/
“Then I have no choice…… I’ll just give it to you.”
Oliver replied, touched by Edith’s sincerity.
An odd silence filled the room.
The air almost froze.
Edith stared silently at Oliver, eyes wide as if struck on the head with a hammer, and Oliver mirrored his silence.
Neither knew what to say.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“……Are you messing with me?”
After a long silence, Edith asked.
He exhibited a mixture of emotions – surprise, confusion, misunderstanding, humiliation, and anger.
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if you’re messing with me.”
“No…… I neither intend nor think of messing with you, Mr. Edith.”
“Then, why would you say you’d just give it?”
“Uh……. It’s not entirely free.”
“……?”
“You need to cover the cost of materials and equipment needed for production. These days I also need to save-”
“Oh, God……!!”
Exploding with anger and frustration, Edith sought divine intervention. His face flared up, and he gasped for breath.
“Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“It’s because of you. Shut up! Don’t do anything unless you want me dead from anger……!”
Edith spoke earnestly, and Oliver, as ordered, shut up and did nothing.
In the meantime, Edith calmed himself by downing alcohol straight from the bottle.
After a moment, he spoke.
“Haah, Haah……. There were ways to threaten me.”
“Excuse me?”
“There were ways to threaten me. You could have blown up the deal and waited for me to slowly die. But why didn’t you? I could have gotten scared and changed my mind.”
“Because I thought you wouldn’t change your mind? Because you seemed determined……”
“Minds always change.”
“Hmm……. That might be possible, but I think it’s not right to wait for that. As I mentioned earlier, voluntariness is important.”
“Discussing voluntariness with a person who might soon die?! Grr….. Or you could have asked for something else. Like asking for half of my wealth or becoming my heir……. You shouldn’t have said you’d just give it.”
“I don’t mean to be arrogant, but isn’t that something I should decide?”
“……Well, that’s true, but this is against common sense.”
“If I have to say it, I don’t have anything else that I particularly want from you, Mr. Edith. Of course, money is good, but if I ask for money, it feels like I have agreed on something else. That feels like a loss to me……. So, I’m just giving it to you.”
“……You’re a born negotiator.”
Edith said.
And he meant it.
Negotiation is about fighting with words instead of swords to gain more.
At first glance, it may seem more gentle than violence, but on the other hand, it can be more fierce and dirty.
It exposed both parties in their rawest form.
Because of this, as the negotiation continued, one could see the other party’s bottom, and any psychological advantage they had begins to dilute.
However, the young solver in front of him was the complete opposite.
He didn’t expose his bottom to gain even a little more benefit, he just suggested that he will willingly give what the other party wanted.
In the process, he did not flaunt his power or favor at all.
At first glance, he might seem like a pushover, but……
Edith, who was dealing with him directly, could not think so.
He did not sense any weakness in him. Rather, an indescribable presence was imprinted.
The existence before his eyes was such a presence that he didn’t even know what it was.
Despite having spent half his life on the gambling table, he had never felt anything like this…
What was even more astonishing was that there was no sense of intention in all these actions.
He wondered if he had become emotional as he aged.
Still, it was strange. He felt overwhelmed by a brat who was just a child.
Not a simple one-dimensional overwhelming power that is stronger in power and wealth, but an overwhelming beyond that.
Without realizing it, Edith opened his mouth.
“…Did you help the Fighter Crew in the same way?”
“The Fighter Crew?”
“Yeah, I heard you became the leader by helping the Fighter Crew.”
“It seems like there is a misunderstanding, I did help the Fighter Crew, but I’m not their leader.”
Like Oliver explained to Jane, he clarified the misinformation that was known in the world. Edith listened carefully.
“…That’s how it happened.”
“It must be deeply upsetting.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about the Fighter Crew being upset.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”
“It’s not something you necessarily have to understand. More importantly… you’re really going to just give me the blood elixir if I just pay the cost.”
“I can’t be sure, but if I succeed in production, I intend to.”
“What does that mean… No, never mind. Don’t say anything. There’s no point in prolonging this conversation with you, it’ll just burst my guts. Just tell me if you can promise or not. Whether you can give me the blood elixir without any conditions.”
“Hmm… As long as it’s not an unavoidable situation, I promise to give it to you. But you still have to keep paying the production costs.”
An unavoidable situation… An ordinary person might use it as an excuse to break their promise later, but Edith didn’t care and immediately nodded.
The speaker was none other than Dave.
“I won’t answer your curiosity until the end.”
“Um… then, it’s a pity, but there’s nothing I can do about it?”
“Good, then, take this.”
Edith handed him a small piece of paper.
“What is this?”
“My personal communication number. You have a personal communication device, right?”
“Yes.”
Oliver nodded.
He thought it would be convenient to have it when he set up a new residence in District L.
“Good. If there’s a problem or you need money, contact me.”
“Ah, thank you. I thought I wouldn’t need a communication device, but I’m glad.”
“And let me give you some advice.”
“Advice?”
“Yeah, I don’t want the person who is going to extend my lifeline to be involved in any unnecessary trouble.”
“Ah… What is it?”
“Be careful with Shamus.”
“Mr. Shamus?”
“Yes, you seemed close to him, but keep your distance.”
“We’re not close though?”
Oliver spoke calmly but firmly.
Because it was true.
Edith was momentarily confused, but quickly regained his composure and continued speaking.
“Well, in that case, I’m relieved. Anyway, keep your distance. He looks full of intentions to use you.”
Oliver agreed with that as well. Every time he saw him, he harbored ulterior motives. Of course, this was not a criticism.
“Normally in Landa, everyone uses everyone else for their own benefit, so that’s not a big problem, is it?”
“Humph! You speak well… Well, you’re not wrong. If you’re smart, it’s not bad to be used. Those guys know how to share profits. But Shamus is not one of them.”
“Is that so? He seems intelligent and capable.”
“I’m not denying his ability. The solver has succeeded as a businessman. However, even considering that, he is too greedy and too active. Such guys usually can’t control their greed and end up causing a big accident. I swear on my bitch of a wife and rat-like children, he will cause a big accident sooner or later. Big enough to stir up society.”
Almost prophetic in level. But there was no exaggeration in his sincerity.
“I guess I should warn Miss Jane as well. Since she’s in the same group as Mr. Shamus’s lovers and has a relationship with them.”
“Ah, come to think of it, you attended this party because of Jane? I don’t understand. With your reputation, you could be with prettier and richer ladies.”
Edith’s malice shone through.
Oliver replied thoughtlessly.
“I like Miss Jane.”
“……Is that so? Why?”
“That is……. Um, I don’t think I can tell you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s unfair. You didn’t answer, so if I’m the only one who answers, isn’t it unfair?”
“I thought you were a fool, but it seems you’re not……. Then, let’s trade.”
“Oh, are you also thinking of talking, Mr. Edith?”
“No, you bastard……. I’ll give you some valuable information, and we’ll trade for that.”
“Valuable information?”
“Yes……. You have the Book about Demons I gave you, don’t you?”
“Yes, but the contents of the book are almost entirely empty.”
“I’ll explain why.”
“……There’s a reason why the book is empty?”
“Yes, and how to fill it. I had no way of checking it out, but I know how to do it.”
“I’m genuinely curious, why are you telling me this now?”
“I traded the book with you, but I never said I would reveal the book’s secrets. Also, this way, it can be put to use……. So, tell me if you want to trade. Don’t stare at me with those eyes, it gives me the chills.”
Edith spoke while looking at Oliver, who was staring at him.
After the conversation with Edith, Oliver stepped outside his room, said farewell to Jane, and hurriedly left the party.
The Sisterhood members, including Shamus, were disappointed, but Jane let Oliver go without a word.
Believing that there must be some reason.
Thanking Jane for her consideration, Oliver immediately took a taxi back to his house in District L and went down to the basement.
He then brought out Big Mouth and asked it to spit out a book.
He meant the Book about Demons he had acquired while undertaking the task of retrieving auction items for Crime Firm.
“Gweeeek!!”
Big Mouth wobbled its mouth and spat out the book.
After telling Big Mouth that it did a good job and handing it a bill, Oliver asked it to wait for a while.
“Grrr.”
Big Mouth replied and squatted in a corner of the basement lab, and Oliver opened the book to check its contents.
The book, which Oliver received as a reward from Crime Firm, was a kind of record that documented the damages caused by the demons, and Oliver periodically examined the contents of the book.
Among the contents, some were quite credible, while others were either tall tales about a village disappearing overnight, or stories that were too old to resonate.
After flipping through the book, Oliver murmured.
“I was originally planning to keep it……. Big Mouth, if it’s okay, could you bring out another book?”
Big Mouth, who was squatting in a corner of the lab, wobbled its head on top and spat out another book.
This book, received from Edith, was a manuscript describing the 72 Demon lords and the Demon King.
Even so, the book was a shameful object with more empty sections than filled ones.
‘But, what if it’s not…….’
Oliver momentarily looked at the book he received from Edith, determined his mind, and put the two books he had just brought out together.
He then extracted the emotions hunger and starvation from a test tube and applied them directly to the book he received from Edith.
‘As expected? Mr. Edith said he wasn’t sure either…….’
As Oliver was silently looking at the book, Edith’s book quivered, and surprisingly, something like eyes sprouted on the book cover.
But that was not the end.
The book from Edith, beyond sprouting eyes, grew teeth and the front cover opened wide like a mouth, starting to devour the book next to it.
Kyaryaryaryaryaral——!!!
On the outside, it was merely a book opening and closing, but the book being devoured slowly diminished and eventually disappeared completely.
All that was left were pieces of torn paper from the eating process.
Even that was completely consumed by the book received from Edith.
Although he thought he knew a fair amount about black magic……. Oliver realized anew that he still had much to learn.
Oliver reached out his hand to the book.
He was worried that it might bite him, but fortunately, it did not.
Rather, as soon as he touched it, it returned to its original book form as if considering Oliver’s feelings.
‘……Has the text increased just a little?’
Oliver thought as he was flipping through the book.
Just as Edith said, it seemed that the book’s content had been supplemented by consuming another book about demons.
Oliver tried to read the added content. Just then, the signal sound beep- beep- beep- was heard.
It was Forrest’s personal communication device.
“Mr. Forrest? Ah, yes……. I had some business to attend to and left in the middle……. Yes, I think I sent her off well……. Yes, thank you for understanding. I met Mr. Edith. Yes, yes……. Ah, you found Mr. Ewan? That’s a relief. Yes, understood. Thank you.”
After setting up a meeting, Oliver turned off the communication device and looked at the book again.
“Indeed, work piles up quickly.”