Oliver followed Murphy's guidance and went into the shabby warehouse.
The exterior of the warehouse was stained with dirt and some of the paints on the wall were peeled off, and the interior was in as bad shape as it looked outside.
Old, dusty wooden boxes were piled up like walls here and there, and black tents were scattered here and there.
Oliver didn't know what to say, but it looked like this warehouse hasn't been maintained for a while.
Or it was made like this on purpose.
Murphy said as if he read what Oliver was thinking.
“Isn’t it very messy?
"…. a little bit?"
“I’m happy to hear that.”
"What?"
"The main goal of this is to make people think that way. Messy warehouses like this are common, and they don't check this kind of place that much. Everyone hates getting dust on their clothes."
"Um…."
“Murphy, who is he?”
A third voice intervened.
It was a female voice, and when Oliver turned his head, he saw a middle-aged woman with a file folder in one hand, coming in their direction. Next to her was a teenage boy whose age was similar to Oliver.
“Aunt Maggie, this is the Warlock I told you about last time.”
“This person…? He looks younger than I thought…”
Her expression flickered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
Oliver also observed her as she greeted her politely with no arrogant demeanor.
She looked kind of strong, and she could be said to be more like Marie from the past, a person who fights against the storms of the world.
"You're so young? Are you really the person who captured the Assistant professor?"
As the boy next to Maggie muttered, Murphy immediately swung his arm and smacked the back of the boy.
The boy who got hit was annoyed and said,
“Murph.”
"I'm sorry. Mr. Warlock. He is the youngest, so he’s a little rude."
“Ah, that’s fine. By the way, is he your brother?”
“Yes, he is the youngest one named Milo.”
Apparently, unlike the usual Warlock family, the Kimbell family seemed to run an organization as a family.
This seemed like an important piece of information, so Oliver stored it in his head.
"I also apologize for the rudeness of my nephew. Sir Warlock. Thanks to you, we were able to resume business sooner than expected. Thank you."
"No. It's all right because I got paid for the job."
“If you don’t mind, can I ask for your name? Since we will have to stay together for a while. I think it would be good if we knew each other’s name.”
“My name is Dave.”
“Dave?”
"Yes."
"Thank you for telling me. If you ever need anything during your stay here, please let me know. I will do my best to accommodate it… I have work to do, so if there is nothing, shall I take my leave?"
As soon as Oliver nodded, Maggie pulled her nephew Milo's ear and walked out.
“Ah! Ah! Aunt, Aunt! My Ear!”
Maggie left with Milo.
Oliver spoke to Murphy while looking at Maggie.
“She seems pretty strong.”
"Yes, that's right. She's a strong person… Shall we continue?"
Oliver nodded at Murphy's words.
“Thank you. Then, this way…”
Murphy took Oliver inside the warehouse.
There was a lot of luggage in the warehouse that was piled up along the wall.
It was at a level where the walls and pathway were covered in luggage.
As Oliver looked around, Murphy went through the pile of boxes.
"This way."
Oliver went through the pile of a box that was about to collapse.
It was deeper than he thought, but he soon realized that this was intentionally made this way.
"Here it is."
Murphy said as he opened the secret door in the huge wooden box.
“Did you make a workshop in the center of the warehouse?”
“Yeah, I originally planned to make it in the basement, but I couldn’t find a factory that fits the size.”
As he opened the door and went inside, Oliver saw a workshop similar to the one he had seen in District X.
It had not been completed yet, but several workers have already gathered and are in the process of completing it.
“Mr. Murphy?
A worker with greasy hands took off his hat and greeted Murphy.
"I'm here because of something else. Don't worry about me. How about that drawing? How about work?"
"I looked at the drawing Mr. Murphy gave me and made some changes. There's no big problem with the production itself, but it's more efficient to switch. Thanks to you, our workload has increased, but I think we can finish it in time if we struggle somehow."
"That's a relief."
Murphy was truly relieved to hear those words.
“By the way, who is this?”
"Ah… he is the one who'll be guarding the factory."
At those words, everyone's eyes turned to look at Oliver, and each started to mutter in an uneasy manner.
“Warlock…”
“He looks young?”
“Will it be all right?”
The noise was so annoying that the foreman who was talking to Murphy shouted loudly.
“Stop gossiping and get back to work! I’m not giving you money to make a fuss!”
At those words, the workers went back to what they were doing. As soon as the place got a little quieter, the foreman whispered to Murphy.
“Is that the warlock you spoke of?”
"Yes."
“…… Isn’t he a little young?”
"I'm sure of his skills… Moreover, Mr. Forrest has guaranteed him.”
“Well, since there will be gangsters and even a real wizard may show up…we have no other choice.”
“Don’t worry. The probability of that happening is very low. I brought a warlock to lower the chance of that happening, so don’t worry about that, and just take care of your work. As long as this workshop properly operates, you won’t have to work in other factories anymore. Do you understand?"
“… Yes, I understand. Boss.”
After the conversation, the foreman returned to work and Murphy approached Oliver.
“This is the place which Mr. Warlock has to protect. To set up a workshop in the center of the warehouse, I have bought the entire warehouse and gathered all the surrounding lands to disguise it.”
Oliver skimmed through the fairly large workshop. It was several times larger than the one he saw in District X, and this workshop also had a ventilation system above it.
Calling it a Workshop was an exaggeration. It did seem like a factory.
“Where is the entrance?”
“Including the way we came, there are two entrances. One is for people and the other is for moving luggage.”
"I see."
"And I have a favor to ask you."
“Is it about security?”
"Yes, we usually deal with the small gangs that come to disrupt the business, but while you're here, I want you to do it."
“……”
"I'm not trying to push Mr. Warlock to work. It's just…"
"Is it about spreading rumors?"
“… Yes. I've hired a warlock to increase the defense. As long as this rumor spreads, the clumsy attacks will decrease, and it will be much easier to work. Would that be all right?”
“Um… was he a colleague?
"Who?"
“The one you just talked with earlier.”
Oliver pointed to the foreman.
“Ah, yes. He was one of my colleagues in the Military. He was a mechanic… Now, we’re working together.”
“Um, I see…. As you said, I will take care of all the intruders.”
Murphy was delighted with Oliver's attitude.
“Ah, thank you. I would appreciate it if you could show your face often around the factory and use black magic a few times."
“Um, will the Wizards not come if I do that?”
Murphy's expression darkened when the word wizard came out.
It wasn't that he was intimidated by the name Wizard. There was something more deep in that expression.
"…if they hear there is a skilled warlock, they probably won't rush things. They don't want things to get bigger, and we don't want to make a fuss."
Oliver was honestly skeptical. Even though the only Wizard he had spoken to was the Lightning Wizard, he wondered if the Wizards would really care about a Warlock.
And that wasn't the only thing that bothered him.
Murphy didn't seem to expect that Oliver would win a fight against a wizard, despite calling him a skilled Warlock.
Oliver knew a little bit about the warlock’s being looked down on as fake wizards, but even so, it was a bit strange to see such a reaction.
“Mr. Murphy, have you ever seen a wizard in person?”
"Pardon?"
“You seem to know something about Wizards.”
“… I saw them a few times when I was in the military.”
"Then can you explain? About the Wizards you saw while in the military. I think it will be of great help for me."
"Well…, If it’s that much I don’t mind."
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
War Wizards.
That’s how Murphy referred to the wizards who took part on the battlefield as soldiers.
He said that there were Wizards who were officers, and there were also Wizards who enlisted like him, but for the sake of convenience, they called the enlisted Wizards, War Wizards.
All war wizards act as an individual unit, and the range of their activities also varies depending upon the differences in individual abilities.
He also said that the Wizards with high levels of magic firepower are grouped together to increase their firepower by many folds.
According to Murphy, the War Wizard unit formed like that could use ridiculous magic that could evaporate thousands of people.
It was a pretty surprising story even for Oliver, who has limited emotions.
Oliver thought it might be a bluff, but after seeing Murphy's emotions, he gave up on that thought.
He was sincere. Perhaps that's why he had a lot of anxiety even if he pretended to be calm on the outside about the current situation where he might clash with a wizard.
After that, Murphy continued.
“Wizards who give hope to their allies and fear to their enemies are also active in resource exploration and various academic fields.”
As soon as Murphy finished his story, Oliver decided to ask all the Veteran Soldiers in the factory about Wizards.
Looking at Oliver, who was curious and obedient, even while being on guard, everyone answered what they knew about Wizards, including Veteran soldiers, warehouse workers, security guards, and even Murphy's brothers Martin and Meyer.
According to them, the main role of the wizards was to break One’s will to fight by inflicting heavy blows to the enemy with powerful firepower.
In particular, they said that their activities were more seen in new continents where there are no wizards or in uncharted lands to the east.
In a legendary tale, it was said that a single wizard once defeated more than 5,000 troops with only three magic skills by inflicting heavy blows.
Oliver once felt that defeating a wizard would be easy, but now it seemed like the wizards are difficult opponents to face.
Oliver was a little scared, but, that didn't stop him from feeling curious.
He thought of giving his best since he had accepted the job.
Oliver soon roamed around the warehouse while guarding, as he familiarized himself with the terrain in his mind, he contemplated an expected intrusion route.
Oliver was now at a level where he started thinking about how he would break in if it was him.
After much deliberation, Oliver selected seven intrusion routes that were the most convenient way to break in and planted the emotions he purchased from the gray market accordingly.
The range varied from near the warehouse to the top of a distant building.
He didn't forget to engrave a black magic circle on the test tube.
The black Magic Circle is an auxiliary device that helps to activate black magic from a distance and it was something Oliver learned from Anthony Family's books.
Originally, it was exclusively used for manipulation-based magic, but Oliver arbitrarily changed it to increase its versatility.
In terms of firepower, black magic can be pushed by Wizard’s magic, but these tweaks brought in by Oliver were able to fill those gaps.
It took Oliver a few days to defeat all the gangsters and prepare to face the wizards, but the people that worked in the factory still seemed to be unsure of Oliver.
They were afraid of being attacked by a wizard.
“That warlock is stronger than you think? He chased out the gangsters three times, all by himself, didn’t he?”
“I was worried because he was so young, but I was surprised when I saw his strength.”
“His personality is also very strange, and the warlocks I have seen on the battlefield were worse than the enemies, they were all dangerous.”
“Hey, is it all right? He stopped the gangsters, but can he stop a Wizard?”
“I think it’s been a few days already, the workshop is almost finished, so, probably they won’t show up.”
“Well, that’s good, but what if a Wizard shows up?”
“Isn’t it okay because there is a warlock?”
“Are you stupid, how can black magic stand a chance against real magic? Did you forget the reason why they call a warlock a fake wizard?”
“Isn’t the Warlock staying here pretty famous one, the one who defeated three warlocks?”
"That’s what I’m saying. His power might have an effect on Warlocks but it won’t even itch a Wizard. Moreover, if he was really a skilled Warlock, he wouldn’t have become a Solver."
“Oh, is that so?”
Oliver sat in a space on the side of the warehouse and overheard what the workers were talking about.
He had planted [Eavesdropping ears] throughout the warehouse for security purposes, but by chance, he was able to hear the people chatting.
It was fun, so he left it on.
Everyone seemed to have some trust in Oliver than when they first met him, but they were still anxious about the Wizard.
“Are you okay?”
Murphy, who Oliver had not seen for a while suddenly appeared and spoke to him.
“Um, Mr. Murphy. Hello. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, It’s been a while, since I was on a business trip.”
“Everyone is wondering when we will start the production… Has everything been going well here in the meantime?”
“Yes, there was nothing.”
“Then that’s good.”
Murphy replied with a relieved expression looking at Oliver's attitude.
It was kind of weird. Oliver saw him fight once when the gangsters broke in, and he was no ordinary man either.
With a power, agility, and reflex that Oliver could gain only by using black magic, Murphy killed the gangsters that came into the workshop during the night with just one knife, and it was a little strange that such a person was treating Oliver very respectfully.
Oliver understood that's how much important the Wizard workshop was to Murphy.
Suddenly, Oliver got curious.
“Mr. Murphy.”
“Yes, Mr. Warlock.
“By any chance, do you have a special reason for making this magic wine factory?
“Special reason?”
Murphy frowned at the out-of-the-box question, but that didn't mean he tried to avoid the question.
He thought of Oliver, who worked beyond Murphy's expectations for the past two weeks.
“I’m sorry Mr. Warlock, but may I ask what the intent of your question is?”
“I’m just curious.”
"What?"
"I'm curious. I heard people say that you spent a lot of money to make this magic wine factory, but isn't it a risky choice considering there was a chance of it getting destroyed? I wondered why you decided to invest in this while taking such a risk. Is the money you earn from the shops in 5 streets, not enough?”
“…….”
Murphy took a cigarette without answering Oliver’s question right away.
He contemplated whether to say it or not and then, after a while, he opened his mouth while exhaling the cigarette smoke.
“… Does Mr. Warlock know why I enlisted into the military?”
“Um, because you’re a patriot?”
“No, because there was no exemption fee.”
“Exemption fee?”
“Yes, if you can pay 300 million, you will be exempted from military service. I was not able to afford that money.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, for not having 300 million, all the people here were forced to run around the battlefield filled with bullets and shells, and roll in the mud. Then the state gives us the title of patriots. And then do you know what happens?"
"I do not know?"
“Unlucky people come back without limbs or with a shaky head. They may say they are happy… …but they are not as happy as they used to be… While they were in the military, their house becomes poorer, and their wife lives with another guy. There are even cases where wives sell themselves as a business. No matter how hard you try to live your life, they will try to cut wages by saying that you can live just by eating potatoes. If you were to protest for a raise, they would send a gangster like me to your doorsteps… …In this damn country if you don't have money, you're just a corpse."
Murphy was saying the Truth.
There was a strong sense of sincerity and anger which was more than anything Oliver had ever seen.
"That's why I'm starting this business. To become rich. To get richer. Then, I don't have to be sent my children to the military, and I can provide decent jobs to my comrades who don't have enough money.”
“……”
“I don’t have to work under people I don’t know. That’s why I have built this place while working so hard.”
Oliver nodded convincingly.
He thought money was the reason, but he saw a more fundamental problem from another angle.
It was quite interesting.
He thought that money was the only concern of the gangsters, but now he understood that there was something more…
At that moment, there was a reaction from the minions Oliver had laid around.
"What?"
“……”
"What's wrong?"
Oliver closed one eye and focused his attention on his other eye.
“Someone is coming.”
(To be Continued)
