#770

Oliver (11) 

The elders of the Anti-Development committee ran down the deep hallway, and shortly afterward, returned with some young men.

They silently passed by Oliver, leading the bewildered young men, and Oliver likewise let them go without a word.

They had already exchanged enough words, and any more would be a waste.

However, the last elder to pass by seemed to think otherwise, pausing for a moment before quietly saying one word.

“…Thank you.”

A single word imbued with countless meanings.

Oliver simply nodded slightly in response and began walking further into the hallway with Eve.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

After walking for a while, the sound of footsteps echoed in the dark hallway until a shabby yet antique door appeared.

Creak-

When Oliver opened the door, the creaking hinge echoed as the interior of the room was revealed.

Despite the curse of hell being lifted, traces of sin remained—twisted spaces made of slimy flesh.

Although Oliver had borne the sins to absolve theirs, for some reason, this place remained, and soon he knew why.

It was due to the crimson-black door inside the space.

The door, carved from crimson-black wood, was rooted in the contaminated flesh of hell, forcibly maintaining this space.

As if to say there was still unfinished business.

Oliver approached to examine it directly.

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.

The bottom of the door, touching the floor, was rooted in the flesh, enveloping the entire inner space.

Perhaps due to this, the twisted nature of the place made it feel like an entirely different dimension.

Somewhere between the human world and hell. That wasn’t all.

At first glance, it looked like a door, but upon closer inspection, it was a wooden sculpture crafted in the shape of a door rather than a real one.

It wasn’t a real door, just wood carved in the form of one.

The fact that it didn’t budge when pushed was proof of this.

Oliver stepped back and examined the door again.

It was huge, but other than that, it was so plain that it lacked any distinguishing features. It was like a blank canvas, waiting to be painted.

As if entranced, Oliver stared at the plain door for a long time before suddenly speaking.

“…I don’t know what to say.”

It was such an abrupt remark that Eve, Pandora, and Lilith all tilted their heads in unison.

They really did look like sisters… no, perhaps more than sisters. After all, they were originally one being before Oliver's hand gesture divided them into three.

Recalling his past actions, Oliver's expression briefly tightened.

It was a subtle change, hard to notice at first glance, but upon closer observation, one could infer that he felt remorse.

Pandora, the first to sense his emotion, spoke up.

“What do you mean, Father?”

She turned her body toward the direction Oliver had been facing, meeting his gaze.

“I want to say something to you all before leaving, but I don’t know how to begin. I feel that way because I’ve committed many sins against you.”

Hearing Oliver’s confession, Pandora smiled as if to comfort him.

“Hehe, there’s no need for you to-”

“-No, I mean it.”

Oliver took a step forward as he spoke.

Although his tone was soft, the underlying weight and seriousness in his gaze made it impossible to brush off lightly.

“All I feel toward you is regret. Pandora, Eve, and Lilith.”

The three sisters could only look at Oliver without offering any response.

It was a perfectly natural reaction.

What kind of response could a creation give when its creator apologizes?

Especially when that creator was the second closest existence to God?

When faced with such a situation, one could only be bewildered and remain silent. Perhaps it would even feel burdensome and frightening.

The overwhelming difference in status and power could make one side a sinner, regardless of right or wrong.

It seemed Oliver was aware of this fact, as he added more words.

"Of course, bringing this up may be just for my own satisfaction. Even so, I want to tell you how sorry I am."

"..."

"If I were to remain silent out of fear of such things, I wouldn’t be able to move forward. That would go against what I’ve learned."

"..."

"That’s why, even at the risk of burdening you, I want to say I’m sorry."

Oliver offered his apology, mixing in a bit of humor in his own way.

It was an absolutely terrible joke, but thankfully, it seemed to work.

"...What exactly are you sorry for?"

Eve, wearing an expression as stoic as Oliver’s, quietly but clearly asked for clarification.

What exactly was he so sorry about?

Oliver replied.

"Everything. Despite creating you, I failed to recognize you. Not only that, but when we met the second time, I even hit you. Because I was in a hurry. And because of that..."

Oliver trailed off, turning his gaze toward Eve, Pandora, and Lilith in turn.

"...Because of that, you experienced far too much suffering you shouldn’t have. Identity confusion, threats to your survival, wandering, abduction, imprisonment, and exploitation. You even went as far as consuming your sisters to survive."

At Oliver’s confession, Lilith closed her eyes, Eve became lost in thought, and Pandora forced a smile.

"You didn’t know, did you, Father?"

"Yes, I didn’t know until Pandora told me. And that makes me feel even more sorry. My ignorance and indifference seem to have caused you even more pain."

"…?"

"Because I didn’t know, you couldn’t even fully resent me, could you? Hiding behind the shield of ignorance."

"..."

"What makes me even sorrier is that, even if I had known your identities back then, I would have left you behind."

By "back then," he meant when Rosbane had been kidnapped by Mattel.

Oliver had connected to the World Tree to investigate Mattel and accidentally met the newly born Eve, striking her in the process and unintentionally giving rise to Eve, Pandora, and Lilith.

Oliver asked himself—if he had known about Eve’s existence back then, would he have cared?

No matter how much he thought about it, the answer was no.

Because Rosbane had been kidnapped at the time.

That fact only deepened Oliver’s guilt toward Eve, Pandora, and Lilith.

"I don’t think I was a good employer. I don’t think I was a good father either."

At the word "father," they flinched slightly.

Oliver continued speaking.

"Still, I want to act as a father for once. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to give you my blessing... Would that be alright?"

"......Yes."

After a long silence, they nodded, knowing that Oliver wasn’t saying this lightly.

The Oliver they knew must have pondered over it countless times before finally speaking up.

Once he received their permission, Oliver expressed his gratitude, made the sign of the cross, and placed his hands on their heads in turn, blessing Eve, Pandora, and Lilith.

"After I leave, you will all be free. You will not be bound by anything, and you will live the life you desire. You will have the right to pursue your questions, satisfy your curiosity, and live your own lives. Anyone who tries to deprive you of that right will be punished, and I will be watching. Consider it compensation for my neglect."

After offering his apology and blessing, Oliver hugged each of them once more, starting with Eve, then Pandora, and finally Lilith.

He held Lilith particularly tightly and whispered in her ear.

"Lilith, if you want to go see Puppet, you may do so."

"..."

"However, before you do, observe him first. If you still wish to meet him after that, you may."

"…Does that mean I won’t meet him?"

"No, the choice is entirely yours. Just like with others. You simply make a better choice."

Leaving those words behind, Oliver released Lilith from his embrace and stepped back.

Then he spoke again.

"Now, let’s begin."

At Oliver’s request, Eve, Pandora, and Lilith knelt around the crimson-black wooden sculpture carved into a door, placing their hands on the roots beneath the flesh.

[Idea]

Originally one being, they united in heart and mind, combining the information embedded in the twisted flesh and roots, and began to manifest it into reality.

The distorted space, situated between the human world and hell, started to tilt toward one side.

Thump! Thump!

The twisted flesh covering the entire space pulsed like a beating heart.

In particular, the roots of the wooden sculpture embedded in the flesh expanded and contracted repeatedly, like blood vessels.

As if it were devouring the sins embedded in the flesh.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heartbeat grew faster, and as if resonating with it, the air inside trembled.

Most notably, something emerged on the once-plain surface of the door, as if rising from beneath.

It was the sinners suffering in hell.

[Aaah...]

[Aaah...]

That wasn’t all.

Psshk-! Psshk-! Drip.

From the cracks in the carved wooden sculpture, black liquid burst out and soaked the floor.

A foreboding liquid that could induce madness just by looking at it.

Oliver calmly extended his hand toward the door, from which the liquid flowed.

Grab!

As soon as Oliver's hand touched the door, the sinners depicted on its surface clung desperately to his arm.

[Grooooar...]

Like someone grabbing a lifeline in the midst of falling into an abyss.

Looking at their hands, Oliver spoke.

"Would you please let go?"

[...]

"Would you please let go so I can come to you?"

At Oliver’s polite request, the sinners of hell, who had been reduced to primal instincts, slowly began to release their grip one by one.

With his hands freed, Oliver, as if to prove his sincerity, pushed the door without hesitation.

Amazingly, the wooden sculpture carved in the shape of a door opened as if it were a real door.

Creeeeeeeeak...

With a sound that could not belong to this world, an indescribable pitch-black space appeared.

A dense darkness, as if the night sky, the deep sea, or darkness itself had been condensed into a singular space.

[Aaaaaa...]

[Oooooo...]

[Uuuuuu...]

[Ggggrrr...]

From within the darkness, countless groans echoed, and countless hands emerged, grasping and pulling anything within reach.

Without hesitation, Oliver stepped into the boundless darkness.

Into the infinite void.

"Ah."

As he entered the darkness, Oliver paused briefly and spoke to Eve, Pandora, and Lilith, who had opened the gate to hell.

"I almost forgot. Thank you for your help, my daughters."

Creeeeeeak────Thud!!

With those final words, Oliver fully entered the darkness, and the wide-open gate to hell slammed shut in an instant.

As soon as the door closed, the flesh that had covered the surroundings withered and vanished as if it had never been there, and the gate to hell reverted to its original form as a wooden sculpture.

Thus, Oliver disappeared from this world.

***

In the endless void of nothingness.

There, Oliver stood alone.

Normally, countless hands seeking salvation and mind-numbing groans would have rushed in from all directions, but for some reason, the moment Oliver fully entered, they disappeared.

They had all fled, trying to avoid whatever was approaching from this side.

Knowing this, Oliver, without hesitation, took Big Mouth out of the leather case slung over his back.

“Grrrk?”

Big Mouth, swelling up like bread dough, let out its characteristic toad-like croak and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings for the first time.

“Big Mouth, could you please bring that out?”

At the mention of "that," Big Mouth immediately vomited out a large box, a bottle of wine, and four wine glasses.

“Guaaaak-!”

For reference, inside the box was a specially ordered cake from Al—a chocolate cake made with special care by Forrest Restaurant.

Clop, clop, clop...

As soon as the specially ordered chocolate cake and wine were taken out, the sound of hooves echoed in the otherwise soundless darkness.

Tap, tap, tap...

Thud, thud, thud...

It wasn’t just hoofbeats.

Another set of footsteps was gradually approaching as well.

The source of those footsteps was none other than—

“Have you come to greet me?”

Oliver turned around and asked, and standing there were an old man on horseback, a woman riding a camel, and a charred figure.

Not twisted forms descended through sacrifices, but their original appearances... How should one describe it?

They were quite beautiful for beings one would call demons.

“We have been waiting for you.”

The old man on horseback and the woman riding the camel dismounted, and along with the charred figure, they knelt on one knee and greeted him.

A gesture possible only because they acknowledged Oliver.

To them, Oliver raised the specially ordered chocolate cake and wine and asked,

“Shall we start with some cake?”