Chapter 643: Central Continent

Beep beep beep…! Beep beep beep…!

Rumble rumble rumble-!

The W-District could be considered a hub for vagrants and the destitute.

Especially after the X-District was renovated by the Redevelopment Union.

There was nowhere else for those pushed out of the X-District to go other than here.

As a result, the W-District attracted many people, but it also became the least lively of all.

After all, it was filled with people who wouldn’t care if the world ended tomorrow.

Perhaps that’s why?

The W-District was the area most devastated by the Pied Piper’s invasion.

The swarms of rats and zombies that emerged from the cracks between buildings left deep scars throughout the W-District.

The bodies strewn across the ground and the stagnant, rotting pools of blood—infested with wriggling maggots—stood as evidence of this.

As a result, rumors spread that a plague was spreading throughout the W-District.

However, life has its ups and downs, and not everything was bad.

During this time of united front against the Pied Piper’s invasion, the W-District started to receive at least a little attention.

The occasional appearance of police, civil servants, and various citizen organizations distributing relief supplies testified to this.

“Elder, take this.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“We have enough supplies, so please wait patiently.”

“Next!'”

Randa City, which had long ignored the lower city under the banner of freedom, suddenly poured unprecedented attention and funding into the slums, with various citizen groups joining in.

Among those citizen groups were the Sisterhood and The Selectors.

“Oh, it’s good to see you, Marie.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Marie appeared in the W-District, accompanied by her subordinate Dark Sorcerers, to see Jane, who was distributing relief supplies with other Sisterhood members.

While it might have seemed like a tense greeting at first glance, it was significantly friendlier than before.

As if to confirm this, Jane chuckled softly before briefly stepping away.

“Mind if I take a break?”

“Of course.”

With her colleague’s permission, Jane stepped aside with Marie to engage in conversation.

“Heh. Is my outfit really that surprising?”

Jane was dressed in work clothes rather than her usual dress or formal attire. The contrast gave her an oddly appealing charm.

“It’s not something you usually wear, so it’s understandable. But I get it. Wearing an expensive dress to work would be quite a sight, and it’s not practical either.”

“I wasn’t just talking about your outfit. I didn’t expect to see the Sisterhood in a place like this.”

“Oh, come now. Why the surprise? We care about relief efforts too, even if our focus is usually on women. We’ve simply broadened our scope lately.”

“Is the change in policy because of your conflict with Ms. Miranda?”

Without warning, Marie struck at Jane’s sore spot.

“Aren’t you coming on a bit strong?”

“We’re supposed to be working together. I think I’m allowed to ask that much.”

Marie’s unyielding attitude made Jane smile wryly, though she was more relieved than embarrassed.

After all, it was a significant improvement from when they couldn’t even stand to speak to each other at first. Jane decided to continue this progress.

“It’s not like I was trying to hide anything… the timing just wasn’t right. But you’re not wrong.”

Jane admitted it.

She had been involved in a sort of power struggle with Ms. Miranda, one of the leaders of the Sisterhood.

It was a simple matter.

While Jane had been kidnapped by Fen, Ms. Miranda had tried to take over the businesses Jane had built.

In simple terms, it was a fight over control.

She almost lost everything, but Jane managed to stop her at the last moment.

Thanks to Oliver, who came to rescue her in person, and her biological father, who interfered with Ms. Miranda’s schemes from behind.

She was happy about the former, and conflicted about the latter.

“It turned out alright in the end. I did lose some businesses, but I’d anticipated that. I managed to protect more than I lost. Besides, now I have allies in the Sisterhood.”

“Allies?”

“Yes. Though the Sisterhood was originally a civic group for women, over time, it shifted into an interest group for the wealthy. Ms. Miranda is the wealthiest of them all.”

Jane didn’t bother to explain the process. It was inevitable that things would become corrupt over time.

“But thanks to my conflict with Ms. Miranda, I was able to identify my true allies. There may be few of them, but it’s not bad.”

“You’re very resourceful.”

“It’s less about my resourcefulness and more about the help I received from men. Dave rescued me, and even Edith lent a hand. It’s quite ironic, really. I jumped into business to prove my worth, only to rely on men’s help at critical moments.”

“Life is full of irony.”

Marie responded not with a surface-level answer, but with one that reflected her deeper feelings. Jane smiled at her response.

“Exactly. That’s why I’m out here doing this. It’s safer to be generous to those around you. Now, it’s your turn. Did you come here for relief work as well? I heard you were busy with the founding of the Bright School.”

“I’m here for an investigation.”

“An investigation? …Oh! Because of the plague?”

Marie nodded.

Currently, not only the W-District but also other slums were overrun with zombie hordes and sporadic outbreaks of disease.

Whenever a report came in, the area was locked down, so the situation wasn’t too severe yet, but everyone was still on high alert.

With good reason, as the plague was fundamentally caused by the Pied Piper.

Randa City was using police and military forces to thoroughly quarantine the affected areas, asking for help from the Holy Knights to purify the zones, while also having Tower of Magic Wizards investigate the disease and research possible cures.

Just in case, they had to be prepared to deal with it themselves.

Naturally, the yet-to-be-established Bright School was also involved in this mission.

After all, those who handled Dark Magic were the most suitable for the job.

“You’re not wrong.”

“Is there an issue?”

“No… I’m just a little worried.”

“Dark Magic may not specialize in diseases, but it doesn’t mean we need to be overly concerned.”

“No, it’s just… I heard some ominous rumors.”

“…?”

“The area that’s currently quarantined due to the plague is deep within the slums. While the main roads have been cleaned due to their location, no one’s even touched the interior. It was always a dangerous place, but now it’s turned even more so.”

Marie looked in the direction Jane pointed. The deep, maze-like network of alleys at the heart of the slums. It certainly exuded a dense sense of foreboding.

“There are rumors of something even more terrifying and unknown lurking around, besides zombies and the plague.”

“That sounds rather vague.”

“I can’t help it. That’s what a survivor who barely made it out said. He was half out of his mind, like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.”

“…”

“He said there’s something dreadful deep inside. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but it’s definitely not something to be ignored. Some officials even suggested burning the whole area to the ground.”

Burning part of a city might seem crazy, but it was a real consideration.

The plague was like a natural enemy to cities, and a plague caused by Dark Magic was even worse.

Despite the best efforts of the city, the Holy Knights, and the Wizards, the damage was extensive, and there were, inevitably, priorities.

The slums were at the bottom of that priority list.

Rather than waiting for the worst-case scenario, they might have to make a decisive move to save the nation.

“I didn’t expect to see the Hero’s associates assigned to such a place.”

“I requested it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I didn’t request to be assigned to a dangerous place specifically, but I did ask not to give us special treatment.”

“Why?”

“Because it would put the representative’s mind at ease.”

A Dark Magic Faction that could survive without him.

Marie understood Oliver’s intentions.

In fact, she knew them from the beginning.

Even before the Joseph family left, Oliver had always ensured they had the means to stand on their own.

Naturally, she knew what he wanted, what he wished for.

Humans who could stand on their own.

Even so, she had refused all along.

“Is there any particular reason for this change of heart?”

This time, Jane asked the question. Marie didn’t like it, but she answered. After all, they had joined hands.

“It’s the same as your reason. I want him to find happiness… He took on burdens he shouldn’t have because of me.”

Marie recalled.

The time when Oliver first left, the time they reunited. And when he risked his life to return to Wineham, rescuing them, and helping them establish themselves in Randa.

In the process, he was bound and crushed by far too many things. Things he never should have been weighed down by.

That truth now tormented Marie.

It was wrong from the start.

Trying to shackle the sun was never right.

Her foolish and selfish self realized this only now.

He had to leave.

Now that the end times were nigh, and the most unreasonable, absurd, and painful fate was approaching.

She had to let him go.

Just as the woman on the camel had warned.

Strengthening her resolve, Marie parted ways with Jane and headed deeper into the W-District with her subordinates to carry out her mission.

As Jane had said, the stench of decay and death filled the area, with corpses strewn everywhere. It was as if they were in hell itself.

But that thought soon faded away, as if washed away by a tide.

Something was detected deeper inside.

She didn’t know what it was, but she knew one thing for sure. It was something far more terrifying than zombies or a plague.

“Ms. Marie?”

It wasn’t just Marie who sensed it; her subordinates, with faces pale as sheets, spoke up.

Their instincts screamed at them not to go any closer, cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.

Their heightened anxiety was taking a toll on their bodies.

They wanted nothing more than to scream and run away.

Marie had similar feelings, but her body responded in the opposite way.

Instead of fleeing, she ran even deeper inside.

She had seen it once before.

Before Oliver left, when he confronted the Holy Knights and lit the Filgarett, as it spread across the ground.

Despite her disbelief, Marie pushed herself to run even faster and eventually arrived to witness it.

An otherworldly, black light beaming out from the cracks between the ground and the buildings.

It was hell, proof that the end of days was steadily approaching.

***

“Oh, oh, oh! You’ve arrived! I’ve been waiting for you!”

After the airship made an emergency landing in Gallos, Oliver parted ways with Yareli and Derek and headed toward the Central Continent with Kevin, following the Archpriest Roderick.

The journey wasn’t particularly difficult.

Unlike traveling by airship, there were no real issues traveling overland.

All they had to do was listen to Roderick explain the Dark Sorcerers of Central Continent. Though, that in itself was quite a challenge.

‘He has a knack for twisting facts to manipulate others maliciously.’

That was Kevin’s evaluation after hearing Roderick’s speech.

He had also read the dossier brought by Child-Fourth with Oliver.

“Please, come in. I’ll be guiding you from now on.”

Though listening to Roderick’s sly and persuasive speech was somewhat taxing, Oliver and Kevin arrived safely at their destination—the Kingdom of Aizen.

Aizen was a small sub-kingdom near Gallos, and as soon as they arrived, a middle-aged man enthusiastically greeted Oliver.

He introduced himself as the chamberlain of the kingdom.

“Chamberlain…?

“It’s a prestigious title, serving directly beside the King. I sincerely thank you, heroes, for coming to assist us on behalf of the kingdom.”

As expected, and yet…

Oliver was again faced with someone related to the royal family, leaving him feeling awkward. Or rather, a bit perplexed.

He had come to help Archpriest Roderick, and now a royal representative had appeared out of nowhere. However, he soon understood.

According to the dossier brought by Fourth, the influence of Archpriest Roderick was far greater than he had imagined.

Through the Holy Knights, he controlled the security of Central Continent, and through the Pater Church’s bank, he managed its economy.

Not to mention the task Oliver was assigned to.

Still, Oliver decided to maintain proper etiquette.

“…I’m grateful for the generous welcome.”

“Generous? That’s an understatement! You’re the hero who saved the city from the Pied Piper! Such modesty is beyond compare!”

Suddenly, the Pied Piper was mentioned. At the same time, the chamberlain’s sly intentions became apparent.

It was as if he could read his very thoughts.

The chamberlain must have sensed this, as he soon started spewing a torrent of words at Oliver, trying to shift his attention elsewhere. But whether by luck or misfortune, his voice soon faded away.

For from the communication device attached to the inside collar of Oliver’s shirt, a familiar voice was heard.

[It’s been a while, Father.]

It was the voice of Pandora, one of the artificial minds of the World Tree.