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Test (3)

Oliver grimaced painfully as he spoke.
 

He admitted that he, too, had wrapped up his memories, only to feel disappointed upon revisiting them.
 

While he didn’t explicitly say what disappointed him, it was clear, and Kent understood as well.
 

Still, Kent smiled.
 

Though he couldn't completely mask his anguish, the bitter emotion seeping through his face, he forced a smile nonetheless.

“Phew... Seems a lot happened in the center of the continent.”
 

“Haven’t you already heard it all from Puppet?”
 

Oliver replied, recognizing through his all-seeing eyes that Kent had heard much from Puppet.
 

Kent didn’t deny it.

“True enough... In that sense, let me ask directly. Why did you return to Landa?”
 

“Did you not want me to come back?”
 

“No, it’s not that. But from what Puppet told me, you were holed up in the Holy City’s underground prison before coming out. I didn’t hear why you returned to Landa.”
 

“I thought you’d ask what happened before anything else.”
 

“I’d like to, but if I did, it would inevitably bring up my own story.”
 

“······.”
 

“And I’d rather postpone my story for now. I want to hear yours. So, let’s start with that. It’s a friend’s request—will you grant it?”

Kent’s request, coming from Oliver’s first friend.
 

After much hesitation, Oliver finally opened his mouth.

“I hadn’t planned on coming back.”
 

“I’ve heard as much. What happened to you. That’s why I’m asking—why return to Landa?”
 

“A certain princess kept pushing me.”
 

“Even if someone pushes you, it’s ultimately your own will that moves your feet.”
 

At Kent’s sharp insight, Oliver corrected himself.

“······The princess said I would face a trial.”
 

“A trial? What kind?”
 

“Anger, sorrow, and love.”
 

“I’m listening.”
 

“I’ve already faced two of them—anger and sorrow.”

Oliver recalled being consumed by the Pied Piper’s rage and how it led to Rosbane’s death.

“Then love remains.”
 

“Yes, I’m told I’ll be tested for that in Landa. Probably.”
 

“Probably?”
 

“It’s uncertain. The princess said I should go to the place I both most want and least want to go.”
 

“And that’s Landa?”
 

“I think so.”
 

“Makes sense. Others might think similarly. Landa is the largest, wealthiest city in the world, admired by many, yet also the most competitive and violent, so it’s avoided. But that’s not why you came, is it?”
 

“······.”
 

“Why did you want to come to Landa?”
 

“Because there are people here. People I know and like.”
 

“Why didn’t you want to come to Landa?”
 

“Because there are people here. People I know and like.”

The same answer to entirely different questions.
 

It could be called a contradiction, but Kent took it seriously.

“Why did you want to meet the people you like but also not want to meet them?”
 

“Because I thought I might be disappointed. Like with my temporary Master.”
 

“You mean Archiver Merlin?”
 

“Yes, you’ve met him?”
 

“Yes, though I won’t bother explaining the past. I’ve heard enough.”
 

“That’s a relief. I didn’t want to talk about it anyway.”

“Then why did you come? Your reluctance must have been stronger.”
 

“Well... I don’t really know myself. I did hear about Marie and others facing difficulties, but... I think I hoped for something more.”
 

“For what?”

"I thought there would be at least one person who wouldn't disappoint me."
 

Oliver voiced his hope aloud—a belief that, even with these eyes that could see through the sins of humanity, there might be at least one person who wouldn’t let him down.
 

Just one person.

“······So, how was it?”
 

“······I met many people. And I saw some extraordinary individuals. Mr. Carver, the city minister, recognized the end was near yet chose to act on what he could rather than cower in fear. The Choosen Ones and the Fighter Crew worked tirelessly to protect their loved ones even amidst moments of crisis.”
 

“I’m listening.”
 

“Criminals who had committed heinous acts in the past risked their lives to atone, even if only slightly, for their sins. Forrest extended his business ventures on my behalf, knowing the risks, and ended up in prison after drawing the royal family’s ire.”

That was true. Forrest’s imprisonment stemmed from a dispute with the royal family over ownership of an island reclaimed after Neverland’s collapse.
 

The dispute arose because Forrest had wanted to care for those who followed Oliver, to ensure Oliver could live with more peace of mind.
 

In other words, it was all for Oliver.

“One young girl begged the man who killed her brother to rescue the brother who raised her, saying no apology was necessary if he would help. Another woman subdued her own grandmother with her hands to correct the wrongs her grandmother had committed... They were all incredible. Truly incredible.”
 

“Are you in awe?”
 

“Yes, because they are all remarkable.”
 

“Were you not disappointed?”
 

“No, I was. Despite everything, I was disappointed.”

While Oliver admired them, he didn’t deny his disappointment in them.
 

Rather, he revealed it more starkly than anything else.
 

It was natural. Sin doesn’t disappear.

No matter what achievements were made, no matter what great deeds were performed, no matter how much good was done—sin never vanished.

“Can you tell what their sins were?”
 

“There are too many to recount them all.”
 

“As a friend, I ask you to try.”

Kent made the request again, this time as a friend. It was uncharacteristic of him.
 

In the end, Oliver complied.
 

Starting with Paul Carver, the first person he met after arriving in Landa, then citizens he passed by, the Kingdom Army, the Defense Corps, the Choosing Ones, the Fighter Crew, the Anti-Development Committee, Marie, Forrest, Joe, and so on.
 

He recounted all their sins, from minor ones like little lies to major ones.

For instance, in Carver’s case, his sins included negligence, distortion of responsibility, discrimination, and arrogance.
 

During redevelopment in his time as a city civil servant under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Carver had turned a blind eye to people being unjustly evicted by gangs and even to deaths, knowing full well what was happening.
 

It wasn’t because he had taken bribes—it was far worse.
 

He had rationalized it as a necessary evil for smooth operations and deemed those being evicted as unnecessary to the city. This arrogant belief that it was for the city’s greater good drove his actions.

Oliver had seen and felt the events as vividly as if he had been there the moment he met Paul Carver. He could even sense the victims’ anguish.
 

The same was true for others.

The Choosen Ones, intoxicated by Marie’s past teachings that they alone were chosen, had too easily inflicted harm upon others' bodies and lives.
 

The Fighter Crew, using their harsh lives as justification, stole from others and caused harm to their lives and bodies.
 

It was similar for everyone else.

“What about Forrest? What were his sins?”

Kent, who had been listening quietly, interrupted to ask. Oliver paused mid-story.

“······Much the same as others. Greed for wealth, arrogance born of a misguided need for self-validation. These led him to hurt countless people and rob them of their homes.”
 

“Whose sins are the most similar to his?”

Kent asked again, and Oliver hesitated once more.

“······Didn’t you say you wanted to postpone your story?”
 

“Now feels like the right time. So answer me—whose sins are the most similar to Forrest’s? I’m asking as a friend.”

It was a heartfelt plea. Oliver eventually answered.

“Mr. Kent. The one whose sins most resemble Mr. Forrest’s... is you.”

Kent smiled, as if in agreement with that answer.
 

In truth, it wasn’t just similar—it was identical. During the redevelopment boom, Forrest and Kent had worked together as partners, hand in hand.

However, having identical sins didn’t mean Oliver felt the same level of disappointment toward them.

"Relationships exist between people, and the same actions are perceived differently depending on those relationships."
 

As evidence of this:
 

"There’s only a difference in degree. It’s not much different from anyone else."

Oliver offered words of comfort to Kent—a man who had pushed countless people into suffering for his own greed, ultimately losing his family as a result.
 

Hearing this, Kent gave a bitter smile.

"Is that so?"
 

"Yes. Sin, at its core, is quite similar across the board. At least, that’s how it appears to me. The differences lie only in the extent, determined by talent and fortune."

Even so, Oliver was comforting Kent.
 

This was the same Kent who had selflessly helped him when he first stepped into the world, who had also helped other beggars.
 

And yet, because of this, Kent was now the person who had disappointed Oliver the most.

Kent, too, had once succumbed to greed and arrogance, leaving many wounded in his wake.

Suddenly, Kent brought up something entirely different.
 

“By the way, do you listen to radio dramas?”
 

“I hear them sometimes, but I don’t go out of my way to follow them.”
 

“Then you probably wouldn’t know.”
 

“Know what?”
 

"Red Nose made his debut as a radio actor."

Red Nose. A beggar with a red, bulbous nose, a heavy drinker who was part of Kent’s group when Oliver joined.
 

Oliver reacted to the unexpected news.

“Did he, really?”
 

“Yes, although he’s still stuck playing extras. But it’s true. He used to be a stage actor, you know. He ended up here after failing in that career.”
 

“When did he debut?”
 

“Right around when you left and I started gathering more beggars. One day, Red Nose brought me an advertisement for auditions and asked for help. Maybe he had a change of heart after you left. I gave him some of the money you’d left me. That’s why it wasn’t there when we met again.”

Kent was referring to when Oliver had escaped with Jane.
 

At the time, Oliver hadn’t realized Red Nose was gone. He had assumed Kent’s group had grown and spread out.

‘Or maybe I didn’t care. Back then, I was only interested in Kent.’

As he reflected, Oliver found himself wondering about something else.
 

“What about Harmonica and the others? Did they leave too?”

For the first time, Kent’s smile brightened.
 

"Yes, Harmonica was taken in by a musician. He saw the kid play and said she had talent."

Harmonica. A girl in ill-fitting clothes and shoes who played the harmonica while begging.
 

She was a soft, cheerful child, but a vital member of Kent’s group who brought in steady earnings.

It was only then that Oliver realized Harmonica hadn’t been there when he reunited with Kent.

"I checked into the man who took him, and he seems to be a good person. Even so, I occasionally check in on him. She’s performing on small stages now, along with others."

Kent went on to share what had happened to the original members of his group.
 

The child disguised as a boy who stayed with her grandfather found small jobs. The women with children leaned on one another, used the money Kent had given them, and found stable jobs in factories.

Oliver could tell all of this was true. He also knew that countless other beggars had been able to reintegrate into society thanks to Kent’s help.

"You’re quite remarkable."
 

Oliver said this half out of genuine admiration, half as a courtesy.

But Kent shook his head.
 

“It’s not that remarkable. All the while, I still told you to ignore that boy, Rosbane.”

Oliver froze.
 

“Don’t you remember?”
 

“…I do.”
 

“I’ve heard what happened to that boy. My condolences.”
 

“Thank you.”
 

“But you know... I think it’s far better that you made it back alive.”
 

“······.”
 

“You’re more important to me than a boy whose face I never knew.”

Caught off guard by Kent’s statement, Oliver didn’t know what to say.
 

A whirlwind of complex emotions swirled within him, too difficult to articulate.

It was then that Kent apologized.

"I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you. But this is who I am. No matter how much I might act like I’m doing something worthwhile, I’m still like this."
 

"······."
 

"You said earlier that I’m remarkable, but if you strip away the surface, I haven’t changed much from the past. Even if I have, the sins I committed back then don’t just disappear. You’re right—sin is sin. It never vanishes. I know that much."

"······Then, why do you do it? Helping the other beggars, I mean."
 

"Because the past is the past. Isn’t it absurd to avoid doing what I can now just because of what I did before?"

Oliver felt a sense of déjà vu at Kent’s words. He had heard something similar before.
 

From Ameline, the headmistress of Ark Orphanage.
 

She, too, carried worries and fears as the head of an orphanage caring for children.
 

She had once doubted whether she could teach the children properly or whether she was even qualified to do so.

This was because, during hard times at the orphanage, she had once considered sending the children away.
 

However, the previous headmaster had dismissed her suggestion, saying that even the most pitiful lambs could not be abandoned.
 

Since then, Ameline had resolved to teach the children what was right, even if she might make mistakes in the future.
 

She believed that if she didn’t, the children wouldn’t even have a chance to turn out right.

Even now, Oliver thought those were rather admirable words.
 

The past is the past, and the present is the present...

But despite understanding it intellectually, Oliver couldn’t accept it emotionally.
 

For someone with eyes that could see through everything, the distinction between past and present was meaningless.
 

Sins appeared as vividly to him as if they were happening right before his eyes.
 

Even at this moment—

"-The Dashwood sisters. Young girls who lost their parents in a sudden accident. They lived in a redevelopment zone I was in charge of. Manipulated by my lies and threats, they sold their home for a pittance and received no proper compensation. They later found work in a match factory, but one of them suffered phosphorus poisoning, disfiguring her face. She was fired and died that winter."

For the first time, Kent’s smile faded as he ran a hand over his tired face.
 

Yet his mouth kept moving.

"Rail Fadel. He was in one of my redevelopment zones too. A father of two—a boy and a girl. He refused to leave for the compensation I offered, so I got him addicted to drugs to force him out. The addiction ruined his family. They fell apart."

Kent took a deep, steadying breath before continuing.
 

The stories that followed were similarly grim:

Elton Martin. Framed accident. His elderly mother passed away from grief.

Frank Smith. Coerced with hired violence, left permanently disabled. His family scattered, and he died alone in despair.

The Morlands. I planted drugs on the husband to get him imprisoned. Left alone, the wife succumbed to hardship and ended her life. The husband, hearing of her death, followed shortly after.

Herbill Hayter. He resisted every threat, so I had him killed. To cover it up, I set his house on fire, killing his remaining family.

All of these were people Kent had harmed to satisfy his greed. They were not the only ones, but Kent paused to ask his next question.

"Is everything I said true?"

Oliver, with his eyes that could see through sin, answered.
 

"Yes, it’s all true······. Did you investigate this yourself?"

"When I unified the beggar groups and founded the Poor Brothers, I started looking into it bit by bit when I had the resources. I wanted to know what had happened to those I had displaced."

"Why?"

"Because the past is the past, but I need to understand it properly. There are countless others like them, but I won’t go into that now."

"Because it’s painful?"

"That’s part of it. But more importantly, I want to hear something else today."

"What do you want to hear?"

"The sin that haunts you. Your sin."

Kent extended his hand.
 

"I want you to tell me about it."