Genius Warlock - Episode 24
24. joseph (1)
Oliver got off the truck and walked along the yellow exterior wall, just as written in the letter..
Thanks to this, I was able to avoid getting lost in an unfamiliar environment, and after a while, I was able to see a huge square and a fountain in the middle of it..
In the middle of the large fountain, a baby angel statue was urinating, and around it were benches, hot dog booths, and ice cream booths..
The visitors were elderly, women, and children, and no one seemed to pose a threat..
After looking around, Oliver went near exit 3 as written in the letter..
Still, I didn't stop looking at my surroundings, and when I looked again, it definitely looked a lot different from Weinham..
It wasn't just that there were a lot of people or the colors were flashy..
Beyond that, people’s emotional states were also different..
In Weinham, negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger, sadness, and hatred were the mainstays.,
At least in this square, people had more positive emotions such as leisure, tranquility, kindness, and mercy in their hearts..
Sometimes it was expressed as a feeling of deep-sea superiority, but overall it was much brighter..
Oliver was curious..
What is the difference between this place and Weinham? Why do people have such different emotional states?.
But what was even more curious was what was far away on the other side of the city..
There was more negative emotion there than in Weinham..
Although Oliver couldn't see it in detail at the moment, he could vaguely feel it..
A dark and murderous emotion that could not be compared to Weinham was emanating from afar..
Even though there is a distance, it is clearly the same city, but the difference in light and dark is so drastic... It was amazing and I wanted to know why..
“Are you here??”
Instead of observing the city, Oliver turned to one side and bowed his head politely..
In front of him stood Joseph, wearing a shiny top hat and cape..
They were very similar to the Landa people, but maybe Oliver wouldn't have recognized them as easily if he had distinguished people based on their appearance rather than their emotions..
Joseph was impressed..
“You have quite a sharp eye.?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“money?”
Oliver thumped the bag tightly slung behind his back..
Joseph laughed and started walking with Oliver..
“I'm sorry. Normally I don't let people run money errands like this, but this time, the situation is special..”
“no···. But can I ask you a question??”
“What?”
“Where are you Andrew??”
“iced coffee···. I am receiving treatment now. It's not legal and requires a lot of money, but from a warlock whose skills are certain..”
“iced coffee···. okay.”
Oliver answered, examining Joseph's emotions. He stumbled as if he was lying, but he didn't stumble.
Oliver frowned at the rare sight he was seeing for the first time, and Joseph moved his face closer and said,.
“First of all, I'm going to the hotel today..”
“hotel···. Are you saying?”
“Yes, hotel. It's a very cool place.”
***
Joseph’s words were not parables or metaphors.
He went to a huge hotel near the square..
The hotel was large and luxurious, and there were many people who appeared to be wealthy. Above the front door was the old-fashioned phrase “Blue Moon.”.
Joseph seemed familiar with this place, and in fact, the hotel doorman and bellboy greeted him warmly when they saw him..
“hello. Mr. John.”
“hello. Mr. John.”
“Yes, yes. Nice to meet you. nice to meet you.”
Oliver looked at him in silence, but Joseph turned his head and asked.
“why are you surprised?”
“yes?”
“I asked if he was surprised that I was used to these expensive hotels..”
“no····. Not really.”
“Ha, really? I heard people are usually surprised. The reason I am familiar with this place is because I usually visit Landa first when looking for a disciple. And I stay here every time I visit. Do you know why you stay here??”
“uh····. Because it’s cool?”
“Hahaha, that's not entirely wrong. But it's not completely correct. It's because I have memories from my childhood..”
“···· Are you talking about memories??”
“Yes, memories... Um, stop for a second..”
Joseph said as he stopped in front of an iron door..
There was a large needle and numbers stuck on the iron door, and the direction the needle pointed went from 6 to 5, and eventually 4, 3, 2, and 1..
Ding dong―
When the steel door opened automatically, a small space appeared, and a bellboy was standing there..
“welcome. customer. What floor should I take you to??”
“3Please go upstairs. Jackson. Those gloves are cool. Did you get a new one??”
“Yes that's right. Thank you for the compliment.”
Joseph took Oliver inside..
When the bellboy pressed the button next to the door, the door closed and the space began to move..
“This····.”
“It's an elevator. Don't worry it's safe. yes. Jackson?”
“Yes, of course..”
Before long, the space stopped and the door opened..
Joseph took out a bill from his pocket and gave it to the bellboy, then took Oliver out and entered a guest room..
I was out of my mind, but as soon as I entered the room, Joseph said.
“First, let’s check whether the errand was done well, right? Put your bag here.”
Joseph tapping on the table.
Oliver did as he was told and took off his bag and placed it on a nearby table..
Joseph opened his bag, took out bundles of money one by one, and started stacking them on the table..
“···. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty. 30 bundles of 100,000 rand notes. You got it exactly right..”
“Yes, master.”
“Good work. There aren't many kids I can entrust with errands like this..”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, paper money has magical powers. If it piles up too much, it makes everyone think foolish thoughts. I might become unhappy.”
Oliver tilted his head, not understanding..
“······. Is this some kind of black magic??”
“Black magic? under····. Well, it's similar..”
Oliver tilted his head again. The focus of the conversation was slightly off, but I didn't try to fix it..
Oliver stood blankly for a moment and then cautiously opened his mouth..
“master. So, is my job done??”
asked Joseph, putting the money back in the bag..
“for now? why?”
“Well then, can I just go back??”
“why? Why are you trying to go back already??”
“uh····. I thought it would be more convenient for the master if I left if I had nothing to do. Do you need anything??”
“okay. Of course there is. I'm going to pick Andrew up tomorrow, and I need someone to help me..”
“Ah, if that's the case, I'll stay..”
“You're kind... But before that, there's one more thing I need to help you with..”
“Please tell me.”
“You have to have dinner with me today..”
***
Those words weren't a metaphor or analogy either..
In the evening, Joseph bought Oliver a nice suit and took him to the hotel restaurant..
Then we sat together in the best seat overlooking the outside scenery..
“You look quite worthy of attention when you dress up like that. Isn’t it uncomfortable??”
“yes.”
Oliver answered, lightly touching the suit he was wearing for the first time..
Actually, it wasn't that uncomfortable, but I felt like my posture was being corrected according to the clothes..
“That's a good thing... Oh, please eat what I always eat. joy.”
After giving his order to Waite, Joseph looked at Oliver again..
The two looked at each other in silence, but after a while, Joseph finally spoke first..
“oh my god····. Are you always that silent? When we first met, he asked me a lot of small questions..”
“ah····. sorry. I was so excited at that time.”
“no no. I'm not scolding you for that time, but I'm asking you if you have anything to say. He usually says anything when he's alone with me. Ask questions or flatter····.”
Oliver remembered the children who fawned over their supervisors in the mine days..
“Today indeed... You're cool?”
“I'm going around. I really don't mean to flatter you. Also, why do you put a question mark at the end??”
“sorry. master.”
“under···. Really, do you have any questions for me? For example, when I brought you in, why did I just leave you as a temporary disciple? Even though I say this, isn't it like being stabbed in the back??”
“deep····. I think it makes sense.”
“under! Yes, that's what flattery does. But it's also true... Come to think of it, I haven't really given you any proper lessons. It must have been a lot of work. In that sense, I have prepared this place today. Answer me. What do you think is the greatest skill of a warlock??”
Oliver was lost in thought at the sudden question..
Because it is the greatest knowledge... It was a difficult question for Oliver, who had relatively easy black magic..
Just-!
Joseph said, snapping his fingers..
“That's right, it's aspiration. It doesn't matter why. It's a desire for black magic, whether it's money or power. A desire to sacrifice anything. That is the greatest skill in black magic..”
“···. Is that why you took away Marie and Peter??”
“why? Did you hear anything??”
“yes·····. Well, I just happened to hear it..”
Joseph leaned against the back of his chair as if lost in thought..
“····. I remember. Marie lived in a place where dye factory sewage poured out. Did she almost get raped when she first met him??”
“Rape?”
“Yes, to the neighborhood gangsters. He happened to be passing by, so I saved him. Even during that time, I was impressed by the venom in his eyes. I wasn't very talented, but my thirst for power was greater than anyone else's, so I took it..”
“ah····. okay.”
Oliver said numbly..
Joseph continued as if lost in memories..
“Peter lived in a single room with three other families, including his own. Every day was hell. Thanks to this, his thirst for success was great, and he had some talent, so he reaped it..”
Oliver nodded and then asked a question..
“then····. Are other disciples similar??”
“yes. The more earnest you are, the more passionate you are about learning black magic, so you can focus solely on it... But you weren't enough.”
“yes?”
“A desire for black magic. It was fun and willing to learn, but there was no desire for anything more. What should I say... There is no other way than this. It lacked that earnest taste. So I put you in as a temporary disciple. I wonder if I will get that kind of earnestness if I go back and forth. Well, it doesn't seem like anything special..”
“okay····. But don't worry. master. I will learn hard.”
“So, if Andrew goes back and offers up his position as chief disciple again, do you plan on offering it up??”
“Well, I just need to learn black magic.·····.”
“That's not possible. A warlock is power. Power is power. Anyone who easily gives up their seat to someone else, no matter how talented they are, will soon be eaten..”
“····. Master, did you become a warlock like that??”
“huh?”
“Oh, sorry. Asking questions without permission... However, I'm curious.”
“Did you ask how I became a warlock??”
“yes. Please forgive me if I made a mistake.”
“Well, not to that extent... Actually, I was originally taken by my master and became a warlock..”
“Oh, is that so??”
“okay. The way to find disciples now is something I learned from my master. However, when I first received it, I was not a very enthusiastic disciple. I was satisfied with just living without begging or stealing on the streets..”
“Ah, then, how····.”
“I got to see a wider world. That’s right, this hotel..”
Joseph extended his hands exaggeratedly and pointed toward the hotel..
“I visited this hotel while helping the owner with his work, and it was my first time realizing that there was such a wonderful place in the world. But I also learned one sad truth..”
“what is it?”
“If I live like this, I'll die and even if I wake up, I won't be able to experience a world like this... So, I worked hard to become a competent warlock like my master. Ta-da, I became a warlock like this..”
“So, then, my master developed a desire for black magic..”
“yes! That's correct. I decided to become an outstanding warlock by any means necessary. Actually, God helped me.”
It was an ironic statement. God help me to become a warlock. But how?
“····. If you don't mind, may I ask you how your master taught you??”
At that moment, Joseph's emotions sparkled and shined. As if I had been stabbed in a painful spot..
“that·····.”
“Customers have been waiting for you. Food came out.”
A waiter appeared just in time. He skillfully set down the plate..
On a pure white plate was a white fish dish with a paint-like sauce on it, and it smelled really good..
Joseph said, licking his lips..
“First, let's eat first and then talk, I'm hungry..”
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