Chapter 350
Chapter 350
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 350
Chapter Title: A Place I Want to Visit (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Following Merlin's persuasion, everyone agreed to set aside the issue with Oliver for the time being and discuss the betrayal by the School of Life Studies and the Department of Life Alchemy.
The most urgent matter, after all.
As soon as the decision was made, Merlin told Oliver and Kevin to step outside the tent.
Important discussion ahead, so it was best to remove the two sources of controversy right away.
Even though Merlin was the one who had sparked that controversy in the first place. Kevin didn't argue; he bowed politely to his master as a disciple should and followed the order.
Oliver mimicked the gesture perfectly, offered a greeting, and followed Kevin out.
"I'm sorry."
The moment Oliver stepped out of the tent behind Kevin, he apologized.
For getting his identity exposed. It was something he'd already apologized for, but he did it again anyway.
It might not be a big deal in the end, but regardless, he'd put the person who helped him in an awkward spot.
Kevin brushed it off like it was nothing.
"It's fine. Water under the bridge. And it's true that your identity coming out makes things easier to handle now."
"Still, I'm sorry... I feel like I wasted your efforts, Professor."
Kevin paused at the words, which seemed loaded with meaning. He glanced at Oliver and fell deep into thought.
Then, without a word, he started walking toward a secluded spot, pulling Oliver along.
Once they were a good distance from the others, Kevin gathered mana at his fingertip and snapped it with a plink!, casting a soundproofing spell.
"Are you pitying me, by any chance?"
"Pitying you?"
"Yeah. After hearing my past from Theodore."
Kevin's voice carried a hint of weariness and mild irritation.
"I... wouldn't know. I've never really understood pity."
Coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like mockery. But Kevin didn't get angry.
He'd watched Oliver up close enough to know it was sincere.
"That said, I think you're amazing, Professor."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Despite your personal feelings, you still tried to save your students."
Oliver recalled Kevin's emotions from back then as he spoke.
Kevin hadn't forgotten his past, nor the grudge it bred.
He'd just buried it deep inside, letting it fester and mature into something even more venomous.
And yet, even so, he'd genuinely tried to save the wrecked Derek and Felix.
Despite harboring resentment toward the entire Magic Tower, he'd fought to protect his own students.
A contradiction that defied logic. But Kevin held those clashing emotions, and in their conflict, they shone with a strangely beautiful light.
As Oliver tried to put it into words, Kevin spoke up.
"I'm no fool who gets swept up in emotions and neglects my own business."
"I know. That's why I think you're amazing."
"And I'm not one to borrow someone else's hands for my revenge. You know that already, right?"
"Yes."
Oliver remembered the conversation between Kevin and Theodore.
Kevin had become Merlin's disciple to get revenge—not just on his master and enemy, Merlin, but on every mage involved in those human experiments, and their families too.
By becoming the greatest mage of all.
It wasn't empty talk. Kevin's rage and hatred burned so hot they bordered on poison.
"So I was just doing my part. For that day. Don't go judging me as 'amazing' or 'poor thing.' I'm just following my plan. Got it?"
"Ah... Yes. And I'm sorry."
Oliver let out a soft exclamation and apologized.
He might have overstepped in his assessment... Kevin was just sticking to his plan, after all.
'Still think you're amazing, though...'
But Oliver decided not to voice it anymore. Kevin clearly didn't want to hear it.
With that topic more or less wrapped up, Kevin shifted gears.
"Mind telling me what happened while I was dragged off by Rasso? From what I overheard earlier, it sounds like something serious went down."
Oliver promptly gave a rough overview of the battle with Theodore.
How Theodore had absorbed his grandson Karl, their fight by the lake, and how he'd taken Theodore down.
'I'll skip the part where Theodore tried to possess my body...'
When Oliver claimed he'd defeated Theodore on his own, Kevin didn't show it outwardly but was inwardly shocked.
Theodore was no ordinary figure, even in the Magic Tower.
But when Gretel came up, that shock multiplied several times over.
"The Cannibal Chef's little sister?!"
"Yes. Her name's Gretel. She said so herself, and her emotions rang true. So it's probably fact."
"So you're saying Rose du Bois, the exchange student from the Department of Life Alchemy, is a finger of the Black Hand—the Cannibal Chef's sister?"
"Yes. You've heard of her too, and they're probably discussing it in there right now."
Kevin turned to glance at the massive tent where Merlin was.
"That's one hell of a bombshell."
"I agree. I knew from the first time I met Rose... or Gretel, that she wasn't ordinary. But I never imagined she'd be the Cannibal Chef's sister."
"No kidding. No one would. Those guys mostly stay out of the public eye, operating in the shadows. That's why half the world treats them like urban legends. And now one of them breaks cover."
Kevin spoke as if he knew something about it.
Makes sense—he was a field mage. Not just for wars, but hunting superhuman criminals like black mages, mana users, and street sorcerers.
An elite like Kevin knowing about them wasn't strange.
"Lucky break for you, then. If that's true, no one's gonna care about your issue for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Just the fact that a heavyweight like the Cannibal Chef's sister infiltrated the Department of Life Alchemy is a massive scandal. They'll be too busy for small stuff. Speaking of which, this is a real shitstorm."
"What do you mean?"
"My guess? The Department of Life Alchemy's probably been eaten from the inside out. By Gretel. A player like that wouldn't be there just as a bystander... This'll turn Rokuri University upside down, and Gallos with it."
Hm... Yeah, that tracked.
If someone claiming to be a Black Hand finger—the Cannibal Chef's sister, no less—was involved, it made more sense for her to be leading the charge than just tagging along.
And if Gretel had swallowed up an entire department at a magic university, it was a catastrophe not just for Rokuri University, but for the Gallos royal family that founded it.
One thing didn't add up, though.
"But the Cannibal Chef's a black mage too, right? How could they infiltrate Rokuri University—the Magic Tower of Gallos—from the inside? Aren't they mages?"
Kevin scratched his brow, looking awkward to explain.
"Well... Black mages are generally inferior to proper mages, sure. But a monster like the Cannibal Chef, who's lived for centuries? Different story. From what I know, the Cannibal Chef splits Gallos's underworld with Millieu."
Millieu. It'd been ages since he'd heard that name.
He vaguely remembered it from the trip to Back Port with Jo's group. Locals called Millieu Gallos's crime firm.
A massive criminal syndicate alliance.
More warriors than businessmen, they said—rough around the edges, rooted in thieves, bandits, and fallen nobles.
And the Cannibal Chef split that underworld with them? Oliver filed away the new info.
"Split? More like the Cannibal Chef's pushing them out."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Organization, business ventures, connections, raw power—they're losing ground across the board and crumbling. The Cannibal Chef's a top-tier black mage in their own right, but on top of that, they've got a powerhouse organization built around them... Empire of the underworld fits."
Empire of the underworld... Heavy title. Especially coming from Kevin.
"You know a lot about this."
"Asked around in the military, got some fresh intel."
"Any reason why?"
"Who knows... Just in case?"
Oliver tilted his head at the cryptic answer. But it didn't feel like a total lie, which made it weirder.
"Anyway, point is, the Cannibal Chef's sister—with that kind of backing—could pull it off. Money, connections, plenty. Maybe even offered mages what they crave through black magic."
"Like what?"
"What do mages want? Knowledge, power, youth. The Black Hand's bunch have lived centuries—they've got exactly what mages lust after."
Not wrong.
Some, like Theodore, were into black magic lore.
"Bottom line, this is huge. The Black Hand usually stays underground, but going official like this... Even the Magic Tower can't bury it forever. They'll have to announce it publicly, team up with other factions to deal with it. Gallos government, Randa City, central kingdom authorities, Pater Church, you name it."
As Kevin listed them off, the gravity sank in deeper.
"Coordinating with all those different groups? Master will probably take the lead."
"Archive?"
"Wide network, high authority—perfect for sensitive stuff like this. Especially when the Tower's got its own skeletons. If he doesn't volunteer, fine. But if he steps up? They'll cooperate fully."
"Ah..."
'Master handles it, they won't touch your issue easily... Lucky you.'
'Huh... Kinda ironic. Feels like something bad happened, but I'm benefiting.'
"That's the world for you. Wars make arms dealers rich. New plagues boost pharma. Depressions line short-sellers' pockets."
Oliver pondered Kevin's worldly words.
The world was messy—any event spelled fortune for some, doom for others. That's what made it fascinating.
Oliver asked,
"So... what happens next, Professor?"
"Next?"
"School of Life Studies betrayed the Tower, and the Department of Life Alchemy got eaten by the Cannibal Chef's side. What's your take?"
Kevin wore his signature serious expression, thinking hard. Even he couldn't call it easily.
"Hm... Never dealt with something this big myself. But I can guess about the School of Life Studies."
"How so?"
Just as Kevin opened his mouth, a thump-thump echoed from outside—like someone knocking on the tent with their hand.
Right in front of the soundproof spell, Yareli had gathered mana in her hand and rapped on it.
Not a physical barrier, but she respected Oliver and Kevin enough to call them this way.
Kevin dispelled the spell at her arrival.
"What is it?"
"Message from inside, Professor. Archive says he's using a portal to take all the mages here to his hospital. Get ready, both of you."
"Smart move. Easier to treat and keep quiet in one place... Anything else?"
"Sorry. Terence and the others like me got kicked out soon after. Said it was important."
"Got it. Let's prep."
As Kevin turned to go, Oliver stopped him.
"Professor. Mind if I ask something?"
"Shoot."
"There's a place I want to visit briefly. Can I stop by on the way?"
An uncharacteristically Oliver-like yet very Oliver question. Kevin furrowed his brow. Not like he wanted to sightsee idly... Curiosity piqued.
"Where?"
"The orphanage."