The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower-Chapter 308

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Chapter 308: Forest of Spirits (5)

“The Violet Brigade?”

Sasha’s eyes widened as she asked again.

“I’m a little taken aback, but even if the Second Senior Brother really is there, wouldn’t it be impossible to find him?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Oscar shrugged.

“Do you know how many times Kayana Oran tried to recruit me? Even when you were asleep, I heard it at least twice.”

“R-Really? That’s outrageous!”

Sasha clenched her fists tightly, bristling with anger.

“I clearly warned her not to make those kinds of offers!”

“Well, half of it was probably said as a passing joke. But there was definitely sincerity mixed in.”

Leaving the fuming Sasha behind, Lloyd spoke up.

“Does that mean you intend to investigate the Violet Brigade directly?”

“Wouldn’t that be the fastest way?”

“If you suddenly say you want to join, they might grow suspicious.”

“It doesn’t matter. They won’t be able to refuse, even if they know.”

From the beginning, the reason they had tried to recruit him was because they had glimpsed his talent.

Now that he had reached Level 7, they would surely feel their judgment had been correct.

If they met again, another recruitment offer was inevitable.

“So, Sasha, try to arrange a meeting with Kaya’s side soon.”

“Ugh…”

Sasha openly showed her reluctance, but eventually nodded.

“Alright. When would be a good date?”

“Hmm. Maybe about three weeks from now?”

“That’s surprisingly generous.”

“There’s somewhere I need to go before that.”

After all, the Violet Brigade wasn’t the only suspicious faction.

“I’m thinking of paying a visit to the Elven Kingdom as well. With Fran.”

“…The Great Forest? And with Fran?”

“Yeah. I think we could receive significant help regarding spirits there.”

“Master, they’ve currently cut off all contact with humans.”

Oscar nodded at Lloyd’s words.

“But we’re not going there to conduct grand diplomacy.”

“They might refuse to meet you.”

“That part’s fine.”

Since his previous life, his soul had been dearly loved by spirits.

Because of that, elves had always been quite friendly toward him as well.

Judging by how a top-tier wind spirit still adored him, the elves would likely be no different.

After hearing the explanation, the three nodded in agreement.

“I have no doubts. If Sir Oscar says so, then it must be true.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Oscar looked uneasily at Chester, who spoke with near-fanatical conviction.

“What should I do? If you tell me to jump into a pit of fire, I will.”

“No, nothing that extreme. Work with Lloyd and investigate Yan Kingdom.”

“Yan Kingdom?”

“Yes. It’s far too large for one person to investigate alone.”

In terms of sheer probability, it was more likely to be Yan Kingdom than the Violet Brigade or the Great Forest.

In a way, it was land that people barely paid attention to at all.

“Then Master goes to the Great Forest, Eldest Senior Brother and Chester investigate Yan Kingdom…”

Counting on her fingers, Sasha tilted her head.

“What about me? Where should I investigate?”

“Hmm…”

When would the Tower Master ever have the time to conduct investigations?

She was already busy just handling her regular duties.

But if he said that outright, Sasha would sulk again.

Knowing this better than anyone, Oscar put on a serious expression and said,

“Sasha, it’s possible that Gilly is actually much closer than we expect.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. While handling Tower Master duties, investigate whether he might be somewhere inside Sirin.”

“…!”

Sasha’s eyes widened as if she’d been struck on the back of the head.

“You’re right! They say the darkest place is right under the lamp!”

“Exactly.”

“Leave it to me! I’ll search every nook and cranny of Sirin!”

Given a long-awaited and very important(?) mission, Sasha burst with enthusiasm.

Watching her, Lloyd carefully gave a thumbs-up where she couldn’t see.

* * *

Preparations for the journey were completed quickly.

“You packed your things, right?”

At dawn the next day, Oscar barged into Fran’s room and asked.

With sleepy eyes, Fran glanced behind him and muttered,

“I packed like you told me to… but are we really going?”

“Do you think we’re fake-going?”

“No, but the Great Forest is seriously dangerous. It’s no joke!”

“So is it more dangerous than beyond the Red Mountain Range?”

“….”

Unable to refute such a sound argument, Fran wordlessly slung his travel bag over his shoulder.

“Damn it, let’s go.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Grinning, Oscar tugged on the threads of space.

The scenery shifted, and a dense forest appeared.

“Mm, nice.”

The air was thick with moisture, the morning dew not yet dried.

It was a place where one could physically feel life awakening.

“Inhale, exhale. Fran, breathe deeply.”

“What are you, my grandpa?”

Grumbling softly, Fran looked around the forest where there wasn’t even a path, his face falling.

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“But hey—there’s no map. How are we supposed to find the Forest of Spirits?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. We don’t need to find the path ourselves.”

“What does that mean? Are our ancestors guiding us or something?”

“Not ancestors, but…”

Suddenly, Oscar tilted his head, his pointed ears twitching.

Sssshhh…

From afar came the sound of dew-laden trees rustling.

“They’re almost here.”

“Huh? Who? Is there a guide in this wilderness?”

“A guide… that’s not entirely wrong.”

Oscar smiled broadly and said to Fran,

“Alright, hands up. And make sure you look harmless.”

“What are you talking ab—”

Before Fran could finish—

“ᛋᛏᚨ!!”

“ᚨᚱᛗ ᚢᛈ!”

Unknown words rang out from all directions as a group emerged.

From behind bushes and atop tree branches alike, they appeared, bows drawn tight.

“Uh—uhhh!”

As a panicked Fran raised both hands, Oscar leaned over and whispered,

“They’re elven archers. And just so you know, they’re insanely good with bows.”

“…….”

For the first time in a long while, Fran truly felt like strangling Oscar.

* * *

“ᛏᚱᚨ ᛋᛖᚾ!”

With a low growl, they were shoved forward.

Once handcuffed and thrown into the room, the elf guard locked the cell door.

“Wow!”

Oscar sprang to his feet in admiration.

“This is made from a thousand-year-old tree at minimum. Most fire magic wouldn’t work. This is practically a spiritwood.”

“…….”

Spiritwood or not, we’re completely screwed.

Fran stared at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Don’t tell me this is part of your plan too? Getting our luggage confiscated and thrown into a cell in handcuffs?”

“Of course.”

“…I hate that I feel relieved by that answer.”

Rubbing his face dryly, Fran leaned against the wall.

“So what now? What’s the next step?”

“Elves aren’t barbarians. And they’re definitely not cannibals.”

Sitting beside him, Oscar continued,

“By now, the high-ranking elves—High Elves—are probably in a meeting.”

“Deciding what to do with us?”

“Correct. Once they reach a conclusion, they’ll bring us out. That’s when we talk.”

“…Isn’t the problem that we can’t communicate?”

“Huh? No.”

Oscar shook his head.

“ᚺᚨᛚ ᛋᚨ. See? I speak Elvish pretty well.”

“How the hell did you—”

Fran stared blankly, then quickly reached enlightenment.

“Nope. Not asking. Thanks. Yeah.”

Oscar always put him in danger—but he also always pulled him out.

Was he supposed to be grateful?

Fran decided not to think about it.

“ᚲᛟᛗ ᚢᛏ!”

About two hours later, the elf guard barked at them as he opened the door.

Oscar stood first and followed, and they crossed the village together.

“Wow…”

Even as a prisoner, Fran couldn’t help but marvel.

Every record described elven villages as entirely wooden structures—

so he had expected crude huts.

But this was different.

‘This rivals dwarf craftsmanship.’

If the White Anvil Clan heard that, they might get angry—but the elven aesthetic elegance was undeniable.

Graceful, curved wooden buildings adorned both ground and canopy alike.

At the village center stood an enormous World Tree, its top invisible.

‘That’s… the World Tree.’

Just eating its fruit could grant ordinary people a healthy life free of illness.

For knights or mages, it was a priceless elixir.

As Fran gawked, elves along the streets stared at them.

“That’s a human? Interesting. No pointy ears. The one in front has an incredibly pure soul—I want to befriend him. The one in back has faint spiritual energy… is what they’re saying.”

“…Didn’t ask for the translation, but it’s kinda fun.”

After whispering briefly, they arrived before a massive tree.

Inside, cool air and a vast open space greeted them.

Natural light filled the hall, where elves in traditional attire sat, faces veiled.

“ᛞᛟᛗ ᛋᛖᚱ ᛁᚾᚷᚨᚱ…….”

A High Elf woman spoke in a solemn voice.

Oscar turned his head and replied,

“ᛋᛏᚨᛗᛁ (Just a moment).”

“…!”

As Oscar fluently spoke Elvish, the High Elves couldn’t hide their surprise.

“ᚦᚨ ᛗᚨᚾ, ᛋᛈᛖᚲ ᛟᚢᚱ (That human speaks our language).”

“ᛖᚾ ᚠᛚᚢᚲᛚᚨ (And fluently, with good pronunciation).”

“ᛋᛁᛚ (Silence).”

The one who restored order spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.

‘Wait… something feels off.’

Oscar frowned slightly.

He’d definitely heard this voice in a previous life.

But it wasn’t the voice of Queen Sersia.

“ᛗᚨᚾ, ᚲᚾᛟ ᛟᚢᚱ? (Human, how do you know our language?)”

“ᛚᛁᛒ ᚱᛖᛗ ᛏᚨᚢᚷᚺ (We are mages of the White Tower. We learned it little by little through archived texts).”

That shouldn’t count against them.

After all, during the Human-Demon War, the White Tower had been on friendly terms with the elves.

“…Hah.”

Was it his imagination?

He thought he heard a scoff.

Then—snap!—the elf woman flicked her finger.

“Very well.”

At that moment, Fran could suddenly understand her words.

A translation spell had been cast.

“It seems our conversation will be a bit longer.”

She introduced herself.

“My name is Evelyn Arcia. I am the queen who rules the elven nation of Eloen.”

“…Huh?”

The elven queen had changed.

But Oscar’s shock wasn’t just because the previous queen was gone.

Evelyn Arcia was the elf once put forward as a diplomatic bridge between elves and humans in his past life.

To put it simply—

‘She’s the elf who proposed a political marriage to me… and got rejected.’

A bead of sweat slid down Oscar’s temple.

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