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Genius Warlock-Episode 541

541. princess and prince (5)

Prince.

As soon as that word came out, a strange phenomenon occurred that was difficult to explain..

It seemed calm and calm on the outside, but an unknown force was squeezing the entire space..

It is not a wizard's magic power, a druid's natural power, a paladin's sacred power, or a warlock's emotions, but a heterogeneous force that is difficult to explain..

Its identity was unclear, but the only thing that was certain was that its power crushed and subdued not only the princess in front of her, but even the sleeping forest that was trying to protect her..

Completely, without leaving any room.

······! ······!!

Bed and floor in a huge space. Even the ceiling and walls began to fall silently and quietly..

Like a giant standing on a thin board.

······No, it might not have been like that..

The princess barely raised her head and saw something huge before her eyes, albeit vaguely..

It was so huge that its size was unfathomable, and it was curled up in pitch darkness like the night sea..

It had an imperfect shape like a fetus, and had a deep darkness that made you feel like you would be sucked in just by looking at it. It's as if all the darkness and abyss of the world have been condensed into one..

It was so severe that it seemed like it would go beyond the physical and even abstract concepts such as consciousness and essence would be sucked in..

······!! ······!!!!

Its presence gradually became clearer, and when it tried to raise its buried head, the pressure it gave off became even more severe, and cracks began to form in the magic that made up the sleeping forest..

Although it was invisible on the outside, the princess could tell that it was the root of the Sleeping Forest..

The sleeping forest created by sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people is collapsing, unable to withstand the presence of just one person..

Existence itself is a disaster. An entity that should not exist in reality.

Oliver, who was the only one free in that unusual situation, stretched out his hand to the princess and said.

“A prince... I don't know what you mean.”

Oliver was trying to make it seem like nothing the princess said had happened, but just then, the princess opened her mouth..

“······You will be tested.”

Stop.

Oliver's hand stopped..

The princess opened her mouth again..

“You will be tested in your anger, and you will be tested in your sorrow. Your love will be tested in the end.”

An unexpected remark from the princess. Normally he would have ignored it, but strangely enough, Oliver stopped holding his hand..

There was no magic or dark magic in the voice. The words themselves had a power that was hard to ignore..

Is this a prophecy? And that wasn't the only thing that bothered me.

I was also concerned about the princess's feelings. She did not say the above simply to avoid the crisis in front of her. She had prepared something in advance. To tell Oliver.

At the same time, she was speaking not for herself, but for the hundreds of thousands of people who make up Sleeping Forest, and for Oliver as well..

This was proven by the fact that emotions such as identification, regret, and guilt were revealed..

I couldn't understand. Why on earth? When Oliver wanted to know why, he put off what he was about to do..

“······I'm not sure what you mean. Could you please explain in a more understandable way??”

“I'm sorry, but I can't say or know anything more than this. This is all I saw in my dream.”

Sincerity. However, Oliver could not accept those words purely due to his fluctuating emotions..

“Are you kidding??”

“To some extent. The prophecy itself is a joke in the first place. That's a very bad joke, too. It tells you a terrible future, but it doesn't tell you how to avoid it... If so, what on earth does prophecy mean??”

The princess's last words were mixed with self-deprecation, as if she was seeking an answer..

Oliver seemed to know why she reacted this way..

Because we saw the princess' past memories and emotions through the shadow puppet show she showed earlier,.

The Pied Piper appeared, and the reason why the princess, who had been loved by the kingdom through numerous prophecies, remained silent was because she knew through a dream that there was nothing she could do..

A punitive force sent from the Little Kingdom,

Mercenaries and troubleshooters hired by powerful people who lost their children,

This was because he knew that even the coalition formed by the selected countries would not be able to stop him..

Of course, she could have told him that, but she didn't..

People would not believe me if I said such things, so there was even a possibility that I would say something unlucky and be blamed for the defeat and be accused of being a witch..

So even though she saw the future, she remained silent. If she said anything, she would only end up in a worse future..

Not only that, she knew in advance about the existence of not only the Pied Piper, but also the 13 witches who wanted to use the resulting chaos in the kingdom to perform a ritual..

The proof is that during the last ritual, they took away the witches' magic and took control of it..

But the reason she didn't say anything or do anything was because she knew it was the worst thing..

Even if I told them about the identity of the witch, it was obvious that people who were scared by the Pied Piper would not believe me, and running away was not an option either..

That's why she remained silent even though she knew that the kingdom would be destroyed by the witches' ritual..

Helpless and humiliated. When I thought about it again, the prophecy seemed like a bad joke, just like the princess said..

The princess was caught up in that bad joke..

pretty sad story.

Is it because I realized that fact again? Oliver's feelings of treating the princess like he did when he was a human meat chef were slightly shaken..

It was ridiculous. Just because of that, I'm shaking······.

I wondered if the shadow puppet show was aimed at this, but looking at the princess's emotions, it didn't seem like that..

“Does the reason you want to have an honest conversation with me have anything to do with this forest??”

Oliver guessed based on the princess's feelings. The courage to make the decision to meet Oliver even though he was afraid of facing him, and the will, sense of duty, and altruism that made that courage possible..

The princess did not deny it and gave an unexpected answer..

“Yes that's right······. Only the prince can lift this curse on this forest..”

“When you say prince, do you mean the prince of hell in the apocalypse??”

Oliver checked just in case..

“yes.”

“I don't understand. The prince of hell who is said to destroy the world can help you... Oh, I guess it's because he's a warlock.?”

Oliver, the warlock, said sarcastically. Even though I knew it was rude, I couldn't bear it because of the discomfort rising from deep inside my chest..

The princess read the emotion and answered..

“I am truly sorry. Let me face the truth you were slowly trying to find out... I'm truly sorry.”

The princess was sincere..

“Even though I know this isn't right. Even though I know a little bit of the fear and burden you feel. I have committed a terrible disrespect to my selfishness. That sin will definitely be paid for later. please-”

“-How amazing.”

Oliver cut off the princess, who was speaking with all her heart..

“I do this for those who sacrificed you. It's really amazing.”

Oliver spoke in a calm voice. Behind that voice was mockery instead of the usual respect and consideration for the other person..

Ridicule intended to hurt the other person, ridicule intended to test a person's heart. It reminded me of a burned-out person who drove people crazy with his words. And the mockery didn't end there.

“I'm asking because I'm curious... Didn’t you resent them? People who offered up princesses. They can't do anything and just want help..”

Oliver stabbed the princess in the most painful part based on her memories and emotions he saw through the shadow puppet show..

The princess was hurt by Oliver's words, as if there was a thorn in her tongue, but Oliver did not stop..

“Eventually, he was swayed by witches who suddenly appeared and betrayed the princess and her parents. So why are you trying to help them? By any chance, are you not holding any grudges? Because the princess is a princess?”

Oliver swung the thorns on his tongue to his heart's content. The princess, hurt by those words, slowly closed her eyes and opened them a moment later to answer..

“······It would be a lie if I said I had no resentment..”

The princess admitted it more obediently than expected. Even if she knew everything through her foresight, her resentment did not go away..

“However, I also understand.”

“······understanding?”

“yes······. Like you said, they are weak beings. If you are weak, you have no choice but to ask for help. Because there's nothing they can do..”

Surprisingly, the princess was sincere..

She understood and embraced those who tried to sacrifice her..

‘······It's pretty.’

Oliver was impressed when he saw the princess's emotions. He wanted to defile and mock at the same time. Just like when he killed his sister right in front of the meat cook..

“That's amazing. I understand. Is that what happens if you live for hundreds of years??”

“Time has helped, but that's not all. Because I realized once again that I, too, am a weak human being. I acquired a trivial talent by chance... As I said earlier.”

Oliver licked his tongue..

“I don't think so?”

The princess said without giving up.

“No, that's right. As proof of that, am I also now asking the prince for help??”

Oliver looked at the princess. She has her strong and unwavering feelings. When she saw that feeling, she felt something indescribable. The urge that had been raging just now is fading away..

Oliver shook his head..

“That's amazing. It's so amazing... It's a story that has nothing to do with me anyway..”

“······.”

“That attitude of understanding and acceptance is truly amazing. But, unfortunately, I am not a prince. jeon······. Just me... It's just a little different.”

Oliver told a story he had heard from Cant in the past. okay. It was just a little different..

Oliver added persuasively. I didn't know if the target was the princess or myself..

“It's true that I have dull emotions and am bad at things like empathy, but... I'm trying. Above all, I don't want to end the world..”

“You're mistaken..”

“yes?”

“It's not necessarily the prince who destroys the world..”

Oliver frowned..

“what is that······?”

the princess answered.

“It is written in the apocalypse that when the world is filled with evil, the Prince of Hell opens the gates and ushers in a new era. However, nowhere does it say that the prince will destroy the world..”

Oliver paused and raised his hand. As if he had something to say.

At the same time, Oliver recalled a conversation he had with Merlin in the past. Merlin told me about the apocalypse that was spreading among the warlocks..

‘Among warlocks, the interpretation is that when the world is filled with evil, the Prince of Hell opens the gates of Hell, punishes the hypocrites on earth and ushers in a new era..’

Surprisingly, what the princess said was true..

It was said that the prince of hell would open the gate, but there was no mention of the prince personally destroying the world. He was a bit of a punster, but it was worth asking..

“······Does this mean the prince won't destroy the world??”

“That's not it again. I don't know the prophecy completely either. It's just that it's open to interpretation. For example, there are people who try to fulfill prophecy on their own..”

A riddle-like word. When Oliver tilted his head, the princess immediately answered his question..

A huge mirror appeared on one wall of a space where there was nothing other than a bed, and reflected a corner of the forest..

What the mirror reflected was none other than Millieu and Claude, who were fighting a man wearing a thistle crown on his head and holding a sharp knife made of flesh..

His empty eyes and bizarre gestures made him look more like a doll than a person, and interestingly, he had black hands on top of his head that were different but similar to Marie's..

“I am a candidate for the prince of the Swan Church..”

“Prince candidate? Are you like a fan??”

I asked, thinking of the fan who called himself a prince and was denied it. The princess shook her head..

“No, the Swan Church is a group of people who want to end the world, even if it means creating a prince. The candidate who would make this possible was called the prince candidate..”

“I know that some warlocks run cults, but this is the first time I've heard of the Swan Church..”

“Don't worry, it's natural. It is an organization that operates quietly in Iberinha and is known only to those in the know. It's not strange that you don't know much.”

Iberina. Gallos was an underdeveloped agricultural country to the southwest..

“They used the human sacrifice technique they received from the devil to take root there. They are also the ones who provided the twisted summoning magic that incorporated human sacrifice used by the human meat cook..”

Oliver reacted to interesting information.

It certainly explained the ridiculous summoning technique that the human meat cook showed. Of course, summoning magic is a sub-magic belonging to space magic..

It was bound to be difficult to use.

So it was questionable. How did the human meat cook summon the giants, werewolves, dragons, and other monsters shown in Gallos?.

That level of quality and quantity cannot be easily achieved even in the Magic Tower..

However, it was understandable if the human sacrifice technique learned from the devil was applied..

Then a new question arose.

“Why did such people unilaterally cooperate with the human meat chef?.”

“At the time, my goal was to remain quiet, and my power was weak..”

“It sounds like not now..”

“Because the devil has begun to descend on this world again..”

Oliver saw the black hand on the prince candidate's head reflected in the mirror. And Marie too.

“You know quite a lot..”

“The Swan Princess, the leader of the Swan Church, is also a similar person to me. Fallen by the Pied Piper... No, maybe he is a more unfortunate person than me. So you're probably hoping for the end of the world..”

“······Did that person also come after the legacy of the human meat chef??”

“No, he came for me..”

***

The Swan Order is targeting Sleeping Beauty. Oliver used that as a starting point to have a long but short conversation with the princess..

Then the original plan was revised. First, I decided to leave the princess's bedroom..

“thank you.”

“No, you don't have to thank me. I just postponed what I was going to do because I was tired..”

“Thank you for that alone. And what I said I was grateful for was something else. You didn't harm your father and mother before coming here. Thank you sincerely.”

Oliver thought of the stone statues of the king and queen that almost blocked his path before entering the princess's bedroom..

As expected, those creatures were made of the princess's father and mother..

Well, otherwise, the strong guilt toward the princess and the proportionate desire to protect her could not be explained..

“Because you didn't block the road..”

On the contrary, if it had been blocked, it means that it would have been broken and eaten. It was a sharp reaction, but the princess only expressed her gratitude..

“He too is the prince's-”

“-Don't call me prince.”

Oliver, who had become relatively moderate, reacted harshly again..

Although I heard and gained a lot from my meeting with the princess, I decided not to take anything about the prince. Because I wanted to do that.

The princess seemed to have something she wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut out of consideration for Oliver, and Oliver also opened the door and went outside..

I promise the following.

Oliver, who came out of the princess's bedroom, looked around the Sleeping Forest from a new perspective and spotted Millieu fighting the Swan Church's prince candidate in the distance..

Upon discovering them, Oliver extracts the emotions that make up Sleeping Forest. He used that emotion to manipulate the magic that created the forest, folded the space, and began to walk..