Edith

"What?"

Edith Rock, who was only wearing socks and underwear, leaned on the chair and asked.

"Um, I didn't expect to eat like this,"

Oliver answered as he entered the room and saw the staff laying out all kinds of unknown food on a white tablecloth.

The table was full of food he had never seen before, and it looked expensive.

"I know. I had no idea there was such a world when I was your age."

Edith Rock pulled out a bunch of thick bills from his wallet casually.

The employee received the bunch of money and withdrew without a sound.

Edith Rock immediately picked up a bowl of cream and chocolate and began to eat it with a spoon.

A truly strange sight.

Although the behavior did not seem appropriate for the place at first glance, it somehow seemed natural and perfect.

For now, Oliver ate with him as well.

Edith Rock, who was eating cream, saw Oliver and immediately spoke up.

"That's funny."

"Um… Is there something I'm doing wrong?"

"Wrong? No….. Rather, there is nothing wrong with how you use the knife and fork. Are you familiar with table manners? Did you learn them separately?"

"No, I was just mimicking what my Master showed me once."

"That's amazing. I even paid a lot of money to tutor myself to use this fu*king tableware, but a Solver who makes a living on the price of human meat and blood uses it just like that. I knew it – that bastard God is truly a grossly unfair bugger."

Unfair – that was a very unexpected word to come out of the mouth of the richest man in the city.

It would have been impossible for ordinary people to hide their displeasure no matter how patient they were, but Oliver listened calmly.

Because he acknowledged the fact that he was a Solver who makes his living on the price of human meat and blood.

So he was neither angry nor agitated.

Rather, it was Edith Rock who frowned.

He couldn't believe that Oliver did not budge despite all this provocation.

He led the conversation and negotiation by provoking people and pushing them to the bottom of their emotional state.

Conversely, it also meant that he did not have a way to deal with people who can not be pushed to the bottom.

However the boy in front of him was different – It was like talking to a doll, not a person.

As a result, Edith Rock took a different approach.

"…what's the question? If it's a question you want to ask by giving up on 200 million, it must be something pretty important."

"Can I ask you first?"

"Of course, let's talk comfortably. It's like a game. Truth or dare. I used to play this kind of game with girls a lot. I'm excited."

"Then, I'll ask you without hesitation. Can you tell me about Mr. Duncan?"

Oliver asked, recalling the beautiful light in his pocket.

If there was any helpful information, he wanted to collect it.

"Duncan?"

"Yes."

"Why are you curious about him?"

Oliver rolled his head to think of a plausible reason.

"….I don't know much about him, but I think Ms. Jane believed in Mr. Duncan quite a lot. I think Mr. Duncan also liked Ms. Jane."

"Well, I told him to take care of her, so they had time to get close to each other."

"But, that kind of person tried to kill her….. I wonder why. I think there's something he wanted to get by killing Ms. Jane."

He already knew Duncan wanted to establish something like the Pinkman office to become a powerful person, but Oliver pretended he wasn't aware in order to get more information.

Fortunately, it was not a wrong approach.

"He wanted revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Yes, against the Wizards. Do you know that Duncan is from a wizard family?"

"No, I just heard from Ms. Jane that he had mana hypertrophy."

"Mana hypertrophy. It's a kind of constitution in which one can't use magic due to having too much mana. Because of that, he was kicked out of his house as well as the Magic Tower."

"Mr. Duncan?"

"Yeh. It's also very competitive there, so if they think one is defective, they will throw them away easily. Most wizards are pro eugenics… Oh, wait a minute."

Edith Rock tore off a large turkey leg, dipped it in cream, and devoured it.

"Ummmm. Still, Duncan was a man of steel, so it didn't stop him, he tried to gain power in a different way and tried to get back at them. Starting as a Solver, he became a Pink Man and finally opened his independent office."

"Is there a reason why he became independent?"

Oliver asked, genuinely curious. He thought being a Pink Man executive was already big enough.

Edith Rock, however, denied it head-on.

"Of course there is. Solver, or Pink Man, end of the day, they are just employees who take care of other people's sh*ts for a few pennies. It's not much different from the slaves 3,000 years ago. If you want to be big enough to get revenge on Wizards, you have to run your own business."

"...."

Oliver was silent. It didn't sound like Edith Rock was just trying to offend.

There was certainly malice in what he said, but at the same time, there was a clear conviction.

It was quite interesting.

"Um… Then, why was he working for Mr. Edith?"

"Because he failed. I picked him up….. This is the interesting thing about business – if you succeed you can escape from slavery and become your true master, but if you fail, you fall to the bottom of the pit, way worse than salaried slaves. So most remain happy about being slaves. It's scary, but thanks to that, society is running efficiently… Hahaha… Isn't it funny?"

"Yes, it's interesting….. It's fascinating."

"What?"

"Mr. Duncan seemed quite competent, then how did he fail?"

"Killing people well and management are completely different areas. And of course, the Pinkman office interrupted... Did you think they would suck their fingers and stand still when someone tries to steal their own business model and try to become their competitor?"

Oliver did not understand it but still nodded his head.

It was pretty interesting.

Not as much as beautiful lights, Demons, or black magic, but the way people function in the world was interesting.

Oliver couldn't explain it properly, but he felt like by interacting with various kinds of people he could see various sides of the world.

"Now it's my turn. Why do you look for a book about Demons? I think that's why you took this job in the first place, I'm wondering why."

"May I know why you're curious about me?"

"Who wouldn't be curious of a Warlock who killed dozens of Pink Man and two talented solvers all by himself? And of course, I'm curious why the Warlock who even killed Duncan covets books about Demons….. For what purpose? Are you one of those fu*kers who wants to destroy the world?"

"The purpose is… Because I want to meet one."

"…you want to meet a Demon? Just for that?"

"Yes, is it strange?"

"Well… every time a Demon appears, they try to destroy the human world, not a small town, but huge cities have been destroyed. And is it weird to just try to meet such Demons who make a mess of this world? Of course, it's not weird."

"...I'm sorry, but are you being sarcastic?"

"Of course, dammit! Why else would I say that?"

"Oh, thank you. I was confused, but… I mean it."

"Why do you want to meet a Demon? Are you going to make a wish?"

"Wish? Do I have to make a wish when I see one?"

"That's usually the case. Make me rich. Make the girl love me. Please cure my illness. Please make me young. Let me live long… no, forever. The same thing. Why else would one want to meet the dangerous Demons if they don't have any wish?"

It made sense, even Joseph dedicated Andrew and his disciple, to the Demon, and eventually tried to kill Oliver in order to get something.

Suddenly, Oliver got curious.

"Have you ever done that, Mr. Edith?"

"What?"

"You have a book about Demons… Do you have any wishes?

"…Nothing. I just happened to have it for business purposes."

Edith lied, and at the same time the necklace around his neck gave off some kind of magic.

It seemed to have an obstructive effect that prevented him from projecting his emotions, but it was of little use in front of Oliver.

He thought of asking about it but soon gave up. Oliver found Edith Rock's current emotional state interesting.

So the conversation continued.

".… Business?"

"There are some weird people in my business who collect these things just for show-off or as a collection. To get close to those geeks, I need to have these kinds of stuff."

The statement itself was true, and Oliver found it quite intriguing.

Collecting books about Demons out of a desire to collect, not for knowledge.

"Of course, there may be some people who are really into it, but I don't know about it….. So, you really want to meet a Demon without any purpose?"

"Um…it's not like there's no purpose."

"Ha! As expected. What is it?"

"There is this one thing… Right now I'm looking for it on my own, but if I can't, I want to ask about it."

"What do you want to ask? What is it?"

"It's about beautiful light."

Edith Rock frowned.

"Beautiful what?"

"Beautiful light. Sometimes there are people who emit that kind of light. It's one of the reasons why I came out into the world."

Oliver answered honestly.

"Holy fu*k… There are many crazy warlocks, but I have never seen a crazy one like you."

"Is it weird?"

"Yes… dammit, let's hear it for now. What is this beautiful light thing?"

When asked by Edith, Oliver took the test tube from his pocket.

It was the test tube filled with beautiful light extracted from Duncan.

On the outside, it was not much different from ordinary emotions or Life-force, but Oliver could feel the subtle beauty.

Sadly, however, Edith Rock did not seem to feel it.

After examining the contents of the test tube, he quickly lost interest and returned it to Oliver.

"I don't understand what this beautiful light thing is. Let's stop with this crap, I'll ask a more realistic question. What's your name? Real name."

"…It's Oliver. How did you know Dave is not my real name?"

"How many of the guys who work in this field use their real names? But you answered more easily than I thought."

"Because I promised"

"Oh, is this some kind of Principle – to keep your promises?"

Edith Rock moved his shoulders and made sarcastic remarks.

Oliver answered calmly.

"Um, it's not that grand, but I kept it because it's worth keeping."

"Huh! That's honest. Then another question. Have you been really living in the basement?"

"Half right. I lived in a mine until a year ago. Later, my Master bought me, and taught me black magic."

"...…Come again? Is it really a year since you started learning black magic? No, it's about half a year, because you have been working as a Solver for 6 months."

Oliver affirmed with silence.

In fact, it was shorter than that, but Oliver did not feel the need to explain it.

Edith Rock lied once, so he thought this would be fine.

"Where did you learn?"

"Wineham. Do you know about this place?"

"I know that it's one of the insignificant small towns being eaten up by Landa… I heard that one of the officials there is investing heavily in the city these days… So, it's Wineham?

"Yes."

"Then, another question. Why did you come here?"

"The reason I came to Landa is.. to see my Master."

"Something doesn't add up. Your Master is here?"

"To be exact, his corpse in District X."

"…That's sad. So, who killed him?"

"I did. He wanted to kill me."

Edith Rock went silent for a moment with a surprised look on his face.

"...…I see. The master tried to kill you, so you killed him. I'm sorry, you must have felt betrayed."

"Not really. He must have had his reasons. I understand. Of course, he will understand me."

"Is that so? …Then, who recommended you to be a Solver? I'm so curious."

"It was recommended by a person who helped me. After trying it out personally, I think it's good."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have a good income, and I think it's suitable to find a way to the black market."

"Black market? Hmm… Is it for the books?"

"Yes…Ah!"

Olivo made a small noise as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Why are you surprised? What's going on?"

"I made a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"I had a question for Ms. Nina, but I forgot to ask her."

"Nina?"

"Magic Gun Nina, a Pink Man-turned-Solver hired to protect Ms. Jane."

"I know who it is. She's the one who was with Duncan."

"Oh, you know. I thought you weren't interested."

Edith Rock was speechless for a moment. It was as if Oliver unintentionally hit a vital point.

"…What the fu*k are you talking about. I've looked at Duncan from behind, so of course, I know."

"Um, is that so?"

"Yes."

Edith Rock lied again, but this time too Oliver moved on thinking it was more fun to just leave it as it is.

"…Anyway, what do you want to ask her?"

"It's nothing big. I was going to ask her where she bought the Pilgaret she smoked. But somehow I missed the timing to ask her and killed her."

At first glance, it sounded very creepy, but Edith Rock asked with a smile.

"What's with this Pilgaret? You don't look like a smoker…"

"I want to find out something."

"It's something I want to find out. I wonder what it is, but for now, I'll put it off for later enjoyment... It's out of the blue, but I have a suggestion."

"Suggestion?"

"Yeh. Why don't you come under me?"

"….."

"Thanks to you killing Duncan, I have a place open on my side. What do you think? I think the guy who killed him should take the position. I'll treat you well, what do you say?"

Oliver was slightly surprised by the unexpected suggestion. But that was it, he felt nothing more.

"Um, thank you for the offer, but I have no intention of getting a job or being hired by anyone."

"Oh, are you not satisfied with me?"

"No. That's not what I meant, I really don't want to belong anywhere."

Edith Rock strained his eyes and glared sharply at Oliver.

There was no special power, but his eyes were still strong enough to see through the other person.

"…what's the reason? Earnings aside, if you come under me, you'll be able to easily use the black market you're looking for"

It was definitely true. The reason why he became a Solver in the first place was to build connections with big names and use the black market.

However, he did not want the connection to be in the form of employment.

"…That's true, but I don't like it. I think I have to spend a lot of time on your orders and should do things I don't want to do. I don't like it."

"Ho… interesting. Want to be a Master rather than a slave?"

"Huh? No, it's not that big of…"

"… Oh, that's enough. Don't be so humble. I don't like that kind of thing. Deception is like hell."

Edith Rock said flatly. His voice and emotions were so serious that Oliver felt that it could not be discussed any further.

In the space filled with strange tension, Edith Rock spoke again.

"…Anyway. If that's what you want, I won't recommend it anymore. I don't want to cling to anyone."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"However, you have to be careful."

"What?"

"This city is as dangerous as wealthy it is. Come to think of it, you seem to be a Rare-case that can even extract mana, so be careful. Because the people who are crazy about research are very interested in guys like you."

"People who like research, who are you talking about?"

"Well? Think about it on your own. The unimaginative ones die first. Especially, you're gonna need more of it. A lone wolf who does not belong to a group is likely to be targeted regardless of the size of its power."

Edith Rock's words were sincere, and he was giving sincere advice.

"Thank you for your advice. That's so kind of you."

"Hahaha… Fu*k….Am I kind? Really, me?"

"Yes, you respected my opinion and gave me advice, didn't you? You also served me food. You're a kind man."

"Ugh...I'm getting confused about whether you're a fu*king fool or a madman."

"Is that so? …By the way, can I ask you a question this time?"

"Oh, yes. Do it. What is it? What are you curious about?"

"What do you think of Miss. Jane?"

Edith Rock froze.

It was a question that was completely different from the flow of conversation so far.

He seemed to dislike it.

"Of course, my stupid illegitimate daughter."

"Mr. Edith, you can't lie about this. You promised you would answer my questions honestly."

Oliver pointed out Edith Rock's lie for the first time.

Edith Rock's expression quickly hardened, flinching as if he had been stabbed.

"…why do you ask such a question?"

"Um, I'm just curious."

"Are you curious about everything?"

"Um, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Hahaha… Are you making fun of me now?"

"Sorry, don't get me wrong. It means you don't have to answer if you don't want to. I think it's better to answer this kind of question voluntarily."

Edith Rock was displeased, but he liked it at the same time.

For some reason, when it comes to Jane, he seems to be sensitive.

"…Fu*k. I feel like I owe you something. I feel like I lost."

"It's not like that, so it's okay."

"I'm not okay. It's been a while since I owed anyone anything… All right, I'll make it up to you with something else."

"Something else?"

"Yeh, I know some black markets, too. Including places that handle drugs. I'll tell you where and become your guarantee, so let's stop playing this damn game."

"Ah…thank you."