Patter! Patter! Patter! Patter!
Oliver closed his eyes due to the aftermath of the flash bomb and continued to follow Marie's hand.
Fortunately, thanks to covering his eyes early on, his vision soon returned.
When he opened his eyes, all he could see was a damp stone wall, stagnant water, a rat that was scurrying around, and Marie who was supporting Oliver.
"…… Marie?"
“Yes, Master!”
“How come you are here…?”
"I'm sorry for breaking the order to run away, Master. If there is a punishment then I'll accept it after we get out of here safely."
Oliver looked at her feelings and knew she was sincere.
She was genuinely feeling guilty for not listening to Oliver's orders even though she eventually saved Oliver's life.
“…how did you get here?”
“I couldn’t escape leaving Master, so I followed you. The pharmacist found out the location of this place, and I got the sewer map and some supplies.”
It was only then Oliver understood.
It was the pharmacist who supported Marie with the flash bombs earlier.
‘Did he foresee this situation?’
“But I was lucky. I met Master when I arrived just in time… God must have helped me”
Oliver felt it ironic.
A God trying to kill him and a God that was trying to save him.
Suddenly, Oliver recalled the unidentified being he saw at Joseph's Secret Altar.
Something embodied by fused corpses.
“Old man on horseback…”
"What Master?"
“No… nothing. You did something dangerous.”
“I will take the punishment as soon as we escape.”
“No, it’s fine. You saved me.”
At those words, Marie's eyes widened, and her face turned red.
Oliver’s words made even her ears turn red.
“We have to go back through this side.”
Marie said as she went down a side road.
“Here…?”
“Wineham sewerage is complicated because of several rough developments. With a little twist, they won’t be able to catch up.”
“…… It doesn’t seem like that’s the case.”
Oliver said as he concentrated with his eyes, checking the paladins who were chasing him from various directions.
They seemed to know the geography of the sewer quite well, so they spread out and chased after them.
“If we go this way, we will meet them soon. Is there any other way?”
Oliver asked while stopping Marie who continued walking.
Marie hurriedly took out the map and checked it.
“Uh, then… this way!”
Oliver followed Marie's instructions.
Fortunately, they were able to avert one crisis, but that didn't mean they were completely out of the crisis.
Whenever they thought that they had widened the distance, another paladin party narrowed the distance and came in their direction.
If it continued like this, Oliver and Marie will be caught in the end while continuing to play tag.
Something more aggressive was needed.
“Marie, do you have any emotions left? I almost used mine.”
“Yes, I have brought one.”
Marie pulled out a test tube.
As soon as Oliver received the test tube, he focused his attention on his eyes.
There were 10 people in total.
They came in groups of five, but fortunately, because of the support, Paladin Joanna was chasing after her comrades from the very back.
It wasn't a bad idea, but thanks to that, she was actually in the back.
Oliver extracted the emotions, mimicking the [Obedience] spell he had once seen in the past, he applied it on a rat that was running around.
Squeak! Squeak!
Fortunately, it was not very tricky magic, and Oliver continued to indiscriminately apply the obedience spell on the rats he saw and created a small group.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
“ Is this…?”
“It might get us some time.”
With those words, Oliver stopped walking and cast the spells again toward the rats that were moving around him.
[Fighting Spirit]
The rats under the spell had the courage to attack people, and at Oliver's gesture, they split into five groups and ran towards the chasing enemies.
As he said earlier, it bought some time, and that was enough for Oliver.
"Marie!"
Oliver started running like crazy with Marie.
He ran so fast that he himself was shocked, but nevertheless, he did not neglect preparations in the meantime.
Six Hate Bullets and three Black Javelins.
After a while, as he turned at the corner, he could see a group of three paladins trampling on the rats in confusion and Oliver shot out the prepared six Hate bullets.
"Damn it!"
The paladins defended themselves by deploying the shield.
As expected, the Hate bullets were blocked, but Oliver didn't mind and threw a Black Javelin one at a time.
The Black Javelin with a penetrating effect pierced through the enemy's shield and dealt damage while Oliver and Marie ran past them.
As everything went smoothly, Marie said with respect.
“Awesome, that’s great, Master!”
“No, they are coming this way. Can we get out if we just pass through this passage?”
“Yes, Master! There is a way to the ground, and it is safe to hide there.”
“I’m glad. Then…”
Oliver started making several minions by extracting emotions to slow down the enemy's pursuit.
He prepared Las Bullet, Las Boom, and Creepy Scream, respectively, and scattered them on the floor like land mines.
“Maybe this could buy some time.”
"Ah…"
Marie exclaimed with joy.
“This way, Master. If we turn around here, we can go out… huh?”
After running for a while and turning at the last corner, Marie's eyes grew wider as if the eyeballs would pop out.
This was because the passageway through which they could get out was blocked by a hard iron gate.
“ This is…”
Marie made a bewildered expression when she saw the huge iron door that didn’t seem ordinary.
Oliver tried knocking on the iron door, but it seemed like a very thick door.
Oliver soon felt perplexed.
He couldn't break this huge lump of iron with the emotions he currently possesses, and even if he were to take out Marie’s emotions, it was dangerous to use black magic with that much power in such a closed space.
In short, they were like a mouse trapped in a prison.
As if to signal this, a small explosion was heard along with a terrible scream that broke people's will.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahhahahahah.
Kwagwangᅳᅳᅳ! Bang—–!
Minions sprinkled by Oliver worked.
It seemed like they did a lot of damage to the paladin’s side, but it did not stop them from chasing.
“Master, Master!”
"Yes?"
“Use my emotions.”
Oliver looked at Marie.
She was sincere and determined.
However, as Oliver thought of using black magic, a paladin who turned all black magic into nothing came to his mind.
She was able to neutralize all of Oliver's black magic for a moment with her dazzling light.
"Um … No, it won't be of any use anyway. There is a paladin who just negates the dark magic. So, It's just a waste to extract emotions from Marie."
“But we can’t just sit around like this.”
That was true. However, that was the reality.
Paladins….were strong, very strong, while warlock’s compatibility with them was the worst, very worst.
Oliver felt very strange, even though he was about to die.
What he felt was more of a regret than fear.
There were still so many things he still wanted to know. As Oliver tried to recall the things he wanted to know, suddenly an important fact popped into his head.
"Marie…."
“Yes?! What is it… Master?”
“Do you have any lighters or matches?”
"What?"
“A lighter or a matchbox.”
“…ah, yes, but why?”
Oliver pulled out the Pilgaret that he had kept in his pocket.
It was the Pilgaret made with the beautiful light that Joseph emitted before his death.
“Can I borrow a lighter?”
Marie showed an absurd expression at Oliver who was trying to smoke a Pilgaret in this dire situation, but still, she nodded her head as if she was prepared for anything.
“That…if it’s okay with you, I’d like to light it up, Master.”
“Ah, well… Okay.”
Oliver answered and put the Pilgaret in his mouth, Marie suppressed her trembling hands, and politely ignited the Pilgaret.
It was Oliver’s first time tasting Pilgaret.
As he took a deep breath, Joseph's emotions, along with the smoke of the cigarette, entered Oliver's body.
‘Is this how it feels?'
There was a deep silence, and Marie opened her mouth more cautiously.
“Even though we have come this far….it was truly an honor to have met you master….thank you so much.”
“……”
Oliver did not answer and remained silent as if he was thinking deeply about something.
After a while, the footsteps got louder and louder and soon a group of people appeared.
Paladin Joanna came along with her companions.
It seemed like everyone had a hard time with the minions that Oliver had planted, while a few seemed to have had a worse time.
Maybe that's why except for Joanna everyone seems to be in a state of anger.
“We got you, you rat… You knew this would happen, and you still plugged some ratholes in the sewer in advance.”
“Stupid guy… Did you think we have never dealt with guys like you?!”
Marie thought they weren't very good at cursing, but she had no thought of pointing that out.
In any case, it was true that Oliver was in danger.
Marie pulled out a crude gun and stood in front of Oliver.
She was pointing a gun at those who wiped out gangsters and warlocks.
“Haa… Haaa……”
Marie's breathing became rough due to tension.
Reluctant to see her like that, one of the paladins quickly grabbed a cross-shaped gun and pulled the trigger.
Bang ᅳᅳᅳᅳᅳᅳᅳᅳ!
Gunshots echoed from the sewer, blood splattered, and people fell.
The two warlock’s heads fell into the pool of water.
It should have happened like this, but, surprisingly, it didn't.
An unknown tentacle sprouted from the bottom of the sewer and protected Marie.
"……….uh?"
Marie and the paladins both saw the unidentified tentacles and shouted out loud.
It didn't seem like shadow-based black magic…?
It was similar but different.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just a simple shadow, it was something way darker.
It was like an abyss in the night sea.
“……………”
Everyone felt this change and retreated back due to the unknown existence.
Of course, not everyone.
Oliver stood still.
“… Ahhh. This…what is this?”
Oliver murmured.
His expressionless face trembled strangely, and he continued to say something incomprehensible.
“Wow, really…is this? Pilgaret?! I can feel it. I can feel it…! The sadness, anger, hope… longing! Joy!! Regret!!! Everything… ! I can feel it all!!!”
Oliver's dead fish eyes widened, and he looked at the Paladins.
Even though they knew it was a shameful act for them, for a moment everyone felt fear when they saw Oliver's maddening appearance.
Including Paladin Joanna.
Everyone, including her, instinctively noticed that Oliver was different from other warlocks.
Although they couldn’t explain it in words, everyone thought of him as an ominous creature that must be killed as soon as possible but no one could act hastily.
It was like they saw an unidentified entity, so they moved with utmost caution.
In the midst of such a heavy and terrifying silence, a man with a cross-shaped gun shouted and raised his gun.
“Aaaaah-! Die! You devil!”
[Hell Summon]
Oliver extracted his emotions in an instant and scattered them on the sewer floor.
Dark emotions covered the entire sewer as if they were multiplying, and it not only covered the sewage but also the paladin party.
It covered everyone as if applying paint.
The speed was so fast that there was no time for anyone to pull the gun or resist.
They were all just eaten by the darkness.
[Divine Protection]
It was only paladin Joanna, who resisted by activating the Holy Light.
It was the sacred shield that was used when fighting the Dominic family.
Furthermore, it was a powerful technique that could protect not only herself but also her allies, but for some reason, the shield became meaningless in front of Oliver.
The light shone for a moment to save those who were eaten by darkness, but soon, the light lost its power and disappeared.
Everything was swallowed up in darkness again.
Joanna saw it and cried out again.
[Purify]
[Imprison]
The holy flames which could burn everything were about to burn the darkness, but the darkness enveloped the explosion at Oliver's gentle gesture.
Then Joanna got swallowed by the darkness, and all that was left was her mouth and one eye.
“…”
Oliver walked over to her and looked at her without saying a word, waiting for her to say something.
Joanna's emotions swallowed up in the darkness were instantly tinged with fear, but still, she opened her mouth as if she was prepared.
“… Oh, our Holy Father. Thank you for sending your children to this earth and for giving them duties. Although I cannot fulfill the glorious mission that you have given to me, I believe in you and ask for mercy. Therefore, please have pity on these children and hold them in your arms, and I earnestly hope that you will take care of the children that will be left behind.”
Looking at Oliver with the only remaining eye, Joanna said proudly.
She excluded a beautiful light different from what Oliver had seen from the lightning wizard and Joseph.
Oliver stretched out his hand towards her and said.
[Deep Sleep]
(To be Continued)
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