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Genius Warlock-Episode 663

663. dawn (6)

Central part of the continent that has not benefited from industrialization.

Among them, the deepest, most remote forest..

a man sat silently.

“······.”

With an average height and an average physique, he looked very young compared to his actual age..

Since you've lived for hundreds of years, it's natural to look younger than you actually are, no matter what you look like..

He may have been a hobby of traveling, but he was wearing old and worn, but neatly maintained travel clothes, a cape, and boots..

However, the journey was not smooth, and the smile that once seemed to have been on the face disappeared completely, leaving only a trace..

Perhaps because of that, he gave off an inexplicable feeling of creepiness and discomfort..

It has the shape of a human, but it feels like it is not a human, a strange feeling of disconnection.?

Thanks to this, even though the man had a decent appearance, it was difficult to approach him somewhere..

It would probably be even more difficult to approach him if he knew that he was the Pied Piper who had been kidnapping for hundreds of years, single-handedly destroying armies, overthrowing numerous dynasties, and even murdering the archive..

However, a boy who looked about 13 years old approached the man and tried to talk to him..

“gulp······.”

For reference, the boy was from an orphanage. This meant that they were more perceptive than ordinary children and learned about the world at an early age.,

That meant that the boy knew that the man in front of him was the Pied Piper, and furthermore, that he knew that they had been kidnapped by this man..

Here, he refers to hundreds of children in this forest, including himself..

Children who collapsed helplessly in the middle of the forest from fear, hunger, and thirst..

rattle rattle······.

The boy stood in front of the Pied Piper, his arms and legs shaking..

All of the children left in the forest watched in silence, holding their breath. Then, I opened my mouth. The Pied Piper.

“What's going on?”

The Pied Piper, who was sitting with his eyes closed, asked the boy who approached him..

The boy was startled by the sound, and his arms and legs trembled again..

The terrible sight I saw while being charmed by the Pied Piper flashed through my mind, and all sorts of worries arose..

Won't they hit me? Wouldn't it be a curse? Wouldn't it kill me??

All kinds of worries and fears invaded my brain, turning my hair white..

I wanted to sit down right now... At that time, the boy forced himself to look back..

There were children there who had been kidnapped just like them, and some of them were even younger than themselves..

younger children.

The boy forcibly moved his stiff jaw and squeezed out courage..

The courage of an orphan with nothing to lose.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey there?”

“speak.”

Surprisingly, the Pied Piper, who was sitting with his eyes closed as if he was tired, answered the boy's words..

Dialogue is established. The voice was even somewhat gentle..

It's so hard to believe that this is a man who kidnapped hundreds of children..

The boy could have been more courageous.

“Hey, over there... Children should not be let loose.?”

The boy said in a strained voice. A voice so small that you can't hear it unless you listen carefully..

Fortunately, the Pied Piper listened to the boy..

“You too are a child.”

“Kids younger than me... Younger brothers······.”

The boy told why he was courageous.

The reason why I desperately took courage instead of sitting down and waiting for death to come..

It was to ask for at least the younger brothers to be released..

“Did your sister teach you to do that??”

“yes?”

“That paladin. I asked you if you taught him to protect his younger brothers..”

The boy couldn't answer anything..

Because the Pied Piper was right..

Joanna, the pride of Ark Orphanage, taught her that..

He told him to protect his younger siblings while he was away. That's family.

The boy promised that he would be happy to do so..

Joanna was the pride of herself and the entire Arc Orphanage..

Before becoming a paladin, she was the eldest sister who protected them, and after becoming a paladin, she was someone who proved that orphans like them were not abandoned but blessed..

How can I reject her teachings like that??

At least to the boy, her words were scripture and truth..

A compass of life more precious than life.

That is why the boy was able to perform the miracle of talking to the Pied Piper even though he was a child..

An act that cannot be done without a will bordering on madness.

At that time, the Pied Piper expressed his doubts..

“You're stupid. Are you trying to follow what he says?.”

“Hey, I'm not stupid.!”

the boy was upset.

The children around were silently shocked, but there was nothing they could do. It was a natural reaction because the boy's divinity had been insulted..

Fortunately, the Pied Piper was not angry at the boy's attitude. I just continued the conversation.

“Why are you angry? I'm just telling the truth. I think the paladin lived an ideal life like he said.?”

“of course!”

“no. You stupid child. Your faith is no different from other people's. Cowardly, ugly, and irresponsible. Like your biological father and mother who abandoned you.”

“It is a lie!”

“It's not a lie. That paladin also ignored whether the poor child died or not. Use yourself as a shield. Do my words sound like lies??”

“······.”

The boy could not deny the words of the Pied Piper. I don't know why, but I knew intuitively that it was true..

The boy wasn't the only one who felt that way; all the children at Ark Orphanage, like the boy, were listening half-fazed..

It was as if the world had collapsed. Because that was faith.

The Pied Piper asked these children a question..

“And why do you want to live? There's nowhere to go anyway?”

“······there is. place to return.”

“lie. You know there isn't one. The orphanage was destroyed, and the director was as good as dead. You saw it all, right? Even though my physical freedom has been taken away, I can see and feel everything..”

The boy's eyes became moist. it was true.

The moment the sound of the flute was heard, the orphanage children, including the boy, were able to see and feel everything, even though their physical freedom was taken away, as if they had been turned into dolls..

Joanna, their seemingly invincible hero, was brutally beaten and fainted, the director, Ameline, was turned into a tree by the Pied Piper, and the torso of the wizard who was playing with them was pierced. I looked at everything clearly.

However, what remained in their minds the most was the sight of the teachers who took care of them along with the director shaking their heads left and right and looking away from them..

It was so shocking that the boy's heart fluttered as the memories he had sealed in his head resurfaced..

It's simple fear. It was more than that..

Denial of existence beyond death.

The Pied Piper continued to move his tongue..

“If you go back, no one will welcome you. Rather, they will persecute you. Because I saw it..”

“······.”

“A long time ago, we freed some children, but they were beaten to death by adults in the same neighborhood. He's an ominous child who came back alive after being kidnapped by me..”

“lie······.”

“That's right, it's a lie. I didn't kill him because he was an evil child, I just killed him out of anger. Even though their own children were kidnapped and killed, they are angry that orphans like you came back alive... They were the ones who couldn't protect their children..”

The boy couldn't deny it again.

It was because what the Pied Piper said was true this time too..

Most of the children here are from cities and villages, and all are children whose parents have neglected them..

Because when the children were lured out by the sound of the flute, they did not stop it even though they could have. There was nothing more appropriate than the word ‘aversion’..

The Pied Piper used the current despairing situation as a shield to expose the cruel truth that had been ignored, unfiltered, before the children's eyes..

So calmly. That's why it was even more painful. It really doesn't seem like a big deal.

It seems so natural for them to be abandoned and ignored..

The Pied Piper continued to say.

“So just give up. There is no place to return to anyway, and the children cannot leave this country alone. The only way you can get out is if someone comes to save you. Of course, no matter how much you ask for help, no one will hear you..”

“······.”

“So, give up and be comfortable. We're all going to die soon anyway, so I guess it's our turn.”

The children's expressions all changed at the calm yet terrible truth..

The face that had been distorted by hunger, thirst, and fear of death disappeared, replaced by an expressionless despair of resignation..

Abandoning all hope, the most complete despair.

Just as the children were about to be eaten out of resignation, one child shouted.

He was a student at Arc Orphanage like the boy..

“lie!”

An empty cry that feels nothing but evil, no different from a swarm..

However, the children who were about to give up everything turned their heads at that cry..

“Sister will come to save us! It's coming!! I promised!!!”

The child cried and cursed like a child..

It was a somewhat unsightly appearance, but the light began to return to the empty eyes of the children who had been about to give up hope..

Seeing this, the Pied Piper opened his eyes and stood up for the first time..

children who are shocked.

The Pied Piper walked between them and stood in front of the upset child..

The children, including the boy, tried to stop it, but the bridge did not fall..

But who can blame the kids??

There was a deep silence, and the Pied Piper extended his hand to the upset child..

very slowly.

The child closed his eyes at that sight, and after a while-

-widely.

I could feel the hand of the Pied Piper.

The Pied Piper was stroking the child's head..

situation that is not understood.

The children's eyes widened..

And I was even more shocked by what the Pied Piper said next..

“You are right. 'Cause now they're coming to save you.”

The children's eyes open even wider. The difference from before was that it was driven by hope, not fear, fear, or despair..

They were not abandoned. They were not abandoned by the world.

“But it doesn't matter. Abandoned or not abandoned. you guys are going to die here.”

“······.”

“Because I'm going to make it that way. This is a promise. No one can save you.”

“why······?”

The boy asked, his tail trailing off. The fundamental question is why on earth do they do this?.

The Pied Piper answered the question..

“That way I hurt less.”

***

Subdue the Pied Piper.

Originally, the plan was to proceed under the direction of the Pater Church..

The minor kings in the center of the continent who participated in the plan held equivalent positions..

However, like all plans, the Pater Church's plan to subdue the Pied Piper went awry from the beginning..

No, it was more than just a mess..

The moment Oliver declared that he would defeat the Pied Piper of his own will, the subject changed from Paterism to Oliver..

No one could argue with Oliver's declaration and ended up tacitly supporting it..

Cardinal Priest Roderick, who first designed the subjugation of the Pied Piper, and the kings of the central continent whom he brought in were no exception..

It was like a flow, unstoppable.

In other words, it could be said that at that moment, the presence of a single warlock transcended the entire center of the continent..

Like the Pied Piper.

However, ironically, many people who saw it were relieved..

It made sense to look like him in order to defeat the Pied Piper..

But a few people were as concerned as they were relieved..

For example, if the Pied Piper was defeated as Oliver said, a new Pied Piper might be born..

An even more powerful piper named Dave the Woodman.

It was a natural feeling. Because when you see someone who is better than you, you tend to feel jealous and wary..

An emotion that we can understand because we are human. Aside from that, I couldn't deny that it was a foolish feeling..

But it wasn't just foolish feelings..

For example, there was a reasonable question as to whether Dave could properly lead people..

Because outstanding personal power and leading people are completely different areas..

And it wasn't an unfounded suspicion..

Oliver doesn't know the exact location of the Pied Piper or what danger there is..

Therefore, some kings expressed concern..

Because thorough preparation is more important than momentum in carrying out a plan..

It was as natural as knowing the way to get to your destination..

And to conclude, Oliver did the job incredibly well..

“Oooooh!!!”

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr······!! ”

“Argh...! Ah ah ah ah ah!!!”

Based on that, Oliver discovered and guided the Pied Piper's base, which even the small kingdoms in the center of the Paterean continent had not been able to find out..

A forest where the dead, who are a cross between humans and zombies, are walking around and pouring in like a swarm of ants..

“Deploy a magic shield!”

“ready to shoot!”

Shouts spread throughout the military in preparation for the dead pouring in from all directions, and the soldiers moved in response to the sounds. Immediately afterwards, the earth shook and gunshots and explosions erupted from all directions..

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!!!

Puff! Boom━!! Bubble bung━━!!

Quagwang!! Kwaguagwa River!!

Shells, magic, and bullets happening everywhere. The dead who were caught there had their limbs separated from their bodies and scattered everywhere..

Still they didn't die.

Even if their limbs fell off, their lower and upper bodies separated, and only their heads remained, they did not die. Like a dead person suffering forever.

This was the Pied Piper's punishment.

“This is what I found out through Idea.?”

Roderick, armed with an iron coat, shield, and a huge warhammer, approached Oliver and asked:.

Oliver answered.

“yes.”

‘I wanted to say, 'This is where the Pied Piper's son died,' but Oliver didn't do it..

Because it was the Pied Piper's personal story..

“I heard that no one came here because it was sparsely populated, but I had no idea there was a place like this in the center of the continent..”

“That's because you can't find it without the Pied Piper's permission. It's different from Sleeping Beauty, but it's a similar place..”

Oliver remembered the image of the Pied Piper whose shell was broken after losing his son..

This land was none other than the polluted land at that time, and it was also a newly processed land thanks to the will of the Pied Piper..

Therefore, it was not strange that no one was found for hundreds of years, and it was also not strange that the people who lived here wandered around for hundreds of years in the form of the dead, neither dead nor alive, acting as gatekeepers..

“hmm?!”

Several war wizards and paladins within the Allied Forces simultaneously turned their heads to one side..

Their senses picked up a strong presence..

As if to say that it was not a mistake, a huge tremor resounded in the middle of a dense forest untouched by human hands, and the earth bounced and rose up into the sky like a mountain exploding..

Kuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!!!

The ground erupted as if exploding, and soon the ground shook and something came towards us..

dudddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd······!

It was people. Hundreds of people mixed with huge trees.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Ahhhhh!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

They had been assimilated into the trees and had suffered for eons without being able to move, but with the appearance of the intruder, they were granted physical freedom for a moment and rushed towards us without reason..

Like a tsunami made of trees.

Aptly worthy of the analogy of a tsunami, they were approaching in a straight line, turning the ground upside down and crushing everything in their path, whether trees or rocks..

At that sight, the Allied soldiers who had been protecting the dead were frightened..

It was a sight you would only see in hell..

No, maybe this place was really hell..

The Pied Piper's own hell.

The soldiers concentrated their firepower to stop the tree dead in order to avoid being swept away by the hell, but it was not enough to break their spirit of death..

It was then.

[Obice Lucis)]

Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Ten paladins ran forward, held out their shields and chanted, and a brilliant wall of light comparable to the castle wall was created, blocking the wooden dead..

The part of the wooden dead that hit the wall of light began to burn, and the wooden dead pushed further as if they were happy..

The Paladins are increasingly pushed back by their overwhelming weight..

Then a huge yellow giant rose up behind them..

The giant of light raised his huge hammer and struck it straight ahead, passing through the barrier of light. I crushed the tree ghost beyond it in one go..

Roderick unleashed his holy power and cast it into the form of a giant, a technique similar to the one he used in the past to create and swing a hammer using holy magic..

Of course, there was a difference in power, but.

As evidence, the giant tree was not dead, but it was shattered and no longer posed a threat..

“Everyone, don't be scared! stay in your place!”

When Roderick shouted, all the soldiers who had hesitated at the appearance of the dead tree came to their senses..

Roderick, looking more like a general than a priest, approached Oliver and asked:.

“I will do as planned.?”

Roderick asked. Should I stick to the original plan?.

This is the land of the Pied Piper. The military stands on the outskirts, attracting attention, and Oliver goes in alone to deal with the Pied Piper, and uses the opportunity to secretly take out the kidnapped children..

Oliver nodded..

“yes. I think this is best.”

“It's funny to ask now, but I'm confident that I can take down the Pied Piper by myself.?”

“There is one method I have in mind..”

“I hope that's the right way. Go.”

“wait a minute.”

Oliver said. And after a while, the sound of a flute was heard..

A strange melody that overlays sadness on top of joy.

It was the Pied Piper's son's favorite song, and the melody flowed widely as if echoing from deep inside the forest..

As soon as the melody was recognized, the sounds of gunshots and explosions that resounded like thunder quieted down, people's actions stopped, and eventually, people's vision turned black and they were dragged into an unknown space..

Invading one's consciousness through the sound of a flute and taking one into the inner world..

This technique was first used by the Pied Piper to kidnap Prince Albert..

The essence of black magic, a manipulation type that neutralizes illusions by showing illusions through inner memories..

In that short period of time, which cannot even be called an instant, the Pied Piper not only stopped the army of paladins and war wizards, but also intervened in their rituals.-

-······!

A new melody was heard.

A melody very similar to the melody played by the Pied Piper..

The difference was that there was only unique vitality and joy, but no gloomy sadness..

Thanks to this, people who lost consciousness after being captivated by the sound of the flute in the forest were able to come back to their senses and return to reality..

The Pied Piper from hundreds of years ago was embodied based on the magic and memories flowing from the World Tree..

Oliver imbued the Pied Piper with an artificial soul and played the flute, canceling out the sound of the flute coming from the forest..

“Eve, Pandora... Please keep it like this as much as possible.”

After saying those words, Oliver ran towards the depths of the forest..