Genius Warlock-Episode 649
649. story (3)
The cardinal priest of the Church of Pater said:.
That God might want an end.
Depending on what you listen to... No, it was a shocking statement regardless of the speaker..
It was no different from saying that the God who created the world was abandoning it..
However, Oliver did not react that way even after hearing those words..
Something similar happened in the past.
I heard a story similar to the above through Iwan and Merlin..
‘······Anyway, the fact that the clock is moving means that the world is full of evil and God's patience has reached its limit. The countdown to some kind of apocalypse has begun..’
Oliver recalled the apocalypse theory that Ewan and Merlin had talked about in the past..
Their remarks were similar..
A truly despairing story about countless sins accumulating in the world and a god who cannot bear to see them and wishes for the end..
Oliver questioned himself..
Why do I feel no particular emotion after hearing such a story, whether in the past or present?.
Roderick must have caught Oliver's feelings as well, and he answered even though he wasn't asked..
“I think it might be due to some kind of cognitive dissonance..”
“Cognitive dissonance.?”
“Simply put, it means a state of imbalance where emotions, attitudes, and actions contradict each other. Do you know how people usually feel when the above phenomenon occurs??”
“well?”
Oliver, who is good at reading emotions but poor at understanding them, answered..
“I feel uncomfortable.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course not. Ordinary humans are dual and contradictory beings, but ironically, they also want to be consistent. Because that's beautiful. There is nothing as shabby as other people's words and actions..”
Oliver roughly understood what was being said..
“Now, here's the question... Do you know what people do when they feel uncomfortable? Self-justification or misinterpreting the situation.”
“I understand self-justification, but what does it mean to misunderstand??”
“They arbitrarily interpret the end as an ordeal rather than God's wrath. God still loves us, and the end is only for non-believers. I think that if you have true faith, there will be no problems... Puhuhuh.”
Roderick suddenly burst out laughing..
The laughter contained numerous emotions such as self-mockery and ridicule..
“I don't know what this means. I mean it seriously. I love you, but you're giving me a hard time. Isn't it strange? But surprisingly, many people have this way of thinking. I understand.?”
“I'm fine... How are you??”
Oliver, unable to feel any emotion, answered instead..
Roderick thought about that question for a moment and then opened his mouth..
“Honestly, it's not that I don't understand. If you don't accept it like that, you'll go crazy..”
Roderick put emotion into his last words, and even Oliver, who is insensitive to other people's feelings, was able to sympathize this time..
Father looking down on us from heaven.
Paterism taught that He is an omnipotent being who created the world and humans, and that He is a being who loves humans..
Such a being is disappointed in humans and wishes for the end.······.
Even though they did not know themselves as black magicians, it must have been somewhat difficult for those who had served God their whole lives to accept it..
If an omnipotent God really wants the end, it will never be avoided..
No, it might have been a matter of more than just life and death..
Fear of being denied one's very existence, a fear greater than death.
Oliver, who grew up in an orphanage, had seen something similar in the past..
Children abandoned by their parents.
That day was similar to, or worse than, death for those children..
Oliver was able to take an in-depth approach to the apocalypse from a new perspective..
To be honest, I didn't want to do that..
Roderick's speech and serious emotions made me focus without realizing it..
Oliver came to his senses belatedly and tried to distance himself from the matter, but then Roderick spoke a beat faster..
“Of course, I am not much different, but... I remember that I have little faith.?”
“······Yes, Your Highness.”
“But don’t misunderstand. Even if your faith is weak, you are not foolish enough to even doubt the existence of God. Because there is too clear evidence to doubt..”
Roderick spread his hands and gathered holy magic, brightening the interior..
Oliver looked at the light in silence..
The sacred power that weakens magic and nullifies black magic..
“Well, I have a question.?”
“yes?”
“It looks like you want to ask a question.”
Roderick read Oliver's thoughts like a ghost..
Actually, I had some questions..
It was a fundamental question as to whether the holy law was really a power given by God..
This is because Prince Edward, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom whom we met by chance in the past, said that the Holy Law is not a power given by God..
‘······It wasn't a lie.’
Oliver recalled a conversation he had with a prince he had met by chance..
Surprisingly, he didn't lie and was telling the truth..
At least the prince believed that the sacred law was not a power given by God..
Therefore, Oliver naturally had doubts as well..
If the sacred law that weakens magic and renders black magic null and void is not God, then who gave it the power?.
The situation is complicated now, I was curious but I didn't want to know..
“no, there isn't.”
After thinking briefly but deeply, Oliver answered..
“In that case, that's okay... How should I react here??”
“yes? You react??”
“I asked, if an omnipotent God really wants the end, how should I, a priest who serves him, react?.”
Oliver was silent. It was a question too cruel and heavy to answer hastily..
“If you think rationally, it would be right to give up everything. It is impossible and even a sin to resist an omnipotent God. Even if the world comes to an end and all humans die, it would be right to obey and accept it..”
“well. Because I'm a warlock..”
“Phhhhhhh!!!”
When Oliver avoided answering, Roderick sneered..
Strangely, Oliver didn't care if others spit in his face, but that laugh was strangely annoying..
“······Why are you doing that??”
“Because it’s fascinating. I'm talking about an apocalypse from which no one can be exempt, but you react like it's nobody's business..”
“It's just that I don't feel it well..”
“If that were the case, I wouldn't even be talking about it this far..”
Roderick saw right through the fact that Oliver was lying..
“You're a lot more human than I heard. Duplicitous and self-centered. You may be able to move around because you are concerned about the person in front of you or someone you know, but it is easy to ignore bigger problems..”
“······.”
“Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not criticizing you... Anyway, back to the original story, if God wants the end to end, what should I do? Should we accept the end times reverently like a believer??”
Roderick slowly shook his head from side to side..
“No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't do that. Because it was unfair. So I tried to find a way to join forces with like-minded people to resist the apocalypse..”
“Is there a way?”
Oliver tilted his head..
As Roderick said, the end was actually God's will, which meant that it was impossible to go against it..
“If you can't avoid it or prevent it, you control it. Creating a savior to save us.”
An answer that deviated from common sense came out of Roderick's mouth..
But Oliver was able to understand the ridiculous story right away..
Because I heard it from Merlin in the past..
“Are you really talking about the son of an angel??”
“Of course you know. Among the numerous variations of eschatology, there is a passage like this. The moment the world is filled with evil and the prince of hell opens the gate, the son of the most holy angel sacrifices himself to save humanity... If the end has begun and cannot be avoided or prevented, wouldn't it be a good idea to create a waterway for humanity to survive??”
“I will control the apocalypse... is that possible?”
“It's possible, so it's not a problem. They're struggling to make it possible..”
Oliver couldn't say anything. Roderick was right..
The end has already begun, and if we can't avoid it or accept it, we have to try whether it works or not..
“We named this struggle [Deus Ex Machina]..”
“deus ex machina?”
Oliver muttered along without realizing it. I've encountered that word in a book.
Literally translated, it means 'a god who came down to the stage with a mechanical device' or 'the god of a mechanical device', meaning a plot device that solves all problems in a literary work at once..
Characters, production elements, etc..
For example, at the last minute, God came down, introduced himself, punished the wicked, and rewarded the righteous..
Roderick spoke the word as if savoring it..
“Deus Ex Machina... Although ancient writers defined the word in a way that should not be used. That's why I like that name even more. In order to confront the absurd disaster called the end, there must be a nonsensical being here too..”
Oliver was silent..
“But beyond that, there's one more reason why I like the name Deus Ex Machina. Can you guess??”
“no.”
“‘It literally means ‘a god who came down to the stage as a mechanical device’ or ‘the god of mechanical devices’. A god created by human hands... Isn't it cool??”
At that moment, Roderick's strong emotions shined through..
It was anger and resentment at injustice, the will to live, and the longing and desire for something higher..
In the flash of complex emotions, Oliver read what Roderick truly wanted..
“Do you want to control God??”
“Seeing God trying to destroy the world just because he doesn't like it, I didn't think this would be a bad thing... It seems possible to you.?”
“well. To be honest, I don't think it's possible..”
Oliver's answer was based on his encounter with God through the scriptures..
He couldn't be made that way..
“Huh, for a warlock, I have a lot of faith. When I see that, that question suddenly comes to mind..”
“what do you mean?”
“When you asked about Bonifa at the Tower of Magic.”
Bonifa. The paladin who intercepted Oliver at Weinham.
Oliver still remembered him..
That's right, because he flew using the wings made of light on his back..
Quite a unique look. Perhaps because of this, some people were captivated by his splendid appearance and called him an angel, the son of an angel, or a savior..
Oliver was said to be just a person with wings, but.
Because he was really just a man with wings on his back..
What should I say? No matter how many colorful feathers it decorated its body with, a crow was still a crow..
Of course, that didn't mean I was ignoring him. On the contrary, Oliver evaluated him quite highly..
He displayed amazing power, such as flying in the sky and easily destroying a complex technique that mixed magic and black magic..
But that's not why Oliver still remembers him..
It was because of an embarrassing memory..
Memories of being driven by anger, beating him up without mercy, and ultimately causing harm to people who had nothing to do with him..
Oliver remembered that time..
Bonifa kicks it with his foot and sends it flying over the wall. I grabbed him from behind and hit his spine with his knee, ripped off his wings made of light, sent him flying far away and punched him mercilessly until the building collapsed, and in the end, he tried to crush his eyes like grapes..
just to cause pain.
Then we faced each other. A family trembling in fear because of him..
‘······.’
They were all scruffy and wearing ill-fitting clothes..
Just look at these people who earn a day and eat a day..
In a fit of rage, Oliver invaded their home, and at that moment, he felt ashamed..
Because I have seen firsthand what damage one’s spontaneous anger can cause to others..
“Are you still curious? Bonifa.”
“······How are you??”
“We don't get along well. Because she died.”
“······How did he die??”
“He died from never recovering from the wound he received at Weinham..”
Oliver retorted..
“Isn’t it possible to treat it with sacred methods??”
“Of course I tried. The problem is that there is no treatment at all..”
“that is····. Is it possible?”
“I also have doubts. Actually, Bonifa doesn't deserve to be hurt like that..”
“······?”
“He was the first successful deus ex machina..”
“Son of an angel... are you saying this??”
“exactly. It was almost like a success, and he would soon be officially declared the son of an angel..”
“I don't understand, was he really the son of an angel??”
“You think not.?”
“Honestly, he was a great person, but he was still a person..”
A statement that directly denies Roderick's efforts..
However, Roderick instead smiled. As if I heard the answer I was waiting for.
“That's correct. He's a person. Nevertheless, the reason he was praised as the son of an angel was because he was holy water. That's because he succeeded in drinking the Precious Blood..”
“Seongsu Ramen-”
“-When I say holy water, I don't mean the replica sold in temples, but the holy water that the angels made for the Paterism..”
“What an angel?”
“Oh, I don't know. In fact, the sacred law was not given by God. To be exact, it is a power given by God through an angel. Through God's dearest and most holy angel.”
A light flashed in Oliver's eyes at the unexpected information..
“It's a tradition handed down to Paterism. It is said that God sent his beloved son down to rule under the sky, and that son blessed a pond. That's Seongsu, and that's where Seonghwangcheong is now. All paladins gain holy laws by drinking that water..”
“The holy water to become the son of an angel is······.”
“It means holy water blessed by an angel and added a drop of his own blood. It is one of the treasures that the church has secretly managed..”
Oliver was confused by the flood of new information, but one thing was clear..
“Can you tell me that??”
It was like that. What came out of Roderick's mouth right now was something that most people didn't know, and it was a secret that shouldn't be easily revealed..
If you told Oliver that secret, it meant there was a good reason..
The problem was that Oliver didn't want that..
Roderick opened his mouth..
“I couldn't believe it at first. What happened to Boniface who consumed the Precious Blood?.”
“······.”
“You made a huge sacrifice. To make Bonifa. The end is a sacrifice that is impossible except under special circumstances. After making it, there were results, although not as much as expected. But how can such a person be abused by a small-town troubleshooter?.”
“······.”
“But what I didn't understand even more was that the wounds you left behind were not healing at all. Not only general holy methods, but also intensive treatment using holy water and even exorcism ceremonies. Thanks to this, some people even said that you were really the devil or a pagan god. Even I thought so too.”
“Is that so?”
“Because wherever you went, your fingers broke and the apocalypse progressed step by step..”
“It's a coincidence.”
“When coincidences keep happening, it's called fate. Especially if you create a lot of followers. There has only been one such being in the past hundreds of years. The Pied Piper.”
Roderick paused for a moment and then spoke again..
“Come to think of it, you fought the Pied Piper and survived.?”
“What do you want to say??”
“Wasn’t it a coincidence that Boniface absorbed the Precious Blood? To invite someone to this place.”
coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo coo co······.
As soon as Roderick finished speaking, a subtle vibration of unknown origin began to echo throughout the room..
Oliver suddenly closed his mouth and looked at Roderick in silence, and Roderick also looked at Oliver in silence..
As if interrogating each other.
As the silence continued for such a long time, just as someone was about to break the silence, someone opened the door and came in from outside..
“father.”
It was Pandora.
With her sudden appearance, the unknown energy weighing down his insides subsided, and Oliver turned his head towards her..
Pandora paused for a moment when she saw Oliver's face, but soon came to her senses and explained why she had come..
“I have something to tell you. It is said that a man who just played the pipe appeared and passed by the small town where my father was staying. We lead more than a hundred children. They say the direction is towards Gallos..”
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