In a dark place, behind the alley, Oliver was sitting while waiting for someone.
People didnât come here because of the fighting that took place during the night, but it was only for a while.
Oliver thought he could hear the humming of a car, and soon a headlight shone through the alley.
âIs he here?â
âYes.â
The car stopped, and the two people got off as they spoke.
Both were familiar voices, one was Marie and the other was the pharmacistâs subordinate, James.
âWe are here, Master.â
âAh⌠damn, so it was true, and here I thought it was fu*king bullshit.â
James with a mask on his face looked at Oliver and said tiredly.
To be precise, he saw the group of Paladins piled up behind Oliver.
âHello, James.â
Oliver got up and greeted him.
James greeted him nervously while looking at Joanna and her men still in disbelief.
âUh⌠is everyone dead?â
âNo, They just fell asleep.â
âSleep? No, okay. Donât explain⌠How the hell did a warlock defeat the paladins⌠And why didnât you kill them?â
âI didnât want to kill him.â
âOh? You donât want to kill them? They were trying to kill you, arenât they?â
âStill, I didnât want them to die. Thatâs it.â
âThatâs it?â
âWonât things turn difficult if a paladin were to die?â
Oliver said as he recalled the conversation of the Dominic family.
Those brave people also assumed that they would have to leave the city after killing the paladins.
It was not wrong, so James couldnât deny it.
âWell, okay. Thatâs not wrong. If a paladin dies, itâll be a lot more annoying⌠But if we were to let them go like this, that would also be troublesome. What are you going to do?â
Oliver looked at Joanna, who was in a deep sleep.
âWell⌠Iâm going to talk first.â
âTalk? Are you trying to convince them not to pursue you?â
âWell, I want to do that too, and I also have a question that I want to ask her personally.â
âYou are seriously going to talk. Donât get me wrong, listen⌠Are you crazy? She is a Paladin while youâre a Warlock, both are like a cat and a mouse. How on earth are you going to talk?!â
âWhen we first met, we exchanged a few words, but now weâre having conversations⌠wouldnât it be possible like that?â
âOh, my God.â
James has found a god.
It was ironic indeed.
Oliver really seemed like he was seeing everyone equally.
âHow are you going to convince them?â
Suddenly, a third voice intervened.
However, this was also a familiar voice.
It was none other than the voice of the pharmacist.
âBossâŚâ
âThey look fine. Arenât they sleeping like a bird over there?â
The pharmacist took off his mask effortlessly.
Despite Jamesâs reluctance, he approached and spoke to Oliver.
âIâll ask you once again, how are you going to convince that girl? I donât think sheâs the kind of person whoâs easy to communicate with.â
âUmâŚwell? Actually, I didnât really think much about this part.â
It was a shameless answer. However, the pharmacist didnât get angry, instead, he just smiled like it was funny.
âThatâs like you. Well, fine. Playing tricks is my specialty⌠First of all, let me make one thing clear. You shouldnât have come in contact with the paladins. If you had run away as I told you, it would have ended in a much more peaceful way. In a word, you are stupid. â
At his words Marie got angry.
âPharmacist, mind your words. Master isnât your subordinate. He doesnât need to do what you say?! They were persistent, and would it have been resolved just by running away?!â
Marie got angrier when Oliver was insulted.
When James tried to say something, the pharmacist raised his hand and stopped him.
âOh, my, I made a mistake. I apologize. Surely, I spoke too harshly to my business partner⌠But, thereâs also the unfairness. I didnât just tell you to run away. It was to buy time. Did you think that Iâll keep my hands in my pocket and wait until my precious business partner goes bankrupt?â
Marie gave a look as if what he was saying doesnât make sense while Oliver just had his normal face.
The pharmacist turned his head toward Marie and said.
âWhy, lady? Is it surprising? I was negotiating with the Parterians by hiring someone on my own. So I wanted you to stall the paladins.â
âIs that possible?â
Oliver asked in a surprised tone.
Oliver couldnât think that such a deal would be possible when he saw Paladin Joanna.
âThere are bound to be weaknesses in any organization. Especially, if itâs an organization that has been existing for more than two thousand years. It doesnât make sense for them to dispatch Paladins here in the first place. Is it possible to send a precious paladin to such an underdeveloped place because some pilgarets were sold? That too, a girl who could be a genius? No.â
âA genius?â
âYeah, genius. I heard that she was a genius girl raised at the Parter school. She possesses a lot of strength and faith. The fact that she knocked out Dominic and Anthony in an instant is proof of that. Those guys are not easy opponents.â
âUmâŚ, I see.â
âYeah, for such a genius girl to come here, this is nothing but a conspiracy by another competitor who didnât like our growth. Some political forces inside the Parter church took bribes, and dispatched them to stop our business.â
âUm⌠I seeâ
Oliver nodded as if he wasnât interested in the story.
âAnyway, Iâm so glad that you didnât kill her and just suppressed her. If you had killed her, then it would have led to irreversible results, but since you captured them, itâs a negotiable deal⌠No, we are the ones who have the upper hand now. If that girl fails, there are quite a few people who will bleed.
âI donât quite understandâŚso whatâs the point?â
âIâm going to take that girl and negotiate with the head of the Landa branch. At this point, itâs possible to get rid of the paladins and tell them to leave our business by giving a small amount of money. And, we wonât get hurt any more than this. What do you say?â
âOkay, fine.â
The pharmacist smiled at Oliverâs quick response.
âItâs good that you answered quicklyâŚcan I say one more word?â
âYes.â
âAnyway, Since Iâm here to help you, can I take this as you owing me a favor?â
âOwing a favor?â
âIt means that we are friends. A friend who helps another when in needâŚâ
Oliver looked silently at the pharmacist and Joanna.
After a while, he answered.
â⌠Yes.â
Oliver was in a safe house owned by the pharmacist.
In addition to Oliver, there was also Marie, a senior disciple, and James, who was a subordinate of the pharmacist.
Oliver watched paladin Joanna and her men along with James and Marie while the pharmacist was negotiating with the Parterians.
James and Marie were nervous at first, but now they have relaxed a little.
Of course, it was not like they were being careless with the passage of time.
It was because of another reason.
âDamn, can you really see all the rooms at the same time?â
James said as he practiced extracting emotion while sweating hard.
âYes, it may be a bit confusing, but I can indeed monitor everyone.â
Oliver answered with one eye closed.
Currently, Oliver synchronized his vision to the visions of the minions and watched over paladin Joanna and her team who were bound in solitary confinement.
In addition to the minions that were sharing their vision, Oliver also placed 3 minions each with Las Boom and Las Bullet, and perhaps because of that, they were relatively relaxed.
James, who succeeded in extracting emotions said.
âAhhhh⌠How can you do all that aloneâŚ? Here I am having a hard time just to stabilize these emotions?â
The emotion in Jamesâ hands got stabilization.
At that moment, Oliver indirectly helped James by giving him a hand.
âThis is how you do it. Can you feel it?â
âOh, I can feel it. Thank you.â
âNo, itâs not a big deal. You couldnât extract emotion until recently, but isnât it possible now? If you keep going, youâll be able to do what Iâm doing.â
âAww, thank you. I wish I was stupid enough to believe those wordsâŚ.â
After saying sarcastically James once again focused on the emotions in his hands.
âOkay. Now try to maintain the emotions that way.
âHow long!â
âAs long as you can.â
âIs that not difficult?â
âItâs okay.â
âWhatâs okay?â
As James and Oliver talked like that, someone knocked on the door.
âIs it you Marie?â
âYes, Master. May I come in?â
âYes.â
When permission was granted, Marie carefully opened the door and entered.
âI have something to report to you, Master.â
âIs the paladin awake?â
Oliver, who was looking through the minion, asked.
Marie nodded her head gloomily in surprise.
âYes.â
âUm⌠Did they talk?â
âThey donât seem to be willing to talk, but they seem to be in good shape.â
Oliver nodded mechanically.
âExcuse me, James. I have some business to do. Can you practice on your own?â
âUh, of courseâŚbut Iâm very curious, what are you going to talk about with the paladin?â
âI donât know either.â
âAre you sure you donât want to touch her?â
âTouching herâŚwhat do you mean?â
âSo. You⌠no, I was wrong.â
James waved his hand as if asking Oliver to forget it, and as Oliver was about to leave, James called Oliver once again.
âIâm really sorry to bother you, but can you please answer me this? Iâm very curious. Why didnât you kill the paladins, and why do you want to talk with her? Is there any special reason?â
Oliver paused as he thought for a moment and then opened his mouth to answer.
âBecause it was beautifulâŚâ
âBeautifulâŚ?â
âYes.â
âWell, thatâs true, but⌠I never thought you would be a character who gets attracted by beautyâŚ.. No, itâs okay. Iâm sorry that I asked. Ahh⌠I feel weird when I am talking to you.â
âIs that so?â
âYes! Just donât cause problems.â
âOkay, I understand.â
Leaving James in the room, Oliver went with Marie to the basement where paladin Joanna was located.
Since they were on the second floor they had to go through the hallway and the first floor, and while passing through, the disciples and the pharmacistâs subordinates bowed their heads as soon as they saw Oliver.
Most of them were sincere, not pretentious, and Oliver reflexively asked Marie.
âWhy is everyone doing that?â
âWhat do you mean? Master.â
âThey seem to be having respect towards me.â
âBecause you are a great warlock who defeated the paladins single-handedly.â
âIs that a big thing?â
âYes, Master⌠I swear this is a huge thing.â
Marieâs words were sincere.
Oliver recalled the words of the Dominic family, who also said something about gaining fame by killing paladins.
âUm, it might be because they are strong people.â
Oliver exhaled, not knowing the weight of his achievement.
He didnât know how great it was to defeat the Holy paladins by himself.
âMaster.â
âYes, Marie?â
âCould you please allow me to ask a question?â
Oliver stopped because he could feel the seriousness in Marieâs voice.
âPlease speak.â
âWhat kind of black magic was that you used in the sewer?â
It was an unidentified black magic that conquered the paladin Joanna and her party at once.
Absolute darkness that dominated the space and suppressed those who opposed it.
Oliver, who had a faint memory of that time, tried to use the same black magic again but was unsuccessful.
It seemed like it can be used only by using Oliverâs own emotions.
âI donât know either.â
ââŚyou donât know?â
âYes.â
Marie became silent.
Oliver looked at her and asked.
âWhy are you asking such a question?â
ââŚâŚ I donât know anything.â
âWhat?â
âI donât know anything about what kind of person you are, master.â
ââŚâŚ I donât know much about Marie either.â
ââŚâŚ.â
Oliver looked at Marieâs feelings.
It was difficult for him to understand her, but he could see that she had emotions of regret, disappointment, and sadness.
He would have ignored her normally, but Oliver could not ignore Marie who came to his rescue during a desperate crisis.
âUm⌠weâll talk later.â
âMaster?â
âLetâs talk about who I am and who Marie is. I also have something to thank Marie for.â
Marie didnât answer but kept her mouth shut and she bowed her head.
She was happy, but Oliver didnât know what she was happy about, he felt that she was truly an incomprehensible person.
âExcuse me, can I go now?â
âYes, yes Master! Sorry for wasting your time.â
âNo. Thanks to you, I survived. Take a break.â
Marie bowed her head at those words, and Oliver entered the paladin Joannaâs room which was at the far end of the basement.
âHello?â
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!