Chapter 629: After the Night

A space where the floor, walls, and ceiling were indistinguishable, like a void.

Two men sat facing each other there.

“······.”

“······.”

For some unknown reason, they simply gazed at each other in silence.

For a very, very long time.

It felt like several days had passed. During that time, Oliver sat silently without doing anything.

He neither spoke nor touched the cookies in front of him. He just stared quietly at the man before him.

The man whose face was obscured by a deep shadow.

This long silence continued until finally, someone decided to speak first.

It was the man with the shadowed face.

“Don’t you like the cookies, child?”

The man looked at the untouched cookies as he asked.

Although Oliver couldn’t see his gaze due to the deep shadow over his face, he felt that the man was looking at him.

Oliver quietly gazed at the shadow and then reached out, picking up a cookie and putting it in his mouth.

Chew. Chew. Chew. Gulp.

“It’s delicious.”

When Oliver said it was delicious, he meant it. It tasted as though it was made just for him; it couldn’t not be delicious.

But for some reason, it didn’t satisfy him the way it used to.

The reason he ate it now was merely out of consideration for the man who had offered it.

Even though he didn’t know the man’s name or what he looked like, politeness required it.

Maybe that’s why Oliver found the pile of cookies before him somewhat overwhelming. He slid the plate forward and offered them.

“Won’t you have some too, Sir?”

“No, I’m fine.”

The man shook his head. Oliver couldn’t help but feel the firmness in his refusal.

“I ate too many in the past and got tired of them.”

“That’s interesting. I feel the same way.”

Oliver hesitated briefly before placing the half-eaten cookie back on the plate. After a moment’s thought, he put it back in his mouth and swallowed it along with some milk.

Only after that did he completely push away the plate of cookies.

“Aren’t you tired of them?”

“It’s just that I felt it wouldn’t be polite to leave something half-eaten. So I decided to finish this and then stop. Thank you for your kindness.”

Hearing this, the man across from Oliver shifted slightly.

It almost seemed like he was smiling.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Oliver exchanged these insignificant words with the man, then sat back down and resumed watching him.

After all, this was only a dream. Oliver’s actions were limited.

Though it might not be a dream, the man once told Oliver that it was up to him to decide. So, Oliver decided to consider it a dream.

Thus, he planned to sit there quietly, watching the man until he woke up. Maybe if he continued watching, the man’s face would become clearer.

At that moment, the man spoke again.

“Why are you so quiet? I thought you used to talk a lot.”

“I’m not sure… What’s the point in asking when I’m not going to get a proper answer?”

“Child, I always gave you answers. The problem was you couldn’t hear them.”

Oliver remembered the time when the man had told him his name, but he hadn’t been able to catch it.

“Then, how can I hear you properly?”

“Well, you’d have to open your ears.”

“See… you’re not giving me a clear answer.”

Oliver immediately responded with a hint of irritation, as if he were accusing or complaining.

This retort was common in normal conversations, but it wasn’t quite like Oliver.

Oliver was surprised at himself as he widened his eyes.

However, the man seemed unexpectedly calm.

He didn’t get upset at Oliver’s irritation. He actually took it in stride, almost as if he understood.

Seeing that, Oliver thought for a moment and then apologized.

“…I’m sorry. I’ve been tired— I mean, it’s just, I was wrong.”

Instead of making excuses about being tired, Oliver simply admitted his fault and asked for forgiveness.

With the attempt to establish the Dark Magic school, cleaning up the Contaminated Zone, the Druid, and the Pied Piper, a lot had happened, but Oliver didn’t want to make excuses.

Fortunately, the man’s reaction was favorable.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Nicole… No, you got quite a scolding from the Pied Piper, didn’t you?”

“Do you know the Pied Piper?”

“I know almost everything, including that child… Why? Does it bother you that such a strong being exists?”

“No.”

Oliver responded immediately, shaking his head.

“It’s not strange that someone stronger than me exists, so I’m not really bothered by it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. After all, the reason I studied Dark Magic and sought knowledge was solely to satisfy my personal curiosity, not to defeat anyone. So I’m not envious just because someone stronger exists.”

“That’s a good attitude. Accomplishments are based on yourself, not others.”

“But I am personally curious about the Pied Piper. You seem to know their name, don’t you?”

“I know the name that child discarded in the past, but I can’t tell you. Revealing the name someone discarded would be rude.”

Oliver, agreeing with this, didn’t push further. There were other things he was curious about.

“Then, can you tell me why the Pied Piper was so angry?”

Oliver asked while thinking of the Pied Piper.

A typical height and build. Worn yet well-maintained clothes and hair. Sharp eyes like a snake and a face that once probably smiled.

At first glance, he seemed calm and rational, but Oliver had seen the anger deep within him through the Warlock’s Eye.

His anger was vast and deep like the ocean, swallowing all other emotions.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say he was consumed by his rage.

Oliver was personally curious about why the Pied Piper was so angry.

He didn’t even know why. He just felt more connected to the Piper’s emotions than those of others. It felt a bit more relatable.

“Because he lost something precious.”

Oliver remained silent, somewhat expecting this answer.

Even though he couldn’t fully understand the reason, Oliver had a gut feeling that the Pied Piper’s anger stemmed from losing something precious.

At that moment, the man spoke. His voice seemed tinged with regret.

“He didn’t have to suffer such pain initially.”

“What?”

“He could have lived without suffering if he had truly wanted to.”

“Ah…”

Oliver let out a sound. He didn’t fully understand what the man meant, but he didn’t have anything else to say. Then, unexpectedly, the man continued.

“But he didn’t choose that. Despite being born to enjoy every blessing and pleasure and having the right to live without suffering… he didn’t.”

“······.”

Oliver tilted his head, struggling to understand the concept of being born entitled to blessings and freedom from suffering. But he couldn’t argue about it, so he stayed silent.

“Why? Does it seem strange?”

“No, I don’t understand it, but… You’re talking about the Pied Piper, right?”

“…Yes.”

The man answered Oliver a moment later.

Something felt off, but rather than press on it, Oliver continued the conversation.

“Then how did he end up suffering?”

“Because he chose a different path. He put on a skin that didn’t fit, denied himself, and went against the natural order, trying to live life on his own terms. And in doing so, he lost something precious.”

“Was that a mistake?”

Oliver asked, as if it were his own situation.

“I wouldn’t say it was a mistake, but there are roles in life that are assigned to us, regardless. Like how I’m a gardener.”

“But you aren’t doing that now, are you?”

Oliver contested, and the man nodded.

“You’re right. I’m not doing anything right now. I’m too tired. But I still hold the gardener’s position. It’s a spot that can’t be vacated until the next gardener comes.”

The next gardener…

Oliver found himself thinking about it, even though he didn’t want to. He started to speculate, even though he wasn’t supposed to. He began to ask, even though he wasn’t supposed to.

“Could the next gardener be—”

“—You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

“…What?”

“I said, you don’t have to do anything. I mentioned stuff like natural order and roles, but I’m already going against it myself… So you can just forget what I said earlier.”

The man, who had appeared emotionless until now, suddenly showed his feelings.

His emotions were full of extreme fatigue, guilt, pain, and regret, along with affection. Affection directed at Oliver.

“It’s easy to speak righteously, but hard to act on it. I have no right to tell you anything. You have the right to choose.”

“What kind of right are you talking about?”

“The right to enjoy all blessings and pleasures and to be free from suffering simply by being born. From the start…”

The man trailed off. At the same time, Oliver began to see the man’s previously indistinct features somewhat more clearly. The figure bore a resemblance to…

“…Ugh.”

Oliver groaned and opened his eyes.

At first, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view, followed by a wave of intense pain that rushed over his body.

The pain that shot through his entire body from head to toe attacked Oliver’s brain, throwing his thoughts into chaos. Then, ‘Bzzzz…’ He heard various noise-filled voices through his eardrums.

“He woke up! He’s awake…!”

“Call the Elder! Quickly!!”

“Oh, thank God…! What a relief.”

“Are you awake?”

“Honestly, you had us all really worried.”

Joy, surprise, relief, gratitude, worry—various emotions flashed like fireworks around him.

However, perhaps due to the pain overwhelming his body or his foggy head, Oliver found it annoying, even for just a moment.

“Are you alright?”

While struggling against the sudden surge of external stimuli, Oliver’s vision cleared, revealing a shiny head.

“…Elder?”

“Good, you responded to my scalp. It’s cheeky, but you’re your usual self.”

Merlin observed Oliver’s reaction and concluded that there was no problem.

What the hell is going on…? Oliver tried to get up to figure out the situation, but just then, the throbbing pain sliced through him like a knife.

Ribs, spine, neck, organs, muscles—everything.

Even someone like Oliver, who was resistant to pain, found himself holding his breath for a moment.

As he was about to collapse back onto the bed, someone on both sides of him caught him.

It was Marie and Jane.

“Representative.”

“Dave.”

“…Hello?”

Oliver said, gasping due to the pain. For some reason, he felt like it had been a long time.

But it wasn’t just Marie and Jane. Many people had gathered around.

Forest, Al, Joe, and his companions, Minister of Internal Affairs Paul Carver, and others, including Kevin, Yareli, Unner, and Derek from the Tower of Magic were all there.

It felt like there was some sort of gathering.

“…What’s going on?”

Oliver asked, still unable to think clearly.

Forest answered on behalf of the crowd.

“We all came to visit you.”

A visit, huh…

It wasn’t until he heard that word that Oliver realized he was in a hospital and that he was hurt badly enough to be wrapped in bandages.

It made sense, given that the Pied Piper had beaten him.

“What about the Pied Piper—”

“—He’s been chased away.”

“By who?”

“By you.”

“Excuse me?”

Oliver asked, dumbfounded. It was as if the meaning of the word ‘chased’ had changed while he was unconscious.

“Well, that’s how we announced it. You were out for quite a while.”

Hearing that, Oliver realized he had been in a coma for a long time. His biological clock told him this with uncertain but definite clarity.

Well, it wasn’t that big of a deal—

—Wait a minute.”

As if he had just remembered something, Oliver looked around. But it wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know where my Quarterstaff is?”

A very, very important matter.

Just then, someone approached Oliver and spoke.

“Sir. Here it is.”

Turning his head, Oliver saw the Quarterstaff. The Quarterstaff he had received from Kent.

Oliver instinctively reached out and grabbed it.

“Ah, thank you… Rosburn?”

Oliver asked, looking at the boy who handed him the Quarterstaff.

The boy smiled with relief and answered.

“Yes… I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”