Chapter 634: Surrender

It was late afternoon.

Other places were still working under the strict labor laws of Randa, but this wasn’t the case for the Tower of Magic.

Most students and staff here were preparing to leave, so even though the sun was setting, the atmosphere in the tower was joyful.

This was normal for those who had peaceful evenings.

However, there were occasional exceptions, and today was one of those exceptions.

“Ugh, what’s going on?”

“What the… I don’t know, it’s scary.”

“Why is he carrying that…?”

When Oliver arrived at the tower carrying a female mannequin over his shoulder, the tower plunged into unexpected chaos.

No wonder, because Oliver, though a Dark Magician, was also a member of the staff and a problem-solver named Dave, famously known as Xenon, who had recently been declared a hero for saving Randa and was supposed to be recuperating. And now he appeared carrying a female mannequin.

Oliver already drew attention just by existing, but the mannequin on his shoulder made him stand out even more than usual.

To be honest, anyone would’ve drawn attention if they walked in carrying a (well-made) nude mannequin, even if it wasn’t Oliver.

In any case, Oliver continued with his mannequin until he reached the Administrative Tower of the Tower of Magic and burst into the office of the Head of Administration.

“Oh my goodness…”

Burke Post, the Head of Administration, couldn’t help but mutter.

Considering his position, it might seem too casual, but context matters.

Given that Dave had burst in carrying a naked mannequin, his restraint was actually impressive.

That’s the Head of Administration for you.

Naturally, the reactions of others were more blunt.

Creak—

“It was real. The madman actually…”

Kevin blurted out as soon as he entered the Head of Administration’s office and saw Oliver.

When Kevin heard Xenon had barged into the Administrative Tower carrying a female mannequin, he thought it was nonsense, but it turned out to be true.

“Professor Kevin?”

Burke, the Head of Administration, stood up and asked as he saw Kevin suddenly appear.

Oliver had called him over without permission.

‘If the tower gets noisy because of me, please come to the Head of Administration’s office.’

‘What?’

‘Please, kindly assist.’

Oliver had contacted Kevin through a communication device before arriving, and Kevin decided to comply.

After hearing the explanation, Burke couldn’t hold back his honest feelings anymore.

“Madman.”

“I’m sorry.”

Oliver immediately apologized. It seemed like his usual self, but it really wasn’t.

While Oliver’s special position and personality might have allowed him to get away with it, the Tower of Magic was no ordinary organization.

It was larger and more advanced than most companies, with a well-established hierarchy.

Although, as a coalition of different schools, it appeared to have a flat, rational structure, each school was hierarchical and conservative to varying degrees.

This was expected from an organization that dealt with the high-level discipline of magic.

There were only two kinds of people who could ignore hierarchy within such an organization.

Geniuses who could outperform even if they disrupted the established hierarchy, or those at the very top of the hierarchy.

Incidentally, Oliver fit both categories.

When the Tower of Magic tested Oliver for his qualifications, he had submitted an unprecedented thesis titled [Reconstruction and Transplantation of Body and Organs by Fusing Blood Magic and Life Magic], a condensation of the Life School’s essence.

It was now practically certain that he would establish his own school and become its leader.

Therefore, rather than being kicked out for his eccentric behavior, Oliver was simply reprimanded as a ‘madman.’ Besides, Kevin and Burke knew that Oliver didn’t do things without a reason.

“… Is that what this is about?”

Kevin spoke first.

Kevin referred to the mannequin Oliver had carefully placed on the office table. It displayed the bright ash wood color with meticulously embedded green leaf hair.

Even at a glance, one could sense the touch of a master, but Kevin saw right through it.

“It’s a combination of Druid techniques and Life School technology.”

At those words, Burke also turned his attention to the mannequin.

As someone who had been dulled by administrative work, he hadn’t noticed at first, but he was still a formidable magician.

After examining it a bit more, he realized it wasn’t just a simple mannequin.

“This… This is an improved realization of your thesis, isn’t it?”

Burke referenced Oliver’s thesis [Reconstruction and Transplantation of Body and Organs by Fusing Blood Magic and Life Magic]. He was correct.

The mannequin, which was actually a fake body for Eve, had been refined by Oliver. It was based on his thesis, which involved creating new bodily parts by transplanting cells from a core.

It went beyond just parts; it created an entirely new body.

The only difference was that it was made from wood, so that Eve, who was a spirit of the World Tree, could use it.

However, this difference was insignificant, and both Kevin and Burke, who were well-versed in magic, understood it without needing an explanation.

“Where did you suddenly manage to get this?”

“I’ve been preparing it for a long time.”

It was Oliver’s way of apologizing for his neglect of Eve, along with Lilith and Pandora.

Originally, he had considered turning Eve into a Zombie Puppet like Lilith and Pandora, but considering that Eve was a spirit of the World Tree and also part of the Tower of Magic, he opted for this approach instead.

It wasn’t easy, but he succeeded.

“Don’t tell me, you made it upon the request of the Director?”

Kevin asked, suspecting something.

Carver, who was overseeing the World Tree Project, wanted something to divert people’s attention.

“No, it’s not that. As I mentioned before, I had already been preparing this for a long time. But I did speed up the process to aid Mr. Carver.”

“Impressive.”

Kevin, usually stingy with praise, called it impressive.

That meant it was truly exceptional.

Although the mannequin Oliver made for Eve looked like nothing more than a well-crafted human figure, the technology and potential impact it contained were beyond imagination.

First of all, there was the public.

The general public, lacking specialized knowledge and easily swayed by trends.

Carver had asked for help to sway public attention in this way. To do that, it had to be something straightforward and attention-grabbing.

Not something scholars would have to ponder but something that could be instantly recognized as amazing.

In that context, the fake body was outstanding in many ways.

The Tower of Magic was already buzzing with excitement over the discovery of Eve as an artificial consciousness, soul, and spirit of the World Tree. If she were to gain a physical body and appear before people, the impact would be even greater.

“So that’s why you made it like this?”

Burke, who had been examining it closely, asked.

Just as food that looks good tastes better, it’s always good for anything to look nice. From that perspective, Eve’s fake body was perfect.

The reason why the people in the Tower of Magic were so startled by Oliver was not just because it was a mannequin, but because it looked almost human, its description unnervingly realistic.

“I just thought it should look nice if I was making it.”

“Well, making it nice is good, but you’ve made it too well.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I tried my best after seeing some magazines. Eve will probably be happy too.”

“That’s not really a compliment… Which magazines?”

“Oh, some ‘banned books’ from the Grey Market—”

“—Hold on.”

Just as the conversation was about to veer off course, Kevin raised his hand to stop it.

“So why did you bring this here? Why not take it to the Director instead?”

It was a reasonable question.

Whether it was to assist Minister Carver or to introduce a groundbreaking invention to catch people’s eyes, there was no reason for Oliver to bring it to the Tower of Magic’s administration.

Oliver, also known as the Woodcutter Dave, the New Finger, the representative of the Redevelopment Union, and the hero of Randa, had earned enough status to conduct any affairs on his own.

If he wanted to announce something, he could have done it solo. If he didn’t like that, he could have gone to see Carver at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, just as Kevin suggested.

In fact, it might even make more sense to go to Carver, as he would likely offer more support.

Carver was friendly towards Oliver, and given the current situation, he would readily offer his assistance.

He’d gather journalists and make sure Oliver’s achievements were properly highlighted.

And since the journalists in Randa City had a cozy relationship with the powers there and were always eager for new stories, they would gladly play along.

At least compared to the Tower of Magic, this would be a better choice.

While the Tower of Magic seemed to be helping Oliver for now, that was more due to circumstances.

They didn’t want to be mocked for doing nothing while the Pied Piper caused havoc.

To show that, it was Kevin who was leading the efforts to establish the Bright School here on behalf of the Tower of Magic.

Although skilled and well-established in his field, Kevin had long been marginalized and discriminated against, even after moving his lab from the corner of the Tower of Elements to a central location.

One could see the Tower of Magic’s attitude towards Oliver by that alone.

They couldn’t reject him for his talents, achievements, and backing, but they weren’t keen on getting closer either.

Yet, Oliver willingly agreed with Kevin’s suggestion.

“That’s why I’m here. I want to build a better relationship with the Tower of Magic.”

***

Oliver explained.

He wanted to improve his relationship with the Tower of Magic.

The reason was simple.

“I’ve judged that this is the only way to ensure the long-term survival of the Dark Magic School.”

“That’s not like you.”

Kevin responded after hearing Oliver’s explanation.

One of Oliver’s biggest traits was that he didn’t care much about other people’s opinions of him, nor did he pay much attention to his relationships.

His nature was strong, regardless of personality or social skills, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Because of it, Oliver was able to achieve his own solid success.

If he had cared about how others viewed him, the current Oliver would not exist.

So for Oliver to suddenly want to get closer to the Tower of Magic seemed quite out of character.

“I want the Dark Magic School to persist even without me.”

“… What?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I think I’m pretty lucky. I’m a genius by talent.”

It was an embarrassing statement as he said, but no one could deny it.

Everyone who knew Oliver in the Tower of Magic acknowledged he was a genius. Kevin even considered him more than a genius.

“That’s probably why you managed to establish what’s almost an impossible school.”

“Usually, yes. Schools are born not from individuals but from groups.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. Professor. So I looked it up in some books, and I learned that schools founded by individuals tend to decline quickly.”

Oliver displayed one of his occasional sharp insights.

Indeed, schools born from the deeds of an extraordinary individual did often crumble quickly.

It was natural, as the driving force behind the school was that one individual, but this was not what Oliver wanted.

Oliver wanted the school to endure even after he was no longer there.

Realizing the seriousness of the conversation, Burke, the Head of Administration, asked.

“What’s your point?”

“I’ll distribute the credit for this fake body to the Moirai School and the Life School. If they want, they can even have it. In return, after the Dark Magic School is established, please create a partnership system like an exchange of personnel. Something that lasts long-term.”

With the Bright School in the process of being established, Oliver sought ways to ensure the long-term survival of his school.

“Here are the notes and the methods I used to create the fake body.”

Oliver took out various notebooks and stacks of paper from within his clothes.

As he said, they contained records of the process and methods used to create the fake body, as well as various magic adjustments and Druidic rituals he had reinterpreted and studied.

Half of the papers were written a while ago when Oliver had some downtime, and the rest were written more recently.

It also included the Fire Magic ritual formula Oliver had taught Wallace, specifically for absorbing magic, emotions, and the Power of Nature to use as firepower.

Knowledge, after all, is something to be shared.

“Since the two of you here are helping to establish the Dark Magic School, I’ll leave this in your hands. This isn’t really my area of expertise.”

Although Oliver claimed it wasn’t his area of expertise, Kevin and Burke realized what Oliver really intended.

He wanted them to secure influence using knowledge that not even magicians could resist.

What might appear conciliatory could actually be seen as coercive when considering the desires of magicians for knowledge.

More surprisingly, Oliver was telling Kevin and Burke, who were favorable towards the Dark Magic School, to use this knowledge to gain strength.

Like a king giving soldiers and sending a general to war in his place.

Of course, no one asked if that was the case.

As the conversation reached a certain point, Oliver gestured toward Marie.

“And would it be alright if Marie came out and acted as my representative sometimes? To be honest, she’s better at handling organization matters than I am.”

“She’s not part of the tower, but there might be a way to—”

“—Hold on a moment!”

Burke was interrupted halfway through his response as a woman’s voice came from beyond the door.

It was the urgent voice of Burke’s secretary, and before she could finish speaking, a large priest barged in.

Despite his age, he exuded power as he looked around at Oliver, Kevin, Marie, and Burke, and then at Eve’s fake body on the table.

“Ah, it seems like you’re in the middle of a serious discussion about the World Tree Project stirring up Randa, and the foundation of the Dark Magic School. I apologize for the interruption.”

He accurately guessed why Oliver had come to visit.

It was a deduction only possible for someone well-informed about Randa, the Tower of Magic, and the establishment of the Dark Magic School.

The priest introduced himself.

“I’m Boderick Bor, the Advisor-Priest of Pater Church and Treasurer of the Holy Emperor’s Palace. I’ve come to seek help from the hero of Randa.”