[{"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-253":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},1334762,1778,"Chapter 253","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-253",253,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 253: Blooming the Flower (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have you ever felt overwhelming fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this question, it’s necessary to clarify exactly what fear is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear can largely be divided into two types:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Biological fear and psychological fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former is the feeling when confronted with a mighty beast or power you cannot resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter is the feeling when faced with incomprehensible phenomena or ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, have you ever felt overwhelming fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone were to ask him that, Oscar was ready to nod frantically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To categorize precisely, it was both biological and psychological fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humans are truly fascinating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Edna?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Edna he had left behind (or abandoned?) in the capital was standing at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a venomous expression on her face, one he had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I now understand what it means when they say people change between entering the bathroom and leaving it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“O–Oh, it’s a misunderstanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar leapt up from his chair and shuffled back toward the window as he shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as though all the blood in his veins had frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Misunderstanding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edna sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And her face remained terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar pointed it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Your eyebrows are at a weird angle right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like someone was pulling them upward, forming a sharp V-shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swore she looked more venomous than any demon he had ever seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I waited and waited. Surely you would come soon. Just a little longer and you’d use spatial magic to come fetch me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like an actress in an extreme play, Edna recited her monologue as she walked slowly closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her green eyes fixed on him without wavering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His back hit the glass window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With nowhere left to retreat, Oscar hurriedly apologized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“S-Sorry. I was too overwhelmed at the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Overwhelmed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edna slowly nodded and reached out her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the indescribable fear, Oscar squeezed his eyes shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tok!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light flick on his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes again, her eyebrows had returned to their usual angle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t ever do that again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-Yeah, of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breathing a sigh of relief with cold sweat on his brow, Oscar quickly offered her a seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he poured her a drink, he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you get here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Took a taxi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, arriving from the capital to Sirin in just a day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing his doubt, she added further explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I flew as far as I could with what little mana I had recovered, then once it ran out, I took a taxi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he had booked her a hotel before they parted, and even gave her emergency money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry again. You must have drained the mana you’d just recovered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. I’ll just focus on resting for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, about that…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar quickly explained everything that had happened in the two days since the White Night Festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing it all, Edna murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quite a lot has happened while I was away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what do you think? Can you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean teaching them as their instructor? Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short pause, Edna nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As an Observer of the World and Arbiter of Balance, I still feel hesitant about personally teaching anyone. But in this case, I’m only acting as a proxy to deliver your words, so I don’t see a problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. That’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That eased one of his burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha was one thing, but Lloyd was someone Oscar found difficult to teach directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t reveal your identity to Lloyd?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The time would come to tell him, but now was not that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Edna, staring straight at him, sipped her tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I trust you’ll handle it well, but it’s best not to delay revealing your identity too long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because your counterpart is Lloyd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Edna closed her eyes, unwilling to give any more hints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Edna Sol Laplace?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lloyd’s expression upon reuniting with Edna was amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was rare to see his usually stoic face swayed by emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Lloyd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are you here… Since when?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since three days ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those three days, she had invested heavily to restore Lloyd’s mana circuits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, while not perfect, they were fairly stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha added an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we said we retrieved the White Tower’s documents from beyond the Red Mountains, it was actually documents Edna had been keeping. That’s what you should tell him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…She says.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were still like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they had reconciled, their relationship remained awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, they were apart for nearly sixteen years.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sasha had spent that whole time disliking Lloyd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bridging that gap overnight would be difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, time would naturally resolve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar explained why he had called them today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You both know His Majesty declared the Proof of Color. Today we’ll decide who the candidate will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spoke almost simultaneously, then turned to glare at one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know the Red Tower Master better than anyone, and now that I’ve recovered, I’m the one who should go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Tower Master must protect their mages. I should go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curious, Edna asked Oscar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are they like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re awkward with each other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their impatience would resolve itself soon enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The candidate will be chosen through a duel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A duel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd turned sharply toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean whoever wins will be sent to the Proof of Color?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Edna will watch your duel and choose who she thinks is more suited to face the Red Tower Master. Victory isn’t the absolute criterion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, compatibility mattered more than raw strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a week left until the Proof of Color, any deficiencies could be patched in that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, both Sasha and Lloyd brimmed with confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This will be interesting.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, people would pay to see this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar Sage’s disciples facing off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Level 8 versus Level 8.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strongest in flame magic against the strongest in wind magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any one of those titles could sell tickets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What limits should we have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None. Just avoid lethal attacks, and show your full power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, a true duel of unleashed worlds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s move at once. To the training hall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. The training hall’s wards won’t withstand your mana.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were never built to contain duels between Level 8 magi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar snapped his fingers, opening a rift the size of a door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll duel in there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A spatial rift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, no matter how violently mana clashed, there’d be no consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four stepped inside, taking their positions in the white space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When ready, Edna spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her word, Oscar immediately raised a Wind Shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ugh, both their mana is…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storm of mana alone pushed him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shielding himself and Edna, he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When a Red Tower mage and a White Tower mage clash, only one thing matters—’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who seizes initiative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flame can feed on wind, and wind can feed on flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle would be about who dominated the field first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd struck first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pillar of Fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no wasted chant, the magic circle completed, and beneath Sasha’s feet, the ground turned red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She instantly leapt back, and—BOOOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fiery column shot up to the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd frowned unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha’s figure had been hidden by his own flame pillar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And of course, that was no coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Thanks to her Red Mountain expedition?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her battle sense had improved a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his own magic as cover, Sasha counterattacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gale Smash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colossal wind hammer formed behind her and slammed into the fire pillar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWAAAA!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fiery column bent sharply, redirected straight toward Lloyd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected his spell to be turned against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unshaken, he whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pillar of Fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, a pillar erupted behind him, surging forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two pillars collided and canceled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Remarkable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar couldn’t help but marvel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha’s instincts were excellent, but what impressed him more was Lloyd’s control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A fire pillar is by default an upward spell.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire formula is structured on that premise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet Lloyd reconfigured it mid-battle to fire horizontally from thin air?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant he had the computational power to rewrite a spell structure on the fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one clash had happened, but the fight paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both knew—this kind of exchange was pointless now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So naturally—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“World Liberation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both unleashed their worlds at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white void split—half became a vast meadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha’s world, One Thought, Pure Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Always so warm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forged from her desire to protect loved ones, it suppressed all evil while empowering allies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her meadow spread until it met the midpoint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that line onward stretched Lloyd’s world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It looks… terribly lonely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the first thing Edna had said since the duel began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she was right. Lloyd’s world was desolate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the meadow lay endless sands, a sea of desert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of flowers dotted it, but each remained tightly closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above hung a sky heavy with black clouds, without a single ray of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where Sasha’s world brimmed with green and sunlight, Lloyd’s was quiet, suffocating, and bleak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“World Liberation—Eternal Bloom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Endless cycles and impermanence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lloyd slowly raised his hand, and flames engulfed the desert, burning the flowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, the shut buds forced open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bloom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the flames burst thousands of lotuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flowers that exploded upon ignition, drifting toward Sasha like dandelion seeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar, staring, cried out involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop! That’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both turned to him as he declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Edna has decided. The one who will enter the Proof of Color is Lloyd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Expressionless as ever, Lloyd retracted his world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sasha, however, looked stricken by the outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sorry, Sasha.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment he saw Lloyd’s world, Oscar had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was the Red Tower Master’s creation or Lloyd’s own doing, one thing was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That world of his…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, its very purpose was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1673,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","6deca813d9056e04afa6bc6e2341cdbfc4fa2bf4aa044e76c5415edb2797e245","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-14","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-13",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]