Chapter 595: Visitor

Loti Daken.

Age 22.

She was a warlock of the community known as ‘The Selectors’.

‘The Selectors’ was originally a religious organization called ‘The Chosen Ones’, but ironically, after being saved by a living deity and moving to a new place, they voluntarily disbanded and transformed into the current community.

Of course, she wasn’t dissatisfied.

Some hardliners insisted they should use this momentum to expand their religious power. But according to the will of their leader, Marie, they dissolved the sect and maintained only personal faith.

They claimed this was the will of God.

There was some internal debate about it, but as mentioned, Loti didn’t care.

Having been deceived by a human trafficker and almost sold as livestock, this place was all that mattered to her as long as it existed.

What Loti truly worshipped wasn’t God, but Marie and the organization she had built.

This place, which had given her safety, bread, words, and a purpose to live, was her real object of worship.

That’s why she even enjoyed staying up all night to guard the door.

Crash!!

As she stood firmly on both legs guarding the front of the room where Marie was, a loud noise came from inside.

Loti exchanged glances with her partner on duty and then knocked on the door.

“Leader- no, Director. Is everything alright?”

There was no response.

Marie had been struggling to sleep lately due to increased work from the new settlement, but today felt different.

She couldn’t explain it in detail, but something felt ominous, eerie even. It just didn’t feel right.

Loti knocked again, ready to enter if there was no response this time.

Knock. Knock.

“Director. Are you alright?”

“…”

An eerie silence.

Just as Loti was about to open the door and enter, a voice was heard.

“It’s fine.”

It was Marie’s usual voice.

But Loti felt something was different.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but she knew. She had always been by Marie’s side, recognized as having a talent for dark magic, and she could tell.

However, before she could finish these thoughts, Marie’s voice came from beyond the door again.

“It’s particularly chaotic today, and I can’t sleep. Both of you should retreat now.”

“But Director-”

“-I insist. Please leave… Now.”

At Marie’s firm command, Loti and her partner could say no more. They lowered their heads and retreated from the door.

Something felt wrong, but they couldn’t dare ask under such strict orders.

After retreating a few paces, Loti turned around and walked down the corridor, soon realizing what was odd.

Was the night in this city always this silent?

***

[You’re quite cautious.]

In the pitch-black room.

Marie was there. Though she couldn’t see anything, she deliberately didn’t turn on the light.

If she turned on the light, this conversation might end.

“…I hope you don’t misunderstand, I mean no harm.”

Marie wasn’t scared, but she remained cautious, speaking carefully to the presence before her.

[Haha. It’s fine even if you do. I wouldn’t mind at all.]

Although she couldn’t see anything, Marie instinctively knew that these words weren’t just a bluff.

It was like how a person wouldn’t care if an ant in a cup had a scheme. If anything, they might find it amusing.

No matter how desperately the ant inside the cup struggled, from the perspective of a person, it would only be seen as entertaining.

Not that she intended to just sit quietly, though.

“May I… ask a question?”

Marie asked, after closing and then reopening her eyes.

With ‘Warlock’s Eye’ activated, Marie could finally see something in the darkness.

Thick darkness clumped together like a mass of blood to form a shape.

A woman on a camel.

[Go ahead.]

The woman answered as she looked down at Marie.

Despite her haughty and imposing presence, the voice itself was incredibly sweet.

It was a voice that Marie, back when she was weak before meeting the true deity, might have been willing to give up everything for.

“The one who has been helping me all this time… is it you?”

[Yes.]

A question asked with great expectation. The answer returned too easily.

Marie hesitated for a moment, but soon accepted it naturally.

It wouldn’t have been difficult for the entity in front of her to help.

Probably similar to giving crumbs to an ant.

Marie needed to focus on why this entity had given those crumbs, and why it suddenly appeared after remaining silent for so long.

Clap. Clap.

The sound of clapping echoed.

[Excellent. You immediately got to the heart of the matter. The important thing isn’t that I helped, but why I did.]

As Marie organized her thoughts, the woman on the camel complimented her.

It was as if her thoughts were being read.

It was an abnormal event by conventional standards, but Marie continued the conversation without panicking.

“Thank you. For giving me strength in the past…”

Marie recalled the time right after Oliver vanished.

After Oliver disappeared, everyone fell into chaos, a chaos that soon led to division.

It was a natural phenomenon since the core that unified the organization had vanished.

Some tried to take the money and flee. Others claimed themselves the new boss. And some even attempted betrayal.

As the organization was torn apart, a powerful force suddenly enveloped Marie.

It felt like she had gained a new body.

“… Thanks to you, I was able to preserve HIS memory. I sincerely thank you.”

Marie bowed deeply.

An ordinary person might have knelt, but Marie would kneel only before one person in this world. Therefore, she did not kneel.

Luckily, the entity before her didn’t seem to mind, instead appeared satisfied.

“However, I am curious.”

[What are you curious about?]

“…Why did you remain silent until now, only to suddenly appear recently?”

Marie asked, recalling how the woman had started contacting her through dreams after Oliver left for Bean City, then eventually appeared through the darkness.

The woman answered.

Though her face was obscured as just a silhouette, it somehow looked as though she was smiling.

[Don’t worry. I did not appear to harm ‘HIM’. Quite the opposite, in fact.]

Despite the vague reference, Marie instinctively knew ‘HE’ referred to Oliver.

Only one person in the world could be called ‘HIM’ by an otherworldly entity. Even a demon.

“What do you mean by the opposite…?”

[It means I’m worried about him… The clock has moved again.]

“…”

[There’s still a bit of time, but soon HE will face his fate. A fate more unreasonable, absurd, and painful than anyone else’s… That thought, it’s a little saddening.]

***

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The City of warlocks, Bean City.

A sudden festival was taking place.

The reason was none other than to celebrate the deaths of the sea monster and The Black Hand’s Finger, Fen.

Although Bean City had no direct grudge, it wasn’t strange given the indirect factors like the man-eating fishmen, the scarecrow grandpa, and the sea monster.

“Still, was it really necessary to reveal it… Wouldn’t it have been better to just say the sea monster was defeated?”

Inside the largest and finest room of Bean City Mayor Jack’s mansion, Oliver asked.

Hook, who stood opposite him, replied.

“It’s better to avoid obvious lies.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, the news of Fen’s death will spread worldwide soon enough. The children brought from Neverland, the disappearing sea monster, the vanished Sea of Oblivion, the missing Fen. It would be stranger not to know.”

“…”

“Moreover, such rumors spread anyway, even if no one seems to have seen anything. It’s better to address it from the start. At least that way, we don’t appear to be hiding something.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve told the mayor and others that you didn’t see much, so they don’t know the details. Besides, we didn’t actually see much. They all just know that Fen is dead, thanks to the Archive that Dave brought.”

“That’s… good to hear.”

Oliver felt truly relieved that he had called in Merlin. In the chaotic situation at that time, he hadn’t thought this far ahead. He considered himself lucky.

“Captain Hook, you also did well.”

Although a bit late, Oliver didn’t forget to thank Hook. Hook remained silent.

As Hook had said, he didn’t know the details, but even considering the overwhelming light and waves he had seen beyond the horizon, it was clear that any humility was misplaced.

In this setting, the best attitude Hook could adopt was to stay silent and listen.

“By the way, are the children doing well?”

“Yes… For having been in Neverland, they seem to be in good shape. It appears Jane has taken good care of them in that short time.”

Oliver nodded silently. Jane was indeed an impressive person.

“For your information, all the children have followed her to Randa.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Jane wanted to take them, and the children wanted to follow her.”

Although Oliver knew about Jane leaving due to business, he hadn’t expected her to take the children as well.

“…Are you okay with that?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I have no ties to those children anyway.”

After searching for Neverland for 30 years, Hook’s response.

It seemed unusual for him, but upon reflection, it made sense.

Hook had indeed tried to save the children trapped in Neverland, but that was because of his promise to Wendy, not any direct connection with the children.

“Does it seem strange?”

“No. Not strange… Just a little odd. I mean no offense, so I hope it doesn’t bother you.”

“It’s fine. Life itself is odd after all. Besides, I only ever thought about rescuing the children from Neverland, never what would happen after. Actually, I’m glad they followed her. I’m not good at taking care of children.”

He was sincere. Life really did seem strange, just as Hook had said.

“But are you okay, Mr. Dave?”

Hook observed Oliver, who was sitting in a chair, and asked.

“You seem somewhat uncomfortable.”

“I’m just tired, so don’t worry.”

Oliver naturally lied, even as his side throbbed with pain.

As proof, Hook was fooled.

“Good. And… Mr. Dave’s creatures said they want to stay a bit longer.”

Indeed. Despite the task being complete, Child-First, Second, Third, and Force had not returned to their test tubes. Instead, they had joined in the Bean City celebration.

They had asked for compensation for their work.

It was a reasonable request. Oliver accepted it, and so each Child was now enjoying the festivities.

First and Force had visited the Black Workshop, the warlocks’ area.

Second had mingled with pirates at Giant Head Harbor.

And Third had visited the Street of Trust with smugglers.

Oh, by the way, the Greedy Bag was also enjoying the festival. Jack, the mayor, and some gamblers had suggested a gambling match to Greedy Bag, and since they offered a fair reward, Big Mouth gladly accepted.

It figured that if they couldn’t avoid it, they might as well enjoy it.

He was likely fighting Greedy Bags right now, trying to recruit a new underling.

“Guruk(Big Ma)!”

“Guruk(Big Ma)!”

“Guruk(Big Ma)!”

“Guruk(Big Ma)!”

As Big Mouth appeared, the choir of Greedy Bag’s transport division chanted,

“Yes, I understand. If they’re having fun, that’s good. Still, it’s surprising. They seem to be getting along well.”

“Because Bean City is a city of warlocks. Seeing a Zombie Puppet that thinks and moves by itself would be captivating. Especially since the warlock who played a part in defeating Fen owns it…”

Hook trailed off. Oliver, picking up on his emotions, asked.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Um… No, it’s nothing. I might be overstepping.”

An ambiguous statement. Just as Oliver was about to ask what he meant, Hook pulled something out and handed it over.

“A paper… boat?”

“Throw it if you ever need my help at sea. It’s an item I obtained by chance and may prove useful.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Not only was there no reason for Hook to lie, but the magic and technique ingrained in the paper boat were extraordinary.

It was a magical item that could twist space by using the sea as a medium.

“Thank you. But why…?”

“Because you saved me 30 years of hardship. Isn’t that enough?”

Truthful. Yet, there seemed to be an unspoken reason not mentioned.

However, instead of asking about that, Oliver asked another question that suddenly came to mind.

“Having achieved your goal… What will you do next? Will you continue as a pirate?”

It could’ve been an uncomfortable question, but Hook willingly answered.

“Probably? Why do you ask?”

“Just… curious. Seeing the Wendy, I feel you’d do well in something other than piracy. Maybe trade.”

Oliver accurately assessed the nature of the Wendy.

The Wendy could generate its own wind and sail quickly anywhere, with expandable interior space making it suitable for both piracy and trade. However, the problem was-

“-Trade isn’t likely for me. As you can see, I’m a warlock. Plus, there’s a bounty on my head.”

“Oh…”

Focusing on the Wendy’s performance, Oliver had overlooked the most important fact.

A warlock was socially ostracized, and unsuitable for legitimate business like trade for many reasons.

Oliver was a special exception, but as said, it was a unique case.

Partly due to Randa’s city characteristics and the status guaranteed by the Tower of Magic.

There were ways to operate in secret, but the risk was too great. It would likely be exposed eventually.

As if to console Oliver, Hook added.

“Besides, I like being a pirate. Isn’t there romance in it?”

Hook laughed. On his face, seemingly in his late 30s-early 40s, was a glimpse of childlike playfulness.

“Romance?”

“Yes, sailing solo, capturing ships filled with gold, raw materials, weapons, drugs, or slaves. It’s a lot of fun. I also enjoy taking apart those annoying mages… But who knows, I might find a new game if the world changes.”

Oliver made no reply. If the world changed, huh…

The gradually rising silence signaled the end of the conversation, and Hook, ever observant, left.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, thank you for your help.”

Oliver expressed his gratitude for Hook handling the tedious chores on his behalf.

After Hook left, the large room was left with only Oliver and Merlin, who had been using invisibility magic.

“…How did you know?”

Merlin, realizing he’d been discovered, dispelled the invisibility spell and asked.

Without turning around, Oliver responded.

“Just a hunch.”