Chapter 36: Crisis? (2)
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Oliver, his eyes closed from the flashbang’s aftereffects, continued to move as he followed Mari’s lead.
Fortunately, since he had covered his eyes with his arm, his vision returned not long after.
As he opened his eyes, what greeted him was a damp stone wall, puddles of stagnant water, scurrying rats, and only Mari, who was supporting him.
"...Mari?"
"Yes, Master!"
"How did you...?"
"I apologize for disobeying your order to flee. If you wish to punish me, I’ll accept it after we escape safely, but for now, please overlook it."
Oliver observed her emotions and could tell that she was sincere.
Without any pretense, she genuinely felt guilty for not obeying Oliver’s command.
Even though, in the end, she had saved his life.
"...How did you get here?"
"I couldn’t bring myself to flee without you, so I followed afterward. I found this location from the Apothecary and received a sewer map and some supplies."
Ah, now it made sense. The flashbang from earlier must have also been something the Apothecary provided.
Had he anticipated this situation?
"Still, we were lucky. Arriving just in time to meet you… The gods were on our side."
No matter how many times he heard it, the phrase always felt ironic. A Black Magician being aided by the gods… Was that even possible?
Oliver thought once more about the strange entity he had seen at Joseph’s secret altar.
Something crafted from the entangled corpses...
"The old man on the horse..."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, nothing... Anyway, you did something dangerous."
"...I'll accept the punishment as soon as we get out."
"No, thank you. For saving me."
At those words, Mari’s eyes widened, and her face flushed red. Even her ears turned crimson.
"Th-this way. We need to go this way."
Mari abruptly turned down a side path as she spoke.
"Where is this…?"
"The Wineham sewer is complicated due to several uncoordinated developments. If we take a few detours, they won’t be able to follow."
"...I don’t think that’s quite right."
Oliver, focusing his senses, noticed several paladins chasing them from various directions.
They seemed quite familiar with the layout of the sewers, as they were spreading out to create a net around them.
"They’ll catch up if we keep going this way. Is there another route?"
Oliver grabbed Mari, who had been leading them, and pulled her to a stop.
Hurriedly, Mari pulled out a map and checked.
"Uh... In that case… this way!"
Oliver followed Mari’s directions.
They narrowly avoided one crisis, but they were not entirely out of danger.
Each time they managed to put some distance between themselves and the pursuers, another group of paladins would close in, shrinking the net around them.
At this rate, they would be caught in the endless game of cat and mouse.
Something more aggressive was needed.
"Mari, do you have any emotions left? I’ve nearly used up all of mine."
"Yes, I brought one."
Mari took out a test tube.
As soon as Oliver received the test tube, he focused his senses. There were a total of ten enemies approaching.
They were divided into five groups, and fortunately, due to the support, the paladins were trailing behind their comrades.
It wasn’t a bad idea to bring reinforcements, but as a result, they were indeed at the rear.
Oliver extracted the emotion and imitated the "Obedience" spell he had seen before, casting it on the rats scurrying around.
Squeak-! Squeak-!
Thankfully, the spell wasn’t too consuming. He continued to cast Obedience on every rat they encountered while fleeing, forming a small swarm.
Squeak—! Squeeeak! Squeak! Squeeeeak! Squeak—! Squeeeeak—! Squeeeak——!
"W-what is this…?"
"Rats. They’ll buy us some time."
With those words, Oliver stopped moving and cast another spell toward the swarm of rats staring at him.
[Fighting Spirit]
Under the influence of the spell, the rats gained enough courage to attack people. At Oliver’s gesture, they split into five groups and charged at the approaching enemies.
As he had anticipated, it bought them some time. Even if only briefly, it was enough for Oliver.
"Mari!"
Oliver grabbed Mari and started running like mad.
Although running so fast made it difficult to breathe, he didn’t let that stop him from preparing for what came next.
Six Hate Bullets and three Black Javelins.
A little while later, as they rounded a corner, they saw three paladins, startled, trying to stomp out the rat swarm. Without hesitation, Oliver fired all six Hate Bullets.
"Damn it!"
The paladins deployed shields from their coats to defend themselves.
As expected, the Wrath Bullets were blocked easily, but Oliver wasn’t bothered. He threw a Black Javelin at each of them.
The Black Javelins, with their piercing effect, broke through their shields and injured them. Taking advantage of the moment, Oliver and Mari rushed past them.
Everything flowed smoothly. Mari, filled with admiration, exclaimed,
"A-amazing!"
"No, it’s not over. They’ve caught onto us and are closing in again. Can we get out if we make it through this passage?"
"Yes, Master! There’s an exit to the surface, and if we hide there, we’ll be safe."
"Good. Then…"
Oliver began extracting emotions again, creating multiple minions.
He assigned each minion with a different spell: Hate Bullet, Wrath Bomb, and Creepy Scream. He scattered them across the ground like mines.
"This should buy us some time."
"Oh, thank goodness…"
Mari sighed with relief.
"Alright, once we turn here, we should find the exit… Huh?"
As they ran around the final corner, Mari’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It was understandable, given that the exit was blocked by a massive iron gate.
"T-this is…"
Mari stared dumbfounded at the oversized iron door.
Oliver knocked on it, hoping for a miracle, but from the sound, it was clear the door was incredibly thick.
"Hmm..."
It was a problem.
With their current supply of emotions, breaking through this brute of a gate was impossible. Even if he extracted Mari’s emotions, using such high-level Black Magic in this enclosed space was too dangerous. They would be caught in the blast for sure.
In other words, they were like rats trapped in a cage.
As if to confirm this, a terrifying scream echoed, followed by small explosions.
Screeeech—!!! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
The minions Oliver had scattered had activated.
It seemed they had inflicted some damage on the paladins, but even so, the pursuers were relentless.
"M-Master!"
"Yes?"
"Please use my emotions. Shouldn’t we fight?"
Oliver looked at Mari. She was serious and resolute.
But, Oliver couldn’t stop thinking about that paladin—the one who had nullified all his Black Magic in an instant.
That paladin, with her radiant light, who had rendered his magic useless...
"Hmm... No, it wouldn’t help. These paladins can nullify Black Magic. Extracting your emotions would just be a waste."
"But we can’t just sit here and do nothing!"
She had a point. However, no solution seemed viable.
Paladins… They were not only strong but also the worst possible opponents for a Black Magician.
It was strange. Facing death, Oliver didn’t feel fear but rather a sense of regret.
There was still so much he wanted to know...
And then, a crucial thought struck him.
"Mari..."
"Yes?! Do you have an idea...?"
"Do you have a lighter or matches?"
"...What?"
"A lighter or matches."
"...Ah, yes. But why?"
Oliver pulled out the Filgaret he had been keeping carefully tucked away.
The Filgaret made from the brilliant light Joseph had shown before his death.
"Could you lend me the lighter?"
Mari, looking bewildered at Oliver's request to light the Filgaret in such a dire situation, nodded as if she had made up her mind.
"If… if it’s alright, I’d like to light it for you."
"Oh, sure… Go ahead."
As Oliver answered, holding the Filgaret to his lips, Mari’s trembling hands carefully lit it for him.
The first taste of the Filgaret.
As he inhaled deeply, the cigarette smoke, along with Joseph’s emotions, flowed into Oliver’s body.
It was... something else entirely...
"...."
There was a deep silence. Mari, sensing the shift, hesitantly spoke.
"Even though it ends here... meeting you, Master, has truly been an honor... Thank you so much."
"...."
Oliver didn’t respond. He remained silent.
As if deeply lost in thought.
After a few moments, footsteps grew louder as a group of paladins appeared.
Joanna, along with her comrades.
They all looked worse for wear, as if they had struggled with Oliver’s minions. Some of their numbers were even missing.
Perhaps because of that, all of them, except Joanna, were seething with anger.
"We’ve got you now, you little rat... We blocked off a few of the sewer’s escape holes, just in case."
"You idiots… Did you really think we’ve never dealt with people like you before?"
Despite their condition, no one pointed out the irony.
After all, they did have Oliver cornered.
Mari stood in front of Oliver, pulling out a makeshift gun.
Although the gun was pointless against these paladins who had swept away gangs and Black Magicians...
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Mari’s breathing grew ragged from the tension.
Seeing this, one of the paladins swiftly raised his cross-shaped gun and pulled the trigger.
Bang———!
The gunshot echoed through the sewer, and blood splattered as a body fell to the filthy ground.
But Mari didn't fall as expected. Instead, a mysterious tentacle emerged from the sewer’s depths, protecting her.
"...What?"
Both Mari and the paladins were stunned by the sight of the unidentified tentacle.
It wasn’t Black Magic of the shadow variety… Though it was similar, something was different. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a shadow—it was darker and more profound, like the abyss of a night sea.
"...!!!"
Everyone recoiled in discomfort at the eerie presence, except for Oliver, who stood calmly.
"...Ah, what is this?"
Oliver muttered.
His usually expressionless face showed a faint tremor as he continued to speak incoherently.
"Is... Is this how it’s supposed to be? Filgaret?! I can feel it. I can feel... the sadness, the anger, the hope... the longing! The joy!! The regret!!! Everything...! I can feel it all!!!"
Oliver’s eyes widened in a crazed expression, staring down the paladins.
Though they would never admit it, for a brief moment, all of the paladins—Joanna included—felt a deep sense of fear as they faced the manic Oliver.
Even Joanna, who was usually steadfast, sensed that Oliver was different from any other Black Magician they had encountered.
Though none of them could explain why, they instinctively knew that this ominous figure had to be eliminated as soon as possible. Yet, none of them dared to act, paralyzed by the strange, oppressive force in the air.
As the heavy, terrifying silence stretched on, one of the paladins finally broke. Screaming in desperation, he raised his cross-shaped gun once more.
"Die, you demon!"
[Hell Summon]
In an instant, Oliver extracted his emotion and scattered it across the floor of the sewer.
The black emotion spread like wildfire, rapidly covering the entire area—not only the sewer but also the paladins themselves—engulfing everything like a painted darkness. The speed was so swift that they had no time to react, no time to even pull a trigger or resist.
They were simply consumed by the darkness.
[Divine Protection]
Only Joanna managed to activate her holy spell, protecting herself.
The same powerful barrier she had used when battling the Dominic Family.
It was a formidable technique, capable of protecting not only herself but her allies as well, yet for some reason, in front of Oliver, it was meaningless.
The barrier flared briefly in a burst of light, fighting against the encroaching darkness, but it was a short-lived resistance.
Soon, the light dimmed, and the barrier collapsed, leaving nothing but Joanna, who was now half-encased in the encroaching shadow, with only her mouth and one eye still visible.
"..."
Oliver approached her silently, staring at her without a word. It was as though he was waiting for her to say something.
With one eye full of fear, Joanna began to speak, though her emotions gradually shifted from terror to resolve.
"Oh, my glorious Father… Thank you for sending your children to this earth and giving us our sacred duties. Though I may not fulfill the divine mission you have bestowed upon me, I believe in your mercy and ask for your forgiveness. Please, have pity on your children and embrace them in your arms... And watch over the ones who will remain..."
She took a deep breath and, with unwavering dignity, looked directly at Oliver.
"Kill me. I won’t beg for my life."
In that moment, Oliver saw a beautiful light within her emotions. It was different from what he had seen in Joseph—a different kind of radiance.
Oliver reached out toward her and spoke softly.
[Deep Sleep]