Chapter 706: Question

“Hmm, it seems like something’s coming.”

A beautiful woman rose from a bed made of the World Tree’s roots and spoke.

It was a sudden statement, with the subject omitted, but Puppet understood perfectly. They were watching only one person.

“Have you located Oliver?”

“No.”

Lilith pulled out a Filgarett Gift from inside her jacket and lit it. The sound of it igniting echoed, and a puff of smoke rose in the air.

“Instead, I’ve detected the sisters’ movements. They’re trying to obscure my vision. That’s a sign that he’s made his move… You don’t seem caught off-guard, though?”

Lilith commented as she observed Puppet’s calm reaction.

“I expected this.”

“Whistle-! I like how composed you are. Does that mean you’re confident in your preparations?”

“I’ve prepared thoroughly, but that doesn’t mean I’m confident. I’m no fool who underestimates the gap between us. If I were, I would’ve been wiped out long ago.”

“Wiped out, huh… then?”

“I just know that panic doesn’t solve problems.”

His words carried a weight of experience. If Lilith had been Puppet’s disciple, she might have admired him, but since she wasn’t, she couldn’t muster such respect. Instead, she felt something closer to pity.

In Puppet’s words, she detected traces of exhaustion, tension, and fear.

It was only natural, wasn’t it? He had lived for centuries, trained countless dark sorcerers, established the Black Hand, and ruled as a ‘Finger’ for centuries. Yet, he had never achieved his true goal.

Now, faced with the end, he was attempting something reckless he normally would never have considered.

And now, Oliver had arrived in the city. A being no one on earth could stop.

Puppet wasn’t truly calm; he was trying to maintain composure by force. All for one thing alone—his dream.

Lilith, having a similar existence, could understand his feelings.

“Sigh… So, what will you do now?”

Lilith asked, blowing smoke from her Filgarett. Puppet, closing the book he was reading, responded.

“For now, I’ll watch. He might stay quiet… Can you continue to monitor them?”

“Well, I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee it. I’m the least capable among my sisters. Thanks to this artifact from the Moirai School I can hold on, but if they engage seriously, I can’t promise anything.”

Lilith tapped the World Tree root bed she was sitting on as she answered honestly.

Puppet didn’t give any particular response to that. In fact, he reassured her.

“That’s fine. I wasn’t really expecting anything.”

“Oh, such a way with words. I- oh, hold on.”

In the middle of the conversation, Lilith raised a hand to pause him. Even while they were talking, she was connected to the World Tree and had detected something.

After a moment, she lifted one corner of her mouth as if she’d just seen something amusing.

“He’s arrived at the Tower of Magic. The new Archive.”

The new Archive. Puppet immediately knew who it was.

He had seen everything that had happened in the Holy Capital through the Zombie Puppet. It was Kevin.

A former test subject of an arrogant sorcerer, who had become a disciple and now reached the status of Archive. The tragic life of a Red One.

Kevin, who had helped resolve the chaos within the Pater Church, had finally returned to Randa.

“We’ll have to inform Tilda. I’m curious to see how she and the other sorcerers react upon learning the new Archive is a Red One. It’s predictable, but still interesting.”

With an ominous remark, Puppet stood up.

“Are you going to tell her yourself?”

“No, I’m meeting someone else.”

“Who?”

“Kent. I’m curious to see his reaction when he learns Oliver has arrived.”

***

Step. Step. Step. Step…

A group of people was crossing the boundary from Y-District into the outskirts of Z-District.

It was a diverse crowd. Not only members of the Anti-Development Committee wrapped in bandages but also people from the Selectors in X-District were present. This was quite unusual.

Z-District was recognized, unofficially, as the territory of the Anti-Development Committee by Randa City.

The fact that outsiders were stepping foot here was highly irregular. It was a sight that likely would never have happened if the army of the dead hadn’t attacked Randa.

But that wasn’t what mattered now. Something more important was walking at the front of the group.

“Oliver…”

Someone murmured. They were referring to the true name of the Contractor known as the Woodsman, Dave.

The true name of Xenon, an employee of the Tower of Magic.

The true name of Dave, who had brought together the Fighter Crew and the Selectors to form the Anti-Redevelopment Committee.

The true name of Dave, who had transformed X-District, one of Randa’s largest slums, into a place fit for humans.

The true name of the dark sorcerer at the center of rumors: defeating the Pied Piper, the end times, the list goes on…

And, most importantly, the true name of the man the Selectors worshipped as the living god.

When she murmured that name, Oliver abruptly stopped walking. Child, Second, and the others following him stopped as well.

“Do you have something to say?”

Oliver turned around and directed his gaze at the woman who had whispered his name. Everyone else immediately distanced themselves from her.

Now left alone with everyone’s gaze on her, the woman spoke, her voice shaky.

“Uh, uh… Th-thank you… For saving us.”

Her voice, like her body, was frozen, and she stammered awkwardly. But no one laughed at her. They all felt the same.

Though they didn’t know exactly why, everyone standing there felt a strange sense of unease just locking eyes with Oliver, as if their body and soul no longer belonged to them.

Even when they had been captured by the Royal Army, it hadn’t felt this overwhelming. Then, Oliver spoke. His voice had no emotion.

“There’s no need to thank me. I just happened to see you while passing by… That’s all.”

Like his voice, his words carried no enthusiasm. Yet, their meaning was clear.

He hadn’t intended to save them; he’d just happened to pick them up, like someone casually picking up trash.

It sounded heartless, even cruel, coming from the person they owed their lives to.

It felt as though he didn’t even see them as human beings.

The woman, especially, felt overwhelmed by that realization.

“D-did you come to help? To assist the director?”

Her question was less one of curiosity and more to confirm something.

“Hmm? It’s true I came to see Marie, but no, not to help. I’m just here to ask a few things.”

In that instant, the woman’s face hardened. A surge of emotions welled up in her chest. After all, it was because of him that Marie had been forced to flee here. Then something happened.

“Loti Daken.”

“…!”

The woman flinched. Oliver had called her by her full name, though she had never introduced herself.

That alone was surprising, but there was more.

“Like most of the Selectors, you came from a slum. You were almost sold off by human traffickers, but Marie saved you. Afterward, you joined the Selectors, and your talent earned you the opportunity to learn dark magic directly from Marie and serve by her side.”

Loti Daken had no words to refute the accuracy of his statement.

She wasn’t just scared. She was terrified. His presence felt far more dangerous than any fist, belt, club, knife, gun, or dark magic she had ever faced.

It wasn’t just physical violence; she felt like her soul was threatened.

“Like many other Selectors, you revere me as a god… Answer me.”

Prompted, Loti struggled to collect herself and nodded. Her instinct told her not to make any mistakes here.

“Y-yes… That’s right. We believed… We believed you would save us! Just like you did in Wineham!!”

“…”

“I really believed… But, hearing you say this—”

“—Lies.”

Oliver cut her off. His voice was so quiet, but it still overpowered hers.

“You don’t worship me as a god because you believe in me. It’s because you want Marie to favor you.”

“…”

“Marie gave you safety, bread, and a purpose to live. You worship me to stay in her good graces. You haven’t given me a single thought… it’s a bit sad, isn’t it?”

Oliver asked. Loti hung her head, unable to answer. A heavy, indescribable feeling welled up from deep inside her.

Oliver shifted his gaze to the others.

The people of the Anti-Development Committee were no different from those Selectors. All of them had been twisted beyond recognition by catastrophe.

As soon as they felt his gaze, they too, overcome by indescribable emotions, lowered their heads.

Oliver silently observed them before continuing forward. Those who had been looking at the ground wordlessly followed him.

***

“Damn it, we’re out of medicine! Is there any left?!!”

“No! We’re short on food too! All we have left is useless gold and jewelry!!”

“Damn it!! Come give us a hand over here!!”

They had entered the heart of Z-District, passing through the outskirts.

Oliver had visited this place before. With Bartholomew leading him.

If he had to summarize his first impression of Z-District in one word, it would be ‘desolate.’ Even more so than Y-District, which the City had also abandoned.

It was as if one could compare two corpses: Y-District was like a rotting corpse infested with maggots, still clinging to life.

In contrast, in Z-District, even the maggot-like life was absent.

But today was different.

There were many people in the heart of Z-District now. Most were from the Anti-Development Committee and the Fighter Crew, struggling to survive in the wrecked streets.

Their frantic efforts to treat the wounded were proof of the current situation.

Even more surprising was the fact that, unlike his previous visit, members of the Anti-Development Committee were now openly helping others.

“Are you really out of medicine?”

“Grrr…”

“We’ll have to go get some.”

“How? We’re surrounded. Holding the line is hard enough.”

Despite their efforts, they were clearly lacking supplies.

“Ah, you’re alive back there!”

A voice called out. It was Sam, one of the key members of the Fighter Crew and a friend of Joe.

He approached with Owen, a fellow Fighter Crew member, to check on Loti. Judging by their dirty appearance, they had also just returned from a battle.

“You okay?”

“Uh, yeah… And you?”

Loti, still half-frozen, responded.

“We were almost caught, but then the Royal Army got attacked, so we managed to escape. There was this barrage of space sniper fire and bombardment… We were really lucky. If they hadn’t attacked, we might’ve been done for.”

Sam, still high from post-battle relief, rambled on. Then, once the adrenaline faded, he suddenly went cold and muttered.

“Who the hell were they? Space sniper fire? Did we have an ally?”

Sam’s sudden anxiety suggested a lot had happened during the battle.

Seeing him like this, Loti glanced in another direction. Sam and Owen’s gaze followed hers. That’s when they saw it. Oliver scanning the area as if the chaos was none of his concern.

“Dave!!”

Recognizing Oliver, Sam shouted, and in that moment, the air froze as everyone’s eyes shot toward him.

“It’s really him…”

“Dave. The new Finger.”

“The one who defeated the Pied Piper.”

Everyone who saw Oliver was filled with hope and relief.

After surviving the army of the dead and enduring the oppression of the Royal Army, the most reliable figure had appeared before them.

The man who had taken down the Pied Piper, the man whom so many dark sorcerers wanted to serve—it was him.

But just then—

—Bang!!

As the crowd began to surge toward him, the Zombie Puppet—Durance—fired a shot into the air, bringing them all to a halt.

The sharp, heavy gunshot reminded them of the merciless barrages prepared by the Royal Army.

Because of that, their overwhelming joy turned cold in an instant, sending a chilling shiver through everyone’s body.

Step.

While everyone was frozen in place, Oliver moved. Sam called out to him.

“W-where are you going?”

“To Marie.”

“She’s injured but alive! Uh, sir, may I have a moment? Joe—”

Sam’s rushed words came to an abrupt stop. He saw Oliver raise his hand in a clear gesture of dismissal.

Without realizing it, Sam closed his mouth, and Oliver continued walking inside a building.

Inside that building, Marie was resting. As Sam had said, she was injured but alive, with several people helping treat her.

When they saw Oliver, the people caring for her showed similar reactions to those outside.

Their faces lit with relief and joy, but the moment they met Oliver’s eyes, both emotions vanished, and their bodies stiffened.

“Please step out.”

Marie spoke to them. Marie, who was covered in bandages from all the injuries she had sustained.

Those helping her looked at her, their eyes asking if she would be alright.

She met their gazes with a firm look, insisting they leave. Eventually, they hesitantly complied, stealing glances at Oliver as they exited.

Once everyone had left, Oliver too left Second outside and entered the building alone.

Though the building was in such disrepair it could collapse at any moment from the disasters and the passage of time, it had been cleaned up somewhat, giving it a cozy feel. Still, the place carried an unpleasant atmosphere that left Oliver feeling uneasy.

Tap.

He sat down in front of Marie without a word.

Marie didn’t speak either. As if she knew it wasn’t her turn to talk.

For a long time, they silently stared at each other. After a while, Oliver suddenly opened his mouth.

“Marie.”

“Yes, Dave?”

“When did you find out that I’m the Prince of Hell?”