Chapter 87

< 87. Puppet (3) >

Oliver falling.

Just before he fell, Oliver scanned his surroundings.

Joe, Arthur, and Sam tried to help, but the basement walls suddenly broke, and a horde of zombies emerged, grabbing their ankles.

A meticulously calculated movement.

Oliver targeted his hands and the wall to stop himself.

Then, he grabbed Puppet, who was falling with him, with his quarterstaff.

Pierce!

With one side of his body blown off by a laser boom and his torso pierced by the quarterstaff, Puppet smiled and said,

"It's a bit awkward... I prepared this with great ambition, but I didn't expect you to respond like this... It's a bit embarrassing."

"Was it a lie?"

"Huh? What?"

"Didn't you say you would let us go if we won?"

"Oh, that... Yes, I did. But, didn't you lose? Surely, you're not going to claim you beat me just because you injured my finger?"

Puppet shook his head.

"Oh, please... Please don't. I finally met an interesting friend, so don't act like the other fools. This is just a level where you injured my finger, so it doesn't count as a win."

Puppet spoke sincerely.

He didn't particularly care about winning or losing, but he didn't think he had lost either.

He had a more relaxed attitude, as if this wasn't even a fight.

It was genuine, and quite a rare type, enough to pique curiosity.

"...Why are you doing this?"

"Let's call it curiosity. To understand a person, it's best to put them in a bit of a crisis. At least, from my experience... It's a bit embarrassing, but can I ask you a favor? Can you just think you lost and come down here? I want to have a proper conversation. Please."

Oliver looked up.

"...What's happening up there?"

"They're doing what Resolution Agents do. Fighting fiercely. They're putting up a good resistance, but they'll be overwhelmed soon."

Indeed, Joe, Sam, and Arthur were resisting, but the number of zombies was endless.

Given the confined space, they would be overwhelmed soon.

"Are you going to kill them?"

"Hmm... Not immediately. Why, do you want me to kill them?"

"No, if possible, I'd rather you didn't."

Puppet looked overly surprised.

"Oh... So that's your nature?"

"I was taught to take care of my teammates."

"Teammates? Haha... You sound like a ten-year-old. Who taught you that? Well, how about this? I'll try not to kill your group up there. In return, can you just come down here? Don't worry, there are no traps down here. I just want to talk."

"I appreciate the offer, but what are you curious about?"

"Ah, I don't know. I'll tell you when you come down."

Oliver thought for a second and nodded.

He released the targeting and fell down.

Despite being a basement, it was quite high, but fortunately, there was no impact when he landed.

Thanks to the black suit and a cushion below.

Something soft.

It was dark, but Oliver burned a small amount of emotion to light up the area.

Below his feet, he saw severely decayed lumps of flesh.

"......"

"You have a strong stomach, I see. Colin and David threw up when they saw this. Especially Colin, who was from the Mjolnir School of Lesser Magic, still threw up. He looked terrified, tears streaming down his face. Haha..."

Oliver didn't cry or throw up, but he could understand the feeling.

The lumps of flesh were not just decayed but were horrific beyond description.

How to describe it? It looked like human flesh mixed like dough.

The twisted and mixed faces revealed the pain and despair.

While observing the decayed flesh, Oliver noticed something interesting on the wall.

It was a symbol, similar to one he had seen before.

In Joseph's secret altar.

"A circle, two crescents, an X symbol, a candlestick, and a cross... Is this a place that worships demons?"

"Wrong, but half right."

"The lumps of flesh here... Are they your work, Mr. Puppet?"

"Hmm... No, I may be shameless, but as a scholar, I don't claim others' work. They are the original owners' work."

Original owners?

"Are you talking about mages?"

"Correct. Surprisingly perceptive, but your speech is quite frustrating."

Oliver accepted Puppet's words without doubt.

Not only because he seemed sincere, but also because a plausible reason was expected.

"...Do mages also make deals with demons?"

"Yes, they study and sometimes trade with them. Demons are terrifying beings that seek to corrupt and destroy the human world, but they also possess wisdom beyond human comprehension. They are convenient and useful entities."

Oliver wasn't particularly surprised.

The idea that only black mages could use demons seemed a bit discriminatory.

Mages would also use demons if necessary.

‘I don’t know how, though.’

Oliver nodded as if he understood, and Puppet laughed from below the quarterstaff.

"Haha. You're amazing... Most people don't believe mages have any connection with demons, even black mages."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Common sense is scary because it blocks free thinking and rational speculation. Magic and black magic have the same roots."

Oliver looked at the lumps of flesh and the numerous symbols on the wall again.

He couldn't figure out what kind of experiment was done.

It seemed related to living beings.

When he asked, Puppet said,

"Well, I can tell you, but here. Can you come to me? I want to talk face to face."

Without hesitation, Oliver followed Puppet's instructions and started walking down the corridor.

Oliver focused his eyes to scan the surroundings, but he saw nothing.

Just like when he first met Puppet in the basement, he couldn't sense anything.

"Can't see anything?"

"I'm very protective of my laboratory. I've set up some security measures."

"Is this a laboratory too?"

"Most of the basement in Zone F is a laboratory. Usually for illegal experiments. It always feels like the land under Randa is useful for both the tribute payers and the palace people. The difference is that the former use it as a refuge, and the latter use it to hide their secrets."

Oliver listened quietly.

The way he spoke suggested he knew a lot.

After all, he had lived for a very long time.

"...Can I ask what you're doing here?"

Oliver asked as he passed a laboratory.

The laboratory was filled with numerous corpses.

Not just corpses, but there were surgical marks, and some were intricately woven human bodies, mixed like dough.

Similar to where he first landed.

The difference was that they looked more human.

"Of course, I was conducting experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Yes, why else would a scholar like me spend valuable time here?"

Scholar... It didn't seem like a wrong term.

A scholar is someone proficient in or studying a field of study.

Mages and black mages are scholars in a broad sense.

"Of course, the world calls me a high-risk criminal, a bigwig in the underworld, a great black mage, but that's a huge misunderstanding. I just want to conduct research. I caused a bit of a stir when necessary, but it's a bit unfair."

He was sincere.

Puppet didn't particularly care about his reputation.

That's why he didn't fight to the death.

But at the same time, he showed an incredible obsession with his research.

Oliver naturally became curious about what kind of research it was.

"...What kind of research?"

"Haha... I can't just tell you, it wouldn't be fun. Let me ask you instead. Why are you a Resolution Agent? From what I see, you don't seem like someone who just wants to make easy money with mediocre black magic skills."

Oliver suddenly thought about why he became a Resolution Agent.

When he thought about it, it was quite complicated.

It started when he followed Knight Joanna's advice and ventured out into the world, then met Kent and decided to become a Resolution Agent.

To avoid joining any organization and to use the black market.

When he briefly explained this, Puppet asked, confused.

"Why don't you join an organization? It would be better for using the black market."

"Well, when you join an organization, you sometimes have to do things you don't want to do."

Oliver thought of the puppeteer Glip, who tried to offer a beggar child and a woman to the Black Hand.

It seemed a bit off now.

"Or you could attack a weak family and feed off them. After that, you can just use your subordinates to extract the benefits."

"Well, that seems a bit off too."

"...What seems off?"

"I've been in a similar situation before. My colleagues worked hard, but over time, they started to prioritize their own tasks and only did what I wanted."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's convenient, but... I don't know, it's just a bit off. Everyone had their own beautiful light, but it disappeared over time."

"Light...?"

"Yes, light. As a black mage, you should know. The beautiful and lovely light that some people possess. I left the organization to study this light. Well, leaving the organization itself seemed like a good choice, even though I haven't learned much about the beautiful light yet."

Oliver spoke sincerely.

Although he hadn't learned much about the beautiful light after leaving the organization, he had a lot of fun.

He met Kent and many other people.

Through this, he learned a lot about the world, even if not everything.

For example, intermediaries, Resolution Agents, the underworld, retired soldiers.

Even a young boy doing odd jobs at an inn was learning to write.

It was quite a fun experience.

Puppet, who seemed interested, asked,

"I don't quite get it. What is this beautiful light?"

A new question.

Oliver didn't know how to answer.

How could he describe the beautiful light?

"The beautiful light is... the beautiful light."

Even saying it himself, it was hard to understand, but that was all he could say.

He had a chance to hear an answer from Joanna in the past, but unfortunately,