Genius Warlock-Episode 679
679. shrift (4)
“And then I met you.”
Merlin, kneeling on one knee, spoke with bloodshot eyes and a flushed face..
“······.”
To this, Oliver responded with silence again..
It would have been better if I had questioned or scoffed..
If so, I would at least have an idea of what to say..
However, instead of revealing his emotions, Oliver chose to remain silent, and that silence turned into an invisible hand of despair, strangling Merlin..
I have the urge to run away from this place right now..
“Phew······.”
But instead of running away, Merlin caught his breath..
He had no right to run away, and he had no right to sit down..
All there was was duty. I didn't know if it was my duty as an archive or my duty as a temporary teacher..
Merlin used that duty as a cane and opened his mouth in confusion..
“To be exact, I found you, walking on the street... Do you remember? When I released my magic power for a very brief moment? you looked at me.”
Oliver was silent..
Merlin used that silence as an answer to recall that time..
The moment I first discovered Oliver.
At the time, Merlin couldn't believe his own eyes, but before making a decision with his head, he unleashed his magic and tested Oliver..
Using a very brief moment that not even a decent wizard, or even the head of a school, would notice,.
Surprisingly, Oliver not only did not miss the magical energy released at the moment when one second was split into hundreds, but he also identified its source and found Merlin..
Two eyes that met like that.
Merlin said without realizing it.
“‘Hello. Young friend... 'Did you come to read the book?' That's how I greeted you. It seems like a pretty old story..”
Merlin smiled as he remembered that time, but Oliver remained silent..
Merlin, accustomed to the silence, continued his speech..
“For your information, the reason I ran a bookstore was because I thought I would go crazy if I stayed still. I felt like I had to do something, so I decided to run a bookstore... People who want to do something despite their poor circumstances usually use used bookstores. If you help those people just a little bit... I feel a little better. Ironically, then I met you..”
Oliver is silent-
“-Is that why you approached me??”
Oliver suddenly asked.
Is that why you talked to me and recommended the book?.
I couldn't feel anything other than doubt in response to that question..
Anger, resentment, ridicule, cynicism. none of that.
Oliver wondered why he approached him so innocently..
After a long silence, Merlin spoke..
Instead of pretentious lies, the ugly truth came out of his mouth..
“······That's right. You, an outsider of the world who did not know when the end would come, were not someone who could just pass by. So I approached to watch..”
Merlin said.
The reason he greeted and approached Oliver was to determine whether or not he was a threat to the apocalypse..
“First of all, I decided to keep an eye on you. To find out whether you are dangerous or not... That's why I recommended the book..”
Merlin spat out each word painfully..
It was as if he had confessed that all the kindness he had shown to Oliver upon seeing him for the first time was only because he was afraid of the possible danger of the apocalypse..
However, Oliver, the person involved, did not show any movement..
There was no feeling of betrayal or shame. I just had doubts. It was like when I first came out of the mine..
“Is that why you made me your temporary disciple??”
“······That's right.”
Merlin took a breath and said yes..
“It's precisely because of your appearance at Mattel..”
Merlin remembered.
Oliver suddenly came to me and asked me if I was a wizard and if I knew anything about Martel..
Merlin answered honestly that he knew. She somehow feels like she should.
When he remembered that time, Merlin felt mentally tired and put both knees on the floor..
“ha······. I asked you if you knew anything about Mattel and if it was really a place that helped people..”
“You asked me what I would like to hear: a comfortable lie or an inconvenient truth..”
“You answered the truth. I answered everything. He further urged me not to seek it. The Magic Tower is said to be above public power... And yet you went to Mattel. To save a child who doesn't really matter.”
Merlin recalled the time when he was secretly spying on Oliver. That moment that is hard to believe even when you see it with your own eyes.
“After seeing that, I decided to take you as my disciple. I think it would be okay to watch a little closer..”
“You made a wrong decision..”
Oliver, who had been silent, opened his mouth again. There was a feeling of resignation in that voice..
“I don't understand.”
Oliver suddenly said.
“Wasn't there a chance that you noticed my identity right after that? Through the emotions and tests I gave you..”
Oliver mentioned his feelings as a reward for his help at Mattel and his fight with Merlin in the Land of Ice..
“Wasn't this all done to find out my identity??”
This time Merlin responded with silence..
The silence meant yes.
Merlin lowered Oliver's guard by doing him a favor and then tried to figure out his identity using the name of a price or test..
Being driven out of the land of ice was part of that..
And there Merlin got his first clue to guess Oliver's specific identity..
‘Hell Summon)’
By watching Oliver bring hell.
“You must have figured out my identity a long time ago..”
“It wasn't at the level of assurance..”
“I guess you guessed it to some extent..”
Merlin confirmed silently..
In response to that answer, Oliver asked another question..
“But why didn't you kill him??”
Ironically, Oliver asked the same question as the cardinals above him..
How come he didn't kill himself?.
A truly cruel question.
Instead of answering that question right away, Merlin leaned forward with both knees on the floor..
The appearance seemed as if they were worshiping God, but at the same time, it looked like they were begging and seeking mercy..
“······It's because I'm afraid.”
Merlin's tone changed..
Oliver fell silent again at the change..
“The apocalypse is a huge yet delicate mechanical device designed by God. I couldn't kill you because I didn't have the courage to touch it. I can't guarantee what the outcome will be.”
Merlin said. It's not that he didn't want to kill Oliver, it's that he simply couldn't..
“Also, I wanted to believe. You look like a prince, but I wanted to believe you weren't a prince.”
Merlin said. Even though he thought in his head that Oliver was the one who would bring about the end, he wanted to believe otherwise..
“So, instead of making a decision right away, I decided to keep you by my side and monitor and control you. I believe that no matter what you are, you won't be okay if you don't break your shell..”
Merlin said. Accepting Oliver as a disciple was not due to favor, but out of a person's fears and shallow hopes..
“However, you kept getting out of my control, and each time I worried. Wouldn't it be better to kill you right now? I thought about it countless times.”
Merlin said. He agonized over whether or not to kill Oliver on several occasions..
Oliver listened silently..
“Our archives have known this for a long time. That our humanity will become like this. By going against nature and being blinded by desire, you will ultimately bring about your own demise. that it will cause you pain.”
Merlin slowly extended his hand towards Oliver..
“Still, we couldn't stop it. We knew that if we tried to forcefully stop humanity's desires, we would inevitably have to kill countless people with our own hands, so even though we knew it, we failed to stop it. Because our archives are also human..”
Merlin's outstretched hands grabbed Oliver's trousers..
“But that doesn't mean we don't know our sins. I know. The sin of abusing the freedom given by God, the sin of preying on fellow humans... I know the apocalypse is the punishment we deserve..”
Merlin's grip on Oliver's trousers grew stronger..
From that touch, Oliver could read Merlin's emotions..
Desperation, guilt, yet a desire to seek mercy.
Merlin begged inside..
“However, it still rains so shamelessly. please····. Please don't abandon us..”
***
A prosperous country.
Small but over a thousand years old. A country with a longer history than any other country.
Surprisingly, Seonghwangsi-guk never deviated from his role during its long history..
Supporting the Holy Hwangcheong Church, the root and heart of Paterism.
As evidence, the territory of Seonghwangcheong had never expanded since the founding of the country, and the population exceeded 1,000 in only a handful of cases..
This meant that it only had administrative districts and personnel to assist Seonghwangcheong..
However, Seonghwangsi-guk was not the only place in Seonghwangsi-guk..
No matter how large Seonghwangcheong was, for efficient processing and management, it was divided into residential and administrative districts, and administrative agencies were also divided into roles..
These included the police department in charge of general security, the theological college to train priests, and the Holy Knight School to train holy knights..
Of course, among these, there were institutions that even people living in the city were not aware of and that only those in the know knew about..
One of them was the Paladin Inspection Bureau, which could arrest, detain, and interrogate paladins..
Paladins are also humans, so there are rare cases of people causing trouble.,
Every time, the inspection department here dealt with them quietly, and this was also one of those cases..
“Sir Joanna.”
An ordinary building that cannot be distinguished from other buildings.
There, in the basement, a paladin called out to Joanna, who was sitting across from him..
Joanna, disarmed and wearing only a shirt and trousers, raised her head..
Her hands were handcuffed and she showed no signs of being tortured, but she was extremely haggard..
I couldn't tell if it was because of the long, arduous interrogation, or because I was worried..
When Joanna raised her head, the paladin sitting across from her asked a question..
“I'll ask again. It is true that he was manipulated by that being with black magic and hurled hostile acts and insults at the Chugi Priest.?”
There was a deep nuance in the question..
It's not like I'm really curious, it's like I'm just asking you to agree with what I'm asking.······.
No, it didn't mean 'likely', it meant agreeing..
Joanna was also a paladin, so she knew this better than anyone else..
In fact, I went beyond what I knew well and even did it myself..
Bringing people into an isolated underground place and pressuring them to give them the answers they want..
When Joanna closed her eyes, everything she had done in the past seemed to pass by..
“Sir Ioannan. Open your eyes and answer.”
The paladin gave a firm command. Joanna opened her eyes and answered.
Although it wasn't the answer I wanted.
“No, I am not under black magic. Also, it was by my own will that I committed disrespect towards the cardinal priest. It's my sole will.”
bang-!!
As soon as he heard the answer, the paladin slammed his god-blessed fist on the table..
Fortunately, the table was made of cast iron, so it didn't break and ended up being dented..
“Hello, are you sane right now? Why are you voluntarily willing to die when it gives you a way to live??!”
The Paladin could not overcome his anger and fired. Then, as if her senses had returned, she paused for a moment, leaned closer to Joanna, and muttered softly..
“Now we are trying to protect your life and honor, Joanna. Failing to capture the being, hiding what they discovered in Landa, and even having a personal encounter...! He even tried to challenge the Cardinal Priest for his existence!! ······This alone is a serious crime that can result in death and all kinds of insults..”
The paladin's words were not just a threat..
I couldn't catch Oliver in Weinham. Even so, even though I met Oliver in Landa, meeting him secretly without reporting was a serious crime worthy of being deprived of the title of Holy Knight..
Moreover, raising one's voice to the cardinal priest for Oliver's sake and showing hostile intentions is a serious crime worthy of being burned at the stake..
However, instead of following the principles, the Paterism tried to provide a way for Joanna to live..
Whatever it was, Joanna participated in defeating the Pied Piper and made a contribution, and it was due to the internal situation of the Pater Church that they did not want to cause any more trouble..
So, Paterism kindly suggested a way to live just by nodding its head..
After noticing Oliver's presence in Landa, he left it undisclosed that they had met secretly, and concluded that his hostile actions against the Chugi Priest in front of everyone were simply due to being manipulated by Oliver..
It wasn't that difficult.
In a centralized, conservative religious group like the Paterism, where top-down rules are strictly enforced, if the top decides so, it becomes the truth..
Those who raised questions could be labeled as heretics or subversive elements..
The history of the Church of Paterism, which has dealt with numerous internal problems in this way, has proven this..
However, it wasn't that easy this time.
Joanna, the party involved, continues to refuse this..
“I know. But that doesn't change the fact. It's all my will. Even though I found Oliver in Landa, I did not report him, met him secretly, and raised my voice to the Chugi Priest. It was all my will. It's not because I was controlled by him..”
“Argh! Why are you really doing this?!!”
The paladin couldn't stand it any longer and finally shouted..
The frustration was doubled because everyone was a paladin who knew everyone across a bridge..
Joanna answered the question.
“Because that's right.”
***
“However, it still rains so shamelessly. please····. Please don't abandon us..”
Merlin begged..
The prison at the bottom of Seonghwangcheong. In the deepest part of it all.
Oliver sat down and looked down at Merlin in silence..
An eternity of silence filled the dungeon, and finally Oliver spoke..
“I can still see it in my eyes.”
Merlin slowly raised his head while holding on to Oliver's trousers..
Thanks to you I was able to see it.
The sight of Oliver's face submerged in darkness, the darkness filling all around, flashing and twitching his eyes and mouth..
The darkness around me felt like my stomach. A stomach full of anger and hatred.
“I can see the sins of everyone, including the elderly, in my eyes. As vividly as if it was happening right now.”
Merlin closed his eyes, and Oliver finished speaking..
“I am······. I can't do it.”
The fact that I can't do it.
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