âThan..k you for your kind words, Master.â Marie wept in reply.
To Oliverâs surprise, she wasnât crying because she was sad. Rather, it was the other way aroundâ Joy, happiness, gratitude, and exhilaration, and so on, she wept with positive emotions.
Youâre beautiful. At that word, she was more delighted than anyone else in the world, and at the same time showed infinite gratitude to Oliver.
It wasnât a matter for Oliver to judge, but it seemed out of the ordinary.
Everything from start to finishâŠ
âWhat happened?â
Time passed while Oliver questioned in his head, and Marie, who had calmed her emotions, regained her composure and returned to a calm state.
âIâm sorry, Master. I was so moved to see you again like this⊠Iâm sorry for showing such an ugly side.â
At her sincere words, Oliver shook his head.
âNo, you didnât show any ugly side. Um⊠by any chance, could you please do me a favor?â
âYes, Master! Tell me!â
Marie knelt down again with infinite joy.
Oliver felt like he had seen something similar somewhereâŠ..
âOh, I remember.â
It was very similar to the people praying in the cathedral of Parter churchâ People praying to God.
âMarie⊠Iâll say once again, please donât kneel to me. Please. â
As if she understood Oliverâs intentions, Marie jumped to her feet in surprise. She was like a child being scolded by an adult.
âIâm sorry, Master. Please forgive meâŠ..â
Oliver felt dizzy and uncomfortable beyond description. However, he decided to calm down and thought of solving the problems step by step.
â⊠Iâm not going to say anything because I left on my own, but if you donât mind, can I ask how other people are doing? The Joseph family.â
âEveryone is doing well. Thanks to the grace of Master.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âAnd I have something to tell you, Master.â
âPlease tell me. I have a lot to ask, too.â
âWe changed the name of our organization. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness for changing it without permission.â
âOh⊠thereâs no need to apologize, Marie. After all, I left without saying anything, so itâs up to you to change it to whatever you want. Can you tell me what the new name is?â
âThe Chosen Ones.â
âOh⊠Who chose you?â
âYou, Master!â Marie answered with confidence and without hesitation. She was so sure that Oliver was speechless.
âUh⊠Me?â
âYes, Master!â
âUm, Marie. The former owner⊠Uh, wait a minute⊠could we stop this conversation and talk about something else?â
Oliver sat on the nearby tree root as he spoke. He was a bit tired.
âThe chairâŠâ
â⊠No, itâs fine. I feel comfortable here. Marie, sit down, too.â
âNo, how dare IâŠ.. I feel comfortable standing.â
ââŠOK, well, let me ask you another question.â
âYes, Master.â
ââŠ.May I ask what happened after I left? Somethingâs not right.â
âAh, yes⊠After Master left, a small trial came.â
âA trial?â
âYes, some fools thought the master had disappeared forever, so they tried to leave, some declared themselves as the new master, and others tried to steal.â
âOhâŠI didnât know it was that bad. Iâm sorry.â
âNo, why do you apologize for the likes of such filthy beings, Master? You donât have to do that at all, Master. Everything was taken care of.â
âUm, how?â
âI killed them all.â
WhiiiiiâŠ
A cold wind carrying the winter chill suddenly blew in the forest. It was so cold that it sent shivers down the spines of the people present in the forest.
âUm⊠I guess that could happen. If you donât agree on things, you could fight or kill. But you won. How did you do it?â
It was a sincere question.
Oliver had given Marie intense training before leaving and had taken her to the battlefield to gain practical experience.
However, objectively, Marieâs skills were on par with other Senior disciples, and it was difficult for her to face multiple opponents alone.
It was difficult even if she faced everyone one-on-one.
âWas it only the Intermediate disciples who revolted?â
âNo, Master. They were all Senior disciples. I had to kill more than half of them.â
âI donât understand, but itâs really great.â
âEverything is Masterâs grace.â
âI didnât do anything for you though.â
âNo, I can tell. From beginning to end, itâs all the grace of the master.â
Marieâs every word came from her heart. Oliver wanted to correct this part, but he decided to postpone it for now because he had a lot to talk about.
âWell, letâs put that aside for now⊠I heard that youâre producing Pilgaret [Gift]. Marie, you were actually acting as a broker, right?â
âOh, itâs a kind of camouflage, Master. To explore Landa.â
âI see. Well, thatâs not the point, are you producing pilgaret Gift?â
âYes, I applied the recipe that Master taught us and made it with all my heart. Iâll never become someone who disregards your teaching, Master.â
âThank you for saying so. But, I heard one strange thing.â
âWhat is it, Master?â
âI heard that it was made by Warlock cultists. Is that true?â Oliver asked, remembering Magic Gun Nina, whom he met and killed while protecting Jane.
Somehow he didnât ask about it in detail at that time, but he always had a slight suspicion.
âNo, itâs not true, Master.â
âOh, I see.â
âYes, cult, thatâs ridiculous. We are a true religion serving the true savior, Master.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.what?â
âUnlike pathetic fools of Parter Church, we are honored to be the Chosen ones and serve Master⊠Itâs ridiculous to call us a cult.â
As soon as he heard it, Oliver didnât know what to say. He was so confused that his brain could not process the data. Nevertheless, Oliver did not give up and tried to understand Marie.
The light faded, and Oliver also left the Joseph Family for a purpose, and after little over a year later, the Joseph FamilyâŠ.. No, the âChosen Onesâ have grown into a pretty big organization for it to do business with Crime Firm.
He understood that part.
However, worshiping him? He couldnât understand it at all, and it was confusing.
As if she misinterpreted it as a signal to explain, Marie spoke.
âAfter Master left, I was very sad, but I didnât give up. I realized the trial Master gave us and worked hard to endure them.â
âA trial I gave?â
âYes, I realized our laziness. I realized our incompetence was the reason you left us.â
âUm. You can look at it that way, but I think itâs completely wrong overall?â
Marie didnât listen to Oliverâs words. She became more agitated and shouted.
âI discovered the impure elements in the organization and realized how pathetic we were. We never even thought of repaying the grace of our master and sucked your grace like parasites! Even if we tried, we couldnât really take action!â
ââŠâŠ.â
âSo I decided to create a new group that would serve only Master, not lacking in any way. I worked hard to make believers who would serve only Master, do everything for Master, and worship only Master.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âFirst, I reorganized the organization to let everyone know how graceful Master is to us. And I spread Masterâs teachings.â
âTeachings? Mine?â
âYes! Cooperate without discrimination! Treat people according to their abilities! Provide fair education to everyone! Share your knowledge with each other! Guarantee a minimum standard of living and constantly devote yourself!â
Marie gasped for breath as she shouted.
âTO US FOOLS, all of this is a lesson we are grateful for.â
â⊠.I think itâs basic.â
âThis world doesnât even have that basic, Master.â
Marie replied with all her heart.
âWe have received immeasurable grace that we cannot repay to our Master.â
âUm⊠âŠOkay, for now, keep talking.â
âEveryone understood what I was saying, and I informed Pharmacist about it.â
Pharmacist, the ruler of Wineham, and the power behind the darkness that grips the small city.
Oliver felt a little sorry for him, too.
Pharmacist wanted to do business together with him, but Oliver left unilaterally without a word.
âHe was furious when he heard us, but we quickly persuaded him.â
âPersuaded?â
âYes, he was convinced when he saw the teaching left by Master and the power left by Master.â
âIs he still alive?â
âOf course. He is in charge of the finances and relief efforts for Chosen Ones.â
âRelief efforts?â
âYes, a God needs the right followers. Weâre not yet at a scale where we can tell you about it, but our religion is expanding little by little around the small city.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âPlease donât misunderstand me, Master. I know who Master is. Iâm not forcing them to believe. We rather help those in need, just like Master did to us.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âThe sick, orphans, old men, women, workers, beggars. We give money, food, clothes, and jobs to those who cannot live alone in this harsh world. In the process, we only spread Masterâs teachings and give credit to Master for all of it.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âThen, they open their eyes to Masterâs teachings and follow us wholeheartedly.â
âAnd if they achieve something, they will mistakenly think itâs all because of me.â
âItâs not a mistake, ITâS A FACT!â Marie raised her voice unintentionally. Even she was surprised.
âIâm sorry. Please forgive me, Master. I dare to raise my voice without knowing the subject⊠Please forgive me.â
âNo, itâs okay to shout. Just donât try to kneel.â
âThank you for your mercy, MasterâŠ.. Currently, we have about 200 chosen ones, including the Warlocks, who are going through the curriculum, and we have just over 3,000 believers. Although it is insignificant for our Master, the growth rate is steep. All of this is for MasterâŠâ
ââŠMarie.â
âYes, Master?â
Oliver thought for a moment and sighed.
âI didnât ask for anything like that. I didnât want that either.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âWhat I wanted was for everyone, including you, Marie, to do what you wanted. Working hard, getting rich, or getting revenge on the people who hit you⊠Marie, why did you become a Warlockâ
â⊠Itâs because I want to become stronger. Because I hated the time when I couldnât do anything.â
âYes, thatâs right. You didnât like the time when you couldnât do anything, even when dirty sewage was dumped right next to your house, or when your mother collapsed from illegal labor, or when your father was beaten to death by the neighborhood gangsters, isnât it.â
Marie looked surprised and pleased. She was grateful and surprised that Oliver remembered her story.
âThen wouldnât it be better to practice black magic rather than do something no one wants?â
ââŠâŠyouâre right.â
âYou understand.â
âYes, and I still want to be strong, Master. To be able to be by your side.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âWhat I want has changed, too. I want to serve you, my SAVIOR and my GOD.â
âI am neither a savior nor a god. What I did for you was just my job as the temporary owner of the family.â
âYes, of course, I know that. âŠMaster, do you happen to know the act of sun worship?â
ââŠNo.â
âIn ancient times, before the emergence of the Parter religion, some humans worshiped the sun.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âIt is said that they drew pictures, made statues to worship, and offered the most delicious meat and bread. The sun shines on the earth, dispelling darkness and giving warmth and nutrients for crops to grow. ⊠But the sun doesnât do this for the humans, nor does it want anything from them.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âThe sun just does its job. Whether itâs worshiped or insulted, it always rises and sets. It does its job silently.â
âYes, soâŠâ
â⊠But isnât the sun worth it?â
ââŠâŠ.â
âNo matter how the little things on the ground behave, the sun that silently does its job is the Savior and the God?! Itâs better than those imaginary existences who call themselves Holy Father, Mother, preach kind words but do nothing!â
At that moment, Joannaâs face flashed in Oliverâs mind. No, he corrected himself, he couldnât remember her face anymore.
ââŠâŠ.â
âAll youâve done for us was give us that light, that warmth, that nutrition. You taught me black magic by putting your hands in my hands, you listened to me, and you talked to me. IâŠ.my⊠God.â
Marie knelt down again and cried with her hands together.
âPlease come back to the humble place where we worship you, my God. I swear on my soul and on the soul of my followers, I will bring you everything you desire, and I will exalt your glory. So please be our savior, our god.â
Oliver looked down at Marie, who had kneeled three times, and opened his mouth.
âYouâll do whatever I want?â
âYes!â Marie answered, her face brightened with hope.
âThen, stop the nonsense, go back to your own life, and live for yourself.â
âMasterâŠâ
âI donât want anything Marie did. Besides, itâs not reasonable.â
âNot reasonable?â
âYes, as Marie said, the sun rises and sets whether itâs worshiped or insulted. Thatâs why people look for new things to worship. But why is Marie trying to serve the sun so desperately? Isnât that an act beyond the sunâs teachings? Itâs not for the sun.â
Oliverâs unusually firm tone was enough to lower Marieâs head. She remained silent, facing the ground, as if in despair.
âThatâs all I have to say. Itâs different from what I thought, but it was nice meeting you. I hope we can meet again, differently next time.â
Oliver went back to the way he had come, leaving behind those words.
He thought it would be dawn when he reached home.
âThatâs right.â
Oliver stopped his steps and turned.
âWhat?â
âWhat you said is correct, Master. In fact, I didnât do this for Master. I did this because I wanted to be by your side. I did this in the hopes that you would stay with me.â
ââŠitâs too bad.â
âYes, I feel the same way.â
Mary slowly stood up. At the same time, her hair grew longer and her pale skin turned pure black.
ââŠâŠ.â
âSo, I have decided to change the way I do things. You told me to live my life the way I wanted, then⊠I can use force to take you with me if I want to, right?â
Marieâs body turned completely black. Her slender hands were stretched and her long, creepy nails grew.