CH 187

War Wizard Kevin Dunbara greeted Oliver and said, “Or should I say it’s been a while?”

In that fleeting moment, a lot of thoughts raced through Oliver’s mind.

‘What should I do? Should I lie and say I don’t know him? Am I good at lying? Was this the disciple that Elder Merlin mentioned? What is this? Coincidence? Or was it planned from the beginning?’

The coincidence seemed so artificial that Oliver was at a loss for what to do. However, time kept passing, and he had to respond; remaining silent would be tantamount to admitting it.

After much thought, Oliver replied truthfully, “I think it’s more appropriate to say it’s been a while, Mr. Kevin.”

Upon hearing Oliver’s response, one of Kevin’s eyebrows raised, and he displayed a mix of emotions, including surprise, admiration, faint satisfaction, and wonder. However, he didn’t appear to be offended in the least.

Oliver spoke carefully, “May I ask you a question, if you don’t mind?”

“What is it?”

“How were you able to recognize me? I was wearing a leather mask at the time,”

Although he was still wearing a leather mask, he didn’t mention it.

Kevin replied, “I have good observation skills. I remember the atmosphere, behavior, habits, and way of speaking well. Above all…”

Oliver prompted, “…above all?”

Kevin continued, “That staff stands out too much.”

Oliver looked at the quarterstaff beside him and exclaimed, “Ah…”

“If you’re just packin’ a stick in a world where folks are strapped with blades and guns, and only a handful got golem claws, gear, and cyborg upgrades, it ain’t hard to figure out who you are.?”

Oliver remained silent, his thoughts turning to the shadowy alleys of Landa. He knew all too well that his presence there would have drawn unwanted attention.

As he contemplated his precarious situation, a sudden realization jolted him. Could rumors of his involvement in Willes’ escape have already begun to circulate?

Noticing his reaction, Kevin replied, “Chill out. You’re good. Ain’t nobody else peeped you, and I ain’t snitchin’ to nobody.”

“Thank you for your kind gesture…however, is it okay for you to do that?”

“I didn’t do it because I liked it.”

“Oi, you see, these wizard blokes, the ones who’re officially tied to the school, gotta do their service in the Kingdom Army. Some reckon it’s a chance to shine, but others ain’t too keen on it. That’s just the type of bloke he is, ya know.” Merlin explained while placing a hand on Kevin’s shoulder.

Kevin looked at Merlin’s hand on his shoulder and immediately said.

“Master… Can you take your hand off me, please?”

“Oh, me bad.”

Oliver’s eyes moved quickly to see Merlin and Kevin. Judging from the information Oliver had obtained so far, their relationship as master and disciple seemed distant.

The last time when a branch representative met with Merlin, he couldn’t even make eye contact and just kept nodding his head. But this man Kevin, even though he called Merlin his master, he has a quite stiff attitude towards him.

He even seems to hold some anger and resentment towards Merlin.

‘Um, that’s not all… .’

Oliver briefly wondered if Kevin was stronger than Merlin, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Kevin was undoubtedly strong, but he could not be compared to Merlin.

Oliver had faced both men in combat and felt certain that his assessment was accurate.

Is there something he doesn’t know about?

“But make sure ya give thanks to Kevin. ‘Cause of you, he’s got a stain on his military career, which was lookin’ pretty good up ’til now.”

Merlin placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder this time and spoke, and Oliver did not reject the touch like Kevin.

“I’m not sure I understand. What do you mean?” asked Oliver

“His mission was to capture Willes, one of the top dogs in the Kell Liberation Army. But you let ‘im escape.”

“…….”

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t intentionally look into it. I just have a lot of information and a sharp mind, so I naturally deduced it. I also heard about this fellow from you…” Merlin said, trying to put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder but awkwardly lowered it. “…Don’t ya worry. He has no intention of whining. Not yet.”

“Thank you.”

“Ya gotta thank Kevin. Like I said, he had a pristine career, but now it’s tarnished ’cause of you. His fancy plan to get back to the Magic tower magnificently has gone down the crapper, all ’cause of you.” Merlin pointed at Oliver exaggeratedly with both hands.

Oliver acknowledged this and bowed politely to Kevin.

“I’m extremely grateful to you, and I apologize for any trouble caused,”

Kevin shook his head, and said, “It’s not for you, so hold onto your gratitude. Above all, do you know what it means to be sincere?”

“What?”

Oliver’s initial reaction was one of confusion as he struggled to comprehend the question posed to him. In a moment of foolishness, he blurted out a response without fully understanding what was being asked of him.

But as he pondered the question further, a spark of curiosity ignited within him. What did it truly mean to be sincere?

“Well, let’s save the snooze fest talk for when the old man’s not ’round. Let’s get down to business, my knee’s killin’ me.” Merlin patted Oliver’s shoulder and patted the empty space above Kevin’s shoulder.

“Oi, Dave. Let me make proper introductions. This is ya temp Senior and cab driver who’ll take ya to the Magic Tower… Kevin. And he’s the baggage you gotta take with ya. No sayin’ no.”

The introduction was unorthodox, to say the least, but Oliver paid it little mind. Just being able to go to the Magic Tower was a huge help to him, and at the same time, he was aware of how dangerous his existence itself was.

Recalling this, Oliver asked,  “Did Elder intend for this to happen all along? Did he plan for Senior and me to meet at work and then again here?”

“Sounds silly. It’s a coincidence. Like a bloody terrible coincidence.”

He couldn’t read Merlin’s inner thoughts due to covering his emotions with magic. He had no choice but to believe it.

“Pardon me, Senior?”

“Don’t call me Senior, call me Professor. I’m a professor.”

“Um, Professor…is it okay for you to bring me along? You’re taking a Warlock to the Magic Tower,”

“It doesn’t matter. Besides, me being a professor at the Magic Tower, many noble professors view it as sacrilege… Taking you only adds to one more problem.”

There was a strange venom-like emotion in Kevin. A somewhat complex, long-ripened emotion. But apart from that, it didn’t seem like he was forcing himself to take Oliver with him.

“Ah, I see… thank you.”

Kevin turned to Merlin, ignoring Oliver’s greeting.

It was a strange attitude to have towards his master.

“I’ll take him with me, but he needs to have a cover for the paperwork. I can’t take someone without ID.”

“I’ll prepare that.”

“I have my ID.”

“A legitimate form of identification, not the one you use as a solver.” Kevin said right off the bat.

Certainly, it was extremely dangerous to use the same ID used as a solver in the magic tower, and understanding this, Oliver shut his mouth.

“…And we need to decide what role he’ll play.”

“Can’t ya just bring him on as ya assistant?”

“It doesn’t matter for me, Master, but I cannot guarantee the same for others. There are individuals who harbor animosity towards me within the Magic Tower,”

“Well, it’s a place where all sorts of scumbags roam around – racists, eugenicists, and wizard elitists.”

“If I bring him without any justification, many will become suspicious. I do not employ personal staff, nor do I have any connections vouching for me. Therefore, people will question his origin,”

“Hmm… Even if ya bring him on, there’s gotta be a good reason. Can’t just call him a grunt, that’s suspicious.”

Oliver quietly raised his hand. “I apologize, but could you please explain what you are referring to?”

“Oh, it’s nothin’. We’re just figurin’ out why he can take ya on as support and what role you’ll play. Other profs can bring on any old lackey ’cause they got connections, but Kevin… well, ya know.”

Kevin felt a little irritation and anger in his heart.

“…In other words, are you implying that I need to possess certain skills beyond office work?”

“Exactly. If he doesn’t have any connections, he’s gotta hire ya and bring ya along. And like I said before, this guy’s never hired anyone. If some random shows up with someone doin’ something he’s never done before, it’ll raise some eyebrows.”

Merlin and Kevin’s bizarre relationship. Kevin’s strange emotion toward Magic tower. It seemed like there were several reasons.

Oliver wanted to ask, but he didn’t feel like it was something he could just ask. For now, Oliver decided to focus on the current situation.

“Would the ability to read code language be considered a skill?”

“What do you mean, code language?” Kevin asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.

In contrast to Kevin, Merlin clapped his hands as if he remembered something. “Yeah, that’s right… reckon you studied code language, didn’t ya? Even if ya can’t get into the World Tree, ya learned it. There’s only a few folks in the Magic Tower who know code language. He can take ya with him using that.”

Merlin murmured as if he was satisfied that things worked out better than he expected. “Remember the book I gave ya last time? How far’d ya get? Didja at least crack open ‘Advanced Code Language Learning (Part 2)’?”

Oliver shook his head.

“Uh…well, it was a bit of a struggle-“

“I’m sorry, but that’s not what I meant. I’ve read all of them, including ‘Advanced Code Language Learning (Part 1)’ and (Part 2). All the books you gave me last time, and I believe I have a good grasp of it,”

“… really?” asked Merlin in disbelief.

“Yes, didn’t Elder mention that with some effort, I could learn to read it all? I trusted you and studied it during my free time,”

“That’s a lie. I just said that to get rid of unsold inventory.”

“Pardon?”

Oliver had been scammed, but somehow he managed to get past it and took the code language test.

The test had been written by two great wizards, Merlin and Kevin, and Oliver had left the room to be graded.

“Bonza! With this level, he can bloody join the Moirai School and start workin’,” Merlin exclaimed.

“Can you show it to me?” Kevin Dunbara asked in his usual stiff attitude.

Merlin handed him the test paper, and Kevin read it in silence. “Is this self-taught?” he finally asked.

“As far as I know, he’s tellin’ the truth. He could be pullin’ a fast one on us, but I don’t think so for some reason.”

Kevin looked at the door that Oliver had left through and nodded. The bizarre Warlock didn’t seem likely to lie easily. The evidence for that was he admitted it as soon as he asked about his identity earlier.

“Nevertheless, I don’t comprehend. Just because code language can be self-taught doesn’t mean it’s accessible to everyone,”

Kevin’s words were not sarcasm, but the truth. Although the book contained everything, it was difficult to follow the viciousness of the code language.

Code language, which could interpret all languages as one, had a difficulty level similar to learning a new language every time the number of words increased, the sentence became longer, the rules and arrangement of characters changed, and even the interpretation of words changed whenever the level increased.

It was like the world tree doesn’t want people to approach it.

“I agree with ya. That’s why ya need professional trainin’ to use code language properly. Though, there is a folk who self-learned it.” Merlin said, pointing to the test paper held by Kevin.

Kevin checked the test paper again. There were no mistakes even when he looked at it again. There were even trap questions deliberately made to be wrong.

“What’s the identity of that guy?”

“Figurin’ it out’s on ya though, mate.”

“What?”

Kevin was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer. His mentor, Merlin, was the current owner of an Archive, which only the greatest wizard could inherit. He was the one who inherited the knowledge, experience, research, and magic of numerous great wizards. Despite this, he answered with a response of not knowing. It seemed like a silly wordplay, but Merlin’s attitude in this was quite serious.

“I used to teach him one-on-one, but I changed my thinkin’. If ya stare into the abyss too long, it’ll swallow ya whole. So I just observe him from the sidelines now.”

“I’m a bit lost on what you’re trying to convey,”

“Ya may not fully reckon it, but ya get it a bit, yeah? ‘Cause takin’ on such an offer with ya character’s the best proof,”

“I only followed my master’s orders. If I refused, he could have barred my access to the Magic tower,”

“Heh… What are you talking about, mate? I have no such power.”

“What power do you lack? You united the independent schools of Mjolnir, Agni, Gaia, and others to create the School of Elemental Magic. Although you’ve retired, you’re still the current Grandmaster of the school, correct? I apologize, but your current actions come across as not humility, but rather arrogance and deceit,” Kevin pointed out

Merlin’s expression twitched slightly, as if a thorn was stuck in his finger. “It bloody hurts, mate.” he said.

Kevin seemed to want to say more, but deliberately changed the direction of the conversation.

“Of course, I won’t deny my curiosity. Especially since you’re not someone who typically acts in this manner. So please, enlighten me. Specifically, what aspect are you attempting to observe by keeping him around?”

Kevin asked a serious question, and although Merlin should have responded appropriately, he lowered his head.

“…I dunno, honestly.”

“What?”

“Even I, the bloody archmage, said I didn’t know. So that means I have no clue what he’s really. Actually, scratch that. I have a gut feeling, but I can’t bloody believe it…That’s why I’m going to look into it.” Merlin answered, recalling the emotion he received from Oliver in the past. “Something bloody inexplicable.”