Genius Warlock

[My name is Rothburn. I am writing this diary to reflect on my life. I was born in the slums of District V in Landa. Even though I got away from living there, I still remember that hellish place….]

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[… I was taken away by the wizard and left that terrible hell. It was probably the happiest moment of my life…]

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[…Because of discrimination, life in the Magic Tower is difficult to bear. Still, I decided to overcome it. Because I have talent. I have a family that believes in me….]

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[… I was abandoned. I initially thought my family had sent me to Magic Tower to train. I thought about it dozens of times after leaving the house or the place I used to be, but the conclusion was always – I was abandoned.]

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[…….I swear. I will definitely take revenge on those who despise me and look down on me when I succeed by any means…….]

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[… Finally, I heard good news. There is a rumor about the city of Wineham which is next to Landa. It is said that this common town which is being eaten by Landa is actually a den of warlocks, who make and supply large quantities of magic drugs to Landa. I will use this as my first stepping stone.]

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FLAP FLAP.

“…what are you reading?”

Marie, who approached Oliver all of a sudden, asked.

“It’s a diary.”

“Diary?”

“Yeah… I got it from a wizard.

"ah……."

Marie was silent for a moment as if she didn't know what to say, and then asked again.

“Was there anything interesting…?”

“Well… not really.”

“Then why are you reading it?”

Oliver turned his head slightly and looked up at Marie.

“I’m curious.”

"What?"

"The wizard who was the owner of this diary… Before he died, he radiated a beautiful light which I have never seen before… So I was wondering if I could find out if I read his diary.”

“Oh… So that’s why. Did you find out the reason?”

"No. I couldn't find it. There's nothing special about him…..what did you come here for?”

Marie smiled slightly at Oliver's question.

“There’s something I want to tell you…..I finally got promoted to a junior disciple.”

Oliver didn't show much of a reaction.

Marie had a bitter expression on her face at his reaction.

“A lot of the intermediate disciples died during the last battle, so the junior disciples were promoted in large numbers, and thanks to that, I was able to fill the vacant position.”

“Uh… congratulations?”

"No…It’s all thanks to Oliver."

“Me?”

“Yes! Thanks to Oliver, I have definitely developed the skills more than enough to become a junior disciple. Master was also impressed.”

“Master?”

“Yeah, while he was checking the skills of the informal disciples earlier, he saw my skills had improved so much and asked what happened, I said that it was because of you, who helped me. He was very impressed.”

Joseph knew….

At a glance, it doesn't sound like a serious thing, but Oliver had a bad feeling about it.

He can't say for sure, but he had a very uncomfortable feeling.

Joseph once said that his goal was to train powerful warlocks but the disciples here are not educated properly.

Oliver had a feeling of discomfort seeing the disciples fight and check each other, but unfortunately, he couldn't say anything concretely.

In the midst of such anguish, Marie said one more thing.

“I have one more piece of good news. I'm not quite sure yet, but I think the news was pretty certain.”

“What?”

“I think Oliver might become Master’s direct disciple.”

A sudden news surfaced that Oliver, a junior disciple, might become a direct disciple, a position held by Andrew, circulated in the family.

But looking back, it wasn't that strange.

A few days ago, the fight with the wizards was so fierce that the battle exceeded everyone's expectations, as the pharmacist, Joseph, Anthony, and the Dominic family all suffered considerable damage.

It reminded once again just how strong the wizards were, especially the ones who used lightning magic, who went back and forth while dealing a lot of damage to everyone.

Right now, the Joseph family alone has lost a lot of the senior and intermediate disciples that the family worked hard to raise, while Andrew, the second-in-command of the family was seriously injured.

According to the survivors, it would not be strange for them to have got wiped out.

However, only one person, Oliver, was able to win against the wizards miraculously, which allowed Oliver's presence to impress everyone beyond the family.

Everyone thought that soon Oliver might replace the injured Andrew.

Looking at Oliver lost in thought, Marie asked with an incomprehensible expression.

“Aren’t you happy? If you were to become the master’s direct disciple, you can receive education directly from the master at any time and use the study.”

“…No. I’m indeed happy. But, I think other intermediate and senior disciples would start to hate me because of it.”

"Haha, what are you saying…Of course, they don't like when others barge in, but you are an exception. You have become so powerful, while Andrew’s faction is almost wiped out."

Yes. Most of the warlocks who died during the battle with the wizard were Andrew's supporters.

Andrew brought almost all of his supporters just to get rid of Oliver but unfortunately, it turned out to be a poisonous move and he ended up losing everything in an instant.

Well, even if some supporters did remain, does it mean anything?

Andrew, the core member of the faction had already lost one arm and was lying on the floor with burns all over his body.

Recalling that fact, Marie said.

"Actually, there is no one left in the family who can keep Oliver in check now. You are the only disciple who is eligible for the vacant direct disciple position when judging from your skills and merit. So Congratulations."

Marie rejoiced as if it was her own business.

Her attitude was a surprise to Oliver, but he didn't bother to ask.

He wasn't particularly curious, and then there was no conspiracy or scheme in her emotions.

So Oliver asked another question.

“Marie, can I ask you something?”

"What…? Ah, yes! Please ask me. I will tell you anything I know."

“Marie, you said that you came here six years ago. Is that right?”

“Yes,”

“At that time who was the direct disciple?”

“Andrew. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just curious. Then, was Andrew the direct disciple from the beginning?”

"Well? I don’t know…..because I've never been curious about it."

“Then, among the other disciples, was there anyone who suddenly disappeared?”

“Uh-huh… maybe you can find some if you look for it. There are people who sometimes steal what they need or steal some money and then run away.”

“Did you see it yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean running away.”

“No, they were running away, would they tell anyone if they were going to run away?”

“Well, I guess not.”

Marie asked with an awkward smile as if she didn't understand what was going on.

“Why are you asking such things?”

“I’m just… just curious.”

After that, some time passed.

As Marie said, the vacancy was immediately filled after the battle against the wizard.

Marie easily became a junior disciple, and Peter also rose from the Room Leader position to become an intermediate disciple.

They were all delighted.

However, Oliver did not become a direct disciple as Marie predicted.

Instead, he skipped the intermediate disciple rank and went straight up to a senior disciple rank.

This was also exceptional treatment, and no one objected nor was dissatisfied with this decision.

Looking at the talents and achievements that Oliver had shown so far, it was not strange to make him a Senior disciple.

Rather, those who were hostile or jealous disappeared, and those who tried to impress Oliver began to appear, even Andrew’s men joined them.

Although Andrew was still alive, he has already lost one of his arms and had suffered severe burns all over his body.

Even the illegal healer said that he did everything he had to save Andrew’s life but Andrew had to live the rest of his life in pain.

So, despite the slight bruise of self-esteem among the disciples, they approached Oliver with a trembling heart to cling to the future power.

“I will do this.”

A man said with a heavy grin to Oliver, who is currently working on steam extraction of medicinal herbs.

It was a basic task of mixing herbs, scooping water, and checking temperature according to a set ratio, but Oliver said he would do it all by himself.

Although it was the job of intermediate disciples, Oliver did it because he knew that there would be no problems in the future if he had learned the basics.

Oliver, who has been sweating after a long time due to physical exertion, spoke.

"No, thanks."

“Haha, though…”

“No. It’s fine.”

When Oliver refused, the man trembled as he stepped back with a bewildered expression on his face.

He tried his best to pretend that he was fine, but his emotions kept staggering.

“Hehe, then, if you need any help, call me anytime.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Oliver replied mechanically.

When the interrupter disappeared, Oliver started his work again.

After extracting the medicinal herbs, a new medicinal herb was placed on the net, and when the water was lowered to a certain level, the separately heated water was emptied.

The water temperature was also measured in the middle, and Oliver checked the condition every 30 minutes.

It was a simple procedure but it demands diligence.

“Do you really have to do this work?”

Peter came quietly and asked.

Oliver answered while looking at the concentration of the herbal extract.

"Yes.…… Do you have anything to say?”

“Ah, yes, that… Master is calling you.”

“Now?”

"Yes."

Oliver tilted his head.

He can't believe that Master is calling someone who has been working while knowing how tight a Warlock's schedule is.

It was impossible for him not to leave, so Oliver nodded his head once and headed to the master's room.

“Oh, wait a minute.”

“What?”

“You should go to Andrew’s room instead of going to the Master’s room since he is now there. And while you go, I will take care of here.”

“…Yes, I got it.”

Oliver answered without thinking and went to Andrew's room.

Oliver reached Andrew's private room which has now effectively become a hospital room, and when the door was opened, the characteristic musty smell of the patient rushed out.

“You are here?”

As soon as Oliver entered, Joseph, who was taking care of Andrew, spoke.

“Yes, I heard you called me Master.”

“Yeah. Is the job you are doing worth it?”

“Yes, it's fun.”

Oliver was sincere.

It was a joy for Oliver to learn the process of making the portion step by step.

"I'm glad that you're sincere. Actually, that's a good attitude. But unlike you, some children are frightened. In fact, that’s what happens normally when a warlock meets a wizard in person."

“..can I ask you a question, Master?”

“Sure, Ask me.”

“Before in our conversation. I think you said that black magic was stronger than Real magic… Then, there is nothing to be afraid of Real magic, right?”

Joseph raised one corner of his mouth.

"You may look dumb, but you're sharp in some weird ways. Yeah, I said that when I first brought you here. Actually, such a warlock does exist. Like the Piper or the Chef… However, there are many cases where this is not the case. Do you know why?”

"no."

“It was because wizards are systematically educated with great resources, whereas warlocks grow themselves in the shadows. So the average level of a warlock was lower than that of a wizard.”

“Yes, I remember. That’s the reason why the Master took me in.”

“You remember well. To be precise, I brought you and the other talented children. I also heard from the other children. They said you defeated all the wizards by yourself, is that true?”

“… I just got lucky.”

“If you knocked down a wizard who made Andrew like this just by relying on luck, then that luck is indeed a skill.”

For a moment, Oliver saw Andrew, who was suffering from burns.

“…can’t it be cured?”

"What?"

“Can’t you heal Andrew with the Life-force?”

“It can be done in normal cases, it is used at the level of energy recovery and treating minor trauma. It is difficult to treat such a serious injury. And, that’s not my area of specialization. That’s also the reason why I called you.”

"What is it, Master?"

“I'm going to take Andrew to Landa. There are wizards out there who specialize in healing and I know someone who will heal Andrew.”

"ah…."

A healing wizard, Andrew, who stored the information in his head exclaimed.

“If I go there with Andrew, I will be away for a while. In the meantime, you will have to manage the family for me.”

"Pardon?"

Oliver asked again with a completely unexpected remark.

"Why? It's one of the roles of the direct disciple. Managing the family while I'm away."

“But master…”

“I cherish Andrew, but because of me, he is no longer the direct disciple. In terms of skills and performance, you are the direct disciple at this moment. The reason why I haven't officially revealed it is because you are straightforward."

Oliver had a lot to ask, but Oliver didn't dare to ask, because his instinct said it would not be safe.

"I heard you taught Marie. Like that, you can control the children well. Would you like to take care of the family while I'm away?"

Oliver answered.

“If it’s Master’s order. I will”