Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Beast Capture (2)
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When Oliver returned from District V to District T, it was the time of evening turning into night.
The streets were quieter than during the day, but not entirely silent.
Unlike Districts W and X, where some level of public safety was maintained, alleys and main roads alike had large and small taverns open, welcoming customers.
The Forest Restaurant was no exception.
Ding-a-ling.
As Oliver opened the door and entered, the red-skinned egg appeared just like on his first visit to greet him.
"Good evening, Mr. Dave. Welcome back. Nice to see you again. The boss is waiting over there."
He guided Oliver as if he knew everything, and Oliver didn't bother asking questions.
It had been said that the place resembled a barbaric market yet possessed unexpected organization and meticulousness, and it seemed to be true.
As the egg had said, Forest—the owner of the restaurant and the broker—sat in the middle of the tidied-up dining hall, waiting for Oliver.
"Good to see you. I expected we'd meet again, but I didn't think it'd be today."
Forest rose from his seat and greeted Oliver politely.
Oliver responded with equal courtesy and gratitude.
"No, I'm genuinely impressed. I had a slight hope you'd catch it, but in just one day... That's beyond expectations."
"I was just lucky."
"These days, luck is part of skill. Have you eaten?"
Oliver thought for a moment. Had he eaten anything?
"...No, not yet."
"It's late, but if it's alright with you, may I treat you to a meal?"
Oliver wasn't hungry and was about to decline, but he changed his mind and accepted the offer.
Cant had advised him beforehand that Forest only showed favors to people he liked, so it was best to accept most things graciously.
As soon as Oliver agreed, staff in relatively casual attire brought out the food.
It was fish fillets covered in sauce.
"Don't like fish?"
"No... Thank you. I'll eat well."
Oliver skillfully cut into the fish with fork and knife and ate.
Forest ate at a similar pace, observing Oliver while pretending not to.
"...You eat quite gracefully."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, my apologies if that was rude. It's just rare to see someone eat with such refinement, so it slipped out."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Most people ask for booze instead of proper food, or a huge slab of grilled meat. Cant was the former type."
"I see."
"Yes... So seeing someone eat so politely is refreshing."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Following Cant's advice, Oliver kept his responses short and polite.
He was handling it well so far.
Forest stared intently at Oliver, his gaze piercing like Cant's, the Pharmacist's, or James's.
Oliver met it without any particular reaction, just as he normally would.
Forest soon averted his eyes and resumed eating.
Did that mean it passed?
Oliver thought so as he continued his meal.
Clink. Clink.
When the plates were about half empty, Forest stopped eating and gestured to a server.
Moments later, the egg brought 35.7 million Randa in high-denomination bills—precisely 35.7 million, bundled for easy carrying.
"Reward of 35.7 million Randa. Bundled in high denominations for convenience. The original bounty was 42 million Randa, but I deducted my 15 percent fee of 6.3 million. Any questions?"
"No."
Forest's eyebrow twitched slightly at Oliver's curt reply.
It was the reaction of someone who hadn't gotten the response he'd been waiting for.
Only then did Oliver grasp the situation and speak up.
"I don't mind the fee being a bit higher."
"......"
"Mr. Cant told me. He said you charge 15 percent—1.5 times more than other brokers—but that you deserve it."
"...Did that guy say that?"
"Yes. He said you're ruthless in some ways, but incredibly responsible when it comes to work. And that you provide various services. So, he said we could trust and do business with you."
For a moment, Forest's emotions flickered.
Regret, guilt, remorse, misunderstanding, longing. It seemed there was some history with Cant, but he quickly regained his composure.
He truly had a strong sense of duty toward his work.
Forest interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on them, and spoke.
"Thanks for the kind words... Shall we get to the main point?"
"Yes."
Oliver stopped eating and showed he was focusing.
"First, congratulations on officially passing the test. As promised, I'll be your broker. Got it?"
At Forest's call, the server named Egg brought over some documents.
"It's a formality, but please fill this out. It's a simple employment contract."
"May I read it first?"
"Of course. Naturally. It covers the standard fees, the clauses you must follow, penalties for violations, and the duties and services I must provide you."
Oliver listened while scanning the document with his eyes.
Thanks to all the reading he'd done, he could read it smoothly without stumbling.
There were no problematic terms in the contract.
As Forest said, it outlined fees, responsibility sharing for mission mishaps, and clauses both parties must adhere to.
It wasn't much different from what Cant had explained once before.
It seemed nitpicky, complex, and impersonal, but that very detail made responsibilities crystal clear, which felt refreshingly tidy.
Much like Forest's personality.
"May I ask one question?"
"What is it?"
Oliver pointed to a protection clause at the bottom.
"What's this part?"
"Just what it says. Brokers like me exist across all of Randa—even in the political and administrative Districts A, B, and C. We're part of a single guild, checking and helping each other."
"Yes, I've heard."
"Good. Then you know our broker guild lobbies the Randa police department. Thanks to that, fixers who deal with us get some perks. For example, minor crimes get overlooked. Of course, nothing that blows up into a big issue, but we cover a certain level."
"I see."
"And it's the same for black magicians like you. Black magic uses humans as ingredients. Legally, just being a black magician is grounds for arrest."
Oliver nodded.
He already knew this from Joseph's study and Cant.
That's why black magicians hid in the shadows or used fake identities.
Of course, if the police really wanted to catch them, they could nab a lot, but the massive costs, risks, and uproar made it not worth it.
Like cockroaches—you don't bother if you don't see them, but smash them if you do.
"Understood."
"Yes, but as long as you don't cause major trouble while working with me, there shouldn't be issues. Even if something happens during a job, as long as it doesn't exceed a certain level, I'll provide some protection."
"Understood. So, as long as I avoid the items in this clause?"
Oliver pointed again to items like demon worship and illegal human experimentation.
"Exactly. Those are absolute no-gos. If even one comes up, our contract terminates automatically. Crimes from missions not through me aren't covered, nor are everyday disturbances. Got it?"
Oliver nodded. Protection from Forest applied only when behaving and during his missions.
Honestly, not bad. He had no immediate plans for other work or causing a ruckus. No problem at all.
The human experimentation clause nagged a bit, though. Did it include animal or beast corpses?
The book from the puppeteer Glyph covered preservative methods, modifications, even fine remote control.
He was personally curious enough to experiment if he had time.
Beast corpses as a compromise... Though if possible, human ones too.
But the wording bothered him.
"Any issue?"
"No, none."
Oliver judged it inappropriate to ask now and held off.
Once he gained experience and reputation, personal requests might be possible, so he could ask then.
Forest seemed slightly puzzled but moved on without pressing.
"Talking like this makes it sound too grand. Don't take it too seriously. We're contracting out of necessity, with minimal obligations to uphold. That's all."
"Yes, understood."
"...No more questions?"
Oliver wanted to ask about the Black Market right away but held back with patience.
He thought jumping straight to it would be improper.
As discussed before, build experience here, learn the ropes, gain credit and reputation first.
If Black Market came up, he'd say—as practiced many times—he wanted books on black magic.
Perfect. Time-consuming, but he'd learn plenty in the meantime.
Oliver steeled his resolve.
"None."
"Good... That's all. Let's do well going forward."
"Yes, thank you. Oh, right..."
Oliver pulled ten bills from the stack of his reward.
Ten 100,000 Randa notes—he asked to exchange them for 50,000 and 10,000 denominations.
50,000 was manageable, but 100,000 was too conspicuous.
"You want them exchanged?"
"Yes. I heard you provide that service, Mr. Forest—from Mr. Cant."
"Then you know the exchange fee is 10 percent."
"Yes, that's fine."
"Alright."
Forest handed the ten 100,000 notes to Egg, who went to the office and returned with half in 10,000s and half in 50,000s.
He handed them to Oliver with a friendly smile, and Oliver bowed politely in thanks.
Business done, Oliver devoured the remaining food in big bites, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood.
"If that's alright, I'll take my leave."
"Of course. Good work."
Forest stood and offered his hand.
Oliver shook it and quietly departed.
Bowing to each server he passed.
"What do you think?"
After Oliver left, Forest finished his fish while asking Egg, the server.
"He seems a bit naive, like a kid fresh out into the world, but basically decent. Reasonable, no quirks. From what I heard in Martel, he's skilled too."
"That's the problem. I've never seen a skilled black magician with a good personality. Born in opposition to magicians, but fundamentally similar."
Egg chuckled and advised.
"That might not go over well with the other black magicians."
"Is that so? But it's the truth."
Clink clink—the sound of utensils resumed.
"More importantly, what will you do, boss? Martel asked to share Dave's info. Will you agree?"
Forest fell silent.
The Martel Life Research Institute, founded by the Life Magic School, was a massive research conglomerate backed by capitalists' money and magicians' tech.
Holding countless patents, wielding significant influence in medicine.
Public image was stellar, but in reality, they were lunatics obsessed with magic supremacy and eugenics.
Rumors said the escaped chimera wasn't lost but released on purpose—to gather data on their bioweapon's solo performance.
Just hearsay, but plausible for Martel.
And now, they were interested in a twenty-something black magician new to the scene.
"...Decline for now."
Egg nodded at Forest's answer.
"Got it. But is that okay?"
"From his tone, it's just a probe. No need to react. We'll watch first."
"Yes, understood."
Egg replied and left with Oliver's empty plate.
Forest remained alone in the hall, smiling enigmatically.
"Looks like things won't be boring for a while."