Chapter 41: Conclusion (3)
Knock, knock...
The sound of knocking on the door.
Without turning his head, Oliver, who was reading a book in his study, responded.
“Come in, Mari.”
As soon as he gave permission, Mari opened the door with a creak and entered.
In one of her hands, she carried a tray with a sandwich on it.
“Greetings, Master.”
“Yes... Is something the matter?”
“I brought this because it seemed like you weren't eating.”
Oliver slightly turned his head to glance at Mari.
“...Thank you.”
Mari smiled as if it was nothing and placed the tray down.
At the same time, she glanced at the book Oliver was reading.
It was a tome from the Anthony Family, among many other books stacked around him.
“...Is something wrong?”
“Oh, I was just curious about what you were reading. My apologies.”
“No... It’s a black magic book from the Anthony Family. It’s well-written, especially about manipulation-type black magic. Things like animal manipulation, human manipulation, and corpse manipulation.”
“Haven’t you already mastered those, Master?”
“No... I’ve only imitated them. I never fully understood how they work. For example, I didn’t know until reading this that controlling the living is harder than controlling the dead, and controlling humans is harder than controlling animals.”
Oliver placed his hand on a book by Dominique and continued.
“I’ve also learned that depending on how you interpret and apply disease-type black magic, there are various ways to use it.”
“You truly are remarkable.”
“Not really. After reading your Master’s books, I realized there’s far more knowledge out there, but unfortunately, the books here only contain traces of it. None of them are fully written.”
Oliver looked at the bookshelves filled with books.
“Is that so...? Have you read nearly all the books here?”
“Not all, but most? I’ll finish soon enough.”
“Ah... Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“I’ve noticed that lately, you haven’t been eating or sleeping properly. I’m concerned you’re overexerting yourself.”
“...Have I failed in my duties somehow?”
“No, absolutely not! Quite the opposite! Everyone holds you in the highest regard...!”
Mari passionately spoke.
“Even though it's tough for everyone, they truly respect you, Master. Why wouldn’t they? You’ve given us proper education, money, meals—all the things we once only dreamed of... You can even tell if you go to the dining hall now. You’re... incredible, Master.”
“...I’m glad to hear that.”
Oliver responded indifferently and resumed reading.
It was a natural reaction. From his perspective, he hadn’t done any of this to earn respect or love.
He had simply fulfilled what he considered his duty.
Now that he had freed himself from the bothersome chores and become a Master who could issue necessary orders, it was the bare minimum he had to do.
Thus, Oliver didn’t feel particularly elated by the respect and loyalty he received.
He had just done what was expected...
Mari, however, felt a sense of frustration at Oliver’s indifferent response.
Part of her frustration stemmed from how Oliver didn’t seem to understand how great his actions were.
But another part of her frustration came from not being recognized as someone important to Oliver.
This frustration grew deeper and started to stir within her in a negative way.
Anxiety, obsession, desire, self-loathing, and then... smack—
“Mari.”
Oliver suddenly closed his book.
Startled, Mari responded.
“Yes? Master...?”
“Now that I think of it, didn’t we have an agreement?”
An agreement? Mari thought for a moment before recalling.
“Ah... Yes, you said we’d have a talk.”
Mari’s pale face turned bright red.
At the time, she had childishly complained when Oliver showed interest in the Holy Knight. She didn’t know what had gotten into her...
Despite that, Mari harbored some sense of anticipation.
Perhaps she could share something special with Oliver...
“I made a promise, so I should keep it... But, before we talk, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes... Master.”
“Why do you want to know more about me, Mari?”
A simple question, but one that was hard to answer.
Mari remained silent for a long time.
She couldn’t figure out how to respond to that innocent question.
As the silence stretched on, Oliver spoke again, seemingly interpreting her silence differently.
“If you don’t want to answer—”
“—No! It’s not that!”
Mari raised her voice unintentionally.
“It’s not that I don’t want to answer... Could you wait a bit longer for my reply?”
“...Sure. Take your time.”
Oliver waited as promised. After what felt like a long time, Mari finally spoke with difficulty.
“I... want to be your closest aide, Master.”
“My closest aide?”
“Yes, I want to serve you closely.”
“...Like a chief disciple?”
That was both right and wrong.
While Mari certainly desired that position, she wanted something even more. She just couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
“You may not realize this, but no one has ever helped me as much as you have, Master.”
“Me?”
“Yes... You taught me black magic and trained me. You’re the only one who’s done that.”
“...? Didn’t I only teach you in exchange for you teaching me how to read?”
“But the two can’t be compared.”
“Isn’t value relative?”
“Even so, it was an enormous help to me. Honestly, I had almost given up on becoming a black magician. But thanks to you, Master, my vague hope has become something clear. I’m really grateful.”
“Well, I’m also grateful to you, Mari. You helped save my life. So, no need to be so thankful. Besides, wasn’t your first step toward becoming a black magician thanks to your original master?”
“My original master...? You mean Joseph, right?”
“Yes, Master Joseph.”
When Joseph’s name was mentioned, Mari’s emotions grew confused, and eventually, she erupted in anger.
“Yes, he took me in and helped me, but... he’s nothing compared to you, Master.”
“Me?”
“Yes! He kept me as a temporary disciple, claiming I lacked talent! If you hadn’t come, Master, I would’ve spent my whole life preparing meals in the kitchen!”
Mari took a deep breath, her emotions fluctuating between betrayal and rage.
But that lasted only briefly. Seeing Oliver, she quickly regained her composure.
“That’s why you’re the one who truly helped me, Master Oliver.”
Her words were filled with sincerity. Yet Oliver remained as indifferent as ever.
He didn’t understand nor empathize.
“Well... but isn’t it true that Master Joseph was the one who took you in?”
“You said it yourself, Master! He was going to sacrifice us as offerings to demons! He was only using us!”
“Is that so? Well, even so, it’s true that he helped... Oh, and didn’t Master Joseph also save you when you were nearly assaulted by thugs?”
Mari’s eyes widened in shock, her emotions swirling uncontrollably.
“...”
“Ah... Did I say something wrong?”
“...How did you know about that?”
“Master Joseph mentioned it to me in passing when we met in Landa.”
Mari let out a small groan, as if her darkest secret had been exposed.
Her feelings became a whirlwind of discomfort, shame, anger, and injustice, while Oliver silently observed her emotions.
He sensed he had made a mistake but didn’t know exactly what it was.
“If I’ve done something wrong, I’ll apologize again.”
“...No, there’s no need to apologize. You’re my master, and what you said is true... I think I once told you about my past?”
“Yes... You said you wanted to become a black magician to grow stronger.”
“Yes... That’s right. My parents and I were all so weak...”
Mari started recounting her story, about living in an illegal shantytown beneath a dye factory.
She spoke of how the factory dumped filthy wastewater right next to their home, and how they couldn’t say anything about it.
When her mother collapsed from illegal labor, they couldn’t protest.
When her father was beaten to death by local thugs, they couldn’t do anything about it either.
In the end, when she sought revenge against those thugs, she almost ended up being violated by them instead.
At first, Mari spoke calmly, but as the story progressed, her emotions began to rise, and by the time she finished, tears were welling up in her eyes.
“...And so, I ended up being taken in by Joseph, and now here I am.”
“I see...”
“Yes, there was a time when I thought of Joseph as my savior. But as time went on, and after hearing what you said, I realized it was all a misunderstanding.”
“That’s... unfortunate.”
“No, you don’t have to feel that way. Thanks to that, I met you, Master.”
“...”
“In the end, what I’m trying to say is that you gave me a new chance at life. So, I want to serve you closely. That’s all... nothing more.”
“I see.”
“...So now, Master, could you tell me your story?”
“My story?”
“Yes. I’ve told you about myself, so now I’d like to hear about you... Can’t you tell me?”
Oliver was silent for a moment.
“...I don’t have much to say, but if you’d like, I’ll tell you.”
“Then please, I’d love to hear it.”
“Well, in that case...”
And so, Oliver began telling his story.
He started with his time at the orphanage, describing how many children there were and how strict the headmaster had been, without adding any personal emotion.
His mechanical retelling felt more like listing rules than narrating a life, but Mari listened with all her attention, reacting with sorrow and anger whenever Oliver mentioned being bullied or unjustly punished.
The storyteller himself, however, seemed detached, feeling no emotion.
Although there wasn’t much substance to it, Oliver spoke at length, as Mari had requested, detailing his life as much as possible.
But it wasn’t something he could finish in one day. So, as if it were a ritual, Mari visited the study every day to hear more of Oliver’s story.
Like a moth drawn to a flame.
As time passed, the Joseph Family under Oliver's leadership also gradually stabilized.
Before they knew it, some of the higher disciples, including Peter, had become proficient enough to synthesize emotions and produce Filgaret without Oliver’s assistance.
“Ah, so you were able to see emotions from the start?”
“Yes, I thought everyone could see them, but it turned out they couldn’t. That’s why I was so glad when I met my Master.”
“Ah...”
Several of the higher disciples, including Mari, had grown strong enough to challenge Oliver on some level.
As a result, they were now capable of easily subduing common gangs and smaller black magic organizations even without Oliver’s presence.
“Ah... So the Filgaret you smoked at that time was made from Joseph’s emotions?”
“Yes, it was an emotion with a truly beautiful glow.”
“You’re still curious about that light, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I haven’t fully grasped what it is yet... I’d like to see it again.”
“If you wish, just command us. We will risk our lives to find it and present it to you... Yes, all you need to do is order us, Master. This is your family, after all.”
“Hmm, that’s not really...”
“No, Master. We are your disciples. Whatever you desire, command it, and we will lay down our lives to fulfill it.”
“...”
Before long, the season changed to autumn.
Under the bond of loyalty to Oliver, the organization grew even stronger in unity.
The remaining smaller black magic organizations, unable to resist any longer, swallowed their pride and knelt before Oliver through intermediaries.
Thus, the Joseph Family became the undisputed and sole black magic organization in Wineham.
Filled with joy at this realization, Mari woke up from her bed.
After washing up and getting ready, she went to wake Oliver, as she always did.
A privilege only she had.
Knock, knock...
“Master, it’s time to wake up.”
There was no response. Normally, Oliver would have answered, “Alright, Mari.”
Sensing something unusual, Mari opened the door and peeked inside.
What she saw was an empty bed and a note lying on top of it.
[There is no need for me anymore, so I am leaving.]
[PS: Do whatever you’ve always wanted to do.]