Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Child, Corpse Doll (2)
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Vroooom.
The night after sunset.
Three battered trucks were rumbling down the road leading out of Landa.
Whether it was Oliver's efforts that paid off or not, the truck drivers had finally accepted Murphy's proposal.
On top of that, Oliver had promised that if he really caught the bandits raiding the trucks, they would end the strike.
Afterward, Murphy informed Jimmy of this and negotiated further, securing three trucks needed to catch the raiders.
They were barely functional scraps of junk, but they would do the job.
The trucks drove in a single file line. Murphy and Oliver rode in the first one, Arthur in the second, and Denny in the third.
For reference, Oliver had learned to drive a truck in about half a day, but when it came time to execute the plan, Murphy and Arthur decided to pull him from the driver's seat.
They said it was better for the black magician Oliver to have freedom of movement in case of a raid.
So now, Oliver sat beside Murphy, watching him drive.
Watching him shift the gear stick and press buttons while turning the wheel.
It was all so methodical. Very neat and tidy.
"Are you still upset about it?"
Murphy, dressed in work clothes and driving, asked out of the blue.
"Ah... No, not upset, just a bit disappointed. I wanted to try driving."
"I'm sorry. But a black magician like you needs to focus on the bandits rather than driving... If it's okay with you, I can let you drive my car later. It's new, but if you want to."
Oliver nodded as if to say he understood.
Murphy brimmed with confidence and even more ambition, yet he was always cautious around Oliver. He still couldn't figure out why.
Oliver was just a black magician who knew how to fight a little.
From Oliver's perspective, Murphy was the more intriguing one.
He had concrete, clear goals, some inferiority complex, but even greater ambition to surpass it.
Plus friendships and sympathy with the retired soldiers, and grand plans to lead them.
His negotiations with the striking drivers had been impressive too.
So it was a bit baffling why someone like that was wary of him.
Because he was a bit stronger?
As he pondered asking about it, Murphy muttered suddenly.
"...Anyway, will they show? I'm worried the truck bandits won't appear since we're running suddenly. It'd be a problem for me if we have to keep doing this."
"Personally, I think we'll run into the truck bandits today. But if we do, what happens then?"
Murphy thought for a moment before answering Oliver's question.
"...That would mean there's a traitor in the family."
A calm voice. Proof that he'd already considered it.
"Do betrayals happen often in the family?"
"...I can't say they don't."
Murphy explained.
"In a crime firm, betrayal and power struggles are everyday occurrences. Not every idle moment, but they're always happening somewhere. And it's not just crime firms. Any organization is the same."
Oliver suddenly recalled his time in Joseph's Family. It was a pretty old memory now.
The master Joseph had sacrificed his disciples to demons for power and talent,
and his direct disciple Andrew right below him had built more influence in the family than Joseph by gathering followers.
Everyday... Maybe even natural. Survival and self-preservation were at stake for everyone.
Oliver wondered if there had been such people even when he temporarily took the master's seat. He hoped there were.
He thought of Marie, Peter, and the other disciples.
"...If there is a traitor, who do you think it might be? From your perspective, Murphy."
Murphy glanced at Oliver.
"...Quite a few."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The former boss James was an excellent man, but his son Jimmy... isn't quite up to it. When the leader can't prove his capabilities, the underlings have no choice but to bare their teeth. It's like the sun rising in the east."
"Ah, I see."
"And, black magician. If I may be bold, please don't talk about such things carelessly. It's a question that could lead to bloodshed if mishandled."
Murphy spoke with a mix of embarrassment and concern.
"Yes, I get it. But isn't answering it dangerous too? Why answer me?"
At Oliver's retort, Murphy flinched as if pricked by something sharp.
"Well... You've helped a lot with this matter. If you hadn't stepped in, we'd still be negotiating, or Jimmy would be fighting the drivers. And as you know, that wouldn't benefit me."
Murphy was lying. Not entirely, but he only gave side details, not the core.
But Oliver didn't press and simply replied, "I see."
He wasn't fishing for an answer he desperately wanted to hear.
However, amusingly, when Oliver backed off easily, Murphy grew anxious on his own and soon opened his mouth.
"...But it's because you're you, black magician. The dark horse of T District."
"What do you mean?"
"Just that. The reason I'm answering so straightforwardly is because you're a black magician of exceptional skill who captured four magicians single-handedly and keeps doing amazing things. In short, I want to stay on good terms with you, somehow."
Sincere. Oliver thought, looking at Murphy.
"If it sounds mercenary and offends you, I'm sorry. But understand. I'm not the only one in this world trying to stay friendly with a skilled fixer like you."
"No, it doesn't offend me. I'm helping you because of the warehouse too. Well played."
"That's a relief. Still, I'd appreciate it if you thought well of me too."
"...? I do think well of you, Murphy. I like you."
"......"
"How should I put it? Your emotions always burn so vividly. Inferiority, ambition, drive, will... I like that."
Murphy's face showed confusion, as if he didn't fully understand Oliver's words, but also contemplation, as if grasping something.
Then, as if resolving himself, he spoke.
"I haven't had coffee and I'm driving through the night, so maybe I'm crazy, but I'll say it anyway... I'm going to absorb the Hoffman Family within a year."
"...?"
"Jimmy hasn't fully taken control of the organization. Right up until his father died, he was more interested in drinking and whoring than family business. So he hasn't grasped the operations or earned the members' respect."
Oliver recalled his first meeting with Jimmy.
He had a gun in hand, screaming he'd kill him, while those around desperately held him back, their faces showing disappointment and exhaustion.
"......."
"If the Kimbel Family and Hoffman Family start full cooperation, we'll eat them from the bottom up. First the drivers, then the regular members, then the managers... People flock to those who deliver results and profits, after all."
His final words carried conviction bordering on belief.
"If that happens, the Kimbel Family could become the second most powerful in T District after the executives. That gets me closer to being a big shot, and lets me help you more, black magician."
"Me? Thanks, but why help me?"
"As I said, you're an incredible powerhouse. That's why I'm saying this—I want your help going forward. For some reason, whenever we're at a critical juncture, you play the decisive role... I'll repay the favors in kind."
Oliver looked at Murphy. He was sincere, and it seemed following Kant's advice had been right.
Keep your word, give your all to the task at hand.
As Oliver nodded in understanding, Murphy sighed in relief.
"Ha... Amazing. I'm not usually one to share so easily."
"Really?"
"Yes. You have a knack for drawing something out from deep inside people... Anyway, we're entering the forest road now. Be careful from here. Most raids happen in this area—"
"Drive slowly, please."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Oliver grabbed Murphy's shoulder.
Murphy seemed to sense something, subtly slowing down while instructing the trucks behind via radio to do the same.
Ignoring that, Oliver focused his eyes ahead.
He could see emotions hidden in the distant woods—about thirty in total.
They lurked with murderous intent, waiting silently for someone.
"Black magician?"
"Keep going forward."
Murphy drove as instructed.
A strange tension hung in the air. Oliver rolled down the window and extracted emotions.
The hidden foes centered around the road ahead, all fixated on one spot.
Oliver converted the extracted emotions into three black magics, stuck his arm out the window, and said,
Hate Bullet
Hatred projectiles split small and fired like a submachine gun at the ambush point.
Small explosions followed.
Bang! Boom—!
"Landmines?!"
Not just Murphy was shocked—the hidden bandits were too.
Their delayed reaction gave Oliver the opening. He tagged the exposed ones with Targeting and scattered Black Darts into the air.
In the darkness lit only by car headlights, the sharp whistling of darts cut through, followed by screams erupting everywhere.
"Argh—!"
"My shoulder! My shoulder!!"
"What the hell?! What is this?!"
Some panicked and lit lanterns. Oliver sniped them ghostly with Hate Bullets.
And that wasn't the end.
Oliver gathered emotions at his fingertips and remotely commanded Child.
"Pauls, protect Denny. Everyone else, get out."
At the command, the corpse dolls hidden cleverly in the truck beds sprang into action.
First, possessing a black magician corpse doll, let out a "Kuhuhu..." while extracting emotions and gunning down enemies.
Screams grew louder in the darkness,
and in that meantime, eight raiders armed with axes, hammers, and shotguns swarmed the rearmost truck with Denny, the most vulnerable.
Denny's scream seemed to reach them, but only briefly—Pauls moved from Denny's truck bed.
Pauls inhabited a swordsman corpse doll armed with multiple sabers.
For fun during repairs, Oliver had attached two arms to one shoulder.
Each of the three arms held a saber, and Pauls bizarrely closed in on the distant attackers, slicing them one by one with inhuman movements.
Especially the left side with two arms—attacks came from two spots at once, impossible to block.
"Kyahahahaha—!!!"
Second, in a sniper doll, climbed atop Arthur's truck and unleashed gunfire, every shot precise, dropping enemies without miss.
Third, in a rag doll with six limbs each, went "Clack! Clack! Clack!" with chattering teeth, scuttling like a cockroach to grab and rip foes with steel fangs.
"F-Fuck—! No one said anything about monsters...! Arghhh!"
"Max! Th-This cra... Gah—!"
"R-Retreat. Everyone, for now—!"
It was pure chaos. Even Murphy muttered "My God" under his breath, overwhelmed by the scene.
Oliver stepped out of the truck.
He began binding the wounded truck bandits with Bind Shadow. Soon, Arthur and Denny approached from outside and asked,
"...What're you doing?"
"Figured we need to interrogate to find out who's behind this. So I'm tying them up... Got any rope?"
Arthur silently handed over a cord with a unique knot.
Oliver thanked him and started tying the bandits.
It had been utterly one-sided. For bandits plaguing a major T District organization, they seemed lacking.
'Or are the Puppet corpse dolls just that strong?'
Arthur, Denny, and Murphy got out and surveyed the area. It felt like the fight was already over.
"Came with high hopes, but looks like we won't get to do much."
That was when it happened. Crunch—! Something flew in with a crushing sound and sprawled before Oliver.
It was the rag corpse doll with Third inside.
Its face was cracked like it'd been smashed hard, and most of its twelve limbs torn off like insect parts.
Ahead loomed a black magician as burly as Arthur, who'd ripped off Third's limbs and scattered them.
His body was dyed in dark red aura, exuding the high typical of disease-series black magic enhancement.
"Fuck... Hilton bastard. Said it'd just be a few picnics, but this is bullshit."
"Hilton?"
"A black magician? Knew that fucker was involved!"
Murphy and Denny raged, as if they'd suspected.
Oliver asked the man before him.
"Is it okay to talk about that?"
"Hmph! They're all gonna die here anyway, so what?"
With that, the man cast several black magics on himself.
He had immense confidence in his physical prowess. His skin darkened further from the magic's aftereffects, muscles swelled, bones enlarged.
A skilled disease-series black magician. He said,
"I'll tear you all apart and bill Hilton for the cost— Urk!"
The man felt a stinging pain and looked at his leg.
Third's arm was embedded in his thigh.
A hidden blade from the joint had stabbed him—not just a blade.
The disease-series black magic [Exhaustion] infused in it infiltrated his body.
Exhaustion
Drains stamina, dulling body and mind. Basic and simple, weak effect but easy to store long-term; quantity compensates.
Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke! Poke!
Blades sprang from the scattered limbs like dragonfly wings, ambushing the man. He staggered to his knees.
Even then, he tried casting more magic to counter Exhaustion, but the fallen Third rose, and other corpse dolls surrounded him.
He swung his arms weakly in resistance, but growing fear was visible.
Ignoring him, First, Second, Third, and Pauls looked to Oliver, awaiting permission.
"Grraaah........."
"......."
"Clack- clack-"
"Keeheee........."
"Hm... Eat him, but not to death."
As permission lingered, the Childs opened their maws and brought them close to the man.
With that, massive emotions and life force were extracted from his body into the Childs' mouths.
Shooooosh—!
Shooooosh—!
Shooooosh—!
Shooooosh—!
His muscular frame withered in real time,
and at Oliver's command to stop, the Childs closed their mouths, stepped back, and awkwardly bowed.
Oliver approached the now shriveled, jerky-like man and asked,
"Are you still alive...? Ah, you are."