Chapter 451: New Continent

Forest said he wanted to have a chat.

Oliver agreed and began walking alongside Forest.

Joe just stood there, silently watching them, and only after Oliver and Forest disappeared did he finally breathe.

“Phew…”

“Are you alright?”

A woman’s voice reached Joe as he slowly relaxed.

It was Marie, the representative of The Selectors.

She appeared silently, like a ghost.

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear. How’s that little girl, Nora, doing?”

“…Why do you ask?”

Joe spoke defensively without realizing it. It wasn’t the best attitude to have with a business partner, but he couldn’t help it.

After all, she was once the leader of a cult worshipping Dave as a deity… No, maybe she still is.

Although she gave up her activity as a leader, her faith in Dave remained strong.

Having worked with her, Joe couldn’t help but be aware of it, and he found it difficult to accept.

It made sense since he had seen fanatics like her often enough in X-District.

‘They vanished suddenly after the business started, but this still feels uneasy.’

Still, Joe had dealt with them before, and he personally thought they were more disturbing than gangs.

Murder, torture, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and so on. They did things that even drug-crazed gangs wouldn’t do, all with a smile.

Joe didn’t even want to imagine what they would think of Nora.

However, contrary to Joe’s worries, Marie spoke calmly.

“Well? I’m not worried, just curious. How is she?”

Curious about her condition… Joe turned to face Marie directly.

A woman with sickly pale skin and strange purple hair.

Surprisingly, these two features, which would normally be far from attractive, combined to create a mysterious and peculiar beauty.

Usually, cult leaders were either old hags or chubby old men, making her quite unique.

Joe responded.

“She’s much better. She’s eating properly now.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes… Dave asked me to help her.”

Joe wondered why he said that. Was he warning her not to get any ideas because Dave was watching? Or did he just want to talk about it with someone? He was confused himself.

“That’s good to hear.”

Joe was startled.

Although Joe couldn’t fully read Marie’s emotions due to her high-level dark magic, he could sense she wasn’t just saying it.

She was genuinely pleased that Nora’s condition had improved.

“…So, what is she going to do next?”

“Nora? What do you mean? What does she need to do?”

“Exactly what I said. If she’s eating again, it means she wants to live. If she wants to live, she must have something she wants to do, right?”

“I’m not sure… I think she’ll wait for Dave.”

“That’s good. But if she just waits, she might become lethargic again… If she wants to, she can come to me. I can teach her dark magic.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t be alarmed. That person specifically asked me to teach her.”

When Marie referred to ‘that person,’ there was only one person she could mean—Dave.

“He said Nora’s sense of helplessness is too deep. He asked me to teach her dark magic if she wanted. The only way to overcome helplessness is to become stronger.”

Marie spoke with deep sincerity. It was the truth, yet Joe still confirmed it.

“Dave said that?”

“Yes, you could teach her too, but I’m better at it… Just to be clear, I don’t joke or lie about that person.”

“I understand… But why did Dave say that?”

“For people from the lower class, gaining power usually involves dark magic. He decided that after seeing so many people, including me, seek power through dark magic—”

“—No. I’m asking why he wants you to teach Nora dark magic. That child…”

Joe trailed off. Even though Oliver forgave her, Nora’s sins hadn’t disappeared.

Joe was questioning why teach dark magic to someone who had once tried to kill him.

While Joe didn’t think Nora could harm Dave by learning dark magic, it was still hard for him to understand.

Marie answered firmly.

“Because that’s who he is.”

“What?”

“That’s who he is. No matter what he goes through, if the other person shows resolve, he forgives them and gives them a chance. You should know that by now.”

Joe couldn’t refute that. He had experienced it too.

Feeling exhausted by the ongoing conversation, Joe decided to ask directly.

“Do you have no personal feelings toward Nora? She tried to poison Dave.”

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I like her. I’m still very displeased by what she did. That’s an understatement, actually.”

She was being honest.

“But aside from that, I have no intention of harming her. Because that person told me not to.”

“…You’re serious.”

“Of course.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised. I thought being a cult leader, you’d just act like a wild dog and lash out.”

Joe provoked her to see her true emotions.

However, she just chuckled, as if she’d realized something.

“The old me might have, but not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I realized something. It wasn’t that the sun was worth worshipping; it was that we worshipped it because it was the sun.”

“?? What does that mean…?”

“I realized that the very act of worshipping and glorifying him without his consent was an insult. I learned that through a miracle.”

Marie placed a hand on her stomach.

“The sun’s mere existence is enough to make people worship it.”

Joe thought to himself, he really didn’t mesh well with this woman.

“Sorry, but I think you’re mistaken. To me, Dave is a hero, not a god.”

“No, you’re the one who’s mistaken… God, hero, those are just words. What matters is the meaning behind those words. Do you really not see the commonality between the god I talk about and the hero you speak of?”

Normally, Joe would dismiss such talk as nonsense. But strangely, he felt curious.

“What is it?”

“They both give our lives value and meaning. To us.”

Joe tried to scoff at her words, but found himself unable to. It was as if, deep down, he couldn’t deny them.

Marie smiled as she watched him. It was a strange yet charming smile, as if she were a different person.

“Though it’s not the right time yet.”

***

Munch. Munch. Munch.

On the passenger ship traveling from Randa to the New Continent.

Oliver sat in a first-class cabin with a personal desk and bed, eating snacks like Calorie Bars, cookies, sandwiches, cheese, and jerky, while studying the administrative map of the New Continent city, First Step.

He determined it necessary to understand at least the basic geography of the city to avoid any trouble.

From the moment he examined the map, Oliver instinctively felt he wasn’t wrong.

First Step, true to its name as the first city built on the New Continent, had a relatively long history, with a complex structure to match.

On reflection, it wasn’t strange.

Starting as an exploration outpost, then a slave supply site, and now serving as both a military stronghold and a magic stone supply base.

It had undergone several role changes, so it had to be complex.

“And it seems Prometheus Corporation’s influence is strong here.”

The sight of Prometheus Corporation’s headquarters, its mines, and magic stone processing plants on the administrative map immediately conveyed their importance to Oliver.

The layout, resembling human organs positioned at the city’s core, made their significance apparent without need for explanation.

But that wasn’t all.

The newspapers scattered across the bed also highlighted Prometheus Corporation’s prominence.

Every paper prominently featured the corporation’s upcoming shareholder meeting.

While they called the New Continent a land of opportunity with gold mines and new ventures, the reality was that the magic stone supply sustained most of its economy. And magic stones were the most critical resource in the current age of industry and magic.

“Is that why? It’s not as peaceful as Randa here.”

Oliver thought as he examined the newspapers again.

Carver had mentioned that black magic users composed of Red Men were rampant in the New Continent, and the papers confirmed this with articles detailing their ongoing terrorist attacks against Prometheus Corporation.

The attacks targeted the corporation’s mines, workplaces, employees, executives, and shareholders alike.

[—This is a prime example of how violent and barbaric people with blood-red skin can be. Our chosen nation has shared education and culture with them, yet all they have embraced is dark magic, using it for brutal and barbaric terrorism. Reports suggest they even use their own kind as dark magic materials, further justifying a more aggressive policy against the Red Men—]

“…Hmm.”

Oliver read the editorial in the newspaper and made a sound of discontent.

The content reminded him of the racial and eugenics classes he’d overheard at the Tower of Magic, classes that didn’t suit him personally.

Of course, he wasn’t saying it was wrong.

Oliver never studied or researched this topic enough to pass judgment. He just found it personally difficult to agree.

It was because Oliver knew several Red Men including Kevin and Al, as well as many of the staff at the Forest Restaurant. They were far from barbaric or stupid.

There were those who were quick-tempered, but overall, they were quite similar to everyone else. Maybe even impressive.

Kevin, Al, and others. They all had high abilities in their respective fields.

Kevin excelled in magic, academics, teaching, and paperwork, while Al’s skills in serving, customer service, and driving were exceptional.

They were admirable.

However, Oliver didn’t completely disregard the newspaper’s contents.

Because the paper showed evidence of the kind of terrorism rarely seen in Randa. The notion of using their own kind as dark magic materials also bothered him… It felt wrong, wasn’t it?

It was like Marie using The Selectors or Joe using Fighter Crew members as materials.

‘No, maybe that’s just typical behavior for dark magic users?’

Oliver pondered on that for a moment but then shook his head as the sound of the ship’s horn greeted him.

Buuuuuuuung━!

They had arrived in First Step, the city of the New Continent.

***

Chatter. Chatter. Chatter.

Oliver slowly packed up his belongings and left the first-class cabin, then observed the people descending the stairs to the dock.

They went down the narrow stairs like ants emerging from a cramped hole, though unlike ants, they weren’t uniform; they each had their own individuality.

Just like how there were really poor people, rich people, workers, and businessmen mixed in together.

And there were also black magic users, wizards, mana users, and people who looked like druids.

Just as the newspapers advertised, the New Continent was a land of opportunity, attracting all sorts of people daily, regardless of the dangers that lurked.

Despite the specific purpose of his visit, Oliver found the land of opportunity fascinating and descended with the crowd that resembled an ant swarm.

While doing so, Oliver tightly held onto his bag to avoid losing his belongings and continued to look around.

It was intriguing how diverse the people were. There were even those who used to be human.

For example, there was a corpse doll approaching the passengers from a distance.

It didn’t seem to be of good quality, as its staggering steps were awkward. But one thing stood out even more.

Namely, it was equipped with a dark magic bomb made from a heart and emotions.

“For revenge.”

The corpse doll approached the passengers, spreading its arms wide as it shouted.

Along with that, the bomb inside the corpse doll activated, and black energy leaked from its mouth and eyes.

This all happened within moments. The weary passengers were too startled to do anything, and only Oliver responded calmly, as if nothing was wrong.

[Black Cube]