Chapter 92

<92. Promise (1)>

Sector T, 27th Street.

Just yesterday, puppets had appeared in the contaminated zone, killing numerous solvers, yet this street was as peaceful as ever.

Well, it wasn’t that he felt particularly wronged or angry.

After all, being a solver was a job that came with such risks.

Still, it was quite surprising.

Despite the considerable chaos caused by the city defense force and the Holy Knights, most people were completely unaware of the puppets' existence, let alone the incident itself.

It felt as if they were living in a different world, even though they were in the same time and space.

Ding dong.

Oliver opened the door to Restaurant Forest and walked in.

Although not much time had passed, it felt like he hadn’t visited in a long time.

"Welcome. Mr. Dave, thank you for coming."

As usual, Al greeted him.

He was always polite and courteous, but today he seemed even more so, as if he regarded Oliver with even greater respect.

"Yes, hello. Mr. Al… Is everything alright?"

"I’m always at peace. Did you come to see the boss?"

"Yes, I came to report that I’ve finished the job in the contaminated zone."

Actually, he could have done this via communication equipment, but he had some questions and decided to come in person.

He preferred to have this kind of conversation face-to-face.

"I see. If it’s not too much trouble, could you wait for a moment? The boss is busy with some work right now. It won’t take long."

Al asked with a degree of caution that bordered on being overly polite.

Oliver, though curious about the reason, simply nodded without pressing further.

"Sure, I understand. He’s a busy man."

"Thank you for your understanding. Please follow me to a place where you can wait."

Oliver nodded and followed Al.

Al led him to a table in the restaurant. Looking around, he saw that two-thirds of the floor was already filled with people.

Among them were white-collar workers in suits and glasses, as well as those who looked like solvers.

It was a strange mix, but Oliver sat down among them.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes."

As soon as he answered, Al brought him a cup of coffee.

Oliver was about to pay for the coffee and leave a tip, but Al politely refused.

"It’s fine."

"Really? But…"

"Though it’s presumptuous of me to say, I heard about what happened in the contaminated zone. I humbly request that you just enjoy the coffee."

Al’s words were sincere.

Oliver nodded and took a sip of the coffee. When he was about halfway through, Al returned and said,

"The boss says you can come in now."

Oliver went down to the real office of Forest, deep in the basement.

He was used to it by now, but when he arrived at the office, he found the boss was busy on a large communication device, the size of a human head.

However, as soon as he saw Oliver, he quickly wrapped up his call and greeted him.

"You’re here. Come in."

"Yes, it’s been a while."

"It hasn’t been that long, but it feels like it… Are you alright?"

"Excuse me? What do you mean?"

"I heard about it. You fought a puppet, right? Is there anything wrong with your body?... Ah, my apologies, I’ve been keeping you standing. Please, have a seat."

Oliver tapped his Quarters Staff on the floor and sat down.

Forest, as usual, poured a drink and offered it to him. Oliver covered one eye with his hand and looked around.

There was definitely a change.

Even without focusing, he could see the emotions of people beyond the building and on the ground. In Forest’s case, his emotions were much more detailed than before.

He was currently filled with admiration and pride for Oliver.

It seemed to be because he had survived a fight with a puppet, but at the same time, he harbored a subtle sense of guilt.

Though he denied it, emotions are not easily shaken off.

So, Oliver spoke first.

"…There’s nothing wrong with my body, so you don’t need to worry. I didn’t come yesterday because I was tired."

Indeed, that was the case. After the chaos with the puppet, he hadn’t even had a chance to rest and was interrogated for hours.

He was so exhausted that he went straight to his lodging and fell asleep.

"I understand. You must have been very tired."

"Well, at least it turned out well. When the Holy Knights appeared, I thought something big was going to happen, but they let me go more easily than I expected."

"Of course. No matter how great the Holy Knights are, they are ultimately bound by the church. They can’t unilaterally ignore the contract between Randa and the church. With the Intermediary Guild in place, they can’t take someone away without any evidence."

"I see. That’s impressive."

"But don’t get too complacent. Conversely, if they have a reason, they can take you away at will."

Oliver nodded.

Elton, the Holy Knight, seemed to be hoping Oliver would make a mistake.

At that moment, Oliver had a sudden question.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"As far as I know, Holy Knights are supposed to protect the human world and have a lot of power. Why can’t they just take someone like me, a solver, without a reason?"

"Because of the city agreement between Randa and the church. Randa, though not very devout, donates a huge amount of money to the church every year."

Oliver asked in surprise.

"Because of the money?"

"Yes, because of the money. When the sacred and the secular meet, it’s always like this. It’s not entirely bad. Thanks to this, the church gets a generous operating budget, and Randa can enjoy both safety and freedom. It’s the adult world, you know."

Oliver understood only half of it, but he didn’t have anything to say, so he just nodded.

Then, Forest spoke.

"Is that all you want to talk about? About finishing the job in the contaminated zone and the Holy Knights?"

"No, I have one more thing."

"Go ahead. I also have something to say to you. You go first."

Oliver nodded.

"Do you know anything about the appearance of the puppet in the contaminated zone? No one would answer when I asked."

Forest hesitated for a moment after taking a sip of his drink, but then answered.

"I’ll tell you. You have the right to ask… The story is complicated and not entirely confirmed, but according to our sources, a high-ranking city official in Randa’s internal affairs department was bribed by the puppet."

"Bribed?"

"Yes. Whether he knew the puppet was a puppet or not, the official, who is suspected of being bribed, recently got into gambling and accumulated a huge debt. It’s believed that he was bribed at that time. The investigation is ongoing, but it seems to be true. Isn’t it interesting?"

Oliver agreed. It was quite interesting, even funny in a way.

Though not confirmed, Oliver had heard that the number of people involved in this cleanup, including solvers and mercenaries, was between two hundred and three hundred.

However, fewer than a hundred survived, and the fact that it all started with a city official’s gambling debt was truly fascinating.

It was so absurd and irrational that he even wanted to study it.

"I also find it absurd. But this is the norm in Randa."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, in Randa… or rather, in most of the world, things operate like a chorus of fools. The Intermediary Guild will likely have a conflict with the city over this cleanup. Of course, it won’t be a physical fight, but a negotiation."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Compensation for the families of the deceased solvers and the losses of the Intermediary Guilds that lost a lot of manpower. They also plan to revise some of the rules they’ve agreed upon. The city and the Intermediary Guilds have a clear hierarchical relationship, but they need each other… So, whenever an incident like this happens, they try to find each other’s weaknesses to gain an advantageous position. The city is also at fault, so if we’re not too excessive, they will likely accept some of our demands."

"I see."

"Also, there will be a political struggle within the Intermediary Guilds. Most of the intermediaries who participated in this cleanup, B, H, N, and T, suffered significant losses. They will fight over territory."

"Is that a big deal?"

"For some. They might lose their competitiveness and have to retire."

"Will that happen to you, Mr. Forest?"

Oliver asked, feeling a bit sorry. They had worked together.

However, Forest’s expression was bright, as if he had been waiting for this question.

"No, quite the opposite."

"Quite the opposite?"

"Unlike others who lost manpower, I didn’t lose much. I collaborated with Arthur’s group."

Ah, that’s right. He remembered that some of the solvers in Arthur’s group worked with Mr. Forest.

"Most importantly, you came back alive, didn’t you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You are the best solver among those I manage. Just by you coming back alive, I avoided a significant loss. Moreover, the rumor that you survived a fight with a puppet is spreading, which is actually a benefit."

"A benefit?"

"Yes, by surviving a fight with a puppet, many big shots have started to take an interest in you… Even in this line of work, where skill is paramount, you need to stand out in a notable incident. Ironically, your name has become quite well-known due to the cleanup of the contaminated zone, which everyone avoided."

"Ah… It sounds good, but I don’t understand. I didn’t win; I barely survived."

"Surprisingly, people aren’t that interested in the details. The fact that you survived a fight with a puppet is what matters… Speaking of which, you’ve received a named request."

"A named request?"

"Yes, so far, you’ve only had general requests. These are distributed randomly by intermediaries. But a named request is different."

"How is it different?"

"The client specifically requests you for a job. They choose a skilled solver because they believe their task is important and difficult. The job is correspondingly difficult, dangerous, and demanding, but the reward is generally high. On average, it’s in the tens of millions, sometimes even in the hundreds of millions."

"…I’ve only done jobs in the tens of millions so far."

"That’s because you’ve taken on a lot of difficult tasks… You’re quite unique. Sometimes you’re sharp and unpredictable, but usually, you’re very calm."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I don’t mind that, but be careful. There will be people who try to take advantage of you. I might do it too."

"You’re so kind."

Forest laughed.

"Calling me kind makes me feel more trustworthy. Clever people are all like this, so be careful."

"Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for the kind advice."

"…In any case, named requests have higher rewards. You can also negotiate the reward. You can ask for a higher amount or something else."

"What else can I ask for?"

"Useful items, information, or potions. Of course, not all requests are granted, but sometimes they are. For example, you might be able to find out about the black market or get a book on dark magic."

"A book on dark magic?"

"Yes. Surprisingly, there are quite a few wealthy people who collect books on dark magic. They might ask for one."

While the money was appealing, the second condition was even more interesting.

It felt more certain than meeting random clients.

"Quite appealing."

"But the risk is also higher."

"You mentioned the job would be difficult earlier."

"Not just that. A direct request is likely to be important to the client and may involve political matters. You might inadvertently uncover the client’s secrets or sins, and in the process, solvers might end up taking the fall. We intermediaries are here to help with such situations, but we can’t protect you from everything."

It might sound irresponsible, but it wasn’t.

Through the contaminated zone incident, Oliver had learned that the world operates more on lies than he thought.

When a lie is exposed and an incident occurs, they hastily clean up, but they don’t try to eliminate the lies.

It’s easier to cause an incident and then clean up.

This was true for intermediaries and solvers as well.

Whatever the case, it was a job to make a living.

When unethical incidents occurred, they could be subdued with greater power and profit.

Forest’s attitude of accurately pointing this out was impressive.

At least, Oliver thought so.

"Yes, I understand."

"Are you sincere?"

"Yes, Mr. Cant warned me about this to some extent. I hope it doesn’t happen, but being cautious is my job."

"…With a direct request, the people you meet will also be more dangerous. Not as dangerous as a high-risk criminal like a puppet, but there are still many strong people in this line of work. It’s like moving from a river with piranhas to a river with crocodiles."

"I see. I’m fine with that."

Hearing Oliver’s answer, Forest looked a bit deflated.

"I expected this attitude, but it still takes the wind out of my sails. Well, since you’re here, would you like to hear a story?"

Oliver declined.

"No, I’ll pass today."

"Really? That’s surprising. I didn’t plan to rush you, but I thought you’d ask to see it right away."

"Yes, I would have if there wasn’t a promise, but I have one soon."

"A promise? That’s interesting. If it’s not too much trouble, who is it with?"

Oliver stood up and said,

"Someone who gave me good advice."