Even though it was early in the morning, there were still customers at the Forrest restaurant.
There weren't many, only two or three, but when Oliver looked at them closely, they didn't look like ordinary customers.
"They're all Solvers."
Al who was guiding Oliver quickly explained it to him.
"I see."
“Yes, some industrious Solvers come early every morning to find out if there is anything good. There are also people who just come to eat. So our restaurant opens early in the morning.”
“I see. Thank you for the kind explanation.”
Oliver thanked him sincerely.
There are few people who were so kind as to explain things to Oliver.
Oliver thought Al was a good person.
"You're welcome. It was just part of my job.”
“Hey, Al. Who is that person?”
Just before Oliver and Al could enter the staff corridor, a woman spoke.
She was sitting alone at a table covered with a white tablecloth.
On the table, there was warm tea and pancakes, but she only ate half of it and left half of it as if she didn't like it.
The woman was dressed in a ladylike dress, but her leather corset that accentuated her waist and chest gave off a somewhat provocative vibe.
Of course, Oliver didn't feel anything.
“Hello, Ms. Coco. This is Dave, the new Solver who came yesterday.”
“A new Solver?”
"Yes."
"Whoa…"
She expressed her interest with a bright smile.
She had a very bright smile, but on the contrary, her insides showed anomalous movements, as if she was thinking a lot.
"That's the new solver that the old man Forrest accepted… that’s interesting.”
“He has proven to have sufficient credibility and skills.”
"Ah… credibility, so he was introduced by someone Old man can trust? And if he has proven himself, then… Don’t tell me he was the one who caught the chimera that was making a fuss in District V?”
Oliver raised his eyebrows slightly.
He did catch a Chimera yesterday, but he wondered if the information can be spread this fast.
"Hahaha. Don't be too surprised. That’s my area of expertise. My name is Coco. What's your name?"
“My name is Dave.”
“Nice to meet you, Dave. See you later.”
She got up with a gentle, feminine gesture and left her food on the table.
“… Who is she? Is she also a Solver?”
“No. She is an information dealer who has dealing with the boss.”
“Information?”
“Yes, she is a person who handles information. Apart from that, she runs many other businesses… I will guide you back to the boss.”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Knock. Knock.
When Al knocked on the door, Forrest was filling out the papers.
When Oliver opened the door and came in, he signed the papers and organized them.
“Hey, it’s an unexpected guest early in the morning.”
“I am sorry if I have caused you any inconvenience.”
“No, it’s not like that. I was just surprised.”
"Is that so?"
"Usually, if people earn 40 million in a day, then they won't come back for at least a few weeks. They would just take a long rest."
“I had a good rest last night.”
Forrest raised his hands and nodded as if he understood what Oliver meant.
“Okay, that’s enough chattering. It's obvious, but still, I’ll ask. You're here to take a new job, right?
"Yes."
“Um, okay. Before I arrange a job, is there anything you want to do or stay away from?”
Searching through the filing cabinet, Forrest asked.
Oliver thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“I don’t really have anything that I want to do or stay away from, but I want to avoid harming the public.”
"I'm glad. It's the same for me. It's relatively easy, and the profit is decent, above all we can avoid being the subject of an investigation. I'm glad that you have the same tendency."
It was as Kent said.
Brokers were also tasked according to their personal preferences, and the nature of the solvers belonging to them also varies.
It was obvious that it would be hard to work with a broker who didn't fit one’s preference for a long time.
“Um… I don’t have anything to entrust to you at this moment.”
"Is that so?"
“Yeah, well, there are small things like hunting bounties and killing or capturing contaminated creatures, but the pay on these missions is low. You don’t have to do something like this that has no return other than a penny? Especially since that’s not the goal for you.”
Oliver answered with silence because what he said was right.
Making money was important, just as important as increasing connections and entering the black market.
Suddenly, Oliver wondered whether he ever talked about this to Forrest.
"Don't be surprised. As you can see, I'm pretty old, and I've got a lot of experience in this field. I know that it's not just for money that a talented warlock like you would become a Solver. If you really needed money, you would have made drugs or gone to a Crime Syndicate."
"… Amazing."
“Thank you for the compliment. I apologize if you were offended because I pretended to know you.”
"No, I'm not offended. If it's okay with you, can you continue talking?"
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Talk about things based on your experience.”
Forrest looked at Oliver silently.
"Oh, did I say anything wrong?"
"No. It's just… it's fascinating, are you normally that curious?"
“It thinks so.”
Forrest looked at Oliver for a moment before opening his mouth.
“…. Warlocks who usually work as Solvers are divided into two main categories. The former are the poor ones who lack the skills, or those who have learned so much that they feel like they do not belong to a family.”
"I see."
“And the latter tends to be more diverse. Either they become a fighter who enjoys fighting, or they get tired of being with warlocks and want to gain more power. When he proves that he is a great warlock, many giants give him a hand. If you are confident enough, it is possible.”
"I see."
"But I don't think you're either one. The atmosphere is different. It's not something you can hide. I’m just asking out of curiosity, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Why are you working as a Solver?… Again, if you don't want to say it, it’s fine. I understand totally. It’s good to keep your distance.”
Oliver thought for a moment and spoke.
“…because I want to use the Black market.”
“Black Market?”
“Yes, do you know?”
"No, I know similar places, but I don't know much about the black market. Why do you want to use it?"
"Nothing much, It’s because I want to buy black magic books. I want to study black magic, but I don't want to be bound to an organization. Since I have to do things I don't want to do, and it takes a lot of my time."
"I see…"
Forrest nodded slowly. He wanted to ask something more, but he persevered from asking.
Oliver suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake.
Kent advised him to be as careful as possible, but it seemed like he had talked a lot this morning, in spite of yesterday's efforts.
But he had no choice because Forrest's words were quite amusing.
“I didn’t expect you would tell me such an important secret within two days of our meeting. I’m glad that you believe me.”
“Because I can’t control myself when I become curious.”
“I think so too….so your goal is the Black market…then how about this job? To be honest, it's not the right thing to do, but I think it would be okay if we approach it with the concept of increasing connection.”
With those words, Forrest held out a folder to Oliver.
It was a stiff brown paper file folder, and the letters CF-M were written in a stylish font on the outside.
Oliver opened the file folder.
On one side was a black-and-white photo of a fat, middle-aged man, and on the other side was the information related to him.
"Subject name Herbert. Former Assistant Professor of Alchemy at the Magic Tower. Request to retrieve alive?"
“That’s right. By the way, the client is currently a member of Crime Firm.”
Crime Firm.
Oliver had heard about them from Kent.
They were a huge criminal organization that encompasses all of England, including Landa.
In fact, they were the ones said to be ruling the underworld.
Of course, it was not perfect domination due to internal conflicts and friction with other non-affiliated gangs, but it overwhelms others with sheer numbers and size, so it can be called the ruler of the underworld.
Kent told him to avoid anything that could cause friction with them as much as possible, and to have a solid backing to fight them if it was unavoidable.
“I don’t quite understand what it means by retrieve, can you explain?”
“Of course, I was going to explain it anyway. The person in the picture was an Assistant professor, as written in the document. To be exact, he was a former Assistant professor.”
“Are you saying that he was a professor before and not now?”
"Yeah, he quit. To be exact, he got fired because he stole some goods from the Tower to make illegal Magic wine. He ended up getting caught and was kicked out. "
"Okay."
“But it didn’t stop him. He had an unexpected talent and the product he made was pretty good too, so, our client approached him first and suggested doing business together. The Magic wine business."
Magic wine.
A generic term for alcoholic beverages processed by adding potions.
It was a dangerous alcohol that could cause death or side effects if it was made incorrectly, and it was an illegal product, but if made properly, could have a tremendous taste and addictiveness that cannot be felt with conventional alcohol.
Production and distribution were all considered illegal because of various reasons, such as moral reasons, the risk of production and consumption, and the sacredness of the potion, but they were traded at an expensive price because they were illegal.
Oliver remembered what Kent said. He said he enjoyed drinking it when he was young.
“The Assistant professor was also a person with wide social connection, so he didn’t immediately bite into it, but in the end, the desperate client paid a small amount as an advance and signed a contract with him.”
Oliver seemed to know how the story would flow.
“But the problem was, after receiving the money, he disappeared. He ran away. The client worked hard to find him, and he found out where he was just a few weeks ago.”
Oliver checked the file folder.
"It's District X."
"Yeah, no matter how big the crime organization he joined was, District X is not their territory. It's a lawless area full of non-affiliated gangs and mercenary groups. The Assistant professor is smart, he has money, so he thinks of running his own business from there.”
Oliver thought for a moment. Suddenly, the Lightning Wizard came to his mind.
“Can I ask you a question?”
"What is it?"
“Are there many people coming out of the tower like this?”
Forrest thought for a moment, then answered.
"Um…it's been like that lately. Although the status and economic influence of wizards have developed tremendously, at the same time, competition among them has intensified. Thanks to that, wizards poured into this field as well, and it's been a bit of a mess.”
“……..”
“It’s not there yet, but some witty, ambitious, and powerful people are noticing that a change will take place. Like two sides of the same coin, where there is light there always exists shadow. The wizards who were once called lights are slowly starting to show the shadow side, so they think they should be prepared accordingly. So those who are on the top are looking out for a good Solver."
"Are you saying that I can stand out if I do this job?"
"I'm not sure, but there's a possibility. At least you can form a relationship with a member of Crime Firm. I'm sure he'll appreciate you if you were to help him because he's in a hurry."
Forrest's words were sincere, and they seemed logically correct.
"But I'm not forcing you. To be honest, this work itself doesn't fit the bill."
"Is that so?"
“Yeah, the pay is 20 million, and it’s a solo mission without any support. The conditions are also very strict. It would be easy if it was simple destruction or assassination, but the client is asking you to bring the Assistant professor as safely as possible.”
“It’s a little bit like the Chimera job.”
"It's also different. Chimera was alone, but he isn't. He hired nearby gangs with the money he got from selling magic wine, and according to another investigation, he also seems to have hired professional mercenaries. By the way, the mercenaries are warlocks. .”
“Warlocks?”
“Yeah, the number of warlocks has increased a lot lately. I don’t know for sure why, but…the risk is quite high.”
“…will this job make it easier for me to work in the future?”
“As the rumor spreads, the value of your name will also go up.”
After thinking seriously, Oliver answered.
“Then, I’ll do it.”
(To be Continued)
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