Chapter 437: Who Am I?

437. Who am I? (1)

“Pierce. What did you think?”

A skinny Druid wearing a green woolen cloak spoke.

His hair, as well as his beard, were dyed green. He looked incredibly wise.

“Seamus… That brat definitely got it.”

Pierce, who was walking a step ahead, stopped and answered.

Despite his bear-like stature and intimidating face, his eyes were filled with the intelligence characteristic of Druids.

“It was different from what we investigated, but his skill alone was real.”

The other Druids—one with a long beard and the other a female in a leaf-patterned cloak—nodded silently.

Pierce was one of the top-close-quarter-combat Druids.

Not only was he strong, but he also had the skill, intelligence, and experience to teach others. He had even trained Seamus himself.

If he acknowledged it, the other two had no choice but to believe him.

“Indeed, even though you went easy on him, he blocked your attack.”

“There’s no need to hold back.”

Pierce shook his head. His eyes were extremely cold and calm.

“Whether I held back or not, he’s no ordinary guy.”

“Is that so?”

Pierce nodded, recalling when his initial attack had been blocked.

With the Quarterstaff.

Pierce was slightly surprised at that moment, but it was still within expectations. So, he aimed to continue attacking.

To confirm the skill of the one who defeated Seamus. However, he soon stopped.

Because when that guy turned his head to answer, Pierce’s Druid instincts kicked in.

‘…It was just pure luck.’

At that moment, Pierce felt a sense of ominousness. He couldn’t tell what exactly it was, but he knew he shouldn’t fight like this.

“The only thing that’s clear is that he’s skilled enough to have taken down Seamus.”

“Are the others who escaped here in danger?”

The long-bearded Druid asked. It might have been a surprising question, but it was indeed reasonable. Their goal wasn’t to kill the fledgling members of Enjoyment but to capture them.

“Even if there are a few with similar skills, none are stronger than Seamus. So yes, they’re in danger. In fact, it’s even worse. Seamus had the greatest potential of them all.”

The female Druid, who had been listening quietly, added a word.

“That’s a big problem. Besides capturing them, we need to find Eve’s whereabouts too. We already lost one thing to Heimdall.”

“Let’s observe for now and talk it over with the City. Fortunately, we have something to negotiate with. If that doesn’t work, we may have to force the issue.”

Everyone nodded at the long-bearded Druid’s words and continued on their way.

Meanwhile, the Druids of Enjoyment, who were watching through the World Tree, disconnected one by one and returned to reality.

“Heh… what have those old guys got that makes them so confident?”

“Don’t worry about it. What could humans who’ve been cooped up in the forest possibly bring? Some fruits or herbs grown there? We have something to trade with the City too, something even better, right?”

The other Druids nodded at the words of one Enjoyment Druid. The negotiation card they had agreed on through lengthy discussions was something that Randa, craving new technology, couldn’t refuse.

“So, Pierce… what do you think of those words?”

Everyone fell silent. All the Druids in this conversation despised the harsh and barren conditions of Greenland. They had undergone severe training imposed by other Traditionalists and Reformists Druids, but they also respected them.

After all, those who reached a higher stage through harsher training deserved acknowledgement.

Pierce was one of those individuals.

Him acknowledging Dave’s skill was quite dangerous.

Of course, it wasn’t without options. The number of Enjoyment members arriving at X-District after fleeing from the ABC scam incidents numbered around a hundred.

If that number attacked at once, they would certainly have a chance, even against the guy who took down Seamus.

However, that would jeopardize their plans of establishing a foothold in this city. If the fight drew too much attention from the City, it could ruin future relations.

To prevent such a scenario, the best option would be to slit his throat cleanly or deal with him in a remote place, but that also wouldn’t be easy.

He was too skilled to be taken out cleanly, and now that he had a group forming around him, luring him to a remote location wouldn’t be easy either.

At that moment, a female Druid, who had infiltrated a tavern as a singer in T-District, raised her hand.

“If I can offer an opinion, even though I’ve taken time out of my busy schedule to be here…”

“…What is it?”

“In short, dealing with him directly is tricky and gives you a headache, right?”

“…Well, yeah? If we fought directly, we could win, though it might come at some cost. We have over a hundred Druids.”

“Plus, we’ve made contact with some unaffiliated gangs here. We’ve already made a deal with some of them.”

“Then, we just need to create a proper pretext for a frontal confrontation.”

“Pretext?”

“Yeah. If we do it right, we might not even need to fight. Anyway, let’s make contact with the City first.”

***

“Is the work all finished?”

Oliver asked Merlin while holding a calorie bar in one hand.

Merlin had ordered his wooden doll—Golem—to move a large amount of paperwork inside his private office and bring a large number of books outside.

By the way, the books brought outside were private research journals and black magic books collected by the Flesh Cook. Their number reached hundreds, and many showed signs of age.

Not bad. The older the books on magic or black magic, the more valuable they could be, especially when owned by someone as significant as him.

Merlin answered while standing next to the books piled up heavy as a wall.

“We’re just getting started. Since I’ve been honored as a hero, now I have to act like one. Cleaning up after work is always harder than starting it… Anyway, what are you eating?”

“Oh, my apologies. It’s a military calorie bar. I was hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, I can’t blame you… Anyway, I’m busy. I still have to wrap up things with the Biology faction. I never thought I’d be this busy at my age… I assume you’re in a similar boat? Though for a different reason. How’s business going?”

“I’m not really doing anything.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Oliver nodded. It wasn’t modesty. He really wasn’t doing much.

After all, the major internal and external matters were handled by Forest, and the minor tasks were taken care of by the Fighter Crew, The Selectors, the mercenaries recruited by Forest, and the problem-solvers.

In the two weeks since the business started, the only thing Oliver had really done was step in once during the negotiation with the unaffiliated gang union.

And that was only because the negotiation broke down with an early display of firepower.

The unexpected firepower made the unaffiliated gang hesitate, and the rest was handled by Marie and Joe. Both of them had grown so strong that they were unmatched in X-District.

“Despite that, you don’t seem too happy about it. Do you dislike making money?”

For a moment, Oliver almost responded with, ‘I have even less to do than I thought.’

After all, he had taken on the job to clear his cluttered mind. But he kept quiet, thinking about Forest, Joe, and Marie, who were putting their all into the work. It would’ve been rude to say that.

Oliver took out Big Mouth from his waist.

Just like always, Big Mouth puffed up like dough.

Oliver made a request to Big Mouth.

“Big Mouth. Could you swallow those books over there?”

Oliver pointed to the towering pile of books and research journals.

Thanks to Merlin’s wooden doll—Golem—the wall was still growing.

It was clearly an overwhelming load. Big Mouth glared at Oliver with a look mixed with disdain, and Merlin noticed.

“It seems like it might be too much. It’s like he’s despising you with his eyes. I agree with him. How can he eat all that by himself?”

“No, it’s possible.”

“Why?”

“Yesterday, I had him fight two other Bottomless Bags. Big Mouth won and swallowed both of them, which enhanced his capabilities. Though his size hasn’t changed. But, this means he can swallow it all.”

“Good heavens… You’ve done a lot while I was away.”

Oliver nodded, thinking Merlin was complimenting him. He had indeed done a lot.

The biggest achievement was creating internal parts and installing them in the corpse puppets.

Ultimately, Big Mouth started gulping down the towering wall of books as Oliver requested, and Oliver resumed his conversation with Merlin.

For instance, what happened with Kevin, Yareli, and Terence after they returned to the Tower of Magic.

“They all returned safely and are doing well. Coming back as heroes from the vanguard, no less. You could receive the same treatment if you wanted… why don’t you?”

“Ah… I’m fine.”

Oliver responded, thinking of the Flesh Cook. The words that tormented Oliver, like the hunger in his belly, haunted him.

As Oliver ate the calorie bar to calm his growling stomach again, Merlin spoke.

“If you’re truly fine with it, then it doesn’t matter. So, can we move on to the main topic now?”

“Yes?”

“Your stalling was making me nervous.”

“…”

“I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but let’s get it over with. I even asked you to set aside some of the Demonic Books for me. So, why the delay?”

“Was it… that obvious?”

“You’re usually inscrutable, but sometimes you’re as easy to read as a child, and this is one of those times. Did you get yourself into trouble?”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what is it? Tell me. It’s making me nervous.”

“It might be a bit of a disrespectful question.”

“Being rude is better than being anxious.”

Since Merlin put it that way, Oliver finally spoke.

“…Sir, did you ever experiment on Professor Kevin’s family, like what goes on in Martel?”

Merlin’s emotions fluctuated instantly. They weren’t visible, but his pupils trembled, revealing it.

“…Yes, I did.”

“…And I’ve heard that after you became the Archive, you stopped and took Professor Kevin as your apprentice. May I ask why you did that?”

“Hmm… This is giving me déjà vu. Back when you left for Wineham… You said something similar: that the present wasn’t what mattered.”

Oliver remembered that too. Back then, he had said it confidently, yet now he was asking again. How embarrassing. Still, he asked.

“Ah, I’m not blaming you. I just want to know. Why did you become curious again all of a sudden? It surely wasn’t without reason.”

That was precisely accurate. Too accurate. Oliver closed his eyes for a moment to think and then spoke.

“Back then, I thought I understood, but now I’m not so sure.”

“What are you unsure of?”

“Myself…”