Chapter 719: War?

As one ascended the ranks of the Royal Army, non-superhumans occupied far more positions than superhumans.

This was partly to keep those with overwhelming power in check, but that wasn’t the whole reason.

It was like saying fists are harder than brains but not switching the roles of the two.

No matter how strong someone was, managing thousands or tens of thousands of troops was a different matter, and in fact, many couldn’t handle it.

No matter how free of prejudice one might be, they were still human in the end.

People could only see the world from their own perspective, and because of that, superhuman commanders would unknowingly issue unreasonable orders to ordinary soldiers.

Those orders often caused enormous damage to the military, and after experiencing it firsthand, both the army and the government drastically reduced the number of superhumans in higher ranks.

They judged it was better for regular people to lead regular people.

Because of that, no matter how outstanding a Military Mage or magic user was, they were usually promoted only up to colonel, and very few rose beyond that.

However, this also meant there were still some superhumans in high military positions.

This was true even for the command post where the commanders and staff of the Royal Army were gathered. There were also powerful superhumans suitable for the military in this command post as well.

“······.”

“······.”

“······.”

Yet, none of them could move.

Even though a Dark Sorcerer, who had attacked a prison in broad daylight and declared war on the Royal Army, suddenly entered, they were frozen in place.

Only their eyes moved.

They looked at each other, trying to make sense of what was happening.

They couldn’t understand how Dave, who should have been fighting the army on the outskirts of District A, had made it here.

For a moment that felt both short and long, they exchanged glances, silently sharing their thoughts, ultimately reaching the conclusion that they had no idea.

Everything that was happening exceeded the boundaries of what they could comprehend.

It made no sense that someone could go from the outskirts of District A to the heart of the City Hall in just a few minutes.

Even more, there had been no sound of fighting or any reports as he made his way here.

No matter how monstrously strong someone was, there should have been some noise, right?

Yet, Oliver simply walked in. As if he had just come from downstairs.

This inexplicable phenomenon caused a different kind of fear than war, and that unsettling fear tensed up the officers in the command post.

But in contrast to them, Oliver casually entered, tapping his quarterstaff on the ground as if he were bored.

There was no tension or fear. He even seemed a little bored.

As he made his way past the high-ranking officers of the Royal Army, he took the Radio next to Brigadier General Billy Crowley and sat down in an empty seat.

During all of this, the Radio continued chattering on.

[······Due to the Creatures summoned by Woodsman Dave, massive damage has been inflicted on District A, and countless casualties have been reported.]

Chirik.

[-Some speculate that the zombie army that attacked Randa was something Woodsman Dave had prepared for a long time. It’s also suggested that he gained control of the Contaminated Zone in District F to gather-]

Chirik.

[Yes, here’s my opinion. Ever since the Dark Magic Faction tried to establish itself in the Tower of Magic, these events were bound to happen. According to my sources, numerous Dark Sorcerers have already-]

Chirik.

Each time Oliver changed the Radio channel, emergency news followed, and every report was fixated on painting Oliver as the villain.

The senior officers present swallowed nervously. They had heard the same news earlier, but with the man responsible sitting right there, it felt entirely different.

“Aren’t you going to leave?”

Oliver asked suddenly after flipping through the channels.

At first, the tense personnel didn’t understand what he meant, but then they remembered.

Oliver had told everyone but Brigadier General Billy Crowley to leave when he entered.

They all wanted to get out of there, but they couldn’t. They were soldiers of the Royal Army, after all. That fact alone held them in place.

No matter how afraid they were, they couldn’t abandon their commander and flee.

So, they all watched Oliver closely, ready to act if necessary. Though they doubted it would do any good.

At that moment, Oliver spoke again.

“I don’t mind if others are around. Brigadier General Billy, are you okay with that?”

Instead of threatening or attacking, Oliver looked at the highest-ranking officer, Billy Crowley, and asked again.

His voice was oddly calm, making it hard to tell if he was mocking or being genuinely concerned.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Billy, and after a moment of contemplation, he reluctantly spoke.

“Everyone, leave······.”

“A-are you sure-”

“-I said, everyone leave!”

Billy shouted. Oliver added in response.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt anyone. I just came here to talk, that’s all.”

It was impossible to accept that someone who had just crushed an army was only here for a chat, but no one dared to argue.

After all, this entire situation was far from normal.

The footsteps of the departing staff echoed as the door closed, leaving only Oliver and Brigadier General Billy Crowley in the room.

As the number of people in the room decreased, the silence grew heavier, but soon, Billy broke it with a firm tone.

“If you have any questions, go ahead. I’ll cooperate as much as I can.”

His resolve was to acknowledge the difference in power and search for a way to survive.

Using the cards he had. No matter how hard he thought about it, this was the best option. He needed to survive in order to-

“-You’re not listening to me, are you?”

“······?”

“I told you earlier. I don’t plan on hurting you. So, there’s no need to force yourself to talk out of fear. I don’t like those kinds of conversations.”

Billy, who had been mentally preparing himself to play his cards, hesitated.

Though he had gotten this far through connections, he was still a Brigadier General.

He had, at the very least, good instincts, and he could tell that Oliver was being sincere.

Oliver genuinely didn’t seem to have any intention of causing harm.

And that only confused him more. Why had Oliver come all the way here? Why did he want to talk with him?

As he pondered those questions, Dave spoke as if he were a god.

“In fact, we don’t really need to have a conversation. I can figure out most things just by looking.”

An incredibly arrogant statement. But then, Oliver made it clear that his next words were not just arrogance.

“Billy Crowley. Age 37. Father is a professor, mother a housewife. Born into a nondescript middle-class family, you enrolled in the Royal Military Academy, tried hard, but graduated as the 168th out of 324—a very average score.”

“······.”

Billy froze.

“Rather than achieving something on your own, you decided to climb using connections. Eventually, you grasped Puppet’s outstretched hand.”

Billy was left speechless by how excessively accurate Oliver’s information was.

He had originally planned to deny everything no matter what, but with this much precision, his resistance was replaced by curiosity.

“······Did you investigate me?”

“I could’ve, but I didn’t. Why would I when I can figure it out just by looking?”

“If you already know everything, why do you want to talk?”

Oliver shrugged.

“Who knows? I guess I just prefer hearing it from the person themselves.”

“That’s why you told the others to leave? So I could speak freely?”

“Something like that. Judging by your words, you admit you took Puppet’s hand. What was your reason?”

“I’m under no obligation to answer that.”

Billy tried to deflect, but quickly realized it was a futile effort.

“Right. It’s the same reason as everyone else’s, so there’s no need to answer.”

“······.”

Billy froze once more. He apparently hated being called ordinary or just like everyone else.

Of course, he had joined the army in hopes of being special.

“At first, they probably made you feel special. Not Puppet himself, but high-ranking individuals associated with him.”

Oliver continued.

“And after some time, Puppet himself appeared to you, when you were comfortable enough not to feel any rejection.”

How Billy had met Puppet through the Crown Prince was now crystal clear.

“At that point, you wouldn’t have been able to refuse. How could you turn down the hand Puppet offered when it seemed like your one lifeline?”

With Oliver’s vivid recounting of the events, Billy Crowley, once again, couldn’t deny his words.

“Seeing that, Puppet gradually seduced you. He told you your abilities were acknowledged, that you were needed. He probably showed you others who’d shaken his hand and convinced you it wasn’t wrong.”

After all, right now, in this room, there were only Dave and himself. Just the two of them.

“He probably even helped you, didn’t he? That star on your shoulder is one of those rewards. Doesn’t it feel like your future is guaranteed? Like you’ve become special? I bet he even dropped hints about a reward. Not too obvious, but subtly.”

Billy didn’t deny it, not because he didn’t want to, but because he had a gut feeling that if he did, he’d fall right into Dave’s pace.

That tongue. It was dangerous. The tongue of the Devil. Just like the snake’s tongue that had driven humanity out of paradise by preying on their weakest points.

Which is why Billy opted to stay silent. Any words he said would be swept up by that disaster of a tongue.

However, even that thought was foolish. After all, if you could avoid disaster just because you knew about it, it wouldn’t be called a disaster, would it?

“Aren’t you curious? About how I know so much?”

“······.”

“If you want, I’ll tell you.”

“······.”

“If you don’t, that’s fine too.”

“······How do you know? Is it because of those eyes of yours?”

Oliver shook his head.

“No, it’s simply because this is Puppet’s most common method. Most people can be swayed like that, you know. Ordinary people, uncertain of themselves but full of greed. People who are everywhere.”

Bang-!

Billy Crowley couldn’t hold it in any longer and slammed his fist on the table, standing halfway up.

Oliver’s words had struck a nerve.

“Ordinary people······? Just like everyone else······!?”

“Yes. People who don’t break the mold or stray too far beyond the norm. People you can find just about anywhere.”

“How absurd! Are you suggesting that the Military Mages who command the Tower of Magic, the Druids, the Kingdom’s nobles, the politicians of the Central Council, and the Crown Prince are all ordinary?!”

Furious that his greatest achievement (his connections) was being insulted, Billy Crowley shouted in indignation.

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve never done such a reckless thing, but under Oliver’s promise of safety and the fact that they were alone, coupled with Dave’s tongue poking at the most primal emotions, he couldn’t help himself.

Fortunately, despite Billy’s sudden outburst, Oliver didn’t seem offended. He remained as calm as if he had expected it.

“So, what you’re implying is that the Military Mages in the Tower of Magic, the Druids, the Kingdom’s nobles, the politicians of the Central Council, and the Crown Prince have all shaken hands with Puppet?”

“Yes! If you believe that—even with all your monstrous strength—you can defeat us, you’re wrong! Even if you do win, all you’ll gain are ruins! Because we are the Kingdom itself······!!!”

With his mind pushed to the limit from extreme stress, Billy Crowley let out all the words he had been holding back, gasping for breath.

Like every emotion, once it had been vented, his head cooled. As his mind cleared, Billy realized something felt wrong, and something came into focus in his line of sight.

“The Radio······?”

Billy muttered, staring at the Radio in Oliver’s arms.

At some point, the news reports coming from the Radio had gone silent. It hadn’t been turned off, but the power was still running.

“To be honest, I hadn’t planned to take things this far at first.”

“······?”

“But I made a promise to a rather angry Spirit on my way here. I told it I’d take revenge on the ones who had imprisoned it. Otherwise, it would have flipped all of District A upside down.”

“······.”

“But it was unclear who exactly the target of that revenge should be. Although the Druids had confined the Spirit, someone else had provided the method.”

Billy didn’t bother asking who. He already knew. It had been Puppet who had recruited the Druids.

“So, after thinking long and hard, I decided to take revenge on that someone, too. I’d make him just as angry. Right now, the thing that angers him the most is having his plans interrupted.”

Oliver tapped the Radio he was holding.

“Everything we just discussed has now been broadcasted across the entire United Kingdom.”

“······.”

“Everything, including how Puppet and the Crown Prince have joined forces.”

“You······,”

“I just found out recently that this is possible.”

“······Goddammit!!!”