128. Mattel (2)
Mattel.
Mattel.
Mattel.
Oliver had heard the name before. Where did you hear it, a little ripe in your ears… ah!
“Are you talking about Mattel, the Life School Lab?”
Oliver asked a question.
When he came to Forrest to become a solver, he had him catch the Chimera who escaped from Mattel as a test.
Oliver caught it and became the solver. It felt like yesterday, but it was a very old memory.
“What is life? I don’t know how difficult it is. They say it’s just a research institute belonging to Matop.”
The innkeeper knows nothing. Oliver asked again.
“Did you take him as a student?”
“Yes·····. They say they’re sponsoring ambitious, talented kids right now. in the public interest. You know. With your help, did Rothburn learn to write on her own? I took it because it was great.”
“ah·····. So did you send it?”
“Yeah, Rothburn wanted to go too, and they gave me some money. It’s a compensation for the labor that will be lacking due to the loss of Rothburn. So I sent it. Is there any reason not to send it?”
“uh·····. Are you okay?”
“What do you mean okay? Do you think I sold Rothburn for money?”
The innkeeper frowned and put his hands on his waist.
“Oh, I mean-”
“-Look at this. You’re a good guest, but it’s rude to come all of a sudden and say something like that! ····More than anything else, it’s not polite to say that you’ll come back, but you can’t even see your nose. It doesn’t look like you’re here to eat, but let’s go. Don’t waste your time in other people’s stores.”
The inn mistress waved her hand out of displeasure and drove Oliver away.
Oliver was forced to retreat.
With a bang and the door closing, Oliver was driven out of the street.
Oliver looked at the inn, where the yellow light was leaking out, and muttered, ‘Ummm…’.
“The Mattel Life Lab…”
***
“Dave-san…?”
with daughter. with daughter. When I opened the door to the restaurant, an egg came out.
He looked at Oliver with a slightly startled expression on his face.
Rather than discovering a mistake, the expression of meeting an unexpected customer.
“hello. Mr. Al. how are you?”
“Oh, yes, yes. sorry. I didn’t know you would come already. Are you here to see the boss?”
“Yes, can we meet?”
“of course. I’m having dinner right now, would you like to join me if it’s okay with you?”
“No, thanks. I have to save for a while.”
Oliver didn’t really like the food, so he answered. But Al advised again.
“hahaha. Money is fine. It’s an honor to be able to just treat someone like Dave.”
I am a person like you… It was kind. Well, everyone here, including Al, was kind.
It was right to respond with kindness to kindness, but Oliver politely declined again because he did not like the spirit food.
“It’s fine… Really. In fact, I have no appetite.”
“ah. If that’s the case, there’s nothing you can do about it. I will guide you to the boss.”
Al bowed his head politely and said.
As Al said, Forrest was eating at one side of the restaurant.
A dish of white meat fish served with baked potatoes, topped with a white sauce.
Alcohol was served with white wine.
As Forrest was eating, he saw Oliver. He also looked a little surprised.
“this····. An unexpected guest. Did you come earlier than expected?
“sorry. I came here not because of work, but because I wanted to ask a question.
Oliver said, sitting casually across from Forrest.
“Are you going to ask? First of all, let’s eat together and talk. egg?”
Oliver spoke first before Al opened his mouth. I really had no appetite.
“No, thanks····. Strangely, I have no appetite.”
“is it? Food is a great blessing. Wait a moment····.”
Forrest looked at Oliver and spoke again.
“When did you go to sleep? You look a little tired, don’t you?”
“Well····. I do not know? I stayed up all night to do some work.”
“That’s not going to happen. A friend whose body is property… First, let’s get some sleep.”
“Thank you for your words. I’ll just ask questions and I’ll do it.”
“ha·····.”
Forrest looked at Oliver as if he couldn’t win, and sighed heavily.
He put a piece of fish meat in his mouth, murmured, and handed it over to white wine.
“Okay, what do you want to know?”
“I want to know about the Life Lab Mattel.”
The rattling sound was cut off. It’s like cutting a thread with scissors.
Forrest paused like ice for a second or two, then raised his eyes slightly and looked at Oliver.
“Martel?”
“Yes. Mattel, who in the past put a bounty on the Chimera.”
“Well·····. Why are you asking about it?”
“I suddenly became curious.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“········.”
Instead of answering, Oliver looked at Forrest silently.
His silence was heavier and more persuasive than any other words.
On this floor, even Forrest, who has thick bones, gave up one step.
“Life Lab Mattel . . . A laboratory built with support from the School of Life. Of course, he belongs to the Life School.”
“What do you study?”
“I study life and magic in general, but I also focus on the medical and military sectors.”
“Medical and military? It’s special.”
“It’s not that special. Contrary to each other, but closely related. For example, by treating wounded soldiers, data needed for surgical treatment can be obtained, and by transforming the technology of a modified human, a part of the military, the upper class body can be made healthier and stronger.”
Oliver nodded. Hearing it, it didn’t sound like it was going to make sense.
“How amazing.”
“I grew up faster than anyone else by realizing that strange fact. With the help of the School of Life, he applied to the military to develop medical magic and patented it. Thanks to that, it is now exerting considerable influence in both the military and medical fields.”
“Five·····. Incredible.”
“Not great.”
“Then, do you have any sponsorships?”
“support?”
“Yes·····. One of the people I know followed the Mattel guy. What did he say… Oh, I get sponsored as a student. Does Mattel do anything like that? Even though it is a great place, I don’t think it would be strange.”
Forrest answered Oliver’s question in silence.
With a very heavy and heavy silence.
After a short and long period of time, Forrest wiped his mouth with a napkin, leaving half the fish behind.
“····There are many cases of sponsoring children at the Mato. You can improve your image externally and get good talent. If it doesn’t work, you can use it as a worker to do chores. Children who can’t even do that can be kicked out as soon as they become adults, so it’s not a business that loses much if you can afford it.”
“Aha, that’s right. But I asked about Mattel. Forrest.”
“Martel . . . . And of course Mattel-”
“-Forrest. If you’re going to tell a lie, don’t say anything. If Forrest is like that, I feel a little sad.”
Oliver placed his right hand over his heart and asked politely.
He gave up and said what change the action had made inside Forrest.
“ha·····. Probably not sponsorship.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the School of Life has a good image externally, but in reality, most of them are obsessed with wizard supremacy and eugenics.”
“Eugenics?”
“The theory that superior and inferior human beings are innately genetically determined. Most wizards have this theory, but the School of Life is even worse… I don’t think they’re going to sponsor anyone for free. Especially if it is an inferior species.”
“ah····. okay.”
Rather than being surprised, Oliver felt that his prediction had come true.
“Then why did you take me?”
“Well, how would I know? Are you an important person? Who do you know?”
“Is it important? . . . not really, no.”
Oliver answered.
Actually, Rothburn wasn’t important to Oliver.
He was the only person I met a few times at the inn where I was staying, and then taught me how to write.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Nothing more, nothing less, nothing…In the first place, Oliver didn’t know what it was like to be a precious person.
Forrest stared intently at Oliver. Like judging whether it’s true or false.
“Well, then, that’s good. I won’t talk long. Just forget it.”
“Yes?”
“Forget it, someone you know. I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t want to know, but just forget it.”
“Well·····. I’m curious though. If sponsorship is not the purpose, why did you take it?”
“I ask the other way around, why are you curious? And what will change to know?”
Forrest’s words were filled with feelings of irritation. He stopped eating and concentrated on the conversation.
“Come to think of it, there is something you should have said when you first came, but you forgot to say it. tell me right now The first rule of living in this city. Don’t go against the trend.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah, Landa is a huge city, with huge currents and huge fish. If you go against the flow and jump on the fish, you will die. Even if sometimes it is abject and shameful.”
It’s humiliating and shameful… For some reason, the last words seemed to have more emotion than usual.
“You want to make trouble with Mattel? Against a large research institute that has built up influence in the medical and military sectors with the horse tower as the background?”
“Well·····. no.”
“Then turn off your attention. Sometimes you have to pretend you don’t know. I’m not going to do anything, so why are you telling me? Poor knowledge only leads to anger.”
“Well····. okay. Okay. Thank you for your kind words.”
Oliver saluted Forrest politely and stood up.
Seeing Oliver like that, Forrest called out.
“Dave.”
“Yes?”
“I think you understand, but just in case. Can you promise me that you won’t get involved in that any more?”
Oliver thought for a moment before answering.
“Well····. no.”
***
In the final answer, Forrest was furious.
After persuading him not to worry too much, Oliver hurriedly left the restaurant as if running away and visited the next destination.
It seemed like a really busy day.
“this····. What’s going on?”
The old man at the bookstore who was cleaning out the store looked at Oliver who suddenly visited and asked. I saw it yesterday and saw it again today.
Oliver greeted him politely.
“hello. old man.”
“Well, hello. I saw you yesterday, what must have happened in between? . . . but it seems you are not.
“Well, not to that extent.”
“It’s not that far… But see if there is something there.”
I couldn’t deny that.
He seemed to be a very quick-witted person in many ways.
Seriously, he said that he was an old man who ran a bookstore, but he was a person with a unique side.
Actually, if you think about it, it wasn’t that strange.
He was knowledgeable about code words, and besides, he was able to know that he was knowledgeable just by talking for a while.
above all horsepower.
Oliver hasn’t forgotten it yet.
The vast magic that I felt the moment I first met him.
It was a fleeting moment that seemed to split a second into hundreds, but it was by no means an illusion.
His magic was bigger, vast and pure than Duncan, who had hypertrophy of his magic.
More than any wizard Oliver had ever seen.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Not asking about him just didn’t come at the right time.But it seemed that the time was now.
“What do you have to say?”
Oliver nodded at the old man’s question.
“The old man…. Are you a wizard?”