Genius Warlock-Episode 655
655. night (1)
The nights are long.
Oliver always thought that way. And he was glad about it.
If the nights hadn't been long, he wouldn't have been able to endure the bullying at the orphanage or the hard labor at the mine..
That's why, subconsciously, Oliver preferred dark nights to sunny mornings..
Rest finally came after the sun set..
But today the night seemed especially long. a bit harsh.
It wasn't just a feeling.
He went out without anyone noticing, met Pandora, visited the warlock refugees and persuaded them, stopped the attacking Cardinal Roderick, heard news of the Pied Piper, and even met the injured Joanna..
Although there may be no difference in the absolute time set by God, it was an undeniable fact that today was a particularly long night in Oliver's experience..
One thing was enough for me to go through one thing in a row during the night..
So, it wouldn't be disrespectful to Joanna, who lost the parents who raised her, lost her younger siblings, and was seriously injured, to leave while saying she was tired..
Also, looking at the sorrowful sobs and emotions heard outside the car window, it would not be against manners to remain calm..
“It looks like the Pied Piper has taken over this place too..”
Pandora, sitting in the passenger seat, looked out the car window and muttered..
Oliver didn't say anything because he had already expected it..
Because this village was adjacent to Ark Orphanage..
If the Pied Piper had visited Ark Orphanage, there was no way it would have been safe either..
What can I say about seeing a tragedy that was already predicted??
So Oliver drove across the village in silence..
Pandora saw that and asked a question..
“You're not saying anything..”
“······Because I already expected it, I don't know what to say..”
Oliver answered, and Pandora said nothing..
In the first place, it wasn't a question meant to be interrogative, but a pure question that was just curious about Oliver's answer..
Now that I know the answer, what is there to say??
Rather, it was Oliver who spoke..
“Also, I don't feel anything..”
“······.”
“A lot happened today, and I'm tired. Or maybe it's because I have no relationship with that villager..”
“Relationship?”
“It refers to the degree to which one is psychologically, emotionally, and physically connected. That may be why Professor Kevin and I feel sad about Derek's death. Because we know each other.”
Oliver unconsciously analyzed the emotions he was feeling..
In the first place, emotions were not something that could be analyzed rationally, but when I felt questions beyond interest, I began to analyze them unconsciously..
If you don't even do that, it's too confusing..
It might have been the same reason why Oliver wanted to visit Ark Orphanage before finding out about the Pied Piper's past..
I felt like I needed to see what happened to them to gain the courage to look into the Pied Piper's past..
“It's like a spider web.”
Pandora suddenly opened her mouth..
“Relationships with people. They are connected to each other?”
“That's not wrong. I don't think it's a good example, though..”
“Why??”
“Aren't insects caught and tied up in spider webs? In the end, you get eaten..”
“People are similar too. Because your identity is determined by your relationships with each other. As someone's child, someone's friend, and someone's parent. Most people can't get out of there..”
Oliver was unable to say anything at Pandora's sudden remark. Somehow it sounded right..
Right now, the reason Oliver remembers himself as an orphan and a mine worker is because the director and mine supervisor remained in his mind..
Maybe self-consciousness was formed by the presence of others..
bound by it and existing at the same time.
Just as I was about to get lost in that thought, Pandora asked another question..
“The orphanage is now here.?”
“Yes, we are there now.”
Oliver answered as he drove up the hill above the village, past a village mourning the loss of its child..
What he said wasn't a lie.
Just like when I visited the orphanage with Yarely in the past, when I got to the top of the hill and got out of the car, I saw a building..
The difference from the past was that the building, which may have been old at the time but still maintained its original shape and function through continuous repairs, has now turned into a ruin..
The part of the wall that is rusty and open can be seen just by looking at it..
Oliver passed through the open door and went inside, and soon came across an orphanage that had collapsed and burned on one side, and traces of battle visible even in the dark..
Oliver looked at the traces step by step without realizing it..
The first thing that caught his eye was a scar on the ground that looked like the skin had been peeled off, and Oliver instinctively knew that it was the work of the Pied Piper..
Because the scars on the ground matched the collapsed part of the orphanage, it seemed like a shock wave had been sent..
It was his fault that one side of the building collapsed..
‘It's not like the Pied Piper attacked first, so someone else must have attacked first. Who is it?’
Oliver continued to speculate as he observed the collapsed orphanage and found small footprints nearby..
At first glance, they looked like they were children. They walked towards somewhere at the same time with mechanical steps, as if they were possessed by something..
The children were probably bewitched through manipulative black magic using the sound of a flute..
This was the surest way to kidnap numerous children without any trouble..
“hmm?”
While observing the children's footsteps, they discovered footprints believed to be those of a woman..
It was Joanna's..
It was clear when I saw the shape of the stride, the depth of the footprint, and the sense of urgency felt in the footprint..
At that moment, Oliver saw the children walking away, fascinated by the Pied Piper, and Joanna running among them..
As if it were proof, numerous footprints believed to be Joanna's were seen in front of the starting point where the ground was turned upside down..
Numerous footprints were left in the same place as if they were dancing, and Oliver could tell that the Pied Piper had dealt with Joanna from the spot..
‘It bounced off..’
Oliver, who was observing the floor, guessed from the last footprints..
The depth was thinner and blurrier than other footprints, but it was likely that the moment he stepped foot, he received a strong impact and was sent flying far back..
In the first place, the Pied Piper did not come to fight or kill. He just came to kidnap his children.
‘What did you do then? Probably went to an orphanage. To see if there were any more children. Even if you have the Warlock's Eye, you'll want to find it yourself. So, why did the fire start? Is there any reason to start a fire on purpose??’
Oliver walked slowly in the direction where the Pied Piper was believed to have gone, and as he looked around the burned-out orphanage, he soon noticed something..
It was a slightly scorched footprint. It evolved immediately, but the traces were blurry..
“Mr. Derek.”
Oliver called Derek's name with a hint of exclamation, and soon fully grasped the situation..
Derek was probably the one who attacked first when the Pied Piper opened the wall door and came in..
The Pied Piper used black magic to blow Derek away..
While everyone was frozen by the sudden situation, the Pied Piper must have played his flute and fascinated the children, and Joanna must have moved after him. She would soon be overpowered.
The Pied Piper who turned all resistance to nothing in an instant..
He would have approached the orphanage, and right then Derek, who was hit by a shock wave and locked in the orphanage, would have set it on fire..
To create fire around you and increase your firepower to the limit.
Agni School's flame magic is the most standard way to increase the power of magic..
Derek would have absorbed the fire he started and rushed towards the Pied Piper, but it would have been extinguished by the Pied Piper..
In the past, Oliver attacked the Pied Piper using the white flame in his right arm, but was suppressed..
‘My arm was torn off..’
Oliver thought as he noticed the blood stains on the floor..
The first attack was just a blow, so the second should have given a clearer warning..
Steel fragments were visible next to the blood stains..
When I saw that, I pictured the next situation in my head..
Derek's deadly attack was in vain and his arm was torn off. Joanna rushes back through the gap and throws away.
However, Joanna's struggles would have ended in vain like Derek's..
The mace is broken by the Pied Piper's fist, and the shield is dented..
At this point, Oliver realized what was left of the orphanage..
Rosburn, Yareli, and the orphanage staff who are frightened by the Pied Piper..
there was nothing they could do.
Because I have already seen all mortal struggles being suppressed so cruelly and in vain..
Who can call that cowardice??
‘The director too?’
Oliver looked around with belated doubt..
At that very moment, a tree I had never seen before... No, Director Ameline caught my eye..
To be exact, it was Director Ameline who had been transformed into a tree, but Oliver recognized her identity right away..
“······.”
Although she didn't look like what Oliver remembered, Oliver was able to recognize Director Ameline..
It wasn't her pained expression faintly reflected on the tree's surface, nor was it the branches and roots that, upon closer inspection, showed traces of arms and legs..
It was because of the emotions emanating from the tree..
Oliver was able to distinguish between people through their emotions, and thanks to this, he was able to recognize Director Ameline, who had turned into a tree..
However, recognizing it and fully accepting it are two different things, and Oliver needed some time to understand the situation in front of him..
That's because it was difficult to accept Director Ameline as a tree who had lost her senses and suffered as if she was having an unending nightmare..
Oliver recalled the girl he remembered..
Despite her young age, she had short gray hair and was repairing roofs by hand..
60She not only raised more than 10 children, but also protected their smiles and energy..
She studied the kingdom language herself for Joanna..
She willingly asked Oliver to stay when he suddenly came to visit..
Even though she revealed that she was a warlock, he treated her the same way..
She used to say that the right thing is easy to teach but difficult to do..
However, despite this, she did not give up and insisted on teaching the right thing..
She spoke about her past claims of reducing the number of children..
Above all, she talked about forgiveness and told Oliver to forgive himself..
She was transformed into a tree by an alien force that was not magic, black magic, druid magic, or holy law, and was suffering eternal suffering..
“Why so much······.”
Oliver didn't know how to react to the Pied Piper's anger, but only expressed his doubts..
Why so much.
Oliver called Eve through a communication device attached to the inside of his shirt collar..
“Eve.”
“Yes, Dave.”
“please help.”
When Oliver asked Eve for help, a vast amount of magic, like sea water, surged to the ground from beneath the earth as if flowing backwards..
Magical energy was extracted from the World Tree deep within the earth by Eve, and a large amount of magical energy glowed colorfully like an aurora and covered the ground like a curtain..
But that wasn't the end.
Magical powers that looked like curtains at first glance were soon dismantled and rebuilt particle by particle by the hands of Oliver and Eve, and began to be overlaid on reality..
In the process of recalling the memories seen by the World Tree into reality, after a while, the appearance of Ark Orphanage before it became a ruin was realized in reality..
In the middle of the night like now. The door on the wall was also neither rusted nor open..
Instead, there was a man with dozens of children standing at the door..
He was the Pied Piper.
He stretched out his hand toward the door in an eerie silence, and the door, which had been in good condition, rusted as if it had been alone in the ravages of time, and then opened weakly..
Kiyi... Tak.
And then he leisurely walked in..
Just as Oliver expected. Afterwards, the situation was not much different..
The interior of the orphanage fell into chaos as the Pied Piper approached..
Everyone tried to wake the children and run away..
But it is physically impossible.
Derek ran first, drawing his sword to kill time, and Yarely used ice magic to support Derek..
Derek charges with ice magic on his back..
When the Pied Piper played his flute, the space was distorted and a shock wave was generated. Yareli's ice magic was shattered, and Derek was swept away by the shock wave and crashed into the orphanage..
Orphanage collapses in the aftermath.
Then the sound of a flute sounded. A strange flute sound that seems to have sadness overlaid on a lively melody..
The children who were running away from the sound of the flute lost their focus and walked in the direction of the Pied Piper. Joanna, who was holding on to the children, rushed towards the Pied Piper, but when the Pied Piper swung his arm, she bounced away helplessly..
General violation that does not even constitute a fight.
Just as everyone was panicking, Derek, who was injured, set fire to the orphanage and began absorbing the flames..
Struggling to raise firepower to the limit.
Derek lunged at the Pied Piper again, his entire body in flames, and his arm was torn off..
[Shut up······!]
[Ugh...Ugh...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]
Joanna also attacked the Pied Piper again, but was defeated by his fist and fainted while holding her neck..
Yareli, who tried to fight with the terrified orphanage staff, but lost his will, and Rosburn, who stands behind Yareli..
The scene created using Idea was not at all different from Oliver's expectations..
[With that guy... Do we know each other??]
The Pied Piper approached Yareli and said:.
Yareli and Rosburn answered, and the Pied Piper thought for a moment and then walked away..
The people around Oliver. To be exact, it was consideration for Oliver..
[Are you going to stop it??]
The orphanage staff stirred left and right, and after hearing the answer they wanted, the Pied Piper left as if nothing had happened..
It was then.
Clap-!
Director Ameline jumps out from between the collapsed buildings..
taang!
He fired a gun at the Pied Piper..
It didn't even leave a scratch.
The Pied Piper reached out and grabbed Director Ameline and asked,.
[You know it's no use?]
Director Ameline answered.
[Whether it's useful or not... there has to be someone to protect the child.······!]
At that moment, Oliver could feel Director Ameline’s sincerity..
Even though he couldn't read her emotions because it was a type of illusion made from the World Tree, Oliver was able to feel her sincerity..
[······Right.]
The Pied Piper's voice is more gloomy than usual.
At the same time, an alien darkness could be seen flowing from his body and covering Director Ameline, turning her legs into roots, her skin into tree bark, and her arms into branches..
Like a sinner being punished in hell.
As Oliver's eyes were fixed on that pure malice, a flash of flame drew his attention..
Derek, who had one of his arms torn off, mustered his last strength and tried to stab the Pied Piper..
[this······! Fuck you bird...!!]
Derek's attack that burned even his vitality.
But the Pied Piper caught it with his bare hands..
A faint sparkle appeared in the stone-like eyes of the Pied Piper..
[You seem like a magic tower wizard too. Why are you doing this for orphans you don't even know??]
[I don't know, fuck!! I'm looking for a reason to save the kid.?!]
Derek let out a heavy sigh and shouted as if he was going to die at any moment..
At that sight, both Oliver and the Pied Piper fell silent, their eyes shaking..
A silence that seemed like an eternity arrived, and after a while, the Pied Piper raised his hand after thinking..
At that moment, Oliver, watching from a different time zone, sensed Derek's death, and Derek seemed to have noticed it as well and shouted..
[Leave the kids alone and go away! Because someone worse than you will kill you.!!]
As soon as he finished speaking, the Pied Piper swung his arm and pierced Derek's chest..
“······.”
“······.”
“pandora.”
Oliver, who was silently looking at the scene in front of him, called out to Pandora..
“yes father.”
“Pandora said her specialty was finding memories of the past.?”
“yes father.”
“please help me with eve.”
Pandora nodded as if she had expected it, and without asking, placed both hands on the ground and attempted to make contact with the vast amount of magic flowing from the World Tree..
The powers of the two Eves, who were originally one, merged, reality and the past intersected, and the landscape swept away by the Pied Piper collapsed, creating a new landscape..
There was a forest where a man and a child were walking..
[dad!]
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