Chapter 14

14. Division of Roles (2)

A few days later, they resumed the procurement of materials.

However, there was one change: surprisingly, it was not the intermediate disciples but the junior disciples who took charge of the work.

The reason was to improve production efficiency before the approaching deadline and to enhance the junior disciples' sense of responsibility and skills through expanded duties.

However, the junior disciples who had been around for a while knew that this was just a facade.

It was undoubtedly to spare the relatively precious intermediate disciples by offloading the burden onto the junior disciples. If they were to be replaced, there were plenty of candidates.

But knowing the true intentions didn't change what the junior disciples could do.

The Dark Mage said that when a senior orders you to do something, you do it.

They bowed their heads, expressing gratitude for the additional tasks, and had to practice the sudden handover and the method of extracting emotions in a crash course.

Ah, except for one person: Oliver.

Swish-hiss—

"It's done."

Oliver said this as he closed the test tube containing life force.

Peter took the test tube, put it in his bag, and pulled out a few bundles of round cash from his sling bag, handing them to the man with gold teeth and sunglasses.

What was he again? A loan shark? Anyway, he gave a nasty smile, took a few bundles as a fee, and handed a few banknotes to the person whose life force had been drained.

"Let's be on our way."

"Hey, have a good one. Hope to see you again."

The loan shark waved goodbye. Peter, finding the loan shark unsettling, quickened his pace with Oliver.

After leaving the dilapidated building and walking for a while, Peter sighed and scanned the list of names.

"Hmm... This is..."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"We've been out all day since morning, and there's no sign of the work decreasing."

That was true. Unlike the other junior disciples, Oliver and Peter had taken on several times the amount of work, which was a natural consequence.

The reason was that Oliver was the only junior disciple who could extract life force, so while he was exempt from extracting emotions, he had to take on the task of extracting life force alone.

Oliver found the work itself interesting and was fine with it, but Peter, who assisted him, was not.

The amount of work was overwhelming, and they were being rushed from above. Moreover, it had been only a few days since they had been attacked and bled.

It was truly unsettling.

Their range of movement was also wide, increasing the likelihood of being attacked. Most importantly...

Rumble...

Peter checked the time as his stomach growled. 1:20 PM. He had missed lunch while working.

Peter led Oliver out of the back alley and onto the main street.

The once bustling street was noticeably less crowded, and more than half of the buildings were empty, with many windows boarded up.

Still, some things remained unchanged. The hot dog stand in the square was still in its place.

"Wait a moment."

Peter told Oliver and went to the hot dog stand.

A moment later, he returned with a hot dog topped with mustard and pickles.

"Have one of these."

Oliver ate the hot dog as Peter did the same.

During the meal, there was no conversation between them. Peter, looking at the silent Oliver, wondered if this was what geniuses were like.

Oliver had become a formal disciple in less than ten days after joining as a temporary disciple and had surpassed them, who had been here for years.

But what was most concerning was that he couldn't read Oliver's true intentions.

Though he seemed quiet and innocent like a temporary disciple, he could be unexpectedly proactive at odd times, causing tension around him.

He was outstanding even among intermediate disciples, enough to make even Andrew Line's Rassom tense.

Peter still remembered the look of shock on Rassom's face when Oliver extracted life force.

Given his usual poker face, the impression was even more memorable.

Perhaps Oliver being assigned this task was a plot... to meet an unexpected misfortune by encountering an attacker.

It wasn't unusual. Cutting down a significant threat before it grew was the way of the Dark Mage.

Peter had been a permanent squad leader for years for the same reason.

However, despite his efforts, he had become entangled with Oliver and was now in danger.

If Oliver had been pushed into this task to be killed, Peter would die along with him... as an extra.

The thought that life was truly a mess came to him. Like a small boat being swept away by the waves.

"What's that?"

Oliver suddenly asked.

With an innocent, somewhat stupid look, Oliver pointed in one direction. There, workers in shabby clothes were dragging their worn-out shoes and protesting.

"Factory relocation is death!"

"Death!"

"Death!"

"Give us jobs!!"

"Jobs!"

"Jobs!"

The protest by workers in their forties and fifties looked pitiful and difficult. Peter frowned and shook his head.

"Do you remember what Rassom said a few days ago?"

"What about it?"

"...The city's factories are moving to Randa."

"Oh, right."

"They're protesting to stop that. If the factories move, they'll lose their jobs."

Oliver nodded indifferently, as if he really understood.

It was a strange feeling, making him seem both unlikable and inscrutable.

"I don't know much, but... Can't they go to Randa to find jobs?"

After a moment of uneasy silence, Peter spoke.

"It's not that simple."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. First, leaving your home isn't easy. Some people can do it, but others can't. Besides, even if they go to Randa, things won't necessarily get better."

"...Can you explain in more detail?"

Peter hesitated for a moment.

It didn't matter whether he told the story or not, but the curious look on Oliver's face made it hard to refuse.

In the end, he opened his mouth, thinking he must be crazy.

"Randa has been growing for a long time, but it's growing even faster now. The map changes every day. It's like a monster. A monster that devours surrounding cities, towns, and fishing villages. Do you think the people being devoured by such a monster are happy?"

"Hmm... No?"

"You're right. Working 12 hours a day is the norm, and sometimes it's 18 hours. It's the same for children. The pay is meager, and landlords are no better than thieves, squeezing every last bit out of people day by day."

"You seem to know a lot?"

"I lived there."

Peter said, though he didn't need to.

"I originally lived in a small fishing village in the upper part of Randa, but we were driven out when a fishing factory moved in. My whole family went to Randa to find jobs, and that's when hell began."

Thinking about that time, Peter's eyes darkened. Poverty was like that. Especially in Randa, it was even worse.

"Then, you followed the Master?"

Peter's eyebrows twitched, not out of annoyance but out of surprise. He was surprised that Oliver could have a conversation.

"Yeah... Yeah. The Master said he was looking for talented children... He offered my father an amount of money he couldn't refuse, and in the end, my father handed me over to the Master. But don't misunderstand. I like it here. The life is much better, and there's hope. If I learn black magic here, I can run my own business and live comfortably someday."

Actually, the last part was a lie. He once dreamed of becoming an independent Dark Mage, but that was a long time ago.

The reason was internal competition.

The competition within the Dark Mage organization was more intense and underhanded than he could imagine, especially due to the faction centered around Andrew, the second-in-command, making promotion virtually impossible.

Realizing this, Peter gave up on his dreams.

Now, he just wanted to live each day peacefully, without drawing attention and dying from food poisoning.

Peter suddenly felt a sense of disgust. Disgust at the situation, or perhaps at himself.

Living without doing anything, being tossed around by others.

"Let's get back to work now."

To shake off the gloom, Peter said.

The work resumed.

Peter entered a multi-unit building with Oliver, settled the rent for those who were behind, and extracted their life force.

Next, they went to a small loan shark's office in the basement, settled the debts of debtors, and extracted their life force.

While they were moving around tirelessly, Oliver spoke up.

"Can I ask you something?"

He wanted to say it was too tiring and to stop, but Peter, still fearing Oliver, asked what he wanted to know. However, the question that came out was more shocking than expected.

"Am I in danger?"

In a dark back alley, Peter stopped.

"What do you mean...?"

"Someone told me not to stand out and to be careful, saying it was dangerous... Is it true?"

"......"

Peter was speechless, not knowing how to answer.

How should he respond? Should he deny it? Or lie and say he's safe?

He thought he could fudge it with Oliver's usual stupid appearance, but the occasional sharpness made it hard to answer.

What if he mishandled it and Oliver attacked? He had no confidence in winning.

At that moment, as if his patience had run out, Oliver suddenly approached.

Peter raised his hand to calm him down, but Oliver grabbed his shoulder without hesitation.

Though Oliver's strength wasn't much, Peter, already intimidated, couldn't resist and was pushed into the space between a large trash can and a protruding concrete wall.

"Now, just a minute..."

Oliver ignored Peter's words and opened the test tube.

The word "death" flashed through Peter's mind. Dying helplessly and pointlessly like this...

Then, Oliver extracted emotions and cast a spell.

[Black Shield × 2]

Black Shields unfolded on both sides. Then, gunshots rang out.

Bang—!

Bang—!

The heavy sound of gunfire.

It was a familiar sound, one he often heard in the slums. It was a shotgun, specifically a modified shotgun used in gang wars.

The attackers seemed intent on killing, as pressure came from both sides, but Oliver managed to block it without flinching.

"Is this an ambush?"

"......! Yes!"

Peter, startled, shouted in response.

Without waiting for a reply, Oliver condensed the Black Shield behind him and launched it.

[Hay Bullet]

A thud was heard as someone fell.

Peter peeked out and saw a ridiculous masked attacker.

Though he couldn't see the face, he could tell the attacker was startled.

Without thinking, Peter shouted.

"That thing's powerful but can't fire many shots. We need to catch him alive!"

As soon as he said that, the attacker started to run.

He tried to escape down the alley, but Oliver shot a Hay Bullet, blocking his path.

Boom! Bang—!

"Damn it...!"

The startled attacker paused.

Oliver asked.

"Alive, you said?"

"Yeah! Alive!"

"Alive...?"

Oliver muttered, then started to fiddle with the emotions in the test tube.

But the attacker didn't wait. With no clear escape route, he pulled out a scroll. Yes, a scroll.

Peter instinctively knew what was happening. The attacker was about to use a teleportation scroll to escape!

"Damn it...!"

"Too late. Goodbye, you— Wait?"

Just as the attacker was about to use the scroll, Oliver shot something a half-beat faster.

It was a black magic Peter had never seen before. If he had to describe it, it was like a spider web.

A web that flew like a net, trapping the person completely.

"Wow, that worked?"

Oliver said as if it was nothing.

Peter looked at him blankly and asked.

"Th-That was...?"

"Hmm... How about 'Clung Spider Web'?"