The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower-Chapter 313

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Chapter 313: Companion (2)

He’d been properly cornered.

That was the thought that rang out in his head like an alarm bell.

‘This is… kind of bad.’

Saying that they’d met before made no sense to begin with.

The younger Oscar had never met her.

But answering that they hadn’t met wouldn’t neatly solve the problem either.

‘This woman—I've felt it before, but she’s sharp.

She was good at reading people.

Which meant any clumsy lie would likely be seen through.

‘But revealing my identity outright is…’

Honestly, his identity was practically public property already.

Too many people knew it for it to count as personal information.

The real problem was his relationship with her.

‘…Wait.’

Oscar blinked.

To be blunt—were they actually on bad terms?

‘It’s not like I got engaged and then broke it off… I just rejected a request.’

That meant they were basically nothing to each other, right?

There was no reason for things to be bad between them.

Logically speaking, it was airtight.

The problem was how she had treated him in his previous life.

‘Every time we met on the battlefield, she looked at me like she wanted to kill me. She definitely seemed to hate me.’

But why?

Back then, he’d just brushed it off as “Guess she dislikes me”.

In hindsight, he should’ve asked.

As Oscar’s thoughts dragged on, Evelyn’s eyes narrowed further and further.

“You’re taking a while to answer.”

“Ah—sorry. I was just going over some old memories.”

“……Doesn’t seem like a lie. So?”

Having survived the first crisis, Oscar answered confidently.

“I don’t know. If anything, I’d like to ask you. Have you ever seen me before?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t recall a time when we could’ve crossed paths. Given my age this year—”

“Your age?”

Evelyn’s gaze changed.

It was the look of a lioness whose prey had been snatched away mid-meal—

sharp, dangerous, and ferocious.

Momentarily overwhelmed, Oscar hurriedly backtracked.

“Ah—never mind. It’s nothing.”

“……Tch. Anyway, you’re saying you’ve never seen me?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. I suppose I asked something unnecessary. I knew the odds were nonexistent anyway.”

She turned her head away and drained her wine in large gulps.

Considering the period when the elven kingdom cut off contact with humans—and Oscar’s age—

there truly couldn’t have been any overlap unless it had been when he was extremely young.

“It’s just… you reminded me of someone I know.”

“…….”

With the uneasy feeling that she might be talking about him, Oscar asked carefully.

“In what way?”

“—Hup.”

Evelyn suddenly took a deep breath.

Before Oscar could even tilt his head in confusion, she unleashed her words in a rapid-fire barrage.

“First, the confidence you carry wherever you go. And that confidence isn’t arrogance or bravado—it’s clearly rooted in actual ability, which is incredibly attractive. And then sometimes there’s that pensive look in your eyes? It makes me wonder what you’re thinking, and it makes me want to approach you first. But more than anything—”

She paused to catch her breath, then smiled softly.

“The way he took responsibility. No matter what consequences came from his choices, he shouldered them completely on his own. That appeara—sorry—that presence shone so brightly. I wanted to become like that. But he was always one step ahead, and I was always following behind. If I couldn’t stand beside him, then I wanted to grow strong enough to at least stand shoulder to shoulder as an equal. But I wasn’t good enough, and that was frustrating. Watching him walk so far ahead on his own felt unfair, even annoying. Anyway… yes. That’s how it was.”

By the time she finished speaking, Evelyn’s face was bright red.

Only then did she realize she’d practically made a confession.

“Phew… my face feels hot. Still—at least I didn’t say this in front of the person himself.”

“…….”

Oscar couldn’t hide his awkward expression.

First—he had no idea she’d thought of him so deeply.

‘I thought she was just caught up in a political marriage.’

To think it had been genuine affection.

Second—he was once again surprised that she hadn’t hated him.

‘An equal relationship… standing shoulder to shoulder.’

Oscar smiled bitterly.

That position wasn’t something just anyone could claim.

Even in his previous life, only Magiro and Radan had been allowed there.

‘But equality doesn’t have to be measured only by strength.’

Even those weaker than him—like the Tower Lords, or Hagor, now king of the dwarves—

had stood beside him as true companions.

“S-So… does that answer your question?”

“Ah…”

Oscar let out a small chuckle and nodded.

“Yes. More than enough.”

At least one thing was now crystal clear.

‘I can never—absolutely never—reveal my identity to her.’

“Thank you for thinking so kindly of me.”

“C-Cough. Yes… well.”

Evelyn took a sip of wine, then quickly changed the subject, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

“Aren’t you worried about your friend?”

“Not at all. Wherever he goes, he won’t starve to death.”

He was sociable, quick-witted, and adaptable.

More importantly, the location itself was perfect.

‘Our destination was the Spirit Forest—and we ended up in the Spirit Realm instead.’

It was absurd enough to make him laugh.

He didn’t know the exact details, but the Spirit Realm was undoubtedly far superior for building spirit affinity.

“You should be worried about me instead.”

“…Why would I worry about you, Oscar?”

“Imagine he casually forms a contract with a top-tier spirit over there. He’d end up stronger than me.”

“You’re not being serious.”

“I’m always serious.”

“Contracting a top-tier spirit isn’t that easy—ah… wait.”

Evelyn trailed off.

Considering what Fran had done for the World Tree—and the fact that he was now in the Spirit Realm—

it wasn’t impossible for something outrageous to happen.

“Either way, he’s not someone worth worrying about. Even without trying, he always manages to secure his share of fortune.”

Perhaps it was because he was the youngest son of a merchant family—

Fran Sirius practically overflowed with wealth luck.

“More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“If the World Tree fully recovers, would you be willing to resume exchanges with humans?”

“Hm.”

After a moment’s thought, Evelyn slowly nodded.

“There’s no reason not to. Unlike the dwarves, we didn’t cut ties over any disgraceful incident.”

“That’s good to hear. Dwarven relations have recently become active again—”

Like the empire’s unofficial diplomat, Oscar continued his long discussion with the elven monarch.

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* * *

—Eat plenty.

“Th-Thank you.”

Day one of drifting in the Spirit Realm.

Fran Sirius—an eternal optimist—was experiencing a feeling he’d never known before.

‘Why… isn’t she leaving?’

More precisely, he couldn’t even see her, so he didn’t know whether she’d left or not.

But whenever he tried to move or do anything, a voice would immediately address him.

That continued all the way through his meal.

Watching someone eat was already awkward enough—

but having a Spirit King do it?

‘I might choke on fruit at this rate.’

As Fran tried to hide his discomfort and bit into an unfamiliar fruit, his eyes widened.

“Huh?”

—What is it?

“This is good!”

If sold in the empire, it would be a massive hit.

It looked like an apple, but the skin peeled easily like a banana.

Sweet, refreshing, and easy to eat.

Chewing happily, Fran asked,

“Can I take some seeds with me later?”

—Take as many as you like.

“Oh!”

If the Sirius Trading Company monopolized this, the profits would be insane.

As Fran beamed with joy, Silaphrion spoke.

—Listen casually while you eat. You said your goal was to raise your spirit affinity, right?

“Yes.”

—Just eating, sleeping, and walking around here will raise it on its own.

“Oh.”

A place this good for growth actually existed?

“If I wanted to, could I come here again?”

—Probably not. The Mother Tree offering her core—her heart—to an outsider is not something that can normally happen.

That made sense.

Unless life was at stake, it wouldn’t be allowed.

“Then this will be my first and last stay here.”

—Yes. So even if it’s tiring, I hope you make full use of every day.

Hearing that, Fran’s mindset shifted.

Once he left, no matter where he searched across the continent,

he’d never find another training ground like this.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Every second suddenly felt precious.

—As your spirit affinity rises, you’ll start seeing things you couldn’t before.

“Like what?”

—Mid-tier spirits, for one. Right now, you can only see the small ones, correct?

“Oh.”

Only then did Fran realize that all the spirits around him were low-tier.

He’d thought all spirits were small and cute.

“Yeah. Just tiny, adorable ones.”

—From mid-tier spirits onward, they develop egos and can converse. Of course, having invisible beings talk to you constantly can be annoying or stressful—so for now, I’ve mediated things.

“Ah… thank you.”

‘Then why are you talking to me nonstop?’

Fran swallowed the words that nearly escaped and asked,

“So what do I do once I can see mid-tier spirits?”

—Get as close to them as possible. That will raise your affinity faster. Eventually, they’ll ask to contract with you.

“Oh, so I just contract then?”

—Absolutely. Do. Not. Contract.

Silaphrion emphasized each word clearly.

—Delay contracts as long as possible. Even signing one on your last day is fine. Until then, focus solely on raising affinity. Your minimum target should be a high-tier spirit. Ideally—a top-tier spirit.

“High-tier… top-tier…”

Fran’s heart pounded.

According to common knowledge, spirit ranks correlated clearly with power.

‘Low-tier spirits are around level 4. Mid-tier level 6. High-tier level 7, right?’

Top-tier spirits were unmeasurable.

But generally considered at least level 8.

In other words, depending on how the year went,

becoming a level-8 powerhouse wasn’t impossible.

“I’ll do my best!”

At his confident declaration, Silaphrion warned him again.

—Never. Ever. Contract recklessly. Seriously.

She sighed softly.

In her eyes, she could already see it—

how many mid- and high-tier spirits were already watching him, waiting hungrily.

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