Chapter 10

10. Junior Disciple (2)

Oliver adapted smoothly to his life as a junior disciple.

Actually, the word "adapt" was a bit of a joke.

All he did was wake up early every morning to clean the classroom, laboratory, workshop, and study.

It was the same as when he was a probationary disciple, and the workload was honestly incomparably lighter.

After cleaning, it was time for meals.

Since he ate after the senior and intermediate disciples, he couldn't eat as much as he wanted, but he still received a daily allocation of sausages, ham, rich soups, and freshly baked bread, which was a far cry from the meager rations he had as a probationary disciple.

If anything, the most distressing thing was the sudden improvement in his life and the abundance of free time, which made him feel bored.

Oliver asked the room leader, just in case, when he could attend classes.

"That's up to Master. Since we had a class recently, I think it will be a while before the next one."

Disappointed, Oliver then asked when he could use the study.

He hadn't fully mastered reading yet, but if he could read properly, he could study on his own with books, right? However, he received a disappointing answer.

"That's not possible. Only Master can use the study. He wouldn't just open up such valuable knowledge, would he? At most, maybe Andrew can use it a bit."

Andrew was the senior disciple who carried out Joseph's orders.

Oliver was about to ask how he could become a senior disciple but felt a strange unease and gave up.

Was it his survival instinct from the orphanage and the mine? This question seemed to put him in danger.

Thus, Oliver spent his days, which were not just peaceful but downright boring, and whenever he had a chance, he went to see Marie to learn letters and numbers, just in case they might be useful someday.

"Wow, you're fast..."

"What do you mean?"

Marie spoke, and Oliver replied. She then said in an admiring tone,

"I mean your learning speed... You just learned the alphabet a while ago, and now you can write not just words but even sentences correctly... That's really impressive."

She genuinely praised him, but Oliver wasn't particularly pleased.

Learning letters wasn't his goal, so it was natural. Letters were just a stepping stone to learning black magic. It wouldn't make sense to be happy just for reaching a stepping stone.

Moreover, he had recently heard that he couldn't freely use the study, which had strangely dampened his enthusiasm.

Clearly, Joseph had said his goal was to raise an excellent black magician, but something didn't add up.

Noticing Oliver's state, Marie asked,

"Are you okay? You seem a bit down."

"Well... I became a junior disciple, but I can't attend classes or use the study."

Oliver said this without much thought.

It was a harsh thing to say to Marie, who hadn't even become a junior disciple and was in a precarious position, but she accepted it calmly, as if she was used to it.

"Of course. The study is like a treasure trove of black magic wisdom. They wouldn't let a junior disciple use it freely, would they?"

"Why not?"

"..."

Faced with Oliver's innocent question, Marie was momentarily speechless. How could she explain this obvious fact... Ah!

"It's to create a hierarchy."

"Hierarchy?"

"Yes, hierarchy. You can't treat outstanding people and less capable ones the same, can you? They have different values."

Oliver didn't respond, but he didn't look like he understood. Rather, he looked like he couldn't understand the words at all.

Marie explained patiently, as if talking to a three-year-old.

"Um, how do I explain this? Hmm... Ah! How's your recent life? Your bed and meals?"

Oliver replied, mentioning the clean bed, small desk, and the sausages, ham, and bacon that appeared at every breakfast.

After hearing his answer, Marie said with a bitter smile,

"That's exactly it. If probationary disciples received sausages every morning, would I or the other kids try hard and strive to become black magicians?"

Oliver tilted his head again.

"Um... So, Marie, are you learning black magic to eat sausages?"

Again, a foolish question. Marie facepalmed.

It was a huge rudeness for a probationary disciple to ask a formal disciple this, but given Oliver's dazed attitude, she couldn't help it.

"No... Do you really think I'm learning black magic for sausages and ham? I mean, I'm just saying... Actually, I'm really curious. Why are you learning black magic, Oliver?"

"It's fun."

His answer was without a hint of hesitation. It was so confident that she couldn't even argue. Marie shook her head and said,

".... I'm not learning it just for fun. There's a more practical reason."

"Practical reason?"

Oliver showed interest. Normally, Marie wouldn't have answered, but for some reason, she found herself doing so.

"Because it's my only hope."

"Hope?"

"Yes, the only hope for someone like me at the bottom. If I become a black magician, I can become strong enough to live without being looked down upon."

"...."

"Hah... I knew you wouldn't understand. But there are far more people with reasons like mine than with reasons like yours."

Oliver didn't argue.

He could tell she was sincere from her emotions. Of course, he couldn't empathize, but he found it interesting.

"So, are you becoming a black magician to get stronger?"

"Of course. I won't be underestimated just because I'm a woman, and I can take care of troublemakers on my own. I can earn a lot more money too... Although black magicians are feared, they are at least not ignored."

Oliver listened with interest. As she spoke, her emotions fluctuated vividly, and the mix of emotions was quite beautiful.

"Have you seen it yourself?"

"Seen what?"

"Black magicians being strong... Have you ever seen them fight?"

Marie thought for a moment and then spoke very carefully, as if unwrapping a gift.

"...Once, when I was taken in by Master. Some fearless hooligans started a fight, but Master didn't even flinch and took care of them all on the spot. It was amazing. Until then, no one could do anything about those hooligans, no matter how much trouble they caused. It was a real shock. That's why I want to become a black magician. To become as strong as Master."

Oliver nodded with interest. Marie, feeling a bit embarrassed, smiled shyly.

"I won't say more. It's a bit embarrassing."

"Okay, I understand."

Since he had already heard what he wanted, Oliver readily agreed. Marie, however, looked slightly displeased.

".... Is there a problem?"

"Ah... No, it's fine. Rather, let's stop the letter practice here. Can you help me with my studies now?"

"Oh, sure."

Oliver immediately replied, pushed aside the greasy notebook and pencil, and sat cross-legged on the floor.

His posture was quite stable, and Marie also sat cross-legged like him.

"Then, I'll take a moment."

"Sure."

As soon as Oliver replied, he reached out to Marie and extracted her emotions—strange anticipation and anxiety.

A small light gathered at the tip of Oliver's fingers and quickly stabilized.

It was as natural as breathing, and to be honest, it seemed he had already surpassed even intermediate disciples.

Marie was amazed by his ghostly skills and clasped her hands. Oliver placed the emotions on her hands.

"Try to stabilize them."

As soon as Oliver spoke, the emotions, which had just stabilized, began to fluctuate and lose their form. Marie frowned and focused her mind on her fingertips.

It was more difficult than handling the emotions extracted from a flask, as if she was performing magic, but her efforts over time were not in vain, and the emotions slowly stabilized.

Marie took a shallow breath, and sweat beaded on her forehead. But this was just the beginning.

"Now, try to shape them. Um... a cone shape?"

Marie immediately manipulated the emotions without a word.

The emotions, which had been floating in the air, wobbled for a moment and then slowly began to form a cone.

"Next, try to make a diamond shape."

Another request. Marie exerted more effort to change the emotions. It was more difficult than the first time, but Oliver continued to give orders without hesitation.

"Next, a square."

"Then, a circle."

"Next, a star shape."

"Then, a donut shape."

"Next, let's try a..."

"Wait a minute!"

Marie, drenched in cold sweat, spoke urgently. She was breathing heavily, looking exhausted, and it seemed she could no longer stabilize the emotions.

"Can we take a break? I'm really tired..."

"Then, let's try to make a spider web shape."

Oliver lightly ignored Marie's request. She tried to speak again, but Oliver firmly said,

"Spider web."

An indescribable pressure. Deflated, Marie focused her mind and managed to create a crude spider web shape.

However, it didn't last long before the shape began to collapse. At that moment, Oliver placed his hand over hers.

"What are you doing..."

"Focus."

Oliver's words made Marie focus again.

The unstable emotions stabilized and transformed into a spider web shape. Along with it, a surprising sensation was felt.

Through the overlapping hands, Oliver indirectly showed her how he was helping, a mysterious experience she had never felt before.

If she had to compare it to something, it was like someone holding the back of a bicycle while you were learning to ride.

"I've made the spider web."

Marie said. Although the web was thick, the gaps between the threads were wide, and it was a clumsy attempt, she had completed it.

Marie, uncharacteristically, cautiously looked at Oliver for approval.

Being in a position to receive instruction, she couldn't help but read his reactions, but fortunately, he seemed somewhat satisfied.

"Hmm... Well done."

Surprisingly, this praise made Marie happy.

"Thank you."

"Can you relax your hands a bit?"

"Huh?"

As she replied, her hands twitched.

Looking closely, Oliver was manipulating the emotions through Marie's hands, creating a spider web.

Not the clumsy one Marie had made, but a very intricate web made of hundreds of thin threads.

"This is..."

"Focus."

Marie closed her mouth and focused all her attention on her hands as Oliver instructed. She felt the sensation of the web being created, one by one, in a way that was indescribably delicate and beautiful.

As multiple layers of the web were formed, Oliver spoke.

"Do you understand the general idea?"

"Um... Yes. I don't understand everything, but I think I get the gist of it."

"Then, when you're alone, keep recalling that sensation and imagine it in your mind."

"Imagine it?"

"Yes, it will help a little. From now on, we'll only practice this, so remember that."

Oliver finished speaking and looked at the clock. Although he couldn't read the time, he could distinguish the small and long hands.

"The small hand is... 1. The long hand is... 4. I'll go now. The room leader said to go to the back of the factory before the small hand reaches 1 and the long hand reaches 6."

"Is that so? Is something happening?"

"I don't know. He said we're gathering materials, and we'll see when we get there."

"Oh... Materials?"

"Do you know what kind?"

"Probably materials for the products. I think he'll be moving with the intermediate disciples... Try to listen well and be careful."

"Ah, I see. Materials. Thanks, I'll go now."

Oliver walked away without looking back. Seeing this, Marie felt a strange sensation. Perhaps because of this, she called out to him without thinking.

"Oliver!"

".... Yes?"

"Um... Be careful. And... thank you for teaching me so diligently."

Oliver looked at Marie's face and replied,

".... Yes, Marie, you also worked hard."

Then he walked away again.