Genius Warlock - Episode 25
25. joseph (2)
next morning.
Oliver followed Joseph to breakfast, then changed into plain, inconspicuous clothes and came out of the hotel..
Oh, of course I also packed a bag with money in it..
There were a lot of people in Randa in the morning, and there were as many cars as there were people..
“There are so many people here.”
“yes. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage. Now, follow me..”
Joseph took Oliver to the road..
I raised my hand, and within a few seconds a yellow car that looked like a beetle stopped..
There was a triangle sign on top of the car with the words Dobbs Taxi Association written on it..
“Tara.”
Joseph said as he opened the door..
Oliver did as he was told and got into the car, followed by Joseph and closed the car door..
“Where can I take you. customer?”
The driver, dressed in a neat uniform, slightly lifted his hat and asked:.
“Area X... Just go to the entrance..”
“Are you talking about Area X? Yes, I understand.”
For a moment, darkness passed over the taxi driver's face, but then he started driving the car without asking any questions..
As the car rumbled and moved, the scenery outside changed rapidly. Oliver looked at the scene for a moment and then asked Joseph a question..
“master. I'm sorry, but where are you going??”
“Where are you going to meet Andrew? It must be a pretty interesting place..”
***
What Joseph said was not a lie.
We drove for a while, and the tall, long building suddenly changed into a squat building, and even to Oliver, it turned into a run-down street..
We traveled much farther than when we first got in the car, but what was interesting was that the number of people increased rather than decreased..
Just like a cockroach.
The car stopped. The driver in uniform with him turned his head and spoke politely..
“Sir, this is the entrance to Area X. Sorry, I can't go any further than this..”
“I know. You worked hard to get here. This is taxi fare and this is personal labor cost..”
Joseph gave me a considerable bundle of money separately from the taxi fare..
The taxi driver raised his hat, expressed his gratitude, and left as soon as Oliver and Joseph got off..
Oliver seemed to vaguely understand the reason..
Although this street seemed quiet, there were many people everywhere, and everyone was showing cunning and malicious emotions, as if they were targeting prey..
If there is even the slightest gap, they are ready to pounce..
“master?”
“Why are you like that??”
“Is this place also included in Landa??”
“Well, that's right. The high-ranking people of Landa don't care, but this is Landa too... Why are you like that??”
“Ah, it's just that I was curious so I asked..”
Joseph laughed mischievously..
“What's so amazing??”
“It's the same city, but the emotions are drastically different..”
“It's not that strange. This is area X.”
“X····. Terrible?”
“I'll tell you as I go. First, let's move.”
Joseph said that and started walking, and Oliver followed him..
This street was a maze-like complex of clumsy cement buildings and shacks, and there were swear words and graffiti drawn everywhere..
However, this was enough..
As I went deeper, I saw beyond simple graffiti, I saw profane graffiti drawn in blood, and totems made of animal bones and skin..
“That... What is it?”
Oliver said while looking at a totem erected on a side road..
It seemed like a certain area was marked by knitting together the skulls of birds and rats..
“well···. I haven't seen it either, so it was probably made by an unremarkable shaman or warlock. Or maybe the beggars made it as a threat..”
“····. Do you know this place well??”
“of course. I have visited several times for business purposes. Above all, this is also where I was born..”
“ah····.”
Oliver nodded his head as he heard this story for the first time..
“There are 26 major districts in Landa. And for convenience, we divide it into areas A, B, and C. Now, here's the question. Which area is more important??”
“····. well?”
“Oh, that's too bad. It's a problem that you can figure out right away if you have a little bit of insight. Of course, Area A, which is in the first order, is more important and has better security. Of course, not all of them, but overall, yes..”
Oliver nodded silently..
“But on the other hand, it means that the back seat areas like Z, Y, X, W are not good. What do you think??”
Oliver looked around..
The deeper you go, the more rundown and dangerous the streets look. But what bothered me more was the feeling of growing danger..
“a little····. I think so.”
“haha! Do you think it's a bit like that? Well, everything is subjective. Things like that happen, too.”
“·····, So you met your master here??”
“huh?”
Joseph's emotions stirred. It seems like an unexpected question.
“Um, well, that's right. He also used to be a warlock here..”
“Is there a warlock in Landa??”
“Are there warlocks in Landa too? That's a stupid question. In fact, there are more of them than Weinham. In Wineham, the number is in the single digits if you include the small warlock organizations, but here, only the major organizations are in the double digits, and if you include the small things, it is in the three digits. In fact, no one knows how many warlock organizations there are. They're scattered all over the place.”
Hoo... Oliver was intrigued by the new facts..
Well, if you think about it, it wasn't that strange..
Landa here surpasses Weinham in all aspects, including the size of the city, development, and number of people..
Rather, it would be strange if there were fewer warlocks..
Oliver realized that obvious fact and realized that the world was wide..
I am just a frog in a well... This obvious fact gave Oliver great joy..
There was so much to learn and so much to explore. How could it not be fun??
Oliver asked questions to find out more information..
“But why did the master come down to Wineham??”
“well····? I'm honestly embarrassed to say this, but the competition here is so fierce that I went down..”
“yes?”
“As I said before, there are many warlocks in Landa, and because of that, they fight among themselves every day. Numerous warlock organizations form and disappear every day. I also became a warlock through desperate efforts, but even so, the competition was still too fierce here. So I was worried. Should I stay here or should I leave for now to gain strength?.”
“okay.”
“Do you think I'm a coward??”
“No, I think you're smart..”
“I see····. thanks. stop now.”
Joseph suddenly stopped and said.
Joseph stopped in front of a building with a fence, and upon closer inspection, it looked like it had been a hospital..
“here's andrew.”
“ah····. It looks like a closed hospital. Is it operating??”
“Half right, half wrong. It's true that it's a closed building, but it's run by someone else. Now, follow me..”
***
Oliver followed Joseph through a side door behind the wall..
“It's not that way, it's this way.”
Joseph stopped Oliver, who was heading towards the hospital, and said,.
“But the hospital is over there····?”
“The hospital was closed. The actual place of operation is in the basement of the warehouse over there..”
Joseph pointed to a large warehouse at the back of the hospital..
Oliver followed Joseph there, and next to the warehouse was a large door leading to the basement..
“Andrew is being treated here.?”
“Yeah, it's fun, right? A warlock is treating people in an abandoned hospital..”
“Yeah, it's a little fun..”
It's good――――
When Joseph opened the heavy basement door, a sound echoed everywhere..
Oliver went in first, followed by Joseph, but there was no light, so it was dark everywhere..
However, that was only for a moment. Joseph flicked his hand and a torch hung on the wall lit up..
“····. But it's amazing.”
“···. what?”
“I'm going to treat Andrew with black magic. I thought it would be impossible to cure it with absorption magic because the owner said it was difficult..”
“under····. Was that amazing??”
“yes. I thought all warlock organizations were similar to us..”
“Well, it is true that we are a universal form. However, the realm of black magic is wide and deep, and it can take different forms depending on the practitioner's tendencies and talents..”
“Is that so?”
“okay.”
Oliver and Joseph continued to talk as they walked down the hallway..
“In fact, in terms of economic efficiency, it is best to make nutritional supplements using Pilgerette or vitality. High profits, surprisingly low risk.”
“It's dangerous?”
“Yes, risk. Since the material is made from people of all kinds, the government can't just leave it alone, right? First of all, it's all illegal. We are subject to crackdown... But let's live or die, they won't chase us.”
“what is the reason?”
“There are many reasons, but if you boil it down to the main point, they are also consumers. You can enjoy Pilgerette without any worries because the aftereffects and addiction are similar to those of cigarettes, but you can't eat it because it doesn't contain nutrients that use vitality. We only carry out formal surveillance, and we have no intention of eradicating it..”
Hoo... Oliver seemed interested in the unexpected words..
I never thought that Pilgerette or nutritional supplements would be illegal in the first place, but only formal surveillance is carried out for that reason..
The world was just as interesting as black magic..
Then, I saw a skeleton scattered on one side of the hallway. There was dark red flesh on the outside, as if it had rotted away..
“But no matter where you go, there are people with unique personalities. There are also those who are far from efficiency, safety, and rationality. They don't just make medicine or nutritional supplements, they also engage in other industries..”
“okay. Could you please tell me what it is??”
Oliver said, looking at the growing number of skeletons..
“Well, first of all, there are people who heal people, like the warlock here. Using vitality, twisted manipulation, and disease-type black magic. Surprisingly, there are many high-level customers. Thanks to this, profits are high, and in some cases, they are safer than us..”
“okay. Is there anything else??”
Now beyond the skeleton came a pile of half-decomposed corpses. It felt like a lot of time had passed, but it was swarming with maggots..
“There are also people who like fighting and live as mercenaries or troubleshooters. If you have the skills, the income and security are good, and you can develop your skills quickly. After all, practical training is the best class..”
“okay.”
“Now, turn right here..”
Following Joseph's words, Oliver fell into the right hallway. I went a little further and found a large room..
There were quite a few corpses piled up around the room, and brown dried blood was spread on the walls, floor, and ceiling as if they had all been murdered here..
But what stands out the most is the altar opposite the door..
The foundation, stained with red blood, had three rectangles and nine circles engraved on it..
“Is there anything else besides that??”
“What do you mean??”
“A warlock who engages in activities other than medicine and mercenary work..”
“····. Some people create religions.”
“Religion?”
“okay.”
Oliver asked as he approached the altar..
“Sorry, but can you explain in more detail??”
“You are creating a religion for the devil, worshiping the devil, making offerings... Unlike the previous example, it is very difficult and extremely dangerous..”
“It doesn't look particularly good, why are you doing it??”
Oliver asked, checking the body lying on the foundation..
The body was horribly cut at the waist..
“The fruit is as sweet as it is dangerous. The devil is an evil being, but he also brings great blessings..”
Oliver's body lying on the altar... “No,” I asked, holding up Andrew..
“Is that why you killed him??”
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