The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
Chapter 224

Chapter 224: The Way Back (3)

The Eye Thief.

Even while crouching, it had a massive build.

If it straightened its hunched back, it would stand at an imposing 2 meters and 40 centimeters—an A-rank threat-level monster.

The three of them, who encountered it without warning, were caught off guard.

“Whatever you do, don’t take your eyes off it.”

At Oran’s urgent warning, Kaya let out a short gasp.

“This is unexpected. Didn’t they say that thing only appears near the third peak?”

“That’s what I heard too. It hasn’t even come near its own territory. Why the hell…?”

“Could it be targeting us because it sensed our side has weakened?”

“No way.”

Oscar shook his head, having listened to the two talking.

‘Edna.’

Although she currently held the strength equivalent to a child, that didn’t mean she had become truly human.

The inherent aura of a dragon was still within her.

‘Even for a monster, anything that rivals level 8 in power would naturally have high intelligence.’

If that’s the case, it made sense that it left its territory to seize this rare opportunity.

After all, a dragon heart was a treasure even high-ranking demons coveted.

As Kaya continued to stare at the unmoving Eye Thief, she asked:

“Is it impossible to kill it in one strike while it’s not moving?”

“If the Tower Master and you were still in good condition, then maybe, with me adding my strength. But with just me and my brother? It’s not happening.”

According to Oran’s previous explanation, the Eye Thief enters a “frenzied” state if attacked while still.

It becomes capable of moving freely for about 10 seconds even under direct observation, and its speed doubles.

“In short, unless we’re absolutely sure we can kill it with the first strike, it’s better not to attack.”

“Then what other options do we have…?”

“What’s the principle behind its immobilization?”

At Oscar’s question, Oran—still locking eyes with the Eye Thief—asked back:

“What do you mean by that?”

“That monster can’t move when someone is looking at it, right? I want to know exactly what counts as ‘looking’ in this context.”

At those words, Oran and Kaya’s eyes lit up.

They could see what Oscar was getting at.

“Wait, are you talking about that thing you showed last time? Something like... the Eye of the Sky?”

“Yes. If that thing reacts to indirect magical observation, then escaping might be easier than we thought.”

If the Eye Thief’s mechanism worked just by being observed—not necessarily by a biological eye—then the plan was plausible.

There were many strange phenomena in this world, after all.

Of course, if it only worked through direct exposure to a living eye, things would be trickier.

Kaya nodded.

“I’m in. It seems worth trying.”

“Can you use that spell right now?”

“Sure can.”

Oscar answered and snapped his fingers.

A geometric magic circle formed in midair, and a completed sphere shot into the night sky.

『Eye of the Sky』

A screen appeared in front of Oscar’s face.

Inside it was the world as seen through a magically manifested, white-glowing eye.

Zoom in.

He zoomed in on the Eye Thief’s location, and its entire body came into clear focus on the screen.

Upon confirming this, Oscar spoke.

“I’m going to count to three. When I do, I want you both to close your eyes for exactly one second, then reopen them.”

“Wait. Just in case, you should step to the back. I’ll stand at the front.”

At that, Kaya nodded and took a few steps backward.

Oscar confirmed their positions and began.

“I’m counting now. One... two... three.”

Oscar looked only through the screen, never directly at the Eye Thief.

With the other two having their eyes closed, there was no one directly observing the monster.

And yet, the Eye Thief didn’t budge on the screen.

‘It works.’

In other words, even indirect magical observation was enough to activate its immobilization trait.

After one second passed, the two opened their eyes and swallowed nervously.

“Did... it work?”

“Oscar?”

To their uncertain questions, Oscar nodded.

“Yes, it appears to be functioning properly.”

“Holy crap! You're a genius!”

Oran shouted with joy.

To him, this monster had been a living nightmare—and now they finally had a way to escape it.

Kaya, who let out a sigh of relief, also asked,

“Then how long can you maintain that spell?”

“If I focused solely on keeping it up, about a week...”

But he was also responsible for real-time detection and navigation.

He couldn’t devote all his mana to just the Eye of the Sky.

“Realistically, in our current situation... 18 hours is probably the max.”

“18 hours, huh…”

Kaya muttered, recalling the distance they had traveled the day before.

“That’s not quite enough. That won’t get us across the entire mountain range. But maybe we can put enough distance between us... Think it’ll stop chasing us then?”

“No. That thing won’t give up until its target crosses the range completely.”

Having already experienced it once, Oran spoke with certainty.

“But, if we move into a completely different peak, it probably won’t follow us.”

“A different peak?”

“Yes. More precisely, a different disaster’s territory. From what I know, these disasters avoid encroaching on each other’s domains. Except for the one called ‘the Devourer of the Mountain’—that one's the exception.”

“Then the only option is the first peak.”

Right now, they were at the second peak.

And the third peak was the Eye Thief’s own territory, so heading there was meaningless.

“Are you sure? If we make it to the first peak, it’ll stop chasing us?”

“I haven’t tested it personally, but that’s what I heard back then.”

Oscar backed Oran’s opinion.

“I’ve also heard that the calamities around here don’t invade each other’s territory.”

“If even you say so… fine. How long will it take to reach the first peak from here?”

“Hmm, just a sec.”

He used Sky Eye to estimate the rough distance.

“Thirteen hours. Even at a relaxed pace, we should make it in fifteen.”

“That just about fits within the time limit for the magic to last.”

At the group’s current pace, it would take at least two to three days to descend the Red Ridge completely.

Oscar couldn’t possibly maintain Sky Eye for that long.

For now, the best they could do was get to the first peak and try to shake off the Eye Thief.

“What if, worst-case scenario, it still follows us after we reach the first peak?”

Kaya’s voice carried a sharp and chilling edge to it.

This time, neither Oscar nor Oran could answer immediately.

That truly would be the worst-case scenario.

“Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”

“...Yeah, let’s hope.”

Kaya slowly nodded her head.

* * *

“Edna, wake up.”

“…Mm, five more minutes.”

“No, really, you have to get up.”

“Ugh… okay.”

As he shook her body firmly, Edna groggily pushed herself upright.

She muttered like an office worker who stayed up until 4 a.m. reading gossip and was now dragging herself to work.

“…My condition seems worse than expected. It feels like I’ve only slept ten minutes.”

“It has only been ten minutes.”

“……”

She shot him a resentful look, as if asking, Then why did you wake me up?

Feeling a twinge of guilt, Oscar almost told her to sleep five more minutes—but he steeled himself.

“The Eye Thief showed up. One of the five calamities of the Red Ridge.”

“I thought this was the second peak?”

“Something unexpected happened.”

“…It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

Edna’s sleepy gaze disappeared instantly, replaced with her usual stoic expression.

“It’s likely targeting my heart.”

“I think so too. But I think I found a way to deal with it.”

When Oscar explained his plan using Sky Eye, her eyes widened—just a little.

“Is that true?”

“Yeah. So, get up quickly.”

“Understood. By the way, brushing my teeth…”

“You don’t need to. You did that ten minutes ago.”

“I like this.”

As Edna got up, Oscar went into Sasha’s tent and carried her out.

He handed her off to Kaya, who carried her on her back.

“Are we all set?”

“Yes, Edna’s ready to go too.”

“…I’ve felt this since we first met in Baran City, but for someone with such a pretty face, you sure aren’t afraid of anything.”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Kaya gave a wry smile and shifted her gaze to the hovering screen in front of her.

“So, I just have to keep my eyes on this screen now, right?”

“Yes.”

Oscar adjusted the screen’s position so she could see it more easily and gave a warning.

“Please don’t take your eyes off it. If you feel the urge to blink, call someone to take over, or alternate blinking each eye.”

“Got it.”

“Is it okay for you to move while watching it?”

“Um… thanks for worrying, but I am a Master, you know.”

Kaya looked awkward, as if she wasn’t used to people being concerned about her.

‘Fair enough.’

Carrying someone while climbing a mountain and staring at a screen the whole time would be impossible for most people.

But Kaya was a Level 7 Master.

Even if her magic had been weakened by the aftermath of the World Liberation, the strength, stamina, and balance she had built over the years hadn’t vanished.

“Alright. Then I’ll leave the Tower Master in your hands.”

“Don’t worry.”

After one final glance at the group, Oscar began to move.

Naturally, they didn’t bother putting out the fire or packing up the tents.

With Sky Eye already active, it was better to move as quickly as possible.

As they walked, Oran kept glancing behind him nervously—but the Eye Thief didn’t follow.

Only after they had gained a kilometer of distance did he click his tongue.

“Hah, who would’ve thought it’d be this easy to deal with that thing… No, I guess that’s not true. Without my little brother, we wouldn’t even be dreaming of this. So I guess it’s not easy after all.”

“It was just good timing. We happened to have a spell that works in this situation.”

“We usually call that ‘skill.’”

Oscar smiled softly at the compliment and asked, glancing back:

“How’s it going, Kaya? Are your eyes okay?”

“No problems. The Eye Thief’s still quiet.”

“That’s good to hear.”

The journey went more smoothly than expected.

But after about three hours of walking, Kaya suddenly muttered something in confusion from the back.

“What is it?”

Startled, Oscar rushed over, and Kaya spoke with a doubtful expression.

“I’m not sure… Maybe it’s because I’ve been staring at the same screen for so long, but something feels… off.”

“Off? In what way?”

“This guy. I’m wondering if he was standing right there to begin with.”

Oscar immediately looked at the screen, and his eyes narrowed.

“…No.”

When he last checked before they left, the Eye Thief had been standing under a tree.

But now, it had moved just slightly past that tree.

There was only one possible conclusion.

“It’s moving—very slowly. So slowly that if you just keep staring at the screen, you wouldn’t even notice.”

“Huh. But if all it’s doing is changing its position slightly, doesn’t that mean nothing’s really happening?”

“…That’s true.”

Oscar nodded.

And yet, for some reason, the uneasy feeling in his chest refused to go away.