Chapter 746: Dave (3)
Everyone wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
That was the effect of Oliver's words—astounding, perhaps even audacious.
No, it might have gone beyond audacious.
Claiming that his presence here meant that the heavens hadn’t abandoned them—that statement implied…
…that he might either be the heavens himself, or their representative.
“······.”
Yet, surprisingly, even as people thought of his words as arrogant, they also found themselves accepting them without question.
It was a contradictory reaction, but one that seemed natural when looking at Oliver, with his partially bleached hair and emaciated frame—one felt compelled to believe him, without explanation or proof.
A calm silence, starkly contrasting with the violence and madness pervading the city, emanated from Oliver. The fearful crowd didn’t reject this peace, either.
All but a few.
“Before evacuating the people, we must first clear the area.”
In the tranquil silence, Oliver’s gaze settled on someone.
They were the corpse puppets who had, until moments ago, been attempting to abduct Prince Albert.
They’d tried to vanish into the crowd when Oliver appeared, but he saw through them in an instant.
His gentle yet piercing gaze targeted the corpse puppets, and those nearby instinctively moved away.
“D-D-Damn it.”
Cursing, the corpse puppets hidden among the people attempted to grab random bystanders as hostages. But…
“Everyone.”
Even that failed. When Oliver called out, they froze in place.
“Hi-Hiiik…”
Those narrowly spared from becoming hostages screamed and backed away, and the corpse puppets, losing what little opportunity they had, stood petrified, staring at Oliver.
Their faces, already corpselike, grew even paler from terror.
“To be honest, I’d like to ask a favor. It would be better if you retreated now.”
As he approached the corpse puppets, Oliver spoke with a calm voice. The puppets responded with silence.
“But you won’t be able to do that, will you? Not for Puppet’s sake.”
Without anyone noticing, Oliver had closed the distance between himself and the corpse puppets, standing just within arm’s reach.
“So, I’ll help you retreat myself.”
Oliver loosened the bandages on his right arm, revealing fingers that looked like charred, withered branches.
Despite the sight of such a painful-looking hand, Oliver’s expression remained neutral as he spoke gently to the corpse puppets.
“Do whatever you wish as well.”
With his permission, the corpse puppets transformed once again.
Their hands sprouted spinning drills, gears, and blades, while guns and cannons protruded from their faces, chests, and abdomens.
Countless deadly weapons emerged, flying toward Oliver like bolts of lightning.
Just before the weapons made contact with him, Oliver—moving as if he existed in a separate timeline—raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap-!
A flash of white flame flared.
And then…
Fssssshhh...
All the corpse puppets turned to ash and crumbled away.
Not just the ones surrounding Oliver but also those scattered throughout the capital, inciting chaos.
The sheer power… it was as if he possessed omnipotence. People stood frozen, stunned, and from within the crowd, two women stepped forward.
“Father. We arrived as soon as the path cleared, just as you instructed.”
“We’re ready, Dave.”
The two women, Eve and Pandora, had suddenly appeared before Oliver and gave their report.
Oliver greeted them as if he’d been waiting.
“Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy.”
“Thank you for your kindness. But we must hurry.”
“The space around us is shifting. Soon, even the World Tree will be beyond control.”
Pandora and Eve advised haste, pressing their urgency.
Oliver nodded, taking a small bean and a twig from his pocket.
They were common enough items, but as soon as they were in Oliver’s hand, they began to emit a green glow, infusing the bean and twig with life as they intertwined and grew roots, becoming a microphone linked to the earth.
“Ma… Mike?”
Correct.
The twig and bean, given new life, formed a microphone connected to the ground through their roots.
Oliver handed this microphone to Prince Albert.
“This… What is it?”
“A microphone. It’s connected to every radio in the capital. Soon, people will arrive here to aid in the evacuation. Your Highness, please announce this to calm the people. If panic spreads, it will make evacuation difficult, even with reinforcements.”
Prince Albert almost blurted, ‘Why me?’
He knew why Oliver was asking him to do this.
Out of everyone present, he held the highest, most credible position. Whatever he might be, he was Prince Albert.
And yet, he’d nearly responded with ‘Why me?’ out of sheer fear.
He felt stifled, doubting whether he had the ability or the right to take on such a role in this crisis.
“Haah… Do… Do I even deserve to do this? It’s the royal family’s fault this happened in the first place.”
“That’s precisely why Your Highness must be the one.”
At Oliver’s firm response, Albert couldn’t refute and hung his head. He was afraid.
“I-I’m not sure if I… if I can do it… I just don’t know.”
“Why don’t you think you can?”
“Because I’m a powerless child. All I’ve ever done is rely on others. That’s all I’ve ever done…”
Reflecting on his own actions, the prince shed tears. Having escaped the palace, learned horrifying truths, and witnessed the city’s chaos and the people’s hatred, Prince Albert cried for the first time.
Freed from their madness, the crowd felt emotions they struggled to describe as they watched the prince’s tears.
“I have no power.”
“Your Highness is far from powerless.”
At those words, the prince slowly raised his head.
Oliver knelt on one knee, bringing himself to eye level with the prince.
“You didn’t look away from what was happening in this city. You confronted your own guilt, and you sought my help. That is courage. And that is why I’m asking for your help now, Your Highness. Because you are a courageous person. Please help me.”
Oliver asked Prince Albert for his assistance, to stand by him.
“······Do you think I can?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t believe you could.”
“Do you truly believe I can do it, just like you?”
“No, I believe you’ll do far better than I could.”
Tears welled up in the prince’s eyes as he rubbed them with both hands.
For quite a while.
“Phew… Pheew… Mister Dave, the microphone… may I have it?”
“Here you go, Your Highness.”
...
For a single, brief instant.
The world turned a brilliant white.
As mentioned, it lasted only for a fleeting moment, so much so that it could have been dismissed as a trick of the eye, but no one ignored it.
The reason was clear. Several figures in front of them had slowly turned to ash and crumbled.
Correction—not people. Upon closer inspection, the ashes revealed that their bodies were a mix of bones and organs replaced with steel and mechanical parts.
Only their outer shell had been human.
“Co… Corpse puppets?”
Someone murmured amidst the confusion.
Those who had incited chaos, the man who’d shouted that orphans and prostitutes should all be killed, the orphan caught setting fires, and the prostitute who incited children to arson—all of them were corpse puppets.
All those who’d spread chaos throughout the city.
“What… Wh-what is this?”
The onlookers, frozen and unable to comprehend the situation, stumbled in their places, as though entranced by a ghost.
At that moment…
[Attention, citizens.]
After the blinding flash and in the midst of everyone’s hesitation, a new voice came over the radio.
The voice was young, almost childlike.
At that sound, people standing amid fires and blood-filled streets stopped what they were doing and turned toward the radio.
[I am Prince Albert.]
“Prince…?”
“A prince?”
“The royal family, the ones who caused all this-”
[-We are under attack. We have been ensnared by a vile scheme, poisoned by the seeds of doubt, fear, hatred, and loathing they’ve sown.]
“Lies! The royal family dares to spew such nonsense?!”
“Right, it’s their fault we’re in this mess in the first place!!”
[And we, the royal family, participated in sowing that poison.]
The voices criticizing the royal family quieted.
[We will not deny it. Whether it was one person or two who took part, the royal family bears the greatest share of responsibility for causing this catastrophe. But please, listen to my voice. Right now, we are heading down the wrong path.]
A few people tried to shout back, but someone else put a hand on their shoulder, signaling them to stay quiet.
[Your true enemies are not the orphans or prostitutes. It’s untrue that they set the city ablaze on royal orders. The fires were set by corpse puppets hiding among them.]
Some still shouted at the radio in denial, but their numbers and fervor were far weaker than before.
After all, they’d just seen the corpse puppets hiding among them.
[Just as one person's sin cannot condemn an entire life, the wrongdoing of a few cannot condemn an entire group. Citizens, please stop now. Don’t add to the sins already piled high. This rage is fueling a catastrophe.]
All across the fire-ravaged streets of the capital, some people wore expressions as though they’d been doused in cold water.
Among them, a few had children gripped tightly, but with the prince’s plea echoing in their ears, they began to loosen their hold. Some children took the opportunity to flee, while others simply watched, confusion mixing with their fear.
Still, a few clung to their fear, stubbornly refusing to let go. They wanted to believe that the fault lay not with them but with others. They repeated, with voices growing thin and desperate, “Lies! Even now, they’re lying!”
“I saw it myself! I saw those orphans setting fires!!”
They fought to justify themselves, as if trying to erase the guilt rising within them.
[It’s not easy, I understand. Facing the truth about the wrongs you’ve committed is terrifying. But that is why we must stop now. We are being tested, all of us. Look within yourselves and ask whether what you’ve done was truly right or terribly wrong. Remember, the divine is watching over us…]
Those who had been shouting at the radio grew silent, gradually releasing the children in their grasp. Freed, the children didn’t run. Instead, they simply looked back at the faces of those who had hunted them, seeing in them a strange mix of fear and sorrow.
[Please regain your senses and restore order. Helpers are on their way. Don’t succumb to despair; endure until they arrive.]
The prince’s voice on the radio was powerful, even to those spiraling into madness, calming their fevered minds.
It was enough to bring some back to their senses, though it could not give them hope.
Most had already realized that escaping the city was impossible.
Though it was still day, the sky was as dark as midnight, and the city’s streets were twisted and unrecognizable.
Perhaps, driven by this inexplicable fear, they had thrown themselves into hunting those weaker than them to stave off the creeping terror. Madness had been the best escape from a terror they couldn’t understand.
Though the prince’s words were true, truth alone wouldn’t solve this crisis.
Now that their frenzied actions had ended, and they could no longer flee into hatred, the citizens began to sink into despair, letting go of hope.
Just then—
Grrrrrroooaaaaahh!!
A dragon, composed entirely of flame, burst forth from the ground, soaring into the sky on a massive pillar of fire.
Its size was so immense that everyone in the capital could see it.
When the dragon leapt, the ground shook; as it took flight, the air trembled; as it ascended, it illuminated the pitch-black sky with its flames.
The dragon didn’t stop there, unleashing a magnificent blaze that scorched the surrounding darkness.
All eyes in the city turned toward the dragon, and a subtle feeling arose within them.
Seeing a dragon—a creature once thought to be a symbol of disaster, a creature humanity had hunted to extinction—stirred in them a feeling of inexplicable hope.
“Truly, life never ceases to surprise.”
As all gazes fixated on the dragon, a strange voice echoed across the city, tinged with a northern accent.
People turned to see figures emerging from the fires that still blazed across the city.
They were using fire as a conduit for teleportation magic.
The sight of such magic, rarely seen, was shocking enough, but when people realized the identities of those emerging, their astonishment grew.
Because the ones stepping out of the flames were—
“Hard to believe we, the Kel Liberation Army, have come to rescue those of the kingdom.”
Wallas, a fighter of the Kel Liberation Army, spoke with a dry chuckle.
“Follow us if you wish to live.”
...
The darkness was thick as though the power had gone out across a part of the palace.
Recently, this area had been restricted, even to royalty.
Only a select few royal secretaries and one specific red-skinned individual were permitted entry.
It was quite an unusual occurrence.
In the royal palace, a property of the royal family, there was an area off-limits even to them, yet open to one red-skinned man.
From this strange place, a voice drifted through the radio.
A voice that spoke, imploring everyone to stop now, insisting that the divine was watching.
If he’d been able to speak, he would have laughed in scorn.
“…B-Brother.”
The red-skinned individual, who regarded even the desperate pleas of the second-in-line prince as nonsense, visibly flinched at the word “brother.”
Bound to silence by an oath to become a prince of hell, he responded only by rising.
“Are… you… there?”
The young boy, his entire body scorched and even his eyes blinded, reached out his melted hands into the void, asking.
At his call, his brother, Unyielding Knee, grasped the boy’s hand.
“······.”
Unable to offer any words, he could only hold his hand tightly.