Chapter 569: A Request for Help

Merlin, rather than being surprised by the out-of-context request to deal with a sea monster, looked calmly at Oliver.

He acted as if he knew everything already. Maybe it was only natural.

After all, Merlin was part of the Archive, with a thousand years of accumulated knowledge.

Oliver, as if expecting Merlin’s reaction, briefly explained what happened in Gallos.

He mentioned how he sought the Flesh Cook’s legacy, received an invitation, and how Jane was taken right before his eyes during Fen’s attack.

While Oliver explained, Merlin remained silent, showing no reaction until the story ended.

“Are you going to rescue her? The girl named Jane?”

“Yes, she’s my friend… That’s why I seek your help. I’ll do my best to get to Neverland myself, but fighting that massive reptile… the sea monster that Fen summoned, might be too difficult.”

Oliver respectfully took out a newspaper from his coat and handed it to Merlin.

The newspaper was the Gallos paper he read before attending the party, which contained an article about a giant sea monster attacking merchant ships in the Atlantic.

The newspaper featured various speculations, from stories of a sea monster reappearing after years to the theory of a staged incident for insurance money.

Now, Oliver knew what was true and what was false.

“I’ve read this article. There was a similar one in Randa about a beneficial monster rat cleansing the sewers… Are you certain that the reptile you saw is the sea monster from this article?”

“Yes, while I don’t have concrete evidence, I am confident it’s the sea monster.”

Typically, Oliver would end his sentences with uncertainty due to his lack of self-assurance, but this time, he was confident in his assertion.

He had felt something certain when he encountered the reptile’s arm.

The overwhelming size that made even giants look like dwarves and cast shadows across the ground could only be described as a sea monster.

It wasn’t just the size. The moment Oliver saw it, he knew it was a sea monster.

The only problem was it was just a feeling. Fortunately, Merlin believed Oliver’s words.

“I had a suspicion, and it seems I was right… So it was Fen who made the sea monster. Do you know why the sea monster, dormant for decades, has reappeared?”

Oliver recalled what happened between Fen and The Burned One in the New Continent.

Fen claimed to be a prince, while The Burned One mocked him to his face. Fen even had to fight The Burned One’s shadow to protect his master but ultimately lost.

“I’m not sure. There was some kind of incident in the New Continent, but I’m not certain if it’s related.”

“Hmm, well, okay… It’s surprising. I didn’t expect you to ask for help.”

Merlin’s response was genuinely unexpected.

It was understandable, as Oliver had sought advice before but never asked someone to fight for him.

That was Oliver’s nature.

He wasn’t the type to ask someone else to fight on his behalf, regardless of the enemy’s strength, the outcome, or life or death.

If the opponent was strong, he would do his best to fight, and if he couldn’t win, he would calmly accept death with his usual expressionless face.

Of course, no one can predict how the fear of death might affect a person, but Merlin was confident Oliver wouldn’t do so.

The only reason Oliver hesitated to fight the sea monster must have been something worse than death.

Something more terrifying and unsettling than dying. Merlin couldn’t help but feel worried.

At that moment, Oliver responded to Merlin’s question.

“I’ve heard about the sea monster. I think it’ll be too difficult for me to handle.”

“…Who told you?”

“I heard it from Armand.”

“His Excellency Armand, the Knight Priest of the Pater Church and Chancellor of Gallos?”

“Yes.”

“Huh… It seems like you’ve broadened your connections while I wasn’t looking. He’s not an easy person to meet or talk to. But that makes him trustworthy.”

Although Merlin’s thick barrier of magic prevented Oliver from reading his emotions, Merlin seemed somewhat sincere in his reaction.

Oliver was glad. It meant he hadn’t made the wrong choice.

“He said the sea monster first appeared decades ago in the Atlantic, causing so much damage that it affected world trade. Some sailors even developed a culture of praying for safety as a result.”

Oliver recalled what he saw on the passenger ship to the New Continent as he answered.

Some of the sailors lit candles and prayed to the Father in Heaven to protect them from the sea monster.

Combining the harsh environment of the ocean and the monstrous creature of indescribable size, even Oliver could understand the sailors’ feelings.

In the face of absolute powerlessness, all one can do is pray to God. And furthermore—

“—I also heard it can control water at will. It can create whirlpools, water pillars, and perhaps even teleport across spaces. While some say it’s a rumor, I believe it to be true.”

Oliver was confident. Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain how the massive monster from the Western Sea appeared in a lake.

Space travel with water as a medium was the only answer.

The fact that it could use such an advanced technique like teleportation meant it could do almost anything with water, which Oliver thought was absurd.

Handling water so freely on top of that preposterous body seemed overwhelming.

“Of course, the thing I fear the most is its ridiculous size… According to rumors, it’s big enough to swallow ships whole in a single bite. That’s why it’s called the Monster That Swallows Everything. Just hearing that is terrifying.”

“…I’ve also heard that name.”

“Being so powerful, enormous, and difficult to fight terrifies me. That’s why I’m asking for your help. When I go to Neverland to rescue Jane, I hope you’d aid me if I encounter the sea monster.”

Merlin silently observed Oliver after hearing his request, as if judging whether he was sincere.

After a moment, Merlin nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, if your goal is rescue and not fighting, that’s much better.”

“Yes… Among the people I know, you’re the only one capable of fighting such a monster.”

“Ha! Did you hit your head in Gallos? You’re being overly flattering.”

“I read a book on how to survive in the workplace.”

Oliver made another joke, and Merlin burst out laughing again.

“Kahaha!! After making me laugh like that, it’s hard to refuse. I’ll help.”

“Thank you for accepting my request… While I’m at it, may I ask one more favor?”

“You’ve become quite bold. What is it?”

“I’d like to retrieve what was promised to me.”

***

To his amazement and gratitude, Merlin accepted Oliver’s unexpected request for help, as well as his request for the item’s return.

After all, it was something Merlin had promised to return to Oliver anyway.

Using spatial magic, Merlin handed the item to Oliver, who fed it to the Greedy Bag, and then received another object.

It was an emergency flare signal, which looked ordinary at first glance but contained carefully and densely packed magic and rituals inside.

The amount of magical power aside, the ritual for specifying space coordinates was so intricately precise that it amazed Oliver.

As expected of something given by the Archive.

“Break it when you need me. Then, I’ll come to help no matter where you are. But due to my duties here, I can’t be gone for long.”

Merlin said this casually, even though it meant he could instantly go to the middle of the ocean to help.

It was a statement far removed from common sense, but Oliver accepted it naturally.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you again.”

Oliver respectfully bowed and turned to leave. As he was walking away, Merlin called out to him.

“Oliver.”

“…Yes, Sir.”

“Did you really ask for help because you found it difficult to deal with the sea monster?”

A question after the conversation had ended.

Oliver paused for a moment before turning his head. His face was as expressionless as usual, but Merlin felt something was different.

“…Yes, it’s very difficult and terrifying.”

“I see.”

With that answer, Oliver continued on his way.

After Oliver disappeared, Merlin, feeling fatigued, sat down and recalled the sea monster he had seen in the past.

More precisely, it was the memory of his master’s sea monster, the former head of the Archive.

The sea monster that appeared decades ago in the Atlantic was a disaster for all the chosen nations that used those seas, and eventually, the desperate kings pleaded with the former head of the Archive to deal with it.

The former head of the Archive fulfilled that request.

Merlin, having inherited those memories, knew a bit about the sea monster’s appearance and power, even if he didn’t know who created it.

That’s why he thought Oliver was wise to ask for help.

The sea monster was a disaster born from a demon’s whim or plan.

However, Merlin wondered whether Oliver would really find it difficult to face that monster.

The thought naturally led Merlin to recall Oliver’s past encounters.

Oliver, who summoned the Filgarett during their first duel.

Oliver, who spewed pure white flames from his right arm in their second duel.

Both were powers beyond reason, things that shouldn’t exist in this world.

Just like the Leviathan, the sea monster born from a demon’s power.

Recalling those memories made Merlin genuinely curious.

Did Oliver really ask for help because he was afraid to fight and lose his life, or was there another reason?

As Merlin’s thoughts deepened, a passage from the Eschatology crossed Merlin’s mind.

‘Tick-tock. The moment a massive hole forms at the end of the world, the clock begins to move. A black sun will rise from the earth, a monster that swallows everything will stir in the western sea, the false gatekeeper will come with the key, and the wandering boy will become a man…’

Amazingly, the prophecy was progressing slowly but surely and with brutal precision.

Realizing this, Merlin finally understood.

Oliver had some sense of what he was, yet he was still in denial, trying to reject his fate.

After accepting this realization, Merlin finally found his voice again.

“God, please watch over us.”

***

Beep. Beep. Beep.

In his improvised underground workshop,

Oliver, who had been resting with his eyes closed in a chair, got up and immediately went to work when the alarm went off.

The task was to repair and construct some Zombie Puppets that were damaged during the fight with Fen.

It was necessary work to restore his combat power before heading to Neverland.

It might seem leisurely during such an urgent time, but Oliver judged that it was a necessary task, given there were no longer any numerical restrictions on Zombie Puppets.

‘There are also things that are needed.’

Oliver thought as he looked at the two giant glass tubes filled with blood solution.

In the massive cylindrical glass tubes, large enough to fit a person, were the half-disappeared body of the Zombie Puppet—Durance and the body of the Flesh Cook that Merlin had given him.

Starting with the book he received from Puppet, an expert in Zombie Puppets, Oliver was repairing and creating each of these Zombie Puppets using a special method that skillfully combined blood magic, Theodore’s medical knowledge, and Life School knowledge.

It was a chemical processing technique that went beyond mere embalming or physical processing, and fortunately, the work was progressing smoothly.

Of course, there were still some conventional methods of processing being used.

“First. How’s the work coming along?”

“It’s going well.”

First responded from one side of the spacious workshop, where he was helping Oliver by handling a large batch of Zombie Puppet creation.

First was currently inside the Zombie Puppet—Bathory, controlling the bodies of a doctor, a necromancer, and a carpenter, which had been merged into production Zombie Puppets—Helper 1, Helper 2, and Helper 3, to mass-produce a large number of Zombie Puppets for Oliver.

These bodies came from the corpses that Oliver had accumulated over time and from the Black Market, where he had made quick purchases, and they were of significant quality and quantity.

Considering the quality of the bodies and the performance of the completed Zombie Puppets, it would have been proper to process those bodies with the ‘Oliver Method’ rather than the ‘Traditional Method,’ but Oliver considered time and resources and decided to process them conventionally, which was the right choice.

As proof, the Zombie Puppets—Helper 1, 2, and 3—created by merging Bathory with the bodies of the doctor, necromancer, and carpenter, were producing dozens of Zombie Puppets in a short period, almost like a factory.

It was really good news.

The ability to produce quickly meant that even if Zombie Puppets took heavy damage, Oliver could immediately restore his forces. This was a tremendous advantage, whether for an individual or a group.

“Whew…”

Even as Oliver watched Bathory’s work, he used Ptah’s Assistant to perform last-minute tasks on the Zombie Puppets, and then pulled the lever on the machine connected to the cylindrical glass tubes, draining the blood solution containing large amounts of life force.

Gurgle. Gurgle. Gurgle.

The blood solution, mixed with potions, life force, and blood, bubbled and lowered as air bubbles rose.

Using the mechanical arm made of magic, Ptah’s Assistant, Oliver carefully lifted the Zombie Puppets out and placed them on the workbench, then checked the time.

“Hmm… First.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you handle the finishing touches?”

Oliver pointed to the Zombie Puppet—Durance and the Flesh Cook that he had repaired and constructed.

The finishing touches merely involved wiping off the blood solution, checking their condition, and testing their operational state by inserting Child—Second and Force, but it wasn’t a pleasant request for First, who was already near his legal working hours.

However, seeing Oliver’s state, First agreed willingly.

“Alright. But, I want overtime pay.”

Having been educated by the Angel’s House staff, First now spoke more naturally, expressing his demands without the awkward phrasing he once used.

Pleased with this remarkable progress, Oliver nodded enthusiastically and left the underground workshop, carrying Zombie Puppet—Duncan, which was nothing more than a head, shoulders, and an arm, in a sack.

Outside, the warm sunlight and the transformed X-District, now reborn to an almost unrecognizable state, welcomed Oliver.

Gone were the peeling roads, sidewalks, buildings spewing concrete dust, graffitied alleys, and suspicious totems. In their place were neatly organized scenes akin to a middle-class residential area. The vibrant streets were a bonus.

“Hello, Mr. Dave.”

As Oliver headed towards the Woodcutter’s Forest in the central part of the X-District, a man greeted him.

It was an employee of Smith, an apprentice of Ewan, and a contractor for Forest, running a large-scale necromancy workshop.

In addition to Smith’s employees, there were members of the Fighter Crew managing security and some ordinary-looking people greeting Oliver as well.

Receiving the greetings, Oliver passed through the quickly transformed X-District and entered the Woodcutter’s Forest.

The clean air and soil that greeted him were so refreshing, it was hard to believe he was still in the mega-city Randa. Oliver started digging with a shovel in a suitable spot.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

After digging to a certain depth, Oliver placed Duncan’s head, shoulders, and arm remains in the pit and covered them back up with soil.

He had used Duncan’s remains well, and since there were no more uses for them, this was the least he could do.

“You should have called me sooner. I would have helped.”

Just as Duncan was completely buried, a voice from Forest could be heard.

When Oliver turned his head, he saw Forest, along with Marie from The Selectors, and Joe from the Fighter Crew, the key figures of the Redevelopment Union, standing there.

Seeing them, Oliver spoke.

“I wanted to do this myself. But thank you for coming on such short notice.”