The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower-Chapter 329

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 329: Terror (7)

The moon can only reflect light; it cannot shine on its own.

Yet the unknown crimson full moon scattered ever-brightening rays.

Staring at it blankly gave the uncanny sensation of locking eyes with someone.

Feeling an ominous discomfort at that thought, Oscar tried to tear his gaze away from the moon.

“…?”

He couldn’t.

The sinister, glowing red moon showed no intention of returning the gaze—and the mind—it had stolen.

‘This… feels dangerous.’

Cold sweat ran down his back and his heart sank—

Flash!

A streak of radiance split the night sky in two.

Together with a pillar of pure white light, something manifested: divinity itself.

“…Itaca?”

The being that had exhausted all its strength and sunk deep within him finally revealed itself.

The pillar of light shot straight toward the crimson moon, and with a violent surge the energies on both sides annihilated one another.

As if nothing had happened, the Infinite Sky returned to the ordinary night sky Oscar remembered.

‘What the hell was that?’

Oscar couldn’t simply brush this off.

A liberated world is an ideal one envisions—a mirror that reflects the heart.

Yet a crimson moon he had never once dreamed of had risen on its own and even tried to swallow him.

Even the divinity that helped him was something he had never invited.

‘…What in the world is happening inside me?’

His liberated world had clearly slipped out of his control.

And this wasn’t just a matter of awareness—it bled into reality as well.

Whoooosh!

The strength of the wind blowing across the endless sky of the Infinite Sky gradually weakened.

‘No.’

It wasn’t the wind that had weakened, but likely the very density of the world itself.

The Infinite Sky was a space created from start to finish to draw out a result where he was victorious.

In this place, there should be no ground to step on, no structures to stand.

But beyond the clouds brushing past him, things that should never appear began to show.

White outer walls and gray inner walls, shattered glass, bent and broken steel frames.

‘The airport.’

Reality was beginning to seep into the Infinite Sky.

Oscar’s eyes trembled as he watched his surroundings steadily repaint themselves into an airport.

‘Permission denied…?’

World liberation exists when concepts and worlds recognize one another through mutual alignment.

But something even he didn’t understand had interfered with the Infinite Sky he had just formed.

Unfortunately, the laws governing worlds were not so generous as to overlook such intrusions.

In other words, the world of the man named Oscar Crucian had been denied manifestation in reality.

“Puh—hah!”

In the space now fully transformed into the airport, an unpleasant metallic voice mocked him.

Isel looked around and muttered,

“So they say you’re a genius who liberated your world starting at level six. As expected, rumors can’t be trusted.”

“……”

Instead of biting at the obvious provocation, Oscar chose to survey his surroundings first.

‘Isel and the monster are still surrounding me.’

If his world were fully liberated, he could do more than hold out—he could even win.

But now, it was impossible.

Wasn’t the whole reason he had liberated his world because it was hard just to fend off the two of them?

As Oscar bit his lip, Isel sneered,

“Watch carefully. This old man will show you what a truly liberated world—”

Before he could finish—

KWA-A-A-A-A-ANG!

A colossal pillar of mana erupted from the ground and swallowed Isel whole.

“K–KRAAAAAAAGH!”

Inside the pillar, Isel’s black silhouette writhed in agony, seared into the retina.

When the pillar of mana faded, Isel was revealed—his entire body charred black, dead on the spot.

While Oscar couldn’t tear his gaze away from the shocking sight, Sasha landed beside him.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine, Sasha. But even so, that just now—”

“I didn’t do that.”

After erecting a mana barrier around them, she gestured with her eyes to one side.

When he turned his gaze there, he saw a man landing gently beside the monster.

‘…Is he even a man?’

Bzzzt, crackle.

His face was obscured in real time by static-like noise.

Only his build allowed them to assume he was male.

“An artifact that hides one’s identity… who is he?”

“The captain of the Violet Brigade.”

Hearing that made his cruel disposition and strength understandable.

It also allowed Oscar to roughly infer the monster’s identity, since it didn’t attack him.

‘So that’s the Mad Fiend the captain always keeps with him.’

The being Kaya and Oran both said they never wanted to fight.

After clashing with him briefly, Oscar understood why they reacted that way.

‘He’s the kind of opponent that’s hard to deal with regardless of level.’

Whether knight or mage, those who reach a certain height usually develop their own style.

In battles between the strong, reading the opponent’s style a step ahead is crucial.

But the Mad Fiend had none of that.

‘A brainless fighting method that cares nothing for consequences or even his own life.’

Add to that overwhelming output, physical ability, and monstrous instincts, and he was a nightmare.

Whoever it was, subduing him wouldn’t be easy.

Once you fought him, you had to stake your life on it—come what may.

“Give the order. If I fight alongside my master, I can’t imagine a future where we lose to them.”

“……”

The captain and the Mad Fiend.

Each of them ranked within the Violet Brigade’s top three.

If it were two-on-two, could they win?

‘We have Sasha, who’s reached level eight.’

The scales were already tilted in their favor from the start.

But treating the Mad Fiend like an ordinary level-seven mage would be a mistake.

‘He’s not the ‘trade flesh for bone’ type. He’d gladly give up his own bones if it meant taking a chunk of the opponent’s flesh.’

Such an extreme combat style could spiral out of control the moment you were caught wrong.

Even Oscar, seasoned and experienced, had been momentarily flustered.

‘…For Sasha, who hasn’t had that kind of experience yet, he’s a bad matchup.’

And if even the captain found him unsettling, he surely wasn’t someone who fought in a straightforward manner.

Above all, with Oscar unable to use world liberation, their odds were fifty-fifty at best.

Under normal circumstances, he would have retreated without hesitation.

‘But…’

Oscar’s gaze shifted from the captain to the monster—the Mad Fiend.

What if the face behind that steel mask was one he knew?

What drove his hesitation now was a simple desire to confirm that face.

‘This might be my last chance.’

Without the Designer’s help, he wouldn’t even have known the captain was nearby.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

And after tonight, there was no guarantee the Designer would agree to another deal.

‘If the captain hides in earnest, even the imperial court can’t track him.’

Naturally, seeing the Mad Fiend’s face would be just as difficult.

After a struggle between reason and emotion, Oscar finally spoke.

“…Sasha.”

“Yes, Master.”

“That big guy standing next to the captain is called the Mad Fiend.”

“I figured as much. They say the captain always keeps him close. Oran and Kaya mentioned him before.”

“That’s right. Having fought him myself, his combat style is closer to a beast than a human. He doesn’t care about his own life—he charges in purely on offense.”

“…He sounds troublesome.”

“He is. Normally, I’d say we shouldn’t take the risk and just pull back.”

Sasha turned her head to look at her master.

If he was saying this much, it sounded like he intended to fight despite the danger.

“But not today.”

“I understand.”

Sasha didn’t bother asking why.

If her always-cool and rational master had decided so, there had to be a reason.

At her unquestioning trust, Oscar smiled faintly and spoke slowly.

“Without thinking, I called him ‘Gilly.’”

“…!”

Sasha’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know why. The moment I saw a wind faster than even Isel’s rotation, he came to mind.”

“…I understand.”

Not a hundred long explanations—just a hunch.

That alone was enough for Sasha.

“What you want is to confirm the Mad Fiend’s face, right?”

“Exactly.”

“…As you command.”

Uttering words of utmost reliability, Sasha began drawing up her mana.

The air itself changed just from a level-eight mage entering a battle stance.

“Hmm.”

The captain of the Violet Brigade looked over at them with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t understand. If you think we’re the airport terrorists, you’ve got the wrong address. The one who planned tonight’s terror was Isel Marcos, and he borrowed the power of the Black Finger.”

“I know.”

Whoooosh!

Sasha removed the barrier, stirring a fierce wind as she spoke.

“You know and still want to keep fighting us…? Why?”

“There’s something we want. If you don’t want to fight, just give it to us.”

“Hmm, a peace negotiation? Let’s hear it.”

“Show us the Mad Fiend’s face.”

“……”

Bzzzt, crackle.

The captain’s face remained obscured by noise.

Yet for some reason, Oscar felt he was making a deeply troubled expression.

“This one’s face, huh.”

Glancing at the Mad Fiend, the captain shook his head.

“It’s so grotesque it’s not fit to be shown to anyone.”

“I don’t mind.”

“He’s self-conscious about it and hates taking off his mask. More importantly…”

The captain’s gaze left Sasha and settled on Oscar.

“Interesting. The White Tower Master wouldn’t suddenly want to see this one’s face for no reason. So you’re the one who persuaded him… but why?”

“Gilliot Dominic.”

Oscar replied without averting his eyes.

“One of the previous White Tower Lord’s disciples, currently missing. I can’t shake the feeling that he might be the Mad Fiend.”

“…And why do you think that?”

“A hunch.”

A hunch, just like that.

The captain let out a small laugh at the boldness and absurdity.

“A hunch… a hunch, you say.”

If it were true, what a razor-sharp intuition it would be.

“Name?”

“Oscar. Oscar Crucian.”

“…Crucian, you say?”

A strange light flickered in the captain’s unseen eyes.

“I see. So you are…”

Trailing off, the captain slowly nodded in apparent satisfaction.

“I understand the reason, but I still see no need to show you the Mad Fiend’s face.”

“You don’t have to. We planned to force a look from the start.”

“In that case, before you force it…”

Grab!

The captain seized the Mad Fiend by the nape.

“We’d better run.”

At the same moment, the Mad Fiend, receiving the signal, kicked off the ground, and their bodies shot upward like bullets.

Their escape route was the hole in the ceiling opened earlier by the mana pillar.

“This is bad…!”

“It’s fine.”

Sasha calmly steadied her breath and reassured the flustered Oscar, gently waving both hands.

“Thanks to the time you bought us, preparations are already complete.”

The time Oscar had bought through conversation was about one minute and seven seconds.

Sasha, who had already been gathering mana before that, was confident in their victory.

“Judgment Day.”

Kwooooo!

Dozens of tornadoes formed across the entire area nearby.

Before that absolute natural disaster, the airport was torn apart—walls, ceiling, and floor alike.

Naturally, a mere human shouldn’t be able to oppose such force—

“KRRAAAAGH!”

Yet the Mad Fiend charged head-on, trying to break through the attack.

Sensing it, the captain snapped his fingers.

“Cough!”

Snap!

With a crisp sound, the dozens of tornadoes vanished without a trace.

The backlash made the captain cough up blood, but despite the horrific pain, he smiled.

‘I won.’

Because he had achieved his goal of not showing the Mad Fiend’s face.

As he looked down to savor the expression of the defeated—

“…?”

Like looking into a mirror, he saw Sasha wearing the same smile.

Why?

Why are you smiling?

As if to answer, swish—

A single thread of wind hidden among the raging tornadoes fluttered.

“It’s not only you who analyzed your opponent through battle.”

The thread settled onto the Mad Fiend’s mask, creating a tiny crack.

Tap, clatter!

Fragments of the mask fell, and beyond them appeared—

“…!”

Golden eyes, identical to Gilly’s.

Seeing this, the captain, coughing blood, urgently shouted,

“C–cough! Go! Don’t stop…!”

“……”

Oscar didn’t bother chasing the two figures disappearing into the moonlight.

“You’re not going after them?”

“…You little rascal, teasing your master.”

“Heh.”

Sticking out her tongue, Sasha shrugged.

“How did you know? That I attached a thread to the captain?”

“I’m the one who taught you that method.”

He used to attach them to the dolls Sasha was always dropping everywhere.

“But at his level, he’ll notice soon…”

“He’s probably already noticed its existence. But knowing doesn’t mean he can do anything about it.”

Grinning mischievously like she had as a child, Sasha added,

“I played a few tricks so he wouldn’t be able to.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]