Chapter 645: Central Continent

In the central continent, untouched by the blessings of industrialization, various indigenous beliefs reigned.

These beliefs included forgotten ancient gods, idols created by Dark Magicians, and even the occasional demon.

One of these beliefs was about a woman loved by an Angel.

“That’s quite a grand name.”

As they walked towards the village occupied by Dark Magicians, Oliver made this remark to Pandora.

For Oliver, who rarely judged others, this was quite an unusual reaction.

But, it was also natural.

The word ‘Angel’ literally means a holy being sent to convey the will of God.

So, being loved by such a being was something that even Oliver found remarkable.

It was only natural for Oliver to be curious about how such a title came to be.

“I heard that a woman showed kindness to an exhausted Angel, and they soon fell in love.”

“Hmm, you just heard it?”

“Yes, I learned this from the mouths of Dark Magicians. I originally wanted to investigate it using the World Tree, but couldn’t find any records.”

Oliver immediately refuted that the World Tree, which sees and records everything, had no information about it.

“Then isn’t it just a baseless rumor? If it wasn’t recorded in the Verdant Forest-dotted central continent, that seems more likely.”

“I’m not so sure… It might be because I’m a creation of the World Tree, but I don’t think even the World Tree is perfect.”

Pandora, the artificial intelligence of the World Tree, made a statement that would shock the Druids and Net Navigators who worship the World Tree like a religion.

“The World Tree is, after all, just one of the countless creations made by God, so it can’t be perfect… Its limitations were revealed not too long ago, didn’t they?”

Pandora once again mentioned how she couldn’t uncover how those who worship Oliver as an idol came to being.

Oliver had no rebuttal; she made a fair point.

“More importantly, I don’t want to be trapped within the World Tree. It’s impressive, but I’d like to see the wider world with my own eyes.”

“Is that why you mingled with the Dark Magicians?”

“If there’s something the World Tree can’t tell, I can learn from people instead. Plus, I find it personally intriguing.”

Pandora clenched her fists with a small smile.

Seeing that, Oliver felt a curious emotion. Perhaps admiration?

“If what you say is true, Pandora, then it’s quite remarkable. To show kindness to an Angel and fall in love?”

“Do you not believe in it, Father?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it, but I can’t understand it.”

“What part don’t you understand?”

“Why was the Angel exhausted?”

Oliver voiced his question out loud.

After all, an Angel is a being on the same level as a demon.

It seemed strange that such a being would be exhausted and end up falling in love with a woman’s help.

Perhaps it was because Oliver had encountered a demon before.

It just didn’t seem plausible.

Pandora shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, I haven’t heard about that part either. Usually, stories passed down orally don’t record such details.”

“I understand.”

“However, I can guess.”

“Really?”

Oliver asked, surprised. The answer he couldn’t even fathom was something Pandora could guess? But her answer was simpler than he expected.

“Because it must be tough. Angels serve by the side of God, and of course, God’s work is difficult, so they would be worn out.”

“… That…”

Oliver started to speak but then closed his mouth.

It was a pretty convincing guess.

“This is just my personal guess, though. Isn’t it too simple?”

“No. I think it’s quite a convincing hypothesis. Working beside God would indeed be exhausting… May I ask another question?”

“Of course, Father.”

“Why was Eve investigating the woman loved by the Angel?”

“I’m not sure about that either. It was something I learned by chance and became curious about, so I decided to investigate… If I had to say, it would be out of curiosity – Ah.”

Pandora interrupted herself, pointing ahead.

Oliver turned his head in the direction Pandora was pointing and understood why she exclaimed.

While they were talking, they had arrived at the village occupied by Dark Magicians, their destination.

The Dark Magicians, gathered half-voluntarily because of the pressure from the Holy Knights.

Pandora asked.

“Can I ask what your plans are from here?”

“First, we’ll go inside.”

Oliver answered as he extracted emotions to grasp the darkness around him and fashioned it into a cloak.

***

Using the emotions he extracted, Oliver and Eve entered the village secretly, wearing the darkness like a cloak.

Hundreds of Dark Magicians monitored the area, manipulating shadows or enhancing their senses to keep watch, making the village’s defenses stronger than expected.

Not that it mattered much to Oliver.

“From here, you can drop the disguise.”

After crossing the outer perimeter and progressing further in, Pandora spoke.

Oliver discarded the darkness he had cloaked himself in.

Thanks to Pandora’s guidance, it wasn’t difficult.

“Thank you, Pandora.”

“You’re welcome, but are you sure it’s alright to come here like this? I know I guided you, but…”

Pandora asked if it was okay for Oliver to come here alone without informing the High Priest.

It was a reasonable question.

The reason Pandora suggested meeting Oliver tonight was to confirm something between them. Normally, they should part ways and return.

“The problem is that if we proceed by the book, I believe the Holy Knights would end up attacking this place.”

Oliver’s voice was calm on the surface, but deep inside, he was deeply troubled.

It was a problem he had been contemplating ever since he came from Randa.

Oliver had already caught on to what was happening.

The fact that High Priest Roderick intends to wipe out all Dark Magicians using the Holy Knights.

There were many reasons for this.

Firstly, High Priest Roderick’s emotional state and actions pointed in that direction.

Outwardly, he showed a gentle manner, but he had strong intentions to eliminate the Dark Magicians. On their way here, he had subtly encouraged Oliver towards that direction.

Listing out the crimes of the Dark Magicians and their harmful influence on the surroundings was proof of this.

“Of course, that’s not his ultimate goal, but…”

Another reason was Walter Meyer’s testimony.

The Dark Magician who came from the central continent seeking Oliver’s help.

The moment he saw Oliver, he knelt down and pleaded, saying that the reason Pater Church was hunting Dark Magicians indiscriminately was because of the Pied Piper.

The Pied Piper, who had previously been active only in the central continent, suddenly became more active, increasing the fear in many neighboring Kingdoms, causing a burden for Pater Church.

By principle, the Holy Knights should have subdued the Pied Piper, but they couldn’t.

So instead, the Holy Knights chose them (the Dark Magicians) as their target, adopting a ‘better than nothing’ approach.

They hunted the other Dark Magicians in the central continent to alleviate the panic caused by the Pied Piper.

Combining this evidence, it seemed inevitable that the extermination of the Dark Magicians couldn’t be avoided.

“So that’s why you came here?”

“Yes, High Priest Roderick said he would respect my opinion, but the game is already set.”

Oliver recalled the Dark Magicians who attacked the airship.

“…”

No matter how you look at it, following the proper procedures would end up with the situation unfolding as Roderick intended.

That’s why Oliver made his move first, to shake things up.

“It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Besides, if I can convince the people here to disarm and come with us, he won’t just kill them all, will he?”

“Can you accomplish that? In just one night?”

Knowing the number of people present here and around, Pandora expressed her doubt.

It wouldn’t be easy, but Oliver’s attitude didn’t waver.

“I’ll at least try. Since they have an organizational structure, if I can convince the high-ranking person, things should work out.”

“… Father, you’re really hard to understand.”

“I just want to avoid shedding too much blood. Helping Armand, the High Priest, makes me feel like it might be possible… I’ll just give it a try.”

“Even so, it won’t be easy. Given the situation, while they are uniting their forces, there are still Dark Magicians who disagree. Some even suggest fighting instead.”

Oliver wasn’t particularly surprised.

He had heard this many times before coming here, but it didn’t matter.

“I’ll start with those I can convince. So, can you tell me, Pandora… where is the one who serves the woman loved by an Angel, or rather, a demon?”

***

The Dark Magicians, gathered due to the indiscriminate hunting by the Holy Knights, had divided into three large factions.

The first group were the Dark Magicians who served the woman loved by an Angel.

The second group were the Dark Magicians who idolized Oliver.

The third and last group were the Dark Magicians who foolishly wanted to fight the Holy Knights.

Right now, these three groups appeared to be on the same side, but they had slight differences in opinion.

Among them, Oliver headed towards the first faction with the most influence.

“But, why do they hold the most influence?”

“Because they’ve been active the longest.”

Pandora answered while guiding the way.

Since she had already been staying here, she didn’t need to disguise herself, and there were no issues in her accompanying Oliver.

“You know, the central continent is pretty underdeveloped, right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard it hasn’t received the blessings of industrialization, and that the power of magicians is weak.”

“Moreover, it’s divided into too many Kingdoms compared to Gallos or the United Kingdom.”

Geographically underdeveloped compared to Gallos or the United Kingdom.

Oliver guessed the reason but didn’t speak it out loud.

There was no point in saying anything.

Pandora also didn’t bring it up, perhaps sensing Oliver’s thoughts.

Instead, she continued the main topic.

“Because of that, some Dark Magicians are engaged in medical or relief activities. The group that best represents this is them.”

Oliver nodded, showing he understood.

What she meant was that in the underdeveloped central continent, left in ruins by the Pied Piper, Dark Magic had filled some of the gaps.

It wasn’t something you’d imagine in the United Kingdom or Gallos, but roles can change depending on the environment, so it wasn’t that strange.

“Here it is.”

Pandora said as they arrived at a cave on a hill some distance from the village.

She mentioned that one of the leaders of the Dark Magicians was inside.

“There doesn’t seem to be any guards.”

“There never were. They said they didn’t have enough people to monitor the outer area.”

“Hmm… That’s quite impressive.”

Oliver suddenly said to Pandora.

“Considering how cautious these Dark Magicians are, it’s impressive that you’re this close with them. It makes me think, isn’t it quite extraordinary?”

That was true.

The information Pandora gathered from people instead of the World Tree wasn’t something she could obtain in a short amount of time.

The question Oliver raised was valid, and Pandora agreed.

“I feel the same. I’ve asked, but I’m also curious why they shared this with me without suspicion.”

Pandora’s expression mirrored Oliver’s query, as if something was on her mind.

Instead of asking what she was pondering, Oliver proceeded into the cave.

He wasn’t curious enough to stop and ask.

So, together with Pandora, Oliver ventured deeper into the cave, and after a short while, they found a wooden statue carved in the shape of a woman.

It was an ancient statue, its face worn so much that its features were hard to discern.

Other than that, it didn’t have any distinctive features and looked rather unimpressive, yet Oliver silently stared at it for a while.

“…Is this the woman loved by an Angel?”

“Yes, or sometimes called the Happy Princess.”

From the dark depths of the cave, an old woman, blind in both eyes, came out and answered.