[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 249: Lloyd Schultz (7)

From that day on, Lloyd’s daily life did not change much.

He had been kicked out with the words, “Come back when you’ve reached Level 8,” and the Red Tower Master lost interest in him.

The memories of his time in the White Tower were buried beneath the sands of the desert, so faint that he could barely recall them.

But though they had grown hazy, he never forgot.

‘Someday, I’ll return.’

He imagined striding proudly and confidently back into the White Tower dozens of times a day.

But not once did he ever share that thought or allow it to show.

Even if the Red Tower Master seemed indifferent, there might be eyes and ears watching him everywhere.

Life in the desert felt like a prison at times, but occasionally he found brief chances to breathe.

One of those moments was when he crossed paths with Sasha—now the official White Tower Master—during formal occasions.

“What are you staring at? Do you have something to say?”

“…Would I?”

Wearing the mask of indifference, he looked at her with cold eyes and spoke in a detached tone.

And each time, he felt her disappointment and disillusionment toward him deepen.

‘It’s fine. It can’t be helped.’

He too wanted to tell her what had happened, why he had no choice but to act that way.

But if he spoke carelessly, Sasha might become a target for the Red Tower Master’s cruelty.

So he endured.

‘My first priority is Level 8.’

He fought, he trained, he studied.

Years passed in a monotonous, wheel-spinning life.

But the results born from talent and hard work were astonishing.

At just twenty-three years of age, he had earned the qualifications to reach Level 8.

It was a speed of growth so incredible that it even surpassed the record of his former master, Oscar Sage.

“……”

Yet in the end, Lloyd chose not to ascend to that realm.

He abandoned the highest honor a mage could achieve.

The reason was simple—because it wasn’t time yet.

‘If I step into Level 8 now, I’ll only become fodder for the Red Tower Master’s mad experiments.’

And he couldn’t simply leave for the White Tower either.

He had no certainty that he could completely protect it from the monster known as Kudel Redmane.

Of course, the decision was not easy.

“……”

He was, after all, still a man and a mage.

Every day, he had to resist the test that whispered he could step into a new realm whenever he wished.

It was like having wings but knowing he was still inside a cage.

‘I have to wait… until Sasha reaches Level 8.’

Only then, after she had grown strong, could he safely cross to the White Tower.

No matter how furious the Red Tower Master might be, he would not attack a tower with two Level 8 mages.

Naturally, once Lloyd’s growth seemed to stall, suspicions arose.

“Strange. With your talent, you should have at least grasped the thread of Level 8 by now, shouldn’t you?”

“I’m sorry. My skills are lacking. I haven’t even felt a hint of it yet.”

“Hmm…”

And so, Lloyd waited.

For seven long years.

Only after seeing with his own eyes that Sasha had reached Level 8 did he climb the mountain he had put off.

And then he returned to the Red Tower to wait for one man.

This story had begun with a secret between two people—so the ending, too, had to be written by the two of them.

“Oh, Lloyd Schultz. My one and only disciple.”

When the White Night Festival ended and Kudel returned to the Red Tower, he welcomed Lloyd warmly.

No doubt he was thrilled, already dreaming of a new experiment.

But unfortunately, Lloyd had no intention of granting his wish.

“Care for a drink? Now that I think about it, we’ve never shared a glass as master and disciple.”

“No, thank you.”

“Hmm, is that so? Well, in any case, congratulations on reaching Level 8. The timing is… rather ironic, I must say.”

As he sipped from his glass, suspicion flickered in Kudel’s eyes.

It was as if he were wordlessly pressing the question: “Did you wait until Sasha reached Level 8?”

“Well, none of that really matters. It’s time to reap the seed I sowed sixteen years ago.”

Setting down his cup, Kudel rose to his feet and commanded:

“Bring out the World.”

“……”

But Lloyd did not obey.

He merely looked at the man in silence.

“Hmph. Has my disciple’s hearing worsened in my absence?”

“No. I heard you clearly.”

“Then why are you standing still?”

“Because I have no intention of doing as you say.”

At the blunt, firm refusal, one corner of Kudel’s mouth curled upward.

“Heh. A little late for adolescence, don’t you think? What is this?”

“Exactly what I said. I won’t be crafting your so-called ‘Flower of Refinement’ or whatever it is.”

“……Hmm.”

Kudel quietly removed his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

After suppressing his temper, he spoke as though coaxing a child.

“Lloyd, Lloyd. My foolish, idiotic disciple. Do you think that just because you’ve reached Level 8, the world is yours to command?”

“Of course not. If anything, it’s only now that I can see you for what you really are.”

He never once thought that being on equal rank meant he could take Kudel on.

For before him stood Kudel Redmane, a monster who had been at Level 8 for over forty years.

“And yet you still dare to defy me? Why?”

“Consider it compensation. For the sixteen years you stole from me.”

“Hmmm… and what do you think gives you the right?”

At that, Lloyd drew something from his robes and tossed it onto the desk.

“This. My weapon, prepared over the past sixteen years for this very day. Within it are records of your illegal experiments in the desert, the purging of rivals, the bribes you took from high nobles, and every other filthy crime you’ve committed. This copy is just one of many.”

“……”

Kudel picked up the book and slowly flipped through its pages.

It was no lie—the crimes he had committed were meticulously recorded.

As Kudel silently read, Lloyd gave his warning.

“Don’t think of detaining me. As long as we go our separate ways, there will be no problem.”

Then something occurred to him, and he added:

“This isn’t even such a bad deal for you, Master. You could call it… co-existence.”

He did not forget to return the words that had once suffocated him in childhood.

Rustle, rustle.

Even then, Kudel only continued to flip through the pages in silence, until at last he set the book down and spoke.

“So?”

For a moment, Lloyd doubted his own ears.

For such words were completely out of place in this situation.

“What did you say?”

“I asked, is this really all you’ve prepared?”

“…I don’t think you quite understood what I meant.”

“No, I understood perfectly. I was just wondering why you were so pathetically stuck without reaching level 8. Now I see, and it’s actually a relief.”

“…!”

Lloyd felt a deep, unsettling sense of unease.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

‘He knew I was deliberately avoiding reaching level 8?’

Reading his doubt, Kudel let out a derisive laugh.

“You thought I wouldn’t notice? I stayed quiet only because forcing you wouldn’t solve anything. Just as you waited for the White Tower Master to become level 8, I too was simply waiting.”

“……”

So… once he reached level 8, there was some way to make him obey?

A sudden shiver ran through Lloyd’s body.

It was the same suffocating feeling he had as a child, cornered on the terrace of the mansion by the Red Tower Master.

“A disciple who hits puberty late just needs the proper method to make him listen. And I already prepared it.”

Kudel muttered this with an indifferent expression.

“If you want to go to the White Tower, then go. This time, I’ll burn everything there to the ground.”

“…If you do that, the Imperial family will—”

“They won’t stay still, no. But what can they do if they arrive too late? Do you really think they could punish me? Especially now, when the demons are once again stirring? Heh-heh.”

Lloyd’s pupils trembled faintly.

It was because he could feel the truth behind every word Kudel spoke.

And that made him all the more afraid.

The monster before him truly seemed capable of killing everyone in the White Tower.

‘Kudel Redmane…’

He wasn’t just some lunatic consumed by madness.

Rather, he was closer to a seasoned politician—someone who used madness as a veil to enthrall people, all while calculating everything to perfection.

Lloyd knew this better than anyone, but he never imagined Kudel would reveal himself in this way.

“This ledger—whether you spread it later or not, do as you please.”

Suddenly, a torrent of volcanic mana erupted from Kudel’s body.

“But first, let’s deal with a disciple who dared to climb above his master.”

The next moment, a blue sun came crashing down above Lloyd’s head.

* * *

White light.

As the blazing sun devoured him, Lloyd gasped for breath.

“Huff! Hahh—!”

He raised his upper body, panting heavily for a long while.

Once he managed to calm down, he glanced around.

‘This place…’

For a moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming.

Sometimes, after a long nightmare, a pleasant dream would follow.

‘My master’s room.’

But on closer inspection, something felt different.

There was far less furniture than before—and more than anything, the faint scent of flowers lingered in the air.

‘Wait, come to think of it…’

He had lost against the Red Tower Master, barely escaping with his life.

After that, he had been surrounded by Dane Rebanov, and then…

‘Gu Poison.’

That must have been the “method” the Red Tower Master had prepared to force him into obedience.

‘And after that…’

His memory grew hazy.

But at the very last moment, he could have sworn he heard a beloved voice.

Just then, the sound of a door opening startled Lloyd.

He hadn’t even sensed anyone approach this closely.

When he finally saw the faces, his eyes widened slightly.

“…White Tower Master? And Oscar Crucian?”

“……”

Sasha ignored him and sat down on the sofa as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Instead, Oscar answered.

“You’ve woken up. We were worried.”

“Why are you two here?”

“Well, because this is the White Tower, after all?”

The White Tower?

The White Tower?!

Only then did Lloyd look around the room once again.

“……”

Now he understood why the place had felt oddly unfamiliar.

This used to be his master’s room—but now, it belonged to Sasha, the current Tower Master.

“What’s going on?”

“The Tower Master and I went to rescue you. We arrived just as some bug was about to feed on you and stopped it.”

“…The White Tower Master… came to save me?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea.”

The curt voice came from the sofa. Sasha’s expression was twisted with irritation, as though this entire situation annoyed her.

“It’s not like I wanted to save you. Someone asked me, so I had no choice but to act.”

“What do you mean…?”

Who on earth would ask her to save him?

But Sasha had no intention of answering and simply turned her head away.

An awkward silence lingered until Lloyd finally gave a warning.

“I don’t know the details, but you’ve made a huge mistake. The Red Tower Master will not let this slide.”

“…Are you joking? What, you want us to put you back where we found you?”

For some reason, today Sasha was acting like a cat whose territory had been invaded—bristling and hostile.

Oscar, however, understood her feelings well enough and couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

‘If anything, it’s Lloyd we should be questioning.’

His gaze settled on him.

What exactly had happened with the Red Tower Master?

That was what they needed to hear first.

“We know something’s going on. So tell us—what exactly happened?”

“……”

Lloyd hesitated for a long time, as if the words were hard to force out.

And it was natural—explaining everything would mean revealing the reason he had been forced to leave the White Tower in the first place.

“……”

At last, Lloyd closed his eyes tightly.

Just as Sasha had mustered the courage to save him despite despising him, now it was his turn to show courage.

“It’ll be a long story.”

With a calm voice, Lloyd began to tell his tale.

[Translator - Night]

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