Chapter 91: A Familiar Face (2)
The city official's mood became overtly irritated at the arrival of the Holy Knights, Elton and Joanna.
Although the reason was unclear, it seemed that he didn't particularly like the existence of Holy Knights, yet he still rose from his seat with proper decorum.
"...It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Paul Carver, from the Landa Ministry of Internal Affairs. I’m genuinely delighted to meet the Holy Knights, the protectors of humanity."
The city official—no, Paul Carver—naturally lied, and in response, the Holy Knight, Elton, returned the gesture with a falsehood of his own.
"We are pleased to meet you too."
"Out of curiosity, how did you get in here? The City Defense Force should be guarding the entrance."
Upon hearing the question, Elton reached under his iron coat and pulled out a piece of paper.
The paper was whiter than clouds, almost as if it emitted light.
"We entered legitimately, as per the clause in the City Agreement. You've done a good job so far, but from here on, we will be the ones interrogating this Black Magician. You may leave now."
Elton's tone was rigid and commanding, fitting his stern appearance.
However, Paul wasn’t one to back down either.
"It seems there’s some misunderstanding. We are not conducting an interrogation. We were merely investigating. This person is not a criminal, but rather a worker affiliated with the Fixer Association here in the city."
Oliver looked at Paul, surprised by his words.
Paul didn’t particularly care for Oliver, but his opposition to the Holy Knights was evident.
Elton responded, "I’m aware. However, that’s unofficial. Given that a Puppet was involved, whether this is an investigation or an interrogation is for us to decide. I’m sorry, but you’ll need to step aside."
"While cooperation is required under the City Agreement, we were the first to begin the investigation, so I ask that you wait for a moment."
"I’m afraid that’s not possible."
"This is not a request. There’s no clause in the City Agreement stating that we must hand over the subjects of our investigation. I’m sorry, but this is Landa."
"Are you obstructing the work of a Holy Knight?"
"I’m just doing my job, as you are doing yours."
The tension in the air thickened.
For reasons unknown, the city official and the Holy Knight detested each other, and the atmosphere became strained to the point of snapping.
Oliver observed the situation with interest. Why were they acting this way?
Just as the tension was nearing its breaking point, a woman entered the room.
She was dressed in a suit, with hair neatly cut like a blade, and Oliver instinctively sensed she was a city official like Paul.
The mood felt similar.
She approached Paul and whispered something in his ear.
Oliver couldn’t quite catch what was said, but Paul's emotions briefly flickered with irritation before he composed himself and accepted the situation.
"...It seems I’ve made a mistake. Something unpleasant happened in the Contaminated Zone, and I acted too emotionally. My apologies, Holy Knights."
"...No problem. It’s good to be diligent in your work. It’s one of the virtues the Father above bestowed upon mankind."
"Yes... Then, I’ll step aside, Holy Knights... Dave?"
"Yes?"
"Please cooperate fully with the Holy Knights’ investigation."
"...Yes. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Carver."
Oliver answered calmly.
...
After the city official, Paul, left, only the two Holy Knights remained in the room.
The tension rapidly dissipated, but in its place, hostility and disgust toward the Black Magician took hold.
It was obvious, even without focusing on their expressions.
"Name?"
The Holy Knight called Elton asked as he sat down.
He appeared middle-aged, with a thick beard and full head of hair, his features sharp and well-defined like a marble sculpture.
His demeanor matched—rigid and stiff.
Oliver observed him calmly before answering.
"My name is Dave. I’m a Fixer in T-District."
Rustle, rustle.
Elton flipped through a file.
"Who’s your handler?"
"Mr. Forest from 27th Street."
Rustle, rustle.
Elton flipped the file again.
"How did you come to contract with him?"
"......"
Oliver didn’t immediately answer but instead studied Elton.
With his thick beard and mane-like hair, Elton looked like a lion, ready to pounce at any sign of weakness.
It seemed fitting, given that Holy Knights existed to hunt down Black Magicians.
Or was it demons?
Either way, Oliver found it unfortunate.
It felt absurd that a Holy Knight would be so automatically hostile to Black Magicians. It seemed rather unfair.
It would have been nice to talk without such animosity, even if they couldn’t become friends.
That way, he could have had conversations with Joanna, who sat beside Elton, as well.
Oliver unconsciously glanced at Joanna sitting next to Elton.
"Hey, are you going to answer?"
Elton’s voice was tinged with anger, prompting Oliver to cautiously ask a question of his own.
"Excuse me, but do I have to answer? It’s a bit personal, so I’m hesitant to share."
Elton clasped his hands together and leaned forward slightly.
"You don’t have to answer. But if you don’t, we can arrest you under the City Agreement."
"...Is that possible?"
"Of course. You’re a Black Magician. A scourge on society and a potential threat to mankind... If it weren’t for the Agreement, I’d—"
Elton stopped mid-sentence, grumbling resentfully under his breath.
Despite everything, he meant what he said, so Oliver decided to comply. Being arrested was too frightening a prospect.
"Understood... I’ll answer. I was introduced."
"Introduced? By whom?"
"By another Fixer who used to work with Mr. Forest. Thanks to that introduction, I was able to easily form a contract with him."
"And who was that Fixer? How did you meet them?"
Oliver hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to answer.
He didn’t want to make things difficult for Kent... But still, it seemed necessary to answer.
It didn’t seem like Elton was genuinely curious; rather, he was just confirming information he likely already knew. If Oliver lied, Elton would surely use it against him.
"Are you going to answer?"
"...It was Mr. Kent."
"Kent?"
"Yes, he was the first person I met when I came to the surface."
Oliver lied.
It was a lie Kent had helped him concoct, claiming that Oliver had been sold as a Black Magician and trained in isolation for his entire life, without ever seeing the sun.
Kent had suggested this cover story, and Oliver agreed it was the best option.
Fortunately, Elton didn’t seem particularly suspicious.
‘Is that common?’
"Where were you before you were sold?"
"In a mine."
"A mine? Where?"
"I’m not sure. It was just a mine."
"Any notable features?"
Features...
"It was dark, deep, and had many children. The overseers often beat us. May I ask why you’re asking?"
"I ask the questions. As a Black Magician... Did you encounter the Puppet alone?"
"Yes."
"What were you thinking? You must have known of Puppet’s reputation as a Black Magician."
Elton’s emotions flared with suspicion.
Oliver answered as he had with Paul earlier.
"Because it was the only way I could survive."
"Is that why you confronted the notorious Puppet alone?"
"I didn’t go alone. I went with other companions."
"Yes, I know. A former soldier-turned-Fixer, and two Black Magicians hired by the Goodman Mercenary Group. I’ve already investigated it all. You were the only one who actually met Puppet... What did you do when you met him?"
"We talked, fought, and I lost. Then, he let me go."
"Let you go?"
"Yes, he said he’d had enough and found me amusing."
"Amusing? In what way?"
"I’m not sure. We exchanged a few words during the conversation. Perhaps something I said struck a chord with him."
"...What did you talk about?"
"Various things. He spoke about his research."
"What research did he mention?"
"He said he was working on creating people... To be precise, resurrecting them."
"Resurrecting people?"
"Yes, that’s what he said."
Elton, still suspicious, pulled out a notebook and began jotting down notes.
The sound of scribbling quietly echoed through the room, and then Elton asked another question.
"It’s curious. Why would Puppet tell you something like that?"
"I don’t know. He answered because I asked."
"Just because you asked?"
"Yes, he had a kind personality."
"Kind?"
Elton's expression grew stern, as though he were dealing with someone or something repugnant.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Who knows... Perhaps the fact that you learned Black Magic was your first mistake. Do you know about Puppet’s reputation?"
"To some extent... There are rumors that he’s lived for hundreds of years without dying, and that he’s involved in various activities—drug dealing, mercenary work, illegal medical practices, and even demon worship."
"That’s correct. Beyond that, he’s carried out countless human experiments all over the world. I’ve seen the terrible results firsthand. Once, he took over a small village and cruelly used dozens of families as test subjects, like animals."
"I see."
Oliver's calm response made Elton's face harden even more.
It didn’t make sense. What was he upset about?
Even in the F-District laboratories, it was common knowledge that many human experiments were secretly conducted. Were the Holy Knights unaware of that? Or did it not matter if the experiments were carried out by Magicians instead?
He still couldn’t fully grasp human emotions. People were so fickle—sometimes hyper-sensitive to a situation, other times completely indifferent.
It was so inconsistent and erratic.
But that’s what made it interesting.
"We, the Holy Knights, pursue Puppet for that very reason. His mere existence endangers innocent people. Though we’ve taken him down several times, he always resurfaces, as if mocking us... One of my goals is to rid the world of him and make it a safer place."
"I see."
"In that sense, it’s very strange... that Puppet would show you any mercy."
"As I said earlier—"
"—I don’t believe it. And the fact that he revealed his goals to you? That’s extremely suspicious."
Elton's eyes flashed with intensity, as if he wanted nothing more than to strike Oliver down right then and there.
"Can you prove that you have no connection to Puppet?"
"Prove it?"
"Yes, prove you’re not involved with him."
Oliver tried to think it through logically.
"...How could I prove that?"
"If you can’t, we’ll need to interrogate you further."
It was a bluff. Though Elton’s intentions were serious, he couldn’t actually torture Oliver at the moment.
He was hoping that pressuring him with words would provoke Oliver into making a mistake.
"I can only tell you that I have no connection with him."
"Is that so? Then let me ask you this. Black Magicians will do anything to become stronger, won’t they? Didn’t Puppet offer you some kind of deal?"
"No, nothing like that. Although, I was offered something similar by another Black Magician in the past."
"Oh? What kind of offer?"
"He suggested I join him in handing over beggar children and women to the Black Hand, promising that doing so would allow me to rapidly increase my power."
"What did you say in response?"
"I declined. It seemed like joining the Black Hand would make it easier to learn Black Magic, but I couldn’t agree to something like that."
"...What exactly bothered you?"
"The idea of offering up children and women. Even if they’re beggars, it didn’t sit right with me... Is there a difference to you, Holy Knight, between beggars and non-beggars?"
Bang!
Elton suddenly slammed his fist on the table.
Even without using divine strength, the table split in two. Without his emotions, Oliver knew that if Elton attacked him now, he wouldn’t survive.
He hated pain.
Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate.
Joanna, sitting next to Elton, quietly calmed him down by whispering something in his ear. Elton regained his composure almost immediately.
What had she said?
It was a shame Oliver couldn’t ask. Given his current status, he couldn’t risk speaking out of turn.
It truly was a pity.
'I wish I could thank her. Thanks to her advice, I’ve been able to explore the world and have so much fun... Such a shame.'
Elton sat down again and resumed the questioning.
"So, to summarize, you claim there’s no connection between you and Puppet?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
Elton stared at Oliver for a moment, then stood up and left the room.
Even he seemed to feel it was a pity.
...
Afterward, Oliver remained in the room for several hours before he was finally allowed to leave.
Despite the serious demeanor of both the city officials and the Holy Knights, nothing significant seemed to happen in the end. Oliver felt fortunate.
He wanted to experience more, but he wasn’t ready to get caught up in this kind of commotion just yet.
There was always the option to abandon his current identity, but he didn’t want to resort to that if possible. He had built up too much to give it up easily.
For instance, even though he had met Joanna, he couldn’t even exchange greetings with her.
It was such a disappointment.
"Here’s the item you left."
A woman behind the glass counter handed Oliver a small pile of belongings.
His belongings weren’t anything remarkable—an empty test tube, a wallet-sized Greedy Pouch, and a leather case holding the pouch.
The woman spoke.
"Carry illegal items like the Greedy Pouch more discreetly. We’re letting it slide this time due to the circumstances, but if you’re caught again, it’ll be troublesome for both of us."
"Ah, yes. I’ll be more careful. Thank you for your kind explanation."
The woman looked at Oliver with slight surprise.
Oliver asked her a question.
"May I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Do you know where my quarterstaff is?"
"Quarterstaff?"
"Yes, it’s a wooden staff with bandages wrapped around the middle."
"Is it important?"
A voice came from behind him.
Oliver answered.
"Yes, it’s important. It was a gift... Joanna, Holy Knight?"
Oliver turned to see Joanna holding Kent’s quarterstaff.
"You know my name?"
"...Didn’t we meet earlier? In the room."
"I never told you my name."
"Ah... Didn’t you?"
"No. I didn’t."
Joanna answered firmly.
Ah... That was rather awkward. Oliver had slipped up, saying her name by mistake.
Should he say, ‘You just look like a Joanna’? No, that would sound even more suspicious, so he decided to let it go.
In the end, Oliver changed the subject.
"That’s my item, by the way, Holy Knight."
"I know. That’s why I borrowed it for a moment. I wanted to check if there were any evil enchantments on it."
"I see... Did you find anything?"
"No, it’s clean... May we have a little chat, Oliver?"