Chapter 774: The Gardener

1: God’s suggestion to create a new gardener.

As the man spoke of this, a heavy silence descended. But it didn’t last long before it was broken.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch…

By none other than Oliver, who was calmly eating a chocolate cookie.

“…”

The man silently looked at Oliver, and Oliver, without turning his head, stared at the man’s shadowed face.

Though he still couldn’t see the man’s face due to the thick shadow, he somehow felt he could guess what expression the man was making.

“You can continue talking.”

Oliver said as he washed down the chocolate cookie with milk. His tone was so casual, as if speaking about someone else’s affairs.

The man just silently watched Oliver’s attitude.

The silence returned, and Oliver continued to eat cookies while watching the man.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Cr-

“-There was a problem.”

The man resumed his tale. Oliver asked.

“What was it?”

“There was no one to replace me.”

“Hmm… What about the Devils?”

“No.”

The man shook his head firmly.

“They belong to Hell. Regardless of their abilities, they’re not suitable to be gardeners. That’s essentially a declaration of the end.”

Oliver understood immediately. He had seen the two Devils who had descended to the Earth, the Burned One and the Woman on the Camel.

Though they had shown kindness to Oliver and humanity in their own way, it was only within the scope of their own perspective.

Just as humans can’t adjust their pace to walk alongside ants.

They were unsuitable in many ways to carry out the endless duties of a gardener.

“Don’t you have any brothers?”

“…I do.”

“Wasn’t there anyone among them who could take over your duty?”

“Perhaps because they saw how much I had suffered, no one responded.”

The man’s answer reeked of bitterness. Oliver thought for a moment and then chuckled lightly.

“Hmm… Ha. Ha.”

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s just… I think I’m starting to understand why God kept you so close.”

“…”

“They kept you close because you’re someone who can leave their side. Unlike your other brothers who couldn’t leave, you could. If I were God, that’s what I’d think.”

“…How arrogant, to speak as if you understand God’s intentions.”

“I wouldn’t say I know, but it’s just a guess. There’s a difference.”

“Don’t you think even guessing is arrogant?”

“Not at all. Didn’t they give us minds so we could think? No need to be angry… Of course, I could be wrong, but I don’t think this act of pondering is wrong. Or does God consider such actions a sin?”

Oliver posed this question to the man who once stood by God’s side.

The man hesitated for a moment and then replied.

“…I don’t know. Once, I thought I understood them, but it’s been so long that I no longer know what they were like.”

“You’ve just temporarily forgotten.”

“Perhaps… perhaps not. Either way, it’s been a long time since I last thought of them. Now I suddenly wonder… why did they offer me this position?”

The man mumbled as he searched through his long-faded memories.

He seemed lost, like a traveler who, consumed by endless time and weariness, had forgotten his original purpose.

As the man wandered in confusion, Oliver spoke.

“Perhaps, it’s because they trusted you the most.”

“…That’s another dangerous statement.”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders.

“Could be. Or not… But, back to the main point, have you decided? Have you given up on finding a gardener candidate?”

“No. If I was the type to give up because there were no suitable candidates, I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. Still, I did wrestle with the issue. There was no one else who could take over the task. And then, I realized something.”

The man’s voice grew firmer.

“The one to replace me must come from me. A being born from me.”

“I’m listening.”

“So I descended to the human world. To have a child born from me, to pass on the burdens I carried.”

“You act quickly.”

“Not really. I descended, but I couldn’t achieve what I wanted.”

“That’s surprising. Why not?”

“Because there were no women to my taste.”

“Ah…”

The man shrugged his shoulders.

“So, I asked the Devils to try instead. Maybe a half-breed between a human and Devil would be better suited for gardening.”

Hearing the story of how the Pied Piper was born, Oliver shook his head.

Born to become a gardener but rejecting it, he met a tragic end.

“That was harsh.”

The man readily admitted it.

“I know. And I realized that wasn’t the right solution. Children born between humans and Devils were also unsuitable to become gardeners. Only a being born from me was right.”

“So, did you create one immediately?”

“No, I searched a bit more. I kept looking until I found someone I was certain of. Eventually, I found a foolish woman.”

A foolish woman…

“A woman who believed her sins were her own, even though they weren’t, and spent her entire life atoning for them. At first, I approached her out of curiosity. But eventually, I became convinced. This woman could bear a being to take my place.”

The man trailed off, and heavy silence settled into the room once again.

In that silence, Oliver continued eating his chocolate cookies, and by the time only a few were left…

“And that’s how you were born.”

The man confessed.

That Oliver was his son.

He confessed in a calm manner.

***

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Even after hearing the man’s confession, Oliver continued munching on the chocolate cookies as if nothing had changed.

One, two, three, four, five, six… and the last, seventh cookie.

After ensuring the plate was empty, Oliver brushed the crumbs off his fingers and finished off the milk in his mug.

The mug was empty, and no more milk was forthcoming.

Clack.

As Oliver set the empty mug back on the table, the man asked.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“Should I?”

Oliver asked in return. The man couldn’t answer right away, and Oliver crossed his arms as if deep in thought.

“Hmm, I do know that showing some kind of reaction would be the normal thing to do. At the orphanage, though it was extremely rare, there were times when a kid’s parents or relatives came to claim them.”

The man listened quietly.

“When that happened, the kids literally jumped for joy, as if the whole world had become theirs. Meanwhile, those watching from the sidelines became even more heartbroken.”

“Other people’s joy can highlight one’s own misery. And you?”

“Me? I didn’t really feel anything.”

“…”

“I wasn’t curious about who my parents were. There were more kids around me without parents than with them anyway.”

“Didn’t you feel any resentment?”

“About what?”

“Everything. Being created out of need, having your rightful place taken from you, and being thrown to the bottom of society. Don’t you resent it all?”

Oliver mulled over the man’s question as he stretched. Then he got up from his seat and walked over to perch on the table in front of the man.

Now, the distance between them was so narrow they could nearly touch noses.

Even at that proximity, the shadow shrouding the man’s face hadn’t lifted, instead only becoming darker.

“I’m not sure. Do I have any reason to resent you?”

The man stared at Oliver through the shadow, trying to discern if Oliver was being sincere or just spouting empty words. Meanwhile, Oliver kept speaking.

“You said creating me out of need was a problem, but I’m not sure that was actually a bad thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I grew up in an orphanage, so I knew kids who were born because someone got drunk, or because of a hole in a contraceptive. Some were even born out of hatred. Maybe life itself isn’t as sacred as we think it is. And besides…”

The man listened intently.

“I still don’t know what ‘rights’ I was supposed to enjoy. After all, I’m just me.”

The man listened in silence, gripping the armrests tightly.

Tight-tightly…

“Growing up in an orphanage, doing hard labor in the mines, sure, that was tough. But in the end, I learned Dark Magic, didn’t I? So in a way, that was also a blessing. Because of that, I don’t resent my childhood. Rather…”

Oliver paused halfway through and gazed softly at the man.

“Rather, I think you’re the one who can’t forgive yourself.”

Oliver reached out to the man, whose hands were gripping the armrests too tightly.

“Don’t be like that. I don’t resent you. In fact, I like you.”

“Do you mean it?”

“You gave me delicious chocolate cookies and milk, didn’t you?”

“Ha.”

“You put up with my frustration too.”

“I’ve endured worse.”

“You shared stories from the past, listened to my childish tantrums, and tolerated my arrogant speech.”

“You’ve earned that right.”

“One of the things I learned in Randa is that even when you earn your rights, it’s rare to be treated justly. Rationality often gets trampled by irrationality.”

“…”

“So I’d say your kindness is something truly special. You’ve shown me kindness many times.”

“…Do you really think that?”

“Yes.”

Oliver answered shortly but firmly as he held the man’s hand.

Tap. Tap.

Oliver gave two firm pats on the man’s hand.

“Though you were in such a painful situation that you had to create me, you never pushed me to do anything.”

“…”

“You even gave me the choice of doing nothing if I felt like it. What do you think would’ve happened if I’d actually chosen to do nothing?”

“…”

“What if I’d agreed when the Woman on the Camel said she’d make things easier for me? All your efforts would’ve gone to waste. Yet, you didn’t interfere.”

“Did it never occur to you that I knew you wouldn’t take that path?”

“Maybe… but if we start going down that road, there’s no end. So I won’t dwell on it. What’s important is this moment right now.”

Oliver held the man’s hand tightly and looked him directly in the eye.

“In this moment, the one thing I know for sure is that you’ve carried a burden for a very long time. For so long, I can’t even imagine it, endlessly. So, I am asking you—from now on, stop blaming yourself and forgive yourself.”

The air around the man and the shadow covering his face began to stir.

“Because of my arrogance and sins, you have suffered.”

“And that’s why I exist. I won’t lie; life has been tough and painful, but isn’t that just how life is? Isn’t that how we find joy and fulfillment, the same way emotions work?”

Oliver recalled the basic theory he learned during his time with the Joseph Family.

Emotions are like interconnected webs. If even one emotion is severed, the whole thing collapses, making it unable to fulfill its purpose.

Sadness exists because joy exists, and dissatisfaction exists because satisfaction does. Like light and shadows, they’re inseparable.

“If I had enjoyed the rights you mentioned and known only blessings and joy, how would I have turned out? One thing’s for sure—I wouldn’t be the me I am now.”

Oliver shook his head.

“I don’t want that. I like who I am now. I’ve made mistakes, but I like who I am. So you should throw off that guilt and forgive yourself.”

Tightly…

The man holding Oliver’s hand tightened his grip even more.

“It will take a very long time—longer than it took for you to get here.”

“I know.”

“Things will turn out differently than you expected, and you’ll be tested continuously.”

“I know that too. I’m still choosing this. It’s my choice, my will. Just like you made your choice.”

Moved by Oliver’s firm resolve, the man lowered his head and asked.

“Time in Hell flows differently from the human world. Here, it flows according to my will. Hardly any time will have passed in the outside world. If you wish, you can still meet those you want to.”

“I won’t. I’ve already spent enough time with them.”

“You’re better than me.”

“I think so too.”

Oliver replied with a smile, not using his thumb, and the man lifted his head.

The shadow covering the man’s face vanished, revealing his true appearance.

He looked utterly exhausted, though younger than expected. Younger, like Oliver.

“…Aren’t you curious about your mother?”

“Was she beautiful?”

“…She was.”

“That’s enough for me.”

With those words, Oliver embraced the man. He hugged him tightly.

This being who once stood beside God, revered as the brightest of all.

This being who had carried burdens that weren’t his to bear, suffering under their weight.

Oliver embraced the being from whom he had been born.

“You don’t need to feel guilty anymore. I’ve been satisfied with my life, and if I carry your burden, it’s by my choice. So please, rest now. I am grateful to you for giving me this life… Father.”

Father.

Upon hearing that word, filled with pure sincerity, the man stood frozen like a statue before slowly embracing Oliver in return. They stayed like that for a very long time.

In that vast, empty space, time flowed on endlessly until, at some point, the man disappeared, leaving only Oliver behind.

Screech—

The sound of the door opening echoed.

Step. Step. Step.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Footsteps from both humans and beasts rang out one by one.

Oliver, who had knelt to embrace the man, stood up and took a seat on the couch where the man had sat.

Those who had entered—the Old Man on the Horse, the Woman on the Camel, the Burned One, and the 72 Lords who ruled over Hell—looked at Oliver in silence.

They had been divided into two groups of 36 and had headed to the surface during the time Oliver succeeded the man’s position, waged a symbolic battle after eating their fill, then returned.

One group supported Oliver in maintaining the surface world’s existence, while the other followed the will of Armageddon to extinguish it.

But as said, it was a symbolic battle, so they caused only global natural disasters before returning.

To witness their new lord.

In silence, they looked upon their new master. And that master, Oliver, gazed at the 72 lords he would now rule over.

After a long silence, Oliver opened his mouth for the first time.

“Suddenly, a joke I learned a long time ago comes to mind.”

“…”

“A joke about three men playing poker.”

“…”

“One day, three men were playing poker in a bar. One was a Celt, one was from the Kingdom, and the last was from Randa. Do any of you know what happened to those three?”

The 72 Lords shook their heads in unison, as if on cue, and Oliver said.

“I wonder too. How that joke will turn out.”

Oliver stared ahead and asked.

“What do you all think?”