Chapter 285
Chapter 285
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 285
Chapter Title: The One Trying to Understand (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shiii. Please wait just a moment.
With those words, Oliver quietly began reading the letter.
Scrunch scrunch. Thud. Squeak....... Scrunch scrunch. Thud. Squeak.......
The regular rustle of paper and the sound of tearing the envelope echoed softly through the sewers.
In the meantime, the two druids stood still and waited, just as Oliver had asked.
It was truly an absurd sight.
Assailants waiting at their target's request... No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they had no choice but to wait.
In that brief instant when Oliver had made his request, the two druids had felt an indescribable presence.
The kind of presence one feels when first communing with nature during trainee days.
Of course, it could have been an illusion. No, it had to be.
A human with a presence rivaling the vast forces of nature...? That shouldn't exist.
Right now, as he sat perched on a protruding ledge in the sewer reading his letter, that overwhelming presence from before was gone.
It was an illusion. It had to be. But there was one nagging detail.
Why were the rats trembling as if they wanted to scream and flee at any moment?
"Haa..."
After a short yet long silence, Oliver carefully folded the read letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and tucked it into his pocket.
As if it were a treasure.
Then, with a deep breath in and out, he rose to his feet.
Even that small movement made the rats whimper and shudder low.
Squeak....... Squeeee.......
"May I have your names?"
Oliver asked politely, standing straight before the two druids.
Still shaken by the overwhelming presence from earlier, the druid replied instead of throwing a punch.
"I'm Teddy... This guy's Dan."
"Teddy and Dan... Pleased to meet you. Were you the ones who attacked the poor brothers?"
"...Yeah."
"May I ask why? Did Shamus order it?"
"No... Our own choice."
"Hmm... Why attack if it wasn't an order? Doesn't seem like there's much gain in it."
The druid's instincts screamed at Teddy to shut up. But he ignored them.
If he did, they'd think he was scared. He, a druid. Unacceptable.
"...Who says there's no gain? It's good for venting frustration."
"Venting?"
"Yeah... Got bit by some bum bastards, so gotta let off steam somewhere. Got a problem with that?"
"Hmm... No, honestly I don't agree, but it's not my place to judge. Everyone has their circumstances."
"Your attitude's better than I expected."
"So, I should get back to my work. Do you know where Shamus is?"
"You think we're gonna tell you?"
"You don't have to answer me. Arthur will find out anyway. Come with me."
"Think you're hot shit just 'cause you beat a couple druids—!!"
Teddy shook off the faint lingering dread and charged at Oliver.
He had supreme confidence in close-quarters combat.
Sure, he'd been subdued earlier, but the opponent was just a bean thief—an exception.
Besides, this Dave guy in front of him wore nothing on his body. One solid hit, and it was over. Couldn't miss this chance.
'Then we can cripple their forces big time, and for the boss too—'
As the druid Teddy charged, Oliver swiftly extracted emotions and activated his black magic.
Dartboards materialized on Oliver's hand and Teddy's chest, repelling each other using the emotion of rejection as their source.
———Boom!!
Teddy, with his superhuman physique, wasn't just pushed back by Oliver's black magic—he was slammed into the opposite wall.
Utterly powerless.
It wasn't a fatal blow for Teddy, but Oliver's attack was far from over.
Oliver adjusted the emotions in the Targeting, reducing rejection and amplifying obsession.
Now the dartboards pulled toward each other like magnets.
Yanking the unstable Teddy from the wall.
"Boys, bite him!"
Teddy's partner Dan commanded the vicious sewer rats.
His friends he'd fought with alongside gang members before Shamus hired them.
Brave comrades who'd faced hails of bullets and explosions. But now, they cowered before one black magician, ignoring his plea.
Even as he cast Targeting, Oliver wrapped his hands in Black Suit and Black Armor like gauntlets, then smashed the incoming Teddy.
Boom——!!!
The entire sewer shook with a thunderous roar as druid Teddy crashed into the floor.
He'd clearly guarded his face with both arms, but it was useless.
His arms shattered, and his face was pulped instead.
As the vibrations and echoes faded, a cold silence descended.
A very cold silence.
Step. Step. Step.
Oliver stood before druid Dan.
Dan could only stand frozen, body rigid.
He was as hot-blooded as Teddy, but in this moment, he could do nothing.
"I'm asking again—will you come with me? I don't have enough hands to carry two. So..."
Oliver trailed off, but Dan felt a terror greater than any threat.
As if some immense, ominous entity beyond description loomed over him.
Under that pressure, Dan nodded, sweat beading coldly. Oliver expressed thanks, grabbed Teddy's ankle, and dragged him out.
"Ah."
Oliver glanced back at the rats, frozen in terror as if just realizing.
They still trembled in place, just as he'd ordered.
Oliver extracted emotions and cast two black magics on the rats.
[Eternal Famine]
[Cannibalism]
The malevolent black light of the spells enveloped the rats, and Oliver proceeded forward.
As he vanished, the starving rats turned on each other, devouring one another.
"You're here..."
In the broker's office beneath Forest Restaurant,
Forest, sweating over multiple large communication devices, greeted Oliver.
He looked utterly exhausted, but straightened his disheveled clothes regardless. Always striving to present his best.
"Heard you suddenly left somewhere."
"Had urgent business."
"And just now, that you caught two druids and handed them to Carver before leaving."
"Finished the urgent business."
"So, mind if I ask why you're here?"
Forest asked. Less anger at the fixer ditching a job, more concern over Oliver's uncharacteristic demeanor and ominous aura.
"May I... sit for a moment?"
Oliver pointed to the chair opposite Forest.
Forest nodded.
With permission granted, Oliver sat. Definitely not like his usual self.
He always sat ramrod straight before, but now he slumped, visibly fatigued.
"...You okay?"
Forest asked.
"Yes... This job just dragged on longer than expected. I'm tired. More importantly, this office is just like the old restaurant—same size difference aside?"
"As I said before, familiar workspaces are best... Something you want to say?"
"Precisely, a favor to ask... May I?"
"Anything but guaranteeing a loan."
Worried by Oliver's off vibe, Forest mixed in a joke.
Fortunately, the response was good.
"Were you joking?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm... Feels fun. Must be nice."
"Want me to make you a joke book? So, what's the favor? If you wanna skip this job—"
"No, not that. Just... Can I hear it now?"
"Hear what?"
"The story of you and Kant's past. You said after the job, but I'm suddenly too curious."
Oliver asked flatly as always, but Forest caught the subtle shift.
Instead of snapping, he poured two glasses of liquor from a crystal decanter and slid one to Oliver.
"Still sorting my thoughts. Which part?"
"From start to finish?"
Forest took a sip.
"Guess I start from my youth. What do you think I did when young?"
"Hmm...... Worked at a restaurant?"
"Right. At a decently famous one nearby. As a waiter."
"Like Al?"
"Yeah, politely taking coats and hats, serving food, getting tips. Before that, I was a dishwasher. Better, at least...... But not satisfying."
"I see."
"Tips weren't bad, but constantly seeing rich guests I couldn't touch was humiliating. Hated the owner raking more than me just standing there. No prospects either."
"Prospects?"
"No matter how good waiter tips, couldn't escape rent-to-rent life. I wanted to age with dignity. So after agonizing, I cut a deal with a regular broker. I'd pass him what I saw and heard at the restaurant; he'd give me cash and teach me the trade. Not bad. Lots of business talk there."
"That's how you became a broker."
"And that's when I met Kant. Fresh fixer just starting with the broker."
"Ah......."
"We were both nobodies with big money greed, so we hit it off. Centered on the broker we relied on... Time passed. I learned the underworld inside out, gained some savvy. Kant wasn't superhuman but became a sharp fixer."
"What next?"
"Broke off from the broker, partnered up. Me using my network as broker to find jobs, Kant leveraging back alleys for max profit min cost. Redevelopment boom then—mostly evictions, debt collection, hits, arson, assassinations. Easy work, good pay. Peanuts compared to you... Kinda embarrassing."
"Not peanuts, not embarrassing."
"Really?"
"I don't think I'm one to judge."
"Thanks... Anyway, low-level stuff, but we got what we wanted. I saved for a dignified retirement; Kant supported wife and kid. Lucky break too—tagged onto a big city job, got front-district vending rights as reward. Game-changer. Money scale shifted."
"Then why T District?"
"Things got messy. One job ended dirty. Guy came for revenge. I was security-conscious, but luck blinded me—suddenly gun to my head."
"What'd he want?"
"Info on Kant. Guy who'd lost family to him."
"...Did you tell?"
Forest's emotions churned with guilt and regret.
He nodded, drank, then spoke.
"Wanted to live... No defense if you condemn me."
"No condemnation intended. You've explained broker-fixer dynamics plenty... What happened after?"
"The avenger crippled Kant's leg permanently, took his wife and son. Tit for tat. Kant vanished; I came to T District instead of front."
"Guilt?"
"Thought so at first, but saying it now... Nah. Just lost confidence without partner, fled to safe spot. Scared, plain."
Forest gave a bitter smile, downed his drink. Emotions: guilt, regret, doubt, self-loathing.
Oliver pondered, then spoke.
"...Life's awfully complicated."
"Agreed."
"Why so?"
"Weakness, probably. Weak to temptation... Nah, excuse. I'm just a bastard... If you wanna cut ties after this job, say so. Contract's almost—"
"Do you want to cut ties?"
Oliver asked earnestly.
So earnestly Forest flinched.
"No... Never. How many chances to work with someone like you in my life?"
"Then we're good... Excuse me a moment."
Oliver rose as if done.
His calm exceeded expectations; Forest grew puzzled.
"Any idea why you suddenly asked?"
Oliver gestured vaguely into the air as if grappling with a tough question, then answered haltingly.
"...To try to understand."