Chapter 436: Reformists

What Nora said was true.

Following her outside to the street, they found three druids confronting the Fighter Crew and Marie’s entourage.

Two men and a woman, they stood boldly before dozens of dark wizards.

‘They don’t seem like Enjoyment folks…’

Oliver studied the druids.

Their aura, height, overflowing vitality, and green-dyed hair all pointed to them being druids, but they weren’t Enjoyment.

Unlike the Enjoyment, who escaped to the city tired of harsh life and training, and loved to wear expensive clothes, these druids were different.

They had green hair like the Enjoyment, but wore rough fur clothing, leaf capes, and green cotton capes. Their attire was modest and out of place, especially in a large city like Randa.

These were druids of a type Oliver had never seen before. Forest provided more insight.

‘This is interesting… Real druids visiting Randa.’

‘Real druids?’

Oliver muttered unintentionally.

Hearing him, Marie leaned in and whispered.

‘They refer to druids training in Greenland.’

Greenland. A poor, yet semi-autonomous region within the United Kingdom.

For instance, a place ruled directly by druids.

But something felt off. From what Oliver knew, those druids were interested only in nature and training, never leaving Greenland, nor was it easy for them to do so.

‘Could it be━’

‘━Are you Forest?’

The man standing in the center of the druids spoke.

The middle-aged man was the largest, with long hair and a beard reminiscent of a wild beast.

His presence was intimidating, but Forest remained calm as he spoke, showing the typical skill and nerves of a broker.

‘Yes. I’m Forest, the broker of 30th Street in T-District. It’s an honor to meet a druid of your renown.’

‘Flattery won’t hurt… I’m Druid Pierce.’

‘You must be with the Reformists.’

‘There’s no point in such distinctions anymore.’

‘I read about it in the newspaper. The conflict between the Traditionalists and Reformists ended, didn’t it? So, you’re here because of the Special Law?’

Special Law? Oliver tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. He understood Reformists and Traditionalists.

Druids were divided into three main factions.

The Traditionalists, who worship nature and follow the teachings of their ancestors.

The Reformists, who prioritize humans and advocate ruling over and utilizing nature in line with the times.

And the Enjoyment, who disregard such ideologies, prioritizing their own freedom and pleasure.

For reference, the Traditionalists and Reformists opposed each other ideologically, allowing the Enjoyment to leave Greenland to pursue their desires.

But the Special Law? Oliver was at a loss. Did something happen while he was away from Gallos?

Pierce, who looked like a wild beast, spoke.

‘We are here to make a request… But first, who is Dave?’

‘That would be me.’

Before Forest could answer, Oliver raised his hand. He moved reflexively out of curiosity.

All eyes turned to Oliver as Pierce walked toward him with long strides.

Despite being a simple act, it was very intimidating.

Joe and Marie gathered around Oliver in concern, but Oliver raised his hand to signal he was fine.

Pierce stopped in front of Oliver, rubbing his chin as he observed him. His hand was as thick and strong as a bear’s.

‘…You look quite thin.’

‘I’ve been through some things.’

‘Was it really you who defeated Seamus… that half-pint?’

Just as Oliver was about to answer, Forest interrupted.

‘We refuse.’

‘Refuse? How can you refuse without knowing the request? We’ve brought plenty of money. City folk like money.’

‘We are aware. Druids are very wealthy.’

There was a subtle disdain in every word exchanged between Forest and Pierce.

‘And I can guess why you’re here. You want us to catch the runaway Enjoyment druids from Greenland, right?’

Despite getting it right, Pierce didn’t deny it. Sensing his silence as confirmation, Forest naturally stepped between Oliver and Pierce to widen the space.

As if preventing any incident.

Pierce stepped back and nodded.

‘You know quite a lot.’

‘A druid wouldn’t normally visit a city like this unless it’s urgent… But unfortunately, we must refuse your request.’

Oliver was slightly surprised. It was unlike Forest to make such a decision.

He was usually diligent and thorough, investigating any request before making a decision. But this was understandable.

The X-District redevelopment was a huge project. Handling broker work on top of that would be too much.

‘But it doesn’t seem like that’s the only reason.’

Oliver thought as he observed Forest’s emotional state. He was unusually wary, concerned, and uneasy about the Reformist druids. Extremely so.

‘Why are you refusing?’

‘My friends and I are preparing for a small business, so we won’t be taking any requests for a while… If you’d like, I can refer you to a skilled broker.’

‘Are you referring to the redevelopment project?’

Pierce spoke as if he knew. The unexpected response surprised Forest slightly, and Pierce didn’t miss the chance to continue.

‘There are people who think druids are clueless because we only train in the forest.’

‘I never said that.’

‘But you thought it… Sorry, but that’s a big mistake, broker. No one knows the world better than druids. We learn how the world works through the World Tree. Past, present, and even the future.’

Oh, it made sense. Druids were indeed the best at handling the World Tree.

Even the most confident wizards admitted they were inferior to druids in matters concerning the World Tree, which was evidence enough.

‘We know what you did before becoming a broker, when you became one, who helped you, when you thrived, when you stepped back, even when you returned to it. And we know who was behind it all.’

Pierce looked at Oliver.

‘You’re impressive. I’m not sure what you’re getting at, though.’

‘The point is that we druids know a lot. More than people expect… We also know a significant number of Enjoyment are eyeing X-District.’

Pierce was sincere. The Enjoyment were targeting X-District. But Forest wasn’t too surprised.

‘Our goal is to bring the Enjoyment back to Greenland, and your goal is to safely redevelop this area, right? So why not cooperate? I heard Dave is an unofficial ally of the city. Couldn’t you get permission from the city to let us handle the Enjoyment? It would make your work easier.’

It was a fairly reasonable proposal. Their goals overlapped subtly, so there was no problem with cooperating. In fact, it might be easier if they teamed up with superhumans like the druids.

However, Forest shook his head. The ever-rational Forest.

‘I appreciate your offer, but we decline. This is our job, and we want to handle it ourselves.’

A firm stance, filled with emotion.

Based on his actions and emotions, it was clear he didn’t want to get involved with the druids.

Even Pierce, who was dealing with him, could tell.

Pierce scratched his bear-like chin as if perplexed.

‘That’s an unexpected answer. I heard Randa folks are quick to calculate risk and reward.’

‘And we’re known to be proactive.’

‘I also heard they’re firm on reciprocation… I gave you good information, don’t you think you should repay the favor?’

‘Hmm, you’re not wrong. What would you like?’

‘Hmm… I’d like to see the skill that took down Seamus.’

Pierce looked at Oliver as he spoke. At the same time, he vanished, reappearing behind Oliver in a gust of wind.

He moved at an unbelievable speed.

Everyone, including Marie and Joe, was a beat late in reacting, and in that moment, Pierce swung his hand, trying to grab Oliver.

But his hand never touched Oliver, stopping in midair.

Blocked by the Quarterstaff Oliver had raised.

Rrrrrr…

Oliver’s Quarterstaff and the druid’s hand clashed, neither budging. Despite not using any significant dark magic.

As everyone watched in surprise, the thin Oliver spoke.

‘…It was just luck.’

***

‘Thank goodness they were peaceful.’

In the meeting room after the druids left, Oliver spoke up. But Marie expressed quiet anger, as if upset on Oliver’s behalf.

‘They attacked us suddenly… You shouldn’t have let them go like that.’

Marie was ready to fight the druids, as her words suggested. Oliver had to stop her.

‘Thank you for your patience, Marie. But it wasn’t necessary. He wasn’t really attacking; he just wanted to test my skill… Besides, we learned some good information, didn’t we?’

The good information was that the Enjoyment were targeting X-District.

Oliver looked at Forest, waiting to hear his thoughts. There were other things he wanted to ask too.

But before that, Joe spoke to Oliver.

‘Are you okay?’

‘What?’

‘I mean… You blocked a druid’s attack with bare hands. Are your ligaments or bones alright?’

‘Ah…’

It was then that Oliver understood, letting out a sound of realization. It was a reasonable concern.

Druids were superhumans with ridiculous physical abilities. Ignoring ordinary firearms was easy for them.

Moreover, Pierce had such a formidable body that even Joe, who was hardened by numerous close-quarters battles, reacted a beat late to him.

That was the man whose attack Oliver blocked with a Quarterstaff, without using any major dark magic.

Indeed, it was strange. How did he manage to block it without wearing the Black Suit? Normally, he should have been overpowered and sent flying or had his arm shattered.

Moreover, how did he manage to block the attack so cleanly?

Even though he could sense Pierce’s emotions, it was still puzzling how he managed to block such a swift backside attack so cleanly.

It was as if his reaction time had improved significantly.

As Oliver pondered the strange event, someone knocked on the door again.

The girl who had announced the druids’ arrival peeked her head in.

‘Her name was Nora, right?’

The girl, Nora, asked:

‘Do you guys need coffee?’

With pale skin and curly hair, the girl asked. Joe responded with more anger than seemed warranted.

‘I told you not to come in here.’

‘Why are you upset? I was just trying to be hospitable to the guests!’

Despite her frail appearance, the girl argued back, showing her close bond to him.

Forest intervened.

‘Missy, do you have any liquor by any chance?’

The girl answered crisply.

‘Yes! It’s cheap though… Should I fetch it for you?’

‘That would be much appreciated.’

As soon as Forest asked, the girl ran off to fetch the liquor and coffee.

Watching her leave, Joe shot Forest a look of disapproval, to which Forest inquired

‘What’s the problem? Last time, you had her fetch coffee and liquor.’

‘That’s…’

Joe started to say something but stopped, glancing anxiously at Oliver. He seemed to harbor feelings of regret as if he had made a mistake.

‘…It’s nothing.’

Perplexed by Joe’s strange behavior, both Forest and Oliver tilted their heads, and by then, the girl called Nora came back, skillfully carrying a tray with coffee and liquor, and served it to everyone.

Liquor for Forest and Joe, and coffee for Marie and Oliver.

As she handed Oliver his coffee, she stared intently at him, filled with curiosity and admiration.

‘Here you go.’

‘Thank you, Miss Nora.’

As Oliver politely accepted the coffee and thanked her, Nora smiled, but Joe, looking uneasy, ushered her out, telling her not to interrupt the adults.

Forest observed this and remarked,

‘I know it’s rude to say this in someone else’s place, but you seem odd today.’

‘…It’s nothing.’

It clearly wasn’t nothing, but Oliver didn’t press further. He was curious, but Joe seemed unwilling to talk. And besides, there were other things he was more curious about.

Oliver asked Forest directly.

‘What is this Special Law?’

Forest, as if expecting the question, took a sip of his drink and answered.

‘It’s a law passed while you were away in Gallos. In short, it gives the druids of Greenland the right to capture runaway druids, namely, the Enjoyment.’

‘Wasn’t that allowed before?’

‘Ordinarily, no. While druids have high autonomy within their territory, they can’t exercise much authority outside of it. Arresting an Enjoyment used to be illegal.’

Oliver nodded in understanding. It was similar in Randa, so he grasped it quickly.

If a criminal from the city fled outside Randa, there wasn’t much they could officially do.

‘It seems a lot has happened while I was in Gallos.’

Forest nodded.

‘Quite a lot.’

‘Something bigger happened?’

‘Yes. The druids who were divided between Traditionalists and Reformists, unable to find a balance, have fallen under the Reformists’ sway, and a new course has been set. That’s why the Special Law passed.’

‘I see.’

Oliver replied, recalling the Reformists. They had a different view from traditional druids, seeking to use nature as a tool rather than worship it.

He wasn’t sure, but this seemed significant, whether in a good or bad way.

‘How did that come to pass?’

‘Sorry, I don’t know the details. The druid society is closed off, like a remote village. So it’s hard to get specifics.’

Forest was honest. At that moment, Joe spoke up.

‘This is serious. Handling the community here and the unassociated gangs is already a headache, and now the Enjoyment? Why did they return after disappearing from Randa because of Seamus?’

‘Probably to survive?’

‘…?’

‘Ah, I wasn’t clear… Oliver, remember when you took down Seamus and handed over the related documents to the city?’

Oliver nodded. It’s what made him an unofficial city ally, and he gained valuable information about Joanna.

‘Joanna, the Holy Knight…’

‘That played a bigger role in undermining the Enjoyment than we thought.’

‘Undermined the Enjoyment?’

‘Yes. Seamus… No, the Enjoyment’s ABC scam and the network shared with other druids, their communication network, everything was exposed. The nations that suffered losses are now chasing them down, cooperating on a national scale. And at the center of it is our Randa city and its security bureau.’

Forest spoke proudly. It seemed he worried the security bureau would make business harder.

‘That’s why it’s become difficult for the Enjoyment to operate. Druids especially have a hard time hiding in cities. And with the Special Law passed, their lives must have become a living hell. They may be able to handle regular police, fixers, and bounty hunters, but not the druids from Greenland.’

‘That doesn’t make sense. Shouldn’t that make them avoid Randa even more?’

‘Not necessarily, Joe. Randa is a free city with strong autonomy from the kingdom. It might be safer here.’

Oliver quickly understood the meaning. As Forest said, Randa was a free city, exempt from the kingdom’s laws due to its heavy taxes.

Even if the kingdom passed the Special Law, the Enjoyment couldn’t be arrested in Randa. That’s why they wanted to hire Oliver.

‘If they didn’t come to Randa, they’d have to flee to the world’s end, and that’s not something they could do.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because the Enjoyment came to the city for freedom and pleasure. Fleeing to the world’s end would go against their identity.’

Oliver let out a breath of understanding and nodded. Just looking at Seamus, it made sense.

Still, Oliver couldn’t shake a lingering question.

‘But Forest, why did you reject the druid’s offer? Wouldn’t it be easier to get their help if the Enjoyment is truly after X-District?’

“Well, that’s true. Enjoyment is always a headache, no matter what they’re involved in.”

Forest paused for a moment to emphasize what he was about to say next.

“But even more than that, I really don’t want to deal with the Reformist Druids.”

“What’s the reason?”

“The royal family. There’s a rumor that Edward X is backing them.”