42. First Steps (1)
“Well···.”
A dark space that smells of rotting corpses.
Oliver was sitting there.
And opposite him sat a corpse with one arm blown off, leaning against the altar.
“Yeah, I guess this is right…”
“·················ogue.”
“As Marie said, you can use the family, but… I think it would be better to just leave.”
“·················ogue.”
“It is not easy to find that beautiful light… Above all else, I don’t want to use them like that.”
“·················ogue.”
“It’s Marina Peter. They are pretty in their own way. It’s like the will to do something… pretty. So before I left, I took care of myself, but it got weirder as I went on.”
“·················ogue.”
“Obviously, at first, I was going to do everything for myself, but strangely, as time went on, that will gradually disappeared and they just waited for my name. The pretty light is disappearing…”
“·················ogue.”
“So I decided to leave. I think it would be better for them without me. Of course, there are things that make it easier for me to find a beautiful light by myself. Being part of an organization, I had a lot of work to do, so it was difficult to concentrate on my work.”
“·················ogue.”
“Aside from that, I am very interested in the words of the Paladin. I happened to meet you last time. Was her name Joanna?”
“·················ogue.”
“He said I was broken.”
“·················ogue.”
“I was a little surprised. There were a few people who saw me and said things like that, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone genuinely sympathize with me and try to help… What do you think, master? Am I broken?”
“·················ogue.”
“So, I was curious. Am I really broken? So I’m trying to figure that out too. As he said, to meet people and live in the world… Then you will know?”
“·················ogue.”
“I wonder if I am as pitiful as she said… Are you a kind person?”
“·················ogue.”
“I think this is right. Beautiful light, black magic, that… There are so many things I want to know, and it would have been difficult if I had stayed in the organization. Things keep happening.”
“·················ogue.”
“James said the pharmacist is trying to expand the business further . . . It’s amazing. You already have enough money, but you want to make more money. There must be a reason for wanting to make money, but the truth is that most of the time is spent to make money.”
“·················ogue.”
“Well, it may be difficult for everyone because I disappeared, but since other people can also synthesize emotions, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? I also left a note… It seems to be the right answer.”
“·················ogue.”
“Thank you for listening. After I said that, my mind was cleared.”
Oliver then rose from his seat and respectfully corpse… No, he bowed his head to the dead Joseph.
Of course, we didn’t actually have a conversation, but Oliver’s comments were helpful enough.
Oliver thanked him once more and went back the way he had come.
“·················ogue.”
Before leaving the room, Oliver stopped and turned his head without saying a word.
Then he looked at the altar on which Joseph leaned.
An altar with three rectangles and nine circles engraved on it.
Old man on horseback…
A mysterious entity that appeared when Oliver defeated Joseph.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
No, it was not an unidentified entity. I said devil.However, that was just that.
A demon named old man on horseback could not be found in Joseph’s library.
All he found was the stereotyped information that demons threatened the human world and that the warlocks could trade with them to increase their power.
It wasn’t of much value to Oliver, who wanted more specific, touchy information.
What the hell was it?
Oliver could not forget the foreign yet familiar sensation when he first encountered it.
However, what was more memorable was the fact that it greeted him.
Be polite and friendly… Oliver wasn’t too awkward about it either…
What the hell was it? And what is the devil that gives power to the warlock and threatens the human world?
I asked Joseph and the pharmacist about this, but they just replied that the devil is what it was.
When I asked if they could get me some related books, they just shook their heads.
In any case, almost everyone was there to help.
‘Demon-related information and books are too dangerous. Directly managed and monitored by the Pater Church. It is not something that an individual can acquire just by finding it, and finding it. Huge capital is the basics, and you must also have information and risk management skills. You can only see it in a huge cult or in a black market.’
‘Cultist…’. It’s a black market…’
Oliver went up to the ground, remembering what the pharmacist had said.
To be honest, my interest in demons was relatively low, but I was curious about it anyway.
If there is an opportunity, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to approach it once.
He said that humans possess unmatched power and knowledge, so he didn’t know if he could answer Oliver’s curiosity.
Oh, of course, that’s after some personal exploration.
“Well······. By the way, where should I go?”
Oliver came out to the ground and walked away from the abandoned hospital and came out of the fence, said Oliver.
It was a pretty serious problem.
why? Now that I have to say it, this was the first time Oliver had come out of the world of his own accord.
Oliver grew up in an orphanage and mine.
There was no free outing there.
The first time I left the orphanage was when I was sold to the mine, and the time I left the mine was also when I was sold to Joseph.
Oliver had never thought of going anywhere on his own will, nor had he had the opportunity to do so.
So Oliver was feeling confused now.
where to go
I thought it would be right to leave, so I left, but I had no idea where I was going.
I had a goal I wanted to achieve, but I had no idea how to get there.
Just thinking about it, it could have been a very stupid thing to do. A topic comes up that I don’t know where to go…
Oliver opened his mouth after contemplating.
“Well······. First, shall we go there?”
muttering Oliver as he recalled the park where he met Joseph.
Unlike most of Oliver’s sights, it was filled with positive emotions such as kindness, relaxation, and happiness.
Maybe if you go there, you’ll see the next path.
Having made a decision that wasn’t like that, Oliver took a step forward.
Tub. Tub. Tub.
On the way, Oliver observed Landa’s Zone X.
I don’t think it’s that old, but it seems a lot different from when I came with Joseph.
Graffiti grew more on the walls of the street, bloodstains increased, and the totem standing on the side road was horribly broken.
Even though it looked quiet on the outside, it was like a town full of emotions on the inside, but there was one thing that didn’t change.
That’s right, a lot of people hiding in the dark as if looking for prey.
They had been observing Oliver who had visited here alone for a long time.
Malice, cunning, sadism, anger, harboring many malicious emotions.
Stop.
Oliver stopped on his way.
The reason is none other than a group of people standing on the corner of an alley. They were looking for Oliver.
They were waiting for Oliver to come in with nervousness, anticipation and tension.
‘Well······.’
Oliver pondered what to do.
The gang I faced at Weinham… No, it was less than that.
Just looking at the fact that you can’t erase your life and control your emotions.
I put my hand in my pocket and checked the test tube inside.
When I decided to leave Weinham, I took the test tubes one by one.
Probably, if you use black magic, you can easily get rid of it… But somehow I was reluctant.
It was like this when I wrote the emotions I took care of in this way, and it was also a little bit about taking action that stood out as soon as it came out.
Currently, Oliver had limited knowledge of the outside world. I wanted to avoid friction as much as possible. At least for now.
So Oliver made a third choice. go back.
Turning around, Oliver took a different path.
The people in the backstreets who saw this were startled, and then they hurriedly started chasing Oliver.
“Well······.”
Oliver was worried. what to do
It was the first time I had been out of the world alone, so I had no idea what to do better, but in the meantime, people in the back alley surrounded Oliver.
“under···. Is it nice to have a dog? run away?”
“You think this bastard is scared?”
“Shut up, kid. Is your brother talking? hey···. Are you not from here?”
Oliver answered.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you bastard… what the hell are you You’re not from here, so why are you sneaking around?”
“Do you have someone you want to meet?”
“Who will you meet? who?”
“…are you indebted to me?”
“So who is that, you bastard!!”
“·················ogue.”
“Brother, this bastard is winning. It must have been sent by a mole?”
mole? Awards? Oliver tilted his head in an incomprehensible situation.
It didn’t seem like they were simply looking for money, but the one who seemed to be the head pushed out the club in his hand.
“hey! you! Aren’t you quick to answer?! Would you like to open your mouth? hem?”
“that···. It’s difficult to answer who is being taken care of… Who is the mole more than him?”
“Where do you get the shichimi? Just by looking at it, it looks like the mole was sent here to spy on something to eat! If you blow it all up now, it’ll pass in moderation, so go ahead and blow!”
A situation where words do not make sense. At that moment when I didn’t want it to be like this, an unfamiliar voice intervened.
“What are you all doing?”
Just right. Just right. Just right.
When I turned my head, a man approached me.
A middle-aged man, wearing a shabby long coat and beanie, was also limping in one leg and holding a long wooden stick.
Those who followed Oliver seemed to know him.
“Quo, Quarter Staff Cant?”
“Yes, I am. Quarterstaff cant. Thanks for the kind explanation… I asked what was going on.”
Those around Oliver were noticeably stunned.
Apparently, this man called Cant had some kind of influence on them.
“There was a suspicious guy and I caught him . . . Rather, Cant-san is a fisherman here…?”
“Ah, I did some garbage delivery.”
With those words, Cant took out a bundle of money from his bosom and shook it.
It must have been a drunken guest bragging about money, but Oliver could tell it was staged.
“Yeah, that’s right. Then on the way…”
“Ah? Why is the old man so sadly trying to kick him out? We don’t even know each other?”
“No, that’s not it, because I have a job…”
“Work? Ahh···. Interrogating this stupid looking kid? Let’s see…”
Cant came close enough to say he wasn’t vigilant, put a finger on his bearded chin and looked at Oliver.
“…is this friend called a mole subordinate?”
“Do you not know by any chance? This is the state of the country these days.”
“Well···. Well? To me, you look like a kid who doesn’t know anything about the world? Also a lost kid. How old are you?”
“·················ogue.”
“Did you see it? I can’t even answer my age. Ha ha ha!”
“It’s still suspicious, isn’t it? Moreover, it is more dangerous. You know? Mole cub cunning. It could be the kids down there.”
“It is, but…”
Two people having a conversation with Oliver in between.
Oliver watched silently, then quietly raised his hand.
The two of them were having a frantic conversation even though there was no particular action, and suddenly they noticed Oliver.
As their eyes gathered, Oliver opened his mouth.
“Who is the mole?”