Chapter 37

37. Conversation (1)

In a dark alley at night.

Oliver was crouched there, waiting.

Due to the battle that had taken place during the night, no one had come to this area, but that was only for a moment.

The sound of a car engine rumbled, and headlights illuminated the alley.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes."

The car stopped, and two people got out and began to converse.

Both voices were familiar. It was Marie and the pharmacist's subordinate, James.

"I'm here."

"Ah... Damn, it's really you. I thought it was just some damn noise."

James, wearing a mask, looked at Oliver and said, seemingly shocked.

To be precise, he was looking at the pile of Holy Knights behind Oliver.

"Hello, James."

Oliver stood up and greeted him.

James, tense, returned the greeting and then looked at the sprawled Joanna and her subordinates, still in disbelief.

"Are... Are they all dead?"

"No, they're just asleep."

"Asleep? No, never mind. Don't explain... How could a black magician put Holy Knights to sleep... But why didn't you kill them?"

"I didn't want to."

"Huh? Didn't want to? They were trying to kill you, right?"

"Still, I didn't want to kill them. Besides..."

"Besides?"

"If Holy Knights die, it's troublesome, isn't it?"

Oliver recalled the conversation the Dominic Family had had.

Even those brave people had considered that they would have to leave the city if they killed a Holy Knight. There would be consequences, though he didn't know how.

It wasn't a wrong statement, as James couldn't deny it.

"Well, you're right. It would be much more troublesome if the Holy Knights died... But it's also troublesome to let them go. What are you planning to do?"

Oliver looked at Joanna, who was asleep due to Deep Sleep.

"I'm not sure... I think I'll try to talk to her."

"Talk? Trying to persuade her not to chase you?"

"Well, that, and I have some personal questions."

"Seriously, don't misunderstand... Are you in your right mind? She's a Holy Knight, you're a black magician. You're like a cat and a mouse. How can you talk to her?!"

"When we first met, we exchanged a few words... Maybe we can talk?"

"Oh, my God."

James invoked God. It was a truly ironic statement.

No matter what profession one was in, they would invoke God in a difficult moment. It seemed like a very equal being.

"How do you plan to persuade her? I'm curious."

Suddenly, a third voice interjected. However, it was also a familiar voice, the pharmacist's.

"Boss..."

"It's fine. They're just sleeping, aren't they?"

The pharmacist, relaxed, removed his mask. Despite James's protests, he approached and spoke to Oliver.

"Let me ask again. How do you plan to persuade that lady? She doesn't seem like someone who would listen to reason."

"Hmm... I'm not sure. To be honest, I haven't thought much about it."

A brazen answer. However, the pharmacist didn't get angry; he just laughed as if it was amusing.

"Typical of you. Well, that's fine. Manipulating people is my specialty... First, let's be clear. You shouldn't have made contact with the Holy Knights. If you had just run as I told you, it would have ended much more peacefully. In short, you were foolish."

At this, Marie got angry.

"Pharmacist, that's too harsh. Oliver is not your subordinate. 'Just run'?! Besides, these people are not easy to get rid of just by running!"

Marie was more angry than if she had been insulted herself.

As James tried to say something, the pharmacist raised his hand to stop him.

"Oh, oh. I made a mistake. I apologize. I definitely spoke too casually to our client... But, I also have a point. I didn't just tell you to run. I wanted you to buy time. Did you really think I would just sit and watch my precious client fail?"

Marie looked confused, and Oliver maintained his usual expression.

The pharmacist turned to Marie and said,

"Why, Miss? Surprised? I was using people to negotiate with the Paternus Church. To get the Holy Knights to back off."

"Is that possible?"

Oliver asked, surprised. He didn't know much, but it didn't seem like such a negotiation would work with Joanna.

"Every organization has its weak points. Especially one that's over two thousand years old. This mission from the start didn't make sense. Just because Filgaret sold a few potions, they send a precious Holy Knight to this backward place? And a lady who was called a genius? No, that's not right."

"Genius?"

"Yes, a genius. A lady raised in the main church and called a genius. Her faith and will are extraordinary. The way she took down Dominic and Anthony in an instant is proof. They weren't easy opponents either."

"Ah, I see."

"Yes, this genius lady was sent to us because other competing organizations, who were unhappy with our growth, bribed some political forces that needed results. She's a kind of sacrificial offering."

"I see."

Oliver nodded without much emotion.

"In any case, it's fortunate that you only subdued them and didn't kill them. If you had killed them, it would have been irreparable, but now that you've captured them, there's room for negotiation... or rather, an advantage. If this lady fails, some people will be in trouble."

"I don't understand... What's the point?"

"I'll negotiate with the Celand branch manager, using this lady. We'll say we've eliminated the black magicians and ask to withdraw. With a substantial amount of money, it's possible... In short, we'll keep this lady for a few days. But, she mustn't be harmed any further."

"Yes, that's possible."

The pharmacist laughed at the confident answer.

"Good to hear... Can I ask one more thing?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"Anyway, I'm helping you. Can I consider this a favor?"

"A favor?"

"A sign of friendship. Helping each other when needed..."

Oliver looked back and forth between the pharmacist and Joanna.

After a while, he answered.

"...Yes, let's do that."

***

In a safe house owned by the pharmacist.

Oliver was there. Besides Oliver, Marie, senior and intermediate disciples, and the pharmacist's subordinates, including James, were also present.

They were monitoring the Holy Knight and her subordinates while the pharmacist negotiated with the Paternus Church.

At first, everyone was tense, but now they were more relaxed.

Ah, don't misunderstand. It's not that they became complacent over time.

There was a more concrete reason.

"Damn, you can really see all the rooms at once?"

James said while practicing emotion extraction, sweating from the effort.

"Yes, it's a bit confusing, but I can confirm everything."

Oliver, with one eye closed, answered.

Currently, Oliver had synchronized his eyes with the minions to monitor the Holy Knight and her subordinates, who were tied up in solitary confinement.

Besides the minions sharing his vision, he had also placed three minions each with Ras Boom and Heat Bullet, which seemed to keep them relatively calm.

James, who had successfully extracted emotions, said,

"Amazing, you're doing the work of several people... But I'm still just taking steps?"

The emotion in James's hand stabilized, but it wavered as his concentration broke.

At that moment, Oliver touched James's hand with his finger, giving indirect help.

"This is how you do it. Can you feel it?"

"Yes, I can. Thanks."

"You're welcome... You couldn't extract emotions until recently, but now you can. If you keep practicing, you'll be able to do it like me."

"Damn, I wish I was stupid enough to believe that... Grrr!"

James focused on the emotion in his hand again.

"Good. Now, maintain that state."

"How long?"

"As long as you can."

"It's hard?"

"It's okay."

"What's okay?!"

While James and Oliver were talking, someone knocked on the door.

"Marie?"

"Yes, it's me. Master, may I come in?"

"Yes."

With permission, Marie carefully opened the door and entered.

"I have something to report."

"Has the Holy Knight woken up?"

Oliver, who had been watching through the minions, asked.

Marie, slightly surprised, nodded solemnly.

"Yes."

"Hmm... Is she in a state to talk?"

"She doesn't seem willing to talk, but she's in a state to do so."

Oliver nodded mechanically. That was not bad.

"Excuse me, Mr. James. I have something to do, can you practice on your own for a while?"

"Of course... But I'm really curious, what are you going to talk about with the Holy Knight?"

"I'm not sure."

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?"

"Hurt her? What do you mean?"

"I mean... You... Never mind. I'm sorry."

James waved his hand as if to forget, and Oliver was about to leave. Then James called out to Oliver again.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you, but can you answer me? I'm really curious. What's the real reason you didn't kill the Holy Knight and want to talk to her? There must be a special reason, right?"

Oliver stopped, thought for a moment, and then answered.

"Because she was beautiful..."

"Beautiful...?"

"Yes."

"No, that's true, but... Were you the type to judge by appearance? No, forget it. I'm the one who asked, and talking to you makes me feel strange."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is! Just don't cause any trouble."

"Understood. Good luck."

Leaving James in the room, Oliver headed to the basement with Marie, where the Holy Knight was being held.

They were currently on the second floor, so they had to pass through the hallway and the first floor. As they walked, the disciples and the pharmacist's subordinates they met bowed respectfully to Oliver.

Some of them were genuinely respectful, and Oliver asked Marie reflexively.

"Why are they doing this?"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"They seem... very kind to me."

"Because you are a great black magician who defeated the Holy Knight alone."

"Is that so?"

"Yes... I swear, it's a big deal. Truly."

Marie was sincere. After all, the Dominic Family had also said they would gain fame by killing a Holy Knight, so it was indeed a big deal.

"Well, they are strong, so I guess it makes sense."

Oliver said without fully grasping the weight of his words.

He didn't realize how significant it was to defeat a group of Holy Knights alone.

Well, who could blame him? He was the one who had done it.

"Master."

"Yes, Marie?"

"May I ask a question?"

Oliver stopped. He could feel how serious she was.

"Go ahead."

"What was that in the sewer?"

That was the unknown black magic that had subdued the Holy Knight group in one go.

The absolute darkness that dominated the space and instantly neutralized the enemies.

Oliver, who vaguely remembered that moment, tried to use the same black magic but failed.

It seemed he needed to use his own emotions as the material.

"I'm not sure."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"..."

Marie was silent.

Oliver, looking at her, asked,

"Why are you asking this?"

"..."

"I don't know anything."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know anything about who you are."

"..."

"I don't know much about you either, Marie."

"..."

"Yes, that's true."

Oliver checked Marie's emotions.

They were hard to understand, but she seemed to have feelings of regret, disappointment, and sadness towards him.

He would have ignored them normally, but he remembered that Marie had come to save him in a life-or-death situation.

"Hmm... Let's talk later."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's talk about who we are. I'm grateful to you, Marie."

Marie didn't answer, just tightly closed her mouth and bowed her head.

She seemed happy, but Oliver didn't understand why. She was truly a mysterious person.

"Excuse me, can I go now?"

"Yes, of course! I'm sorry for taking your time."

"No, it's fine. Thanks to you, I'm still alive. Take a rest."

Marie bowed her head again, and Oliver entered the Holy Knight's room at the end of the basement.

"Hello."