[Translator - Night]

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Chapter 244: Lloyd Schultz (2)

“…Attempted murder?”

Oscar frowned, unable to make sense of the words.

The Lloyd he remembered was not the sort to act so recklessly without a plan.

And the Red Tower Master he knew was also not someone who would be attacked first by anyone.

‘If anything, he’d be the one to strike first.’

And yet, suddenly there was talk of attempted murder, followed by a special wanted order?

He’d already been surprised to hear that Lloyd had reached level 8, but that shock had long since faded.

“What the hell is going on…?”

“Hm. Hard to understand.”

Even Fidelina and Maxim looked unsettled.

Especially Fidelina—who normally couldn’t wait to see Lloyd fail—seemed skeptical about the news.

“Maxim, don’t you think this is strange? That guy might lack loyalty, but he’s not thoughtless.”

“True. Which means it’s unlikely he would have planned a murder.”

“If it were a spur-of-the-moment thing, maybe, but premeditated? No way. And the target’s not some nobody, it’s the Red Tower Master.”

Hearing their exchange, Oscar found himself nodding.

Even if Lloyd had reached level 8, he would never want to fight a Tower Master.

He’d know perfectly well he wouldn’t stand a chance.

‘No one would know that better than Lloyd himself.’

People who’ve never reached level 7 often claim that battles at level 7 or higher come down to a hair’s breadth—factors like daily condition, matchups, or mind games.

‘Hair’s breadth, my ass. Only those who’ve never even reached level 7 say that.’

Anyone who knows the truth understands—

From Master rank upward, pure weight class differences become glaring.

A newly advanced level 8 mage cannot possibly beat a late-stage level 8 mage.

‘No amount of talent or favorable matchup can really bridge that gap.’

The reason?

Mastery—

More precisely, mastery over the Liberation of the World.

‘People think reaching level 7 means they can strut around like gods…’

It’s actually the opposite.

Level 7 is when you first realize just how powerless you really are—

The moment you see that what you thought was the finish line was actually just the starting point.

Level 7 is the stage where you unfold your world.

Level 8 is the stage where you complete it.

And only those who have perfected their world are qualified to knock on the door beyond.

‘Which means—the longer someone’s stayed at level 8, the stronger they are.’

The countless hours spent polishing, refining, and tuning one’s world cannot be ignored.

The difference between Lloyd and Kudel’s power would be like the difference between a rough draft scribbled in a rush and a sentence perfected after countless revisions.

‘…But even so, Kudel has no reason to attack Lloyd first.’

A new level 8 mage appears, and he feels threatened?

Impossible.

Kudel might seem lighthearted, but his skills are the real deal, and his pride is immense.

‘That arrogant old man would never even consider the idea of losing to Lloyd before his own death.’

So logically, he should have welcomed Lloyd with open arms.

After all, the Red Tower was the only one of the great towers to boast two level 8 mages—

The overwhelming firepower Kudel had always bragged about.

‘To throw away such an advantage just to fight Lloyd?’

No matter how he turned it over in his mind, Oscar couldn’t think of a reason.

The only thing he was sure of was—

‘…Lloyd.’

His first disciple was in danger.

* * *

“What? Why? No way! Absolutely not!”

Sasha recoiled in alarm, right after Oscar mentioned wanting to go save Lloyd.

“Why would you save him, Master?”

“This whole situation is too suspicious. I think I need to look into it.”

“Well, the Imperial Court will make an official statement sooner or later, so why should you get involved?”

This time, Sasha crossed her arms in stubborn refusal.

Oscar knew perfectly well why she was resisting so strongly.

‘She thinks it’s dangerous.’

And she was probably right.

The Red Tower had issued a special wanted order for Lloyd—

Which was essentially a warning:

From now on, this man is a criminal to be punished by the Red Tower. No one else may interfere.

‘And if a mage from a rival tower were to get involved…’

It wouldn’t just be a personal matter anymore.

It could escalate into an all-out war between towers.

Oscar understood that all too well, which was why he had come to Sasha for her approval first.

“Master, it’s not just because I hate him. Even for the Red Tower’s dignity, I think we shouldn’t meddle.”

“…”

She was absolutely right.

The White Tower was already hogging the spotlight at the White Night Festival, making it the thorn in the side of the other four great towers.

This was a time to be cautious, even of falling leaves.

“Sasha.”

Oscar called her name gently.

Her ears perked up, and she looked at him with wary eyes.

“Ah… why are you using that serious tone? You’re trying to convince me, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. But just listen to me once.”

With a faint smile, Oscar began to speak.

“Do you know what wish I made, right before I closed my eyes under the gray skies of the Demon Realm?”

“No.”

“I wished that, if I were given just one more chance, I’d live selfishly—truly selfishly. Without caring about anyone else’s opinions, and only protecting the people I care about.”

“…Okay, but if you say that now, in this situation—”

Sasha’s expression broke.

It was like a strange blend of the dignified face she showed to others as the Tower Master, and the playful, cute face she only showed to him.

"Ahhh."

Eventually, she puffed out her cheeks like a pufferfish, deflating and inflating them repeatedly, before letting out a deep sigh.

"To be honest, I do understand why that person chose to defect."

In a calm voice, Sasha spoke feelings she had never once voiced before.

‘Let’s all unite as one and rebuild the White Tower.’

The intention was good, even if things hadn’t gone the way they hoped.

In truth, the Tower’s situation at the time was really bad.

It was a period when many other mages were leaving as well.

So, to leave with the advantage of being taken in as the Red Tower Master’s disciple?

She could understand that.

"But you know… what really made me angry and hurt back then, was that he left without saying a single word."

"…"

"If he’d just said something like, ‘I’m sorry, this is how it turned out,’ then I’d have been like, Hmph! Well, at least that’s one less mouth to feed when the Tower’s broke anyway! and wished him well. It’s like he thought I’d cling to him crying and begging him not to go. Isn’t that just cowardly? That he was so scared of that possibility, he said nothing and just left. And to top it off, we only found out through a newspaper article."

A mature smile curved her lips as she muttered,

"It was humiliating, too. Like, Ah, to this person, we were only worth this much. Just the kind of relationship you could cut off anytime without a second thought. Realizing that made me feel stupid for having ever thought of him as family. I think that’s when I started keeping a certain distance in my relationships with people. Maybe because of that early ‘lesson,’ when Gilly left, I was oddly calm about it. Oh—of course, you’re an exception, Master. Hehe."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"…"

"What I’m saying is simple: I still hate that guy. I really can’t stand the sight of him. But if my grudge ends up making you suffer, then honestly… I’d hate that even more."

Sasha stood up abruptly.

"So let’s go. With me, the Tower Master, tagging along, what are they going to do about it?"

"Sasha… thank you, for telling me how you really feel."

"…Because you’re special, Master."

There’s something called imprinting—when a duckling or chick, right after hatching, recognizes the first creature it sees as its parent.

They follow that figure relentlessly, depend on them, and take them as their model for learning.

Sasha was no different.

‘She was also the only one of my three disciples that I took in right after she was born.’

Maybe she truly thought of him as a father, beyond just a master.

It was a strange feeling, considering he hadn’t even married yet—but not unpleasant.

Having someone depend on you… that alone can make a person stronger.

"When I see Lloyd this time, there’s one thing I have to ask him."

When he had once asked Lloyd why he left the White Tower, the man said it was because it was efficient.

Back then, Lloyd had driven him away, telling him not to pry further.

But this time, he would hear the real answer.

"So you should ask him too—why he left without saying a word."

"…I will. If he doesn’t tell me again this time, I’ll just kick him in the butt."

"Alright then… let’s start by sweeping the area around the Red Tower."

Oscar opened a portal.

* * *

Beneath the Zakamount Desert in the western continent lay countless cities.

Among them, Carhard ranked in the top three largest.

"…"

"…"

The atmosphere of the hot, dry desert city was more tense than ever.

Desert folk were naturally aggressive by temperament, but today, everyone seemed especially cautious.

That was thanks to the oppressive presence of Red Tower mages patrolling every street corner.

"This street?"

"Already searched. They say he’s probably moved down to the southern cities."

"Are you sure?"

"They found traces down there."

"Tch."

Clicking his tongue, one mage frowned up at the blazing sun.

"Guess we suffered under this heat for nothing."

"Orders are orders. Especially when they’re from the Tower Master."

"Hmph… Still, I am curious. Could it really be true, what the Tower Master said?"

Startled by his companion’s words, the other mage quickly looked around and lowered his voice.

"Keep your voice down, idiot."

"Oh, come on, the Red Tower isn’t even based in this city. And you and I both served on the western front—you know as well as I do how little ambition Lloyd has."

"They say you can see ten fathoms into water, but not even one into a person’s heart."

"True."

At that moment, other mages approached.

"Ugh, there’s a ridiculous number of rats running around."

"Why? What happened?"

"Because of that top-priority bounty, companies and adventurers are swarming our cities trying to score a big scoop. We’ve been ordered to arrest them all—just came from hauling in three myself."

"…Is that even okay?"

"Don’t even ask. Annoy the Tower Master right now, and you’d better be ready for war."

For a moment, the Red Tower mages fell silent at the seriousness of the situation—

Then someone asked,

"But why’s he heading further south? Is the Blue Tower or the Great Forest the destination?"

"Unless he’s suicidal, he wouldn’t have gone to the elves, so probably the Blue Tower."

"Kind of unexpected. I thought for sure he’d flee east."

"Why east?"

"That’s where the White Tower is. Who knows—maybe he’s got some old ties."

"Heh. The folks there have been calling him a traitor and mocking him for ages. Like they’d help him."

With a snort, the mage wrapped things up.

"Anyway, arrest anyone sniffing around for intel in this area. Lloyd’s already moved on to the next city."

"Got it."

As the mages scattered, two figures crouched on the roof of a distant building muttered to each other.

"Master, they said it’s further south."

"Yeah."

Oscar’s eyes narrowed.

Why would Lloyd head toward the Blue Tower instead of the much closer White Tower?

Looked like there would be a lot to ask once they met.

He opened another portal and closed his eyes.

‘If it’s the southern cities… somewhere around here should do.’

And the moment they stepped out of the portal—

They felt a searing magical presence stabbing at their skin from multiple directions.

At the same time, Sasha, meeting his gaze, spoke.

"Master!"

"Yeah."

Even from quite a distance, the dry, burning sensation in the air was unmistakable.

It meant Red Tower mages were engaged in battle nearby.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]