Chapter 33

33. Espionage (1)

"It seems safe enough to have come this far."

A senior disciple said.

He had been a senior disciple since Joseph's time, and thus showed a more seasoned demeanor in sudden situations.

For example, in a situation like this.

"Is this... a secret safe house?"

"Yes, it's... a place Joseph set up. We should be safe here."

Oliver looked around.

This building, located in the middle of an ordinary residential area, seemed to be in decent condition, as it appeared to be regularly maintained.

"This place was prepared by the master to guard against unforeseen attacks or paladins. No one knows about it except for us."

Oliver nodded in understanding and then asked Marie and Peter if everyone had followed.

Marie replied.

"One, two, three... Yes! Everyone is here."

"Everyone is here on this side as well."

After hearing the reports from Marie and Peter, he instructed everyone to choose a room, unpack their belongings, and rest.

Honestly, this was the first time he had been in such an emergency, so he had no idea what to do.

At best, he could pack as quickly as possible and follow the senior disciple's advice to prepare.

What on earth is a firefly?

"They are paladins."

"Excuse me?"

"Paladins. They are knights of God created by the Paternus Church."

Oliver tilted his head.

Paternus Church, God... He had heard of them.

The supervisors sometimes talked about them, saying that children like Oliver would go to hell because they were not blessed by God.

Although he knew it was a serious situation, Oliver's curiosity was piqued.

"What is the Paternus Church, and what are paladins and God? Can you explain in more detail?"

The senior disciple's face showed confusion, as if he were trying to explain the sun and water to a child.

"Well... That is... I mean..."

He seemed to be at a loss to explain properly.

Realizing the situation, Oliver said it was fine and instructed everyone to rest.

"Master?"

As Oliver was about to rest, Marie quietly approached.

"Yes? Marie, what is it?"

"Is this really okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... As the apothecary said, we had to flee in a hurry and didn't manage to take much money or books, right?"

That was true. When the note saying "Fireflies are coming. Everyone, run quickly" arrived, Oliver had ordered everyone to pack only the essentials and flee.

He didn't know the full story, but he trusted the apothecary's judgment.

The first thing he packed was the ledger. Thanks to that, he managed to take the money he had recently earned, but he didn't have time to pack many books.

Well, he had read most of the books, and the money he had was enough, but Marie didn't seem to think so.

"If we leave things as they are, we will definitely lose our money and books. It will be a significant loss. It costs a lot to set up a laboratory. This will hinder the master's progress, won't it?"

"..."

Oliver looked at Marie, not understanding what she meant.

Progress? What?

Oliver thought about what he had done so far.

After killing Joseph and returning, he had temporarily taken over as the master. He read books, made filigree, and taught black magic.

With luck on his side, things went smoothly.

Oliver had only done his job to read books. He had no particular plans or intentions.

He realized that there was a significant gap between Marie's thoughts and his own.

Perhaps it had something to do with the intense devotion and admiration she was showing.

"Well... It's fine."

"But..."

"It's really fine. We'll manage somehow. Rather, can you go with someone else to check where the secret passage is? Just in case."

Oliver's words made Marie bow her head and reply.

"Yes, I understand."

"Thank you."

After Marie left, Oliver thought to himself. Honestly, Marie's words weren't entirely wrong.

He had enough money, but that was by his standards.

Compared to the total, it was a small amount, even Oliver knew that.

Losing the books was also a significant loss. He had read most of them, but that didn't mean he was okay with them disappearing.

Books were a repository of knowledge that could be preserved forever.

It was sacrilegious.

However, Oliver decided not to worry about it.

He didn't know what fireflies (or whatever the paladins were) were, but from the apothecary's note, Joseph's records, and the words of those around him, they seemed to be a kind of natural enemy to black mages.

Oliver just wanted to wait for the predator to go away.

...But he was also curious. What kind of beings were they that they were natural enemies to black mages?

Could they provide a clue about the beautiful light he had seen?

Two conflicting thoughts clashed inside Oliver.

One was the survival instinct to stay alive by pretending to be dead.

The other was the curiosity to satisfy his desire for knowledge.

Both greatly influenced Oliver.

As the two impulses clashed, a quiet war raged inside him. Then, someone approached Oliver.

"Master...?"

"...What is it?"

With a small war raging in his mind, Oliver answered more slowly than usual.

Thinking he was in a bad mood, the disciple who spoke was even more frightened.

"Ah, I'm sorry. But I really need to tell you this."

"No, it's fine. Speak freely. What is it?"

"...Dominic of the Dominic Family has arrived."

***

It seemed out of the blue, but it was true.

Dominic, the head of the Dominic Family, one of the pillars of Wynham along with Joseph and Anthony, was surprisingly in the basement of the safe house Joseph had set up.

He had brought only four disciples and was facing Marie and the other disciples in the basement.

From the atmosphere and emotional state, it didn't seem like they were about to fight.

Indeed, when Oliver came down, they greeted him warmly.

"Hey, you're still alive. Good."

"Yes, hello."

Oliver spoke as if he had met a neighbor.

Marie and the others, who had been tense, quickly calmed down with Oliver's appearance, and Oliver gestured for them to relax.

"You seem to have something to say... Is that right?"

"Ah, you figured it out."

"Before that, can I ask a question?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you find this place?"

Dominic looked at Oliver with a puzzled expression.

"Are you curious about that in this situation?"

"Well... Yes."

"...Sigh, fine. It's not a big deal. Safe houses usually have a basement or tunnel. In case of an emergency, you can escape. Sometimes they are connected, so we just followed the sewers and tunnels."

"I see. Did you use black magic?"

"...Yes. 'Sensible Nose.' A disease-type black magic that's our specialty. It enhances the sense of smell dramatically, allowing us to track human scent even in smelly sewers."

Oliver processed this information in his mind.

Although he had recently been less interested in black magic, he couldn't deny that it was fascinating.

"Amazing."

Oliver's genuine admiration seemed to annoy Dominic, who frowned.

His already stern expression became even more severe, but he didn't explode in anger as before.

Instead, his emotions became more cunning and secretive.

"Can I tell you what I came for now?"

"Ah! Of course. Please speak freely."

Dominic looked at Oliver for a moment before speaking.

"You might not know, but Anthony was attacked."

"Anthony of the Anthony Family?"

"Yes, who else in this situation? A paladin or something attacked him before he could escape. I heard it from the disciples who managed to flee, so it's certain."

"Hmm... I see."

Oliver's reaction was indifferent.

This seemed to irritate Dominic, whose emotions flared with anger.

"You're reacting as if it's someone else's problem! Next, it will be our turn."

"Can't we just hide and be safe?"

"No. Paladins are persistent. After all, they are the hunting dogs of God. What more is there to say?"

"Ah, I see... Do you know anything about paladins?"

"What?"

"Can you teach me what you know? I know almost nothing."

Bang!

Dominic glared with bulging veins and punched the wall.

The wall cracked, and the building shook slightly, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

"Are you joking?"

"Ah... I'm sorry. I'm really curious."

Oliver's response made Dominic frown even more and glare.

"..."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Dominic spoke again.

"Anyway, those paladins are all tough and won't leave easily. They've already caught Anthony, so who knows when this madness will end."

"Then?"

"We should strike first."

"But the apothecary said he would handle it and told us to hide-"

"-Are we his subordinates? We wouldn't even be called apothecaries without him."

Half true, half false.

It was true that the apothecary benefited greatly from black mages, but black mages also benefited from easy access to materials and the ability to quickly convert products into cash.

He also handled various small tasks.

But it wasn't worth arguing over, so Oliver asked without acknowledging it.

"Then... Are you planning to fight?"

"Yes! Why should we be afraid of such bastards?!"

"But they are said to be the worst match for black mages..."

"Still, we can win if we combine our strength. All of Anthony's disciples have come to my side, so our forces are intact. If your Oliver Family joins us... What?"

Dominic asked as Oliver quietly raised his hand.

Oliver replied calmly.

"Ah, I have a few things to say. First, our organization is not the Oliver Family but the Joseph Family."

"...What?"

"We haven't changed the name. It's an organization you set up, and I'm just temporarily in charge."

"What a load of...!"

"And second, I have no intention of fighting."

"What...!"

"Why fight a dangerous enemy?"

"Are you deaf? I said they will pursue us to the end!"

"Then, can't we just run again? Why take the risk-"

"-Coward!"

Dominic spat in Oliver's face as he said this.

Despite the spit on his face, Oliver showed no reaction.

At most, he wiped it off?

"What... If I'm a coward, then I am. Anyway, I don't see any reason to get involved in danger."

Dominic adjusted his stance, ready to attack.

"Then what? Are you going to sit back and watch while we risk our lives to take down the paladins?"

"No, I don't plan to do that, but I am grateful... Maybe I can repay you in another way-"

"-You son of a bitch, I'll kill you now-!"

Dominic, unable to contain his anger, stopped. Shadow tendrils had grabbed his ankles.

"Ah... I don't know much, but are you planning to fight me now?"

Oliver held out his palms in a calming gesture.

His attitude was very polite, but the shadow tendrils wrapped around Dominic's ankles were as strong as a thousand-year-old tree.

The disciples on both sides had already taken fighting stances, and the tension was rising.

Oliver pleaded again.

"Can't you understand?"

"...We're all leaving."

"Huh?"

"We're all leaving! We have to fight the paladins soon, and we don't have time to play with cowards."

With that, the members of the Dominic Family reluctantly relaxed their guard, and the Joseph Family members also relaxed.

Oliver released the shadow tendrils holding Dominic's ankles.

"...Once the paladins are dealt with, it will be your turn. Be prepared."

"Thank you for understanding. I will definitely repay you in another way."

Dominic looked at Oliver with a look of disgust and then left through the secret passage.

The visit ended, and the disciples in the basement all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, thank goodness. I thought something was going to happen."

"Yeah..."

"At least nothing bad happened."

"Get ready to move again."

A low voice. It was Oliver's voice.

"Huh?"

"I don't feel good. It seems dangerous to stay here, so pack your things and get ready to run again."

"..."

No one said anything. They just looked at Oliver with blank expressions. Then Marie regained her composure and spoke.

"What are you all doing?! The master said to move! Why aren't you moving?!"

Only then did everyone start to move.

Peter approached and asked.

"Then, where to...?"

"I don't know. Is there another safe house?"

The senior disciple nodded.

"Yes, there are two or three more. They are less maintained and farther away."

"Good. Please take some people there."

"Huh?"

"Ah, I have somewhere else to go."

"Where?"

Marie, with a surprised look, interjected and asked.

"I'm going to follow the Dominic Family."

"Huh?"

"They said they will fight the paladins, and I want to see what they are like."

Marie looked at him in disbelief. But for Oliver, this was a revolutionary idea.

Secretly hiding and observing the Dominic Family's fight against the paladins.

It was the best compromise to minimize potential danger while satisfying his curiosity.

However, Marie didn't seem to think so.

"But it's too dangerous."

"It's fine. I'm confident I can hide well. You all should evacuate to a safe place."

Marie's emotions were in turmoil. Confusion, fear, worry, and other negative emotions.

They were at the level of someone in battle or facing death. Why?

"I'll just take a few test tubes, and you all can carry the rest. Where are the test tubes...?"

-Crack.

Something grabbed Oliver's sleeve. It was Marie.

"Ma... Marie?"

"Then, we'll follow you. At least I will. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

Oliver looked at the sleeve Marie was holding.

Surprisingly,