Genius Warlock

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Oliver reiterated, just as he had done previously when he first encountered Celine, that he was not God but simply Oliver.

Those who heard the tale responded in a manner consistent with Celine’s reaction, yet due to the circumstances, they complied with Oliver’s request.

Despite their unease, they moved unsteadily, obtained keys from the fallen servants, and liberated their incarcerated comrades.

Approximately twenty individuals emerged, taken aback by the unexpected assistance, and inquired about the situation.

“What on earth happened…?”

“I heard something about Druids… Did the leader send mercenaries?”

Confronted with a barrage of inquiries from their freed associates, those who had assisted Oliver appeared bewildered, exchanging helpless glances with Oliver.

Even in this dire situation, Oliver introduced himself to them.

He believed that, no matter how urgent the situation, it was right to correct any misunderstandings.

“My name is Oliver. It’s nice to meet all of you.”

Oliver greeted them courteously, placing one hand on his chest.

The sight left the twenty or so people staring at him in stunned silence, their eyes wide.

What should he say…? It was a bit awkward. Even though he had neither participated nor intended to, he felt a bit guilty as if he had deceived them.

What on earth did Marie do to elicit such a reaction…?

As everyone was struggling to come to terms with the situation, a man hesitantly spoke up.

“Are you… God?”

“No, I’m sorry, but I am not God. I am just Oliver.”

“But-“

Oliver raised his hand, cutting the man off.

Honestly, he would have liked to correct the misconception right then and there, but time was short.

“I apologize, but I’ll explain that to you all later. Right now, we have more pressing matters.”

Oliver, seeking their understanding, pointed to the hallway blocked by a wooden barrier.

The sound of wood breaking grew louder.

Bang! Bang! Creak! Creak…!

That noise lent weight to Oliver’s words.

The atmosphere settled.

Oliver then asked, “Does anyone know where Mr. Lawrence is? I have something to ask him.”

A man cautiously raised his hand.

“Uh… he’s probably in the interrogation room. After Lawrence was brought here, he didn’t say a word, but instead provoked the paladins and got restrained.”

“Ah, I see. Where is the interrogation room?”

At Oliver’s inquiry, the man gestured for him to follow and led the way.

Oliver took another branch from his pouch, enlarged it to further block the hallway, and followed the man.

As Oliver moved, people cleared a path for him, their faces a mix of admiration, faith, skepticism, reverence, and determination.

They seemed to have resolved themselves for something.

“Uh… aren’t you all coming?”

“We, we will wait for the God to━”

“━I apologize, but I am not God. Just call me Oliver.”

“Oh, Ol… we will guard this place while you take care of things.”

“Ah… thank you for the offer, but if it’s alright, would you come with me? I came here to help all of you after all.”

With a modest gesture, Oliver addressed the crowd.

Although they were all trapped and it was unclear how he planned to escape, an inexplicable faith had sprouted within them, and they followed Oliver.

***

“Here, here it is.”

In the deepest part of the shelter, Oliver stopped in front of an iron door.

With force, he pushed open the locked door. Accompanied by a grating sound, the doorknob shattered, and the door screeched open.

The inside was dark, but as light seeped in through the gap, Oliver could see a man lying on the floor.

“Is this Mr. Lawrence?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Ah… so this is Mr. Lawrence.”

Oliver recalled the subordinates who were with Marie when he first met her in Landa.

Among Marie’s many subordinates, he was the most loyal and handsome man.

“Who… Who are you?”

Marie’s subordinate, no, Lawrence, with blood on his head and lying on the floor, asked Oliver with fading consciousness.

Oliver approached him, supported him, and removed the disguise spell from the School of Pure Magic on his face.

As the fake face woven with magic disappeared, Oliver’s true face was revealed underneath.

“You, you are!?”

“Thankfully, do you recognize me?”

Lawrence stared at Oliver’s face for a long while, then with difficulty, he nodded. The expression on his face wasn’t just due to physical pain.

For some unknown reason, as soon as he saw Oliver’s face, he exhibited feelings of powerlessness, humiliation, self-derision, and disgust.

Oliver was perplexed, wondering if he had made some mistake.

“Did… Did I do something wrong?”

“Why are you here?”

Rather than answering Oliver’s question, Lawrence, with a mix of doubt, humiliation, and anger, posed his own.

People watching from behind were taken aback.

“Priest Lawrence?! How dare you speak in such a manner? This man is-“

“-It’s alright.”

Oliver signaled them to stop, then continued speaking to Lawrence.

“I heard Marie was in trouble and came to help a bit. Are you alright, Mr. Lawrence?”

Staring at Oliver, Lawrence radiated confusion. Among his emotions, misunderstanding, resentment, and a sense of injustice were most prominent.

“Why… Why? Wasn’t it you who rejected our leader?!”

In that moment, Oliver realized that Lawrence’s feelings weren’t for himself but for Marie.

He was deeply fond of Marie, just as he had seemed in their previous meeting.

“Well… I did because Marie was losing her inherent light and trying to lean on me. To be honest, even now, I want to reject that version of her.”

Upon hearing this brutally candid statement, Lawrence’s eyes widened.

“…”

“But my intentions to help now are genuine. I hope there are no misunderstandings. Do you happen to know where Marie is? I heard Mr. Lawrence would know.”

The moment Lawrence heard this question, he felt an indescribable pain.

Feelings of overwhelming powerlessness, insignificance, and self-loathing consumed him. The fact that he had to ask this man to protect the person he loved and revered was unbearable.

Yet, he had no other option. He felt utterly powerless. The grim truth was that he hadn’t changed, neither in the past nor now.

“The closed temple at 582R North Street.”

Lawrence spoke, pain evident in his voice. Part of him felt relieved, knowing that Marie’s safety was now ensured.

Seeing this, Oliver expressed his gratitude and admiration.

“Thank you for telling me… Mr. Lawrence, you are truly remarkable.”

“There’s nothing remarkable about me. Please, just save our leader.”

“Yes, I’ll first help everyone escape, then go straight to her.”

At that, Lawrence’s eyes widened in shock.

“What do you mean?! The paladins are after our leader now! We don’t have time for that. Don’t mind us and go to her right away!”

Lawrence shouted angrily, taking everyone by surprise, but Oliver remained composed.

“Hmm… I’d rather not?”

With this response, Oliver tossed a piece of paper into the interrogation room. The paper, influenced by Oliver’s will, triggered its enchanted spell, distorting space and creating a purple portal.

All those who had been trapped, including Lawrence, gazed at Oliver in silence, seemingly unable to fathom the situation unfolding before them.

Nevertheless, Oliver simply addressed the portal, “First? Third?”

In response to Oliver’s call, First and Third, who had been waiting, materialized within their respective corpse dolls – Bathory and Shamus.

“Could you guide these people and provide some healing? Offer them some food from the fridge as well.”

First and Third, residing in the corpse dolls- Bathory and Shamus, nodded in agreement.

Having received their affirmation, Oliver turned to Lawrence and the others.

“Would you all… please follow them?”

Fortunately, upon seeing the corpse dolls, neither Lawrence nor the others displayed any resistance and entered the portal.

In fact, they appeared to be somewhat in awe.

‘Although that’s a bit concerning… why are they admiring?’

Feeling a slight unease, Oliver retrieved the paper through which he had opened the portal and placed it in his pocket.

Crash! Crash!!

While tidying up, he could hear the distant sound of nearly all the trees being destroyed.

Originally, Oliver should have opened another portal and escaped, but instead, he prepared to confront the paladins and servants. He retrieved two test tubes and readied himself for their arrival.

Even though the paladins were pursuing Marie, whom he knew was in hiding, Oliver didn’t act immediately. He had an experiment in mind and wanted to gather some materials.

‘Retrieve documents or reports on the investigation and arrest of ‘The Chosen Ones’. The paladins have strong authority and often act outside the law. This could be useful later. Of course, it’s optional.’

Oliver recalled the advice from the pharmacist and attempted to blend the powers of nature and life force within the test tubes.

Moments later, after the trees he had placed in the corridor were also destroyed, the paladins and their servants stormed in.

There were more than ten of them, with two being paladins.

Using only the power of nature would pose a challenge for Oliver against two paladins, especially since he had limited power remaining.

So, Oliver combined the life force with the power of nature in his spells, infusing the shattered tree fragments with this blended energy, causing them to rapidly grow.

The results exceeded his expectations.

The combined power of human life force and nature proved much more efficient than the original power, causing each shattered tree fragment to spring to life, transforming into massive trees.

The paladins and servants, who had rushed in, found themselves unexpectedly encircled by these rapidly growing trees, pinned underneath.

“What, what is this?!”

“He had this level of ability?!”

“Hold on! Resist!”

In a flash, Oliver employed the swiftly growing tree fragments to subdue the paladins and servants, confirming the synergy between the power of nature and the other energy.

This appeared to be a promising avenue to explore further.

***

Vrooooom━!

Having subdued the paladins and servants by blending the power of nature and life force, Oliver immediately scoured the temporary hideout for pertinent reports, various records, evidence, and documents.

Just as the pharmacist had mentioned, the records were meticulously organized. Oliver transferred all the data to Bigmouth, then promptly exited the location.

Upon exiting, Oliver checked the surroundings to ensure no one was nearby, then retrieved the customized vehicle from Company B that Philip had given him as a gift. He returned it to its original size and sped toward the abandoned temple at North Street 582R, where Marie was hiding.

Philip’s vehicle, true to its name as a specially custom-made vehicle, emitted a powerful engine roar and accelerated rapidly, soon entering a main road.

Consulting the map, he needed to continue on the main road and exit at the northern area of Wineham.

The concern was whether he could arrive in time.

According to Lawrence, the paladins had already gone after Marie.

One saving grace was that the vicinity of North Street 582R, where Marie was hiding, was a run-down slum area with plenty of hiding places. Also, since it was nighttime, Oliver’s car could utilize its full capabilities at maximum speed.

“Still, it seems tough.”

As Oliver drove at the highest speed he could muster and approached the vicinity of the address Lawrence had provided, he muttered to himself.

Explosions, typical of a fierce battle, and the soft glow distinctive of holy spells emanated from the abandoned temple visible in the distance.

Also, the sound of gunfire and shouts.

The battle had already begun.

Focusing his gaze, Oliver tried to discern from a distance what was happening.

The distance was substantial, so he had to concentrate more than usual, and soon, his regular vision faded, activating the warlock’s vision.

Everything turned dark, and Oliver could perceive a multitude of emotions.

In the neglected city of Wineham, the oppressed populace.

Marie and her group were engaged in combat with the paladins right in the heart of where these people lived.

They fought desperately around the closed temple, but things weren’t looking good for Marie.

They were cornered, trapped in the center.

No surprises there.

Their adversaries were the paladins – the natural enemies of warlocks, along with their subordinate servants. The numbers, formations, and positions were all against them.

Through the eyes of the warlock, Oliver confirmed that Marie was completely encircled and contemplated how to intervene.

Entering directly would likely result in chaos.

That would be problematic.

After all, he hadn’t come to battle the paladins but to aid Marie.

He wished to avoid unnecessary conflicts and preferably achieve a favorable outcome.

‘I need to divert their attention for a moment to secure Marie… But first, I need to gather everyone’s attention.’

With that thought, Oliver pondered his next move and retrieved two pieces of paper from his pocket.

Utilizing the paper imbued with portal magic, Oliver tossed one into the sky above, manipulated it with his power, and sent it above the temple where the battle raged. He then threw the other in front of his car.

When Oliver activated the spell on the paper, a purple portal materialized in front of his car and above the temple.

He sped his car into the portal, and the surroundings shifted.

He found himself in the sky.

Above the closed temple.

As he began to descend, Oliver donned his newly-made wooden mask and pressed a button on his car’s dashboard, revealing a mounted Gatling gun.

Click. Click.

With mechanical sounds, the impressive Gatling gun emerged.

Guiding the handle, Oliver aimed the Gatling gun at the sky and squeezed the trigger.

Intense beams of light shot forth, and a thunderous roar echoed.

Dudududududududududu━━!!!

“Hmm… I like it.”

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