Chapter 529: Debt Collector

“Whew… My apologies, Mr. Dave. I’m not normally like this. I showed you an unseemly side of me. I’m really sorry for that.”

After the commotion settled, Lucian, having regained his composure as the air turned cold, wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and apologized.

His voice still trembled, perhaps due to the lingering excitement, but he genuinely felt sorry and embarrassed towards Oliver.

Even when faced with an enemy, showing such an embarrassing act in front of a guest was unacceptable.

Oliver accepted Lucian’s apology and then examined Ewan, who was behind him.

Ewan, who had been severely beaten, was hanging upside down, bound in a metal net. He was in no condition that could be called good.

But on the bright side, he was still alive.

“You sold me out… I trusted you… How could you do this? This is betrayal! I trusted you!”

Even after being beaten thoroughly, Ewan maintained his unique cheerful attitude as he spoke.

One had to wonder how he could be like that after being beaten so badly. But Oliver simply replied calmly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ewan. But I did not betray you.”

“Liar. Just admit it. You held a grudge because I left you stranded in the forest, didn’t you? Were you that mad about it?! All I did was leave you alone in a forest full of bloodthirsty murderers, drawing all the attention. And you were mad about that?!”

Ewan shouted, and Oliver, after a moment of thought, answered.

“…I wasn’t upset, but it wouldn’t be strange if I had been.”

“True, true. Even I realized that after I said it.”

Ewan nodded in understanding. The scene was almost comedic, but Ewan still added one more thing with a sense of injustice.

“Still, how could you sell me out to my creditors? Isn’t that just wrong?”

Oliver, eating his stew, replied.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ewan. But I really didn’t sell you out or betray you.”

“Saying that with stew in your mouth doesn’t sound convincing.”

“I was hungry… And I didn’t even know you were in debt to these people.”

“Don’t you remember how many times I told you I was a great debtor? You never pay attention to me. It’s tiresome.”

Ewan grumbled as if he felt slighted, while Oliver silently looked at him.

“I joke. I joke. Don’t look at me like that. You’re the only one who can help me now. Please, I’m scared, so help me out.”

“Um? Isn’t it over already?”

Screech.

As soon as Oliver asked, a chilling sound echoed as if answering him.

Turning towards the sound, Oliver saw people sharpening their knives.

It was the bosses of Millieu minus Lucian, sharpening their blades with intent to harm Ewan.

“All sharpened… Alright everyone, line up. Get in line.”

Pierre, the oldest among Millieu’s bosses, spoke.

He looked like a kind old grandpa but had blocked Ewan’s escape with a lightning-fast strike of his greatsword when he first tried to flee. Respected for his age, everyone lined up orderly after his words.

Sensing the grave situation, Oliver asked with unease.

“Um… Mr. Lucian, Mr. Pierre, Mr. Leo, Mr. Valai, Mr. Natung, Mr. Aron. May I ask what you’re planning to do?”

“We’re settling accounts, young man.”

Pierre, who was armed with gray armor and a greatsword, answered. Oliver looked puzzled.

“Why are you holding weapons to settle accounts?”

“Because we intend to collect our payment in flesh and blood.”

“Sorry, what?”

Not understanding, Oliver asked again. Ewan, being tied up, answered for him.

“Millieu cuts off body parts of debtors who can’t pay up. The difference from the Crime Firm is that Millieu does it not just for economic reasons like organ trafficking, but as a warning, for maintaining their prestige, and as an example. Honestly, it’s barbaric.”

Ewan whispered under his breath, but everyone heard it.

“…Anyway, as the oldest, I’ll collect first.”

Pierre, showing his impatience, immediately moved to act. But Oliver interrupted.

“One moment, Mr. Pierre.”

“Step aside, young man.”

“I’m not knowledgeable about the customs here, so forgive me for speaking out of turn, but wouldn’t it be better to collect money instead of flesh and bone? I don’t know how much Mr. Ewan owes you, but-”

“-There’s a ledger inside my cloak that records how much I owe. You can take it out and check. It’s my pride.”

“Mr. Ewan, I think that’s an inappropriate response for the current situation.”

Another comedic exchange unfolded between Oliver and Ewan. Pierre, maintaining the demeanor of a kind grandpa, patiently spoke to Oliver.

“Don’t worry, young man. Of course, we intend to get our money back as well. We’re planning to sever his leg tendons and make him work for us in our workshop, unpaid, for ten years. The flesh and blood is just to settle the disrespect he showed us.”

“Uh…”

“Why are you so accepting of that? And making him work unpaid? That’s going too far!”

Ewan screamed at both Oliver, who was sighing, and Pierre.

Pierre was ready to collect the flesh and blood when Oliver subtly blocked his way again.

“Um… still, couldn’t we resolve this without shedding blood?”

Pierre, with the appearance of a kind old man, frowned.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought perhaps we could find a solution that benefits everyone. Mr. Ewan has wronged you, but he is my business partner.”

Ewan shouted out.

“That’s a good word! Exactly, I’ll settle the debt right away, so let’s resolve this peacefully.”

“Do you have money to pay?”

Lucian, who had been silently watching, asked the quickest of anyone.

No wonder, the amount Ewan borrowed was beyond imagination. Just the principal alone was so large it seemed impossible for a single person to owe that much. Considering the compounded interest, it reached astronomical figures.

If, by any chance, Ewan could somehow pay the principal and interest in one lump sum now, they might reconsider collecting his flesh and bone.

Prestige was important to Millieu, an organization descended from a fallen noble line, but it could be compromised depending on the amount.

“Of course I don’t have it.”

“Let’s cut him up.”

Lucian, losing his patience entirely, concluded faster than anyone else when Ewan confidently admitted he didn’t have the money. It seemed it would take more time, but making him work forced labor might be the only option.

When Pierre’s large dagger was about to bite into Ewan’s flesh, Ewan shouted as if revealing a trump card.

“But Dave will pay instead! He made a fortune from redevelopment, so it would be a small change!”

Ewan sold out Oliver in the end. The one who made money from redevelopment was the company, not Oliver himself. But those unaware of this detail looked at Oliver, who promptly shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.

“I have no intention of paying on his behalf.”

“Cut him up!”

“You bastard!!”

***

When Pierre’s blade bit into Ewan’s skin, Ewan flailed and screamed.

“Wait! Wait! How could you reject that immediately?! I trusted you!! Give me back my trust!!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ewan. Mr. Forest specifically told me, when going with you, never to lend money or pay off your debts.”

Indeed, when Oliver was about to set off with Ewan to claim the Flesh Cook’s legacy, Forest had warned him not to get involved in any dealings of money with Ewan aside from matters directly related to the legacy.

Even the slightest entanglement could easily make all his hard-earned wealth vanish in an instant.

“Forest… That’s why I hate shrewd people— Ahh! I’m talking here!!”

Pierre seemed to be irritated and dug his knife in deeper. Ewan now realized the severity of the situation and reacted even more desperately.

“How about I sincerely apologize? …Ahh! It hurts!!”

It didn’t help much.

While watching Ewan in distress, Oliver was contemplating his next move. At that moment, he heard Eve’s voice from the tiny communication device hidden inside his shirt collar.

After Eve finished speaking, Oliver extended his left hand, stopping Pierre’s blade.

His unexpected proactive behavior drew everyone’s attention, and they took him quite seriously.

It was only natural. Even though the situation had seemed light-hearted due to Oliver and Ewan’s nature, Millieu’s fury at Ewan was serious.

The amount lent was exorbitant, but more than that, the fact he had practically deceived them—a group of leaders—was an immense disgrace. This was a damage that couldn’t be measured in money alone.

Yet despite explaining this to him, Ewan had shown no remorse and continued to act on his whims, saying whatever he pleased. On top of that, Oliver was overstepping boundaries by interfering.

And he did this right in the middle of their territory.

Millieu, which had initially taken a friendly approach to the well-mannered newcomer thanks to Lucian’s introduction, was now increasingly irritated.

Just moments ago, Pierre had appeared like a kind old grandpa, but now he asked with a strict and intimidating expression.

“What are you doing, young man?”

“Why don’t we cooperate?”

Instead of an answer, Oliver made a suggestion.

“For Mr. Ewan’s debt and his escape, allow us to join you in searching for the legacy of the Flesh Cook. In return, we’ll use what we gain to pay off Mr. Ewan’s debt.”

Oliver proposed to cover both Ewan’s and his share with the spoils from finding the legacy.

It was practically a hollow promise as they hadn’t found anything yet, but sometimes this sort of gamble paid off. Lucian seemed to take it seriously.

Lucian vividly remembered Oliver’s impressive performance during the chaos caused by the Flesh Cook, especially how he conversed with Puppet, a finger of the Black Hand, as an equal.

Lucian then asked, “Weren’t you supposed to stay out of financial matters?”

“Except for business related to the legacy, yes. So, is there no way you can let this go? After all, you didn’t come here just to cut Mr. Ewan up, did you? Isn’t the legacy of the Flesh Cook more beneficial in both financial and reputational terms?”

Clear of all emotions, Oliver assessed the most rational choice in the current situation and recalculated priorities. Lucian and the rest of Millieu found the argument convincing but still exhibited some confusion.

Though called a legacy, the Flesh Cook’s hoard was worth far more than just being labeled a legacy.

No one knew how much the Flesh Cook, driven by greed, had amassed, with a presumed trove of unique items, rare medicinal herbs, black magic tomes, and research papers—things so valuable they couldn’t easily be converted to money.

Rumors that the Royal Family of Gallos and even other foreign countries had sent mercenaries here proved this.

Moreover, the legacy even carried the symbolic meaning of possibly taking over the position left vacant by the Flesh Cook.

That was why so many were drawn like moths to a flame.

Yet Oliver offered to use that as repayment for Ewan’s debt as if it were nothing.

“I don’t understand, young man… Why would you go this far? Do you think that debtor will thank you or give you an item in return?”

Pierre, who actually had experience getting burned by Ewan before, pointed at him as he said this. Hanging upside down, Ewan concurred.

“No way.”

Ewan’s consistent attitude was one thing, but Oliver’s consistency was just as unwavering.

“I’m not expecting gratitude or items. Mr. Ewan once helped me, though.”

Oliver recalled Ewan saving Kant’s life.

Though it felt like ages ago, to Oliver, it was as vivid as yesterday, and compared to that, the legacy didn’t seem like such a big deal. All he needed were a few demonic books.

But that wasn’t how Millieu saw it.

Pierre, the elder; Leo, who ascended early in his career; Valai, who became a boss despite being a woman, a difficult position; the efficiency-driven Natung; and Aron, the warrior. All of them, with their distinct personalities, were left speechless by Oliver’s attitude.

Although they had heard from Lucian some details about this lumberjack named Dave, seeing it in person was on a completely different level.

They all sensed that Oliver was crazier than they had imagined.

To give up his share for Ewan? It didn’t sound like a lie, but this made them all the more uneasy.

People naturally feel repulsed by things they can’t comprehend.

Even though Oliver seemed reliable and trustworthy, his behavior left them questioning if someone like him would be a good partner.

At that moment, Oliver spoke again.

“Don’t you need the key?”

Everyone flinched.

“To enter the castle where the legacy is kept, don’t you need a key?”

Everyone looked at Oliver, their eyes wide open. He was right.

The Flesh Cook’s legacy, supposedly hidden in the Verdant Forest, was kept inside an ancient castle, and they needed two keys to enter.

One key was needed to open the gate, and the other to enter the castle itself.

Without those keys, they could never lay eyes on the legacy. But the problem was that nobody had told Oliver about this.

Pierre and the rest of Millieu’s bosses looked at Lucian, but Lucian shook his head.

It wasn’t classified information, but neither was it something they would easily share, so Lucian had kept his lips sealed about it.

As if proving his innocence, Lucian questioned him.

“How did you know that? That’s not something easily found out.”

“A spirit told me.”

Oliver answered. Given that Eve could technically be considered a spirit, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

While investigating the Verdant Forest and the factions there, Eve had come across a rumor that she had just informed Oliver about moments ago.

“Also, I figured out why you’re staying on the outskirts. Isn’t it because the closer you get to the center of the forest, the more the terrain changes confusingly, almost as if a barrier is in place, and strange phenomena occur?”

As Oliver conveyed what he had heard about the current situation in the Verdant Forest through Eve, silence confirmed the truth of his words.

Unclear as it was, some unknown phenomena seemed to rapidly change the landscape closer to the forest’s center. Several leading factions that had gone ahead were either completely wiped out or had vanished without a trace.

Despite being composed of belligerent factions, they had only engaged in small skirmishes around the outskirts instead of entering the central areas.

With Eve’s information being accurate, all kept silent and acknowledged it.

Oliver then made his proposal again.

“Given the circumstances, don’t you think cooperation would be best?”

“…Do you know who has the key?”

Lucian questioned. Oliver shook his head. Even the World Tree’s AI, Eve, hadn’t found it yet amidst such confusion.

“But, Mr. Lucian, don’t you know where it is?”

“…How did you know that?”

“Because you’ve been hiding something. When you heard the word ‘key,’ something clicked, didn’t it?”

With confidence, Oliver answered. Lucian and the rest exchanged glances, conversing without words. The exchange didn’t take long.

The truth of Oliver’s expertise in reading emotions using the Warlock’s Eye skill spoke for itself. They could infer that Oliver had reached a significant stage just from how precisely he read Lucian’s mind, so they had to cooperate with him.

“We suspect it’s with Red Hood. He’s a werewolf warlock from the central continent.”