142. return (2)
“Ahhhh…”
As Forrest answered, he sat down on the chair.
Instead of just sitting, he sat drooping as if he had lost all his energy.
It’s a pretty rare sight for Forrest, who always pays attention to his clothes and posture.
For some reason, Oliver felt that it was his fault that this had happened.
The reason was Al’s reaction when he first visited the restaurant and Forrest, which exudes resentment towards Oliver.
squeak-
Forrest calmed his emotions and poured the drink into the glass. Not just a little, as usual, but a lot to overflowing.
Then I just drank it whole without savoring it.
gulp. gulp. gulp.
Forest with a crystal glass down on the table. he opened his mouth
“It’s been a while…”
A short word with many meanings.
Oliver answered.
“Yes, it’s been a while. Forrest.”
“Actually, it hasn’t been that long. It hasn’t even been a week How have you been?”
“Well, it’s been fine.”
“Good luck. How have you been? But like I said before, I’m not doing well… Could you please ask me why?”
At Forrest’s unusual tone of tone, Oliver followed his orders.
“What happened?”
“A few days ago, there was news on the broker’s public information network. It was news that doubted everyone’s ears.”
“What was it?”
“I heard that a wizard lab in Area F was attacked. The source is unclear, and there is no way to confirm it because it is impossible to find out where it is… Thanks to you, this floor is buzzing.”
“Well·····. Is that something to talk about?”
“Of course. As I’ve said a few times, this city is maintained by a close balance of power. The magicians of the tower are in charge of the key axis. It was said that such a research institute under Matoap was attacked… It could be the prelude to a huge event. It’s bound to be noisy.”
oh······. Oliver realized once again that he had done something great. Still, it’s probably enough for a one-time visit.
“Did you find out who attacked?”
“No, we don’t even know who the raiders are, but there’s no way to find out who attacked them. That’s why some people say that it’s just a rumor.”
“Then, wouldn’t that be right?”
“No, not that.”
Forrest answered firmly and poured the drink again. This time, I only poured the amount I normally pour to see if my thirst has been quenched.
He took a sip and opened his mouth again.
“Although the Brokers Guild is a relatively weak organization in Landa, its intelligence gathering ability is not low. It’s okay because it’s rather weak. We do business with organizations like Heimdall, and each broker has its own network of information.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Thanks to this, not only our brokers, but also the people on this floor and the luxuries are buzzing. I’m guessing that some crazy person attacked the magic lab without warning, or maybe it was a competition between the powers of the tower.”
“Do you even fight with each other?”
“If there are only five people on one roof, there will be no windy days. It’s no different than a horse tower. If either of these is true, it could be a big event. So everyone’s been working all night to figure out what’s going on.”
“Are you tired of that, too, Forrest?”
“Similar but different. I’ve been looking for you.”
Oliver was stunned by Forrest’s words. It sounded like nothing, but it was a word that knew everything.
“Do you remember the last time you and I met?”
“······Yes.”
“You asked about Mattel. And I asked if there were any sponsorships.”
“Yes····. I remember. Forrest told me to forget. Don’t go against the trend.”
“There is one more. I asked you to promise not to get involved in that. You refused… Ask again. What have you been doing over the last few days? By the way, if you’re going to lie, don’t say anything. It’s sad.”
“·················ogue.”
“Dave.”
“…I went to Mattel.”
***
Oliver answered after a lot of thought.
You can pretend you don’t know or lie, but because you know it won’t work for Forrest.
Above all, it seemed to be the least polite way to be honest even now.
Hearing the answer, Forrest closed his eyes without saying a word.
With him, he lit up the opposite feelings of surprise and anticipation at the same time.
Human emotions are truly mysterious.
He drank without a word and opened his mouth, pouring another drink.
“I won’t ask in detail. You and I are nothing but troublemakers and intermediaries. But one thing is for sure.”
“Say it.”
“I am a broker who officially signed a contract with you. Be sure to tell me what’s going on in this city. You don’t have to ask for my permission and you’re not obligated to obey me, but at least give me a notice. Only then can I prepare to respond accordingly… I have the staff to feed me.”
Forrest said with a light of reason and a little bit of anger, temperance and relief.
That was definitely true.
Oliver and Forrest have an official contract.
Of course, it could be a relationship limited to work, but in some cases, Oliver could suffer unfairly because of what he did.
There’s no law telling you not to do that.
The incident that almost paid off Merlin’s trauma payment, and this one as well. I definitely felt that I was being too frivolous.
“sorry. Forrest-sama… In the future, we will prevent this from happening.”
“Okay then. But, I ask you one more thing. Did you finish your trip to Mattello? No trouble?”
Oliver answered, remembering Merlin.
“I don’t think there will be…. If anything happens, I’ll be sure to let you know. I promise.”
“Hmmm…. Good. Sit down.”
Forrest seemed relieved, and suggested that Oliver sit down.
In terms of behavior and emotional state, this seems to be the end of this task.
Sitting down as Oliver suggested, Forrest rubbed between his eyes and washed his face dry.
It looked very difficult. Nevertheless, he returned to his original form by tying the buttons and unraveling the folds of his clothes.
“You look very tired.”
“I can’t say no.”
“I apologize again.”
“It’s not just because of you, you don’t have to.”
“Yes?”
“There are other things. And it has to do with what you do next.”
“Next day?”
“Yes, do you read the newspaper?”
Oliver nodded. After taking on Edith’s duties, he regularly bought and read newspapers.
“So, do you know about the Kell Free Liberation Army?”
Oliver thought for a moment. I think I saw it.
“…Yes, it is said that the Kingdom Army subjugated them a while ago, but I don’t know more about that.”
Oliver said frankly. It’s something outside of Landa, and there’s less relative interest there.
“I’m glad you heard it though. Kell Free Liberation Army. Simply put, it’s the Independence Army of Northland.”
“Northland?”
“Yeah, we call them Norse, but they call themselves Kel. That’s why they’re called the Kell Free Liberation Army.”
“ah····. okay.”
“okay. It’s been a hundred years since we were incorporated into the kingdom, and we’re still resisting. Anyway, you have to know one thing that is persistent.”
Forrest was admiring, not admiring.
“But why are you talking about that?”
“Did you do that before? The Kell Free Liberation Army was subjugated by the Kingdom Army.”
“yes.”
“But it’s not completely done. As with any war, some escape somehow.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, but that’s not a big deal. Most ordinary soldiers face the wall of reality and return to their hometown with a sense of despair, or hide in the city and just live. However, the problem is with the executives. They are like seeds that never know when to germinate. That’s why the Kingdom Army is as eager to pursue them as they are.”
“okay.”
“By the way, it seems that some of them have come to Landa here.”
“Randa?”
“Yeah, it’s not that strange. Surprisingly, not only domestic but also foreign fugitives flock to Randa here. Landa is the largest city in the world. Because there are many people, it is good to hide and it is good to access information. But above all else, it is a free city with autonomy, so the greatest advantage is that even the kingdom army cannot enter without permission.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Of course, every year the central council of the kingdom and the city quarrel over that. Well, we understand each other’s point of view. From the point of view of the kingdom military, the impure elements must be eradicated, and from the standpoint of Landa City, the autonomy that has barely been obtained must not be infringed.”
“It must be difficult for each other.”
Oliver spoke without much inspiration. It was a story I did not know well, and I did not understand or sympathize because I did not have any interest in it.
It wasn’t Forrest, though.
“Then there is no problem here. What can be done to ensure that people with different views do not clash and come to an agreement on an appropriate level? Do you understand?”
When Oliver was about to answer that he didn’t know, he was confused for a moment.
Oliver wanted to know the world quite seriously now.
Then, even if you are not interested right now, you need to make an effort to know about these issues.
So I was worried.
“Wait. Could you please wait for me to think about it?”
“Sure.”
Oliver was worried.
A way to satisfy both the Kingdom Army, who wants to pursue and subdue the enemy, and the City, who wants to protect Landa’s independence, at the same time.
Oliver answered after thinking.
“Does the city (city) take over whoever the kingdom military wants?”
“That’s right.”
Forrest nodded and replied.
“Of course, there is a schedule here, too, so I can’t always give it to you, but when a big event like this one happens, you have to pay a tee for cooperation, so we arrest and hand over the big ones.”
“…and should the solver arrest those big guys by any chance?”
“Yes. You surprise me today.”
Forrest held out the file folder with those words.
Inside was a bundle of documents with brief information about the person in question, along with a black-and-white photograph.
Oliver scanned the documents.
“120 million, 8,000, 9,500, 250 million . . . . Do you all have a lot of rewards?”
“From the kingdom’s point of view, he’s an officer in the rebels, so that’s appropriate. Among them are wizards and warlocks. There are people who attack the company by themselves and drink it. Considering that, it cannot be said that there is necessarily a lot.”
“ah·····. okay.”
Oliver nodded in agreement. No matter how much money you have, you only have one life.
“…so are you going to leave it to the solver? Is it dangerous?”
“There is, but there are other reasons as well. Those kinds of fugitives are locked up in Zones X, Y and Z. It’s hard for even the police to get into. It can be even more difficult as a police officer.”
I didn’t quite understand. It’s hard to get in because you’re a police officer.
Is it because it’s a lawless area where you can’t control the city’s control from Zone X, as well as the crime pumps that dominate the world behind it?
‘But why?’
“What do you think?”
Forrest asked, looking at Oliver.
“No, it doesn’t matter.”
“Well, in any case, all those who have requested cooperation from the city are obliged to catch the person in the file. Of course, you are among them.”
Oliver nodded.
At first glance, it may seem unreasonable, but if you think of it as cleaning the contaminated area, it is not so strange.
It’s because of this kind of cooperation that the Brokers’ Guild gets some preferential treatment at Landa.
However, the other side was questioned.
“May I know why you named me?”
Perhaps he knew this beforehand, forrest answered with clear eyes without being embarrassed or tilting his head.
“The official position is that I am afraid I will miss it if I tinker with it. You want to entrust it to someone you can trust.”
It was not an incomprehensible answer.
It would be reassuring for the city to entrust the work to a small number of people with the right skills, as it only raises the vigilance of wanted criminals by making the work clumsy. but·····.
“…and why is it unofficial?”
“I heard that city officials are working on some kind of project.”