Chapter 153

Since when did I become a damn human?

Ah, right, it must have been when I started doing that rotten bandit work. Yeah… Growing up in the hands of bandits, the only thing I knew how to do was that… At 13, I killed some damn adults with other kids in similar situations and took their horses and territory.

After that, it was predictable. Raised by bandits, I wasn’t going to become some saint—I just became a damn worse bandit than them. I looted, stole, and ravaged everything in sight. Merchants, clergy, mercenaries, nobles, even other bandits—I didn’t discriminate.

My infamy soared sky-high, and the nation sent armies multiple times to exterminate us. But this wilderness was like the palm of our hands. Luckily, I had talent in both tactics and martial arts, and after repelling even the knight orders sent to kill us, my pride soared even higher.

Then, one day, I saw a woman with snow-white hair and a black witch hat wandering the wilderness. She didn’t seem to have anything worth stealing, so I was about to let her go out of generosity, but she said:

“Bandit brats, your little game ends here. Go home and suck on your mom’s milk.”

Feeling an overwhelming killing intent, I mounted my horse, grabbed my spear, and charged at her.

“Die, you damn bitch!”

“Horn of Earth, rise.”

And then, the sky and earth flipped.

“Huh?”

Before I knew it, my spear and horse were gone, and the woman was holding my neck with one arm, laughing.

“I’m not a damn bitch. I’m Skadi, the Tower Lord of Earth. The imperial family asked me to exterminate you.”

It seemed the situation had escalated so much that the imperial family had finally asked the Tower of Earth for help. Since I was already caught, I wanted to save the others.

“I’m the boss… So just take my head. You don’t need the others… You’ll get enough reward with just my head, right…?”

Skadi laughed as if it was the funniest thing. She laughed for over two minutes.

“Only asking to die yourself and spare your comrades… A bit cliché, but very ‘manly.’ I like it.”

“What?”

“Become my disciple. You’ll make a great sorcerer.”

“Wait, what…?!”

And just like that, I was kidnapped. That was my first meeting with my master and the start of my journey into the world of magic.

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When I opened my eyes, the scars that had covered my body were gone, and I was wearing comfortable linen sleepwear. Confused, I looked around when I heard someone outside yelling angrily.

“This is unacceptable, Tower Lord! The imperial family asked you to capture the fugitives, but if you keep being stubborn…!”

“Big deal, I’ll pay the fine. Or should we have some fun digging into how much the Carven Family’s knight order has been embezzling while letting bandits run rampant?”

“Tch…”

“Or just take the bribe I’m offering, and we’ll call it even? I’m fine with either.”

“The elders won’t overlook this. Just you wait!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m not scared of punks like you.”

The argument ended there. Skadi, who clearly won the verbal spat, opened the door and walked in, smiling brightly at me.

“Ooooh, you’re awake. I was wondering how you survived with that body. Charging at a woman on a horse with that condition… Really, men just need enough energy to cross a threshold…”

“Cut the crap. Who are you? Why did you kidnap me? If it’s for the bounty, I’ll…”

“Eh, if it was for the bounty, I’d have handed you over to that pig just now. I need something else.”

“Something else?”

“At the blooming age of 22, yet her skills are the pinnacle of the Tower of Earth! Skadi Tierra, the Tower Lord of Earth, whose beauty makes even gods weep! But gods hate perfection! Even she has something lacking…!”

Skadi struck a bizarre pose, thumb on her forehead, index finger pointing to the sky, and her other arm spread wide.

“And that is a successor! Without a disciple to inherit my genius, the world is like a lone goose in the sky! A solitary castle at sunset! Truly, a continuation of solitude! I need a successor who can understand and inherit this genius!”

“Stop talking nonsense and tell me why you brought me here.”

“That unchanging rude attitude! The extraordinary amount of magical energy I sense from your body! And the solid aura of earth from your soul! Mmm! You’ll make a great Tower Lord of Earth!”

“So, the point is?”

“Become my disciple!”

Skadi looked at me with a confident expression. Since my life had been far removed from magic, my answer was clear.

“I refuse. Find someone else.”

“What? Why not? The disciple of the Tower Lord? Everyone’s desperate for this position! Why? Why are you like this?”

Now she’s even using honorifics… I thought it was pathetic how an adult could become so desperate.

“If it’s such a great position, get someone else to do it. Why me? It reeks of something fishy.”

“Ugh…”

“There’s definitely something shady going on. You think I don’t know there are people like that in the world?”

“But there aren’t many talented kids! Even when I find one, they just run away after a few days of work!”

“Yeah, no. That’s just slavery.”

Then Skadi grabbed my pants and started begging and crying. It was so pathetic I couldn’t believe she was an adult. I tried to shake her off and escape through the window. I absolutely didn’t want to get involved in this annoying mess.

“Huh…?”

Just trying to move a little made blood gush out.

“I stitched up your wounds messily, so if you move now, they’ll reopen. So just stay still and rest.”

“Don’t mess with me. I never agreed to be your disciple…”

Skadi, still smiling, tapped my forehead and said:

“Becoming my disciple and getting treated are two different things.”

“What? Why?”

“How could I ignore a child covered in wounds? With my heart as soft and beautiful as silk, how could I just watch?”

“Then why did you protect me earlier?”

“Just felt like it?”

I couldn’t understand.

“What kind of stupid reason is that…?!”

“Doing what you want is what being a ‘sorcerer’ is all about!”

Suddenly, the sound of rain tapping on the window filled the room.

“Now, on a day like this, if you run away, you’ll just catch a cold. Let’s just sleep.”

Skadi showed no hostility toward me. Her beautiful red eyes held an emotion I’d never felt before. I couldn’t describe it, but if… if she was that kind of pure person, maybe working with her wouldn’t be so bad.

“Fine, I’ll do it temporarily.”

Skadi’s face lit up instantly.

“Really? Really? Really? Really?”

“Shut up. And it’s temporary. If I get bored, I’m running away.”

“I’ll make sure you don’t get bored. I’ll make sure you can’t live without being the Tower Lord of Earth’s disciple!”

“I quit.”

“Just kidding, kidding. We’ll start the real work after you’re healed. For now, let’s sleeeep.”

“Don’t treat me like a kid.”

I reluctantly pulled the blanket over me and turned my head. I thought she was just a woman with her mind elsewhere. I figured I’d sneak away with some money when I got bored, but then a sweet voice started singing.

For someone who’d only ever heard screams and curses, that sweet voice was a first.

“That nameless bird in the sky~ Why does it sing so sadly?”

“That nameless flower in the field~ Why does it hold tears like dew?”

“That drunken stonemason~ Why is he so angry?”

“And you~ Why do you cry so sadly?”

“I’ll chase away everything that makes you cry.”

“My beautiful child.”

She sang, with the sound of rain as her background music.

“What’s that song?”

“A lullaby I made. Pretty good, huh?”

A lullaby I’d never heard before, a touch without hostility, a warm bed… My mind was in chaos.

“The lyrics are pretty childish.”

“That’s because you lack literary sensitivity! How many books have you even read?”

“I can’t read.”

“Then starting tomorrow, you’ll learn to read and study books! How can a brat with no literary sensitivity critique the works of the great Tower Lord?”

She was indeed an excellent teacher. She crammed all sorts of knowledge into me, who couldn’t even read, in just half a month.

Of course, it didn’t take long for my evaluation of her to change from ‘excellent teacher’ to ‘demon of overwork.’