Chapter 727: The Test

1: Charlie Beasley.

2: A stern expression, striking black hair, and glasses that gave off an air of intelligence…

3: As the owner of a luxury hotel in Randa, he appeared wealthy and dignified.

4: But surprisingly, he came from the slums, just like the countless rats scurrying around the city.

5: That’s right, he had an alcoholic father and a weak mother.

6: Naturally, his alcoholic father beat his mother every day, which led to her running away. His father soon died miserably, leaving Charlie an orphan wandering the streets at a young age.

7: Like many orphans of the streets, he almost died in some filthy alley, but he didn’t. Instead, he became the owner of one of Randa’s prestigious hotels, known for its astronomical property prices.

8: The reason behind his success was Puppet.

9: Before Beasley died, Puppet picked him up, fed him, clothed him, and educated him.

10: That’s probably why, even after Puppet’s zombie army turned to ashes and Puppet himself fled, Beasley stayed behind to guide Oliver.

11: “This way.”

12: Standing in front of Room 444, located in the middle of the fourth-floor hallway in the hotel.

13: Charlie Beasley spoke, barely suppressing his fear. However, it wasn’t completely hidden.

14: His trembling hands and feet, along with the desire to flee, betrayed his fear clearly.

15: “Then, I’ll be off-”

16: “-Stay.”

17: Oliver spoke curtly, more command than request.

18: Charlie Beasley froze like a stone, and Oliver gazed at the door of Room 444.

19: The room was surrounded by layers of space magic and creation-based dark magic, with no gaps at all.

20: So dense one couldn’t even see inside.

21: Yet Oliver’s eyes pierced through it, seeing the inside and sensing something amiss.

22: For example, the demonic energy he once felt from Kent’s side…

23: “Is Kent okay?”

24: Despite Kent being right behind the door, Oliver hesitated before entering. Something held him back.

25: But Beasley, too terrified, didn’t notice Oliver’s hesitation and simply answered the question.

26: “I… I don’t know.”

27: “You don’t know?”

28: Though Oliver knew Beasley was being honest, he pressed him again.

29: Honestly, Oliver no longer cared whether it was true.

30: “Yes, I’ve never met him directly.”

31: “So you starved him?”

32: “Ah, no! We provided meals and essentials through space magic. We did our best… Master’s orders, after all-”

33: “You’re brave, Mr. Beasley.”

34: “…Pardon?”

35: “In situations like this, it’s easy to get blamed, yet you didn’t run. Is it for Puppet? To repay the kindness? Admirable. Personally, I would’ve run.”

36: “…”

37: “Then again, running wouldn’t have helped much.”

38: Oliver said sharply, looking at Beasley with a mix of mockery and judgment.

39: Sensing the atmosphere, Beasley hastily spoke.

40: “I… I’m not entirely sure, but I think he’s okay.”

41: “Why’s that?”

42: “Because… there was a recent request. Through the communication device.”

43: “…What did he request?”

44: “A burner, a pot, vegetables, corned beef, and biscuits. He said he was going to make stew…”

45: The ingredients were eerily familiar.

46: Hearing this, Oliver made up his mind and reached for the doorknob.

47: As soon as his hand touched the knob, the space magic and creation-based dark magic that Puppet had laid reacted.

48: A violet magic barrier appeared, creating immense gravitational force, like a black hole, pulling the intruder in to crush them.

49: Not satisfied with that, the plain door transformed into a massive mouth filled with teeth, ready to consume the intruder.

50: A complex combination of space magic and creation-based dark magic intended to erase someone completely.

51: But that didn’t happen.

52: The reason? As soon as Oliver touched the door, the magic barrier vanished like a bubble, and the teeth melted away.

53: Just by his touch.

54: Squeak-

55: Like that, Room 444, a room even the hotel’s owner couldn’t touch, opened effortlessly.

56: Once the door was open, Oliver could smell something nostalgic.

57: The smell of stew, reminding him of the time he first arrived in Randa after leaving the Joseph Family.

58: “You’ve come?”

59: There stood Kent, stirring a pot of the same ragtag stew he used to make when they were beggars.

60: Kent looked thinner, his face paler than before, and above all, a knife was sticking out of his side.

61: The knife looked familiar, and seeing it made Oliver’s side ache.

62: That knife… It was the same one that stabbed Oliver’s side.

63: The knife that Jane, under the influence of the Eternal Child Fen, had plunged into Oliver’s side in Neverland.

64: And now, it was embedded in Kent’s side.

65: “Thanks for sending the supplies.”

66: As Oliver unconsciously raised his hand toward Beasley’s shoulder, Kent, stirring the pot, acknowledged the hotel owner.

67: That brought Oliver back to reality. He looked at Beasley.

68: Beasley, with trembling eyes, only stared at Oliver’s hand.

69: Oliver, still seated, placed his hand on Beasley’s shoulder and made a request.

70: “Do you mind leaving us alone for a little while, so we can talk?”

71: “Sure…”

72: “Also, I’d appreciate it if no one interrupted. That includes you and everyone else.”

73: Not only Beasley but even Puppet’s disciples hidden throughout the hotel flinched at that.

74: Oliver not only sensed that Puppet’s disciples were hiding throughout the hotel but also used telepathy to tell them that they shouldn’t do anything.

75: Having received that message, Beasley and the disciples could only nod.

76: Once they responded, Oliver walked into the room and closed the door.

77: ***

78: Squeeeak.

79: The door of the finest hotel in Randa closed with an eerie sound.

80: Almost as if it was reflecting someone’s mind.

81: When the door shut, only Oliver and Kent remained in the room.

82: Oliver quickly surveyed the room. Puppet had clearly spared no expense, making it comfortably luxurious, without being extravagant.

83: After scanning the room, Oliver looked at Kent once again.

84: Kent was even paler and thinner than when they last met, and the knife still protruded from his side. And his-

85: “Sit. You look tired.”

86: Stirring the stew, Kent invited Oliver to sit down.

87: Oliver, following Kent’s suggestion, sat down, and Kent placed a bowl of stew in front of him.

88: “Did you know I was coming?”

89: Watching Kent dish up a bowl of stew for himself, Oliver asked.

90: Kent sat down in front of his own bowl of steaming stew and answered.

91: “I had a feeling.”

92: Oliver guessed at the source of that feeling, staring at the knife lodged in Kent’s side. More precisely, at the demonic energy lingering on the blade.

93: There was something strange about it. Noticing Oliver’s gaze, Kent spoke.

94: “Not planning on eating?”

95: Kent’s question pulled Oliver’s attention from the knife back to the stew simmering in front of him.

96: Looking into the bowl reminded Oliver of when he first left the Joseph Family and joined Kent’s group of beggars.

97: When Kent had first helped him,

98: Offered him a place to stay if he had nowhere to go,

99: And the mix of beggars who either welcomed him or didn’t.

100: The friendly Red Nose who quickly chattered away and fed his harmonica to make a living, the girl who pretended to be a boy, the old man, and so on.

101: Living there, Oliver had learned quite a bit about the world.

102: “Mmm…”

103: Honestly, the memory wasn’t half bad. In fact, in retrospect, it was almost pleasant.

104: Back then, everything was new and exciting, even though he knew nothing.

105: Remembering this, Oliver picked up his spoon. But after a moment, he paused.

106: “A problem?”

107: Kent asked while eating his stew.

108: Oliver answered.

109: “I’m not hungry, I just can’t eat.”

110: “Really?”

111: Kent, finding it hard to believe, questioned him further.

112: It was understandable. Looking at Oliver now, it was hard to believe he wasn’t starving.

113: His body looked like he hadn’t eaten in days, skin stretched tight.

114: And in truth, Oliver did feel that level of hunger.

115: Ever since eating the Flesh Cook’s meat, he hadn’t had a single moment where he wasn’t starving.

116: Yet, despite that, Oliver couldn’t bring himself to eat the stew. The very act of eating felt too human, too unpleasant.

117: So, Oliver apologized to Kent.

118: “I’m sorry. You went through all the trouble of cooking…”

119: “No need to apologize. I didn’t make it because you asked, I made it because I wanted to eat it.”

120: “Really?”

121: “Yep. The hotel food is delicious, but sometimes an old man like me craves a rougher meal. It’s like a self-made man returning to the cheap booze he used to drink. For the nostalgia.”

122: Oliver understood what he meant.

123: After all, Oliver had picked up the spoon for the same reason.

124: “So… how’s the nostalgic taste?”

125: Kent smiled as he finished his bowl of ragtag stew.

126: “It’s awful! Haha!”

127: ***

128: “-Haha!!”

129: Kent laughed loudly, finding the stew much worse than he remembered.

130: And he meant it.

131: “Ah, I must’ve made it too well. Just roughly chopped onions and potatoes, no proper seasoning, canned corned beef, and biscuits for flavor. I added way too much water to make it stretch, and as a result, it’s worse than I thought. It’s a crime.”

132: “…Maybe you should’ve made it differently.”

133: “Then it wouldn’t be true to the memory, would it? Besides, I thought it might taste better… Maybe too much time has passed to enjoy it.”

134: It made sense.

135: After all, the last time Oliver had eaten that stew was years ago.

136: That was a long time, absolutely, and considering all that had happened, it felt even longer.

137: During that time, Oliver had become a Contractor, met countless people, reunited with Marie, learned about the Selectors, and fought people like Bathory, Seamus, Theodore, the Flesh Cook, and Fen. He learned things he hadn’t wanted to.

138: As for Kent, he hadn’t been idle either. While maybe less chaotic than Oliver, he’d led a highly concentrated life. Using the money Oliver had given him, he unified the beggar clans, built an information network, helped the other beggars, and eventually founded a welfare center.

139: It had been quite some time.

140: More than enough time for the stew they’d loved to lose its flavor.

141: “Then again, maybe it’s not the time that’s the issue.”

142: Kent, staring into the bubbling stew pot, spoke.

143: “If it’s not time, then what’s the problem?”

144: “The memories themselves. People aren’t great at remembering things accurately. We have a habit of embellishing even the smallest memory. Like how men think the camaraderie during their younger years was some romantic bond.”

145: Kent’s gaze shifted from the pot to Oliver.

146: “Or how we think we were in love with a girl when it was really just obsession. Or how the man we admired was really just an average guy. We all package our memories, but when we look back, we realize they were nothing special and feel disappointed… You know what I mean?”

147: “…Yeah, I think I do.”

148: Oliver’s response carried a touch of experience, making Kent smile bitterly.

149: “What about your memories?”

150: Oliver stared at Kent, weighed down by his sins.

151: He then began reflecting on all the people he had met since returning to Randa.

152: From Paul Carver, the city civil servant, to the random citizens, Selectors, Fighter Crew members, Marie, Forest, Joe, and so on.

153: As a result, there was a longer silence than expected. Eventually, Oliver spoke.

154: “I guess I’m the same. Turns out my memories were packaged too, and seeing them for what they are is disappointing.”

155: With that answer, Oliver’s face twisted in pain.