166. Postprocessing (2)
Palang…. Palang…. Palang….
Hotel rooms overlooking the outside scenery.
There Oliver was reading a book.
The book is nothing but a book about the devil that Edith received.
Because of this and that, I always read only the first part and couldn’t go any further, but I had unexpected spare time, so I’ve been reading through it now.
The book contained only basic information about the devil, as Edith said. The content is not very in-depth, only a brief overview.
“Hmm·····.”
It’s not without regrets, but Oliver tried to think as best as he could.
I didn’t have the proper knowledge about this anyway, so it’s a good book to read for the first time.
“It’s a little sad though…”
Oliver mumbled as he had almost finished reading the first part of the book.
At the beginning of the book, there was a brief description of the devil, but it was only a story you’ve probably heard of at least once.
Demons are evil beings who live in hell, and are contrary to the gods who want to corrupt humans and make the earth sick.
It was just a different shape, just a plain sound.
Of course, if there was no new information, it was not.
At the end of the first part, there was a rather interesting passage.
[There are many sinners and demons who have committed terrible sins in hell, and there are seventy-two lords who rule the great hell and one holy demon king who rules over them.]
One demon king and 72 monarchs… I was immediately interested in the specific numbers.
It may be a funny thing to say, but I even felt some kind of joy at those who didn’t even know their name.
Was it because I got the piece of knowledge I so desperately wanted?
Rubbing his tired eyes, Oliver moved on to the next part.
As the description of the 72nd monarch was written, expectations soon turned to disappointment.
Because the portion was very thin.
Most of the descriptions of 72 monarchs did not exceed one page, and even that one page was not completely filled.
Most of the parts that could be read properly could not exceed three lines at most, and there were many cases where the number was only one or two words.
Other than that, there were only meaningless lines of letters, blank spaces or maliciously painted ink stains, overlapping letters, and upside down, left and right letters.
It was more like a doodle field than a book. It is a graffiti where you can feel the evil towards the reader.
The tangled, intertwined, and overpainted letters made me dizzy just looking at them, causing eye fatigue along with dizziness.
“Hmm·····.”
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Nevertheless, Oliver did not give up, rubbed his eyes and looked at the book again.Forrest told me not to leave the hotel until called. Why not make the most of that time?
“Well?”
Oliver stopped at one point.
Isn’t there a relatively intact page?
[50th monarch. Old man on horseback.]
The moment he saw the word, Oliver thought of Joseph.
The moment we fought in the abandoned hospital.
He appeared when one side of Joseph’s body flew away.
old man on horseback. The corpses scattered around were merged to show the figure.
I still remember well.
Rotten flesh and skull were woven into a small horse, and the arms, legs, and intestines shaped the figure of an old man.
An image that is so intense that it sticks in your mind.
However, apart from that, there was no sense of intimidation. I didn’t mean to be rude or rude.
On the contrary, even thinking about it now, the fight itself was not an existence.
Simply strong and weak, just another existence.
Then a very obvious question arose.
Then why didn’t the being see itself and attack it? Apparently, you dealt with Joseph.
Rather than attacking, the existence reduced the sense of intimidation and took care of Oliver, put his hand on his chest and bowed down to greet him politely.
It was a question I should have had earlier… Why the hell was that?
“Hmmm…. Are you polite?”
Oliver mumbled a reasonable reasoning and read the page below.
Whether God helped or not, the loss was relatively small.
“The 50th monarch, an old man on a horse. He was originally an angel, but he himself fell into hell. The reason he chose Hell… I can’t read this part… He always rides a pale horse, and he likes to make things. among them····. Person? are you human? He likes to make people, and he can pass on the knowledge he wants to them if he only asks for help by mastering a lot of knowledge. Instead, those who have been taught are to serve as eternal slaves to the elderly after death. Five······.”
Oliver nodded in admiration.
I am so glad that I found a page that I can read properly.
It was interesting there too.
Even the devil likes to teach people.
Of course, the part of becoming his servant forever after death takes some time, but I thought that if I spoke well, I might be able to receive instruction at a different price.
Wouldn’t it be great if the devil taught you anything? I felt the need to take the time to think about this slowly and seriously.
‘But why did you fall into hell yourself?’
According to the sutras of Pater, Heaven is a place full of all joy, rest, and peace in the world, whereas Hell is a terrible place where pitch black darkness descends 365 days a year and ironically, burns forever with brimstone.
There was such a difference in the environment, and I was curious as to why the old man on a horse had to go to hell.
I was even more concerned about the traces that seemed to have been intentionally erased.
······Maybe they like warm things. It is said that the older you get, the colder you get.
widely-
Oliver put the bookmark on and closed the book.
My eyes were blurry and my head was dizzy because I read the book too hard.
I tried to read it to the end as much as possible, but it seemed that the woes of the mission were not fully resolved.
‘It’s a bit strange… I think I got enough rest.’
It was questionable, but it was definitely true that I was tired. So I decided to rest for a while.
It was also around lunch time.
Oliver got up and walked to the hotel restaurant.
***
slurp.
When Oliver visited the hotel restaurant, a uniformed waiter passed by, pulling a serving cart full of plates.
He bowed his head as he passed by, and he looked quite busy.
“Are you here for dinner? Guest”
Another waiter came and spoke to Oliver.
“Yes···. But, what is that?”
Looking at the serving cart full of food, Oliver asked.
“It’s food to take downstairs. It’s a small meeting.”
“Meeting?”
“It is a social gathering of young gentlemen and ladies.”
“Oh, I see····. I’m here to eat, do you have a seat?”
“of course. I will guide you.”
The waitress guided Oliver with a breathing natural smile and skillful gestures.
The restaurant was quieter than usual, which allowed Oliver to sit by the window, where competition was always fierce.
There are many people who covet this place overlooking the landscape outside Landa, so they pay a lot of money to make a reservation, but I was lucky.
Oliver didn’t really care.
Oliver pretended to look at the menu and ordered a suitable meal.
“Can you give me one of these? Mr Finley.”
The waiter with a name tag Finley answered.
“Yes, guest. Please wait a moment.”
The waiter tried to smile in response to Oliver’s kind smile. But this attempt also failed.
Even if I thought about it in my head to laugh, it was awkwardly twisted.
“…by any chance, is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”
Seeing Oliver’s failed smile, the employee asked anxiously.
Oliver shook his head no, and the waiter nodded and left.
It was a bit sad. After coming to this hotel, I used the restaurant and practiced talking to the staff naturally, but I couldn’t put a smile on my face.
Maybe some kind of disease?
“Are you okay? You must have been disappointed in something.”
a voice suddenly heard. It was strangely familiar.
As I lifted my head, a familiar woman caught my eye.
Beautiful woman with pink hair. It was none other than Jane.
Edith’s out-of-married child, or someone Oliver once guarded.
“······miss?”
At Oliver’s brief remark, Jane smiled a bit sadly.
She sat down in the seat across from her and opened her mouth.
“Yes, it is me. long time no see.”
“Yes·····. long time no see.”
Oliver answered. It’s been a really long time.
After hearing abusive comments from Edith, I locked myself in my hotel room and couldn’t see my face properly until the escort period was over.
After that, Oliver went through a lot of things like Mattel and Kell Free Independence Army.
As Oliver looked back on the past, Jane spoke again.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“uh····. maybe? Maybe I did something wrong?”
“no. I just think he’s a special person. Usually other men say, ‘How are you?’, ‘You’ve become pretty’, ‘You’ve changed a lot.’, ‘Do you remember me?’”
“…is that normal courtesy?”
“Um, maybe?”
Upon hearing Jane’s reply, Oliver nodded quietly. That’s normal etiquette…
“how are you?”
“under·····. Yes, I had a good time. Do you?”
“Me? .
“Then I’m glad. I was worried about what you were doing.”
“Thank you for your words.”
“The coat is nice. Is it wizard style?”
Jane said, pointing to Oliver’s cloak. It was a cloak given by Forest, and according to the manual, it was a cloak with a wide range of magic resistance.
“Well, yes… you have changed your style a lot, too.”
These words were sincere.
Jane now was in a very different state from what she had seen in the past.
In the past, Jane looked like the typical wealthy lady in a billboard, with her voluminous hair hanging down and an uncomfortable-looking dress.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Now Jane had her voluminous hair neatly tied up, and instead of a dress, she wore a tight shirt, vest, and riding pants.An independent style that can only be seen in a group of solvers. However, that style emphasized Jane’s charm to the fullest. It looked a lot more natural.
“Hmmm… Does it suit you?”
“Because I don’t know about that… Still, if you have to answer, you look like a lady.”
“I will listen to it as a compliment. Anyway, nice to meet you again. What are you doing here? vacation?”
Oliver thought for a moment, then nodded.
Exactly the reason we stayed at this hotel was for safety reasons.
The royal family matters that Oliver found out were too big and important, and he had to stay here just in case something unexpected happened.
To the extent that Forrest tells him not to come out until he calls him, and even gives him money.
But Oliver just nodded his head, as he couldn’t explain it as it was.
“Yes, it is a break.”
“Hmm, that’s right…”
Jane looked in disbelief. Oliver decided to change the subject of the story.
“What did you come here for, Mrs. Is it a break?”
“No, I came to work the other way around.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah, I’m here for a meeting.”
Jane pointed down the floor.
“Oh, I see····. What kind of meeting is this?”
“Well. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a friendly gathering. Boring, tired…. So I evacuated here for a while. But let’s go! I met you here.”
“okay.”
Upon hearing the answer, Jane’s disappointment shone slightly.
She wiggled her hands slightly and opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t even greet you properly the last time we parted. I’m sorry. You protected me until the end.”
Oliver shook his head. like it’s nothing. It really wasn’t a big deal.
“You don’t have to think like that. I was just doing my job.”
“Is that so…? That’s fortunate.”
Strangely, unlike words, Jane once again lit up feelings of regret and sadness. Why are you doing this?
“················ogue.”
“················ogue.”
There was an awkward silence with him. Jane asked with a small smile.
“Have you changed a lot too?”
“Yes?”
“When we first met, he asked a lot of questions. All of a sudden, I have a lot of questions. By any chance, what’s wrong?”
“ah·····. It’s not a big deal. I’m a little tired. I just read the book.”
“A book? What book did you read?”
As I was about to respond reflexively, words caught in my throat.
I was reading a book about the devil that my father gave me. Can’t you answer that?
As I was contemplating on what to do between saying “I can’t answer” or saying “I can’t answer”, the communication device in my arms rang with good timing.
beep- beep- beep-
Oliver apologized to Jane and then received the communication device.
Of course, Forrest’s voice was heard in the communication device.
“····Oh, I see. Yeah? me? …but it doesn’t matter. Yes, I understand.”
After exchanging a few words, Oliver stood up.
“Something has happened and I have to get up and see.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a bit difficult to tell because it’s this business. It was nice to meet you.”
Oliver greeted Jane with formal etiquette and words, leaving the bill and tip behind.
After a while, the waiter came over with a plate of steak.
“Guest. The food is… yes?”
“I’ve got work to do… Like that steak, he doesn’t give me a glance.”