[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower":3,"chapter-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-189":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1334885,1778,"Chapter 189","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-189",189,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 189: The Miracle Healer (3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, after returning to the clinic, the two of them burned all of Jordin’s bedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was some resistance at first, but once they explained that their friend had died, there were no further objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never imagined the bedding would be the problem…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vesalius shook his head after hearing the full story in his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of poison was it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar was at a loss for words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure if it was okay to reveal the existence of demonic energy to a regular person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, Vesalius was very perceptive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you're hesitating to speak, then… it wasn't poison, was it? Could it have been demonic energy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm? You know about that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. I get quite a few patients affected by it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the Emperor personally gifted him a signboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar nodded, impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Explaining it would’ve been a pain, so that’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, but from what I’ve heard, this isn’t just Jordin’s problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them nodded grimly at those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless every piece of bedding sold by NOCTE was destroyed and recalled, the deaths would continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fran’s expression tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re not too late, are we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think so. Fortunately, that bedding only recently became popular in the capital, and Jordin said he got it even earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, so he was something of an early adopter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, who only knew the term early bird, asked, and Fran explained willingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a slang term for people who use new products before everyone else. In other words, Jordin was one of the first to use NOCTE’s bedding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If an early adopter had about a week left, that meant others would have even more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not much, of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could estimate just how many sets of that bedding had been sold across the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This problem is a bit too big for us to handle alone. I know the number for the Imperial Health Bureau. It’d be best to contact them and request assistance from the Imperial family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Imperial family stepped in, that would be ideal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar nodded in agreement—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—just as Vesalius picked up the receiver of the magical communicator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click, click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click, click, click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Vesalius kept pressing buttons on the communicator, Fran approached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is something wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I pick up the receiver, there should be a tone… but it’s dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, there should be a few magical relay towers set up by the Imperial Tower in the capital. Let me give it a try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the two of them fiddled with the magical communicator—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, with nothing else to do, suddenly began to walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why, he didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a magnet pulling him in the opposite direction, he found himself drifting toward the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the moment he finally pulled open the curtains and looked outside, his brows furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…A person?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing strange about someone being on the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in broad daylight, someone standing on the rooftop of a building across the way?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more so if that person had something long slung over their shoulder and was staring straight at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thoom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy sound followed as something shot out from the long object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bullet?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—it was far larger than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing danger instinctively, Oscar reacted immediately by drawing upon his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Wind Shield』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening blast rang out, followed by a powerful shockwave that slammed into the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Oscar felt himself floating—weightless, as if suspended in air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that zero-gravity experience and the explosion, Oscar hit the floor, coughing up blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Even with a shield up, this much damage…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staggering to his feet, he first checked on the other two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-What the…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fran, wincing in pain and dizziness, managed to stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Vesalius hadn’t moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knocked out cold by the shockwave, he lay there, completely still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dammit. Fran! Stay here and protect Vesalius and the clinic!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring Fran’s question, Oscar leapt toward the broken window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he felt the tug of gravity—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped on condensed wind, and like lightning, his body shot toward the rooftop of the building opposite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The culprit, clearly not expecting Oscar to survive a missile hit, finally lowered the weapon and drew a sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was too slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar once again stepped on air, propelled by wind, and launched himself at the attacker even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“D-Don’t come any closer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man flailed wildly with his sword, but—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s magically reinforced knee snapped the sword in two and slammed into the man’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gahk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a strangled cry, the man crashed into the rooftop floor, coughing up blood and pieces of his innards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar didn’t care. He grabbed the attacker by the collar and growled low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who sent you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“G-Khh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little earlier, the sloppy swordsmanship had seemed strange too—something was definitely off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar furrowed his brow as he scanned his opponent’s body lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An ordinary person?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man didn’t even have a single proper magic circuit embedded in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complete non-magic civilian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which only made Oscar’s mind spiral further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out his frustration on the man in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Talk! Who sent you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“S-sorry…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man wept, snot and tears running down his face as he begged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My wife and child… they're hostages… I had no choice… they made me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words came out in broken chunks due to his uneven breathing, but they were still comprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing the man was telling the truth, Oscar loosened his grip on the man’s collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s body lit up like a lightbulb—and then exploded!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar barely managed to shield himself with magic and came out unscathed, but he had to bite his lip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing left—no flesh, no remains—except the blood spattered across the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was far too hollow an end for a human life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They took his family hostage, forced him into terrorism, and then put a bomb inside his body?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolute maniacs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Oscar knew only one group that insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Black Fingers… those bastards again?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timing couldn’t have been more ironic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just when he was digging into NOCTE and planning to ask the imperial family for help, they struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what truly shocked Oscar the most was something else entirely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…It’s only been a few hours since Fran and I left Viscount Hamilton.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the time it took for him to return to the clinic and speak with Vesalius,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the enemy had learned everything and already launched an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant their intelligence network was not only effective—but blazingly fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And a terror attack… in the heart of the capital, no less?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enraged imperial family would undoubtedly launch a full-scale investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Oscar, it could only mean one thing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their message was clear—\"Even if we do this here, you can’t stop us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unshakable confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar let out a cold laugh and began condensing his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wind Archive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He addressed the glowing orb of wind that had risen again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mark the locations of everyone who spoke with the owner of this blood in the past few hours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital city of Caldium, countless wealthy merchants and nobles reside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why would they insist on living in a city with sky-high prices and real estate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was simple—absolute safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed that because the Emperor resided here, they, too, were safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they weren’t entirely wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even back when the country was still a kingdom, the capital had never once fallen to enemy hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it was such a haven for the elite, the city had an overabundance of tailors selling expensive clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boutique “Edge of Night” was no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It specialized in slightly old-fashioned styles, which only made it more beloved by certain enthusiasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It's you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tailor’s face, previously lit with a salesman's smile, quickly went cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke to the colleague who had just entered the shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened with the job I gave you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fire's mostly out. Probably.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man shrugged, prompting the tailor to narrow his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“‘Probably’? You didn’t handle it personally?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think I’m crazy? Move around the capital myself? I had one of my underlings take care of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Underling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tailor clicked his tongue, visibly unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch. Vesalius Silva, of all people… we ran into a bigger name than expected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big name? Isn’t he just a healer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be an idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tailor looked at the clueless man with pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His magic is the direct antithesis of our demonic energy. Why do you think the imperial family sends all those tainted by it to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Seriously?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man blinked in surprise, unfamiliar with this intel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then didn’t we just stir up a hornet’s nest? The Emperor might go berserk over this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Can’t be helped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who followed the Fourth Finger, in particular, had a clear mission—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to infiltrate everyday human society and spread demonic energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their pet project, NOCTE, was part of that plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To die from NOCTE's effects, one must use it for at least a month. The demonic energy seeps slowly into their magic, so it’s unnoticeable but guaranteed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it had been almost exactly a month since the first batch of NOCTE sold like wildfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few more days, and the capital’s upper class would start dropping dead without anyone lifting a finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordin had no idea, but thanks to Vesalius’s healing, he was in relatively good shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Sage of Healing saving one man is fine, but if he starts interfering with the rest of our stock, that’s a problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if they already know the truth, won’t word get to the imperial family soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t matter. We just need to make it through today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over 300 units of NOCTE-infused bedding had already been distributed throughout the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even for the imperial family, narrowing down the buyer list and recovering them would take three to four days at best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, the number of deaths would be catastrophic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. Fair point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless they handed over the buyer list themselves, there was no way for the enemy to find out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So then, this operation's already a success, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I don’t want to jinx it, but yeah, pretty much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the door to the shop creaked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a faint sigh, the tailor put on a perfect business smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, we’re closed for the day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man who entered locked the door behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was almost blindingly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped the CLOSED sign to face outward, then looked at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. I didn’t come to leave clothes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gaze filled with open hostility—he wasn’t even trying to hide it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men swallowed hard as they stared at Oscar Crucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1835,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","1bd57a55f56ab305a45406022d8705838b3aed58f1306737f57a6acb107eb596","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-190","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-188",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]