Chapter 650: Fatigue

Oliver was staying in a small town.

It was the first city in the Central Continent that he arrived at with Roderick the Crusader Priest. They were welcomed by the butler of the Kingdom of Aizen.

According to Roderick, the city was barely established, thanks to a large loan provided by the Pater Church’s bank.

Although it looked like a countryside to Oliver, who was from Randa, it was considered an important economic city in the Kingdom of Aizen.

Hence, it was equipped with Holy Knights to subjugate Dark Sorcerers, supported by servants, and stationed with the Kingdom’s army.

However, Pandora suddenly entered and said that the Pied Piper had appeared in that city.

And he was leading over a hundred children right down the main road.

This was an unimaginable action based on conventional wisdom, but, to be honest, Oliver wasn’t that surprised.

Because the Pied Piper had already committed a tremendous act; it took a lot more to shock him now.

He had appeared in the middle of Randa, collapsing a hotel with one hand.

He summoned countless swarms of rats, causing immense damage to Randa.

He even attempted to kidnap the Kingdom’s second heir.

So it was hardly surprising that the Pied Piper would march into a city with all the children he had abducted.

Even considering the presence of Holy Knights and the Kingdom’s army stationed there to subdue Dark Sorcerers.

Oliver thought they could just repel him like they did in Randa.

But despite everything, Oliver hurriedly flew to the small town on the Inmyeonjo-Creature, leaving the surrendered Dark Sorcerers unattended, due to the direction the Pied Piper had appeared from.

It was towards Gallos… It might have been an unnecessary worry, but he couldn’t ignore it; it nagged at his mind.

And it was reasonable. The Ark Orphanage was located on the outskirts of Gallos, near the Central Continent.

It meant that the Pied Piper’s route overlapped with that area. If—

—‘Father.’

Pandora, who was riding the Inmyeonjo with Oliver, called out to him.

The rush of air from flying made Pandora’s hair flutter wildly.

Of course, Oliver’s hair fluttered too.

As a result, a pale streak was visible at the edge of one his hair strands.

It was a part that had been bleached due to the Burned One’s power. As the hair grew, the dyed part was pushed out and became visible.

It looked like he would have to dye it again.

‘What’s the matter, Pandora?’

‘I think it would be better if we dismounted and walked from here.’

Pandora suggested with a tense, uneasy expression, conveying discomfort.

‘The city is probably in chaos after what the Pied Piper did. We can’t predict what reaction we might provoke if we arrive on a Creature. I understand you’re in a hurry, but it’s better to dismount.’

Pandora knew Oliver might be displeased, but she continued advising him anyway.

It was proof of how much she cared for him.

Oliver’s mind was restless from his conversation with Roderick and the sudden news about the Pied Piper, but he understood her point.

After thinking for a moment, Oliver nodded.

‘Yes, you’re right. Thank you for the advice.’

After thanking Pandora, Oliver instructed the Inmyeonjo to dive straight down to the ground.

‘Kyaaaah!’

The Inmyeonjo let out a sharp scream as it landed on the ground.

Oliver and Pandora dismounted from the Inmyeonjo, then Oliver stored it within his shadow, like he would with any other Creature, and began walking toward the city.

His pace was faster than usual, but even as the city drew nearer, his speed didn’t slow; instead, it increased.

It seemed that something had happened—the closer they got to the city, the stronger the feelings of fear, helplessness, sadness, and resentment became.

‘It’s quieter than I expected.’

Pandora remarked as they emerged from the forest and entered the outskirts of the city.

Just like she said, the city was quiet.

Although there were remnants of battles and dead soldiers scattered around, it was surprisingly calm for a place the Pied Piper had passed through.

Oliver and Pandora felt something strange. They entered the city and soon saw the reason for the silence.

‘For your safety, all movements are temporarily forbidden. Stay inside your homes!’

‘This is an emergency curfew! Everyone, stay inside!!’

Soldiers were patrolling the streets, enforcing control, though not perfectly.

‘Move! Get out of my way!! My daughter…!!’

A man burst out of his home despite the soldiers trying to keep him under control.

He looked to be in his early thirties, radiating intense emotion that even Oliver rarely saw.

Though the reason wasn’t clear, the man was desperately trying to get outside while the soldiers tried to forcibly push him back inside.

They didn’t hesitate to use violence, either.

‘Please, my daughter—’

‘—Shut up! Do you think you’re the only one?! Follow the order!!’

The man’s desperate plea was met with a soldier’s shout and a club.

Interestingly, the soldier seemed to somewhat sympathize with the man.

The unexpected commotion drew the attention of nearby onlookers, peeking out of windows to see what was going on.

Many of them seemed to understand the situation. Quite a few empathized with the man, while others showed completely opposite reactions.

As the man fought and struggled, most of the onlookers seemed resigned, accepting it deeply, as if it had been ingrained over generations.

Oliver found himself frozen, momentarily forgetting why he was there, simply staring at the strange sight before him. During that short time, a group of patrolling soldiers noticed Oliver.

The soldiers looked a mess, like they had just been through a battle. Their emotional state matched their disheveled appearance.

They were filled with helplessness, shame, guilt, sadness, and confusion. This turmoil might have been what triggered their reaction—they approached Oliver, now brimming with anger and tension.

‘Who are you?!’

‘Hands up!’

Feeling tense and on edge, the soldiers took out their weapons, aiming them at Oliver.

Oliver, under pressure from the situation, wasn’t feeling great about this turn of events.

While he was struggling to decide what to do next, someone intervened.

‘Please, wait…!’

A soft, warm voice that soothed their unease.

It was a nun dressed in a black habit who had accompanied Roderick to the Tower of Magic.

The nun stood between Oliver and the soldiers.

‘Sister?’

The soldiers knew her and, recognizing her presence, calmed down and paused.

To evoke such a reaction simply by showing her face was surprising, yet it made sense.

She had quickly calmed the crowd during the airship attack, soothing their fears.

Especially in the Central Continent, where nuns were very active, this reaction was to be expected.

‘Sister, do you know this person?’

The soldiers respectfully and humbly asked the nun.

The nun nodded and gave an explanation.

‘Yes, brothers. He has come here to help us.’

‘This person… him?’

‘Yes. He just returned after assisting the Crusader Priest in his work. Please kindly overlook the fact that he broke curfew.’

‘Ah… Of course. Forgive us. It’s just, under the circumstances…’

The soldiers instantly softened as they accepted the nun’s words.

After exchanging a few more words with the nun, they quickly moved on.

The nun, who had sent the soldiers away, approached Oliver and bowed politely.

‘Welcome.’

‘…Thank you for your help.’

Oliver expressed his gratitude, knowing it was the right thing to do, and then he asked a question.

‘Did you know I was coming?’

‘Yes… I sent someone ahead because I thought something like this might happen. That’s why I was waiting.’

The nun replied, leaving Oliver lost for words.

After all, he was there in response to a messenger’s report; however, something about it still bothered him—though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Perhaps it had something to do with the note the nun had given him on the airship.

The note warning him to be cautious around Roderick the Crusader Priest.

Ever since receiving that note, Oliver had been wondering why it was given to him, but he had no concrete guesses.

And asking directly was out of the question.

As such, Oliver felt a vague discomfort towards the nun.

As these complicated thoughts coursed through his mind, the nun asked Oliver a question.

‘May I ask where Lord Xenon is now?’

‘Ah, he is elsewhere. I didn’t think it would be appropriate for the Crusader Priest to ride a Creature… Could you please tell me what happened here?’

‘Of course. I’ll explain as we walk. Please follow me.’

With that, the nun began to lead the way along the path.

***

The nun spoke as they walked.

Immediately after discovering that Oliver was gone, Roderick the Crusader Priest led most of the Holy Knights out of the city, and soon after, the Pied Piper appeared in the darkness.

She explained how behind the Pied Piper were children dressed in a variety of clothes, from expensive to shabby.

‘What happened after you spotted the Pied Piper?’

‘The Holy Knights stationed in the city were the first to move to stop him; afterward, the army stationed on the outskirts attempted to join them.’

‘…Attempted?’

Oliver questioned her wording. The use of ‘attempted’ instead of ‘managed’ implied that they hadn’t actually succeeded.

He thought he might have misheard, but he hadn’t.

‘Yes, while the Holy Knights were trying to stop the Pied Piper and the army on the outskirts was attempting to join them, the sound of a flute suddenly filled the air.’

A flute sound.

Oliver remembered that sound.

It was a peculiar tune, sad yet lively, irregular yet harmonious.

It was like a joyful melody overlaid with sadness.

Though Oliver wasn’t well-versed in music, he knew it was peculiar.

‘What happened when the flute began playing?’

‘The soldiers started shooting at each other.’

Oliver now understood the strange remnants of battle he had spotted in and around the city.

The scattered gunfire and explosion marks.

They didn’t match the typical damage from Dark Magic, confirming that they were indeed caused by soldiers fighting each other.

‘It’s a form of manipulation Dark Magic, using sound.’

Oliver muttered.

Manipulation Dark Magic could control shadows, corpses, creatures, and more.

Among those powers, controlling living people was the hardest, but it seemed the Pied Piper had managed to do just that.

Now, Oliver started to understand why the soldiers had acted so sharply earlier.

Even if it was dark magic, they had killed their own comrades. It would be strange if they were all right.

‘Is that why they instituted a curfew?’

If the soldiers had been affected by the manipulation Dark Magic, civilians wouldn’t be exempt.

Oliver pointed this out, and the nun gave a small nod.

The answer she gave was unexpected, though.

‘It’s because the children in the city have disappeared.’

‘…’

‘When the flute started playing, the adults lost consciousness; when they awoke, the children were gone.’

‘…How many?’

‘We can’t even count… However, it’s not a small number.’

Although the nun spoke in a roundabout way, Oliver immediately understood that a large number of children had been taken.

No matter how small the city, it was still a city.

To lose that many children in a place like this… Oliver couldn’t even begin to imagine how to react.

‘So, the lockdown was to…’

‘Stop the chaos. If everyone began searching for the children, the city would fall into paralysis…. Although many are accustomed to this kind of situation, there are still many who can’t accept it.’

The nun implied that losing children to the Pied Piper had become a routine occurrence.

‘You seem to know a lot about it.’

‘I’m from this region.’

‘Ah… I see.’

‘Seeing people suffer, I decided to devote myself to God… Hoping that, somehow, I could ease others’ pain. It’s not easy, though.’

‘…I’m sorry.’

‘No, it’s not because of Lord Xenon.’

‘…?’

‘Did I say something?’

‘No, nothing.’

‘That’s a relief… We’ve arrived.’

The nun stopped in front of an old building as she led him.

‘Brother Kevin is here. The space you previously used is currently occupied by other guests. I hope you understand.’

‘Other guests’… Although Oliver was curious, it didn’t matter.

It wasn’t an issue of importance right now.

‘Thank you for guiding me, Sister.’

The nun smiled softly. It was a pure smile.

‘I’m glad I could be of help. I’ll leave you to your work.’

The nun then quietly excused herself and left.

Oliver watched her go, silent.

Pandora asked.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Ah… Yes, I’m fine.’

Although there were questions lingering in his mind, Oliver kept them to himself.

They were somewhat vague, and besides, there was something more pressing right now.

That pressing matter was asking Kevin if Rosburn was among the children taken by the Pied Piper.

Surely Kevin had gone out along with the Holy Knights to stop the Pied Piper.

If he was lucky, he might have seen whether Rosburn was there or not.

As Oliver knocked on the door to confirm, he sensed a familiar feeling behind it, and soon a young boy opened the door.

‘Sir…!’

It was Rosburn.

‘Ha… Thank God.’

Oliver murmured to himself, relieved.