Chapter 567: Surroundings

You’re not the only one who’s sad right now.

Armand said those words.

He wasn’t wrong. Oliver could see it too.

The sheer size of the reptilian arm alone had caused so much harm.

Even though Oliver had fought desperately and the Holy Knights had raised a shield using Holy Power, the raw physical power of the arm easily overpowered them.

“Aaargh…! M-my eyes! I can’t see!”

A young man who had been gravely injured by flying debris.

“Aaaargh…”

A noblewoman cried out dumbfoundedly, staring at the corpse of her husband whose lower body had been crushed.

“Hey, get it together. Don’t close your eyes!!”

An old nobleman shook his unconscious son awake, despite being injured himself.

“Please! Help here too!”

A bodyguard grabbed a Holy Knight by the pant leg, trying to save his comrade.

“Hey, give up on that guy. He’s already dead.”

Another Holy Knight urged to save those who could still be saved, abandoning his fellow Knight. It was like a small-scale representation of humanity’s struggles.

Oliver watched the scene over Armand’s shoulder.

Interestingly, the scene was not much different from what he was used to seeing in Randa.

The brawls between gangs in the slums, the proxy wars between mercenaries, and the collateral damage from fights among superhumans.

Scenes of people struggling to survive in what felt like a disaster.

At this moment, nobles, Holy Knights, simple bodyguards, gangs, and civilians were no different.

They were just people, all of them.

Perhaps, if it were the usual Oliver, he would have found some interest or gained insight from this, but maybe because Jane had just been kidnapped?

A small, almost imperceptible seed of annoyance, indifference, and something darker sprouted in the corner of Oliver’s mind.

So what?…

“Do you think it’s alright for them to get hurt and die a little?”

Armand spoke calmly but with a strong tone, as if piercing through Oliver’s heart.

“Do you think it’s okay because they were born into a special class, raised wealthy, and pampered, so it’s fine if they die a bit unlucky? Or do you think it’s okay because they’re not connected to you?”

“………”

Oliver remained silent. He wanted to agree, but something accumulated inside him that prevented him from saying it. Experience? Conscience? He couldn’t define it clearly.

“If that’s what you think, it’s admirable. But that thought is no different from thinking it’s okay if poor, lowly humans die.”

Oliver reacted as if he’d been struck in the head by those words.

“……..I don’t know. I don’t know what I think.”

Armand silently stared into Oliver’s eyes, as if weighing the truth, then spoke with a softer, gentler tone.

“…Once again, I apologize to you. For not being able to protect your friend. But, you’re not the only one who has suffered. All those over there, even I have lost many Holy Knights I trained.”

Oliver’s gaze naturally shifted to the fallen Holy Knights. The ones who had shielded themselves to block the massive reptilian arm.

They were all shattered, but the most prominent among them were the five Holy Knights who had died protecting Jane, having been stabbed by Fen.

“They were targeting Miss Jane from the start… or perhaps they were targeting you.”

Armand examined the dead Holy Knights as he spoke resolutely, and Oliver could not deny it.

Despite Fen gaining the upper hand with that giant reptilian arm, he could have killed everyone, yet he only abducted Jane.

But he did it right in front of Oliver’s eyes.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out who the real target was.

“Any idea who it could be?”

At Armand’s question, Oliver fell into deep thought. He had a guess. Fen had said it himself in the abandoned mine in the New Continent.

‘I am the true Prince of Hell! I called you here!! I wanted to talk, but you dared to ignore me! Now, suffer the consequences!!’

Despite witnessing the overwhelming demonic power that no human could resist, Fen still claimed to be a prince. Even as he bled from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, he attacked the demon.

His obsession, anger, and desire were almost madness.

That’s how much Fen craved to prove he was a prince.

But the demon, The Burned One, had only mocked him. Strangely enough, the demon showed respect instead…

…Oliver bit his lip. Even in the midst of Jane’s kidnapping, he was overwhelmed by selfish emotions, refusing to think or talk about what he didn’t want to.

It was clear; Jane was his friend, after all… He almost felt like laughing, as he had laughed at the shrine.

“…I don’t know.”

As he answered, Oliver’s lips twisted as if he had swallowed something disgusting. Yet Armand said nothing.

Despite having the insight to see through Fen targeting Oliver and Jane in the chaos, he chose a different topic.

“These kinds of things will happen countless times in the future.”

“…What do you mean?”

“After the Flesh Cook’s death, the Black Mage society is in turmoil. Even demon-worshipping cults are slowly emerging. This is just the beginning of the chaos.”

“When you say cults, are you talking about the Swan Sect?”

“They’re the most well-known, but there are plenty of other cults. With a demon descending on the New Continent for the first time in hundreds of years, demon worshipers are gaining strength. Even Randa isn’t exempt.”

Oliver reacted to the word Randa. After all, it was the City where Oliver lived, where The Selectors, the Fighter Crew, and Forest resided.

A place he thought was deeply rooted, even more than he initially realized.

If necessary, he would leave, but he hoped that situation wouldn’t come.

“You’re saying Randa has a lot of demon worshipers too.”

“Not just in Randa, but outside of it as well. In the small towns that Randa devoured. Cults have been found there too.”

Genuine. It was genuine.

“Aside from that, other groups have grown from mere gangs into warlords with support from unknown forces. This is happening everywhere, not just in Randa.”

There was no need to see through emotions this time; the threat around Randa was something he had already heard about.

Oliver was curious about something else.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I already told you. These kinds of things will happen countless times. Someone’s Jane will be kidnapped or killed. Maybe not yours, but maybe yours as well.”

Though it sounded like a threat, Oliver didn’t ask if it was.

Because there was no malice in Armand’s words. It was pure sincerity and concern. Concern for the public.

“I’m not trying to force someone who doesn’t want to be involved, especially since such a person wouldn’t do their job well… But remember this. To stand by and watch the world turn into a living hell, all while thinking you and those around you will remain unharmed, is utter madness. The world is all connected.”

At those words, Oliver tightly closed his eyes and sealed his lips, just like when he thought of Fen.

He didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to face it, didn’t want to deal with the truth he wanted to avoid.

After some time, Oliver broke the silence.

“…Can I ask why you’re so sure Miss Jane will be okay?”

“Fen took her to replace Wendy. At the very least, he won’t kill her immediately.”

“What is Wendy?”

“She’s the only woman in Neverland, Fen’s hideout. She acts as a mother figure to the children. That’s all I know.”

Oliver quickly turned his head to look at the raccoon-caped boy who was left alone.

The boy was trembling so much that he couldn’t hold a proper conversation, probably because Oliver had threatened him earlier.

“…Where is Neverland?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah, it’s called Neverland, isn’t it? It’s said to exist, but only two people know its location.”

“One is obviously Fen, the master of Neverland… Who is the other?”

“Captain Hook.”

***

According to Armand, only two people in the entire world know the location of Neverland.

To be exact, one knows its precise location while the other knows the general area.

The latter is Captain Hook.

‘Captain Hook? Does he command a ship?’

‘It’s more accurate to say he plunders them.’

Shockingly, Armand explained that Captain Hook is a pirate.

He is a notorious pirate based in Bean City, the city of Black Mages, smugglers, and pirates.

‘How does he know about it?’

‘He said he lived in Neverland before escaping for some reason… He described Neverland as a place with trees that bear candies and jerky, and chests filled with gold coins buried underground.’

It sounded like a fairy tale, but then a nightmare followed.

‘There are also carnivorous plants that eat people, a forest where they hang those who are no longer useful, fog that lingers all year round, and mermaids that cause ships to run aground near Neverland.’

‘…Did you hear all this about Fen from Captain Hook?’

‘Yes. I paid him enough to hire crews for his massive ship, and at the very least, I know he wasn’t lying.’

Oliver seemed to have learned how Captain Hook became a pirate.

In many ways, it was a surprising story. It made him realize the extent of Captain Hook’s cunning despite never having met him, and that Armand couldn’t be ordinary either.

Anyway, Armand’s point was that Jane would be turned into Wendy, ensuring her safety for now.

Although it varies by person, some have survived as Wendy for as short as a week or as long as years.

‘The key is survival. How well one fulfills the role of Wendy.’

The fact that Jane had been kidnapped was painful, but Oliver was somewhat relieved.

Even though he didn’t fully understand what Wendy was, he believed Jane would do her best to adapt.

Jane was a very smart and brave person, so he was confident she would hold on.

‘The second point is…’

Splash!

As Oliver was mentally organizing his conversation with Armand, Lucian splashed water on Ewan.

Ewan, who had been chained and sleeping peacefully in the basement of the gambling house, screamed and jumped up at the unexpected water bath.

“Aaaahhh! Royal straight flush!!!”

Strangely enough, Ewan had the same reaction when he was caught by Joe in X-District.

A remarkably consistent person. Then again, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allowed him to get on with business quickly.

Oliver greeted Ewan.

“Hello, Ewan. Did you sleep well?”

“I did, until someone threw water on me… I’d curse, but you don’t seem to be in a good mood, so I’ll let it slide. I’m scared of dying.”

Although it seemed like a joke, Ewan’s words accurately conveyed Oliver’s mental state, leading him to ask.

“Can you see my emotions?”

“No, but your shadow is wilding out.”

At that, Oliver looked down at the ground beneath him to examine his shadow.

The dark shadow cast by the basement lights shimmered restlessly, reflecting his anxious state.

It seemed as though it might start moving on its own any moment.

Reacting to his minute emotions, it suddenly dawned on Oliver why he had refrained from feeding his Creature.

Fortunately, he still had control, and the shadow soon calmed down.

“Haa… My apologies.”

“No need to apologize. A Creature you can’t control is the most dangerous thing for a Warlock. So, there’s nothing to apologize to me for? You’re the one who’d be screwed. Honestly, I’d kind of like to see it.”

“Well, I’m glad, then.”

Focusing on how Ewan wasn’t actually upset, Oliver replied.

Ewan, noticing Oliver’s usual manner but sensing some urgency, spoke up.

“Hmm, I have a bad feeling you’re about to ask a favor.”

“You’re absolutely right. I have something to ask of you, Sir Ewan.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to do it.”

“I’d like to ask you to guide me somewhere.”

“The more you ask, the more I don’t want to.”

“Please take me to Bean City.”

“This is the weirdest way to have a conversation… Wait, what?”

“Bean City. I would really appreciate it if you could guide me there.”

***

Oliver explained why he needed to go to Bean City.

“To save your friend Jane, you need the help of Captain Hook, who knows the location of Neverland.”

“To get his help, you need to go to Bean City, and to reach Bean City, you need my help since I know its location.”

“Damn it, that’s so logical I can’t argue with it. The terrain in Bean City is awful. Fine, one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“How do you know that I know where Bean City is? Have I said anything when I was drunk?”

“No, Sir Armand mentioned it. He said that some con man traded a cow for beans there.”

“Watch what you say! Con man?! It was a fair trade!”

“You traded a cow for three beans with a kid?”

“They were Black Magic Beans! That’s how Bean City was built!”

Ewan shouted defensively.

Incredibly, Ewan’s story was true.

If you explained it all, it’d be a long story, but to keep it brief: the city of Black Mages, Bean City, located in the western corner of the agricultural nation of Ibernia, was built using Ewan’s Black Magic Beans.

To be precise, it was built by a man named Jack, who foolishly traded a cow for those beans.

“I’m telling you, those were Black Magic Beans. They grew into a giant beanstalk that Jack climbed to steal the goose that lays golden eggs and killed the giant! Bean City as it is now was built on that foundation! You should bow down to me a hundred times and offer me a billion Randa every week.”

“I want you, Sir Ewan, to take me to Bean City.”

“No way!”

Ewan exclaimed in shock.

“Why not?”

“There are too many people who want to kill me in that city. Especially Jack, the mayor, he really wants me dead.”

“But you helped build the city. Wouldn’t he have a reason to leave you alone?”

“Those Magic Beans I gave him were defective. By some chance, they ended up working, but all that aside, I sold him defective beans, so he has every reason to want me dead. There’s even a bounty on my head.”

Amazingly, Ewan had just claimed he deserved a billion Randa every week and now was admitting he deserved to die.

It was so… Ewan-like.

“Plus, my disciples are there too, so I can’t go.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Not really. I sold them all ten years’ worth of salaries in advance.”

“My god…”

Lucian, who had been silently listening, was appalled.

Even Millieu, descendants of looters, robbers, and thieves, found Ewan’s actions beyond the pale.

Regardless, Ewan shook his head.

“Bean City… I know that backwater city well, but I can’t lead you there. Too many people want me dead. I can’t do you that favor.”

Ewan said sternly, as if that was final. But Oliver wasn’t giving up.

“Couldn’t you still help me somehow? I’ll protect you, Sir Ewan.”

“I doubt someone as soft as you could protect me in a place full of society’s scum… What’s that paper in your hand?”

Ewan asked about the paper bundle in Oliver’s hand, sensing unease.

“It’s your IOUs, Sir Ewan. I got them from Lucian and the others.”

Indeed, after Fen’s attack, Oliver had sought help from Lucian and the other Millieu bosses to acquire Ewan’s IOUs.

Originally, he had planned to purchase them with money, but they handed them over willingly.

“Is this really you?”

Ewan asked in a formal tone, stunned by Oliver’s quick and decisive actions.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I hope you understand.”

“What if I still say no? Are you going to cut me up like Millieu did?!”

“No, of course not. I’ll just pull out one of your teeth for every IOU.”

Oliver replied as he recalled his past experiences. After all, nothing was as persuasive as pulling teeth.

It was a fact.

“Damn it.”