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"Been a bit, ain\'t it?"

"Um… How did you appear?"

Merlin lifted his eyes from the report, opening his mouth with a very serious expression.

"I\'ve gone and snuck in a device that lets me pop up anywhere, anytime in this Tower."

"………"

"………"

"….Just pulling your leg, mate. Why the serious mug?"

Merlin denied his own words, but Oliver couldn\'t easily believe him.

He felt that Merlin, being who he is, could easily do such a thing.

Hadn\'t he suddenly appeared in the Matell secret laboratory in the first place?

"More of a surprise is that you\'re familiar with Yareli."

Merlin suddenly mentioned this. Oliver looked back at the door, then back at Merlin.

"We just know each other. She’s taking Professor Kevin\'s class."

"Yeah, heard about that one. Thanks to it, all the other kiddos swarmed to Kevin\'s class and mucked up the plan, didn\'t they?"

Oliver nodded in agreement.

Originally, Kevin planned to reduce as many classes as possible this semester and concentrate on his personal research.

In fact, things had been going as planned for the most part.

Everyone thought that Kevin\'s class was so unpopular that it would be closed. Even Kevin himself thought so.

But the situation took a 180-degree turn when Yareli of the Skadi School showed interest in Kevin\'s class.

Other students followed Yareli and signed up for Kevin\'s class, and all the classes exceeded the quota.

‘Um, Professor Kevin\'s decision to take all the classes without refusing contributed too.\'

"Right, she\'s quite remarkable."

"Yes, I agree."

"Eh? You\'re on board with me calling her remarkable?"

"Aren\'t you talking about how many students came to Professor Kevin\'s class thanks to Miss Yareli? It\'s not easy for the tower people to have such influence because they are all… overflowing with confidence."

"Can\'t say you\'re wrong there."

"Were you thinking of something else, Elder?"

"Well, yeah. I reckon I know that young girl better than you do."

Merlin and Yareli seemed to have a personal relationship.

"Then, what did you find remarkable, Elder?"

"Well, I don\'t mind gabbing, but don\'t you have something more pressing on your mind? I\'ve got things to sort, so it\'s a bit of a hassle to answer all your never-ending questions."

"Oh.……."

Oliver sighed and withdrew his previous question.

Having left the mine, stayed in the Joseph family, and then become a Solver in the outside world, Oliver had learned that there were some limitations to asking questions.

This was due to various factors such as the situation, location, value of the question, patience, and stamina of the person answering.

Although he personally found it regrettable, Oliver had become somewhat accustomed to this rule.

So he was able to prioritize his questions.

Naturally, anything about Yareli was low priority. It was nothing more than a fleeting curiosity.

"So, may I ask another question?"

Just as he was about to ask a question he was truly curious about, Merlin raised his hand. It meant for him to stop.

"Let me have a go first. The reason I rocked up here is to satisfy my curiosity… Can you give way?"

Oliver readily nodded.

No matter who Merlin was, at present, he was his master.

"Yes, go ahead, Elder."

"Heard about your antics up Mountain Pace way."

Oliver nodded. Merlin had told him multiple times that he had many friends who whispered stories to him.

"Yes."

"Pleased as punch to hear my temp disciple did good, but on the flip side, reckon it was a bit daft. There\'s a right time to show off one\'s strength… What got into you to set such a hard yakka task?"

Oliver understood what he meant.

As Kevin had mentioned earlier, the achievements at Mountain Pace weren\'t beneficial for Oliver.

As a result, his plans to quietly read books and attend classes at the Tower were disrupted, attracting everyone\'s attention.

‘Especially from the Life School faction…\'

If Oliver had been an ordinary employee, it might not have been a problem, but considering he was a warlock, this attention was not at all favorable.

Depending on the circumstances, it could have caused great harm to Kevin or Merlin, who had hired Oliver.

"Um… I didn\'t plan to go this far."

"Really?"

"Yes, I couldn\'t escape unless I overthrew the people who had trapped me in the lab."

"So, you\'re telling me you didn\'t pick up on anything odd? Be straight up. If you\'ve got any respect for me, that is."

Oliver paused at the last sentence and then went back into his thoughts.

"Um… To be honest, I noticed something was off before I entered the lab."

"Is that so? The Bathory mob\'s disguise is so spot on that even a half-decent wizard wouldn\'t twig."

"Yes, the disguise was really excellent. They used a skin mask instead of a leather one, making the disguise even better. They imitated the flow of mana, memories, and behaviors of their targets by consuming their blood… it was hard to distinguish… But, do you know about the Bathory family?"

"Never laid eyes on \'em myself, but my Master\'s Master\'s Master was well acquainted with them."

"Oh… Then, I have some questions about the Bathory family, can you answer them?"

"Later, it\'s my turn to ask now. Anyway, why didn\'t you bolt when you sussed it out? Were you curious about the identity of the Bathory family?"

"Um, that was part of it, but I thought it would be better to solve the problem since I was already there. As a mere employee, I couldn\'t just say that I suspect the lab was occupied by a warlock, could I?"

Merlin agreed.

"Um… That\'s true. The moment you start yapping about it, you would be considered a lunatic."

"Yes. I thought it would be better to solve the problem since I had already gone as Professor’s substitute. Also, if left unattended, the nearby labs and villages might suffer significant damage."

"Oh, I didn\'t expect you to worry about others like that, surprising."

"Um, it\'s part of my job, so two birds with one stone? … But, may I ask why you\'re asking me this?"

"Can I be straight up?"

"Yes? Oh, yes."

"I\'m just keen to know what\'s ticking in your noggin. These days, I\'ve been jotting down a few notes on you as a bit of a hobby, and I was after some reference stuff."

"…….."

"It\'s a gag. Don\'t give me that look. I\'m your Master, even if just for a bit. It stings."

"Oh, I\'m sorry."

"Let\'s can the jokes… Actually, I swung by to see if you\'d tidied up the aftermath properly. Kevin might be in a pickle and stick to me like a leech, so it\'s better to be ready ahead of time, right?"

"Ah… it\'s almost like a relationship of a warlock and his disciple."

"It\'s a remark that\'d have you stoned in the magic tower. But it\'s not off the mark."

Merlin chuckled softly.

Oliver wasn\'t sure if that was a joke or if he was serious.

"So… what do you think about the contents of the report?"

Oliver asked Merlin, who was now reading the last page of his report.

He slammed the finished report on the desk.

"Not too shabby… there\'s nothing major to whinge about. Although they could grumble about you roping in an outsider as a Solver willy-nilly, you had the authority as the stand-in for Professor, so it\'s not a huge worry. But, there are a few doubts."

"What are they?"

"While you might be able to pull the wool over their eyes with the report, you can\'t con the actual site. It\'s debatable whether it\'ll fly. The Life School crew will poke around the Chimera lab, and if they sniff out even a minor hiccup, they might kick up a stink."

"If it\'s that, you don\'t have to worry too much. I manipulated the traces to match the content of the report. I burned and smashed it with fire magic."

"That\'s a stroke of luck, but usually, for safety\'s sake, labs secretly rig up a Root Net to keep an eye on the whole lab, and I\'m not sure if that\'ll fly. If you need a hand-"

"-You don\'t have to worry about that either."

"…You got any grounds for that?"

"Yes, as you mentioned, there was a Root Net secretly filming the entire Chimera lab, but I deleted it. So, I think it should be fine."

"…I\'m sorry, but I\'m not quite following, did you say you wiped the records stashed in the World Tree?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I accessed the World Tree and deleted it."

"I get you… you tapped in and deleted it. Can I ask you one more thing? Why didn\'t you let me in on the fact that you know how to access the World Tree?"

"I guess because you didn\'t ask?"

"Are you insane by any chance?"

"Pardon?"

Oliver asked back, taken aback by Merlin\'s sudden blame.

"Why are you pointing the finger at me for your dodgy reporting? ‘Cause I didn\'t ask? Of course, I didn\'t ask, and of course, you should report it."

"I didn\'t know I had to report it."

Merlin tried to say something, then closed his eyes and sighed.

"Strewth… It\'s a bloody shame. If you\'d reported it, I could have helped you land a job at the magic tower much more cushy and safe."

Merlin looked drained. To comfort him, Oliver opened his mouth.

"I\'m satisfied with my life now, so you don\'t need to feel sorry."

"That\'s not what I was getting at. Oh, crikey… Well, it\'s a good thing we found out now, isn\'t it? When did you get access to the World Tree? Did you start tinkering straight after you got a handle on magic?"

"Ah, it\'s similar but different."

"…?"

"I accessed the World Tree right after I first met you. Do you remember?"

"Of course, I remember. You spun me a yarn that you were a restaurant worker, didn\'t you?"

"Yes, and you briefly explained to me what the World Tree is. You even recommended a book."

"I remember."

"After reading that book, I tried accessing one of the World Trees located at the boundary between District U and District V."

Merlin\'s expression subtly hardened. It was as if he had heard nonsense that didn\'t make sense.

"Did you start dabbling with magic from then on?"

"No, I started using magic quite a while after that."

"But how\'d you manage to tap into the World Tree? You\'re not a druid, are you?"

"No, so I accessed it with emotions."

Oliver honestly spoke of his experience, and Merlin\'s expression crumpled even more. It was difficult to read his emotions from his expression, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking, but he seemed slightly surprised.

"Can you tell me more?"

Oliver explained how he accessed the World Tree.

After reading the book he received from Merlin, he wondered why he couldn\'t connect with emotions and tried accessing it as an experiment.

"I thought it would fail, but it was successful. It seems miraculous."

Merlin nodded his head.

"Yes, it\'s a bloody miracle. So much so that I\'m itching to study it… Maybe-"

"-I\'m sorry, Elder. May I ask a question now? I\'m curious too. If you allow me, I will answer more diligently afterward."

Considering that Kevin would be back soon, Oliver spoke up.

When Kevin returned, they would have to review the report and align their stories, which was quite a task. From now on, Oliver had to ask questions.

Merlin, knowing this, agreed.

"Alright, it\'s a shame, but I\'ve heard some interesting yarns… What\'s got your curiosity piqued?"

"I would like to ask about the Bathory family first."

"Specifically?"

Oliver thought for a moment.

"About Lady Bathory, the head of the family, and general information about the Bathory family."

"That\'s broad. Hmm… Hmm… From what I know, Bathory was originally a wizard. A well-respected wizard clan from the central continent. Plus, she was a real looker."

"Did you know her personally?"

"She was an acquaintance of my Master\'s Master\'s Master. It seems they had a brief interaction."

"I see…"

"Anyway, the family head back then was talented and switched on, with a forward-thinking mindset. Real impressive. Well, just like other central continent wizards, it ended up in a bad way."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, there were whispers that she suddenly got stuck into black magic, started scoffing humans, and even made deals with demons. She went down like a lead balloon as the whispers spread. Everyone thought she was a goner… But a decade later, a warlock popped up in the underworld. A slick warlock who gave the Black Hand the flick and instead squared off with Human-meat Chef."

"Is that Lady Bathory?"

"Yeah, it\'s not officially out there, but by breaking down the traits of the blood magic she used, it seems to be her. She\'s not a big name here in England \'cause she operates across the sea, but she\'s quite the big shot over there."

‘…And you\'ve taken down that big shot.\' Merlin omitted these words intentionally.

Whether or not, Oliver continued to ask questions to satisfy his curiosity. For example, about the identity of the red notebook he picked up from Bathory.

"Do you know what the main source of income or business for the Bathory family is?"

"Main source of dosh? Business? I do know. They mainly peddle drugs based on blood magic. At least as far as I know."

"Drugs based on blood magic?"

"Yeah. They call it the Elixir of Blood, which gives blokes a health and life-force boost and women a shot of youth. Their main clients are high-flyers, royalty, and bigwigs on the continent. There might be customers here in England too."

"But who might be the main customers?"

"Well, definitely those with a truckload of money, right?"

"People with a lot of money…"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I\'m wondering if it\'s related to the Mountain Pace attack. May I ask another question?"

"Feel free."

"When I fought the Bathory family at the Chimera Lab, I went to a secret experimental site… there was an interesting subject."

"What was it?"

"It was a chimera with the head of a cow and the body of a human. They called it an Enhanced human-C03. Do you know what that is? It seemed like a pretty important experiment."

Merlin fell silent.

"You reckon I\'d know about that?"

"Yes I thought it might."

Oliver answered without a moment\'s hesitation. There was no basis for it, but he had a feeling. And that feeling was not wrong.

"You know that wizards have a bit of a superiority complex, right?"

Oliver nodded.

This city, the most advanced in the world, was steeped in that sentiment. It was true whether one looked at the shady or the sunny side. He understood it more clearly after working at the Magic Tower.

While there were differences in degree, wizards considered themselves superior to ordinary people.

"And the Life School mob are even more full-on than the others. They\'ve even got a whole ideology going on."

"Yes, I know."

"So they do more than just claim to be superior. For instance, they picture a perfect society with wizards at the centre."

Oliver recalled what the female warlock had said. The Life School faction dreamt of a systematized world.

"Could you explain in more detail?"

Merlin looked at the clock and shook his head.

"Let\'s park that chat for later. It\'s a bit tricky to break down in a jiffy… Like your world tree business, we can discuss about it later."

Although it was a bit disappointing, Oliver nodded. He wanted to hear a full explanation when possible.

"Now spit out your last question. Kevin will have a hissy fit if he spots me here, thinking I\'ve rocked up to do some grafting."

"Then, may I ask what I\'m most curious about?"

"They say the most gripping yarns always come last."

"Do you know about the Tick-Tock Apocalypse?"

(To be Continued)

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