"Gulp..…. Glulp. Glup."
Bigmouth swallowed Mother Bathory piece by piece with a mouth full of toothy zippers.
First the left leg, second the right leg. Then, it swallowed both arms.
It looked similar to a toad swallowing a large prey.
"Here's the head.”
“Glup."
Oliver passed Bathory's head, and Bigmouth swallowed it up like a piece of candy.
"Now, just the body…Huh?”
As Oliver picked up Bathory's torso, he spotted something falling from the torn dress.
It was a red notebook, with protective magic cast on it.
“Bigmouth. Could you swallow this too?”
Oliver handed Bathory's torso to Bigmouth while fixating his gaze on the red notebook.
Bigmouth swallowed the limbless and headless torso like a goose, and meanwhile, Oliver reached out to the notebook.
Snap!
Even before his fingertips could make contact, as he drew closer, the blood magic imbued in the notebook reacted, repelling Oliver's hand.
"Hmm……"
Shaking off the pain, Oliver tried to draw up the mana stored in his body to corrode the defensive magic of the notebook.
The quite refined defensive magic sparked as it resisted and protected the notebook, but as he continued to corrode it, Oliver quickly figured out the structure and pattern of the spell.
The defensive magic dissipated as if a lock had been undone,
Oliver picked up the notebook and began to scrutinize its contents.
Flip!
Inside the notebook, all sorts of foreign languages, including the language of the kingdom, were mixed in red ink.
It didn't take long for Oliver to realize that this was some kind of list.
It was a list consisting of a person's name and two dates.
Like [Josephine Tebbit • 22/2/21 • 22/12/1].
Even though he couldn't discern the nature of the list at first glance, Oliver, suspecting from the defensive magic that it was no ordinary item, continued to scrutinize the client list.
At one point, his gaze stopped.
"Huh..… This person is still alive?”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Using a pool of blood, Oliver came back up from the very bottom of the Chimera Lab.
The crimson hammer and Bigmouth were calmly packed away in the magic bag, so he came up alone.
"Now, it's time to-”
“-Time to do what?”
Oliver turned around.
Behind him, Willes, his face pale, was standing, using his longsword like a cane.
Oliver spoke to him calmly.
"You're up.”
"Thanks to you.”
Willes replied, showing the hastily potion-sealed wound on his torso and the empty potion bottle.
It seemed fortunate that Willes had managed to give himself emergency treatment with what Oliver had handed him when he threw Willes through the portal.
"Did the potion work?"
"Well, unlike when you sprinkled it, the pain from the wound disappeared, and when I applied it again, it healed."
When Oliver sprinkled it, it would have been the first time he encountered Bathory, and after the pain disappeared, it would have been after Bathory died.
"Were you conscious at that time?”
"Just a little. So I know how things went… Thanks. I owe you my life.”
Willes spoke frankly. And he was absolutely right.
It was due to Oliver that he had managed to survive against all odds.
Had Oliver arrived even a fraction later, or if he hadn't employed thermal magic, a portal, a potion, etc., Willes would have either succumbed to exhaustion or been fatally caught in the crossfire.
Willes was also aware of this. That's why, despite having much to say, he got up and first expressed his gratitude to Oliver.
"Oh, I'm pleased. Mr. Willes thanking me.”
"I know I'm not pleasant, but that doesn't mean I'm ungrateful… Can I sit for a while?”
Willes asked with trembling legs, and Oliver nodded.
Willes, sweating cold sweat, slumped down in his place.
Approaching Willes, Oliver extended a potion.
"….You?"
Willes asked, looking at Oliver, who was injured, though not as much as him.
"I also have one to drink.”
When Oliver showed a new healing potion from within his coat, Willes gulped down the potion.
Despite drinking an additional bottle, due to severe injuries and damage, he wasn't fully recovered, but he was in a state where he could at least catch his breath.
"Hoo..…”
After sighing, Willes looked around. The surrounding area had been turned into a wasteland, as if hit by artillery.
"….Did you defeat her?”
A question with many words omitted. But Oliver, who had just fought Bathory, roughly understood what he meant.
"I was lucky.”
"Remarkable.”
Willes said simply but sincerely.
Having been hit by Bathory, he knew how strong she was.
Her unique blood magic, let alone her freely controlled magic, was so threatening that it could neutralize Willes's lifelong trained fire magic.
He didn't know how she was defeated, but ultimately, the result is all that matters in a fight.
Willes realized and acknowledged that the warlock in front of him was stronger than he was.
He was indeed a fascinating person.
He had become so strong in less than a few months that he seemed like a completely different person.
But what was more fascinating was his attitude. His attitude was almost unchanged from the first time he saw him.
In this crazy world where survival of the fittest is a virtue, a person's attitude and personality can change in an instant as they become stronger.
"Can I ask a question?”
“Yes? Oh, please go ahead.”
"Why did you help me?"
Frankly, thinking rationally, it would have been better for Dave if he had died.
Willes was likely one of the only people who knew Dave was concealing his identity and working in the Tower. It would have been much safer without him.
Of course, earlier, they had no choice but to cooperate given the timing and situation. But, from Dave's perspective, it didn't make sense that he actively saved Willes when he was about to die.
It would have been much easier to keep his secret if he had left him to die quietly.
"Why did I save you… first of all, because we work together?”
Oliver tilted his head and replied. It was as if he was answering an obvious question like why do we eat, why do we sleep.
"Ah, and I also have something to ask.”
"Something to ask?”
"Yes… can I ask?”
Despite trying to refrain considering Willes's condition, Oliver couldn't resist his curiosity and asked.
“Hoo… Do you have any alcohol or cigarettes?”
"I have both.”
Oliver took out alcohol, a cup, and a pack of various types of cigarettes from his magic bag.
Willes looked at him incredulously.
"Why do you carry them around?"
"I had a conversation with other faculty members, and they said that carrying things like alcohol and cigarettes, which are preferential items, makes social life smoother… Do you want a cigar?”
"No, I'm fine.”
Willes said, looking at the being in front of him that he couldn't quite comprehend.
This monster-like strong man acted like an ordinary citizen. Of course, sometimes he acted boldly, more than his strength would suggest.
‘Like when he said he would stop the War Wizard alone…’
Oliver kindly passed a cigarette to Willes, lit it with his magic, and poured him a drink.
Willes happily lit the cigarette and drank the alcohol.
“Haa… I feel alive. What did you want to ask?”
Oliver naturally sat down opposite Willes.
It was a simple act, but it meant that Oliver was highly interested.
"When you were fighting with Lady Bathory, I was fighting the female warlocks here.”
"….They must all be dead.”
"I didn't mean to. It just happened…”
"So, what?"
"At that time, I tried to mimic your fire magic.”
Willes didn't say anything.
His flame, which he created by twisting the formula to absorb mana, was a magic that was difficult to create and three times harder to handle.
But there were no burns on Oliver.
This was evidence that he had managed it without strain, even if he had imitated it on the spot.
It was a talent so unreasonable, but it was too overwhelming, he couldn't even be angry.
"That's impressive."
"What's impressive is you, Mr. Willes. After using it, I think I understand how hard you worked. Creating that formula and manipulating it freely… Really, it's impressive."
Oliver spoke sincerely, and that sincerity was conveyed to Willes.
Willes, who could rise to the position of Master in the Magic Tower if he wished, surprisingly felt a bit proud at the praise from a youngster younger than him.
"Thanks for the compliment.”
"All I'm doing is speaking my mind… but, I don't understand. You've worked so hard, why did you join the Kell Liberation Army?”
It was a question that would normally make him angry, but Willes just smiled.
Words were, sometimes, more important depending on the person.
"Don't you understand?”
"Honestly, I don't. I mean no disrespect to you, Mr. Willes, but I've seen a bit of how the professors at the Tower are treated… Why did you choose that path when there's an easier one than the Kell Liberation Army?”
Oliver asked alternating between the image of Landa pursuing wealth and power and Willes struggling to hide his identity.
Willes laughed at his words and opened his mouth.
"Why do you live hiding your identity when you could live comfortably anywhere as a warlock of your caliber? Preparing cigarettes and alcohol for the professors?”
"Well-”
"-It's probably because the values you pursue are not those. Like money, honor, or pleasure.”
Oliver had nothing to say.
"I'm similar… Normally, I would talk at length about the unfair colonization and rule of the kingdom, the oppression and exploitation suffered by the Kell people, and the legitimacy of our Kell Liberation Army, but let's stop… I'm not at a level to teach you.”
"Can there be a level in teaching what's lacking and in receiving instruction?”
"Even so, I refuse. I don't have time.”
Willes took out a pocket watch from his pocket. As he said, there was no time.
It was about time for the day to dawn.
The truck would be back soon, and they couldn't know if they would send someone from another lab nearby.
He had fought quite loudly with Bathory.
"Take this."
Willes handed a dagger to Oliver.
It was the dagger he used to save the hostage on the train, and upon closer inspection, there was a unique checkered pattern on the blade.
"What is this?”
"For drinks and cigarettes… If you take this to the Kell community, you'll get help or you'll be able to find me.”
Oliver, who didn't like knives, accepted the dagger. It was old, but he sensed that it was a good item.
"Read history books. Or the Northland local newspapers.”
Willes said bluntly.
"What?”
"Read history books or Northland local newspapers, if you're curious why I do this… Usually, one can only truly understand these things when they seek it out themselves. If you're still curious, then, I'll answer.”
It was not just a way to evade the question. Oliver nodded.
"Yes, I understand.”
"Huh, talking about it makes the wound hurt again… What are you going to do now?”
"I was going to treat you, but since you seem fine, I'm going to do something else.”
"Something else?”
"Yes, I'm going to connect to the World Tree to check if my fight has been recorded. Just in case."
"Can you connect to the World Tree?"
"It just happened.”
"I'm not even surprised anymore.”
Willes shook his head, rubbed out his cigarette, and looked around again.
Even at a second glance, the inside of the lab looked like it had been bombed.
"…Even if you manipulate the World Tree, the scene is like this, so it seems difficult to avoid the investigation.”
"Hmm… I'll think about that slowly.”
"Don't you lack time?”
Oliver shut his mouth. He had checked the time earlier, and as Willes said, there was no time.
"Do you have any good ideas?”
"There's a bit of a forced method."
"Um, what is it?”
"First, fix the World Tree, and then tell me.”
"About what?”
"Bathory. How that vampire took over this place, how she fought, and how you won."
(To be Continued)
OR
$5/month6 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$15/month12 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$30/month19 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$45/monthAll advance chap + 6 chap/week
