9. Lesser Disciple (1)
Tiles laid on the floor, pipes connected to the walls, water vapor in the air.
After winning the battle, Oliver was declared the winner by Joseph and then washed himself in the shower room in the basement.
It was quite unfamiliar to me because this was my first time washing with warm water, but it wasn’t too bad.
It is much easier to wash than cold water, so just putting your face in the stream of water will easily remove the hardened drops of blood.
After washing up, Oliver wiped himself with a towel and went outside.
The clothes I had put in the basket were gone, and there were new clothes I had never seen before.
“········.”
Oliver stood still, not knowing what to do. Where the hell did your clothes go?
I wanted to go out and find it like this, but I heard a voice outside the door.
“that····. Did you wash everything?”
“Yes?”
“Did you wash everything?”
first voice heard. once answered.
“Yes.”
“That, then. get dressed and come out I will tell you where I will live in the future.”
Oliver spoke to a strangely trembling voice.
“There is a problem.”
“Problem?”
“Yes, my clothes are missing?”
“That’s it…. No clothes?”
“Yes.”
“I threw it away. You put new clothes in the basket, so change with them. An official disciple even at a lower level. You should consider your master’s face and be dignified. why? Maybe it’s important clothes?”
“no. no.
“Whew….”
A sigh of relief was heard through the door.
Oliver took out the new clothes from the basket and put them on. A white shirt, jeans with suspenders, and a black jacket.
It was slightly larger than Oliver’s body, but there was no problem. Rather, it could be said to be sensible.
It was the best outfit Oliver had ever worn in his life. The parties didn’t really care.
After getting dressed, I opened the door and went outside. Standing outside the door stood a young man who looked five years older than Oliver.
“·····. Everything has been changed.”
“That, right? then···. Follow.”
The strangely rigid man spoke and moved awkwardly.
It seemed like he was being treated like a subordinate, but he was careful, but when he looked at his emotions, he could see that he was scared.
Oliver didn’t understand why he was doing that, but then he turned off his mind.
After passing through the anthill-like hallway, we arrived at a huge dormitory.
There were about ten people there.
It was the same number of people as when I was a temporary student, but the size and quality of the room were quite different.
There were sloppy but decent iron beds, one for each number of people, and beside the bed there was a desk for personal items and a small desk.
It couldn’t be compared to a barn that had only a dull matrix.
“This is your dormitory.”
“········.”
Oliver turned his head to stare. The young man said, sweating profusely as if the gaze was burdensome.
“In the private room, even an intermediate student can’t use it. It’s possible if you go to a senior disciple.”
Oliver asked.
“Are you staying here? I···?”
“uh? Uh oh, now that you’re a junior disciple. Should I stay here?”
Oliver tilted his head as if he didn’t know. Because I really didn’t know.
The reason I wanted to become a junior disciple was just to learn black magic, but it did not include any improvement in life or treatment.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
No, it would be more accurate to say that I didn’t even think about it at all.Oliver asked again, just in case.
“Can I really stay here?”
“Yeah, that’s your seat.”
The young man said, pointing to the worst place in the corner. Oliver approached and looked at him.
Beds that are neither damp nor moldy, warm blankets, sturdy cabinets, hangers, etc.
“Hey, if you don’t like the seat-”
“- I love it.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, thank you.”
When Oliver expressed his gratitude as he had lived, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. Then again, I opened my mouth with courage.
“then···. Let me tell you about some rules.”
rule. Oliver pricked up his ears.
There were rules in the orphanage, there were rules in the mines, and there were rules in the factories upstairs.
He was beaten hard if he didn’t, and he could be kicked out if he made a mistake, so he rarely showed his concentration.
I can finally learn black magic, wouldn’t it be unfair if I was kicked out?
“What are the rules?”
“uh····. It’s not a big deal, it’s about your role as a junior apprentice. First of all, I am the owner of this room. So you have to follow my instructions.”
“Yes···. Chief.”
“You don’t have to put it on me……. Anyway, I’ll explain again. A junior disciple is an official disciple, but he is still the lowest rank in the family. Temporary disciples and servants are not official family members. I understand?”
He didn’t know what a servant was or what a family was, but Oliver nodded for a moment.
“Okay, the servants do the miscellaneous things like preparing meals and cleaning the room, but we have to clean important places. For example, in a classroom, laboratory, workroom, or study room. The owner likes clean things, so I have to clean it every morning. I understand?”
Oliver nodded again.
“Aside from that, it’s our role to do the small errands of our seniors and assistants in experiments.”
“Experiment?”
“Yeah, you just have to do what I tell you to do.”
“uh····. Okay. But boss. Can I ask you something?”
“What, what?”
“When can I receive your master’s instruction?”
“Uh, junior students usually get training once every two weeks. Less often, once a month. Most of them are self-taught based on the content of the class.”
“ah·····.”
A strange disappointment passed across Oliver’s face, as blank as a corpse. I was certainly happy to be able to attend classes regularly, but it was still too little. I thought I would take a new class every day.
Knowing that feeling, the manager said as if comforting him.
“Master is busy teaching seniors and managing the business, so there’s nothing I can do about it. And don’t try too hard.”
“Why?”
Oliver asked sincerely. You’ve become a disciple at the best, so why don’t you work hard? The chief did not try to answer, but shut his mouth, then muffled his words.
“that····. Well, no. just don’t mind All I’m going to tell you is this. Do you have any more questions?”
“There is not.”
“Okay. Well then, let’s get along well… Oh right. Check the drawers and check the stuff. Do you have a notebook and a pencil? Even if I say no later, they won’t give it to me except during regular distribution.”
Oliver opened the drawer and checked. As the manager said, there was an old, yellowish notebook, a pencil that looked like it was left over, and a messy eraser.
“Why is this here?”
“Well···. Do I have to write something to learn black magic in earnest?”
***
Oliver left the basement and went up to the ground in his own time.
Unlike when I was a temporary disciple, I didn’t do factory work, so I had more time to use than I thought, but that didn’t mean I came to the ground for no reason.
Oliver came out of the workshop through boxes of sausages and junk, and visited the factory workshop where he was tidying up.
As if he had worked hard today, the floor was lined with crumbs and garbage, and when the temporary disciples who were cleaning them found Oliver, they lowered their eyes and bowed their heads.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Now Oliver is an official disciple. Because it was their stomach… Of course, it wasn’t just that.Seeing the sudden change in the attitudes of his fellow workers, Oliver tilted his head.
They were jealous and envious of Oliver, angry and afraid at the same time.
He was wearing a light similar to that of the head of the room, and I couldn’t really understand it.
Oliver approached a temporary disciple.
“Well, can I ask you one thing?”
“yes? uh, yes?”
“Where is Director Marie?”
The worker said that Marie was in a corner of the factory, and when he actually went to check it out, he was standing alone behind a huge, red, rusted, unused crusher.
Oliver unconsciously examined her emotions. It was very sad and disappointing.
“Director Marie?”
Oliver politely pounded the grinder and called her out.
Lost in thought as if she had not felt a presence, she was startled, but when she saw Oliver, she looked surprised, and then frowned.
“Oliver . . . sir.”
“Yes, hello?”
Oliver said hello. But her brow was only narrowing further.
It seemed unpleasant when viewed in the form of light, but I was a little confused because I had no way of knowing the reason. She opened her mouth again.
“What’s going on here?”
“I have something to ask you,”
“Request? under····. Are you kidding me now?”
“Yes? no.”
“So, how did someone who became a full-time disciple within ten days of joining the company do a favor to me, a temporary disciple for 6 years?”
She was meant to be sarcastic, but unfortunately it didn’t work for Oliver. I didn’t understand the sarcasm, so I just answered honestly.
“To learn black magic formally, you have to learn letters and numbers. But I never learned that. So, can you teach me? You say Marie can do it?”
“········.”
Marie was silent. It looked ridiculous.
Oliver asked cautiously if he was noticing.
“Maybe I made a mistake?”
“mistake···. No, you didn’t make any mistakes. What mistake would someone who became a full-time disciple make with something like me?”
“Ah, that’s good.”
“Ahh! Fortunately, what…!”
In the end, Marie exploded at Oliver’s frustrated attitude.
Her shout echoed throughout the factory, but Marie woke up late and covered her face in anger. Nevertheless, Oliver remained consistent.
“After all, I must have done something wrong… I don’t know what it is, I’m sorry?”
Marie sat down with a helpless expression on whether she was tired or exhausted.
“·····. no. I was wrong. I was born in a small corner of the house, and I’m rotting here because I don’t have the subject matter talent that I barely got the chance to. who’s at fault It’s all my fault. You did nothing wrong.”
It sounded resigned, but Oliver could see.
Still not giving up, her feelings clinging to it. Yet, at the same time, feelings of nervousness and fear. It was like a vortex of light. It was a little pretty.
Oliver didn’t know how to react, so he stood still until Marie regained her composure, and after a while she spoke.
“·····. Do you want me to teach you to write and number?”
“Yes. You say you can do it? Did you study?”
“Yes···. I studied. I have to do that too. But, why are you talking to me like that? Most of the lower-class students I will be living with now know how to write.”
Oliver answered, looking into the air, wondering if it was difficult to answer.
“That’s… a little, okay?”
“Isn’t that a little bit?”
“It’s hard to explain, but the way you look at me is like a child. Kids standing in front of the supervisor.”
Marie frowned again at the incomprehensible remarks, but Oliver soon followed up with further explanations.
“I’m from the mine, and I was scared of the overseer there. All the kids were scared when they saw the supervisor, so I lied to avoid getting scolded no matter what the supervisor asked. However, the lower-class disciples are looking at me with the same light as those children.”
It was a brief explanation, but fortunately, Marie understood the meaning.
The subordinates are afraid of Oliver…
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
No, is it rather normal? In fact, he unilaterally made fun of Tom, who was at the level of a low-level disciple, and killed him. But there was something even more surprising.“·······. no way. Can you read emotions?”
Oliver tilted his head.
“Perhaps? Why?”
“Oh My God····. That’s the second stage of opening eyes. Is the first opening just seeing emotions? It’s unfair… Since when have you been able to read emotions?”
“uh···. From the beginning?”
Oliver’s blunt answer. Marie just smiled sadly as if she was exhausted from anger.
She knew that the world was unfair and thought she had accepted it, but today she realized that it was a mistake. How could it be so unfair?
It was so sad and hopeless that I couldn’t even cry. At that moment, Oliver asked again without notice.
“Then, what about text and numbers?”
“Ah! really·····! Why should I help you? I don’t even know when I’ll fall into a servant! You never know when you’ll get another chance! Why should I spend such precious time for you?! Why?!”
Marie spoke with her emotions, not her head. Moments later, when Marie, who had been shivering, calmed down, Oliver spoke up.
“Even before I came up here, I heard that you were a servant. What is a servant?”
another sound. But Marie, who had no energy to get angry any longer, simply answered in a weak voice.
“·······. It means a slave who will take care of the handsome official disciples. Cook and clean until you die of old age. It’s the last step that a temporary disciple like me who hasn’t been promoted for a long time can go.”
“Are you sad now?”
“Of course it is sad. Damn it…! You think I’m here to be a maid for the rest of my life? Of course I’m here to be a warlock. I really don’t have time now! But to use that time for you? For you who have talents I don’t have?! That’s not real…”
As soon as Marie finished speaking, she covered her face with her hands as if in pain. An invisible lump of lead seemed to crush her.
Perhaps, if you leave it as it is, after a few days, you may become tired and unable to bear the weight. Fortunately, no such thing happened.
“·······. Supervisor Marie said it? Next time I ask for help, will you bring something?”
Marie tilted her head slightly.
“If Supervisor Marie teaches you letters and numbers, I’ll teach you too.”
“·····. What?”
“Black magic.”