Chapter 547: Inheritance

“Are you serious?”

“Of course, it must be a joke! … Or maybe he really got hurt in the fight earlier.”

Lucian and Ewan each reacted differently to Oliver’s words.

By now, the Verdant Forest had returned to its original state. As Oliver headed towards its center, he asked again.

“Did I say something strange?”

Ewan responded to Oliver’s question.

“You said you would take half of the Flesh Cook’s inheritance.”

He was right. Oliver had declared he’d take half of the Flesh Cook’s inheritance.

“I felt it was only right to take my share. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

Oliver spoke based on Forest’s advice from before leaving Gallos and his experiences in Randa’s underworld.

“Damn, and you’re only taking half? If you were really thinking about your share, you should’ve claimed it all!”

Ewan shouted as if it were his own business.

Oliver only tilted his head in confusion.

“All of it?”

“Yes! All of it! … Those thugs did nothing to deserve even half! They had numbers, but they were utterly useless! Even the Holy Knights were worthless. What good were they?”

Ewan pointed towards Lucian, the various Millieu bosses, the followers, and the Holy Knight clad in full armor.

It was an undeniably insulting statement, but no one could refute it.

Because it was true.

In the Sleeping Forest, all Millieu did was struggle to survive against the constant flow of creatures, the Swan Prince, and Puppet. They had no right to demand a share.

Moreover, Oliver’s presence added weight to the situation.

Oliver had single-handedly defeated foes that neither Millieu, the black wizards, nor the treasure hunters could bring down.

There were stories that when a wizard or black wizard reached the pinnacle of their abilities, they could surpass the strength of an organization, but this was beyond even that.

He was more than just a simple organization; he was like an entire army, or more.

Additionally, Lucian, who had personally investigated Dave the Fixer, knew that Oliver even handled Zombie Puppets, which made the pressure all the greater.

The rumor that he had killed hundreds of Enjoyment Druids on his own might not have been an exaggeration.

Besides that, the accumulated fatigue from continuous battles and the need to rely on Ewan’s assistance at times made them stay silent.

After all, as soon as they got his signature on the debt forgiveness papers, not only did he heal the Millieu bosses, but also their subordinates as a ‘service’ bonus.

Though they still saw him as an enemy, the fact was he had helped them. So, they could tolerate Ewan’s vulgar words. Just like now.

“Honestly, I don’t even like that we’re working with these thugs! Why are we even going with them?!”

“Because we’re partners?”

“Exactly! So why are we partnered with thugs?!”

“Because you have a debt to pay, Ewan?”

“Right! Damn it!”

Ewan cursed at Oliver’s response, regretting not killing Millieu when they first met.

However, among them, there was someone who could see the future, like Lucian, also known as the Merchant.

Despite the heated situation, he remained calm, focusing on Oliver instead of Ewan.

He carefully listened to every word that came out of Oliver’s mouth.

Oliver started speaking.

“So, you’re saying you wouldn’t mind if I took it all?”

Ewan was the first to answer.

“Of course not. Your share is basically my share. I have no intention of sharing with those thugs.”

Ewan’s response was predictable. Oliver shifted his gaze to Lucian.

Lucian replied on behalf of Millieu.

“…It’s unfortunate, but we have no objections.”

“You’re sincere, I see.”

Oliver saw through Lucian’s emotions. Though he still coveted the Flesh Cook’s inheritance, he also agreed that all rights to it belonged to Oliver.

“Yes… It’s unfortunate, but we need to divide the spoils according to merit, and we didn’t help at all, so we cannot claim any rights to it… In fact, you could say we owe you a debt.”

Lucian shared all that needed to be said and more.

In reality, everyone present owed their lives to Oliver.

Even asking for payment for saving their lives wouldn’t have been unreasonable, especially considering he had fought Puppet on equal footing.

That’s why, although other Millieu bosses glared at Lucian for his unnecessary words, they couldn’t deny the truth in them.

In the underworld, even baseless talk isn’t forgiven.

However, Lucian hadn’t spoken without thought.

After combining all the information he had about Oliver, both what he had seen and heard in rumors, he decided that being straightforward would be the best approach.

Oliver might appear naive on the surface, but based on how he handled key moments and his results, he wasn’t someone that could be easily tricked by words. Results never lie.

Besides, he wasn’t someone driven by greed. It was quite the opposite.

Considering these points, the best way to approach him was with sincerity, almost as if dealing with a deity.

Fortunately, it paid off.

Oliver stopped walking and began to ponder.

When he stopped, hundreds of Millieu halted as well, staring at him.

At just one person.

“…I’ll still only take half.”

“Why the hell.”

Ewan grumbled as if his wallet was being emptied.

Given the amount of wealth the Flesh Cook hid, his reaction was understandable, but Oliver remained aloof as if it were someone else’s business.

“Because we’re partners? And you did help me earlier.”

Oliver mentioned the events right after the fight with Puppet.

Just when Oliver was about to leave with his partners, he suddenly noticed the wreckage summoned by the Swan Prince and the bodies of Claude’s group. He decided to collect them.

It was a burden for Oliver, especially with one arm in bad shape. But Millieu stepped in to help.

They gathered the wreckage and Claude’s comrades’ corpses, making it easier for him to take. They even retrieved his Quarterstaff for him.

Oliver acknowledged that they did play a role in this situation.

“You’re crazy.”

Ewan voiced what everyone was thinking. In this line of work where life is on the line, such an idea was utterly unacceptable.

But the issue was that Oliver was the one choosing to share.

“Isn’t being too stingy not a good thing?”

“I like being stingy.”

“…”

Oliver tilted his head, puzzled by Ewan’s words, while Millieu looked at him with a consistent bitter expression.

Ewan spoke again.

“Anyway, I still disagree. I won’t split my share with those worthless bags of meat.”

“You’re a complete bastard…”

Someone grumbled at Ewan’s unchanging attitude, but Oliver simply pondered and then spoke again.

“But Ewan, wouldn’t your share also be zero if we approached it that way?”

“What?”

Caught off guard, Ewan answered in formal speech.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just, you didn’t do anything either, right?”

Ewan’s eyes widened. Never had he imagined Oliver would say something like that.

Like someone stabbed him on the street, Ewan was flustered.

“W-What do you mean I didn’t do anything?!”

“What exactly did you do?”

Oliver’s question hit like a counterpunch, leaving Ewan stunned because he really hadn’t done anything.

After smacking his lips for a while, Ewan finally spoke.

“…Didn’t I treat Millieu?”

“But by your logic, since Millieu didn’t help me, doesn’t that mean you didn’t either?”

“How can you say something so cruel?! How can you call these people useless thugs to their faces?!”

“I didn’t go that far.”

“I don’t want to hear it! You’ve really changed, haven’t you? You’re young, rich, powerful, and now you even have a proper job! You’ve changed! Is that it? Damn it, that’s it!”

Ewan asked and answered himself. Oliver tried to calm him down, but Ewan wouldn’t listen. After a moment, as if something had dawned on him, Ewan shouted again.

“…Ah! But I don’t need to have done anything.”

Ewan brought up a fact that he seemed to have just remembered.

“I came agreeing to split the share with you in the first place, right? Even if I did nothing, I still have a share. I won! High five!!”

Ewan reached out, but no one responded to his high-five.

And then, Oliver said something unexpected.

“You bring this up, but technically, we never decided exactly how much we would split, and then, we revised the agreement after meeting with Millieu, didn’t we?”

“Revised?”

Ewan asked naively as if understanding the implication meant he’d be skinned alive.

“Yes, instead of taking a cut of your flesh to pay off your debt, we agreed to a partnership and to pay it off with the proceeds. The compound interest had grown astronomically. So, once your debt is repaid, wouldn’t your share also naturally disappear?”

Silence fell.

It was true that they hadn’t decided how to split things exactly and that they had made a new deal after meeting Millieu.

Ewan spoke with a trembling voice.

“That makes no sense?! What does my debt disappearing have to do with my share disappearing?”

“When our contract was supplemented by the one with Millieu, it became like this. Your share was tied to your debt. That’s how contract law in Randa works.”

“You know the law?”

“Yes, Forest taught me the basics. As a co-representative.”

“…You’re one crazy bastard.”

Ewan voiced his true feelings. Oliver really seemed crazy.

At that moment, Lucian placed a hand on Ewan’s shoulder.

“Let him be. He’s brooding.”

“Sorry, but perhaps you should wait to brood until you’ve fully repaid your debt.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I already repaid my debt!”

“You repaid the debt you owed us from years ago, but you haven’t repaid the debt you incurred during the mission.”

Lucian showed him an IOU as proof, with Lucian’s signature and seal on it.

“A debt?”

The word ‘debt’ even caught Oliver’s attention. Could it physically be possible to incur a new debt in the meantime? It didn’t make any sense.

“Yes, after Dave left, Ewan played cards with our subordinates.”

“Didn’t they take all of Ewan’s money when we first caught him?”

“Exactly, so he ended up with another debt.”

“Oh…”

Oliver was impressed by the logic, and Lucian added more details.

“Ewan said he could repay the debt and still have leftover if he claimed the Flesh Cook’s inheritance, so he wrote another IOU and gambled again. This was the amount.”

Lucian showed the amount on the IOU to Oliver.

“…Do your subordinates have that much money?”

“We loaned it to him.”

“Oh…”

Oliver was once again impressed, and Ewan exploded in anger.

“Then, that should be forgiven too!”

“If you closely examine the Debt Forgiveness Agreement, it only includes the debt from a few years ago that you owed us, so this one is an exception. Besides, even though we loaned it to you, that debt officially belongs to our subordinates, making it exempt from the forgiveness.”

Ewan had played a desperate trump card, using someone else’s crisis to have his old debt forgiven with just a few potions, but he hadn’t considered his current debts.

His old debt was so large that his current debt seemed minor in comparison, and he had been too thrilled at the possibility of screwing over the Millieu bosses to think straight.

Of course, the fact that Lucian had actually read the entire contract was crazy, too.

Regardless, as the situation dragged on, Millieu began to surround Ewan, just like when they first met him.

Ewan cursed at everyone to get lost, but his voice echoed pointlessly.

As the Millieu members began to unsheath their daggers, Oliver offered a proposal.

“So, I’ll take half so you all can divide the rest among yourselves. Since we’re partners, it seems like the best way to resolve this peacefully.”

This time, no one voiced any objections. Instead, there were puzzled faces. No one from the underworld had ever voluntarily split their share.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes… However, there is one condition.”

“What is it?”

Lucian responded joyfully. Conditions felt safer than free handouts.

“While I’m not smart enough to explain it thoroughly, I know that gaining such a big amount of money will attract troublesome matters.”

Oliver spoke based on Forest’s advice and his experiences as a fixer. Lucian’s emotional state made it seem like he was telling the truth.

“That is true.”

“I’d like you all to handle that instead of me.”

“…To sum it up, you want us to deal with the aftermath. The scavengers, scammers, taxes, and extortionists that will come after you.”

Oliver nodded.

“Yes.”

“Alright, if the payments are as generous as you say, we’ll gladly take care of that. I’ll personally ensure Mr. Dave has no trouble. What does everyone else think?”

Lucian looked at the other Millieu bosses and asked, and they all agreed. Going back empty-handed was not an option, neither economically nor in terms of reputation.

Oliver added one more thing.

“Ah, and there’s one more condition. I’d like to go in first and take a look at the Flesh Cook’s inheritance. There’s something I want to check. Could you all wait outside until then? Please don’t ask for the reason.”

“Sure, we’ll do that.”

Lucian agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Though they went about it as if it were a negotiation, he understood that the current relationship between them and Oliver was one of subordination, with Oliver on top.

“However, there is something concerning.”

“Yes?”

“To enter the Flesh Cook’s vault, don’t you need two keys? We only have one.”

“Oh, don’t worry. The other key should be in the castle.”

Oliver answered based on what the Sleeping Beauty had told him, calmly as if it were nothing.

***

Before Oliver left, the Sleeping Beauty had told him.

She explained how the Flesh Cook had hidden his slush funds.

Instead of hiding his wealth in the actual ancient castle, he had set up a special vault designed to look just like it.

Going into the castle was only a way to enter the vault.

This was made possible by teleportation magic, which used the similarity between interior spaces as a medium. So, breaking down the castle by force wouldn’t net the inheritance; it would actually leave no trace of it.

It was a very clever method. To obtain the inheritance safely, one simply needed to insert two keys into the lock to trigger the teleportation magic.

‘He was remarkably thorough when it came to money. Well, after all, he was abandoned by his parents because of poverty; how could he not be? That’s why he also asked me to set up a barrier in the Verdant Forest.’

‘You call the Flesh Cook, that child?’

‘…He was just a child to me. A pitiful child.’

‘…’

Anyway, the Flesh Cook had hidden his wealth with great care.

The rumor Lucian mentioned about keys was indeed true.

And one of those keys was currently in the castle.

“In this castle?”

Lucian and Millieu surveyed the ancient castle nestled in the middle of the Verdant Forest.

The castle stood alone, surrounded by a gloomy wall amidst a haunting atmosphere that seemed right out of a horror story.

Surrounding the castle were countless statues of soldiers, each seemingly alive.

The number of stone figures easily reached hundreds, truly appearing as if they were standing guard.

Oliver took out the key he got from Red Hood and inserted it into the castle gate’s keyhole.

“Yes.”

Clank.

As Oliver turned the iron key, a heavy sound echoed, and the castle gate opened on its own.

The rusty hinges that hadn’t moved in years squealed as dust fell, grating everyone’s ears like nails on a chalkboard.

Screeeech…

Crreeeak…

Crreeeak… Creeeak…

Creeeeeak…

As everyone covered their ears, they looked around, confused.

Along with the ear-piercing sound, another faint noise was coming from somewhere.

Although the chalkboard sound was overwhelming, if one listened closely, it could be heard.

The sound of the countless statues atop the castle wall moving.

The hundreds of statues weren’t just ornaments; they were actually disguised security golems of considerable quality.

Thud!

Thwump!

Thwump!

The massive golems, weighing tons, began dropping one by one from the castle walls, and the startled Millieu hurriedly prepared for battle.

Facing these enormous stone soldiers head on would be nothing short of a disaster.

Regardless, the golems leaping from the walls advanced towards Millieu, and some even began to operate siege weapons mounted on the battlements.

As everyone was shocked by the persistence of the Flesh Cook, who even set up such a trap until the end, Oliver raised his hand and unleashed magical energy that mimicked the Flesh Cook.

The Golems, sensing the magic, directed all their attention to Oliver, and they could feel the presence of the Flesh Cook within him.

Their master.

The Golems not only ceased all hostile actions but also knelt on one knee before Oliver, just as the ostentatious Flesh Cook had programmed them to.

Knowing this, Oliver made a request to the Golems.

“Could you bring me the second hidden key?”