Chapter 37: Conversation (1)
A dark back alley at night.
Oliver was waiting, sitting there.
Because of the battle that had unfolded during the night, no one had come near this area, but that wouldn’t last long.
A low humming sound came from a car, and soon, headlights illuminated the narrow spaces between the alleyways.
"Is it here?"
"Yes."
The car stopped, and two people got out while talking to each other.
Both voices were familiar—Mari and James, the subordinate of the Apothecary.
"Here it is."
"Ah... Damn, it’s real. I thought it was all bullshit."
James, who wore a mask over his face, looked at Oliver as if he was stunned.
To be exact, he was staring at the pile of Holy Knights behind Oliver.
"Hello, James."
Oliver stood up and greeted him.
James, still tense, returned the greeting while continuing to look in disbelief at Joanna and her subordinates, who were sprawled on the ground.
"Uh... are they all dead?"
"No, they’re asleep."
"Asleep? No, never mind. Don’t explain it... How in the world could a Black Magician take down a Holy Knight...? But why didn’t you kill them?"
"I didn’t want to kill them."
"Huh? You didn’t want to? They’re going to try to kill you!"
"Even so, I didn’t feel like killing them. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"Wouldn’t it be troublesome if a Holy Knight dies?"
Oliver recalled the conversation he overheard from the Dominique Family.
Even those brave people had assumed that after killing a Holy Knight, they would have to flee the city. They didn't know exactly what would happen, but they were aware that there would be consequences.
James couldn't deny it.
"Well, yeah. You’re not wrong. It’d be a huge hassle if a Holy Knight died... But just letting them go like this would be troublesome too. So, what are you planning?"
Oliver looked at Joanna, who was in a deep sleep.
"Well, I’m thinking of having a conversation."
"A conversation? Are you going to try and convince them not to chase you anymore?"
"That, and I’m also personally curious about a few things."
"Look, I’m asking this seriously, so don’t take it the wrong way... Are you out of your mind? They’re Holy Knights, and you’re a Black Magician. You’re like a cat and a mouse. How do you expect to have a conversation?"
"When we first met, we exchanged a few words... so wouldn’t it be possible to talk?"
"Oh, God."
James called out to God. It was truly ironic.
No matter what profession people were in, they sought God in moments of frustration. A truly equal being, it seemed.
"I’m curious to see how you’ll convince them."
Suddenly, a third voice interrupted. However, this too was a familiar voice—the Apothecary’s.
"Boss..."
"It’s fine. They’re out cold, aren’t they?"
The Apothecary calmly removed his mask, and despite James’ attempt to stop him, he walked over to Oliver.
"Let me ask again. How do you plan to convince that young lady? She doesn’t seem like the type who would listen."
"Hmm... Well, I haven’t really thought about that part."
It was a shameless answer, but the Apothecary, instead of getting angry, laughed as if he found it amusing.
"That’s just like you. Well, fine. Thinking ahead is my specialty... But first, let’s be clear about something. You shouldn’t have made contact with the Holy Knight. If you had just run away like I told you, it could’ve ended much more peacefully. In short, that was foolish."
At that, Mari became angry.
"Apothecary! That’s too much. Oliver isn’t your subordinate! How can you say he should’ve just done as you told him? Besides, these people weren’t the kind to give up easily. Running wouldn’t have solved anything!"
Mari was more upset about Oliver being insulted than she would have been if it were about herself.
James was about to say something when the Apothecary raised his hand to stop him.
"My, my. I misspoke. I apologize. I spoke too harshly to someone I do business with... But there’s also some truth in what I said. I didn’t tell you to just run away. I told you to buy time. Did you really think I’d sit back and do nothing while my valuable business partner was in danger?"
Mari looked confused, and Oliver just maintained his usual expression.
The Apothecary turned his head toward Mari.
"Why do you look so surprised, miss? I was already negotiating with Pater Church through my contacts, trying to arrange for them to withdraw the Holy Knights."
"Is that even possible?"
Oliver asked in surprise. He didn’t know much about it, but judging by the girl named Joanna, it didn’t seem like such negotiations would work.
"Every organization has its weaknesses. Especially ones that have been around for over two thousand years. It didn’t even make sense for them to dispatch a Holy Knight here in the first place. Just because some Filgaret was sold, they sent such a rare Holy Knight to this rundown place? And that young genius, no less? Something’s off."
"Genius?"
"Yes, a genius. She was raised by the main church and is considered a prodigy. Her faith and determination are extraordinary. The fact that she brought down both Dominique and Anthony so quickly is proof of that. Those two weren’t easy opponents."
"Ah, I see."
"Yes, this genius coming after us is because another competing organization that isn’t happy with our growth must have bribed some political forces that needed results. In a way, she’s a sacrificial lamb."
"I see."
Oliver nodded without much emotion.
"In any case, it’s a relief that you didn’t kill her. If she had died, things would have gotten out of control, but since you captured her, we have leverage... No, we’re in a position of strength now. There are a few people who would be in trouble if she failed."
"I don’t quite understand... What’s your point?"
"My point is, I’m going to negotiate with the head of the Celland Branch, with her as my bargaining chip. I’ll ask them to withdraw, claiming they’ve successfully dealt with the Black Magicians. If we hand over a significant amount of money, it should work... In short, I need you to keep her with us for a few days. But she mustn’t be hurt any further."
"Yes, that’s possible."
The Apothecary laughed, pleased with Oliver’s prompt response.
"I like your quick answer... May I ask one more thing?"
"Yes, please."
"In the end, I’m helping you, so can I consider this a gesture of goodwill?"
"A gesture of goodwill?"
"A show of friendship. Helping each other when needed..."
Oliver glanced at the Apothecary and then at Joanna.
After a long pause, he responded.
"...Yes, let’s do that."
...
A safehouse owned by the Apothecary.
Oliver was there, along with Mari, Senior and Intermediate Disciples, and James, among other subordinates of the Apothecary.
They were guarding the Holy Knight and her subordinates while the Apothecary negotiated with Pater Church.
At first, everyone was tense, but now they had relaxed a little.
Don’t get the wrong idea, though. It wasn’t carelessness; there was a solid reason for their ease.
"Damn, are you really able to see all the rooms at once?"
James asked as he practiced emotion extraction, beads of sweat forming on his forehead from the effort.
"Yes, it’s a bit confusing, but I can manage."
Oliver answered, keeping one eye closed.
Currently, Oliver had synchronized his vision with a minion, keeping watch on the Holy Knight and her subordinates, who were locked in separate rooms.
In addition to the minion sharing his vision, Oliver had placed three minions equipped with Wrath Bombs and Hate Bullets in each room, which had helped keep things relatively calm.
James, who had just succeeded in extracting emotions, spoke.
"That’s amazing. You’re doing the work of several people by yourself... Meanwhile, I’m still just learning how to walk."
The emotion in James’ hand stabilized, but then his concentration faltered, and its shape began to blur.
At that moment, Oliver touched James’ hand, giving him indirect assistance.
"This is how you do it. Can you feel it?"
"Oh, yeah, I can. Thanks."
"It’s nothing... You couldn’t even extract emotions not too long ago, but now you can. If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to do it like I do."
"Man, I wish I were dumb enough to fully believe that... Ugh!"
James focused on the emotion in his hand again.
"Good. Now just keep it in that state."
"For how long?"
"For as long as you can."
"It’s tough."
"It’ll be fine."
"What’s fine?"
As James and Oliver were talking, there was a knock at the door.
"Mari?"
"Yes, it’s me, sir. May I come in?"
"Yes."
With permission granted, Mari cautiously opened the door and entered.
"I have something to report."
"Has the Holy Knight woken up?"
Oliver, already aware of the situation through his minion, asked.
Mari nodded somberly.
"Yes."
"Hmm... Is she able to talk?"
"She doesn’t seem willing, but she’s capable of it."
Oliver nodded mechanically. That was good enough.
"I’m sorry, but James, I have something to attend to. Can you practice on your own for a bit?"
"Oh, sure... But I’m really curious. What exactly are you going to talk to the Holy Knight about?"
"I’m not sure myself."
"You’re not going to harm her, right?"
"Harm her...? What do you mean?"
"I mean, you’re not going to... Never mind. I said something weird."
James waved his hand, as if telling Oliver to forget about it, and Oliver was about to leave when James called him again.
"Sorry to bother you, but I really need to know. Why didn’t you kill the Holy Knight? And what do you want to talk about?"
Oliver stopped and thought for a moment before answering.
"Because she was beautiful..."
"Beautiful...?"
"Yes."
"I mean, yeah, but... Are you the type who judges by looks? No, never mind. It was my fault for asking. Talking to you always leaves me feeling confused."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Just don’t cause any trouble."
"Understood. Take care."
Leaving James behind, Oliver headed to the basement with Mari, where the Holy Knight was being held.
They were on the second floor, so they had to pass through the hallway and down to the first floor. Along the way, they encountered several Disciples and subordinates of the Apothecary, all of whom respectfully bowed to Oliver.
Some of them even seemed genuinely respectful, so Oliver reflexively asked Mari.
"Why are they acting like this?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"They seem to be... treating me kindly."
"That’s because you’re a great Black Magician who single-handedly defeated a Holy Knight."
"Really?"
"Yes... I swear, it’s an incredible feat. Truly."
Mari’s words were sincere. Indeed, thinking about how even the Dominique Family wanted to kill a Holy Knight to make a name for themselves, it was probably a big deal.
"Well, I guess they’re strong, so that makes sense."
Oliver spoke, unaware of the gravity of his words.
He didn’t fully understand how significant it was to single-handedly defeat a group of Holy Knights.
But who could blame him? He was the one who had actually done it.
"Sir."
"Yes, Mari?"
"May I ask you a question?"
Oliver stopped walking, sensing the seriousness in her tone.
"Go ahead."
"What exactly was that in the sewers?"
She was referring to the mysterious black magic that had subdued the group of Holy Knights in an instant.
An absolute darkness that dominated the space and incapacitated the enemies in one fell swoop.
Oliver, who still had a faint memory of it, had tried to use the same black magic again, but he hadn’t been successful.
It seemed that the magic required his own emotions as a material.
"I’m not sure myself."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"..."
Mari remained silent.
Oliver, looking at her, asked.
"Why are you asking about that?"
"...I don’t know anything."
"Pardon?"
"I don’t know anything about who you are, sir."
"…? I don’t know much about you either, Mari."
"…Yes, that’s true."
Oliver examined Mari’s emotions.
Though it was hard to understand, she harbored feelings of disappointment, regret, and sadness toward him.
Normally, he would have ignored such things, but he hadn’t forgotten that it was Mari who had come to save him in a moment of absolute crisis.
"Well... Let’s talk later."
"Sorry?"
"Let’s talk about who I am and who you are. I owe you something, Mari."
Mari didn’t reply and simply bowed her head.
For some reason, she seemed happy, though Oliver couldn’t quite understand why. She was a truly puzzling person.
"Sorry, but can I go handle my business now?"
"Yes, sir! Sorry for taking up your time."
"It’s fine. You saved my life. Take a rest."
At his words, Mari bowed her head again, and Oliver entered the room at the far end of the basement, where the Holy Knight was being held.
"Hello."