The male supervisor said with an arrogant tone.
“Why do you care?”
The female supervisor replied.
"I care because I'm the same supervisor as you. You can't have your own way."
“Ha! The same supervisor? Same supervisor, huh!!”
“Yes, same supervisor.”
The woman said without losing, but the atmosphere was terrible.
Everyone looked worried as if the female supervisor had done something wrong.
Oliver, who was not aware of the situation, couldn't understand what was going on.
“It looks like you don’t have a grasp of the situation yet. Haven't you heard that I’ll soon be a formal disciple?”
“That’s just a rumor.”
“Just a rumor? I heard it from a formal disciple. If you don’t believe in rumors, you can just check it with your own eyes."
Soon, the male supervisor gathered black light in both hands.
It was a pitifully small and unstable light compared to Joseph.
Others, however, stepped back in fear, the female supervisor was the only one standing tall without flattering.
“It’s for the Master to decide who would become a formal disciple. What do you think the Master will do if he gets to know that you're running wild without knowing your place?"
When Joseph’s name came out, the heated atmosphere subsided a little.
The male supervisor, who looked fierce like a bulldog, also made an uncomfortable expression, but he did not withdraw his hostility toward the female supervisor.
"Yes, that’s right, it's up to the Master to decide. I wonder how you'll behave at the end of this month when I officially become a formal disciple. Hey, what are you doing? Start cleaning up."
The male supervisor ordered the workers to clean up.
Then the workers began to move like a dog with its tail on fire.
Oliver hid his presence as usual and got out of the mess.
He would have normally disappeared quietly without getting noticed by anyone, but he didn’t do it today.
Instead of going away, he was waiting on one side for the female supervisor who helped him earlier to pass.
The female supervisor was coming his way while talking to her fellow workers.
"Why did you do that, Marie?… I'm sure that guy deserves it."
"Right. It's none of our business, why did you poke your nose in it?”
"I heard that that guy Tom is going to be a formal disciple this time. I'm pretty sure. You have a lot of grudges, Marie.”
“Enough. Everybody be quiet. Nothing’s for sure. It's just a rumor. I've been here for years, how many times do you think I've heard things like that? So stop it. Just give it a rest… huh?"
Marie, the female supervisor, stopped walking.
The reason was because she saw Oliver waiting for her.
As if seeing something bothersome, Marie sighed deeply.
Then she spoke coldly to Oliver.
"I just helped you because I didn't like that guy’s behavior. I don’t need your thank you. I didn't help you because you were pretty. Don't think about anything weird and go away. It's annoying."
Oliver stood still with a blank look on his face.
Marie asked again, frowning.
"What? Is there anything else you want to say?"
Oliver nodded.
"Yes, what is a formal disciple?"
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
"What happened?"
At the study in the basement of the sausage factory.
Joseph, who was reading a book there, asked a fairly handsome blond man who looked like he was in his mid-20s in front of him.
The man's name was Andrew, Joseph's best student and the second-in-command of the Joseph family.
"There was a small disturbance at the factory. You know the guy you brought in the other day? He was beaten to death by Tom."
“Is he fine?"
"Who are you asking?"
"The one who got beat. Is it the boy I brought the other day?”
"… Yes, but not to the point of worrying. Marie helped him when he was about to get hit hard."
"Marie? That's surprising. It’s none of her business. Why did she stand up for him?”
“Isn't she the kind who can’t stand unreasonable things? Plus, it might have irritated her seeing Tom acting high and mighty. You know, Tom's been an informal disciple for 2 years, while she's been a for 6 years, so she's probably nervous."
“Ah…. I remember. The girl who’s been an informal disciple for a long time. Hmm, I thought aspiration was as important as talent for Black magic, but I guess not. Wait a little longer and if she doesn't show any results, downgrade her to a servant."
Andrew, the formal disciple didn't bother to say anything, since it was the rule of this place — Those who don't have any talent should serve those who have talent.
“Then, I’ll get going. I'll report you if anything happens."
After saying that Andrew didn't go out, he just stood still in the same place.
Joseph, who saw his unusual behavior, asked.
"What? Are you not going out?"
“……Master. May I ask you a question?"
"…Tell me."
"Why do you want me to keep an eye on the kid you brought in? Didn't you put him in as an informal disciple because he wasn't very talented?"
Joseph said, covering the book he was reading.
“Why are you interested in that?”
“Well, you've never done anything like this before, that’s why…. The one’s Master picked up as an informal disciple was taught once or twice by the Master, and soon you’ve lost interest in them……but this time it seems different. And I’m your disciple…"
Andrew wanted to say ‘I'm am your disciple, so I deserve to know.’, but when he saw Joseph and his eyes, he was soon discouraged and blurted the end of his words,
After seeing through Andrew's mind, Joseph opened his mouth like a benevolent teacher.
"Why? There's nothing much to it. It’s just because he's pretty interesting."
“Interesting?”
“Yeah, unlike other kids, who want to learn black magic to gain strength or money, he just wants to learn Black magic. Isn’t he interesting?"
“So, you mean he has some talent?”
“Not some, he has quite a lot.”
Andrew's expression hardened noticeably when Joseph said that.
“Hahaha. Are you scared?”
“Ugh, no. No Master!"
“Don't be so scared. That guy is just in his beginning stage, on the other hand, you've been my best student for years. So, don't worry about it, just train."
"… Yes, Master."
Andrew was relieved when his teacher comforted him.
As he was in a hurry to leave the study, in order to avoid showing his embarrassed face to his teacher, Joseph called Andrew.
"Wait, did I say Tom will be promoted to a formal disciple?"
"Yes, you said last time, it will be officially announced at the end of this month… What's wrong, Master?”
"Well…"
Joseph didn't answer.
Instead, he thought hard as if he had an interesting idea.
"Okay, it's been a while since I've come back, so it's not bad to show them mercy once. Andrew, let the informal disciples know. We're going to have a class in two days."
“Class?"
Andrew asked back in surprise.
Untalented informal disciples were also taught by Joseph, but only once every two or three months.
When Joseph wasn’t feeling well, they never received a class once in six months, so it was an unusual case to take a class soon after his return from the trip.
Andrew asked, enduring the shock.
“Really, are you fine with this, Master?”
“It's okay. I'm going to promote one at the end of this month, so it's not bad to check everyone's skills one last time.”
⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪
"……. So. We're just disciples, not real disciples. If you want to be a real disciple, you have to at least enter the low level of formal disciples. Do you understand?"
Oliver nodded to Marie's question.
At first, it was hard to understand, but Marie's detailed explanation gave him a rough idea of what an informal disciple was and what a formal disciple was.
To put it simply, an informal disciple is only a disciple in name, but in reality, they were not a disciple.
Rather, they were a disciple candidate and a worker at the same time.
They were not taught anything properly and had to take care of the chores, which came as quite a shock to Oliver.
Working was not a problem.
The real problem was that he couldn't learn black magic properly.
That's the only thing Oliver was looking forward to.
It was quite a big deal for Oliver.
When Marie saw that, she said,
"Don't be so disappointed. Life is supposed to be unfair."
Whether it was because of Marie's consolation, Oliver soon regained his spirits.
On the surface, his face wasn't much different from when he was disappointed because of his corpse-like appearance,
"Then, how do I become a formal disciple? The guy named Tom said he was about to become a formal disciple."
Marie frowned when the story of Tom came out.
Combined with her fiery-looking eyes and her purple hair, she looked angrier, but she spoke in a rather hysterical voice.
“Well, To be recognized as qualified to become at least low level of the formal disciple, you have to accumulate skills in the classes that’s taken once every few months….Don’t expect too much. It’s not easy for an informal disciple to become a formal disciple, and the number of seats is limited, so it will take several years. It’s not something, you, who has been here for only a week should be thinking about.”
"What should I do to be recognized as qualified for becoming a formal disciple?"
Marie frowned.
"Didn't you hear me? Don't think about it… Ahhhh, you have to know how to use the basics of black magic. Do you know Hate Bullet? Have you heard of Black Shield….?”
“……”
“It’s energy extracted from the soul, and it can take forms like a gun, a shield. It’s way more powerful than guns. I happened to see it when the Master picked me up. In an instant, he swept away the gangsters who had dominated my neighborhood."
Marie made a complicated expression.
Oliver could see her emotions mixed with admiration, greed, and nervousness, remembering that time.
She, too, coveted black magic, but for some reason, she couldn’t do it properly and she has become impatient.
Marie pondered for a while, but soon came to her senses and jumped out of the seat.
“Ahhh…. Why am I explaining this to you? You’re not my guy, and you didn’t even bring anything… Ugh, what's your name?"
“Oliver.”
"I don't know what you were thinking about when asking me these questions, but this is the last time. I'm not free enough to answer your questions one by one. I'm giving you advice because you don't seem to know anything. If you want to get help from now on, at least bring something. There's no such thing as free in this world, Okay?"
Oliver nodded his head.
Marie didn't know whether Oliver understood it properly because he always had the same expression on his face, but Marie woke up saying it was no longer her business.
‘Why the hell did I answer his question… Maybe I was possessed by that blank expression.’
Just as Marie was about to go back, a worker under Marie's supervision came running.
"Marie! Marie! I have good news! Good news!”
Oliver who stood next to Marie didn't care what she was so excited about and just stood there to listen to what she had got to say.
"What is it? Calm down and tell me."
“SURPRISE! Master will take a break from his work tomorrow and will be conducting a class. Can you believe it? Class? Normally, when he comes back from a trip, it usually takes 4 months to have the next class, right?”
"Right… Why is this sudden change!?”
Marie said, with a surprised look on her face.
There has never been a case like this in the 6 years of her stay in this place.
When Marie was in deep thoughts, Oliver cut in tactlessly.
“Do we have class tomorrow?”
“…yes."
“That's a relief.”
“….. You’re really lucky."
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