Chapter 527: Verdant Forest
by xennovelThe Verdant Forest, rumored to contain the legacy of the Flesh Cook.
In a remote corner, untouched by human presence for decades, a man sat.
He was a thin man with orange hair.
The man, seated as if in meditation, had his eyes closed. After a while, he slowly opened them and relaxed his stiff facial muscles by opening his mouth slightly.
“Sigh… Damnit…”
The orange-haired man muttered in a low, ominous voice.
It’s understandable. He had painstakingly crafted a self-destructing doll, yet within just 1 or 2 seconds, over a hundred of them were wiped out.
Considering the time and money spent on them, it was hard not to feel the sting.
If only he could’ve extracted some kind of information, it wouldn’t have felt so unfair.
Maybe he should’ve followed what Claude suggested and stayed put.
“Why did I have to mess with it, ugh…”
As the saying goes, ‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear’—Claude showed up right after the mess.
Claude had just returned from the New Continent after attending the Prometheus Corp’s shareholders meeting, supporting the Royal Family as commanded by his master, Puppet.
He asked again.
“Bay… Our bomb merchant Bay. Why did you act on your own? We agreed you wouldn’t move without permission.”
“Why the hell are you calling me by my full name… And how did you appear so quickly? It’s creepy.”
The orange-haired man, no, Bomb-crafter Bay, turned around and answered.
Behind him stood the Plague Merchant, wrapped entirely in burlap and bandages like a scarecrow, and Claude with his handsome features.
Both were also disciples of Puppet, just like Bay.
“You’re the one who messed up. Do you not remember our original plan?”
“I remember.”
Claude replied, while standing up. As he had been controlling his Zombie Puppet from afar for a long time, his joints made cracking sounds as he moved.
“Agh… The plan was to stay hidden and observe until the decisive moment.”
Claude nodded his head.
That was indeed the original plan. Showing themselves from the beginning would have been a disadvantage in many ways.
As disciples of Puppet, a member of the Black Hand, their status acted as both a shield like a turtle’s shell and a burden that occasionally tripped them up.
Especially now, in a situation where numerous forces were competing for a shared goal.
The reason was simple. Their fame was counterproductive, leading to enemies grouping together against them.
It’s a behavior often observed in nature.
Sure, if they were up against nothing but weaklings, they might have easily overwhelmed them all, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case now.
With the tyrant Flesh Cook gone, the previously dormant ambitious individuals and beasts lurking in the central continent were now excited.
The hungry dogs weren’t going to flee; they would gamble their lives to claim as much of the Flesh Cook’s legacy and the resulting power vacuum as they could.
For now, greed outweighed fear.
Claude wondered whether his master was really uninterested in the object that the Flesh Cook supposedly possessed.
However, Claude quickly dismissed such doubts. His master was not someone who could be easily understood.
So, in the end, Claude, Bay, and Plague Merchant had come here of their own volition. This meant they had to handle any situation by themselves.
“But everything’s ruined now, isn’t it? Your way of attacking is too unique; those who know about it, surely recognize it.”
“We could’ve followed the plan if Dave hadn’t appeared… I was curious about who he was.”
“You’ve lost your mind. This is the guy who took down the Flesh Cook.”
“Which is precisely why I had to poke around. He’s the one our master wanted to recruit to the Black Hand. I needed to see what made him so special.”
Bay shamelessly spoke, but Claude couldn’t say anything in return.
Even Claude, who was currently rebuking Bay, had once been so intensely curious about Dave that he started a fight with him under the guise of a bet. In retrospect, it was borderline insanity.
In this world, where people slit throats for the smallest indiscretion, such bets were usually disregarded.
If not for Dave’s particular demeanor and atmosphere, Claude wouldn’t have dared to attempt it either.
“So, what did you find out?”
“Nothing. If I had found out something, I wouldn’t feel so wronged. Just as Dave was about to do something, a ‘Firefly’ intervened.”
“By ‘Firefly,’ do you mean a Holy Knight?”
“Yeah.”
Claude tilted his head in confusion. The appearance of a Holy Knight wasn’t surprising in itself.
It was well known that Armand, the current Chancellor of Gallos, called the heretic, was receiving support from Millieu to suppress the dark wizards who went on a rampage after the Flesh Cook died.
It was also known that Holy Knights were said to be helping in that process. So, it wouldn’t be strange for a Holy Knight to be in the Verdant Forest.
Even so, the fact that the Holy Knight also saved Dave was unexpected. This made Claude more curious about their intentions.
Given that Chancellor Armand was a High Priest turned heretic, his thought process differed more from regular religious figures.
“What weapon did he use?”
“A modified Gatling gun, designed for one-handed use.”
“That confirms it. Armand’s moderate faction of the Holy Knights. They apply Holy Power to firearms instead of melee weapons… Interesting, I’ll have to spread this news.”
After a brief moment of thought, Claude made up his mind. He winked and started wiggling his fingers.
He commanded his Zombie Puppets, which he had infiltrated into some of the many forces present in the Verdant Forest.
Though he couldn’t control dozens or hundreds at once like Puppet, controlling two or three was enough to spread a rumor.
Especially if the rumor was true.
“Do we really need to spread a rumor? If they know a Holy Knight is around, won’t everyone just run away?”
“Probably. A Holy Knight is formidable just by existing, and they have the worst compatibility with dark magic. No sensible person would rush to confront them. But it will definitely draw attention.”
“Oh…!”
Bay exclaimed, realizing what Claude meant.
“If everyone’s attention is focused on others, then the vigilance and scrutiny on us will decrease. That means we can move more freely.”
Exactly. After hearing a few key points, Claude managed to not only rectify their current issues but also set the stage more to their advantage.
Whether it would be effective was uncertain, but the presence of a Holy Knight was likely to draw more attention than the appearance of a Puppet disciple.
Bay asked playfully.
“Aren’t you being too cautious?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. As you know, this forest isn’t just any ordinary forest.”
“…”
“Moreover, the participants are no ordinary folks either. The remnants of the Flesh Cook have nowhere else to retreat, so they’ll fight desperately. And the Red Hood from the central continent won’t be easy to handle either. Rumor has it they consumed a sample of an ‘Abnormal Being’ collected by the Flesh Cook… Even though it’s just a rumor, it’s-”
-Rustle.
During their conversation, the Puppets’ disciples swiftly turned their heads, reacting to a faint noise in the distance.
Although their conversation seemed leisurely, it was a sign they weren’t careless and were still monitoring their surroundings.
Claude’s shadow flickered, and multiple female-shaped Zombie Puppets emerged and began their formations. They extracted magic, natural power, and emotion.
Likewise, Bay pulled out a number of self-destructing dolls from his vest-like Greedy Bag.
And the Plague Merchant, who had been silent all this time, quietly uncovered rotting rats and centipedes from beneath his bandages and burlap.
The three dark wizards, each specializing in manipulation-type dark magic, quickly formed a squad-size combat unit.
After a moment, a dark wizard emerged from among the dense trees.
Judging by the artificially clumped life force and magic, he seemed to be one of the remnants of the Flesh Cook’s faction. But his staggering movement and bleeding indicated something was seriously wrong.
He stretched out his hand and mumbled.
“H-help…”
Squelch!
Before the unknown dark wizard could even complete his sentence, a chunk of flesh shaped like a blade pierced through his back and exited from his stomach.
Although the blade made of flesh looked blunt, it exuded an unnerving sharpness that sent chills down their spines. That feeling wasn’t wrong.
Crack! Crrrunch…!!! Smack! Rip!!
As if powerful gravity had formed around the flesh blade, the wizard collapsed inward before being pulled in completely, like water draining through an unplugged sinkhole. Even the regenerative ability, the Flesh Cook faction’s greatest weapon, was rendered meaningless.
Beyond the gruesome scene, a humanoid figure appeared, and Claude finished his previous sentence.
“…The White Swan Cult of Human Sacrifice.”
***
[That’s fascinating.]
Eve’s voice echoed from the small device attached to the inside of Oliver’s shirt collar.
Oliver responded to her voice.
“I think so too… To think we can communicate across the ocean with such a small device. It’s really impressive.”
Oliver sincerely praised Eve.
He had every reason to, since the small communication device attached inside his collar was built based on blueprints Eve had provided.
Even though Oliver didn’t have much knowledge of mechanical engineering, the device worked tremendously well.
Eve explained that she had improved the design by referencing the technology of Hermes Corporation, which specialized in communication devices—a truly remarkable skill.
[Not quite what I meant by ‘fascinating’… But Dave is indeed impressive too. I knew I provided the blueprint, but I didn’t expect you’d actually build it without precision equipment.]
“I was lucky.”
Oliver recalled using Ptah’s Assistant.
As Eve mentioned, building such a miniature communication device typically requires highly precise equipment, which is something only a few specialized companies handle, so it wasn’t easy for Oliver to obtain.
But fortunately, Oliver could substitute it using Ptah’s Assistant, a skill he learned from Theodore.
He was really lucky.
“But, if that’s not what you found fascinating, then what was it?”
[What I found fascinating is the situation Dave is in right now.]
“Oh…”
Oliver sighed in realization and nodded.
He agreed in his mind.
Although the capital had suffered great damage, and dark wizards were running amok like rats, the fact that the Royal Family of Gallos had formed an alliance with Millieu, the underworld organization, was rather shocking.
‘Actually, maybe it’s not so strange?’
Oliver reflected, sitting in his focused posture.
From ordinary logic, it didn’t make sense for government institutions to form alliances with criminal organizations. But such cases were more common than one might think—take, for example, what happens in Randa.
Of course, it’s not just about cooperation; they also compete and hold each other in check, but either way, it wasn’t too surprising.
But what Oliver found fascinating was likely because of the Holy Knight who had shown him kindness. A fully armored Holy Knight.
[I agree. It’s rare to meet a Holy Knight who’s friendly towards dark wizards.]
“Indeed, though the kindness was not purely selfless, it’s still quite unusual.”
Oliver, who had once worked with a Holy Knight in the New Continent, spoke.
However, that too was quite an unusual case. If Philip Roar had not intervened, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
At that moment, Eve suggested an idea.
[I have one hypothesis.]
“What is it?”
[It could all be possible because of Armand, the current Chancellor of Gallos and High Priest.]
“A High Priest and Chancellor?”
Oliver didn’t quite understand the sentence, so he asked again.
[Yes. Although it’s rare nowadays, in the past, High Priests of the Holy Emperor’s Palace sometimes held the position of Chancellor. This still happens, even today.]
Coming from the secular world of Randa, Oliver wasn’t sure how to react. It was so counter to basic common sense that his brain couldn’t process it.
“But how could a Holy Knight’s kindness toward me have anything to do with the High Priest?”
[Because he’s known for being different from other Holy Knights in temperament—more pragmatic, worldly.]
Even though he was a Holy Knight, he was described as pragmatic and worldly. Oliver felt himself growing more intrigued. Eve could notice it even through the communication device.
[I can look into it for you if you want.]
“Would it be OK? You’re still adjusting to the Tower of Magic, after all.”
[It’s fine. Everyone here is treating me well.]
Since it was hard to tell if she was being truthful over the communication device, Oliver decided to believe her.
There was no reason for Eve to lie, and the Moirai School had no reason to harass her.
Considering how they reacted the first time Eve was brought to them, it was likely true. After all, Eve was like a dream come true for scholars who studied the World Tree.
‘Especially since the Elder also promised to protect her.’
After finishing his thought, Oliver spoke.
“Then, could I ask you to look into it?”
[Yes, of course.]
“Thank you. While you’re at it, could you also gather information about the Verdant Forest’s terrain and the factions aiming for the Flesh Cook’s legacy?”
Oliver requested, and Eve, after a brief pause, responded.
[This is a bit overwhelming…]
“I only asked because you said it was fine. Is it too much?”
[…I’ll look into it.]
“Oh, thank you. Now, let’s practice Druid Meditation together.”
As Oliver smoothly assigned more tasks, he closed his eyes, adjusted his posture, and began releasing the natural power stored within him into the World Tree behind him.
Using the green natural energy as a medium, he intended to connect with Eve for assistance in Druid Meditation.
Even though she had been given additional work, as soon as Oliver began his meditation, Eve responded to the natural energy as usual and assisted in guiding Oliver’s meditation.
Soon, beyond his closed eyelids and into the darkness, an image formed.
The image was directly implanted into Oliver’s mind by Eve, connected through natural power, showing a young Druid apprentice in the midst of training.
Oliver not only saw the scene behind his eyelids, but he also indirectly felt the sensations through his mind, and he began to mimic the Druid’s meditation.