could have guessed his true identity.

“If he needs alchemical knowledge, it sounds like there’s a problem during their preparations for the extermination campaign.”

“That’s what I think too. It must be an issue they don’t want to disclose to the Blue Tower.”

It was unlikely to be something as trivial as food poisoning.

Such minor issues would’ve been solved with over-the-counter remedies by now.

Oscar made up his mind.

“This seems like a great opportunity. Let’s use this chance to establish a contract with the military and accelerate our business expansion by selling advanced potions. What does the Deputy Tower Master think about it?”

“Of course, he’s opposed. He doesn’t like the idea of sending you to the extermination force.”

“Well, that’s understandable.”

Despite its name, an extermination force was essentially going to war with monsters.

It wasn’t normal for a Level 3 mage to be sent to such perilous conditions.

‘He must feel uneasy.’

To outsiders, it might look like the White Tower was exploiting a young mage for profit by sending him to a battlefield.

But as for Oscar himself, he didn’t mind.

If anything, he was a little excited.

‘The battlefield...’

If the White Tower was his home, then the battlefield could be his second home.

And since Lloyd was the one calling for him, he had to go, no matter what.

Oscar spoke firmly,

“I’ll try convincing the Deputy Tower Master myself.”

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* * *

“Welcome back! Did everything go well?”

The Deputy Tower Master, Hamel, warmly greeted him, even preparing tea personally.

Oscar bowed politely and handed over his report.

“Yes, here is a report detailing my recent activities.”

“Let’s see...”

As the Deputy Tower Master scanned through the report, his eyes suddenly stopped.

Oscar didn’t need to ask to know which word had caught his attention.

“...A lich? This wasn’t just some simple undead causing trouble, was it?”

“No, but as I detailed, it wasn’t an extraordinarily powerful one. It must’ve been weakened by being awakened prematurely. Of course, the Black Tower’s sealing ritual also helped diminish its strength.”

“Thankfully so... still, a lich.”

The Deputy Tower Master heaved a sigh of relief, imagining the potential disaster if the lich had fully awakened.

“I’ll need to personally extend my gratitude to the Black Tower for their assistance.”

“That would be a good idea.”

Without their help, subduing the lich would’ve been impossible.

After finishing the report, the Deputy Tower Master smiled faintly.

“Quite interesting. Above all, I can sense that Oscar’s perspective on the Black Tower has changed.”

“Hmph. They were better than I thought.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if they thought the same about us?”

The Deputy Tower Master, holding the report, nodded.

“You must be tired. Don’t overexert yourself for now; take a good rest. Until the ‘Night of the Mages’ arrives, it would be best to focus on training.”

“……Earlier, Senior Lena visited my room.”

The Deputy Tower Master paused while putting the report into a drawer and let out a faint sigh.

“……Bringing that up in front of me—does that mean you want to go?”

“Yes, there’s no better advertisement than supplying potions to them. The moment our potions bear the military’s certification mark, which values quality above all else, our potion business will grow exponentially.”

“That’s true.”

However, the Deputy Tower Master’s face, once furrowed, didn’t smooth out even as time passed.

Oscar cautiously asked,

“Is there a specific reason you don’t want me to go to the battlefield?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The monster called the battlefield is best avoided at all costs.”

It was true.

A battlefield is the last place anyone should get involved with.

After fiddling with his teacup for a while, Deputy Tower Master Hamel continued,

“Do you remember when you said you wanted to revive the potion business, and I gave you money?”

“Yes, since the tower lacked funds, you invested your personal money. I’m still deeply grateful.”

“I didn’t bring it up to receive your thanks. That money……was sent to me by my son.”

Oscar’s expression turned to one of surprise.

He hadn’t known the Deputy Tower Master had a son.

‘I guess I was so focused on moving forward that I didn’t pay attention to others.’

Feeling a small sense of guilt, he asked,

“I didn’t know you had a son. What kind of person is he?”

“……Perhaps because he inherited my mediocrity, his talent as a mage was average. Maybe he realized that himself, as he decided to become a soldier. He said he’d expand the influence of the White Tower within the military.”

“Oh, so has he established himself there by now?”

Oscar’s reasoning was simple.

It would be hard for an ordinary soldier’s salary to send his father a hefty sum like 30,000 bels.

But the Deputy Tower Master shook his head slowly.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. One rainy day, all I received was a severed dog tag and a letter containing his death benefit. Not even a scrap of the clothing he wore was found.”

“…….”

“Apparently, he encountered demons while patrolling the Red Mountains. It was an area where demons hadn’t been spotted for over ten years, but I suppose he was terribly unlucky.”

Oscar couldn’t find any words to say.

He had never met a parent who spoke so calmly about the death of their child.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt heavy.

“That’s why I don’t want to send you or any White Tower mages to the battlefield. It’s a place where you can lose your life simply because of bad luck.”

“…….”

The Deputy Tower Master looked at him with composed eyes.

“The White Tower is doing well as it is. There’s no need to go to such a dangerous place.”

“…….”

There wasn’t a single flaw in what he said.

The battlefield was filled with dangers, and the White Tower was performing just fine without it.

‘But…… the White Tower I remember, the one I experienced, was always the best.’

Knowing the brilliance of those times and vividly recalling the moments of its decline—

Oscar wasn’t content to stay complacent and stagnant.

Most importantly, Lloyd, his first disciple, was calling out to him.

“It’s not like I’ll be drafted as a soldier. It shouldn’t be that dangerous.”

“……Haa.”

The Deputy Tower Master let out a deep sigh.

“You’re really stubborn, Oscar. Lately, it seems you’ve become even more so than before.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s our shortcomings that have led to this situation.”

After fiddling with his teacup for a moment, he presented a compromise.

“Then let’s do this. If you really want to go, I’ll set a condition.”

“What condition?”

“There’s a month left before the subjugation team departs. If you can become an intermediate mage within that time, I won’t oppose you any further.”

Reaching level 4 in just one month—it wasn’t a condition; it was practically a refusal.

A mage who had just reached level 3 would typically take 3–4 years to advance to level 4.

Yet Oscar nodded without hesitation.

“Understood.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He was already keenly aware that his current capabilities were insufficient.

For now, he was barely managing to get by, relying on his high mana reserves as his main strength.

‘But considering the upcoming Night of the Mages, I can’t stay where I am.’

After witnessing the prowess of Kiri Gloria and the Black Tower mages, he was convinced.

The mages of the other four Great Towers would undoubtedly be even stronger.

‘Then the quickest way for me to grow stronger is…….’

There was only one clear path.

It was time to meet the Sage of the Stars.

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