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Unna uttered, “Human-meat Chef…”
Unna spoke of the infamous Human-meat Chef, a member of the Black Hand’s inner circle, and a monstrous being who had survived for centuries, a fact even acknowledged by Kevin. This individual served as the leader of the criminal empire that thrived on Galos.
Furthermore, not even the Crime Firm dared to launch a reckless assault against him. They had to withstand the formidable defenses, including Galos’s Magic Tower and sections of Rokuri University.
Addressing the prominent figure, Oliver remarked.
“Hello? Mr. Human-meat Chef… Are you Mr. Human-meat Chef?” Oliver boldly inquired, his question eliciting doubtful looks from Unna and her sisters, who began to question his sanity.
Amused, Chef couldn’t help but chuckle. “Pffft! Just as the rumors said, you’re a screw loose.”
The lips, resembling wriggling worms, spoke from the congealed mass of flesh, producing an unexpectedly loud and resonant sound for its size.
“Rumors?”
“Yes, I heard a rumor about a screw-loose warlock in Landa… And it turns out to be true. Hello? Indeed.”
It appeared that the eccentric warlock mentioned was none other than Oliver. A clear misunderstanding, but how had it come to this?
“Ah, the bats… Of course, they betrayed us. They were supposed to attack together.”
The worm-like lips continued speaking to Unna’s party. At the mention of betrayal, Unna responded icily, “Betrayal… Isn’t that a word that presupposes a prior trust relationship to be established?”
“A dog not following its master’s command is also a betrayal. And a betraying dog only becomes meat… Do you know? Even an old worn-out dog, if well-aged in sauce for 48 hours, becomes quite edible.”
It was impossible to discern the emotions of Human-meat Chef speaking through chunks of flesh, but Oliver didn’t sense any humor in his words.
As proof, Unna’s party threatened with their facial muscles and tendons exposed, but beneath their fear of death, there was something more profound.
‘But how on earth did he do that?’
While Unna’s party and Human-meat Chef conversed, Oliver closely observed the unfolding magic spell.
Lifeless bodies… or rather, chunks of flesh that hardly resembled corpses, were somehow coming together to speak on his behalf.
At first glance, it seemed trivial, but it was anything but.
Binding the chunks of flesh together was one thing, but having them spontaneously assemble without a sorcerer was a remarkable feat.
To achieve this remotely, one would need to have a visual understanding of the situation through items or magic, as well as pre-existing black magic circles and emotions… there should be tools and intermediaries involved.
Yet, in the current magical display, there were no such intermediaries to be seen.
‘Wait a minute…’
While scrutinizing with the discerning eyes of a warlock, Oliver noticed something peculiar—thin larvae leisurely swimming within the chunks of flesh.
“Is it a creature? Like a parasite living among the flesh?”
Oliver’s straightforward question abruptly halted the conversation between Unna and Human-meat Chef, grabbing everyone’s attention.
A tense silence followed, broken by Human-meat Chef’s uproarious laughter.
“Kuhuhuhuhu!!”
The chunk of flesh opened its mouth wide, revealing the eerie laughter of Human-meat Chef. The sound echoed so loudly that it seemed to reverberate through the entire house.
As the laughter resounded, the walls and ceiling of the building trembled, and fine dust descended like a light drizzle.
“Ah… As Puppet said, you do have quite a talent. To discover that. I can see why you caught interest.”
“Mr. Puppet?”
“Yes. Not anymore, though.”
Oliver was taken aback by the revelation that Puppet had shown interest in him, only to retract it. He was curious about the initial interest and the subsequent change.
“Well, he’s the kind who pokes at anything curious… That’s unfortunate for you.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. Because that person protected you, I spared your life, but now it’s not necessary… Surely, you didn’t think you were still alive just by good luck after hindering my work?”
“Ah… Perhaps, is it because I interfered with your sister’s work? It wasn’t intentional, could you possibly understand?”
“…”
Human-meat Chef remained silent in response to Oliver’s calm yet unapologetic explanation. Though his emotions were hidden behind the flesh, he seemed somewhat displeased.
“It seems I must have looked foolish to you, to be speaking such nonsense.”
As parasites swam through the flesh in a unique pattern, the mass of flesh began to boil, and rudimentary eyes made of flesh formed upon it.
These unsettling eyes fixed their gaze upon Oliver, who stared back without any sign of revulsion. Such a reaction would be impossible for someone with a typical human disgust response.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Please speak.”
“I heard that the Magic Tower dared to declare war on me. Is that true?”
“As far as I know, yes.” Oliver replied without hesitation. After all, he hadn’t heard that it was a secret.
“I suppose so. That proud wizard wouldn’t just let a warlock defeat them and let it go… Tell those pretentious dwellers of the high tower to hurry up.”
“Yes, I understand. But may I ask why?”
“It’s boring to wait. And I want to prove it. That we have not been in the dark all this time because we feared wizards. We were just waiting for the right time.”
Biding their time… While Oliver couldn’t discern the specifics, it didn’t appear to be an empty boast, considering the level of power he encountered in Lake Village.
“Ah… And you come too.”
“Me?”
“I told you Puppet is no longer looking out for you. So you must come too. You’ve interfered with my work several times.”
It wasn’t the most logical reasoning, but Oliver grasped the general idea.
Just as he was about to inquire about the consequences if he refused to go, Human-meat Chef preempted him.
“Of course, if you’re scared, you don’t have to come. I can come myself. There have been many like that.”
Human-meat Chef conveyed this message through the mouth of the flesh.
“But if I come myself, it will be more fun. I like to disturb not just the person concerned but those around them as well… Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Oh, good response. It was worth eavesdropping.”
Oliver continued the conversation with the same calm demeanor.
“I will convey your intentions to the Magic Tower, Mr. Human-meat Chef… Do you have anything else to say?”
“No. But simply conveying it might not make those lazybones in the tower realize how serious I am, so let me give you an invitation as a favor.”
“I will deliver it if you give it to me.”
“Ah, there’s no need for that…”
Human-meat Chef uttered something incomprehensible. An invitation that didn’t require delivery. However, Oliver soon grasped the meaning behind his words.
The creatures, taking the form of parasites swimming through the flesh, suddenly coiled up, becoming the focal point for absorbing the remaining nutrients in the flesh, preparing for an explosion.
Simultaneously, the piece of flesh that had been forming a mouth transformed into the shape of a heart.
And then, it began to beat slowly.
Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat accelerated, creating an ominous atmosphere.
Unna and her sisters debated whether to summon a mass of blood to create a barrier or form wings for escape. Disagreements arose, but soon they didn’t need to raise their voices.
While they deliberated, Oliver took control of the blood without consent. Before they could protest, he directed the stolen blood to encircle the heart-shaped explosive.
[Blood Coffin]
With an incantation, the blood solidified into a hexagonal coffin shape, enclosing the flesh bomb.
Oliver didn’t stop there.
[Black Cube]
Oliver extracted a substantial amount of emotion from a test tube, crafting a cube woven from six black shields around the blood coffin, layering it double, triple, quadruple, quintuple.
He felt confident that this defense could suppress any ordinary explosion. However, the issue lay in the fact that this flesh bomb was far from ordinary.
Within the blood coffin and the black cube, the creatures inside suddenly coalesced just before the explosion, and the energy they contained surged dramatically.
It was an exceedingly brief moment, but Oliver perceived it clearly and simultaneously recognized that the defenses he had erected were insufficient.
In that critical moment, instinctively, Oliver retrieved a crimson tree branch. He used [Targeting] on Unna and her sisters, who were nearby, drew them close.
Then, he hastily extracted all the emotions, life force, and mana stored within the branch, fashioning a massive shield, albeit in a crude manner.
The shield, composed of emotions, life force, and mana, manifested just as the flesh bomb detonated. The blood coffin and black cube swelled like a rotten tin can until they reached their limits and burst.
The dark explosion erupted from within to without, expanding indiscriminately in all directions, engulfing not only Oliver and Unna’s party but also the surrounding landscape and all sounds.
At a time when laborers toiled and capitalists enjoyed pleasant parties, a colossal explosion rocked Landa.
An explosion of such magnitude that it forced streets to shut down.
“Ugh…”
Oliver muttered as he surveyed the flattened surroundings.
The city was in chaos.
***
Vrooom.
A car smoothly glided along the road, and a voice echoed from inside.
“Yesterday in Landa’s proud middle-class residential area, District O, a huge explosion occurred. The location of the explosion was 8th Street, where artists mainly reside. According to reports, there have already been numerous casualties, and the Police Bureau has announced that an international terrorist organization may be behind it. Some say—hmm… That’s not entirely incorrect. For an article in ‘Liar,’ that is. No, is it obvious? The best lies are sprinkled with truth.”
Forrest’s words were met with a nod from Oliver, who sat across from him.
Considering Human-meat Chef as a high-risk criminal, he could be seen as part of an international terrorist organization.
“All the newspapers are talking about this.”
“Of course. A bomb terror in Landa, and that in a middle-class residential area that’s supposed to be secure. Fortunately, the city seems to be responding well.”
Oliver nodded once more.
The colossal bomb attack orchestrated by Human-meat Chef was currently being effectively managed through cooperation between the city and the Magic Tower.
Revealing a fragment of the truth at a time while keeping the overall details concealed was a wise strategy.
Revealing too much truth at once would cause confusion, covering it up with lies would make the city appear inept, and if the truth leaked through other channels, it could lead to uncontrollable chaos.
Oliver felt a sense of pride within himself.
In the past, he had relied on Forrest’s explanations to comprehend these intricate political and social narratives, but now he was capable of grasping them independently.
It was indeed a commendable achievement.
“By the way, you’re pretty amazing yourself. To have survived that massive explosion.”
Forrest showed Oliver a photograph from the newspaper.
In the image, a vast area with numerous buildings reduced to rubble was prominently featured. One could infer the tremendous force of the explosion from this devastation. Surviving amidst such destruction was nothing short of extraordinary.
“I was lucky.”
Oliver responded, acknowledging that he had barely survived by securing an extensive reserve of emotions, life force, and mana through the crimson tree branch.
However, he was acutely aware that the branch had nearly exhausted its reserves of emotions, life force, and mana.
“Anyway, this makes it clear. The Magic Tower will have to fight against Human-meat Chef. And as soon as possible.”
Oliver didn’t disagree; he concurred with this assessment.
The invitation sent by Human-meat Chef amounted to a declaration of war against the Magic Tower and carried a menacing undertone. Delaying action would not only imperil the Tower but also put Landa in greater jeopardy.
“What’s the reason, though? The newspapers say Human-meat Chef is already up against significant foes like the Galos government and Rokuri University. Why provoke the Magic Tower as well?”
“Well… It’s not something to say in front of you, but warlocks, especially skilled ones, are all insane in the head, difficult to read their thoughts. Maybe now that it’s come to this, he just wants to escalate the fight.”
“Really?”
“Maybe he wants to use an external enemy to unite the interior, or he wants to escalate the fight to increase his fame through it. Or perhaps he believes he can win.”
The certainty of triumph also seemed like a plausible explanation. Given the black magic of the creation series he had exhibited and his demeanor, he appeared highly skilled and self-assured.
‘Something doesn’t quite add up, though…’
“What’s the situation at the Tower?” Forrest inquired after perusing the newspaper.
“It’s very busy. It was already busy after Lake Village, but it got even busier after I conveyed the message from Mr. Human-meat Chef. Then it got even more hectic sharing that information with the city.”
Indeed, after surviving the explosion, Oliver tended to Unna and her companions and promptly headed to the Tower to report the incident.
The Tower was taken aback, and given the gravity of the situation, they swiftly sought assistance from the city.
Fortunately, this allowed them to maintain control over the narrative, but it also meant that they now had to confront Human-meat Chef with the city’s involvement.
“I’ve heard that Galos has already requested support. Not just from Rokuri University, but also from the Galos government.”
“When the ABC case happened, Landa used the Entertainment druids financial crime information they secured to build their own cooperative relationships with other nations, so it’s not that surprising that the Galos government has asked for help.”
That was indeed the case. Following the ABC case led by Shamus, Landa had once again demonstrated its capabilities and forged cooperative ties with other nations for criminal investigations, thereby bolstering its influence.
“The original plan was to take time to gather the best wizards for support, but for now, they plan to send a small advance team to gather information and build a network with local forces.”
“Sometimes, starting is more important than being fully prepared… Will you be participating too?”
“Yes. I think I will.” Oliver replied. He had been invited by Human-meat Chef and had volunteered to go after conveying Chef’s message to the Tower. There were no significant objections within the Tower to his decision.
Upon hearing his response, Forrest displayed a complex array of emotions and expressions.
“I’d like to give advice, but I’m not really at that level.” Forrest admitted sincerely, but Oliver dismissed his concerns.
“Mr. Forrest, you’ve already helped me enough. Please don’t say that.”
“This is because of a promise.” Forrest stated, gazing out of the window toward District W.
District W was the next destination after District X, renowned as Landa’s slum and a gathering place for beggars. True to its reputation, District W had a substantial population of impoverished individuals. Forrest’s car stopped near the area where the most destitute congregated.
One might wonder why so many people were gathered here, but it was because of a free food distribution center.
This center provided fried bread and inexpensive coffee at no cost. Adjacent to the food center stood a decrepit building with a sign that read ‘Poor Brothers.’
It was a welfare center run by Kent.
“We’ve arrived, boss,” Al announced.
As the meeting drew closer, Forrest grew visibly tense. He was about to confront his own past transgressions.
In an attempt to alleviate Forrest’s unease, Oliver said, “Mr. Forrest, may I ask you for a favor later?”
“Do you have to talk about it now? What is it?”
“I would like to introduce a few ladies to the Tower, but there are some issues with my identity as Zenon. So, I was thinking of introducing them in the form of a request as a solver. Could you link those ladies and me in a contractual arrangement as client and solver?”
“That’s a very suspicious and unpleasant favor. Well, why not… Who is the client? What’s their name?”
“It’s Ms. Elizabeth Unna. She’s the current head of the Bathory family.”
“Hmm… The Bathory family?”
“Yes.”
“I must be going crazy… Nothing surprises me anymore.”
(To be Continued)
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