Chapter 551: A New Phase (3)
"[It seems that word of Dave’s efforts to secure the Flesh Chef’s Legacy is spreading. Not just within Gallos, but beyond its borders too.]"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Oliver fell silent, putting down his fork mid-meal. Though he had somewhat anticipated it when Eve first brought it up, actually hearing it was still surprising. Above all, it wasn’t a situation he particularly desired.
Was it because of this? Oliver glanced at the newspaper lying on one side of the table with a look of curiosity.
"...I don’t understand. How could this have become common knowledge?"
The newspaper he’d bought with a tip for the newsboy displayed a large headline in Gallosian:
“The Legacy of a Major Crime Syndicate Leader: Reclaimed for the Treasury.”
The article was none other than about the Flesh Chef's Legacy, which Oliver had discovered with Ewan and Milieu, now portrayed as an asset retrieved by the government.
This was due to a prior agreement between Milieu and the royal family.
Though they had found it first, officially, it was made to appear as though the government had commissioned a civilian organization to retrieve it.
It seemed like an unnecessary and convoluted gesture at first, yet, upon closer explanation, it wasn’t entirely without reason.
Initially, the relationship between Milieu and the royal family was one of mutual necessity.
With the disappearance of the Flesh Chef, the underworld had descended into chaos, and Milieu needed backing. The royal family, on the other hand, needed a force to bring order to the disarrayed underworld.
In seeking the Flesh Chef’s Legacy, they even received support in the form of holy knights.
So, it wasn’t strange for Milieu to concede the honor to the royal family, claiming it was found by them.
As a result, the royal family, whose authority had diminished due to the recent rebellion in the capital, managed to restore some of its prestige, while Milieu was able to enhance its reputation within the unofficial underworld.
Two birds with one stone—a remarkably efficient strategy.
Moreover, through this deal, Milieu could launder the Flesh Chef’s substantial illicit proceeds into legitimate money. Although they had to pay heavy taxes on it, Milieu's boss, Lucien, expressed no dissatisfaction.
"Is that so? In Landa, everyone shudders at the thought of taxes. I gather that’s not the case in Gallos."
"No, we feel the same about taxes. We consider the tax authorities here even more ruthless than our gang ancestors. However, we gained something in return. We’re now able to legally participate in Laville’s capital redevelopment. Overall, it’s not exactly a loss."
Indeed, by attributing credit for securing the Flesh Chef's Legacy to the royal family and the government, Milieu gained numerous benefits.
No longer just one of many criminal organizations dividing the underworld, Milieu could now pursue the operation of legitimate businesses. Much like a crime firm in Celland.
While crime firms were often compared to Celland’s Milieu due to their similar syndicate nature, the crime firms ran numerous legal businesses, making them quite distinct from Milieu.
In terms of profitability alone, Milieu couldn’t compete with crime firms—the difference was like that between a warrior and a businessman.
It appeared Lucien had set his sights on transforming Milieu to resemble a crime firm.
After all, in the unofficial underworld, it was already common knowledge that Milieu had seized the Flesh Chef's Legacy. Handing the honor to the royal family hadn’t caused them any real loss.
Even with some taxes deducted from the Legacy, the additional privileges they gained from their royal arrangement more than compensated.
In fact, redirecting that small loss into a growth engine for the organization proved to be beneficial.
But most importantly, this approach allowed Oliver’s name to remain hidden as much as possible.
Whether it was as the fixer Dave Wright or as the tower’s lowest-ranked mage, Zenon Bright, the government and Milieu took all the credit for the acquisition of the Flesh Chef’s Legacy, ensuring Oliver’s name would naturally be left out.
Yet Oliver couldn’t understand why rumors about his exploits were still circulating.
Lucien had even promised to try to keep his identity concealed.
"...I’ll do my best. But don’t expect too much," Lucien had said.
Repeating Lucien's words to Eve, Oliver asked why things had turned out this way.
"He said he’d do his best."
"[From what I heard, it sounded like he was saying he’d try but that it wouldn’t be easy, Dave.]"
"Really? Maybe I was too tired to catch the nuance... But why are the rumors spreading?"
"[I can’t say for sure without knowing exactly what happened in the Sleeping Forest, but based on what you told me, there’s only one possible reason.]"
"What’s that?"
"[It’s just that there were too many eyes watching and too many mouths to spread the word.]"
"Are you referring to the Milieu people?"
Oliver asked, still puzzled. The bosses, as well as the officers and subordinates, had promised to keep quiet, and in fact, had done so more than Oliver had expected.
"[No, you saved other people in the Sleeping Forest, didn’t you?]"
"...Ah."
Oliver let out a sigh as if he’d just remembered.
After encountering the Princess in Slumber, he’d faced a candidate for the throne of the Swan Sect, a religious cult.
During the process, he rescued countless individuals who had been absorbed by the Flesh Blade wielded by the prince.
The number of people extracted from that blade was easily in the hundreds, and they had all seen it with their own eyes. They witnessed Oliver overpower the White Swan Prince and even engage in battle with Puppet.
Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t strange at all that rumors would spread under those circumstances.
"[Why did you save them? The people who’d been absorbed. Weren’t you worried that having so many witnesses would be troublesome?]"
Since the question came through a communication device, Oliver couldn’t see Eve’s expression, but her tone suggested genuine curiosity.
From her timing and subtle phrasing, he deduced her intent. Pleased with how his conversational skills had developed, Oliver responded.
"Red Hood was among them—the black magic-using wolf."
"[Weren’t they an enemy?]"
Eve, who had not only watched but even helped when Oliver fought Red Hood, expressed her doubt.
"Perhaps... But more than an enemy, Red Hood was more like a competitor with similar goals."
"[If you include those who compete by risking each other’s lives, then calling them competitors isn’t necessarily incorrect. But what do you mean that Red Hood’s presence made you save them?]"
Eve’s voice still sounded puzzled. It was reasonable, Oliver thought; even most people wouldn’t understand such reasoning, which made Eve’s question completely normal.
Oliver shrugged and answered.
"Because I knew them."
"[Knew... them?]"
"Yes."
Oliver replied firmly to Eve’s repetition.
"They’re someone who emanates beautiful emotions—ambition, determination, and an indomitable spirit. I freed them because... seeing them end their life as mere materials inside a blade seemed... well, tragic."
The last part trailed off in a faint tone. However, Eve accurately picked up the underlying sentiment in his voice.
"[So you have a fondness for beautiful emotions.]"
"Yes, because they’re beautiful... But even better is an emotion that radiates as something truly magnificent."
Oliver agreed without hesitation. After all, one of the reasons he’d left Wineham and the Joseph Family was to pursue that radiant beauty.
Then, Eve asked an unexpected question.
"[Then, may I ask why you are so fond of these beautiful and radiant feelings?]"
"...Pardon?"
Caught off guard, Oliver asked in surprise. It was a question he hadn’t expected.
He didn’t think he needed a reason to appreciate what was beautiful and radiant.
"[I’m sorry. I just assumed that, with you being Dave, there would be a reason behind your admiration for beautiful radiance.]"
"There’s no need to apologize. It’s just... I’ve never questioned why I like beautiful radiance. I’ve come to understand what it roughly is, but as for why I like it..."
"[What is it, then?]"
"I’d say it’s something more significant than one’s own life. A belief, a goal, or even a will—something along those lines."
Oliver recalled people who had radiated such a magnificent light: his mentor Joseph, Duncan, Seamus, and even the Flesh Chef. Their shared trait was that they held something more important than their own lives, whether it was ambition, purpose, or family.
From his encounters with them, Oliver speculated that this was the source of such radiant beauty.
Perhaps this was why Oliver cherished such beauty—because he didn’t possess it himself.
Lost in thought, Oliver fell silent, prompting Eve to ask,
"[Are you alright, Dave?]"
"Huh? Oh, yes... I’m alright. Anyway, I saved Red Hood simply because it would have been a shame if things ended that way... Besides, now that I think about it, it might not be such a bad thing if rumors spread a bit."
Oliver resumed his meal, cutting into the remaining steak and popping a piece into his mouth.
Since Milieu had restructured the story, attributing the official request to him through the royal family, any illegal implications had been smoothed out.
In fact, a bit of fame might even work in his favor commercially.
Forest had mentioned that the redevelopment company they operated in Landa was significantly boosted by Oliver’s reputation, and gaining renown through the acquisition of the Flesh Chef’s Legacy could only add to that.
Recalling this, Oliver decided not to dwell on the matter, and Eve refrained from bringing it up again.
There were still issues she’d wanted to address, such as his battle with the holy knight known as “Finger,” but Eve had sensed from their conversation that Oliver wasn’t yet ready to talk about that.
Whether it was due to the fatigue accumulated during the quest for the Flesh Chef’s Legacy, or for some other reason, she couldn’t quite discern.
While Eve pondered this, Oliver finished his steak and, after some hesitation about ordering more, eventually settled on having dessert. He called the server.
Upon receiving the order, the server, apparently instructed by Lucien, responded with excessive politeness, promising to bring it quickly before leaving.
During this brief interlude, Oliver began reading through the various newspapers he’d bought before coming to the restaurant.
"[Anything interesting in the news?]"
"Hmm... Quite a bit."
Oliver replied as he scanned the pages.
"An article about real estate speculation in Laville’s redevelopment zone, a suspicious gathering of women, and even a report on a gigantic sea monster that allegedly attacked merchant ships in the Atlantic."
"[A sea monster?]"
"Yes. Some believe it was an insurance scam, but since there were no survivors, nothing is certain. Apparently, it’s affected the shipping industry’s stock prices."
"[Fascinating article, though it all seems to revolve around money in the end.]"
Oliver nodded in agreement.
Most crises, disasters, and incidents tended to culminate in financial matters.
The fact that the newspapers continued to give extensive coverage to the Flesh Chef’s Legacy was proof enough.
Despite running a front-page article proclaiming the Legacy had been reclaimed for the Treasury, many papers continued to publish speculative stories about hidden parts of the Legacy, fueling people’s interest and greed like a treasure hunt.
Consequently, some papers harshly criticized the impact of these “Legacy hunts” on public safety, with warnings about superhumans clashing, disrupting order, and draining resources as police, military, and holy knights were mobilized.
"[It all seems rather foolish to me—almost self-destructive.]"
"It may seem that way. But to some extent, I can understand it."
"[Oh?]"
"Yes. Money, when abundant, is undeniably useful and desirable. After all, I’m one of the people who benefited directly from the Flesh Chef’s Legacy, and in the most favorable conditions possible."
Indeed, Oliver, despite appearing indifferent to money, had become the primary beneficiary of the Legacy.
Even after securing half of the massive treasure, Milieu handled all the taxing and legal matters for him, leaving his earnings untouched and maximizing his profit.
In fact, dividing the Legacy with Milieu had proven to be more beneficial.
If Oliver had attempted to claim it all himself, he would likely have faced either heavy taxes or even confiscation under the guise of “criminal proceeds” by the state or, worse, by the holy knights.
As Oliver continued chatting with Eve while reading through the newspapers and enjoying his crème brûlée, he suddenly paused at one particular article.
Noticing his reaction, Eve inquired,
"[Is something the matter?]"
"A friend of mine made it into the news."
"[A friend?]"
"Yes."
Oliver responded, reading the article intently.
The headline read:
“Jane from Landa: Investing in Fabric Factory for Single Mothers After Establishing an Orphanage; Project Gains Momentum After Near Collapse.”