Chapter 432: News

“Yes, if there’s no problem, may I return to Randa first?”

At Oliver’s question, Kevin put down the document he was holding on the desk.

“…Why? Did something urgent come up?”

At Kevin’s question, Oliver thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Hmm… It’s not urgent.”

“So, something did come up. Can you tell me what it is?”

Oliver nodded and immediately explained. It was about the redevelopment project in X-District that he heard from Jane.

After hearing the explanation, Kevin tilted his head.

“That’s strange. We’ve been away from Randa for a while, but does this even make sense? Redeveloping X-District?”

It was a reasonable question. X-District was common knowledge in Randa as an area that couldn’t be redeveloped. The reason was that even the city had given up trying to suppress the anti-redevelopment committee.

Oliver cautiously offered his opinion on the matter.

“It might be related to me.”

“Related to you?”

“Yes, somehow I ended up asking the anti-redevelopment committee for permission to do some construction… about one or two buildings.”

As he listened quietly, Kevin massaged his temples as if it gave him a headache.

It seemed like an exaggerated reaction, but it was actually quite justified.

What Oliver was currently saying broke one of Randa’s long-standing rules.

“…I want to ask for more details, but let’s drop it for now. It sounds like a long story.”

“Thank you. I will explain later.”

“Please do… So, are you planning to return to Randa for this redevelopment project?”

“No, I just want to confirm what’s going on.”

“Confirm?”

“Yes… I’m curious, and I feel a little frustrated. I thought focusing on something else might help… I’m sorry, but could you grant me permission?”

Oliver wanted to leave his official duties behind due to a mix of personal curiosity and feelings.

However, Kevin took Oliver’s words seriously and carefully considered them.

It was a natural reaction. Kevin knew Oliver and his approach to handling tasks. Even though Oliver might not realize it, he could be in a somewhat serious state.

With that in mind, the conclusion became simple.

“Go ahead.”

“You’re giving me permission?”

“You don’t have any immediate tasks to handle, after all.”

“Thank you.”

Oliver, who had been feeling strangely down since the commotion caused by the Flesh Cook, brightened up.

Seeing this, Kevin was confident he had made the right decision.

“Just out of curiosity, how do you plan to return?”

“I was thinking of using portal magic. I’ve installed it in the residence to allow for retreat or quick returns.”

“Good thing I asked… Don’t use the portal magic. Take a ship back, even if it takes longer.”

Oliver let out a disappointed sigh. It wasn’t too challenging, but he wanted to return quickly.

“May I ask why?”

“You’re officially on record as having traveled overseas by ship. How did we get here?”

“We came by ship.”

“Exactly. So, what happens if you return to Randa without any record of entry?”

“…Is it serious?”

“Depending on the circumstances… at the very least, it could become troublesome. You’re a Tower of Magic employee, but also a black magician, so no matter how urgent it is, you should follow the rules.”

Oliver nodded. It was indeed the correct point. He had to follow the rules.

“Yes, I understand. Then, I’ll take a ship. May I leave immediately?”

“Immediately? …Well, do as you please. But Yareli might be disappointed.”

“Ms. Yareli?”

“Yes, she mentioned she wanted to meet you when she plays hero. She asked where you were… She has free time this evening. How about meeting her before you leave? It seemed like she had something to say.”

Yareli wanted to meet him. Oliver mulled it over for about, 0.9 seconds.

“Since I’ll come back to Randa, I can meet her then, can’t I?”

Oliver responded briskly, much like when he left Jane and the steak at the hotel in the past.

***

“Hoo…”

Late in the evening, Yareli entered the guest room provided by Loculi University and closed the door, leaning against it with a deep sigh.

It meant she was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Being treated as a hero without doing much, this ordeal was unlike any other.

All she did was follow orders during the commotion, getting ambushed by Deziher Durance.

If Xenon hadn’t shown up at the right time, it would have been truly perilous.

Yet, she was praised as a hero by the public.

A hero who defeated many black magicians and uncovered the Flesh Cook’s plan to save the citizens.

It felt truly awkward.

It was Xenon who uncovered the plan and informed others. She didn’t mean to, but it felt like she had stolen his credit, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

“I wish he had waited a little longer…”

Yareli murmured to herself, thinking of Xenon, who had returned to Randa first.

Kevin had mentioned that something had come up, which was unfortunate. It was such a shame their paths diverged by just a few hours.

“If only he had waited a little longer, but what was so urgent?”

‘Or… maybe it was a blessing,’

Yareli thought to herself after a brief hesitation. After all, she had many things she wanted to ask Xenon.

Like how he knew Puppet or why Puppet revealed the Flesh Cook’s plan to him. What did he know about Puppet? Did Archive really defeat the Flesh Cook while Xenon did nothing? She wanted to ask.

And she also wanted to thank him.

She hadn’t properly thanked him after being saved from Deziher and the others, and she wanted to apologize for her delayed gratitude.

‘For my presumptuous comment about not having anywhere to rest…’

In any case, she had so much to say to him. So maybe it was better to organize her thoughts first.

It was truly strange.

After being born into the Iceye Family and becoming the heir in place of her father, she had always calculated every interaction. But now, it felt a little different. How should she put it? It didn’t feel as exhausting. Rather━

━Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Suddenly, a communication signal rang. Yareli took out the communication device hidden between her breasts.

It was a direct, secret communication device to her grandmother, something that she had paid a hefty sum for Hermes Corporation to custom-make.

The sound was as clear as the money spent on it.

[How have you been?]

“Yes, Grandmother… I’ve been following the schedule as you said.”

That’s right. Even though she was reluctant, the reason Yareli pretended to be a hero was for the sake of the Tower of Magic and her grandmother.

To elevate the reputation of the Tower of Magic and the Iceye Family.

[Yes, I’ve heard. You’re doing well.]

With her uniquely cold voice, Tilda Iceye, her grandmother and Head Master of the Skadi Minor School, offered her short and dry praise.

It was the kind of words one would only hear when achieving more than expected.

[Thanks to your achievements, our family and school are being noticed by the Tower of Magic again.]

Yareli nodded and responded mechanically.

Despite her cold appearance, her grandmother had something she was fully committed to.

Restoring the glory of their family and school.

Though the Iceye Family had become an established noble family when they moved to Randa, that was a thing of the past.

Their status had greatly diminished when they were forcibly merged into the Tower of Merlin before it became Archive, and now they were just another noble family.

Thanks to her unique patience and cold rationality, she appeared to be fine, but Grandmother Tilda Iceye had made it her life’s goal to escape this situation and regain their former glory.

This was the reason she even cast aside her son for not meeting her expectations.

Reflecting on the current situation, Yareli asked with a cold head.

“But Grandmother, why are you calling me directly? If you had something to say, you could have contacted me through the university.”

Indeed, the secret communication device was intended for urgent situations only. It was never used frivolously, as a long trail was always dangerous.

[I called this way to verify something. It’s about the mission I assigned you.]

“What do you mean…?”

[You truly don’t know? It’s about Dave.]

Yareli realized that she had nearly forgotten. Besides making her mark as the advance team for the Tower of Magic at Loculi University, there was another task she had.

To observe and report any anomalies regarding Xenon, Merlin’s disciple.

She had a lot to report, from Xenon’s fight with the Angel’s Son to the matters related to Puppet. But the most important thing to report━

“━At the moment, there’s nothing to report.”

[…Is that so?]

“Yes.”

When Yareli answered decisively, her grandmother didn’t press further.

After all, Yareli had so far been doing her job well.

Eventually, Tilda Iceye, Head Master of the Skadi Minor School, said she appreciated the effort, cut off communication, and Yareli put away the device.

Yareli asked herself why she had hidden certain details from her grandmother.

As if to answer, she went to the dressing table in the room, took off her glasses, and looked into the mirror.

At her eyes, which were now tinged with coldness.

Originally, she wouldn’t have been able to do this. To gaze into the mirror with her uncontrolled demonic eyes. It could have frozen even her own eyes.

Yet, surprisingly, for the first time since awakening her eyes, Yareli was able to look at her own eyes with her bare eyes.

Her eyes had stabilized.

All since Xenon had laid his hand on her head.

***

Jingle—Jingle—

At Forest Restaurant on 30th Street in T-District.

The sound of the familiar bell rang as the door opened.

It was quite nostalgic. The bell that had remained unchanged for so long.

However, some things had changed. For example, the restaurant was much busier.

It had always been doing well, but now it was on another level.

Before, it was doing well within T-District, known as a workers’ area, but now it was successful beyond its own zone.

The tables packed tightly across both the first and second-floor halls were proof of that. Because of this, even the servers, who normally greeted customers immediately, couldn’t come out.

That’s how busy it was.

So Oliver entered the restaurant alone without any guidance from Al or other waitstaff.

“Isn’t that… Dave?”

“Wait, hold on… I think it is.”

“What’s wrong with his face?”

“Did he catch some kind of disease?”

Some customers seated in the first-floor hall recognized Oliver and murmured among themselves.

All of them were people in the business, such as troubleshooters, mercenaries, information dealers, and brokers who dealt with Forest. They all looked quite surprised to see Oliver, who had returned after a long time in Gallos.

It was understandable. Oliver’s face had thinned significantly due to the effects of the Flesh Cook’s famine plague. He had barely avoided looking like a corpse thanks to a good night’s sleep on the way back.

The mention of ‘Dave’ made other customers also turn their heads toward Oliver. Soon, the businessmen and capitalists in the second-floor hall also showed signs of amazement.

However, Oliver ignored these stares and headed straight to find Forest.

Having already received similar looks multiple times at Loculi University and on the ship back… Nevertheless, certain people’s gazes bothered him.

Some seemed happy or saw potential in weakened Oliver, like discovering a vulnerable enemy.

“Mr. Dave?”

When Oliver reached the second-floor hall, someone came to greet him.

It was Al, the ace server who always greeted Oliver at Forest Restaurant.

Al, usually stone-faced and professional, was visibly disturbed by the sight of the now-gaunt Oliver.

Oliver spoke as casually as possible, as if it didn’t bother him.

“Hello, Al… Can I meet with Mr. Forest?”