Chapter 30: The Guest (1)
After acquiring the materials, a few weeks passed.
Oliver, as if trying to wash away the shock from that time, minimized his meals and sleep, spending his time reading any book he could find in the study.
It was as if he were a child turning away from an unbearable truth.
Though everyone worried about Oliver’s behavior, no one dared to say anything.
The first reason was that his usual demeanor had changed, and the second was that despite this, he still fulfilled his necessary duties, such as emotion synthesis and attending lessons.
Thus, while Oliver performed his obligations, he frantically devoured books.
And through this, he discovered a few interesting facts.
For instance, the consumability of emotions.
Emotions, as energy derived from the soul, have a kind of shelf life from the moment they are extracted. Although special preservation methods or black magic can drastically extend this shelf life, in the end, the emotions either evaporate or deteriorate, a fate that cannot be avoided.
Oliver was shocked by this and searched for a way to prevent it.
However, even after nearly reading all the books in the study, he couldn’t find a solution.
The more shocking fact was that even if emotions remained inside a person’s body without being extracted, they were fluid, capable of changing over time and due to the surrounding environment.
Despite having learned so much about black magic, Oliver felt more emptiness and loss than joy over these revelations.
How could he describe this?
Perhaps it was akin to a man who had attained wealth and fame, only to realize, upon facing death, that everything was ultimately meaningless.
If emotions inevitably change, then even the beautiful light he had seen from Joseph and the Lightning Mage would one day disappear as well.
Oliver silently gazed at the emotion he had carefully preserved from Joseph, feeling something indescribable.
He couldn’t keep this beautiful light, which he had barely managed to obtain, forever.
“...”
Suddenly, Oliver thought.
Why did he want to keep this emotion in the first place?
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed strange. He had never really thought about what he would do with it.
Wasn’t it similar to a child picking up a pretty stone just because it was beautiful?
You pick it up and claim ownership simply because it’s pretty, without considering what to do with it afterward. It was instinct, nothing more.
Oliver suddenly found himself facing a question he should have considered from the start.
What would he do with this emotion?
If he just kept it, it would eventually disappear… How could he make the best use of it?
As he pondered this question, a knock came from the door.
“... What is it?”
“It’s me, Master. Mari. We need to start making the Filgaret… Should we do it ourselves, or would you like to join us?”
“...”
Oliver didn’t answer and remained silent.
Somehow... it felt like he was close to finding a clue.
Oliver hastily searched through the bookshelf. He was sure it was here somewhere.
Ah... Shortly after, Oliver found the book he was looking for.
It wasn’t a formal book but rather an old, yellowed notebook with information about the Filgaret clearly written inside.
The Filgaret, which is now used as a drug, was originally a type of sharing tool that allowed one to indirectly feel the emotions used as its ingredient. Written in red ink was a note explaining how it could extend the preservation period of emotions several times over.
Seeing this, Oliver looked again at the emotion he had extracted from Joseph, as if he had finally found a way to use it.
After a long silence, Mari spoke again.
“Master? Is something wrong?”
“... No, nothing. I’ll come with you.”
...
Oliver visited the workshop with Mari.
The preparations for the work had already been completed, but Oliver noticed something strange.
He had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t paid attention, but now he realized it.
“Mari?”
“Yes, Master?”
Mari answered politely, placing her hand over her chest and bowing slightly.
“Has our workload always been this large?”
Oliver asked, looking at the piles of cigarettes, water, and emotions, far more than he remembered.
“No, it wasn’t like this before. The order volume has increased in the past few weeks because of the positive response to the Filgaret made with your synthesized emotions. Even the apothecaries have begun supplying us with emotions...”
Oliver scratched his head.
He had left the organization’s work to Mari and Peter while he immersed himself in reading, not realizing how much things had changed during that time.
Apparently, not only had the demand from the Anthony and Dominique Families increased, but even the amount of synthesized emotions had grown as well… Well, it didn’t really matter, did it?
“... Let’s get this done as quickly as possible.”
With that, the work began.
The temporary disciples were tasked with preliminary work, while the lower disciples handled other labor.
The senior and intermediate disciples were in charge of the chemical process of mixing emotions into the distilled liquid from the second extraction.
Instead of participating directly, Oliver observed the work and gave instructions for adjustments, just as he did during lessons.
“Control the flame temperature.”
“Transfer the distilled liquid immediately after receiving it.”
“If you handle it this way, the emotions will blend better.”
Each time, his subordinates responded loudly and carried out his orders.
Although things didn’t improve drastically after just one correction, there was visible progress.
Thanks to this, the work progressed much faster than during Joseph’s time.
It was as if they were all part of one machine. Once the process stabilized, Oliver turned to inspect the finished Filgaret.
It was said to be of higher quality than what Joseph had made, recognized not only by those within the organization but even by the apothecaries.
Oliver’s Filgaret induced a state of awakening from anger with the first puff, only to follow with a sense of peace brought on by maternal love.
Strangely, Oliver realized that he had never actually tasted one himself.
Although he had once wanted to try it, now he didn’t.
Why? Because he wanted his first taste to come from the Filgaret made with Joseph’s emotions, which he currently carried with him.
Oliver pondered how he could make the most out of Joseph’s emotions.
He observed the ongoing work but soon shook his head.
That method wouldn’t work.
Although the process was meticulous to minimize the loss of emotions, it still involved diluting them with water to increase the quantity.
Oliver didn’t care if the amount was small; he wanted to experience Joseph’s emotions as purely as possible.
To manufacture the Filgaret using that method would be a kind of insult to Joseph’s emotions.
Then, how should he make it?
Should he directly infuse the emotions into the cigarette? No, that would be difficult.
He needed a medium to prevent the emotions from evaporating and bind them together.
As he thought it over, a memory surfaced in Oliver’s mind—of the meeting with the Anthony and Dominique Families.
At that time, someone had taken a drug to test Oliver, a substance made by infusing the Muscle Up spell into liquefied life force.
That was it.
After a while, the work was done.
Everyone looked exhausted, and Oliver gave them formal words of appreciation and ordered them to clean up and rest.
They gladly did so, and once the cleanup was complete, Oliver approached Mari.
“Mari.”
“Yes, Master?”
“Could you bring me some life force? The freshest one, if possible.”
“Oh, of course! I’ll get it right away.”
Mari, for some reason, seemed happy as she went to fetch the life force and soon returned with a vial containing vibrant energy.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
“... If you don’t mind me asking, may I know what you’ll use it for?”
“No, there’s no need for you to know.”
Though not cold, his answer was formal, maintaining a certain distance and politeness.
However, for some reason, Mari felt a deep sense of disappointment and sadness, emotions so strong they were visible on her face.
Oliver couldn’t understand why she was acting this way, but just then, Peter cautiously interrupted.
“Master... we’ve finished cleaning up.”
“That was quick.”
“Yes, everyone worked together, so it didn’t take long. Is there anything else you’d like us to do?”
Oliver looked around before answering.
“No, you’re all dismissed. Take some time for yourselves.”
“Yes, understood.”
Peter nodded and informed the other disciples that they could rest, and they all left the workshop, as if aware that Oliver had something to do here.
Meanwhile, Mari remained standing like a statue.
“Mari…”
“Yes, Master? Is there something else you need?”
“No, nothing. You can leave now.”
Once again, disappointment flashed across her face, along with intense loneliness and a hint of obsession.
“Is there really nothing I can help with...?”
“No. Absolutely nothing. You may leave.”
At Oliver’s repeated words, Mari finally bowed her head and left.
What could be said? She had shown signs of such behavior since the time Oliver personally taught her black magic, but it seemed to be getting worse.
Still, those thoughts soon faded as Oliver refocused on his priority—creating a Filgaret with Joseph’s emotions without losing any of it.
Oliver retrieved a pack of cigarettes, the life force Mari had brought, and Joseph’s emotions.
“Hmm... no, no.”
Suddenly, Oliver murmured as if he’d realized something.
He was getting too excited, preparing to make the Filgaret without even practicing first...
The method Oliver was about to attempt had never been tried before.
He couldn’t predict what problems might arise during the process.
And yet, he had planned to use Joseph’s precious, limited emotions without even testing it?
It was a foolish idea.
Oliver went to the storage and retrieved a random emotion.
He then opened the vial of life force and began to practice immediately.
Without any specific theory, he simply followed his intuition.
The first thing he extracted was the life force.
Beautiful energy gathered in his hand, and when Oliver clenched his fist, the life force condensed and turned into liquid.
Next, Oliver extracted the emotion and mixed it with the life force.
Surprisingly, the life force blended with the emotion much better than the processed distilled liquid. It was as if they were originally one.
Well, in a way, that made sense—they were both energy derived from the soul.
Oliver stored this information in his mind as he further condensed the fused emotion and life force.
It bubbled and thickened into a viscous liquid, and Oliver poured it into one of the cigarettes.
“Hoo— Hoo—”
Oliver blew on the heated cigarette and examined it.
The emotion had been stored in the cigarette with almost no loss, and with the added life force, it felt even more intense.
It was as if the emotion were alive inside a person’s body.
Once Oliver confirmed that the method worked, he practiced again.
Once, twice, three times, four times... as greedily as he could.
After multiple rounds of practice, both the life force and the cigarettes were nearly depleted, and Oliver decided it was time for the real thing.
He extracted the last bit of life force, gathered his energy, and infused Joseph’s emotions.
As soon as Joseph’s emotions mixed with the life force, the beautiful light Oliver had seen when he first extracted them appeared again.
Oliver, captivated by the sight, condensed the emotions further.
He couldn’t afford to lose even a fraction of it.
Under Oliver’s careful control, the life force fully absorbed Joseph’s emotions, just as before, and condensed into a thick liquid form, bubbling in midair.
Oliver poured the viscous liquid into the final cigarette.
“Haa... haa…”
The freshly completed Filgaret.
Oliver stared at it in silence, mesmerized.
Thump... Thump... His heart beat slowly as he held the Filgaret with trembling hands.
He brought the cigarette to his lips. Then he looked for a lighter.
“Ah...”
Oliver suddenly realized he didn’t have a lighter.
At that moment, Peter knocked and entered the room.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
Oliver, his emotions heightened, spoke louder than usual.
Peter, startled, quickly calmed himself before responding.
“Uh... a guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
“Yes, it's James from the apothecary.”