Chapter 396

Chapter 396

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Unna uttered, Human-meat Chef

Unna spoke of the infamous Human-meat Chef, a member of the Black Hands inner circle, and a monstrous being who had survived for centuries, a fact even acknowledged by Kevin. This individual served as the leader of the criminal empire that thrived on Galos.

Furthermore, not even the Crime Firm dared to launch a reckless assault against him. They had to withstand the formidable defenses, including Galoss Magic Tower and sections of Rokuri University.

Addressing the prominent figure, Oliver remarked.

Hello? Mr. Human-meat Chef Are you Mr. Human-meat Chef? Oliver boldly inquired, his question eliciting doubtful looks from Unna and her sisters, who began to question his sanity.

Amused, Chef couldnt help but chuckle. Pffft! Just as the rumors said, youre a screw loose.

The lips, resembling wriggling worms, spoke from the congealed mass of flesh, producing an unexpectedly loud and resonant sound for its size.

Rumors?

Yes, I heard a rumor about a screw-loose warlock in Landa And it turns out to be true. Hello? Indeed.

It appeared that the eccentric warlock mentioned was none other than Oliver. A clear misunderstanding, but how had it come to this?

Ah, the bats Of course, they betrayed us. They were supposed to attack together.

The worm-like lips continued speaking to Unnas party. At the mention of betrayal, Unna responded icily, Betrayal Isnt that a word that presupposes a prior trust relationship to be established?

A dog not following its masters command is also a betrayal. And a betraying dog only becomes meat Do you know? Even an old worn-out dog, if well-aged in sauce for 48 hours, becomes quite edible.

It was impossible to discern the emotions of Human-meat Chef speaking through chunks of flesh, but Oliver didnt sense any humor in his words.

As proof, Unnas party threatened with their facial muscles and tendons exposed, but beneath their fear of death, there was something more profound.

But how on earth did he do that?

While Unnas party and Human-meat Chef conversed, Oliver closely observed the unfolding magic spell.

Lifeless bodies or rather, chunks of flesh that hardly resembled corpses, were somehow coming together to speak on his behalf.

At first glance, it seemed trivial, but it was anything but.

Binding the chunks of flesh together was one thing, but having them spontaneously assemble without a sorcerer was a remarkable feat.

To achieve this remotely, one would need to have a visual understanding of the situation through items or magic, as well as pre-existing black magic circles and emotions there should be tools and intermediaries involved.

Yet, in the current magical display, there were no such intermediaries to be seen.

Wait a minute

While scrutinizing with the discerning eyes of a warlock, Oliver noticed something peculiarthin larvae leisurely swimming within the chunks of flesh.

Is it a creature? Like a parasite living among the flesh?

Olivers straightforward question abruptly halted the conversation between Unna and Human-meat Chef, grabbing everyones attention.

A tense silence followed, broken by Human-meat Chefs uproarious laughter.

Kuhuhuhuhu!!

The chunk of flesh opened its mouth wide, revealing the eerie laughter of Human-meat Chef. The sound echoed so loudly that it seemed to reverberate through the entire house.

As the laughter resounded, the walls and ceiling of the building trembled, and fine dust descended like a light drizzle.

Ah As Puppet said, you do have quite a talent. To discover that. I can see why you caught interest.

Mr. Puppet?

Yes. Not anymore, though.

Oliver was taken aback by the revelation that Puppet had shown interest in him, only to retract it. He was curious about the initial interest and the subsequent change.

Well, hes the kind who pokes at anything curious Thats unfortunate for you.

Is that so?

Indeed. Because that person protected you, I spared your life, but now its not necessary Surely, you didnt think you were still alive just by good luck after hindering my work?

Ah Perhaps, is it because I interfered with your sisters work? It wasnt intentional, could you possibly understand?

Human-meat Chef remained silent in response to Olivers calm yet unapologetic explanation. Though his emotions were hidden behind the flesh, he seemed somewhat displeased.

It seems I must have looked foolish to you, to be speaking such nonsense.

As parasites swam through the flesh in a unique pattern, the mass of flesh began to boil, and rudimentary eyes made of flesh formed upon it.

These unsettling eyes fixed their gaze upon Oliver, who stared back without any sign of revulsion. Such a reaction would be impossible for someone with a typical human disgust response.

I have something to tell you.

Please speak.

I heard that the Magic Tower dared to declare war on me. Is that true?

As far as I know, yes. Oliver replied without hesitation. After all, he hadnt heard that it was a secret.

I suppose so. That proud wizard wouldnt just let a warlock defeat them and let it go Tell those pretentious dwellers of the high tower to hurry up.

Yes, I understand. But may I ask why?

Its boring to wait. And I want to prove it. That we have not been in the dark all this time because we feared wizards. We were just waiting for the right time.

Biding their time While Oliver couldnt discern the specifics, it didnt appear to be an empty boast, considering the level of power he encountered in Lake Village.

In the past, he had relied on Forrests explanations to comprehend these intricate political and social narratives, but now he was capable of grasping them independently.

It was indeed a commendable achievement.

By the way, youre pretty amazing yourself. To have survived that massive explosion.

Forrest showed Oliver a photograph from the newspaper.

In the image, a vast area with numerous buildings reduced to rubble was prominently featured. One could infer the tremendous force of the explosion from this devastation. Surviving amidst such destruction was nothing short of extraordinary.

I was lucky.

Oliver responded, acknowledging that he had barely survived by securing an extensive reserve of emotions, life force, and mana through the crimson tree branch.

However, he was acutely aware that the branch had nearly exhausted its reserves of emotions, life force, and mana.

Anyway, this makes it clear. The Magic Tower will have to fight against Human-meat Chef. And as soon as possible.

Oliver didnt disagree; he concurred with this assessment.

The invitation sent by Human-meat Chef amounted to a declaration of war against the Magic Tower and carried a menacing undertone. Delaying action would not only imperil the Tower but also put Landa in greater jeopardy.

Whats the reason, though? The newspapers say Human-meat Chef is already up against significant foes like the Galos government and Rokuri University. Why provoke the Magic Tower as well?

Well Its not something to say in front of you, but warlocks, especially skilled ones, are all insane in the head, difficult to read their thoughts. Maybe now that its come to this, he just wants to escalate the fight.

Really?

Maybe he wants to use an external enemy to unite the interior, or he wants to escalate the fight to increase his fame through it. Or perhaps he believes he can win.

The certainty of triumph also seemed like a plausible explanation. Given the black magic of the creation series he had exhibited and his demeanor, he appeared highly skilled and self-assured.

Something doesnt quite add up, though

Whats the situation at the Tower? Forrest inquired after perusing the newspaper.

Its very busy. It was already busy after Lake Village, but it got even busier after I conveyed the message from Mr. Human-meat Chef. Then it got even more hectic sharing that information with the city.

Indeed, after surviving the explosion, Oliver tended to Unna and her companions and promptly headed to the Tower to report the incident.

The Tower was taken aback, and given the gravity of the situation, they swiftly sought assistance from the city.

Fortunately, this allowed them to maintain control over the narrative, but it also meant that they now had to confront Human-meat Chef with the citys involvement.

Ive heard that Galos has already requested support. Not just from Rokuri University, but also from the Galos government.

When the ABC case happened, Landa used the Entertainment druids financial crime information they secured to build their own cooperative relationships with other nations, so its not that surprising that the Galos government has asked for help.

That was indeed the case. Following the ABC case led by Shamus, Landa had once again demonstrated its capabilities and forged cooperative ties with other nations for criminal investigations, thereby bolstering its influence.

The original plan was to take time to gather the best wizards for support, but for now, they plan to send a small advance team to gather information and build a network with local forces.

Sometimes, starting is more important than being fully prepared Will you be participating too?

Yes. I think I will. Oliver replied. He had been invited by Human-meat Chef and had volunteered to go after conveying Chefs message to the Tower. There were no significant objections within the Tower to his decision.

Upon hearing his response, Forrest displayed a complex array of emotions and expressions.

Id like to give advice, but Im not really at that level. Forrest admitted sincerely, but Oliver dismissed his concerns.

Mr. Forrest, youve already helped me enough. Please dont say that.

This is because of a promise. Forrest stated, gazing out of the window toward District W.

District W was the next destination after District X, renowned as Landas slum and a gathering place for beggars. True to its reputation, District W had a substantial population of impoverished individuals. Forrests car stopped near the area where the most destitute congregated.

One might wonder why so many people were gathered here, but it was because of a free food distribution center.

This center provided fried bread and inexpensive coffee at no cost. Adjacent to the food center stood a decrepit building with a sign that read Poor Brothers.

It was a welfare center run by Kent.

Weve arrived, boss, Al announced.

As the meeting drew closer, Forrest grew visibly tense. He was about to confront his own past transgressions.

In an attempt to alleviate Forrests unease, Oliver said, Mr. Forrest, may I ask you for a favor later?

Do you have to talk about it now? What is it?

I would like to introduce a few ladies to the Tower, but there are some issues with my identity as Zenon. So, I was thinking of introducing them in the form of a request as a solver. Could you link those ladies and me in a contractual arrangement as client and solver?

Thats a very suspicious and unpleasant favor. Well, why not Who is the client? Whats their name?

Its Ms. Elizabeth Unna. Shes the current head of the Bathory family.

Hmm The Bathory family?

Yes.

I must be going crazy Nothing surprises me anymore.

(To be Continued)

CH 394-403 (Vs Human-meat Chef Part1) $3CH 404-413 (Vs Human-meat Chef Part2) $3CH 414-423 (Vs Human-meat Chef Part3) $3CH 424-433 (Vs Human-meat Chef Part4) $3434~ $1/chapter

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