The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 419: Unfamiliar Peace (3)

"Old man!"

"Haha, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

Facility manager Walter smiled benevolently.

Still dressed in farmer-like clothes, he was wearing a straw hat.

"Yes, have you been well too, old man?"

"Of course. It is all thanks to you, Sir Oscar."

The old man, who had once even considered retiring to the countryside for the sake of the White Tower, was still living as an employee of the White Tower.

"Rather, I am surprised by how comfortable it is. Quite a lot of juniors have joined us as well."

"Ah, certainly."

Since every business the White Tower touched became a success, their financial situation couldn't help but improve.

Moreover, with more mages and staff joining the White Tower, they naturally had to hire more facility managers to compensate.

"No wonder you're looking so radiant."

"Haha, doing what I love and living without worries seems to have helped me sleep well and improved my health."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Oscar smiled gently.

"If any unpleasant matters or concerns arise, please come find me at any time."

"Thank you for the words alone. However..."

The old man's clear eyes gazed at him.

"Your complexion is dark, Sir Oscar. Do you have something troubling you?"

"...I guess it shows."

Oscar replied with an awkward expression.

He thought he had quite the knack for managing his facial expressions, but as expected, could he really not deceive an old man's eyes?

"Until I reached this age, all I have done is observe and fix things. I apologize if it was just an old man's meddling."

"No, it's really not that serious of a matter, anyway."

Scratching his head, Oscar pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

"I was just doing some thinking about future matters."

"Future matters, you say?"

"Yes."

In a brief moment, the time he had spent since opening his eyes in this body flashed quickly past him.

"Do you remember when I opened my eyes in the sickbed... ah, I mean, when I had amnesia?"

"Of course. The memory of how shocked I was upon hearing that news is still vivid."

"Haha, I feel sorry for no reason. Anyway, since then, I think I've lived... quite busily in my own way."

To make up for his mistakes, he had run around busily in all directions.

He had moved to fill the completely emptied storehouses of the White Tower, had to build his own strength, and even took care of his surrounding colleagues in his spare time.

He had resolved the misunderstandings with his disciples and spent unimaginably busy days trying to erase the fanatics who worshipped the demons from this land.

"Recently, the biggest mountain... should I say. The goal I was desperately chasing has disappeared."

The Black Finger was dismantled.

They were the ones he had judged as enemies with no worth to exist on this land, the ones who had to be erased as quickly as possible.

"After doing that, I ran out of things to do, so I was left with a lot of empty time... Fran was happy, calling it a long-awaited vacation. But to me, this kind of peace feels a bit unfamiliar."

"Hmm. But weren't you originally busy even when you had no external duties?"

"I was. Because I used to make potions, craft airships, or receive reports and give feedback on business matters. But... right now, it doesn't seem like I'm particularly needed."

Whether it was Lena White or Pedro X.

Those who had always needed him were now all doing their own share on their own.

"How should I put it, everyone is living their lives busily, but I feel like my own power source has suddenly been completely cut off."

He had never felt this kind of feeling even in his past life.

Even back then, once he finished handling one task, the next task would be waiting for him as if it were natural.

'Before I became the Tower Master, I was tormented by my Master.'

Ever since the boy who lived in the back alleys became the Tower Master's disciple, a label had always followed him.

Because his Master knew that as well, they raised him even more harshly.

Because he couldn't afford to be lacking compared to others.

Because the probability of him receiving a dismissive evaluation of "I knew it" was higher than a forgiving "That can happen."

Sometimes that pressure was so suffocating that he would run away to his hideout, but...

'That was all just me grumbling too.'

After his Master passed away, there was absolutely zero time for even that.

Hating the thought of putting even the slightest scratch on what his Master had left behind, he pushed himself even more harshly.

"Hmm, are you feeling hurt that they do not need you, Sir Oscar?"

"Rather than feeling hurt, I'm just anxious because I feel like I've outlived my usefulness."

"Then that is strange. Shouldn't you rather be rejoicing?"

"Excuse me? What part..."

"Wasn't the reason you have lived so busily all this time, all for a day like today, Sir Oscar?"

A day like today?

As he blinked his two eyes, not understanding the meaning, old man Walter continued speaking.

"No one in the world wants to be a burden. When you were running around so busily that your feet were practically on fire, how many people do you think felt at ease watching that sight?"

"..."

"Isn't it that everyone has gotten used to their roles and tried to lessen your burden, Sir Oscar?"

"Uh..."

It was an unexpected perspective.

Because after opening his eyes in this body, he had thought that he had to do everything himself.

'Perhaps...'

It seemed he had felt that way because everyone he truly believed in was dead and gone.

In reality, in his past life, he used to leave this and that task to Vice Tower Masters Magiro or Marlon.

"Now that I hear it, you are right."

"I am glad if it was of help."

"However, it's the first time in my life that I've had so little to do, so it still feels unfamiliar."

"Hmm."

Pondering for a moment, old man Walter touched the brim of his straw hat.

"Of course, an ordinary person like me cannot understand the grievances that you mages feel. However, may this old man dare to say a word?"

"Please do."

"Back when I was managing the entire Magic Tower by myself, I too did not worry about what to do next. Since broken facilities were piled up like a mountain anyway, the places I needed to go were already set. But after fixing all of them, what I would do next was entirely up to me."

Walter looked around his surroundings.

"I could tend to a space I like, such as this flower garden, or I could preemptively inspect places I think might break down soon, or I could examine places that haven't broken down for a long time for the sake of maintenance. I think the most important thing was what I wanted to do."

"What I want to do..."

Oscar chewed on those words for longer than expected.

He had lived two lives, and in his past life, he had even reached the staggering realm of Level 9.

Perhaps because of that, he might have been under the even greater illusion that he had realized everything about life.

'When in reality, I'm someone who flusters about not even knowing what to do when the things I have to do disappear.'

In his childhood during his past life, he walked the path determined by his Master.

After his Master passed away, he lived protecting what they had left behind.

In this life, he had been busy scrambling to fix the mistakes of his past life.

In none of those lives had he ever lived proactively setting goals for himself.

Thinking like that, a dry chuckle slipped out without him realizing it.

If his subordinates had seen this sight, they would have clutched their bellies laughing and teased him.

"It's extremely unfamiliar. This kind of feeling."

"It isn't that strange. It is an emotion commonly felt by people of your age, Sir Oscar."

"..."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

‘I'm over thirty years old, though.’

Did his mental age really look that low by any chance?

Should he be happy about this or not?

Oscar opened his mouth with an unenthusiastic expression.

"But thanks to you, old man, I think I have caught a clue to some extent."

"Haha, it is a great honor that this old man's nonsense was of help."

After old man Walter returned, Oscar sat on a bench in the flower garden and continued his thoughts.

'This Magic Tower has definitely grown.'

There is no longer a need for him to hold onto everything and take charge of handling it all.

Because the Magic Tower that used to run solely by the single person, Oscar, no longer exists.

That is all thanks to everyone excellently handling their assigned tasks in their respective positions.

'Of course, there was never a time in my past life when I wasn't busy.'

Because back then, he was the Tower Master.

Even right now, Sasha looked ridiculously busy.

As a faction's size grows, its leader naturally ends up with more things to do.

'This vacation will probably continue for the next few months.'

Of course, it didn't mean the Empire had become completely peaceful.

Only the factions related to the demons had disappeared; all sorts of criminals would still be running rampant even at this moment.

But there was no need for him to personally get involved in such matters.

'The moment it is confirmed through thorough searches that there are no remnant forces of the Black Finger.'

The Imperial Family will prepare the next phase to oppose the demons.

This part was something only Mister Emperor and himself knew in the world.

'Crossing the Red Mountain Range via airships.'

As long as that operation ends successfully, they could even take up a one-sided offensive.

In reality, even in the past, the demons couldn't do anything against Edna freely flying through the skies.

'Mister Emperor is estimating at least half a year until then at the earliest.'

Meaning he intended to attempt it only after completely finishing the thorough crackdown within the Empire.

Above all, to execute that operation, there was a problem that had to be resolved first.

'That is none other than the Heavenly Sword, that old man.'

The strongest human at the present time, and the strongest card the Emperor was putting forward for the eradication of the demons.

He, who had entered closed-door training himself after gaining a clue to Level 9, had to reach Level 9.

Only then would they be able to freely cross in and out of the Red Mountain Range with the airships and sweep away the demons.

'A selection of personnel of at least Level 7 and above, spearheaded by the Level 9 Knight, the Heavenly Sword.'

He could tell because he had already fought the demons to the point of sickness in his past life.

The moment Cheon Mu-jin's achievement of Level 9 was realized.

The number of cases where they lose in the war against the demons vanishes.

'Above all, right now, when the 2nd Great Emperor has not reached Level 9, is the turning point.'

For that day, the things he could prepare were broadly two.

'One is to take sufficient rest while soaking my body in this current peace.'

At first glance, it might look like a passive choice, but rest is a part of training.

Because a human's body and mind are bound to produce maximum output only when given enough rest.

But right now, it wasn't a very appealing option.

'Rest is good too, but reaching Level 8 should be the priority.'

He already had the experience of climbing the rugged mountain range that was Level 9 once before.

However, the mountain of back then and the mountain he was climbing now were different in many ways.

In short, he knew the answer sheet that received a perfect score in the exam, but the exam questions themselves had changed.

'It can't be helped. Because the energy of extreme cold and spatial magic were things that did not exist in my past life.'

However, precisely because of that, the destructive power upon growth would be incomparable to before.

As he saw it, what was needed right now was to increase his growth speed and reach Level 8.

'...Going round and round, in the end, it's just plotting to get stronger again, huh.'

Even thinking about it himself, it was so absurd that a hollow laugh came out.

But it was quite different from before.

Because it wasn't that a problem needing immediate handling had arisen, nor that someone had decided a path for him.

For once, it was a goal he had set himself.

"Hmm."

Oscar stroked his chin.

'If Level 7 is the formulation and expression of the ideal world one desires, Level 8 is its expansion: the establishment and completion of that world.'

For that purpose, as expected, there is nothing as good as actual combat experience.

'In my past life, I just comfortably beat up demons and caught traitors to execute them.'

A somewhat difficult method in the current peaceful times.

A place where he could frequently fight strong people without getting entangled with demons...

As he pondered for a moment, two organizations came to Oscar's mind.

'The Violet Brigade and Adventure Parties, I guess.'

The Violet Brigade was a trash can created by Mister Emperor.

A place where those who could not be controlled by the Empire's social network were deliberately herded into one spot.

Of course, the Commander himself was hard to view as an evil person, but the members were a different story.

'Among the ones I met, the most normal ones were at best Kaya and Oran.'

But even they were criminals with considerable criminal records.

Furthermore, aside from them, there were quite a lot of members in the Violet Brigade.

'The guys who came along when we went to find the Mad Fiend were like that too, and they even said there were many guys who didn't show up that day.'

If it was them, since they went around causing all sorts of trouble normally, he would naturally be able to fight strong people.

But Oscar immediately shook his head.

'There's nothing good about my reputation dropping.'

Even though it felt awkward to say it with his own mouth, he was currently no different from the face of the White Tower alongside Sasha and Lloyd.

Considering that they were whopping Level 8 mages, it meant he was in an absurd position.

He couldn't needlessly get entangled in bad affairs and drag down the reputation of the currently prospering White Tower.

'If so, what's left is...'

Adventure Parties.

Those who adventured through the unsolved mysteries existing all over the continent, as well as ancient ruins and dungeons.

They didn't face against people, but sometimes there were cases where they clashed with powerful beings incomparable to humans.

'Besides, I do have a trustworthy person in that field.'

Oscar took out a communicator from his pocket and operated it.

[Tesila Windroar]

On the screen, the contact information he had received previously popped up.

An adventurer classified as 'Special Class', which only a mere few among adventurers could receive.

If it was the adventure party led by her, their skills were a given, and the dungeons they entered would also be quite considerable.

After pondering for a few minutes, Oscar pressed the call button.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]