Genius Warlock

“Pierce, how did it go?”

A slender druid, swathed in a verdant cloak, inquired.

His hair and even his beard were tinted green, lending him an air of profound wisdom.

“Shamus… Indeed, that young one endured.”

Pierce, who had been striding a pace ahead, halted and replied.

Despite his robust, bear-like build and fierce countenance, his eyes gleamed with the unique sagacity of a druid.

“The inquiry may have varied, but his skills alone were unquestionably authentic.”

Pierce’s companions, a bearded druid and a female druid cloaked in leaves, nodded in tacit agreement.

Pierce ranked among the top ten druids in hand-to-hand combat, a testament to his remarkable prowess. Yet, his strength was just the beginning; he possessed the knowledge, intelligence, and experience to impart his skills to others. In fact, he had been the one to train Shamus.

His affirmation carried undeniable weight, leaving the other two with little choice but to accept it.

“Even though it was a light attack, he managed to block your strike.”

Pierce dismissed any need for contemplation, shaking his head, his eyes emanating an icy calmness.

“Whether I held back or not, he’s no ordinary individual.”

“Is that so?”

Pierce nodded, recalling the moment when his initial assault was thwarted, with a quarterstaff no less. At the time, he had been mildly surprised but had still remained within his expectations. His intention had been to press the attack further, seeking to gauge the skills of the person who had defeated Shamus. However, he abruptly halted.

It was during this moment, as the person turned their head to respond, that Pierce’s innate druidic intuition was triggered.

‘…I was just lucky.’

At that precise instant, Pierce felt an ominous foreboding. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact nature of it, but he was certain that fighting in this manner was ill-advised.

“What is certain is that he’s a highly skilled individual who overcame Shamus.”

“Are the others who came here fleeing in danger?”

The long-bearded druid inquired. It may have come as a somewhat unexpected question, but it was a valid one. Their objective was not to kill but to apprehend the escaped Enjoyments.

“There may be others with skills comparable to Shamus, but none stronger. They’re in grave danger. In fact, it might even be worse, as Shamus possessed the greatest potential.”

The female druid, who had been silently listening, voiced her concerns.

“This situation is dire. In addition to pursuing them, we must ascertain Eve’s whereabouts. We’ve already lost the other one to Heimdall, haven’t we?”

“First, let’s observe and initiate contact with the city. We’ve brought something for negotiation. If that doesn’t work, we may need to use force to compel them to cooperate.”

Upon the words of the long-bearded druid, everyone concurred and proceeded on their path.

Meanwhile, the Druid Enjoyments, who had been monitoring through the World Tree, disconnected and returned to reality for deliberation.

“Heh… What could those elders have brought that’s making them so confident?”

“Don’t fret. What can humans who’ve been confined to the forest offer? At best, fruits or herbs grown in the woods? We also have commodities for trade within the city, don’t we? Something more impressive, perhaps?”

The other Druid Enjoyments nodded in agreement with the statement of one of their own. After extensive deliberation, they had settled on a negotiation card that Landa could not easily refuse, involving new technology.

“But what Pierce said… What do you make of that statement?”

A solemn silence fell upon them. Those engaged in this discussion hailed from impoverished and barren Greenland and held deep respect for the traditional and reformist Druids, who had undergone rigorous training and earned recognition. They were individuals who had ascended to a higher plane through more demanding discipline, and Pierce was proudly among them.

For him to acknowledge the skills of the solver Dave posed a considerable risk.

Of course, there were potential avenues to explore. The Enjoyments gathered in District X due to the ABC fraud sequence numbered around a hundred. If they were to launch a coordinated attack, even against the person who had defeated Shamus, it might be worth attempting. However, this could disrupt their plans to establish a presence in the city. Drawing excessive attention through an escalated confrontation could jeopardize future relations.

To avert such a scenario, they had to either decisively incapacitate their adversary or eliminate them discreetly, which presented its own set of challenges.

The guy’s skills were too good for a clean decapitation, and it wasn’t easy to lure him to a secluded place now that he had an organization.

Then, a woman raised her hand. She was a female Druid Enjoyment infiltrated as a singer in the T-District pub.

“May I give an opinion, taking time out of my busy schedule to come here?”

“What is it?”

“In short, it’s a headache to face him directly because it’s tricky, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. We could win if we faced him directly, though we’d suffer some damage. There are over a hundred Druids.”

“We can also recruit unaffiliated gangs here. We’ve already completed contact with several places.”

“Then, we just need to create a reason to confront him directly.”

“A reason?”

“Yes. If we do it well, we can win without fighting. Anyway, let’s first connect with the city.”

***

“Is your work done?”

Oliver, holding a Calorie Bar in one hand, asked Merlin.

Merlin had his wooden doll-golem move a large amount of documents into his personal office and also had it bring out a large number of books.

By the way, the books brought out were the personal research diaries of Human-meat Chef or collected black magic books, numbering in the hundreds, most of which showed signs of age.

It wasn’t bad. Magic or black magic books often had value when they were old. Especially so if the owner was a major figure, comparable to a giant.

Merlin stood beside the wall-like pile of books and answered.

“It’s just the beginning. After being treated like a hero, now I’ve gotta play the part. Sorting out stuff can be trickier than kickin’ it off, though…. But what are you eating?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s a military calorie bar. I was hungry.”

“There’s bugger all you can do when the tummy’s rumblin’…… Anyway, I’m flat out. Besides this, I still have to finish tasks for the Life School, at this age… reckon you’re in a similar boat, eh? How’s your business going?”

“I don’t really have anything to do.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Oliver nodded in response. It wasn’t modesty. Literally, Oliver had nothing to do.

That’s because Forrest handled the significant internal and external tasks, while other minor tasks were taken care of by the Fighter Crew, select individuals, mercenaries recruited by Forrest, and solvers.

In the past two weeks since the business started, the only thing Oliver had done was to move once during negotiations with an independent gang alliance.

That too ended when the negotiations broke down and he unleashed a barrage of firepower at the beginning.

The independent gangs were taken aback by the unexpected firepower, and the rest was handled by Marie and Joe. They had become strong enough in District X to be formidable opponents.

“You don’t seem too happy for someone in such a position. Don’t you like earning money?”

Oliver almost responded with ‘I have too little to do, more than I thought.’

Whatever it was, he had taken on this role to clear his head filled with miscellaneous thoughts. However, he couldn’t say that out loud.

Out of consideration for Forrest, Joe, and Marie, who had staked their lives on this endeavor, it would be impolite.

Oliver took out BigMouth from his waistband.

As usual, BigMouth puffed up like bread dough.

Oliver asked BigMouth for a favor.

“BigMouth, could you swallow those books for me?”

Oliver pointed to the wall-high and thickly piled books and research diaries.

With Merlin’s wooden doll-golem tirelessly adding to the already colossal wall of books, the sheer quantity was becoming overwhelming. BigMouth cast a disdainful glance at Oliver, and Merlin couldn’t help but notice.

“It does seem like quite a lot, doesn’t it? Even he’s giving you a scornful look. Can’t blame him. How’s a bloke supposed to scoff all this alone?”

“No, it’s possible.”

“Why?”

“I had him compete against two other glutton bags yesterday. BigMouth emerged victorious and devoured both, enhancing its capabilities. Its size hasn’t changed, but it can handle all of this.”

“My word… You’ve been quite busy while I was away.”

Oliver nodded, taking it as a compliment. Indeed, he had been quite productive.

His most significant accomplishment had been creating internal components and implanting them into a corpse doll.

Eventually, BigMouth began to grab and consume chunks of the book wall as Oliver had requested, and the conversation resumed between Oliver and the returning Merlin.

They discussed Kevin, Yareli, and Terence, who had safely returned to the Magic Tower.

“They all came back in one piece and are cruisin’. Came back as heroes, part of the front line. Don’t you wanna have a crack at being a hero too? Ain’t ya gonna jump in?”

“Ah… No, I’m fine.”

Oliver replied, recalling Human-meat Chef whose words haunted him as much as his persistent hunger.

As Oliver unwrapped and devoured another calorie bar to quell his rumbling stomach, Merlin broached the main topic.

“If you’re fine, then let’s get to the point.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve been dilly-dallying, and it’s startin’ to worry me.”

“……”

“I’m not sure why you’re hesitating so much to start this conversation. Spit it out, mate. You’re the one who went lookin’ for the books about demons and asked me to keep an eye on ’em. What’s with the cold feet?”

“Is it… that obvious?”

“Most of the time, you’re a bit of a mystery, but now and then, you’re clear as a dingo pup. This is one of those times. Get yourself into a pickle, did ya?”

“No, it’s not… that.”

“So what’s the go? Spill the beans. Are you scared?”

“It might be somewhat intrusive to ask.”

“Better to be nosy than leave things hangin’, right?”

Encouraged by Merlin’s words, Oliver finally spoke up.

“Did you ever use Mr. Kevin’s family for human experimentation, similar to what they do in Mattel?”

A fleeting emotion passed over Merlin’s face. His expression remained inscrutable, but the flicker in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

“Yes, that’s true.”

“And after becoming an Archiver, you stopped and took Mr. Kevin as your disciple. May I ask why you made that decision?”

“Hmm… feels like déjà vu. When you were off to Wineham… reckon you said somethin’ like that, didn’t ya? That what matters isn’t the past but the present.”

Oliver recalled saying those words as well. He had spoken them confidently then, and now, he was once again seeking answers. It was embarrassing, but he continued.

“Not havin’ a go at ya, just wanna wrap my head around it. Why the sudden curiosity again? Doesn’t seem like it’s for no reason.”

That was the correct response, an incredibly accurate one. Oliver closed his eyes for a moment, contemplated, and then admitted.

“Back then, I understood, but now, I don’t.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“Myself.”

(To be Continued)

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