The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 141: The Inflection Point of Pure White (2)

"Verdi? His talent is outstanding."

When Sasha was called separately to the meeting room and asked about him, the expected answer came.

After all, even from her perspective, his talent wasn’t bad.

"The problem is... should I call it a congenital chronic condition? Ah, you can think of it as something similar to what little Oscar went through."

"The exact name of the condition?"

"Mana Reflux Disorder."

"Ah, I see."

Oscar nodded as if he finally understood.

"So that’s why."

Verdi Nakwind.

His magic proficiency, understanding, the texture of his mana, and his control over it were at least two levels ahead of other 5th-level mages at a glance.

‘And yet, sometimes, his spellcasting speed would lag by several seconds, or he would end up releasing completely chaotic spells.’

At first, Oscar thought it was just nervousness causing mistakes, which was natural.

After all, performing magic in front of a large audience wasn't an everyday occurrence.

But no matter how much he observed, it wasn’t just a mistake.

‘Usually, when someone makes a mistake, it shows.’

No matter how much they try to act composed, their eyes waver or their next actions reveal their nervousness.

For someone like Oscar, it was impossible not to notice.

‘But that guy was different. It was as if he already knew it was going to happen.’

That was when he started paying attention and observing Verdi carefully.

And because of that, he was able to figure out that Verdi was "broken."

"If it’s Mana Reflux Disorder, that means... mana, which is supposed to flow in one direction, instead backflows at certain points, creating a two-way flow and blocking the mana stream, right?"

"That’s right."

It’s easier to explain using a road as an analogy.

Normally, both the body’s circuits and mana circuits function as one-way streets.

But if mana suddenly starts flowing in the opposite direction, it would inevitably lead to a traffic accident.

"Hmm. So, every time his mana was cut off or his spells became unstable, it was because of that."

"We tried to find ways to help Verdi in every possible way, but there was no solution."

Sasha muttered with a somber expression.

"We even asked Vesalius Silva, the most renowned mana healer, but he said there was no cure."

"Vesalius Silva?"

That name... Oscar had heard it before.

After thinking for a moment, he let out a short exclamation.

"Ah! That quack who said he couldn’t fix Fran?"

"Q-quack? His skills are real."

Sasha hastily glanced around, worried someone might overhear.

"And about Fran, all he said was that it was a psychological issue related to trauma, so he needed a therapist, not a healer."

"Hmm. Either way, he couldn’t fix him. But I did."

Was that really the best the Empire’s top mana healer could do?

Oscar’s face showed clear skepticism, prompting Sasha to explain further.

"As you know, after the war, many mana users were ‘broken.’"

"That makes sense."

Whether mages or knights, it was the same.

War wasn’t some kind of sport where one could always perform at their best while taking care of their body.

"Some people overused their mana circuits until they wore out, while others suffered head injuries that left them unable to control their mana. And for those who use mana, that’s practically a death sentence. That’s when Vesalius Silva appeared."

Like a comet, the mana healer emerged and began treating them one by one.

Every patient he touched was cured, and soon, people started calling him the Sage of Healing.

"It only took seven years for him to earn the title of the Empire’s greatest mana healer."

"So, he must be pretty skilled."

"He’s beyond ‘pretty skilled.’ He’s the real deal. I’ve met him myself, and he helped me a lot."

"Why did you meet him? Were you sick or something?"

"……Huh?"

Sasha looked flustered at Oscar’s question and averted her eyes while mumbling.

"Ah, well, I’m the Tower Master, so... there were times I had to consult with him about mages in my tower, like Verdi..."

"Hmm."

Something felt off.

Oscar crossed his arms.

"You’re not sick or anything, right?"

"I swear I’m not. Except for Fairy Pain, I’m perfectly healthy. If I were sick, I would have told you already."

Well, there was no real reason for her to hide it if she was.

"If you ever feel sick or notice anything unusual, tell me immediately. I can fix most things."

"……Hehe, okay. I promise."

Sasha gave a bashful smile, as if she liked his concerned tone.

"But why did you suddenly ask about Verdi?"

"Oh, I think I can fix him."

"……He’ll refuse."

Sasha shook her head with a bitter expression.

"As you know, surgery for Mana Reflux Disorder has extreme side effects."

"No, I’m not talking about the kind of crude method you’re thinking of."

Oscar immediately shut down that idea, already knowing what she had in mind.

Mana Reflux Disorder had existed for a long time—since the era of the first mages and knights.

As a result, there were plenty of research cases, and a treatment method did exist.

‘That treatment method was pretty brutal, though.’

To put it simply, it involved permanently sealing off the sections of the mana circuit where reflux occurred.

Naturally, this caused permanent damage to the mana circuits.

‘It only prevents reflux, but since it forcibly closes the circuits, mana output is drastically reduced, and the flow becomes unstable.’

In other words, rather than disarming a ticking time bomb, it simply weakens the magic’s power and stability.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

A typical case of short-term gain, long-term loss.

However, since Mana Reflux Disorder could be fatal in battle, many mages and knights had no choice but to undergo the surgery with tears in their eyes.

"I wouldn’t have even brought it up if I were talking about something that crude."

"……Is there another treatment?"

"You haven’t forgotten what kind of magic I learned at Starlight Mountain, have you?"

Sasha’s eyes widened as she blinked, then suddenly gasped.

"Ah! Spatial... mmmph!"

Before she could finish, Oscar hurriedly covered her mouth, glancing around cautiously.

Then, he gave a firm nod.

"That's right. With this magic, it might not be impossible to directly 'edit' someone else's mana circuit."

Ordinarily, directly modifying a mana circuit is impossible.

That’s because circuits are the deepest and most securely embedded organs within the body.

‘To fix one directly, the only method would be to literally tear the body apart.’

Naturally, even if one were to pour divine power and top-grade potions like water, very few humans would be able to endure such a process.

Their body and mind wouldn’t withstand it, and they would die in the middle of the surgery.

That’s why people say that the most crucial moment for a mana circuit is when it’s first installed.

‘That’s also why those so-called "designers" exist.’

Of course, if someone like Verdi had a congenital defect, no matter how well the circuit was laid out, the result would be the same.

In the end, there were only two choices.

‘Live with a ticking time bomb inside you for the rest of your life.’

Or, undergo that brutal surgery to remove the bomb at the cost of abandoning the path of a great mage.

But what Oscar proposed was a third option—one that had never existed before.

"Directly editing the mana circuit to cleanly remove only the cause of the mana reflux. If successful, there would be no reason for the output to drop or the flow to become unstable."

A miraculous surgery without any side effects.

A loophole that only those who could manipulate the enigmatic discipline of 『space』 were permitted to use.

"Theoretically, it’s perfect, but… is it really possible? I mean… Master, you’ve never performed such a procedure before, have you?"

At Sasha’s slight concern, Oscar curled up one side of his lips.

"Don’t worry. In the end, this surgery is just another way of manipulating mana."

And when it came to handling mana—

Across all races, he had never met anyone superior to himself.

* * *

"The fight between the Black Tower and the Blood Tower for fourth place is going to be intense."

"Yeah. After watching the practice matches, it's clear that the White Tower is definitely coming in last."

"Serves them right. That Verdi guy’s skills are all over the place. Why did they even bring him?"

"In terms of peak performance, he's actually pretty skilled. He doesn’t fall behind even when compared to Level 6s. But apparently, he was born with a mana reflux disorder."

"Oh, so he's a cripple. That explains a lot… No wonder he does such ridiculous things sometimes."

A quiet hallway in the central hall, in front of a vending machine.

Holding cans of soda in their hands, a few Level 5 mages from the Blue Tower were gossiping under the guise of casual conversation.

"The White Tower must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Bringing a defective product like him to such an important event?"

"They probably thought this was just some simple social gathering. Honestly, even we didn’t expect things to escalate this much."

"Ha, even if they knew in advance, it's not like they had any decent mages to bring."

"True. The White Tower is a joke anyway."

The Blue Tower mages laughed carefreely.

After watching today’s practice matches, they were certain they would at least place in the top three.

Clunk!

At that moment, the restroom door in the hallway swung open, and a man with shoulder-length black hair stepped out.

His pitch-black eyes contrasted sharply with his pale face.

He was none other than the subject of their conversation—Verdi Nakwind.

"Huh?"

"Wait, isn't that…?"

Of course, just because their gossip had reached his ears didn’t mean they felt any guilt.

"Oh, it’s the cripple."

"You could’ve waited until we left before coming out. Now I feel all awkward, like I should apologize or something."

"Hah, are you actually feeling bad?"

"Of course not."

"Ha ha ha!"

Verdi stared at the laughing group with an expressionless gaze.

Then, he lowered his eyes and looked down at his own hands.

His tightly clenched fists were trembling slightly.

‘…Am I feeling resentment?’

He hadn’t expected himself to still have such emotions.

A dry chuckle escaped his lips.

After all, everything they said was true.

He was defective, broken, a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

‘No one knows that better than I do.’

But if there was one thing he couldn’t tolerate—

It was seeing the White Tower being mocked because of him.

With an icy voice, Verdi warned,

"Take it back."

"…What?"

"You can insult me all you want, but I won’t stand by and let you insult the White Tower. So take back what you just said."

The Blue Tower mages smirked.@@novelbin@@

"Hah, this guy’s hilarious. Did we say anything wrong?"

"And what if we don’t? What can you even do?"

"That’s easy."

Verdi removed his gloves and threw them, hitting one of them squarely in the face.

As the mage’s nose turned red with irritation, Verdi coldly declared,

"I challenge you to a duel, you Blue Tower bastards."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]