Genius Warlock-Episode 661
661. dawn (4)
When Oliver mentioned human sacrifice, King Balor of the Aizan Kingdom, who had been calculating countless profits and losses in his mind, fell silent..
It wasn't enough.
The other kings, who were fearful and wary of Oliver who appeared riding a human meat cook transformed into a dragon, but who could not stop their stubborn calculations, also became quiet..
As evidence, their emotions, which had been fluctuating until just now to the point of dizzying eyes, all became quiet due to fear, crisis, and desire for safety, and their quivering lips were tightly closed..
There was no reason.
They instinctively sensed that Oliver knew their secrets..
I didn't know how, but their survival instinct, which had kept the royal family alive for hundreds of years, told me so..
Otherwise, the reference to human sacrifice right after Beller's interruption was unexplained..
I even knew the exact location.
It turns out that there is a secret human sacrifice altar near where the refugee warlocks are now, set up to pray for a good harvest..
This is a place that has been secretly passed down from generation to generation of the Balor royal family..
Thanks to this altar, the Kingdom of Aizan was able to enjoy relative prosperity in the center of the continent..
In times of crisis, if people were sacrificed at the altar, a good harvest would occur, allowing us to escape the national crisis at least temporarily..
That was also the reason why the Kingdom of Aizan was active in suppressing warlocks..
It would be much easier to divert people's attention from human sacrifice if they made a fuss about suppressing the warlocks..
However, Oliver, who was visiting the center of the continent for the first time, made a statement as if he was aware of this..
Those who knew this, including Beller, felt fear of the unknown and only one thought filled their minds:.
How on earth?
And the answer was simpler than I thought.
“It's an idea.”
Oliver, who was left alone with Roderick after asking for the understanding of the silent kings, spoke..
“I found out about this through Idea..”
“If it's Idea.... The magic used when the airship crashed?”
“Yes, that's right. majesty.”
“idea. I know what magic is. A new magic developed by Magic Tower. A complex technique that combines the magic of the Moirai School and the Space Magic School. A miracle that brings out a large amount of magical power and memories contained in the World Tree into reality... That's right?”
Roderick, who was a religious person and had deep knowledge of magic, guessed correctly. Oliver nodded his head..
“her······. Are you investigating human sacrifice with that? It's amazing.”
Roderick was truly amazed..
“How could you use that powerful magic that can refloat a crashing airship like that? What an unexpected approach..”
Roderick reacted quite surprised to researching the past through Idea..
It was Idea who used not only the magic power contained in the World Tree but also memory. If you think about it, it wasn't that strange..
Even if you understand one concept, fully understanding how to use it is a different story..
Rather, Oliver using Ideas in this way was even more strange..
If you're just researching the past, Net Sailing is enough..
The details may be lacking in the vast sea of information, but considering the effort and risk involved, net sailing was reasonable in many ways..
However, Oliver ignored that rationality. It was possible because Eve and Pandora, which far surpass humans, could be dealt with at the same time..
“What's even more surprising is Zeno's attitude after investigating it. What has changed in your heart??”
Roderick pointed out the attitude of Oliver, who held the kings' wealth in his hands more than the magic of Ideas..
Although Roderick and Oliver had only known each other for a short time, it was still enough time for them to get to know each other..
Thanks to you, I was able to confirm one thing.
It's not normal for Oliver to deliberately investigate someone's weaknesses. To some it may be ordinary, but to Oliver it was a huge deal..
Oliver thought for a moment before opening his mouth..
“just······. I think it would be a good idea to investigate..”
Oliver recalled the moment right after he saw the Pied Piper's past and had a conversation with the gardener. After a long night, the dawn light shone on Oliver..
At that time, Oliver checked everything he wanted to check, but he didn't move right away. Instead, he asked Pandora and Eve for permission and used Idea once again..
In order to collect information from the center of the continent that is deemed valuable..
Who the kings are, what their wealth is, what their goals are, etc..
Although it was a large amount of information that would have taken several days in a normal way, Eve and Pandora researched it in an instant and reported it to Oliver in vivid detail..
Oliver told Cardinal Roderick everything except what he had seen of the Pied Piper's past and the gardener's conversation..
Roderick, who had been listening quietly, let out a sigh..
“hmm······. First of all, let me thank you for being honest. But you can tell me everything.?”
It was an obvious question. Pandora, the power of Idea through Eve was beyond imagination..
It wasn't a story on a physical level. It was more than that.
To put it to the extreme, there would be no secrets for Oliver from now on..
Literally the realm of God. It was better to know few people, especially Roderick, a member of the Church of Pater, and it was even better not to know him..
“Do you think it's repayment?.”
“What reward?”
“Didn't His Highness Roderick also tell me? It's a deus ex machina..”
deus ex machina.
A great plan being carried out by hardliners within the Paterism to twist the apocalypse by artificially giving birth to an angelic son..
It was top secret information, but Roderick shared this information with Oliver..
The reason is that-
“-Your Highness Roderick. Can I ask you a question??”
Oliver suddenly said. Roderick responded without being embarrassed..
“speak.”
“Warlocks who caused terrorism on an airship. Are you behind this??”
Oliver pointed to Roderick as the mastermind behind the warlock he met on the airship..
Cardinal priest. Furthermore, it was a dangerous remark that insulted the Paterism itself, but Roderick's answer went beyond this..
“exactly. I instigated this in order to help you understand what kind of existence the warlocks in the central part of the continent are..”
Roderick did not even the slightest bit of denial and admitted it obediently..
“I arrested their families and asked if they would be punished together or if only their families would be pardoned. Do you think it's too much??”
“What do you think, Priest Chugi??”
Oliver questioned..
Roderick thought for a moment and then opened his mouth..
“······I think it was a little excessive. If it had been done wrong, the people on the airship could have been in danger. But at the same time, I feel like there is nothing I can do about it. We're all going to die when the end comes anyway. Also, thanks to you, no one got hurt.”
“All the warlocks are dead..”
“Never mind. Because I was going to die anyway. Murder, kidnapping, looting. They are a people who were caught after committing numerous sins. What do you think? I think I did too much?”
“I think it's a bit like that..”
“a little?”
“It is true that it is difficult for me to evaluate it. Whatever it is, Your Highness is working hard. In the face of the despairing truth.”
This was sincere. Because I heard the truth from the gardener.
“So, I think Your Majesty is a great person. I can't do that..”
There was silence.
“······I know that the request for my support was not simply to subdue the refugee warlocks..”
“Are you listening?,”
“I sang it to deal with the Pied Piper. For now.”
“······exactly. for now.”
There was silence again.
“so······. I'm thinking about dealing with the Pied Piper.?”
“Maybe. I think that would be good for everyone..”
“For everyone······.”
Roderick nodded, pondering the word in Oliver's subtle intonation..
“We will cooperate.”
“What do you mean by cooperation??”
“Subjugating the Pied Piper and other incidental matters related to that. Isn't the army around the city now one of them??”
Roderick did not deny it. That army was a spoon. If you defeat the Pied Piper, the Pather Church and the kings of the central continent can share the ball..
“We will do our best to cooperate in this regard as well. I have a favor to ask you instead..”
I felt like I knew it even without hearing it.
“If, really, I take down the Pied Piper safely, would you please stop getting involved with me??”
Roderick was silent..
He could tell a shameless lie using his status as a cardinal priest, but for some reason he couldn't..
“······It's the end. Zenon. The end. No one can be an exception.”
“I can guess what you want from me, but I have no intention of doing that. And I know what you're worried about, I don't think so..”
“The world doesn't go as you think..”
“At least you can try.”
“The end means making an attempt in the face of disaster.?”
“yes······. That's the best I can do.”
silence. A very long silence arrived. Time seemed to have stopped, but after much thought, Roderick opened his mouth..
“We can talk after we catch the Pied Piper.?”
“great.”
Oliver accepted. Because I knew that this was the greatest good that Roderick could yield. At least the fact that his feelings were genuine made it worth accepting..
After finishing the story, Oliver asked for understanding..
“······majesty. If you don't mind, could you excuse me for a moment? I want to meet my companions..”
“It doesn't matter. Anyway, I need time to prepare for this too... ah!”
When Oliver, who had asked for permission, was about to pass the cardinal priest, Roderick let out an exclamation..
At that sound, Oliver stopped and turned his head..
Roderick said.
“Sir Joanna will still be there..”
“······Thank you for your words.”
***
After speaking with Cardinal Roderick, Oliver immediately returned to the city..
On the way back, Oliver could feel many eyes looking at him..
Countless people like civilians, soldiers, paladins, priests, nuns, and royalty..
Their eyes had different emotions in them..
It ranged from simple fear to wariness, contempt, awe, jealousy, and calculation..
However, Oliver ignored all those emotional gazes and walked straight toward where Kevin was..
They lived in the same mansion on the outskirts of the city as when Oliver left, but the difference was that there were people watching the mansion..
Kevin said as soon as he saw Oliver enter the mansion..
“In the end, did you decide to deal with the Pied Piper??”
Fast-paced conversations fueled by surprising insights. Oliver decided to go with the flow..
“Yes, professor.”
“Are you serious??”
Yareli intervened and asked. Her concern shone through. It was a natural reaction.
She was one of the few people who knew the truth that Oliver didn't chase the Pied Piper away..
To her, Oliver's comment was tantamount to suicide..
Rossburn was no exception..
“Stand, teacher······.”
Rossburn calls out to Oliver with concern..
Oliver opened his mouth, placing his hand on Rosburn's head..
“I've already decided that.”
Rosburn and Yarely could not help but gape at the calm, yet somewhat firm tone as usual..
I realized that no matter what I said, it was useless..
Oliver shifted his gaze to Kevin..
“professor. Can I ask you a favor??”
“what?”
“Could you please protect Mr. Yareli and Rosburn? I don't think I have time to worry about other people..”
“It's not difficult, but it's surprising. I thought they'd send me back to the city.”
“Now that I think about it, I don't think leaving here will make me safer..”
Oliver thought of a child who died in vain after eating poison from vegetables..
It could truly be said to be vain. I can't believe the Pied Piper's son left like that. Maybe the struggle itself was meaningless..
But that doesn't mean I can't do it..
“I don't think Landa is completely safe either..”
Kevin and Yareli, who regularly receive news from Randa, silently agreed..
In fact, it might have been safer to leave Rosburn within sight..
If it was safe from far away, it would have been safe from Ark Orphanage..
Kevin accepted Oliver's request..
“Okay, I'll take care of it, don't worry about it..”
“thank you I have more to tell you, but can I say it later??”
“As you like.”
Kevin gave his permission and Oliver tried to pass him..
As Oliver passed by, Kevin grabbed Oliver's arm and asked,.
“There is a way?”
“······I'm not sure, but maybe.”
After hearing the answer, Kevin let Oliver go, and Oliver went up the stairs and visited Joanna's room on the second floor..
“Finally, are you back??”
When Oliver opened the door and entered, Joanna looked worried, apprehensive, and afraid..
The concern she expressed for Oliver was not much different from the depth of her feelings for her younger siblings. In a way, it shined stronger.
“yes······.”
“Go back!”
Joanna screamed so loudly that it was hard to believe she was the one hurt..
Her voice was filled with firm determination rather than just words, and as her voice grew louder, the fear she harbored also grew..
What makes her so afraid??
Oliver put the quarter staff he was holding on the wall and quietly walked towards Joanna and sat down next to her..
“I just went to Ark Orphanage..”
“······.”
“And I also met Director Ameline..”
Joanna's expression was contorted in pain and she covered her face with her bandaged hands..
It was a natural reaction. Just as the children at the orphanage are Joanna's younger siblings, Mother Ameline will be like her mother..
Oliver looked at Joanna in pain and had no idea what to say..
Comforting someone was still very difficult. So Oliver decided to say what he had originally meant to say..
“He once said something to me.”
Joanna, covering her face with both hands, slightly raised her head..
“Even if you may commit a crime later or become a coward, you must first say the right thing to your children. If we don't do that, children won't even get a chance to be right... This is what he said when we talked about what happened with Joanna..”
“······.”
“To be honest, that sounded like a defense, or rather an excuse. An excuse for Joanna, who neglected her child..”
Oliver showed his emotions..
“What’s interesting is that he also had a similar experience in the past. To ensure smooth operation of the orphanage, the number of orphans should be reduced. But now you sacrificed yourself to protect your children..”
“oliver······.”
“You said it. He has never sworn like a former paladin... However, I blamed you all. After the position was reversed, it was a topic I also hesitated on..”
“oliver!”
“Could you please take a look at this??”
Oliver held out his hand and showed it..
Oliver's hands were shaking..
“I'm scared too. I want to run away from here right now... So please don't tell me to leave or go back anymore.”
Joanna, seeing Oliver's trembling hands, turned to face Oliver..
Joanna's expression was distorted with pain again. Mental pain that goes beyond simple physical pain.
“Is the promise valid then??”
“What promise??”
“I promise you that you will trust me. This is a promise that no matter what happens, the driver will believe in me, support me, and help me..”
“······yes!”
Joanna wiped her eyes..
“So, would you please pray for me just once? Please give me courage and strength.”
Oliver asked for help.
A moment later, two very thin hands covered in bandages grabbed Oliver's hand, and a small, crying voice quietly echoed throughout the hall..
“I will pray.”
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