Chapter 704: The Occupied City (2)
“Ah, damn it…”
Right after asking Oliver a question, Carver covered his face and groaned.
The sound resembled that of a boy trapped in his own fantasies, suddenly jolted by reality—a sound carrying the weight of emptiness and embarrassment.
For Carver, it was a bit more severe. After all, he was old enough to know better, and his position was what it was.
And yet, he had asked about something as absurd as an “apocalypse.” A wave of intense shame flooded over him.
“Well then, would you like to change your question?”
“No! I won’t change it. I still can’t quite believe it, but I’d like to hear the answer anyway. Perhaps the end really is drawing near.”
He was sincere. Oliver asked in turn.
“Is there a particular reason why you think that?”
“Because someone like me—educated, diligent, and competent—would ask such a ridiculous question. Isn’t that itself a sign that the end is near?”
“…”
“Just kidding. If you react like that, I’ll be hurt.”
Carver said, shedding the stiff demeanor typical of public servants, as he took a bite of his breakfast.
He seemed surprisingly relaxed, yet, paradoxically, Oliver could see a certain resolve within him—a resolve to face an unbelievable reality head-on.
“It’s quite tasty… Care to join me?”
Carver gestured toward what he referred to as the most perfect meal on earth, sitting on the table.
Seeing the food, Oliver felt a conflicting sensation. On the one hand, he wanted to eat, driven by an insatiable hunger that hadn’t faded despite breaking through his shell. Yet, on the other, he felt no desire to eat. The act of eating itself felt oddly unnatural.
“No… I’m fine.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I seem particularly hungry today.”
With that, Carver layered bacon over pancakes slathered in honey and butter, taking a hefty bite. He then munched on plump sausages, black pudding, and scooped up beans like they were treasure.
Midway through the meal, he suddenly began to speak again.
“Actually, I have many questions. Too many, really. For instance, whether it was Mr. Dave who defeated the Piper or the Allied Forces of the Small Kingdom.”
“…”
“They’re boasting about it over in the Small Kingdom, but the rumors on the streets say otherwise. Personally, I believe it was the former.”
“And why is that?”
“I doubt the Piper is someone an army could take down… Unless it’s a monster of a similar caliber.”
Carver looked directly at Oliver.
“There are also things I’d like to know about the events that happened in the Holy See State, if you know anything; whether the army of the dead that attacked Landa was the work of Puppet, and whether this Puppet truly joined hands with the royal family. I just have this feeling Mr. Dave would know it all.”
“Why didn’t you ask those questions, then?”
“I prefer efficiency. Once I understand the broader context, asking about the little details is pointless. I’ve thought it over, and it seems to me that everything happening in Landa and the world right now revolves around an end of sorts.”
“Do you believe in the end?”
“Of course not! I’m an educated intellectual. An end, really… It’s just that, with the vanishing of Holy Magic and the unprecedented descent of a demon upon the Holy See State, I’ve opened myself to all possibilities, even the most terrifying rumors.”
Carver was speaking truthfully.
Logically, he neither believed in nor wanted to believe in an end; yet, for some reason, he was willing to consider it. The reason was likely—
“Is it because you’re the city’s Minister of the Interior?”
Oliver asked.
“Yes, though I’ve effectively been dismissed and am now basically unemployed. But I still see myself as the Minister. After all, it was technically the Kingdom Army that dismissed me. I may be underpaid, but I’ve got to earn my keep. So, what’s your answer to my question?”
Carver brought the conversation back to his question, determined to face the current situation without avoiding it.
After a moment’s thought, Oliver opened his mouth. An agreement was an agreement.
“…The end may indeed be real.”
“…”
“A demon descended upon the Pater Church. A woman on a camel made the declaration. She said that the end is drawing near.”
The death sentence for the world was delivered so calmly and plainly. Hearing this forbidden news, Carver simply nodded, eating his toast.
Crunch. Crunch.
Oliver asked Carver a question in return.
“So, how did you know I had anything to do with the end?”
“Call it a hunch.”
“…?”
“When I saw you for the first time at five in the morning, I nearly had a heart attack. Not even when the Kingdom Army marched down the road, or when the undead army invaded, did I feel quite that way. So I guessed you might be connected to the end.”
“Yet you didn’t seem fazed at the time.”
Oliver lied. He had sensed Carver’s surprise through his emotions, though he’d kept a calm exterior.
“I was bluffing. How do you think a public servant would survive in this city where superhumans run rampant without a trick or two?”
“Is that another joke?”
“You figure it out. Explaining a joke makes it less funny.”
Carver then polished off every dish on the breakfast table.
“So, what will you do now?”
“No more coffee. I’ve already had three cups today.”
“Not coffee, the end. Now that it’s almost certain, what will you do?”
“Well… It’s such an incomprehensible matter that I’m not quite sure. The first thing that comes to mind is, hmm… a bunker!”
Carver snapped his fingers.
“A bunker! We’ll convert all of Landa’s underground into one!”
Remarkably, it hadn’t taken him long to come up with a feasible plan.
His idea was to turn Landa’s vast sewer system into a bunker.
Honestly, given the current situation, it was one of the more plausible ideas. The underground sewer system, practically a city beneath a city, was vast enough to construct a bunker on a city-wide scale.
He even had the undead army as a precedent—a seemingly endless zombie horde had been hiding underground in Landa.
However, there was a critical flaw in this plan.
“Do you think something like that could protect you from the end?”
Something like that.
“Do you really think the end will pass you by just because you’ve gone underground?”
Carver stroked his chin at Oliver’s statement, which seemed to crush any hope.
“Hmm… What should I say? It feels like you’ve gotten more irritating since I last saw you.”
“I’m merely stating the facts.”
“I know. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Superhumans are usually irritating, so it’s only natural that you’re like this. It’s just… a little disappointing.”
“…”
“You were the only annoying superhuman with a touch of humility, and that was charming. But now, it’s a bit less so.”
Oliver, who’d never thought about charm, fell silent, unsure of what to say. In the meantime, Carver continued.
“But still, isn’t it better to try something than nothing?”
“Such as?”
“Anything, really. I’m a public servant, and living off tax money means I can’t just sit around. Might as well indulge in some tax waste.”
“Do you think the Kingdom Army would allow that?”
“Who knows? I’ll have to think about it from here on out. Who could plan everything from start to finish? You take things as they come.”
You take things as they come… Oliver mulled over those words.
Clap!
Carver clapped his hands loudly.
“Well, then. Mr. Dave, it’s your turn to ask questions.”
As Oliver silently looked at Carver, he smiled.
“What’s with that look? The fact that you showed up at my place before dawn, despite not being particularly close to me, means you want something, doesn’t it?”
Oliver couldn’t deny it. He had come to Carver first upon returning to Landa because Carver was the most suitable person to ask about Landa’s current situation while maintaining a reasonable distance.
“You didn’t think I’d notice?”
“Should I apologize?”
“No, no need to apologize. I like that distance. Giving and receiving exactly what’s needed, nothing more. And honestly, I’d dislike it if a man had come to see me for other reasons.”
Oliver considered asking if that was a joke, but decided against it. It probably was.
“So, don’t hold back and just tell me what you want. It’s a question, isn’t it? Besides, I agreed to answer your questions for life.”
“That’s… somewhat surprising.”
“What is?”
“I thought you’d ask me to help with the tax waste. Landa and I are in an unofficial alliance, after all.”
“Mr. Dave, I may be a bastard, but I still have a conscience. This isn’t the time or place for deals, and I wouldn’t dream of freeloading off someone as valuable as you. Cleaning up afterward would be a nightmare. But…”
To communicate more effectively, Carver paused for a moment.
“Given the relationship we’ve had, I’ll be as generous as I can within my means. So, if you find the time, could you help out this city? A show of goodwill for goodwill.”
Carver proposed a non-binding exchange of goodwill. It was, in his view, the most likely arrangement to succeed under the current circumstances.
“I do have some questions. Although I know a bit, I’d like to hear from someone local, for more clarity.”
“I’m good at that sort of thing. So, ask away.”
“I’ve heard that many black magicians have approached Mari. Among them, there were even black magicians affiliated with the Black Hand. Is that true?”
“To be precise, they’re individuals who tried to contact you, but yes, it’s true. It seems they were aiming to regroup around the one who defeated the Piper after the collapse of the Fingers. It’s confirmed information from the Security Bureau.”
“Where is Mari now?”
“The explanation is a bit complicated, but I believe she fled to Zone Z to avoid the Kingdom Army. How she got there, I don’t know.”
“Is the Kingdom Army, along with the Landa Defense Force, attacking Zone Z because of that?”
“I wouldn’t know. Rumor has it they’re after hidden treasure in Zone Z, but nothing’s certain. It could simply be a show of force.”
Oliver recalled the treasure Bartholomew had shown him. When he’d broken down a wall in a structure barely standing after a great calamity, all sorts of gold and jewels had spilled out. Not all that surprising.
Zone Z and Zone Y, the most shunned areas now, were once the homes of royals and nobles. Despite the great calamity and the passage of time, treasures remained hidden there.
However, treasure hunting in such a situation still felt strange. Especially with Puppet…
"Maybe I’ll know if I go myself?”
As Oliver was debating whether or not to go, Carver added a piece of advice.
“If you’re planning on going, you should make some preparations.”
“Why is that?”
“The reinforcements sent from the capital seem to be quite powerful. They’ve crossed the Sem River, taken control of Zone Y, and are now pressing directly on Zone Z.”
It was surprising news.
Even Landa had practically abandoned control over Zone Y, giving in to the Development Opposition Committee’s influence. That was precisely why there were 24 city council members in a city with 26 zones.
Yet, here was the Kingdom Army, barely having secured its hold over Landa, now taking over Zone Y and advancing on Zone Z, where the Development Opposition Committee held sway?
This meant that the Kingdom Army was truly formidable—strong enough to put pressure on even those cursed beings who’d been twisted by the Great Calamity, whose bodies and souls were branded, granting them monstrous power.
Oliver thought back to Puppet, who had hidden in the Holy See State, quietly observing the situation.
“This is worse than I thought.”
“If it’s any consolation, Ms. Mari’s situation is comparatively better. At least she hasn’t been captured by the Kingdom Army. Forest and Joe, on the other hand, have been taken into custody.”
“…While Joe’s a black magician with ties to the underworld, why was Forest taken?”
Forest, too, had been part of the underworld as a broker, but that was in the past. Though he continued some brokering, he’d transferred most of it to Al and had pivoted to more legitimate business (at least on the surface). It was unexpected to hear he’d been arrested.
“Was it for illegal business or brokering activities?”
“It would’ve been better if that were the case; such matters can be glossed over. But Forest’s offense was clashing directly with the royal family over island ownership.”
“What do you mean? Why would Forest have any reason to clash with the royal family over an island?”
“Do you recall it? When you and your teacher, Archive, dealt with Pan.”
Oliver paused, the memory surfacing. It hadn’t been that long ago, yet it felt like an old memory.
At the time, he’d gone to Neverland with Jane to confront Pan, and along the way, he had asked Merlin to take on a sea monster in his stead. Because he didn’t feel ready to face reality. Merlin had kindly agreed.
“Ah…”
In that moment, Oliver involuntarily let out a soft sound, realizing that Merlin had honored his request, even as he himself had failed to face what he needed to.
“The island that the Kingdom had lost to Pan was reclaimed. A strategic spot amidst vast, treacherous waters where one can rest. It seems you didn’t know, but Forest, with Archive’s assistance, attempted to gain ownership of that island. The potential economic benefits are significant. And so, trouble arose between him and the royal family.”
“That doesn’t make sense to me. I know the island is valuable, but is Forest the type to run his business so recklessly?”
“Excellent point. I wonder about that myself. Forest may not be a coward, but he’s no fool who’d pick a fight over something flimsy, relying solely on one powerful friend. But beyond this, I don’t have the specifics.”
“…Would you like me to tell you where he’s being held?”
Oliver considered for a moment before shaking his head. He decided to take it one step at a time.
“No, I’ll go to where Mari is first.”
“As you wish. Then I’ll provide information on the Kingdom Army that’s surrounding Zone Z. Sneak in if possible. I don’t think you’ll lose, but there’s no need to start unnecessary fights.”
“Do you know something about them?”
“Yes, the Landa Defense Force and the Security Bureau have been drafted to assist, and they both despise the Kingdom Army. Was that helpful?”
With that, Carver pulled out a set of documents he’d hidden under the bookshelf and handed them to Oliver.