Chapter 413: Riot

“…I want to know what it means that you fought the Son of an Angel. Can you explain it to me?”

Yareli asked, still confused.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand.

She was juggling multiple tasks—assisting Loculi University, managing the Tower of Magic’s interests, monitoring the Skadi Minor School’s position, and observing Oliver.

And on top of that, she had an unexpected conversation with the Flesh Cook. It was enough to leave anyone confused.

After some hesitation, Oliver finally spoke.

“Um… I’m afraid I can’t tell you. It’s not just about me.”

“Not just about you?”

“Yes.”

Oliver thought of Merlin as he replied. If he were to answer, he would need Merlin’s permission first.

“But, I am curious about something, too. If you answer my question, I can give you a brief answer.”

This sudden offer made Yareli even more skeptical than when she talked to the Flesh Cook.

After some consideration, she asked.

“What are you curious about?”

“The Flesh Cook mentioned that humans eat humans. What do you think about that?”

“…Why are you asking that?”

“I’m just curious. About what others think.”

***

“What are you doing?”

A young voice echoed from a huge mechanical tower in Central Ravely District 1.

The tower, built to showcase Gallos’s national power, should have been under maintenance, inaccessible to anyone… And now there’s a child’s voice?

However, the Flesh Cook reacted to it.

“What’s your problem?”

A small shadow clung to his back, holding a dagger to his neck.

Yet, the Flesh Cook remained unfazed, because—

—Slick!

He knew a shadow like this couldn’t harm his body.

Proving his point, the Flesh Cook scratched the scales on his neck as if feeling itchy. Then, with his other hand, he drew a French knife and sliced the shadow in two.

The shadow split instantly.

However, the shadow reformed as if nothing had happened and pointed a dagger at the Flesh Cook before moving to its master, the Eternal Child Fen.

“What’s your game?”

Fen asked, a child’s typical irritability in his voice.

“I’m sure you promised to hand over the guy who fought the Son of an Angel if I helped you…”

“I did. I told you to avoid the Archive’s Eyes… Oh, are you upset because I told you to leave?”

Fen confirmed this with his silence.

“That was just to confuse you. What kind of fool leaves when the enemy tells them to?”

The Flesh Cook spoke boldly and shamelessly, but part of him was serious.

Having bombed Randa outright, he couldn’t just leave. This war had escalated far beyond being just a war among wizards.

If they left now, the Tower of Magic would not only lose its prestige and position but would also face backlash from the city of Randa, which they had aided.

In other words, they’d be caught between a rock and a hard place.

That’s why he told them to leave—to confuse them since leaving wasn’t an option anyway.

Of course, understanding that would be difficult… but it was partly true.

This was the essence of dealing with fellow dark wizards: mix truth with lies, rendering even keen eyes useless.

A simple but surprisingly tricky method.

“So don’t misunderstand like a brat. If I had wanted to do something sneaky, I would’ve done it back in the basement… We don’t care about that guy. We’re more interested in our meal right now.”

Fen seemed to consider this and then ordered the shadow to retreat and return under his feet.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

“Oh, you’re believing me more easily than I thought?”

The Flesh Cook sneered, surprised that Fen’s usual nasty temperament wasn’t showing.

But regrettably, his expectations weren’t wrong.

“Not so easily.”

“What?”

Snap—

Instead of answering, Fen snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, from the dark corners of the tower, closed off with minimal power left for maintenance, monsters began appearing one by one.

They were Fen’s creatures. Twisted beings, born from pure and brutal imagination and dark magic.

“I’ll leave these guys in the tower.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, it’s no joke… Think of it as insurance. Or maybe a penalty. Since an old man acted on his own, I also need some kind of safeguard, don’t I?”

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Creak, creak, creak—

Screech! Screech!

Growl, growl, growl…

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

In the dark corridors where no electricity flowed, creatures with human teeth, bird beaks, beast muzzles, and fish gills howled in disarray, as if responding to their master.

“Don’t be scared. As long as you don’t try anything funny, I’ll give you control over them. After all, your subordinates needed to move for their meal, right? And you’ll need forces to guard the tower? I’ll watch over you… But if you don’t like it, we can destroy everything here.”

Fen’s creatures howled again, shaking the tower as he made his veiled threat.

It was indeed an ironic situation.

A monument built to demonstrate national power had now, in the blink of an eye, become a den of monsters.

No, maybe it was inevitable. After all, this civilization itself was built on barbarism.

The Flesh Cook made a proposal.

“I’ll accept as long as you don’t leave a single one on the top floor.”

“Why?”

“Because your creatures are disgusting to look at—even for someone who has seen all sorts of beings from other worlds. And it’s not like they’ll be a problem if they’re just one floor below me, right? Unless you’re so scared you can’t accept even that?”

The Flesh Cook taunted Fen. Fortunately, the provocation worked.

“Hmm… Fine.”

“What a monumental day. It’s rare that we agree. Though I don’t feel great about it.”

As the Flesh Cook made this sarcastic remark, Fen flashed his middle finger alongside his shadow and disappeared into the dark corridor.

Being small in stature, Fen soon merged with the darkness and his presence disappeared. As soon as he was gone, the Flesh Cook opened his dark mage’s eyes and scanned the entire mechanical tower, locating the creatures. He spread his emotions along with his will, issuing commands.

As promised, once Fen was gone, the creatures began obeying the Flesh Cook.

“Why did you come back alone?”

As the tense conversation that had almost ruined everything came to an end, Gretel emerged from the tower’s observation deck and asked.

In response to his sister’s question, the Flesh Cook asked back.

“What are you talking about?”

“The basement. That guy… It was a good opportunity, wasn’t it?”

She was asking why he didn’t devour Xenon or Dave. The Flesh Cook thought about the moment and then replied.

“…It seemed better not to.”

“What?”

“Did that sound weird?”

“A lot weird. It’s not like us to stay still with such tasty prey right in front of us, is it?”

“You’re not wrong… But this time, things are a bit more complicated.”

Gretel couldn’t argue with that.

She was preparing a feast unlike any she had ever experienced in her hundreds of years of life, so large in scale that she was about to completely sacrifice the organization she had painstakingly built.

But of course, she had no regrets. With the clock ticking, they had to move faster than anyone else, even if it meant taking some risks.

“In such a situation, there’s no need to create unnecessary variables. If Fen gets really offended and messes things up, everything could go awry. And I can’t guarantee that guy is worth it… In short, we should prioritize.”

Unconsciously, Gretel focused her senses, staring at her brother with her dark mage’s eyes.

Unlike herself, who had focused on dark mage powers over being a wizard, he had a powerful emotional undercurrent instead of a wall of magic power. She could read his emotions, but discerning his true intentions was difficult.

However, Gretel was also an excellent dark mage. Despite the tumult of emotions, she could partially grasp the one glimmering thread of his true feelings.

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

“Aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but it still annoys me that we have to hand over that guy to that creepy kid who pretends to be a child.”

“There’s no need to worry. If that guy really is special, he won’t easily fall to Fen. If he does, that just means he wasn’t that exceptional to begin with.”

Hearing the Flesh Cook’s logical reasoning, Gretel felt a slight sense of relief.

Her brother was right.

Though the one who extracted vast amounts of mana from the Lake, returned it, defeated Theodore, and fought against the Son of an Angel was impressive, it wasn’t certain yet.

If he really was special, if he was chosen, he wouldn’t easily fall to someone with such delusional tendencies.

And if he did fall, then that was his limit. And if she still wanted him afterward, she could take him after the feast when all was done.

Gretel, whose mind had cleared from the confusion caused by her greed, now felt at ease and spoke in a refreshed voice.

“You’re right, brother. For now, let’s focus on what we have prepared.”

“Exactly.”

Seeing his sister’s mind put at ease, the Flesh Cook showed an unusually bright smile.

A warm and gentle smile.

Seeing that smile, Gretel also smiled, bringing her hands together and tapping her fingers as if something was still bothering her.

“Um… But is it okay? This… All this happened because of my mistake, so can I eat first?”

“Don’t you remember what we promised?”

“Promise?”

“I said I’d let you eat the most delicious part first, didn’t I? Back at that house.”

***

[Loculi University must explain! They must explain!]

Inside the large library at Loculi University, Oliver was observing the speech happening outside the university using a telescope and dark mage powers.

Even though there were still many books left for him to read, Oliver was captivated by the massive rally he was witnessing for the first time.

The man on the podium continued to shout into the microphone. The sound equipment behind him amplified his rough voice, making it even louder, striking the ears of many people gathered outside Loculi University.

[Since when did we let the Kingdom’s people run rampant in our Gallos? And that’s not all! They’ve invaded the city under the pretext of capturing dark mages and turned it into a battlefield, disregarding our safety!]

The man was angry, and his anger, meeting the fertile ground of empathy, soon spread to those around him.

His words were aggressive and violent, but, honestly, they weren’t entirely wrong.

Indeed, Oliver had violently raided Flesh Cook’s businesses and hideouts along with Kevin, Terence, and Yareli.

Of course, they had considered the potential damage. They paid as much attention as they had done when working in Randa.

But even so, they hadn’t accounted for the city’s unrest caused by their rough combat.

Or perhaps, they couldn’t have accounted for it. After all, Randa didn’t react the same way.

‘Randa really is a tough place. Even after all that chaos, people just shrugged it off,’

Oliver recalled this seemingly obvious fact as he continued to observe the speech through the telescope. The man on the podium kept shouting.

[And look at this! While the so-called great wizards from the Allied Kingdoms turned our home into a warzone, what were the police doing? What about the bureaucratic nobility?! …They said nothing! They didn’t care at all about our safety and lives! Since when did we accept such treatment?! Several decades ago, we fought for freedom, equality, and our inalienable rights!!]

Oliver couldn’t fully grasp the concepts of freedom and equality from decades ago, but it seemed to mean something special to these people, as everyone listening to the speech got excited and cheered wholeheartedly.

One woman in the crowd shouted.

“And women’s rights too!”

[No, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.]

The man on the podium hurriedly corrected the woman’s words, more earnestly than when he had shouted about inalienable rights.

“Are you still watching?”

Someone spoke to Oliver, who was observing the scene outside from the library window. It was a voice he had become quite familiar with. It was Yareli.

Oliver didn’t look at her, still captivated by the more interesting scene outside, and responded.

“Yes, it’s a rare sight in Randa, so it’s intriguing. The content of the speech is interesting too.”

“What’s the speech about?”

“They’re saying that they dislike how we’re running wild in this city. Although they’re not calling us Yangbaks yet… Oh, now they did. What does ‘Yangbak’ mean? I’ve asked around, but no one explains it to me.”

“…You asked about that?”

“Yes, I’m curious.”

“Ah…”

Yareli let out a genuine sigh of regret.

“Anyway, they’re also criticizing the police and bureaucratic nobility for not stopping us, claiming they fought for freedom, equality, and inalienable rights decades ago… excluding women. Are they really supported by the Flesh Cook?”

“According to the information from Lucian, yes. Minor nobility, capitalists, and intellectuals—a small number of Commoner Party figures… Honestly, even I find it hard to believe.”

Oliver nodded in agreement. It was already unbelievable that the Flesh Cook controlled half of Gallos’s underworld, but to think he held that much influence in the visible world as well.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t so strange. It wasn’t uncommon in Randa either.

Investing in businessmen through vast capital, backing specific individuals to exert influence—this was a common sight.

Yet, even so, there was something he couldn’t understand.

Why would someone with such immense influence repeatedly make big moves to escalate conflicts…

Even though Oliver was not an expert in such matters, he knew that someone with that level of power would find it advantageous to move cautiously, like the Crime Firm directors.

It was natural that as the stakes got higher, one’s actions became more cautious.

For a moment, Oliver wondered if the Flesh Cook lacked patience, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

The Flesh Cook he had met was rough in speech and actions but had a sense of experience. And considering he had built such power, he had already proven his patience.

All the more reason for Oliver to be puzzled.

Why openly antagonize Loculi University and the Tower of Magic, mobilize the Commoner Party connections, and give the King and the Nobility more reasons to intervene?

This led to the army being stationed near Gallos, heightening the city’s tension.

While this led to a temporary lull, it was an overblown decision. Ultimately, it only increased the tension.

Without looking at Yareli, Oliver asked.

“Has the Professor decided anything?”

“No, he’s still negotiating with Loculi University. It’s frustrating, but given the situation, there’s no other way. The citizens are protesting, and even within Loculi University, there’s suspicion on who might be in league with the Flesh Cook.”

That was true.

After Oliver brought the Unique Specimen following his meeting with the Flesh Cook, Loculi University’s internal members became increasingly suspicious of each other.

As a result, conflicts escalated internally and externally, leaving everyone paralyzed.

“So, did Sir Terence call for me?”

“No, I came for my own business. To give you an answer.”

“…An answer?”

For the first time, Oliver moved his gaze to Yareli.

“Yes, my thoughts on what the Flesh Cook said about humans eating humans. You asked for some time to think, right?”

That was true. When Oliver asked in the basement, Yareli had requested more time to contemplate.

“Have you thought it through?”

“Yes. But I have a condition.”

Oliver tilted his head. Conditions, on top of conditions.

“Does Xenon have an opinion on this?”

“Um… Yes, it’s just a personal thought, not the correct answer.”

“Can you tell me what it is?”

“Well… Sorry, but that would be a loss for me. If I told you about my experience with the Son of an Angel—”

“—That’s okay. I’m curious about that too, but now I’m more interested in what Xenon thinks. So, can you answer that?”

The unexpected proposal was not a bad one. In fact, it was preferable.

Sharing even a brief account of what happened with the Son of an Angel would place a heavy burden on Oliver.

Besides, discussing a similar topic and sharing views felt more productive.

But he couldn’t help but wonder.

“May I ask why your curiosity shifted?”

“Does it matter?”

Yareli responded differently than usual. It was as if the caution she had when interacting with Oliver before was now gone.

Maybe it’s because there are just too many headaches.

Oliver responded.

“No… Let me start by sharing my thoughts first—”

—BOOM!!!

Oliver’s voice was drowned out by a sudden explosion.

Luckily, the windows were made of reinforced glass, so they didn’t shatter, but they shook violently. When Oliver turned toward the source of the explosion, he saw something unbelievable.

An unexpected explosion had occurred at the very location where the speech was taking place just moments ago. A massive explosion emitting gray smoke.

Beyond the gray smoke, ominous red flames were visible, and Oliver and Yareli stared at the smoke in silence.

However, they had different reasons for watching.

Yareli was staring because she couldn’t believe what was happening, but Oliver saw something approaching through the smoke.

It was an incredibly large human. A very large human.

“A… a giant!”

The guard at the university gate shouted.