Chapter 643: Central Continent (1)
Beeeep…! Beeeep…!
Drrrrrrrr-!
The W-District could only be described as a haven for the homeless and impoverished.
Recently, after the Redevelopment Coalition finished renovating the X-District, this characterization became even more pronounced.
There was nowhere else for the people displaced from the X-District to go but here.
As a result, while W-District housed many people, it was simultaneously the least vibrant of any district.
The only residents were those who wouldn’t mind if the world ended tomorrow.
Maybe that’s why…
W-District suffered the worst damage from the invasion of the Pied Piper.
The hordes of rats and zombies that appeared between buildings left deeper scars in W-District than anywhere else.
The corpses littering the ground, the pools of stagnant, rotting blood, and the maggots swimming in that blood stood as grim evidence.
Because of this, rumors even spread that a plague was circulating in W-District.
However, life is full of unexpected turns. Not everything was negative.
With everyone working together in the aftermath of the Pied Piper’s invasion, W-District managed to attract a little attention.
The police, government officials, and various citizen organizations distributing aid were evidence of this newfound interest.
"Sir, here you go."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
“There’s plenty of supplies, so please wait calmly.”
“Next in line!”
The City of Landa, which had long touted “freedom” and neglected the lower areas of the city, was now pouring unprecedented attention and funds into the slums, joined by citizen groups eager to join the wave.
Among these groups were the Sisterhood and the Chosen Ones.
“Oh, good to see you, Mari.”
“This is surprising for me.”
When Mari appeared in W-District, accompanied by her subordinate dark magicians, Jane, who was distributing relief supplies with other Sisterhood members, greeted her.
The greeting seemed tense, but it was certainly an improvement compared to before.
To underscore this, Jane laughed with a small “hmph” and excused herself momentarily.
“Would it be alright if I took a short break?”
“Of course.”
Once her colleague granted permission, Jane went to a secluded corner with Mari to talk.
“Hehe. Is my attire really that unexpected?”
Jane asked, dressed in worker’s clothing rather than her usual dress or formal wear. The contrast between her innocent appearance and attire exuded a strange charm.
“It’s just a little unusual, given you don’t usually wear that sort of thing. But I get it. Working in an expensive dress would be an eyesore, wouldn’t it? And it’d be inconvenient.”
“It’s not only about attire. I also didn’t expect the Sisterhood to be here.”
“Oh, why so skeptical? We’re interested in relief work too, you know. Our focus may usually be on women, but we’ve broadened that recently.”
“Is this policy shift because of your conflict with Lady Miranda?”
Without warning, Mari struck at Jane’s sore spot.
“Aren’t you diving a little too deep?”
“Since we’re working together, isn’t it fair to ask?”
Despite Mari’s boldness, Jane only gave a wry smile, relieved more than anything.
Considering how she hadn’t even wanted to speak to Mari at first, this was significant progress. Jane decided to continue on this path rather than disrupt it.
“I didn’t intentionally keep it from you. The timing just wasn’t right... But you’re not wrong.”
Jane admitted.
She had engaged in a sort of power struggle with Lady Miranda, one of the Sisterhood’s leaders.
The reason was simple.
While Jane was abducted by a fan, Lady Miranda tried to swallow up the business Jane had built.
To put it bluntly, it was a turf war.
Jane had nearly lost everything, but she managed to stop Miranda at the last moment.
Thanks to Oliver, who came to rescue her in person, and her biological father, who covertly thwarted Lady Miranda’s schemes.
Jane was grateful for the former, while her feelings about the latter were complicated.
“It ended relatively well. I lost some businesses, but I expected that much. I managed to protect more than I lost. Most importantly, I gained allies within the Sisterhood from this ordeal.”
“Allies?”
“Yes, the Sisterhood may have originally been a women’s advocacy group, but it eventually morphed into a profit-seeking group for those with money. And the wealthiest of them all is Lady Miranda.”
Jane refrained from explaining the process in detail. Over time, things tend to change naturally.
“But after clashing with Lady Miranda, I now clearly know who my allies are. There may not be many, but it’s not a bad start.”
“You’re quite resourceful.”
“It’s less about my resourcefulness and more about the men who helped. Dave rescued me, and even Edith supported me. It’s truly ironic. I got into investments to prove my value, yet in the end, I relied on men at the crucial moment.”
“Life is a series of ironies.”
Mari offered her heartfelt response, and Jane smiled at her words.
“Exactly. And that’s why I’m here, doing this. Showing kindness to those around us is the best way to ensure our own safety. Now, it’s my turn to ask: are you here for relief work, too? I heard you’ve been busy with the founding of the Bright Faction.”
“I’m here for an investigation.”
“An investigation? …Ah! Because of the plague?”
Mari nodded.
Currently, in W-District and the surrounding slums, not only were zombie hordes roaming, but sporadic outbreaks of plague were also occurring.
So far, the outbreaks hadn’t reached a critical level due to strict quarantine measures at each report. Nonetheless, everyone remained on high alert.
It was understandable; after all, the plague stemmed from the Pied Piper’s invasion.
The City of Landa deployed police and military forces to quarantine the infected areas and called upon the Holy Knights to purify the regions while enlisting the Tower’s magicians to investigate and research treatments for the disease.
They had to be prepared to resolve the situation themselves if it came to that.
Naturally, the soon-to-be-established Bright Faction was also mobilized.
After all, those who practiced dark magic were the most suitable for this task.
“You’re not wrong.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No... I just have a bad feeling.”
“Although I don’t specialize in disease-related dark magic, there’s no need to worry.”
“No, I just heard a disturbing rumor.”
“...?”
“They say the quarantined areas due to the plague are deep within the slums. While the main roads have been cleaned due to their location, no one’s touched the interior. It was dangerous before, but now it’s become even more so.”
Mari looked in the direction Jane pointed. It was the depths of the slums, a maze of alleyways like an ant nest. The eerie atmosphere unique to the slums was even more concentrated there.
“There are rumors that something even more terrifying and unknown than zombies or plague is lurking in there.”
“That’s a bit vague.”
“It can’t be helped. That’s how the only person who barely made it out described it. He seemed half-crazed, as if he’d seen something he couldn’t unsee.”
“...”
“He claimed there’s something horrifying in there. He didn’t know what exactly, but he was certain it wasn’t something to be ignored. Some officials even suggested burning it all to the ground.”
Setting part of the city on fire may sound insane, but it was a serious consideration.
Plagues are the city’s worst enemy, and a plague born from dark magic is even more lethal.
Though the City, the Holy Knights, and magicians are doing their best, the scope of damage remains extensive, and priorities naturally emerge.
The slums, unfortunately, are lower on that priority list.
In the worst-case scenario, if the situation deteriorated, they might have to make a grim decision to save the rest.
“Who would have thought they’d send the hero’s close allies into such a dangerous place?”
“I asked them to place us here.”
“Sorry?”
“I didn’t specifically request a dangerous location, but I did ask them not to hold back in our deployment.”
“And why would you do that?”
“So that the Representative can feel at ease.”
A dark magic faction that could stand independently without Oliver.
Mari understood this was Oliver’s wish.
In fact, she’d known all along.
Even before he left the Joseph Family, Oliver had laid the groundwork for them to be self-sufficient.
She knew what he wanted, what he hoped for them.
To become people who could stand on their own.
But in the end, she had chosen to resist this ideal.
“Did something change your mind?”
This time it was Jane who asked. Although Mari found the question slightly irritating, she answered, since they had joined forces.
“For the same reason as you. I want him to be happy… since he’s carried burdens he didn’t need to, all because of me.”
Mari thought back.
To the time when Oliver had first left, to when they met again, and to when he risked his life returning to Wineham to save them and help them settle in Landa.
In doing so, he had tied himself down to too many things and weighed himself down needlessly.
This realization now filled Mari with regret.
From the start, it had been wrong.
Trying to restrain someone like him was unnatural.
It was only now that she recognized her own foolishness and selfishness.
He needed to leave.
With the end approaching, an unfair, chaotic, and painful fate awaited them all.
She needed to let him go, just as the woman on the camel had warned.
Resolving herself, Mari parted ways with Jane and, with her subordinates in tow, ventured deeper into the slums of W-District.
Just as Jane had mentioned, the scent of decay and the abundance of corpses made it resemble hell itself.
However, her thoughts soon dissipated as if washed away by water.
Something deeper within had caught her attention.
She didn’t know what it was, but one thing was clear—it was something far more dreadful than zombies or a plague.
“Director?”
It wasn’t only Mari who sensed it; her subordinates, pale with fear, turned to her, beads of cold sweat rolling down their faces.
Their instincts screamed for them to stay away, their bodies so tense it affected their very muscles.
They looked as if they might start screaming and flee at any moment.
Mari felt something similar but found her body reacting in the exact opposite way.
Instead of retreating, she surged forward, heading even deeper.
She’d seen something like this once before.
Just before Oliver left, when he confronted a Holy Knight, and at the very moment he ignited the filgaret and spread it across the ground.
Even as her mind raced, Mari quickened her pace, and soon she arrived and saw it with her own eyes.
There, between cracks in the ground and fractured buildings, was an ominous black light glowing.
It was hell incarnate, proof that the apocalypse was inching closer...
...
“Ohhh! You’ve arrived?! We’ve been waiting!!”
After an emergency landing in Gallos, Oliver parted ways with Yareli and Derek and headed toward the central part of the continent with Kevin, following Archpriest Roderick.
The journey was relatively smooth.
Unlike air travel, moving by land posed no particular problems.
All Oliver had to do was listen to Roderick’s explanations about the dark magicians of the central continent. Though, admittedly, that in itself was a challenge.
“He’s a master at twisting facts to maliciously manipulate others.”
That was Kevin’s assessment after listening to Roderick.
After all, he had reviewed the report provided by Fourth alongside Oliver.
“Please, come right in. From here on, I’ll be your guide.”
Despite the discomfort of hearing Roderick’s sly explanations, Oliver and Kevin finally arrived at their destination: the Kingdom of Aizan.
Aizan, a small kingdom near Gallos, immediately welcomed Oliver with great fanfare upon arrival. A middle-aged man greeted him with exaggerated enthusiasm.
He introduced himself as the chamberlain of the kingdom.
“A chamberlain?”
“It is a noble title, entrusted with the honor of assisting His Majesty. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the heroes who have come to help our kingdom.”
So, it was as he’d suspected.
Once again, Oliver found himself dealing with royalty, which left him feeling more awkward than surprised.
He had come to assist the Archpriest Roderick, yet here was a member of the royal household. Then again, he understood why.
According to the information Fourth had gathered, Roderick’s influence extended far beyond imagination.
By controlling security through the Holy Knights and the economy through the Church’s bank, his reach spanned the central continent.
The task Oliver was undertaking was significant...
So, Oliver decided to show respect.
“I’m grateful for the warm welcome.”
“Oh, it’s nothing excessive! Such modesty! After all, you are the hero who saved the city from the Pied Piper.”
At the mention of the Pied Piper, a glint of intrigue sparked in the chamberlain’s eyes.
It was as if he could read Oliver’s thoughts.
Noticing this, the chamberlain began to speak rapidly, showering Oliver with words, possibly as a way to steer the conversation elsewhere, but fortunately or unfortunately, his voice soon faded.
This was because a familiar voice suddenly echoed from the communication device attached inside Oliver’s shirt collar.
[Greetings, Father. It’s been a while.]
It was the voice of Pandora, one of the artificial minds of the World Tree.