Chapter 770: Oliver

The elders of the Anti-Development Committee ran deep into the corridor, and shortly after, reappeared with a group of young men.

They quietly led the bewildered youths past Oliver, and Oliver also let them pass without a word.

They had already exchanged enough words — anything more would be a waste.

However, the last elder who walked by seemed to think otherwise. After a brief moment of contemplation, he softly muttered a single phrase.

“…Thank you.”

Just two words, but they held so much meaning.

Oliver responded by slightly nodding his head, then, with the Eves, he walked deeper into the corridor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

After a while, the echo of their footsteps through the dark corridor revealed an old but elegant door.

Creak—

Oliver opened the door, and the screech of its rusty hinges reverberated as the door finally revealed what was inside.

Though the curse of Hell had been lifted, the chamber still bore the marks of sin, a twisted space made of pulsing, fleshy matter.

Oliver had paid for their sins by shouldering the burden, yet for some reason, this particular place remained— the reason for which soon became obvious.

It was because of the black-red door inside the chamber.

The door, carved from dark red wood, had been rooted in the corrupted mass of flesh, forcibly tethering this space to reality.

As if it still had a task to perform.

Oliver approached and inspected it closely.

Throb. Throb. Throb.

The base of the door, where it met the floor, had sunk its roots deep into the flesh, entangling the entire chamber.

The entire space felt distorted, as though it existed on the boundary of another dimension.

Halfway between the human world and Hell — but that wasn’t all.

At first glance, it appeared to be a door, but upon closer inspection, it was evident that it wasn’t a real door, but a sculpture designed to resemble one.

Rather than a functioning door, it was merely wood carved into the shape of one.

Pushing against it yielded no results — clear evidence that it was just a sculpture.

Taking a step back, Oliver observed the door carefully.

It was enormous, but aside from its size, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it — like an empty canvas waiting for a painting.

Enchanted, he stared at the plain door for a long while before suddenly speaking.

“…I’m not sure what to say.”

Eve, Pandora, and Lilith tilted their heads in unison, looking confused.

From this angle, they really did seem like sisters… No, perhaps more than that. They were originally one being before Oliver’s intervention had split them into three.

Recalling the consequences of his actions, Oliver’s face momentarily tensed.

It was such a subtle change that it was hard to notice, but if observed closely, one could infer the sense of guilt he felt.

Pandora, being the first to recognize this emotion, spoke up.

“What do you mean, Father?”

She turned her body to face Oliver, so that they stood eye to eye.

“I want to say something before I leave, but I’m struggling to find the right words. I think it’s because I’ve wronged you all in so many ways.”

In response to Oliver’s confession, Pandora smiled gently and tried to comfort him.

“Hehe, Father, there’s no need for you to—”

“—No, I’m serious.”

Oliver stepped closer as he spoke.

Though his tone was soft, the weight of his words and the seriousness in his eyes made it clear this wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

“I am truly sorry, to all of you. Pandora, Eve, and Lilith.”

The three sisters remained silent, merely staring at him.

It was the only natural reaction.

What response could any creation offer when their creator apologizes to them? Especially when that creator was as close to God as anyone could be?

In such a moment, they were bound to be overwhelmed, unsure of how to act. Perhaps they even felt frightened, burdened by the weight of the situation.

After all, it’s not uncommon for an imbalance in power and position to turn one party into a sinner, regardless of right or wrong.

Understanding this, Oliver added more to his words.

“Of course, part of me acknowledges that this apology might be more for myself than for you. Nonetheless, I still wish to say I’m sorry.”

“…”

“If I let the fear of addressing uncomfortable truths silence me, I wouldn’t progress at all. That goes against everything I’ve learned.”

“…”

“So, even if it burdens you, I must apologize.”

Oliver’s attempt at humor was clumsy at best, but it seemed to have resonated.

“…What exactly are you sorry for?”

Eve, with her stoic expression that closely resembled Oliver’s own, quietly but pointedly asked.

She wanted to know what exactly he regretted.

Oliver replied.

“Everything. I created you, yet I failed to recognize you. Worse, during our second meeting, I struck you in my impatience. And because of that…”

Trailing off, Oliver’s gaze shifted between Eve, Pandora, and Lilith.

“…Because of that, you all went through suffering that should’ve never been yours to bear. The confusion about your identities, the threats to your survival, the wandering, the kidnapping, imprisonment, exploitation. Worse yet, you were forced to eat each other just to survive.”

As Oliver confessed his guilt, Lilith closed her eyes, Eve fell into contemplation, and Pandora forced a smile.

“Father, you didn’t know, did you?”

“No, I was ignorant of it until Pandora told me. And that’s precisely why I feel so guilty. My ignorance and lack of attention only added to your suffering.”

“…”

“In fact, you couldn’t even properly resent me, could you? I had the shield of ignorance to hide behind.”

“…”

“What weighs on me even more is the fact that, even if I had known who you were back then, I probably would’ve left you behind.”

Oliver was referring to the time when Rosburn had been kidnapped by Mattle.

Back then, as Oliver delved into the World Tree to gather information about Mattle, he had accidentally struck the newly born Eve, unwittingly creating Pandora and Lilith in the process.

Oliver thought back and asked himself if he would have acted differently had he been aware of Eve’s existence. No matter how hard he pondered, the answer was always no.

Because at the time, Rosburn’s kidnapping had taken precedence over everything else.

This realization only deepened Oliver’s sense of guilt toward Eve, Pandora, and Lilith.

“I must admit, I’m definitely not a good employer. And it seems I’m not much of a good father, either.”

The word ‘father’ caused the three women to flinch slightly.

Oliver continued.

“Nevertheless, I’d like to play the role of father, just this once. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to offer you my blessing… Would that be alright?”

“…Yes.”

After a long silence, the three nodded in agreement, recognizing that Oliver’s words were not made lightly.

Knowing Oliver as they did, they understood that he’d likely spent a great deal of time deliberating before finally speaking those words.

Upon receiving their approval, Oliver crossed himself in gratitude and placed his hand gently on each of their heads in turn, starting with Eve, then Pandora, and finally Lilith, to give them his blessing.

“After I leave, each of you will be granted freedom. You won’t be bound by anything, and you’ll have the right to live the life you desire.

You are free to explore your questions, fulfill your curiosity, and live life on your own terms.

Anyone who tries to take that right from you will face punishment, and I will be watching. Consider it my way of compensating for how little I’ve done for you up until now.”

After giving both an apology and a blessing, Oliver embraced each of the three. He held Lilith the longest, whispering in her ear.

“Lilith, if you wish to meet Puppet, you may go to him.”

“…”

“But before you do, take a good look at him. If you still wish to meet him after that, then you may.”

“…Are you suggesting I won’t want to see him?”

“No, but the choice is entirely yours, just as it is for anyone. The important thing is to make a better choice.”

Having said his piece, Oliver released Lilith from his embrace and took a step back. He then addressed the group once more.

“Well then, let’s get started.”

On Oliver’s cue, Eve, Pandora, and Lilith knelt around the black-red wood that had been sculpted into door-like form and placed their hands on the roots buried in the flesh.

[Ideation]

Once part of a single entity, they worked with one heart and mind, extracting the information from the twisted flesh attached to the roots and reconstructing it into reality. The distorted space, suspended between the human world and Hell, began to shift toward a singular side.

Thump! Thump!

The mass of twisted flesh, covering the entire space, started pulsating like a heart. The roots of the wooden sculpture embedded in the flesh throbbed and contracted like blood vessels.

As if devouring the sins embedded within the flesh.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat grew faster, and with it, the air inside the space trembled. Then, most notably, something appeared, erupting like a crest onto the blank surface of the door.

It was the image of damned souls suffering in Hell.

[Aaaaaa…]

[Ahhh…]

And that wasn’t all.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Splat!

Black liquid shot between the cracks of the wooden sculpture, spilling onto the floor.

A sinister fluid that could drive one mad just by looking at it. Yet Oliver, unfazed, reached out his hand toward the door.

Grab.

As his hand touched the door, the damned spirits etched upon it grabbed onto his arm tightly.

[Graaaaah…]

Their desperation mirrored that of a doomed man clinging to a rope dangling over an abyss.

With a calm expression, Oliver looked at the hands clutching him and spoke.

“Could you let go, please?”

[…]

“Please, allow me to pass.”

At Oliver’s polite request, the damned spirits, driven only by instinct, slowly released their grip.

Once freed, Oliver, without hesitation, pushed against the door. Surprisingly, the wooden sculpture carved to resemble a door opened exactly as if it were a door.

Creeeeeeak…

A low, eerie sound filled the air as the door revealed a pitch-black void beyond, seemingly made of something not of this world.

It resembled the night sky, the depths of an ocean, or sheer darkness itself, condensed into a space with an unnervingly heavy presence.

[Ahhhhhhhhh…]

[Oooooooooh…]

[Uuuuuuuuu…]

[Grrrrr…]

From within the abyss, countless arms emerged, accompanied by a chorus of groans, grasping at nothing as they tried to pull everything into the void. Without a second thought, Oliver stepped into the darkness.

Into the infinite void.

“Ah.”

Just as he was about to step entirely into the dark, Oliver paused and turned his head back to speak to Eve, Pandora, and Lilith, who had opened the door to Hell.

“I almost forgot to say—thank you, my daughters.”

Creeeeeeak… Slam!

With those final words, Oliver disappeared fully into the abyss, and the once-wide open door to Hell slammed shut.

As soon as the door closed, the twisted mass of flesh surrounding the area shriveled up and vanished like an illusion, and the hellish door reverted to its original wooden sculpted form.

Just like that, Oliver vanished from the world.

***

In the endless, pitch-black void.

Oliver stood alone in the darkness.

Had things been as expected, countless spirits would have been reaching toward him, and the air would be filled with eerie groans that disoriented the mind. But strangely enough, as soon as Oliver fully entered this space, everything quieted down.

Everyone had fled, avoiding anything that ventured in his direction.

Knowing this, Oliver didn’t hesitate to retrieve Big Mouth from the leather case strapped to his back.

“Gurrrrr?”

The inflated mass of Big Mouth made a sound akin to a bullfrog’s croak as it surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Big Mouth, could you bring out ‘that,’ please?”

Upon hearing the word ‘that,’ Big Mouth quickly spat out a large box, a bottle of wine, and four wine glasses.

“Grrrruuaaagh-!”

The box, by the way, contained a cake specially ordered from Al, a chocolate cake crafted with particular care at the Forest Restaurant.

Clop. Clop. Clop…

As the chocolate cake and wine were brought out, the faint, hoof-like sound of footsteps echoed through the noiseless void.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

It wasn’t just hoofbeats — footsteps of another kind also grew nearer. The origin of those steps was…

“Did you come to meet me?”

Oliver turned around and asked, observing the approach of a Horse-riding Old Man, a Woman on the Camel, and the Burned One.

Unlike their usual, warped forms in the mortal world, they now appeared in their original forms… Strangely beautiful, hardly resembling devils at all.

“We’ve been waiting.”

The Horse-riding Old Man and the Woman on the Camel dismounted, and along with the Burned One, knelt on one knee in respect.

They acknowledged Oliver’s authority with this action.

Oliver raised the specially ordered chocolate cake and wine and asked with a smile.

“Shall we have some cake first?”