Genius Warlock

"How can a warlock disguise himself as a Magic Tower employee and get a job?"

Willes asked. But it was closer to confirmation than a question.

The vanished doubt and the stronger conviction were proof.

Moreover, he had been suspicious since the village.

‘No, was it the train?'

That's why Oliver didn't hide it any longer.

"It somehow happened."

"Sorry, but I need a more specific answer than that. I have a lot of questions."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. How did you become a personal staff member of a war wizard you fought in Burton? I heard you escaped safely, but were you actually caught?"

Burton was the city where Oliver had gone with Arthur to arrest Willes at the request of the city. There, Oliver briefly fought with Willes, but cooperated instead of fighting due to the intervention of the war wizard. It was truly an unpredictable world, just like now.

"Huh? Are you revealing your identity now?"

"What are you talking about, you already knew. Do I look like a fool?"

Willes knew his identity and Oliver admired it.

"Ah… You're amazing."

"That's what I should be saying. What the heck are you?"

His words were sincere. Willes shone with doubt, curiosity, and vigilance.

Oliver briefly pondered whether he could talk about Merlin, and then gave a suitable answer.

"Um… I got acquainted with Professor Kevin, and got a job through his introduction."

"Are you kidding? Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Even if it sounds crazy, that's the truth."

Oliver spoke sincerely, and Willes couldn't say anything.

Even an unbelievable story could be persuasive depending on the person, and Oliver was such a case.

Oliver thought for a moment and opened his mouth.

"By the way, Mr. Willes, don't you find it strange that I use magic?"

"Hewitt and Allister, who were caught by you, told me that you used magic."

"Ah… Are they doing well?"

"They're not doing well because of you… Tell me. Are you a rare case? Or a warlock using forbidden knowledge like the Bathory family?"

"Forbidden knowledge? …I don't know much, but I'm probably a rare case. I used it suddenly. But what exactly is the Bathory family?"

Oliver asked about the Bathory family. He was curious about them.

Superior disguise with a leather mask, zombies with Life-force and emotion, and the unique ritual using blood as a medium that they showed earlier, all of these techniques impressed Oliver.

Willes replied, "You're a warlock, but you don't know about the Bathory family?"

"I don't know much about that side… Are they from Black Hand?"

At Oliver's brazen response, Willes’ expression relaxed. It was so absurd that he lost energy.

"As far as I know, no. It's actually closer to the opposite."

"Opposite? What do you mean?"

"The Bathory family is in opposition to the Black Hand's Human-met chef faction. At least, that's what I know."

"Oh, I see… But how do you know that, Mr. Willes?"

“The Bathory family was once a major player in the Northland human trafficking market, so I found out about them while fighting against human trafficking organizations. This is my first time seeing them in person, though.”

“The Kell Liberation Army is an enemy to the kingdom army, do you have time to fight human traffickers?”

Willes pointed his blazing sword at Oliver.

Despite the distance, the heat could be felt.

"Questioning is good, but don't judge us hastily. Kell Liberation Army isn't just a passive group fighting against the kingdom. We're an active organization fighting for the freedom and safety of the Kell tribe.”

It seemed to be a sensitive topic for Willes, but his words were sincere. His emotions conveyed determination, pride, and willpower. It was quite beautiful, on par with Kevin.

"I apologize. I'm sorry for my ignorant remarks… So, can you tell me more about the Bathory family?"

Oliver asked again, and after a moment's hesitation, Willes began to speak.

“They are a small but powerful warlock organization rooted in the continent. They've been around for more than a hundred years.”

“A hundred years… That's impressive.”

"They're Demon worshippers who consume blood to prolong their lives and steal the magic of others. They also use blood-mediated black magic… It seems to be true.”

Oliver agreed to some extent. The black magic they used was different from ordinary black magic.

In that case, it was likely obtained through a deal with a demon or acquired knowledge.

‘Or perhaps, they developed their own unique black magic through their own efforts… But even if they steal magic through a demon's power, how can they handle it so well? Having power and controlling it are different things.’

"What will you do now?”

Willes asked Oliver, who was lost in thought.

"Um… If there's time, I'd like to talk to that Bathory person. I have a lot of questions about the unique zombies, blood-mediated rituals, and magic."

"I'm not asking that. I'm asking whether you'll run away or not."

"…Pardon?”

"I know you're talented, but the Bathory family has survived against the Black Hand's fingers. They have considerable skills. And this place is essentially their hideout. Going further could be deadly… What will you do?”

His tone seemed to say that if Oliver was scared, he could leave. It was rough, but considerate.

"Um… What about you, Mr. Willes?"

“What do you think I’ll do after finally finding the kidnappers of the villagers?”

A straight answer without an inch of hesitation. It was quite appealing.

"Then I'll go with you. The entrance is blocked anyway, and it seems like they don't intend to let me go just like that.”

Oliver looked down the corridor inside the laboratory.

Nothing could be seen with ordinary eyes, but through a warlock's eyes, he could see multiple enemies approaching.

The special zombies of the Bathory family.

“Kyahahahahaha!!!”

“Kuhahahak-!!”

“Kyaahaaaaaaaaaaak!!!”

“Kyareureureuk-!”

As the howling sounds became clearer from the far end of the corridor, Willes raised his flaming sword, and Oliver drank a mana potion he had brought with him to replenish his mana.

The potion Kevin had given him was of high quality, so it filled him with a considerable amount of mana compared to its quantity.

"You're not going to use black magic?"

"Given my current identity and the presence of the World Tree here, I think it's best not to use black magic."

"Ah… I see."

Willes seemed to understand and responded accordingly. With the World Tree nearby, he could be exposed to Net Navigators or magic hackers if he used black magic.

"A warlock fighting with magic… I won’t take any responsibility even if you die.”

"I'll do my best not to get in your way."

"I like that attitude."

With that, Willes swung his sword and sent a stream of fire towards the enemies in front of them.

? ? ? ? ? ?

Pya-hahaaa!

Willes's launched flames twisted like a snake in a spiral, attacking the oncoming zombies.

In the relatively narrow corridor, such high-powered magic could even engulf the caster, but Willes exhibited outstanding mana control to prevent that from happening.

As evidence, the snake-like flames turned several zombies into ashes and then carefully extinguished themselves like a match.

Controlling fire magic, known for its powerful force and wide-ranging impact, to this extent was astonishing. Oliver could only guess how much effort Willes had put in to master it.

‘And to join the Kell Liberation Army with this skill… He could have been treated much better if he had stayed at the Magic Tower.'

Oliver, who had seen the treatment of professors at the Magic Tower, thought so.

They were among the upper class in Landa, enjoying economic abundance and respect.

Yet, Willes left the Magic Tower. Oliver was curious why he had left.

‘Because he's a Kell? No, that's not it.'

Oliver shook his head.

If one is talented enough, even the discriminated Red skin people can become a Master at the Magic Tower and be recognized by some people, let alone the Kell.

Despite the urgent situation, Oliver was curious.

He wondered what had led Willes to choose the difficult path of the Kell Freedom Fighter instead of the comfortable path of the Magic Tower.

"I'll take the lead, you follow closely behind!"

Having cleared the zombies in front with fire magic, Willes charged forward and spoke.

At those words, Oliver snapped to his senses and closely followed Willes as instructed.

Taking the lead, Willes charged headlong through the weakened horde of zombies, swinging his flaming sword from left to right.

Pya-hahaaa!

The fire drew a crimson line in the air with a chilling sound, and astonishingly, it burned everything within its attack range.

The majority of zombies instantly turned to ash due to the powerful flames, but a few zombies showed a different reaction.

"Kyahak!! Kyahaha!!"

In pain and fear, the zombies clumsily used their body's mana to resist the fire.

Of course, such actions only backfired against Willes's flames.

Pya-hahaaaaa!

BOOM

Reacting to the concentrated mana, Willes's flames exploded, engulfing not only the struggling zombie but also the surrounding zombies.

The zombies, screaming like beasts, turned into ash, and the flames grew even larger, using the zombies as fuel.

Willes glanced back, worried.

The fire had grown larger than expected and could have swept up Oliver behind him, but surprisingly, Oliver was mimicking Willes, controlling the mana to prevent the flames from harming him.

"…..!!"

Willes was taken aback. He had put in considerable effort to handle these flames, yet the warlock was imitating him immediately.

However, once you know the whole story, it wasn't that strange. After all, Oliver had even controlled the [Greed Fire], which had a nastier temperament than Willes's fire.

"Why did you stop?"

Oliver asked, looking at Willes who had stopped on their way.

Willes shook his head and replied.

"No, it's nothing… Are you okay with the fire?"

Oliver looked at the surrounding flames and responded.

"It's a bit tricky, but I'm fine."

"A little tricky… Alright, then we'll break through head-on. Any problems?"

"None."

With that, Willes connected his mana to his flame and thrust his sword forward.

Like a conductor's baton.

At that, the flames that were burning indiscriminately in search of mana stretched forward like hunting dogs.

"We'll break through head-on and go straight for the leader. It's most effective to take out the leader in battle."

"Do you know where the leader is?"

"It must be on the lowest floor of this research facility. Leaders are usually in the safest place."

"Oh, correct."

As they passed through the hallway with the zombie-burning flames and entered the wide hall, someone spoke.

Along with that, a massive storm of cold energy flew towards Willes's flames, causing an explosion-like burst of steam and wind.

As a result of the powerful heat and cold colliding, Willes's flames disappeared, and the steam that filled the entire space limited their visibility.

"Hmph…!"

Willes, unfazed by the sudden steam, swung his flaming sword to clear the fog and then continued swinging.

At a glance, it seemed as if he swung at empty air, but he managed to cut something that had quickly approached through the fog.

"Kyaa-!!”

A woman retreated with a pain-filled moan. She seemed to be a warlock from the Bathory family, like Lena.

Despite successfully blocking the enemy's attack, Willes remained on guard and swung his sword to fend off consecutive attacks from the enemies.

Two women appeared through the steam.

Clang-! Clang!!

This time, a different sound echoed, not the sound of cutting flesh.

It was the sound of steel clashing with steel, and upon closer inspection, the warlocks held swords and scythes made of ice in their hands.

Just like Willes's flames, the ice was created with mana. Astonishingly, the ice neutralized Willes's flames, reducing their power by half.

"What? Couldn't you even anticipate this much?"

The female warlock holding an ice sword spoke. Considering the density and intricate spellwork of the mana forming the ice, she was no pushover.

Not only that, warlocks of a similar level had surrounded them with ice spears and ice magic at the ready.

It was unnatural that they all used ice magic, as if they had specifically considered Willes's elemental affinity. It even felt artificial.

"Kyaaaaaaak-!!”

During the standoff, as they assessed each other's power, a scream that seemed to tear eardrums rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

At the end of their gaze, a female warlock of the Bathory family retreated with one side of her face torn, clutching it in pain.

With her remaining eye, she glared at Oliver hatefully, while Oliver calmly looked at the half of her face that hung at the end of the tonfa.

The fresh, dripping blood from the torn face made even battle-hardened Willes wince, but Oliver, instead of showing disgust, learned one fact through observation.

“A mask made of untreated leather… no, you're wearing a flayed skin.”

At Oliver's words, Willes looked at the female warlock with the torn face.

As Oliver said, there was a new face under the torn one.

A stiff, gray face like a corpse.

"Disgusting… I think I know why they drink blood."

Willes spoke unknowingly.

Though he wasn't particularly skilled in black magic, Willes had experienced countless human disasters and situations, and he could guess the reason based on his experience, instinct, and knowledge.

Drinking blood was not just for gaining power and immortality, but for them, blood was sustenance to survive.

It was virtually the only food to maintain their cursed, lifeless bodies.

And Willes was not the only one to discover this fact.

"Oh… So you guys are zombies too, from the Bathory family. But you seem to be conscious… fascinating. How were you created? All of you."

The female warlocks were angered by the admiration for the remarkable zombies and the genuinely curious question that followed, and they charged at Oliver and Willes.

As Willes readied his stance, he spoke to Oliver.

"You… How about you stop ending every damn conversation with a question."

"I think that would be difficult."

(To be Continued)

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