Chapter 116: Edith (1)
"Hello?"
Oliver greeted the man in the pink suit in the same manner.
The man had greeted him first, so Oliver responded politely, though he hadn’t overlooked the twenty or so people surrounding them.
They showed no signs of malice or murderous intent, but they were ready to fight if necessary.
Oliver asked a question to determine if this man was a foe or not.
"Um... sorry, but who are you? You look like a Pinkman."
The man in the pink suit clasped his hands together politely and answered.
"That’s right, I’m a Pinkman. But please don’t misunderstand. I’m not on the same side as Duncan or MacMan."
"...Sorry, but who is MacMan?"
The man slightly tilted his head as if he understood and snapped his fingers.
In response to the sound, one of his subordinates brought over a severed head and handed it to the man in the pink suit.
"This fellow here."
The man in the pink suit held up the head as he spoke.
The distance and the darkness made it hard for Oliver to see clearly, so he stepped closer.
Although the subordinates of the man in the pink suit were wary of Oliver, the man stopped them and even lifted the head higher so Oliver could take a good look.
He was considerate.
"...Ah, MacMan, the human butcher. I saw him in the news."
"Yes, that’s the same MacMan."
Oliver nodded in understanding.
The Pinkman who had suppressed the miners' protest in Northland.
He had caused hundreds of casualties and even posed for pictures while smiling over the carnage. For that, he had become a key target in the hearings.
"I gave him a job because he’s always so diligent, but he ended up being too diligent. Our work is closely tied to politics, so managing our actions is important, but this guy didn’t understand that... or maybe he just chose to ignore it."
"So, you cut off his head?"
"No, we’re not a gang... We just asked him to take a break to calm public opinion, but he resisted, stole company secrets, and tried to defect. This is merely disciplinary action. Our company is very sensitive about such issues, especially since we serve some very important clients."
Oliver turned to look at Duncan.
"By any chance, was MacMan cooperating with Duncan?"
"They were working together. But not anymore. Dave helped us out greatly."
"You know about me?"
"We always keep an eye on capable Fixers. After all, talent is the key to this business. I’m sure you understand."
Oliver nodded without much thought. It wasn’t something to be pleased or angry about. Instead, he grasped the situation.
"...So, you’re not here to fight me, is that right? I must be tired because I’m not thinking clearly."
"Yes, I understand. We have no intention of fighting."
"Oh, that’s a relief. If it’s alright, could I take that?"
Oliver pointed to the tonfa that had fallen between the Pinkmen's legs.
It was Duncan's tonfa, and when the Pinkmen looked at each other and stepped aside, Oliver bent down and picked it up.
"Thank you."
Oliver thanked them as he put the tonfa away.
Though simple, the weapon, imbued with magical power, could adjust its strength and impact, making it useful in various ways.
Perhaps he could use it for research.
Having tested it, he thought it was possible. The mechanism of magic and black magic were similar enough to make it feasible.
"Big Mouth."
Returning to his position, Oliver opened the leather case tied to his waist and took out Big Mouth.
The creature, the size of a person, swelled like dough and sprouted arms and legs, its many eyes darting around as it surveyed the surroundings.
"Grooo...!!"
Big Mouth let out a low growl, seemingly wary of the strangers.
Oliver calmed him down.
"It’s alright. Calm down... Could you do me a favor and swallow this and that?"
Oliver pointed to Duncan's corpse and the Pinkman who had fought alongside him but hadn’t turned into a zombie.
"Grr..."
Big Mouth seemed disappointed since they weren’t money, but he obediently did as he was told.
He was really quite a kind creature.
"Interesting."
The man in the pink suit commented.
He maintained his polite posture as he continued speaking.
"I’m not a formal scholar, but I’ve heard that gluttonous pouches of that size are very dangerous."
"The person who made him must have been skilled."
"Could you tell me where they are? We’re always looking for talented people."
"I’ll ask the person later and let you know. It’d be rude to talk about them without permission... But is that all you wanted to say?"
"No, actually, I have more to discuss. The truth is, I didn’t come here just to deal with internal company dissidents."
"Are you here to take Duncan too?"
Oliver asked, slightly disappointed.
"No, not at all. We’re not interested in corpses, especially not ones owned by a black magician. But we are interested in living people."
"Living people?"
At that moment, Oliver could feel a subtle shift in the emotions of the Pinkmen surrounding them.
"...What’s going on?"
"Please hand over Miss Jane to us."
"I’m not sure I understand what you mean."
"Don’t worry. We’re acting on behalf of Edith. She requested us to do this."
"Edith?"
"Yes, she planted a secret contact at the villa, but when communication was suddenly cut off, she hired us to investigate. She wanted us to check on what happened to her daughter Jane, rescue her if she’s still alive, and investigate anyone involved if she’s not."
"Hmm..."
So it wasn’t retaliation but an investigation. But that wasn’t the only noteworthy thing.
Edith’s response time was extremely fast. Not even a day had passed since the attack. It was almost as if she had been prepared and waiting.
The man in the pink suit continued.
"If you don’t believe me, I can—"
"No, I believe you," Oliver said, cutting him off. The man was telling the truth.
"That’s good to hear. So, can you tell us where Miss Jane is?"
"Hmm... I’ve left her somewhere for safekeeping. I’ll go fetch her."
"Would it be alright if we accompany you?"
"...Why?"
"Just in case. We can’t predict what might happen. We’re simply doing our job, so please don’t misunderstand."
"I don’t. But even so, I’ll have to politely refuse."
"...Refuse?"
The man in the pink suit raised one eyebrow. It seemed he wasn’t used to being turned down.
He looked slightly displeased, but Oliver continued without concern.
"Yes, the place where Jane is staying helped me out, and they don’t really like strangers. So, would you mind waiting here?"
"This puts us in a difficult position. Edith instructed us to secure her as quickly as possible."
"Then I’ll make sure to return as fast as I can."
"It seems you don’t understand. Edith requested that—"
"—Edith only asked me to protect Jane. That’s all. I’m a Fixer. I do my best with the tasks I’m given, but beyond that, well..."
"....."
A strange silence filled the air.
Oliver could sense what was likely to happen next.
In situations like these, people typically resorted to using force to assert their will, which was always a sad thing.
There were surely ways to resolve issues through conversation.
After a moment, the man in the pink suit spoke.
"Alright... On second thought, we were being a bit rude. We’ll wait here. Please return as soon as possible. We have our own obligations to consider."
An unexpected response. Oliver nodded.
"Thank you for your understanding. I’ll return as quickly as I can."
With that, Oliver set off to fetch Jane.
"Ah... wait a moment."
As he was leaving, Oliver stopped, gathering Child and the corpse puppet that had collapsed behind the Pinkmen.
Fortunately, the Child was weakened but unharmed.
"Now I’m really off."
...
Oliver descended into the sewers, traveling through various tunnels and passageways until he reached the underground slum where the poor brothers resided.
The paths were winding and confusing, but thankfully, he didn’t get lost.
Upon arriving, he explained to Jane and Kent what had happened above.
Both Jane and Kent were visibly shocked when they heard that Oliver had taken down Duncan.
But they quickly focused on the proposal from the newly dispatched Pinkmen and began to deliberate.
It made sense. If a group of Pinkmen suddenly appeared, claiming they were sent by Jane’s father to protect her, suspicion would naturally arise.
Especially after nearly being betrayed and killed, and not even a full day had passed since then.
Even so, Jane made up her mind after some consideration and decided to go with them.
Kent also agreed that it was the right choice.
He explained that men tend to get more childish and fickle as they age, and even the slightest offense could cause them to break their promises.
If Jane ignored the people sent by her father, they might use it as an excuse to withhold her inheritance.
Jane didn’t deny this and nodded in agreement, so Oliver took her back up to the surface.
As they walked together, Jane spoke to Oliver.
"By asking for my handover, they mean they’ll be responsible for my protection, right?"
"It seems so."
"If they tell you to leave, would you still stay by my side? ...I’d feel more comfortable if you did."
"Yes, if that’s what you want. I was hired for that, after all. The time we agreed on isn’t over yet."
At Oliver’s response, Jane visibly relaxed.
It wasn’t just for show—she genuinely seemed relieved.
When they reached the surface and exited the alley, they quickly encountered the waiting Pinkmen.
The man in the pink suit, who had introduced himself earlier, greeted Jane politely as soon as he saw her.
"Hello, Miss. I’m Jonathan, the head of the security team from the Pinkman Office. I’m here on behalf of your father."
The man in the pink suit introduced himself courteously.
Jane responded just as politely, saying how glad she was that they had come.
"Thank you for the warm welcome. From now on, we’ll take responsibility for your safety. If you wouldn’t mind, please come with us. We’ll take you somewhere safe."
It was a polite yet somewhat pressuring offer.
Jane smiled warmly, raising her hand cautiously.
"Yes, of course. But could I make one request?"
"A request? Please, go ahead."
"I’m very grateful that you’ve come to protect me, but what about Mr. Dave?"
Jonathan glanced at Oliver.
"Edith has entrusted us with full authority over your protection. Mr. Dave has done more than enough, but as a black magician, he can now step back... However, if you wish to keep him with you, that’s perfectly fine."
"Really?"
"Yes. Your wishes are what matter most."
Upon hearing this, Jane let out a sigh of relief, then smiled and thanked Jonathan.
At some point, Jane had reverted to the demeanor she had shown at the villa.
Except, she gave Oliver a quick wink as she turned her head slightly toward him.
After finishing their discussion, Jonathan gestured to his subordinates, who surrounded Oliver and Jane, providing a security escort.
As they walked for a while, they eventually reached the main road and saw the car parked ahead.
The vehicle looked sturdier than a typical car, especially the nearly armor-like cover that reinforced it.
"Please get in. We’ll take you to a safe place."