Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 213
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 213
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The Magical Republic of Babel, land of mages.
Just as any kingdom has a royal palace at its center, at the heart of the Mage Republic’s capital stood a magnificent tower called the Colorless Tower.
The Colorless Tower, which pierced through clouds and stretched endlessly toward the sky, was also called the ‘Tower of Knowledge and Trials,’ and the reason was simple.
It was due to the books that filled the tower’s walls and its unique structure that had no stairs whatsoever.
“Master Ruuuuuuu!”
Two months ago, the elders of the Gray Tower who had come to the Mage Republic following Chaser without knowing why, looked up endlessly at the top of the Colorless Tower and cried out for Chaser.
Like other towers, the Colorless Tower had no floors, so the elders’ voices echoed again and again. However, no voice or messenger bird returned.
The elders exchanged glances with determined eyes, then began flying toward the top of the tower using levitation magic.
Mages are those who rule the sky. The lack of stairs in the tower was not a problem to begin with.
How long had they climbed like mountaineers on an expedition?
The elders stopped at what corresponded to the 8th zone, panting and craning their necks.
In the distance, they could see Chaser floating in mid-air as if lying in a hammock. Around him, dozens of books were spinning like satellites orbiting a planet.
As if proving that all those books were within Chaser’s field of vision, pages fluttered whenever he lightly flicked his fingertips.
After being momentarily amazed by the sight of knowledge being crammed into his head,
One of the elders carefully opened his mouth toward Chaser.
“Master Ru, would you please come down to the 8th zone? We are still lacking in training to reach the 9th zone.”
The reason the Colorless Tower was called the ‘Tower of Trials.’
It was because the zones one could reach were divided according to the amount of magical power one possessed.
Therefore, the 8th-tier elders could not ascend to the 9th zone where Chaser was, no matter how hard they tried.
However, despite the elder’s plea, Chaser remained silent. It was unclear whether he was too focused to hear the elders’ voices, or if he was ignoring them.
Finally, one elder who couldn’t stand it anymore raised his voice.
“Master Ru! Is it true that you haven’t eaten a single meal today?!”
As if coming to his senses at that voice, Chaser turned his head and glanced down, then said dryly.
“I’m not hungry.”
At that curt response, chaos erupted in the 8th zone.
“No, you’re so skinny, how can you not be hungry? There must be something wrong with your body!”
“If you don’t eat like that, you’ll starve to death!”
“Master Ru, you can’t go before this old man!”
The elders didn’t stop at just making a fuss.
They carefully lifted what they had struggled to bring up to that height with both hands and whispered as if coaxing a sulky cat.
“Come now, Master Ru. Here, try some hot and hearty meatballs. Drenched in gravy sauce, with cheese inside.”
“Not those minced meat chunks, you should eat vegetables! First, warm your stomach with this vegetable soup. I finely chopped those paprika fellows you hate down to the molecular level and perfectly hid their taste.”
“Tsk, tsk. Everyone’s showing they don’t have grandchildren. Is Master Ru a child? Everyone step aside!”
The youngest elder stepped forward confidently and waved a bite-sized sandwich seductively.
“Master Ru? What do you think this is? Colorful vegetables, cheese, and meat layered upon layers—what could this be? Curious, aren’t you? If you’re curious, quickly take a bite…”
At those words, Chaser’s gaze fell from his books again.
Noticing the contempt in the eyes looking down at him, the mage coughed and slyly hid the sandwich behind his back.
“That fool. Does he think Master Ru is a baby?”
“Master Ru, at this rate you’ll starve to death.”
“If only we could get you to eat just one spoonful…”
How long did the elders’ pleas continue like that?
Thud. Thud. Snap!
The books spinning around Chaser all closed at once. Then, as Chaser lazily waved his hand, they returned to their original places and were shelved.
Chaser stretched languidly in mid-air and said with a sullen expression.
“That’s enough now. I want to go back to the Gray Tower.”
“Yes, yes? So, so suddenly?”
“We’re not ready to cross the dimensional gate yet.”
At Chaser’s declaration, the elders’ faces turned pale.
At the top of the five towers scattered across the continent, there existed dimensional gates connected to their home country.
Unlike summoning magic, they could safely traverse space, but they had the disadvantage of requiring an enormous amount of magical power to pass through the gate.
“It’s snowing a lot… and my knees are aching… If I rest and recuperate at home for a few days, I think I could replenish the magical power needed to cross the dimensional gate…”
Right on cue, everyone groaned and grabbed their knees.
Chaser passed by the elders with a face that said ‘what does that have to do with me’ and answered primly.
“For dinner, I’m going to Protagonist’s house after a long time and eating to my heart’s content.”
As soon as the word ‘dinner’ came from Chaser’s mouth, the elders cheered.
“Of course! Of course! This old man will squeeze out magical power with all his dying strength!”
“We must return immediately. After all, home cooking tastes the best, and isn’t Jenos Kingdom our hometown now?”
“I heard that the North Mountain blockhead returned to his nest, so this is a chance for Marquess Blanche’s…!”
“Noisy.”
When Chaser glared fiercely at the elder who had gotten too excited and crossed the line, scolding poured from here and there.
“Tsk, tsk, tactless old man. How dare a 70-year-old lifelong bachelor run his mouth?”
“Think carefully whether Master Ru, with that face, is in a position to receive your advice!”
They headed straight for the dimensional gate.
Chaser, who had filled the elders’ insufficient magical power with his own and sent them ahead first, looked back at the Mage Republic for a moment.
It was his homeland, but also a country where terrible memories were etched.
Even when he had no choice but to set foot on this land to become the master of the Gray Tower, he had vowed never to set foot on this soil again.
“It’s not as bad as I thought.”
His mood wasn’t as foul as he had expected.
Of course, he had no plans to be buried here, but if it was to fulfill Belinda’s request, he was thinking of traveling back and forth occasionally.
‘Later, when everything is resolved, I should bring Protagonist and Saesaek-i here to play at least once.’
Thinking of his disciple who would exclaim in admiration and Belinda who would buy this and that while making a prim expression, a satisfied smile welled up.
“How convenient that the North Mountain blockhead isn’t here.”
Chaser grinned and finally crossed the dimensional gate.
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“Chaser, why does your expression look so sour?”
“Because I hate the sight of paprika.”
It had been a month and a half since Chaser had suddenly left for the Mage Republic, saying he would investigate the First King’s black magic.
Chaser, who had returned as suddenly as he had left and attended the dinner, had the most menacing expression I had ever seen.
I soon realized that the reason was Giuseppe, who was sitting at the dinner table.
It was my mistake. How could I seat Chaser and Giuseppe at the same table when I knew their relationship was bad?
To make an excuse, after preventing the predicted fire accident that day, my relationship with Giuseppe had changed somewhat.
How should I put it—I had managed to get my toes inside the line he had drawn.
As a result, we naturally met often, even if just to share information, and after Cheri left for the north to examine the Barrier Forest, he occasionally attended dinners like this.
But of all days for Giuseppe to attend dinner, Chaser had to return.
Only after I seated Leo between Chaser and Giuseppe as a temporary measure did the murderous atmosphere ease a little.
Fortunately, instead of responding to Chaser’s provocations as before, Giuseppe looked at my face and let out a small sigh. As if he was holding back for my sake.
After finishing dinner without any incidents,
Chaser, who was sitting across from me sipping a warm cup of tea suitable for a winter day, struck as usual.
“Protagonist, didn’t you miss me?”
I stopped tilting my teacup and studied Chaser’s face.
His beaming smile was still as gentle as spring flowers and quite destructive, but having spent time with him, I responded leisurely.
“I missed you. I was worried too.”
“…”
“Going to the Mage Republic wouldn’t have been such a pleasant thing for you. So I’m really glad you came back with the same face as usual.”
At my answer, Chaser blinked with an expression like he’d been hit, then rubbed his face once and buried his forehead on the table.
Then he grumbled something about how he wasn’t even surprised anymore.
‘How cute.’
Without realizing it, I gently stroked Chaser’s head as if he were Leo.
Chaser’s shoulders flinched as he quickly raised his head to look up at me, but his expression wasn’t… very good.
“Ah, sorry.”
Did he dislike being treated like a child?
I hurriedly tried to pull my hand away, but Chaser grabbed my wrist and placed it back on top of his head.
Then he buried his forehead on the table again, let out a deep sigh, and mumbled.
“I like it but I hate it… So worry about me just a little more.”
Whether he liked it or hated it, at his incomprehensible words, I stroked his soft hair a few more times, and Chaser raised his head with a reddened face.
It seemed like blood had rushed to his head and he couldn’t keep it down any longer.
Soon Chaser cleared his throat a few times, set up a soundproofing spell around us, then brought up the main topic.
“I found a big clue in the Mage Republic. You said there was some unidentifiable black magic among the First King’s spells, right?”
“That’s right.”
What would leisurely continue
At Chaser’s following words, my heart sank with a thud.
“That seems to be time regression magic.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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