Genius Warlock

Chapter 248

The first thing Kevin requested was a fictional account, an account he urgently needed to communicate to the tower due to its crucial nature.

Following Kevin's proposition, Oliver began with the particulars he had collated with Willes.

The narrative included how he encountered ‘Will, the Solver' before setting out for his destination, Mountain Pace, his ascent to Mountain Pace, the investigation carried out during the journey, and even the happenings at the Chimera Research Center – he recounted everything.

Given that the majority of it was grounded in reality, it flowed naturally without any inconsistencies. Kevin too appeared to have no issues, listening to the narrative calmly, nodding in agreement.

"Bathory?"

Kevin interjected during Oliver's explanation.

"Yes, are you familiar with her?"

"I've never met her, but I did hear of her back in my days as a war wizard."

"Is that so?"

Oliver inquired back, sounding somewhat surprised.

A War Wizard, as the name suggests, is a wizard affiliated with the army. Oliver had thought the job was solely about warfare and combat.

Kevin, as if picking up on his thoughts, provided some clarification.

"War Wizards are occasionally deployed to apprehend criminals who prove too challenging for the regular police force. For instance, high-risk criminals."

High-risk criminals. This term denoted the worst offenders, universally recognized as evil.

Examples like the Eternal Life Puppet, the Human-meat Chef, the Eternal Youth Fan, and the Pied Piper came to mind.

Considering them, Oliver quickly grasped the situation. These were beings too difficult to apprehend with ordinary police forces, hence it was plausible for War Wizards to be deployed.

"So, was Lady Bathory also a high-risk criminal?"

"When I encountered her, she was a rank lower, a risk-level criminal."

"Risk-level... May I ask what the criteria for this is?"

"Well, that's not my area of expertise, so I can't tell. But more importantly, Bathory and her family operated from the central continent, so I didn't scrutinize them closely. It does seem strange now that I think about it. Why would a warlock operating on the continent suddenly cross the ocean and arrive at Mountain Pace?"

Kevin looked at Oliver as if expecting a response.

"Do you want me to tell that story as a fiction? Or, would you prefer it as non-fiction?"

Picking up on the unusual tension, Kevin broke the silence.

"Please share the non-fiction version."

At Kevin's request, Oliver relayed exactly what he had learned at the Chimera Research Center.

He spoke about the alliance between the Life School faction and the Bathory family, and the reason behind their assault.

Having heard the full explanation, Kevin appeared both astounded and convinced.

"Now I understand why the Life School faction was in such turmoil. The hit to their ego was more than just having their lab burgled by a warlock."

Recalling the Life School faction wizard who had sought him out as soon as he returned to the tower and the murmuring students, Oliver asked.

"Professor. I also have a question, what transpired while I was away on assignment? Both the Life School faction wizard and the students seem unusually agitated."

Upon hearing Oliver's question, Kevin displayed an expression of mild disbelief.

"Well... during your absence, each lab communicated the incidents directly to their respective factions. That's how I came to know about it."

"I see. But?”

"...Despite the oral relay of events, there were slight variations in the narrations. However, the essential theme remained unchanged. It was about a warlock who raided the lab of the Life School faction and remained in hiding for nearly a month, and it was you along with the Solver you employed who neutralized the situation."

"Yes, that's accurate... And then?"

"And then? What are you implying by ‘and then'? Just that accomplishment alone is significantly extraordinary."

Kevin voiced his thoughts with a serious countenance.

"Regardless of the infamous reputation, it's common for the Magic Tower to underestimate warlocks. But imagine, a warlock, not only assaulted and occupied a laboratory under the Life School faction but also managed to camouflage herself there for nearly a month. And both the Life School faction and the Magic Tower were oblivious to this for almost a month."

"Considering they could use the skin, replicate fingerprints, and extract memories from blood, it seems plausible, doesn't it?"

"So, you're implying it's not an extraordinary feat?"

"No, not at all. Lady Bathory is really an extraordinary person."

"Yes, it was indeed a commendable feat. And you managed to handle this formidable warlock solely with the Solver, bypassing any assistance from the Magic Tower. It's a notable achievement. It could have escalated into a more devastating situation. The Magic Tower's reputation could have potentially been compromised."

"Oh, I see... I appreciate your kind words."

Kevin scrutinized the indifferent Oliver, examining him closely.

He was an intriguing character.

Contrary to his attentive and generous attitude towards others, he exhibited a peculiar indifference towards himself.

His obliviousness to his own talents and accomplishments was a case in point.

He had encountered those trying to make a name for themselves within the Magic Tower, but Oliver was a genuine entity, free of any pretense or intention.

Perhaps, if he hadn't initiated a conversation about his achievements, he might have remained completely unaware of them.

Kevin wondered if such an oddity could be explained away as just a strange personality trait.

"Could this, by any chance, pose an issue?"

"What?"

"It seems like standing out in the Magic Tower isn't quite beneficial. Especially for someone like me."

"That is a fair point."

"Would it simmer down if I kept a low profile or took a brief vacation?"

[Create corpse dolls using Lady Bathory and the female warlocks], and so on.

"And I also need to learn about the Tick-Tock Apocalypse......."

At the very bottom of the notebook, Oliver wrote [Tick-Tock Apocalypse].

An ancient prophecy about the end of the world he had heard from Ewan Bremner.

Originally, he had returned to the Tower after his vacation to ask about this. Upon reflection, it felt like he had taken a huge detour from his initial objective. Not that he disliked it, though.

"Thanks to that, I've learned a lot of interesting things... After wrapping up work with Professor Kevin, I need to ask if there's a way to get in touch with Elder."

After muttering to himself, Oliver neatly folded the notebook.

Having written down all the tasks he needed to do, there was now really nothing left.

Normally, he would either assist Kevin or go and attend other classes, but since Kevin had advised him to limit contact with others as much as possible, even that was currently not an option.

So, Oliver decided to clean the staff room in a practical manner.

Having been away for a few days, dust had accumulated here and there.

He took out cleaning tools for corpse cleanup that he had bought from the black market from his magic bag. Just then, there was a timely knock on the door.

Knock- Knock-

Oliver looked beyond the door with his Warlock's vision. It was a familiar face.

"Miss Yareli?"

Oliver greeted the girl standing in front of the door as he opened it.

Yareli, with her silver curly hair and thick glasses, stood there with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"....Hello, Mr. Zenon."

"Yes, hello."

"......."

"......."

There was silence between Oliver and Yareli, with Oliver being the first to speak.

"......If you're looking for the professor, he's not here right now, but if you have any business, would you like to leave a message? Then, I will pass it on to him."

Oliver took out a notebook and pen from his pocket. Yareli hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, it's not the professor I want to see, but you."

"Me?"

"Yes, I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"I think I was too blunt last time without knowing better."

Oliver tilted his head.

"Um... I'm sorry, but when were you too blunt?"

"...When I told you to do your job properly at the library. I said that if you don't do your job properly when you're young, you won't even have a place to lie down when you're old."

Oliver remembered.

"No, you were right. I should do my job properly.”

"No, I'm sorry. I think I misunderstood you. I heard the disappearance case in Mountain Pace was quite serious, but you solved it yourself?”

"Technically, the solver I hired did it all by himself."

"And the train case too."

"The train?"

"Yes, I heard you suppressed the train robbers and helped the people. Isn't that right?”

Oliver thought for a moment.

“Um... ah, yes. Somehow it turned out that way.”

"That's impressive. Thanks to you, the honor of the Tower has been greatly elevated. As a student affiliated with the Magic Tower, I am grateful.”

Yareli apologized and expressed her gratitude, and that was it. She had really come to apologize and say thank you.

Since he didn't expect it, Oliver didn't know what to say in response.

"Um... You don't have to thank me. I just happened to do it... Is that all you have to say?”

"Yes. That's all.”

“Um, I see... Although I don't really need an apology, I appreciate it since you apologized. I didn't really mind, so you don't have to worry about it.”

The conversation ended there.

Oliver said farewell and quietly closed the door, and Yareli awkwardly nodded her head.

"Strewth, mate! That was the most awkward male-female conversation I've ever laid eyes on!"

As soon as the door closed, a familiar voice came from inside the staff room where there should have been no one but Oliver.

When Oliver turned his head, he could see Merlin sitting in front of the desk reading a report.

(To be Continued)

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