24. Joseph (1)
Oliver got off the truck and walked straight along the yellow exterior wall, just as the letter had written.
Thanks to this, I was able to not get lost in an unfamiliar environment, but after a while, I was able to see a huge square and a fountain in the middle.
In the center of the large fountain, a statue of a baby angel was peeing, and around it were benches, hot dog booths, and ice cream booths.
The visitors did not appear to have threatened men, women and children.
After looking around, Oliver went near exit 3, as the letter said.
Still, he did not stop looking around, and it certainly looked very different from Wineham.
It wasn’t just that there were a lot of people or that the colors were flashy.
Beyond that, people’s emotional states were also different.
In Weinham, negative emotions such as nervousness, depression, anger, sadness, and hatred were predominant.
At least in this square, people had more positive emotions such as relaxation and tranquility, kindness and mercy.
Sometimes it was expressed as a sense of superiority in the deep sea, but overall it was much brighter.
Oliver wondered.
What is the difference between this place and Wineham? What makes people’s emotional states so different?
But more curious than that was the other side of the city far from here.
It was exuding more negative emotions than Weinham.
He couldn’t see it closely with Oliver’s eyes now, but he could feel it vaguely.
It was so dark and life-like that it could not be compared with Wineham, emanating from afar.
Even though there is a distance, it is clearly the same city, but the difference in light and shade is so great… It was interesting and I wanted to know why.
“Are you here?”
Instead of observing the city, Oliver turned to one side and bowed his head politely.
Standing in front of him stood Joseph in a shiny silk hat and cloak.
They were very similar to the people of Landa, and perhaps Oliver wouldn’t have noticed if he had distinguished people by appearance rather than emotion.
Joseph was amazed.
“Are you good enough?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Money?”
Oliver slammed the bag tightly behind his back.
Joseph laughed and started walking with Oliver.
“I’m sorry, I was originally supposed to avoid running money errands like this, but this time the situation is special.”
“no···. But may I ask you a question?”
“What?”
“Where is Andrew?”
“Ahh···. being treated now It’s not legal, and it requires a lot of money, but from a warlock who is sure of his skills.”
“Ahh···. okay.”
Oliver answered, examining Joseph’s feelings. He staggered as if he were lying, but he didn’t stumble.
Oliver frowned at the rare sight he had ever seen before, and Joseph brought his face closer in response.
“For now, let’s go to the hotel today.”
“hotel···. Are you talking?”
“Yes, the hotel. It’s a great place.”
***
Joseph’s words were not parables or metaphors.
He went to a huge hotel near the square.
The hotel was large and luxurious, and there were a lot of people who looked wealthy, but there was an old-fashioned blue moon written on the front door.
Joseph seemed familiar with this place, but when he saw him, he greeted him warmly to see if he actually knew the hotel doorkeeper, bellboy, etc.
“hello. Mr. John.”
“hello. Mr. John.”
“Yes, yes. nice to meet you nice to meet you.”
Oliver looked at him without saying a word, and Joseph turned his head and asked.
“Why are you surprised?”
“Yes?”
“I asked if he was surprised that I was used to such an expensive hotel.”
“no····. Absolutely.”
“Ha, is it? I was usually surprised. The reason I’m used to it here is that I usually visit Landa first when looking for a disciple. And I stay here every time I visit. Do you know why I am staying here?”
“uh····. How cool is that?”
“hahahaha, that’s not entirely wrong. But it’s not completely correct. I have memories of my childhood.”
“…are you talking about memories?”
“Yeah, memories…. Well, stop for a second.”
Joseph stopped in front of an iron gate and said,
A large needle and a number were engraved on the iron gate, and the direction the needle pointed became from 6 to 5, and then it was set to 4, 3, 2, 1.
Ding dong—
When the iron door opened automatically, a small space appeared, in which a bellboy stood.
“welcome. Guest. What floor would you like me to take you?”
“Please go to the third floor. Jackson. The gloves are nice. Did you get a new one?”
“Yes that’s right. Thank you for the compliment.”
Joseph took Oliver inside.
When the bellboy pressed the button next to the door, the door closed and the space began to move.
“This····.”
“It’s an elevator. Don’t worry it’s safe. right. Jackson?”
“Yes, of course not.”
After a while, the space stopped, and the door opened.
Joseph took a bill from his pocket, gave it to the bellboy, and brought Oliver out into a room.
I was distracted, and as soon as I entered the room, Joseph said:
“First of all, let’s check if the errand was done well, shall we? Put your bag here.”
Joseph taps on the table.
Oliver took off his bag as instructed and placed it on a nearby table.
Joseph opened the bag, took out bundles of money one by one, and began to stack them on the table.
“···. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty. 30 bundles of 100,000 Randa notes. You just got it right.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good work. There aren’t many kids who can do errands like this.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, bills have magical powers. If it piles up, it all makes you think stupid. It might be unfortunate.”
Oliver tilted his head, not understanding.
“. What kind of black magic is it?”
“Black magic? under····. Well, it’s not like that.”
Oliver tilted his head again. The conversation was subtly out of focus, but I didn’t bother trying to get it right.
Oliver stood silently for a moment, then opened his mouth carefully.
“master. So, am I done with my work?”
Joseph asked, putting the money back into the bag.
“for now? why?”
“Then, can I just go back?”
“why? Why are you going back already?”
“uh····. If there is nothing to do, I think it would be more convenient for the owner to step back. Is there anything you need?”
“okay. of course it is I’m going to pick up Andrew tomorrow, and I need someone to help me.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll leave you alone.”
“You’re good…. But before that, there is one more thing I need to help you.”
“Tell me.”
“You should have dinner with me today.”
***
It wasn’t a parable or a metaphor either.
In the evening, Joseph bought Oliver a decent suit and took him to the hotel’s restaurant.
Then we sat down together in the best place overlooking the scenery outside.
“You’re dressed up like that, so you’re pretty good looking. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“Yes.”
Oliver answered, glancing at the first suit he was wearing.
It wasn’t really that uncomfortable, but it felt like my posture was corrected according to the clothes.
“I’m glad that…. Oh, I ask you to eat what you always eat. joy.”
After ordering from Waite, Joseph looked at Oliver again.
The two looked at each other silently, but after a while, Joseph finally spoke first.
“Oh My God····. You don’t really talk like that? Even when we first met, he asked a lot of questions.”
“ah····. sorry. At the time, I was so excited.”
“no no. It’s not that I’m scolding you, I’m asking if you have anything to say. Usually when you’re alone with me, you say anything. Ask a question, or even Abura…”
Oliver remembered the children who flattered the supervisor in the mines of the past.
“Today is really . . . Are you cool?”
“I’ll turn. I really don’t mean to be flattering. Why do you put a question mark at the end of that?”
“sorry. master.”
“under···. Really, do you have any questions for me? For example, when I brought you in, why did I just leave you as a temporary apprentice? Even though I say this, isn’t it like a blow in the back of the head?”
“deep····. I think it makes sense.”
“under! Yes, my uncle does that. But it’s also not true… Come to think of it, I never really gave you a proper class. There must have been a lot of work. In that sense, I have prepared this place today. Answer me. What do you think is the greatest skill of a warlock?”
At the sudden question, Oliver fell into thought.
It’s the biggest thing… It was a difficult question for Oliver, who had relatively easy black magic.
Right-!
Joseph snapped his fingers and said.
“That’s right, it’s aspiration. The reason doesn’t matter. Whether it’s money or power, it’s a desire for black magic. A desire to give anything. That is the greatest quality of black magic.”
“···. So you took Marie and Peter?”
“why? Have you ever heard of anything?”
“Yes·····. Well, I just happened to hear it.”
Joseph leaned back against the back of his chair as if in thought.
“·····. I remember. Marie lived in a place where the filth of a dye mill was pouring out. Were you almost raped when we first met?”
“Are you scared?”
“Yeah, to the neighborhood bastards. I was just passing by, so I saved him. In the meantime, it was impressive to have poison in his eyes. He didn’t have much talent, but his hunger for power was greater than anyone else’s, so he took it.”
“ah····. okay.”
Oliver said numbly.
Joseph continued, as if lost in memory.
“Peter lived in a single room with three other families besides his own. Every day was hell. Thanks to that, I had a great desire for success, and I had some talent, so I took it.”
Oliver nodded and asked.
“then····. Are the other disciples similar?”
“right. The more desperate you are, the more eager you are to learn black magic, the more you can focus on it… But you lacked it.”
“Yes?”
“A yearning for black magic. It was fun and the will to learn, but nothing more than that. what to say… There is no other way. So I put you in as a temporary disciple. I wonder if that kind of earnestness will develop if I get hit here and there. Well, it doesn’t look like it really is.”
“okay····. But don’t worry. master. You will learn hard.”
“Then, if Andrew returns and offers you the position of Discipleship again, are you planning on offering it?”
“Well, I only need to learn black magic…….”
“That’s not going to happen. Warlock is power. power is power. A person who easily yields his seat to others, no matter how talented he is, will soon be eaten.”
“·····. Did your master become a warlock that way?”
“yes?”
“Ah, sorry. Asking questions without permission… But, I am curious.”
“Did I ask how I became a warlock?”
“Yes. Please forgive me if I made a mistake.”
“Well, not to that extent…. In fact, I was originally taken over by my master and became a warlock.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“okay. The way to save a disciple now is what I learned from my master. But even when I was first harvested, I wasn’t a very zealous disciple. I was content to live without begging or stealing on the streets.”
“Oh, then, how….”
“I saw a wider world. Exactly, this hotel.”
Joseph exaggeratedly stretched out his hands and pointed to the hotel.
“I came to this hotel while helping my master, and it was the first time I knew there were such wonderful places in the world. But I also learned a sad fact.”
“What is it?”
“If I live like this, I know that even when I wake up from death, I won’t be able to taste this world… So, in order to become a capable warlock like my master, I tried with the will to die. Voila, this is how I became a warlock.”
“Then, then, the master must have developed a passion for black magic.”
“right! That’s right. I decided to become a great warlock by any means. Actually, God helped.”
It was ironic. God helped me become a warlock. But how?
“·····. If it’s okay with you, may I ask how your master taught you?”
At that moment, Joseph’s emotions flickered and shone. It’s like being stabbed in a sore spot.
“that·····.”
“We have been waiting for you. The food came.”
A waiter showed up just in time. He skillfully put down the plate.
On a pure white plate, there was a dish of white fish meat topped with a paint-like sauce, and it smelled very good.
Joseph licked his lips.
“First, let’s eat and talk, you’re hungry.”