Chapter 548: Inheritance

Oliver asked for the key, and the Golems moved aside, making way for another Golem to approach him.

This Golem, like the others, knelt on one knee and extended its massive stone fist, revealing a hefty iron key in its palm.

It was one of the two keys needed to claim the Flesh Cook’s inheritance.

“How devious,” Lucian muttered the moment he saw the key.

After all, the last key, which had been impossible to find, was hidden right in front of the door.

It was indeed a cunning method.

Who would have thought to hide the last key not as a front door key, but within a Golem inside the castle?

Yet at the same time, it was impressive.

By hiding the key this way, they could block others from securing it until every key was in their hands.

Even if someone did notice, they would have to fight the Golem army without damaging the castle, which would have been just as difficult.

Though it seemed the key was poorly guarded at first glance, it was actually kept in the safest and most reliable place possible.

The problem was that even the Flesh Cook, who devised this security, couldn’t have predicted the existence of someone like Oliver, who would consume him and bend the Golems to his will.

“How on earth did you pull it off?”

A regular member of Millieu mumbled.

It was quite the spectacle to see someone tame hundreds of Golems and obtain a key without any combat.

In fact, it was suspicious overall.

Oliver’s feats rivaled those of the Flesh Cook himself—cutting through the horde with the infamous Decapitation technique, breaking a giant’s fist with sheer force, and displaying the overwhelming presence unique to the Flesh Cook.

But beyond mimicking the Flesh Cook’s abilities, he even managed to make the Golems submit with just a gesture?

The whole situation was too suspicious. But no one was willing to voice it aloud.

At that moment, Oliver finally spoke up to provide an answer.

“I met the Flesh Cook once, back when chaos erupted in Ravely.”

“Are you talking about when he fought the Archive?” Lucian mentioned the Archive since it was officially credited with defeating the Flesh Cook.

“Yes, during that time, I observed the Flesh Cook’s flow of mana and aura. I simply copied it, since the Golems distinguish people through mana.”

A few who had some knowledge about Golems nodded in agreement.

Anyone who had even a little experience in battle knew that Golems used mana to identify people.

Indeed, that explanation made sense.

Given Oliver’s skills, it wasn’t surprising if he could mimic the Flesh Cook’s mana technique…but it still didn’t sit right with some. Even if they didn’t voice it.

Oliver took the iron key from the Golem’s hand and spoke.

“Then, as I mentioned earlier, I’ll go in first.”

Everyone agreed, and Oliver went towards the castle gate inside the walls. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it.

Click.

The gate to the castle opened smoothly and silently, revealing the worn and weathered interior.

As soon as Oliver stepped inside, he felt dense mana wrap around his body.

Once he fully entered, the mana completely surrounded him, causing a sensation of floating and a brief blackout, which most people wouldn’t even notice.

It was a teleportation spell using two identical spaces as mediums.

***

Oliver realized from the sudden change in mana flow and the blackout effect that he had been transported to a new location.

This was the true treasure vault, disguised to be identical to the interior of the old castle.

It might have cost a lot in terms of time and resources, but considering how safely this unstable spatial magic was being used, it was a decent method.

Although the Flesh Cook was already dead, it was evident that he wasn’t just someone who ate people. Though now, all those thoughts were meaningless.

Oliver analyzed the spatial magic as he walked ahead.

The atmosphere was eerie, mirroring the old castle so well that one wouldn’t be surprised if a ghost appeared at any moment.

However, Oliver wasn’t fooled by the appearance and calmly scanned the surroundings using the Warlock’s Eye.

When he focused with the Warlock’s Eye, he could see the vast and intricate security spells and dark rituals embedded within the space.

The two completely different spell formations were interlocked like gears, which was quite fascinating.

The dark magic ritual would first detect whether the intruder was the Flesh Cook by identifying their biological responses, and then it would inform the magic formation.

If no trace of the Flesh Cook was found, the security and trap spells placed throughout the treasure vault would activate like a domino effect.

Luckily, since Oliver had consumed the Flesh Cook’s palm flesh, nothing triggered.

Oliver drew the mana stored within his body and configured it to align with the security magic placed by the Flesh Cook, then touched the wall.

As if a key had been inserted, the ancient spell formations within the treasure vault responded to the mana Oliver infused.

Starting from the point of contact, the formations that filled the entire castle-like structure began to disengage one by one, and soon, torches along the walls flared up while hidden doors materialized.

The hidden doors of the treasure vault had been unlocked.

To confirm, Oliver opened one of the doors and saw it for himself.

The massive inheritance the Flesh Cook had hidden.

“The rumors were true after all.”

Oliver mumbled as he gazed at the room filled with gold bars lining the walls.

The gold, which filled the walls on all four sides, reflected the torchlight, flooding the room with a golden glow.

The rumors that the Flesh Cook had hoarded wealth for centuries weren’t false.

Taking just the gold in this room would likely solve any financial problems he had.

However, just to be sure, Oliver checked a couple of other rooms too.

Interestingly, aside from gold bars, the other rooms contained piles of cash and jewels, as well as magical and dark magic items.

It was a true treasure vault, in every sense of the word.

Without any special magic or rituals, this vault could easily captivate someone, igniting greed and obsession.

Yet Oliver showed little interest in the gold-filled walls or the mountains of cash.

Though he liked money, it was always as a useful tool, not an object of desire. His focus wasn’t on wealth, but something far more valuable—

“-Found it.”

Oliver murmured as he discovered a library holding dark magic tomes and the Devil’s Books instead of gold and jewels.

***

“Big Mouth.”

As soon as he found the library, Oliver pulled the tightly folded Greedy Bag, Big Mouth, from the leather case strapped around his waist.

When Oliver called, Big Mouth unfurled like a blanket, swelling like dough until eyes and limbs sprouted.

“Guruk?”

Big Mouth made its characteristic croak, like a toad, as it surveyed its new surroundings.

Understanding the situation, Oliver immediately pulled out a wad of cash and asked for its help.

“Can you pack up all the books here for me? The entire bookshelf included?”

Seeing the thick wad of cash, Big Mouth made a croak, glanced at Oliver, then agreed. It began swallowing the bookshelves whole with its ever-expanding maw, a skill it had gained from consuming so many other Greedy Bags.

“Reliable as always.”

“Gurururururu…!”

Praised and paid with cash, Big Mouth started devouring the books even faster, creating a ruckus.

Though it was a bit noisy, it was fine. What Oliver needed right now was speed.

Even though he was given permission to go in first, if he took too long, suspicions would arise.

More so since the Holy Knights were involved, which meant he needed to avoid such a situation.

Millieu might handle some of the Holy Knights, but they had limits.

‘Should I speed up?’

After making up his mind, Oliver called for Big Mouth.

“Big Mouth.”

“Guruk?”

Big Mouth responded while still swallowing the bookshelf.

“Could you, after finishing this room, check the other rooms and swallow any books you find?”

“Guruk?”

Big Mouth seemed unimpressed by the additional task, so Oliver pulled out a gold bar he had saved while exploring the vault.

Big Mouth’s eyes, already bulging, nearly popped out. It had seen cash often, but gold bars, not so much.

“Guruk?!!”

“There are hundreds of these gold bars, mountains of cash, and a considerable amount of jewels too… If you help out, I’ll let you eat half of them later.”

Oliver phrased it as permission to eat. Even though Big Mouth had to consume the items to store them.

But already tempted by the gold bar, Big Mouth seemed to have misunderstood his words and began devouring the books even faster—almost as if it was sucking them in.

“Gurururururururu!!”

To the point where it was almost terrifying. But it seemed trustworthy enough.

There was a slight concern that Big Mouth might consume the gold bars and cash on its own, but considering its previous behavior, the risk was low.

While Big Mouth was greedy and had a voracious appetite, it stayed within the limits Oliver set. Moreover, it wasn’t in a state of recklessness.

Concluding that Big Mouth could be trusted, Oliver left the library alone, focusing the Warlock’s Eye again as he looked around the castle.

To find something other than books.

Luckily, with his sight enhanced by the encounter with the Sleeping Beauty, Oliver was able to see through the complex spell formations and found the faintly glimmering emotions hidden among them.

This was none other than the emotion the Princess had requested as a condition to help the Flesh Cook.

Oliver walked towards the faintly glowing emotions and opened a door. There, amidst the gold and jewels, he discovered an old specially-treated vial.

The vial was specially processed to store the emotion without degrading it over long periods.

Oliver stared at the vial for a moment before tucking it into his coat.

***

Roughly ten minutes later, Oliver had gathered most of the books in the vault and stepped out of the castle.

Thanks to Big Mouth’s greed for treasure, which spurred it to run on two legs, Millieu readily greeted Oliver as soon as they saw him.

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

Oliver explained about the teleportation magic and the security spells the Flesh Cook had placed inside the vault.

Millieu members seemed to believe him.

“So Dave being the first to go in turned out to be a stroke of luck.”

Oliver thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

If he had entered with Millieu, a trap might have been triggered.

“But now, there’s no need to worry about that. I’ve dismantled everything. Now we just need to go in and see how much treasure there is.”

“Just how much is there, really?” Ewan asked.

“A massive amount, as far as I could see. But before that…”

Oliver cut off his response, condensed the mana stored within his body into his fingertip, and scattered it into the air in front of him.

The blue, shimmering mana particles moved like waves, spreading across the leaves, trees, and the air itself in the Verdant Forest.

Once he saw the reaction, Oliver clenched his fist, triggering the spell within the scattered mana. The particles began to glow and warp the air, revealing several people who had concealed themselves in the forest.

“Tomb raiders?”

Valai, Millieu’s only female member, spat on the ground as she looked at the revealed people.

It seemed she was familiar with them.

“I’d prefer if you called us adventurers,” said one of the men, stepping forward. He was fully equipped with magitech armor and an array of weapons, possibly the leader based on his looks— a tall, handsome man with striking features like a model from a brochure.

“Who are they?” Oliver asked, curious about the newcomer’s identity.

Pierre, the oldest of the leaders within Millieu, answered.

“That’s Operate, a fairly famous tomb raider. He digs up graves in the New Continent, the East, and other remote places to steal relics.”

“If someone overheard, they might misunderstand. I’m just an adventurer driven by romance and passion, exploring the unknown while carefully preserving forgotten relics.”

“And we agreed to call that tomb raiding.”

“But if the relics I find are acknowledged by the state and earn me medals, that’s no longer tomb raiding, is it? Because the law recognizes me.”

“Did you buy that expensive gear with the medals you earned?” Valai asked, her sharp eyes seeing through Operate’s costly equipment.

Without any intention to hide it, Operate puffed out his chest, as if boasting about his gear.

“I did some side jobs here and there. And it paid off, didn’t it? No one noticed us approaching. Unless, of course, Millieu is really as insignificant as the rumors say… Was it true about Millieu declining after the Flesh Cook disappeared?”

Indeed, rumors had spread that Millieu had weakened after the disappearance of the Flesh Cook, who once ruled over Gallos with an iron fist. During the ensuing power struggle among various groups, led mainly by dark magicians, Millieu’s strength seemed to be underwhelming.

It wasn’t hard to see why.

The intimidation of the Flesh Cook had kept any forces from entering Gallos’s underworld, which had also, unintentionally protected Millieu from external competition.

It was truly ironic.

In fact, one reason Lucian and the rest of Millieu aimed to claim the Flesh Cook’s inheritance wasn’t just for the wealth.

Part of the motive was to assert Millieu’s strength.

In this brutal world, appearing weak, regardless of actual power, was as good as inviting trouble.

Yet, no matter how accurate the point, Valai wasn’t about to let it be acknowledged so easily.

“Hmph, big talk coming from a rat who only dares squeak when creeping around the fringes!”

Operate retorted instantly.

“And a dying man’s last words! Do you think you can hold your own just because of the Golems?”

As soon as Operate finished his sentence, he signaled to his subordinate, who quickly hacked into the Golem’s system and disabled it using his mechanical arm.

The light in the Golem’s eye sockets flickered out, and it toppled over.

Millieu was thrown into confusion by the unexpected turn of events. Operate arrogantly spoke up.

“That’s the latest in magitech. The times are changing. Only folks like you fight with outdated weapons. So—”

Operate, who had just neutralized hundreds of Golems, was boasting when he suddenly stopped.

The reason was none other than Oliver. Without a word, Oliver walked up to the castle and closed the door he had previously opened, locking it again.

Click.

His actions puzzled everyone. As they wondered what he was up to, Oliver calmly held up the key and spoke.

“Mister Operate, and everyone still hiding, could you all please come out? I’m getting a bit tired. If you don’t, I’ll break this key.”

Oliver addressed the people who were continuing to hide, warning that if they kept it up, he would snap the key in half.