[{"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-275":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},1334806,1778,"Chapter 275","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-275",275,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 275: Dark Stalker (3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ironically, the hierarchy of the Demon Realm mirrors that of human society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Common demons, barons, viscounts, counts—and above them all, the Great Demon Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, once the war began, the Empire devoted all its strength to researching the named entities of the Demon Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For nothing cuts sharper than knowledge of the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And through that, we learned one thing.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Demon Realm exist the so-called “Four Great Counts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[TL\u002FN: So far i’ve been putting these 4 as dukes but turns out they’re counts instead, mb.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that doesn’t mean there are only four counts in all of demonkind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Yuribe, for instance, had reached level 8 and joined the ranks of the counts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather, the Four Great Counts were monsters who had retained their seats throughout the Demon Realm’s long history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decartes the Corrupter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maxwell the Disassembler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darwin the Apex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lapiros the Seer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Decartes he had met in the Demon Realm previously was one of those four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If we’re talking about pure exhaustion from facing someone… he was far more draining than even the Great Demon Emperor himself.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, he still didn’t know why that being had let them go unharmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among demons, Decartes was treated like a calamity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of thought, Oscar finally replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I believe he was Decartes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess frowned slightly at that vague answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his words weren’t lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reason she hesitated was simple—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It wasn’t truth either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the Saintess, who divided all answers in this world into immaculate white truth and pitch-black falsehood, the color gray was baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar’s “gray” was a color she had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To resolve this puzzle, more questions were needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having decided so, the Saintess spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone else is cleared. Please follow the priest outside. Sir Oscar Crucian, you’ll stay for further questioning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. Go on ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flustered men hesitated, then left at Oscar’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess then turned to the paladins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all may leave as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s too dangerous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t even know if he’s a traitor yet… please, withdraw that order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How bothersome… are you a traitor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we’re alone, will you kill me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess looked toward the paladins and priest as if to say see?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left with no argument, they reluctantly stepped out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems I’ll need to ask you deeper questions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask as much as you like.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his composed expression, the Saintess began her barrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you believe that demon was Decartes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He matched the outward description known to the public.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how did you survive after facing one of the Four Great Counts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know myself. The moment I met him, I was sure that place would be my grave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you ever aided demons or done anything that would benefit them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you possess any power that lets you brainwash yourself or twist the truth of your own words?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Repeat after me. ‘I am not a mage, but a knight.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am not a mage, but a knight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess stared at the black light that appeared before her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black—finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ability was working normally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Truth is white. Lies are black. The rule is functioning properly.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant her power wasn’t malfunctioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the man before her simply existed outside the established order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you perhaps possess more than one self?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was beginning to see a thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you the rightful owner of that body and mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Oscar hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a children’s game called Twenty Hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You ask up to twenty yes-or-no questions to guess the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This feels like playing that game with the condition that I must lose.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could discern truth from falsehood, ask unlimited questions, and eventually pin down his real identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh… I yield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As you suspect, I am not the original owner of this body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even bound in white cloth, the Saintess’s brow furrowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she raised her hand to summon the paladins—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My name is Oscar Sage,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice rang first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The color made the Saintess tremble involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you just say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oscar Sage. War hero. Level-9 Archmage. That’s me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We defeated the Great Demon Emperor, but I perished in the battle. When I opened my eyes again, I was in this body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flood of unbroken truth made the Saintess clutch her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I feel dizzy… give me a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause to gather herself, she managed to look up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you suffer from any mental illness—perhaps you firmly believe you’re Oscar Sage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. I really am Oscar Sage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now there was no room left for doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible… yet… how could such a thing be…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know either. It wasn’t by my choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a long sigh, the Saintess continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then, the demon you met—you’re certain he was Decartes because?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He didn’t introduce himself in this life. But I’d met him in my past life, so I knew who he was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That explained why that earlier answer had been gray—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a response drawn from overlapping memories of two lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve never encountered anything like this. Do others know your true identity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quite a few. His Majesty, for one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that makes sense…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, few entered the Shadow Trackers as a group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even rarer were teams with two level-4 members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But if they’re led by Oscar Sage…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It said much about how deeply Emperor Ludwig trusted the man before her—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and rightly so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Humanity still breathes because of him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought eased her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment ago she’d feared him as an unknown, dangerous being—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>now she saw him as humanity’s greatest ally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an honor to meet you. The Empire and the White Tower owe you much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, no need for that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Oscar smiled awkwardly, the Saintess suddenly felt a twinge of confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If he’s truly Oscar Sage—the man who hated demons more than anyone— then why did his earlier answer about helping demons show gray?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her curiosity piqued again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oscar Sage. Have you ever intentionally helped or benefited the demons?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As I thought…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems the original owner of that body was sympathetic to demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remnants of his soul are slightly interfering with your answers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? That can’t be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar looked genuinely shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his knowledge, the young Oscar had only wanted freedom from a cruel fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But… it’s not impossible either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps to escape that fate, the boy had fallen for the demons’ or the Black Finger’s temptations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, all he knew of the boy came from the diary the youth had left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t truly know what kind of person the boy had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And everyone who knew him said he had a foul temper… so maybe there was a chance.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought left a bitter taste on his tongue—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as if he’d glimpsed the unpleasant truth of someone he’d pitied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, it changes nothing. To them, you’re a traitor now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the young Oscar had once sided with the demons,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the current Oscar had opposed them ever since awakening in that body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the demons, that could only look like betrayal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since waking in that body, has any demon recognized you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar thought for a moment before replying cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Decartes. When he spared me, he said this—‘It’s not yet your time to be here.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess furrowed her brows in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is strange. ‘Not your time’…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it mean you were meant to join the demon army later?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the most plausible interpretation—but something still felt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The young Oscar died as a level-1 mage. Even if he was talented and blessed, why would a being like Decartes know him?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could that boy have possessed some hidden ability he himself never discovered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the doubt lingered, the Saintess finally spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In any case, since His Majesty already knows the truth, your joining the Shadow Trackers isn’t for me to judge. Just sign here, and your registration will be approved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oscar signed the oath parchment filled with dense clauses,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and his membership in the Shadow Trackers was confirmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s it? No token of membership—badge, card, something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me? Of course not. This is a secret order, not a club.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Saintess looked incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, the timing is… no, actually, it’s perfect for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A major operation is about to begin. If you join it right away, your help will be invaluable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A major operation? What kind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you heard of a group called Happy End?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That name rang a faint bell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Oscar frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t they the drug ring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faction that had tried to turn Baran into a city of narcotics,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>using Mark Sweet as its puppet mayor—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a syndicate the crown had long tried to root out,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but whose head had never been found due to its cell-based structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. We’ve finally located their boss— Dust, one of the Black Finger’s lieutenants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the center of eastern trade— a city ruled by crime and violence, where the towering skyline hides its corruption.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The description instantly conjured the image of a city in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one ruled by the House of the Thousand Swords— Sicadel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1614,"2026-06-05T20:00:10.789Z",1,"novelbin.me","f472fa543a5a4e4932ce3b58fe67f8454993575974db6b2badc92fabc1257435","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-36","the-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-chapter-274",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-problematic-child-of-the-magic-tower-cover.jpg"]