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Genius Warlock-Episode 654

654. fatigue (5)

Age of Magic and Industry.

This was a representative phrase expressing the present, the golden age of humanity..

This is a time when all sectors of technology, production, economy, and military have reached their peak..

Probably no one, neither the future nor the past, could deny this..

However, a true wise man would say that the true beneficiaries of this era are wizards, not humanity..

It wasn't a baseless story..

‘It was an obvious fact that could be seen just by looking at the placement of the phrase ‘Age of Magic and Industry’..

Magic was indispensable in important areas such as economy and military..

Therefore, wizards who deal with the study of magic can be said to be the protagonists of the modern era, and numerous protagonists are born every day, establishing numerous prestigious families with themselves as the founders..

This may be thanks to keeping up with the trends of the times, but it also played a part in the loose social perception that if a family accumulated wealth and raised its reputation by producing outstanding people, it was recognized as a prestigious family..

In fact, in order to become a truly prestigious family, one more thing was needed..

It was none other than history and tradition..

It was a materialistic era where it was said that there was nothing that money could not buy, but even in that era, history and tradition could not be purchased..

This was a question of territory before amount..

Since history and tradition belong to the realm of time, money, which is the realm of material, could not be dared to be crossed..

But ironically, the opposite was true..

Using tradition and history, which is the domain of time, to attract money, which is the domain of material,.

A representative example was the Ice Eye family to which Yareli belonged..

The Ice Eye family, with its long history, achievements in producing archives, and magical eyes that can freeze objects just by looking at them, is an undeniably prestigious family.,

They were once forced to run away from their hometown and lead a long wandering life due to the evil eye they possessed, but thanks to their family's history, they were able to settle down in Landa..

As an ornament to raise the status of the early Magic Tower as a union of branches of different schools,.

However, this did not mean that the Ice Eye family had nothing but history and tradition..

If that had really been the case, it would have disappeared as an ornament, but rather than disappearing, it has established itself as an important part of the Magic Tower..

This driving force was due to the family's magical talent and magical eyes, as well as the insight and worldly skills accumulated over a long period of hardship..

Thanks to his insight and management skills, he was able to avoid a crisis without missing an opportunity..

That's why Tilda Iceeye didn't hold Theodore's hand..

And the reason Yareli followed Zeno to the center of the continent was not much different from that..

It was to watch the trend more closely..

Zeno, a student of the Archive (also known as an experimental subject), a hero of Landa, and a person who tried to establish a school with his own strength, could be considered a member of the trend itself even in the Tower of Magic..

Therefore, Tilda, the head of the Iceeye family, the original master of the Skadi School, and Yareli's grandmother, assigned her granddaughter to Zeno as an attendant..

To seize an unexpected opportunity, to stay away from an unexpected crisis.

And although it was in a different form than expected, Yareli was able to see incredible things as Tilda had hoped..

A representative example of this was the existence of the Eves in front of us..

Eve, who currently belongs to the Moirai school, had a normal conversation with Zeno through a communication device attached to her clothes, and another Eve named Pandora was also assisting Zeno..

At first I thought it was a human, but when I recognized it as a corpse doll, I realized it was Eve..

However, what was more surprising than the existence of the new Eve was the fact that Pandora called Zeno her father..

That means Zeno may have created Pandora, and possibly even Eve of the Moirae school..

No one pointed this out to the two-legged scourge that was the Pied Piper, but it was a huge fact..

So much so that it occupies several pages in the history of magic..

But strangely enough, even though Yareli was surprised by this fact, he was not that surprised..

For some reason, I felt like Zeno could do that..

He was at the center of many major incidents, and he was the one who stabilized Yareli's magical eyes just by touching his head..

Even if he created Eve, it somehow made sense..

Is that why? What Yareli was more worried about right now was herself rather than the information about Zenon..

Apparently, his grandmother Tilda contacted him again and asked him to monitor Zenon more thoroughly and report more frequently, but now Yareli has not reported anything..

Yareli has been trying to be a good granddaughter since long ago..

Rather, Yareli was gathering news about Randa without her grandmother’s knowledge..

It was because I noticed something strange about my grandmother when we last contacted her..

At first glance, she was in her usual cool and calm state, but Yareli recognized a subtle change in Tilda..

It's like he's anxious and covets something. Subtle changes that can only be noticed by family members.

For some reason, instead of asking why, Yareli used the communication network he created to gather news about Randa, and in the process, he found out one thing..

It was news that Landa City and the upper echelons of the Magic Tower were working together to close down several areas to secretly investigate something, and Yareli brought it up just as Zenon was about to leave with the Eves..

Even Yarely didn't know why..

Is it because of the presence of the Pied Piper, the sight of Derek dead, the conversation with Paladin Joanna, or even Yareli's personal feelings?.

Anyway, even though it was difficult to say a word, Yareli brought up the information to stop Oliver..

.

“wait a minute. I have something to tell you..”

“······What is it?”

“This is news about Randa. Landa City and the upper levels of the Magic Tower have closed off several areas... The closed area was the area that suffered the most damage during the Pied Piper's invasion..”

Oliver's eyes wavered..

“So why not go back to Landa first? It would not be unusual if the city and the magic tower moved together. For reference, the Redevelopment Association also discovered a closed area, but is said to be silent on the matter..”

Oliver showed interest. It was such unusual news..

It is proof that it is not normal for the city and the magic tower to cooperate so quickly..

It was even more so because the closed area was a place that suffered great damage from the Pied Piper..

If the issue was to this extent, it could be used as a cover even if it returned to Landa on its own..

However, once Oliver had decided on a direction, he showed interest but did not change his decision..

“There are competent people at the Magic Tower, so you don’t have to worry. Above all, there are also elderly people..”

Elderly. Archive meant Merlin.

Surely there would be no problem if he was there. Archive was the greatest wizard in existence. If a problem occurred even though there was an archive, it was correct to believe that it would be a problem no matter who was there..

Still curious, Oliver asked Kevin a question..

“Professor, do you know anything??”

“No, I was busy watching the situation here. because-”

-Knock. Knock.

While Kevin was speaking, someone knocked on the door..

When Oliver opened the door, it was none other than the Holy Knights, and two Holy Knights appeared in front of the door, followed by about fifteen Holy Knights, along with a nun..

The paladin who knocked on the door said.

“Xenon Bright. His Highness Roderick and the King of the Kingdom of Aizan are calling, so please follow..”

“······The king of the Aizan Kingdom came to this city..”

Kevin added, telling Oliver.

Only then did Oliver find out who the nun had mentioned was the guest who had stolen Kevin's lodgings..

He was none other than the king of the Aizan Kingdom..

It seems that he visited this city to personally lead an army to suppress the warlocks..

Although it wasn't Oliver's area of ​​expertise, there would be something majestic about personally leading an army and subduing warlocks with paladins..

It wasn't that difficult. The fundamental mechanism was the same as that of the back alley gangs..

The problem was that, unfortunately, the Pied Piper appeared at that very moment..

Apparently, the reason for imposing a night curfew was not simply to prevent chaos in the city, but also to prevent people from gathering and expressing their dissatisfaction with the king..

If the complaint stopped at the individual level, it would just be a complaint, but if it was shared by many people, it could become a disaster..

This too was no different from the back alley business..

As if to prove this, when Oliver asked, the paladin answered,.

“Sir, sir. May I know why His Majesty Roderick and His Majesty the King are looking for me??”

“I have a question to ask about the Pied Piper. So quickly follow me. The King of the Nation and the Cardinal Priest of the Church of Pater are waiting for you..”

“I refuse.”

Oliver, who was considerate of others to the point of being timid about most things, immediately refused..

The paladins were surprised by this, and Rosburn and Yareli were also surprised..

Unlike him, Pandora and Kevin were not surprised..

The difference depended on how much and how deeply one understood Oliver..

Oliver's concessions out of consideration for others were limited to things that were not that important to him..

Money, merit, reputation. An example of this is that an ordinary person would risk his or her life..

So it seemed like Oliver was frustratingly considerate, but that wasn't the case..

Since I wasn't particularly interested, it was just something I could give as much as I wanted..

Money was just a convenient tool, majors could be made at any time, and reputation was not particularly important to Oliver..

As proof, on the contrary, if you want something, the story is completely different..

Whatever it was, whoever it was, whatever the situation was, it didn't matter to Oliver anymore..

The only thing that matters is what you want.

As if saying this, Oliver unilaterally notified the Holy Knights..

“I have urgent business to run. Hope you understand.”

At the same time, Oliver tried to escape past the paladins..

Of course, the Paladin who received orders from the Cardinal Priest cannot let Oliver go..

One of the paladins tried to stop Oliver by putting his hand on his shoulder..

“hmm?!”

Instead of being pushed and caught, I was dragged and lost my balance..

In a pure state without any black magic.

In this strange situation, the paladin regained his balance and strengthened his hand, but missed when Oliver lightly pushed him with the quarter staff..

“stop!”

Seeing this, the knights waiting behind him surrounded Oliver and shouted..

It seemed like he had already guessed that Oliver would not obey, but when Oliver stopped, a stern-looking one of the Holy Knights shouted..

“Have you forgotten that you came here under the orders of His Highness Roderick??!”

“I'm sorry, but I did not come here on orders from His Highness Roderick. Sir, sir. I am only here to help His Highness Roderick. There is a distinct difference between receiving orders and helping..”

“what?!”

“Above all, I came to help with the problem of warlock refugees, not the Pied Piper problem..”

“So run now-”

The angry paladin was about to shout something when a middle-aged paladin stopped him..

He had neat hair and an impressive mustache, so he looked familiar. It was Galahaut..

A paladin who attempted to eliminate Marie and the Chosen People from Weinham, and a paladin who visited Landa as an attendant of Cardinal Roderick..

When Oliver tried to forge his druid identity in Weinham, he recognized and remembered his identity right away..

He also recognized who Oliver was, but was silent due to the nature of the situation, but now he is finally able to talk to him..

Galahaut spoke first. It was a formal greeting..

“Paladin Galahautra Hao.”

“This is Xenon Bright..”

“First of all, let me admit that you are right..”

Several paladins, especially the young paladins, looked surprised at the unexpected remark..

Well, it was quite surprising for a paladin to treat a warlock like this..

Oliver was a fairly unique warlock, but he was still a warlock..

“You have merely accepted His Highness Roderick's offer. Of course, you don't have to follow everything they say..”

All the paladins held their breath and watched Galahaut..

“But as you know, the current situation is quite special. I need your information on facing the Pied Piper..”

“I think the Church of Pater and the Kingdom of Aizan might have more information than I, who only met the Pied Piper once. Are you really calling me because you just need information??”

He saw clearly why Oliver was calling him..

I probably didn't call because I really needed information. Rather, it was more likely that it was meant to fight the Pied Piper..

Maybe that was why it was called the center of the continent, I didn't know..

Whatever it is, Oliver is known to the public as having saved Landa from the Pied Piper..

“I think I know what the rumor was, but unfortunately it's a false story..”

“I've never dealt with the Pied Piper.?”

“We confronted him, but we couldn't stop him. Just luck she got away on her own.”

Galahaut's eyebrows twitched at the mention of the Pied Piper retreating of his own accord. Other paladins and nuns.

“I was dealt a one-sided blow by the Pied Piper. That's why I don't have the courage to face the Pied Piper yet..”

I meant it. Aside from his power, the existence of the Pied Piper itself was disturbing to Oliver..

I felt a sense of kinship, but that made it even more difficult to meet him..

“Does ‘not yet’ mean it will happen later? Is the urgent business related to that??”

“Similar. I have something to find out. But before that, I have to go to someone I know first..”

“someone who knows?”

“Yes, one of my acquaintances had a problem..”

Oliver remembered what the burned man had said..

If what he said was true, Director Ameline of Arc Orphanage would not be dead yet. He told the one who was most angry that he would be neither dead nor alive..

Galahaut looked surprised, as if he couldn't believe his ears..

“So, what you are saying is that because of an incident with an acquaintance, you will refuse the invitation of the cardinal priest of the Church of Pater and the king??”

“yes.”

“Are you serious??”

“Yes, is there a problem??”

“The Cardinal Priest and the King.”

“Aren't we all the same anyway? Children of our Father in heaven.”

Oliver expressed what he felt from the past and confirmed through the scriptures..

There were many different people in the world, including priests, politicians, businessmen, wizards, fixers, ordinary citizens, gangsters, criminals, and beggars, but in the end, they were all fundamentally human..

Each person had their own unique characteristics and strengths and weaknesses, but in the end, they were all human..

It was no different even for royals who were said to have special blood..

Even Prince Albert was just a boy after all..

It was a story that wasn't even worth discussing in the first place. The scriptures say that we are all children of the same father..

However, Galahaut did not think so and only expressed his surprise in silence..

“······You sound dangerous..”

“I'm just saying what's in the scriptures. Sir, sir. So would you please get out of the way? I will come back after finishing my business. Professor Kevin will be taking my place here..”

Oliver said suddenly, pointing at Kevin, but Kevin immediately agreed..

It seemed like it wasn't enough for Galahaut, but.

“I know what you're trying to say, but we also have positions..”

As soon as Galahaut finished speaking, the paladins placed their hands on their weapons, although not openly..

Oliver asked for understanding..

“Could you please yield? I also have my own situation..”

At the same time, Oliver's shadow swayed and grew exponentially in size, gathering the surrounding darkness as if absorbing it..

The shadow had woken up. Like in Neverland, like when you meet the Pied Piper.

However, the difference from then was that this time it was due to Oliver's will..

As if to say this, the shadow, which had been growing in size indiscriminately and rapidly, slowly grew in size differently from before, climbing the floor and wall and standing behind Oliver..

Countless eyeballs, which were difficult to look at, appeared as bubbles bubbled in the shadows, and they all looked at the paladins one by one..

creepy······!

The moment they made eye contact, all the paladins felt an eerie sensation that made every hair on their skin stand up..

Even more so than when countless swarms of creatures pour in..

Normally, I wouldn't have dared to express how I felt, but as it happened, some of these paladins who remained in the city had one word in their heads..

The Pied Piper.

After a while, Oliver and Pandora passed between a dozen paladins as if nothing had happened, and the paladins continued to stand there..

And the nuns who had been watching the scene with the Holy Knights quietly moved on and told the news to other nuns..

She was a nun who accompanied Roderick..

“he left.”

“Would it be okay?”

“He said he was going to get the key from here.······.”

Nuns chirping like birds. The nun who was listening answered quietly..

“Do not worry. You can't go against fate. I will eventually come back here... As God wills.”

The nun answered with a confident voice, as if someone had whispered the correct answer in her ear..