Chapter 100

◈ Chapter 100: The Source of the Sound (2)

Can't you hear any sound?

Vieran seemed to have some sort of certainty as he asked.

However, Rudger shook his head in denial.

"There was no such thing."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Mr. Vieran, your theory is very intriguing, but unfortunately, it has nothing to do with me. It's a bit surprising to hear that there are people without any standards for talent and thought. Do you know anything more about them?"

"I don't know much. I only heard about them from old texts when I was young."

"Given that Mr. Vieran, an elf, is saying this, it seems almost like a legend to humans."

Rudger's slightly teasing tone made Vieran chuckle.

"Yes, it might be."

That's right. What did I expect?

Vieran put away his disappointment.

He had hoped that if the man in front of him was the kind of wizard without any standards, it would be different.

But that's not an easy thing, as he thought.

'An ordinary human could never endure it in their right mind.'

Humans now wouldn't know.

Their lives, which don't even last a hundred years, have tried to record much of history, but at most, only 70% of what actually happened is recorded.

30% is forgotten by humans.

But elves are different.

With lifespans over ten times that of humans, they are observers of history.

Although their numbers are pitifully few, and they suffered greatly from the human empire's conquest wars just 50 years ago.

Still, they remember everything.

'There are beings that far surpass human cognition in this world.'

The giant spirits that exist in nature.

Superior races far more advanced than humans.

Even the existence of monsters and demons that disappeared beyond the Shadow Wall in the Spine of the Giants.

And finally, the one who oversees this world.

'God.'

That's why humans without standards quickly fall apart.

Their capacity is too small to hold the attention of superior beings.

Even if a human has exceptional talent, their capacity is only a bit larger, allowing them to endure a little longer.

'But Mr. Rudger was fine. I didn't sense anything strange about him before, and it's the same now. It's not the case I was thinking of.'

He felt a bit disappointed but also relieved.

He liked this human teacher in front of him.

Just as he was about to think that, Rudger opened his mouth and asked a question.

"I have one question."

"Yes, please ask."

"Usually, it's said that people without standards hear voices, right? Voices from outside."

"Yes, that's correct. Although it might just be a rumor."

"If it's real, is there anything beyond that?"

Beyond that?

Vieran stroked his chin, trying to recall.

He soon shook his head.

"No, as far as I know, there are only cases of hearing voices."

"I see."

"There might not be anything beyond that. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to endure it."

"If they could endure it, what do you think would happen?"

"Hmm. I've never heard of such a case, but if someone really could endure it, there might be a next stage. It might worsen, like a symptom."

Vieran raised his index finger.

"If they can hear voices, the next step might be... seeing something."

"Seeing?"

"Yes. But this is just a hypothesis. There's no way such a person exists. If they did, they would have gone mad. Even with great magical skills, their mind would have been broken. Who wouldn't go mad if they always saw what they didn't want to see?"

That's true not only for humans but also for those above them.

Even for long-lived races, especially elves who are close to nature, it would be hard to endure.

"And this is really just a hypothetical, but if there's a next step, it might be this."

"What is it?"

"If they can hear voices and see things, what could be more than that?"

Vieran said it as if it were nothing, since such a thing doesn't exist.

"Direct contact."

"And with?"

"God."

* * *

Vieran left to give a statement about the incident.

He had come to thank Rudger and had made time despite his busy schedule.

Rudger watched his back for a while before moving.

'Direct contact with God, huh.'

Vieran's hypothesis was intriguing.

No, Rudger was inwardly amazed.

─Because it's all true.

Indeed, an elf who has lived long can narrow down the truth from old stories.

'But there's nothing to tell him, and it's better for him not to know.'

His constitution was not something he could easily talk about.

That's why he was suppressing it with his own magic.

What was important now was not this.

'Joanna Rabbit. No, the First Order of the Black Dawn, Esmeralda. What should I do about her?'

Rudger had many thoughts while talking to Vieran.

Should he subtly reveal the true culprit of the fire spirit terrorist attack?

If he did, he could get rid of the most annoying First Order.

'But this could backfire on me.'

If Esmeralda's identity was exposed, Rudger would be the first to be suspected.

If she suddenly started moving after not doing anything for so long, wouldn't the Black Dawn suspect something and start an investigation? That would be a disaster for this side.

'Besides, if I tell him a little, it might cause a backlash on my side.'

It was clear from the circumstances that Joanna Rabbit was Esmeralda.

But she was a spirit mage who controlled a high-level fire spirit.

The power of a high-level spirit is close to the 6th tier. Especially this fire spirit is so different from ordinary spirits that it might be even more dangerous.

It wouldn't be easy to suppress such an opponent with just any force.

'If I get involved, the principal himself would have to step in. But if that happens, it would be hard to hide the truth due to the scale of the event.'

In short, the only thing Rudger gained from this was the knowledge of Esmeralda's identity.

He hadn't decided what to do about her yet.

'For now, it's better to pretend I don't know.'

He had no choice.

Esmeralda would have noticed that Rudger had cleaned up the situation.

If she wasn't a fool, she wouldn't question why he interfered. Rudger had acted at the right time.

Rudger quickly reached a conclusion.

'I can't touch her now.'

If her identity was exposed right after the incident, the Black Dawn would suspect the existence of a traitor.

He was doing this for safety, but if he touched Esmeralda and ended up in danger, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

He needed to watch and wait for a while.

'When she acts again. When she shows even a little bit of her tail.'

If he used Seorn's power to subtly reveal her identity then,

he could eliminate her annoying presence.

'So I'll wait.'

Patience was one of his greatest weapons.

* * *

The next morning.

The fire spirit terrorist attack from last night was prominently featured on the front page of the newspaper.

[A Terrorist Strikes the Banquet Hall! Who is the Culprit?]

The provocative title, written in bold black letters, naturally caught the eye.

I sat at an outdoor table in a quiet café and opened the newspaper.

'Well, it would be strange if it didn't get out, considering the commotion.'

The city of Leathbark expressed regret over the incident and vowed to catch the culprit.

But Rudger didn't think they could do much.

If the Black Dawn could catch them, they would have been arrested long ago.

'There are all sorts of conspiracy theories about the culprit.'

From a mad terrorist to the dominant opinion that the culprit was the Liberation Army.

Especially considering that most of the victims were from the upper echelons of society, it was inevitable that the Liberation Army would be suspected.

'They must feel wronged, being blamed for something they didn't do.'

Rudger found it a bit amusing.

He didn't like the Liberation Army.

If he had to say, he was closer to hating them.

'They're the reason I'm in this mess now.'

Just thinking about it still made his teeth grind.

If those guys hadn't attacked the magic engineering train he was on, his hidden identity wouldn't have been exposed, and he wouldn't have been forced into Seorn Academy.

But what could he do? It had already happened.

Now, the only option left for Rudger was to do his best in the given situation.

Rustle.

The next page of the newspaper had a small article about the security being strengthened at the Kunst auction house.

And the main organizer of this Kunst auction was Ivan Luke, a board member of Luke Company.

The face of the rude man he had seen before naturally came to mind.

'So he's the main organizer of this Kunst auction.'

Ivan Luke would likely try to make this event even bigger to make up for the disgrace at the banquet hall.

He would gather people, make the opening ceremony more splendid, and increase security accordingly.

He would try to recover his tarnished image with a big success and solidify his position as a board member in Luke Company.

A faint smile appeared on Rudger's lips.

'This is quite promising.'

If the auction went smoothly, Ivan Luke could mend the situation where he had fallen out of favor with his father.

─If it went smoothly.

The unfortunate thing for Ivan was that

he didn't know the man he had provoked at the banquet hall would secretly attend this auction.

Just as he was thinking this, Rudger folded the newspaper.

His guest had arrived.

"Did you come?"

"You're a teacher, right? Is it okay to be out so early in the morning?"

Across the table, Viola looked at him with a slightly discontented gaze, and he stood up.

"You seem tense this morning."

"Anyone would be if they were called out so early to be a guide."

"Yet you seem to have put a lot of effort into your makeup."

"Makeup is like armor for women. It takes a long time to prepare."

"That's why."

Viola was dressed a bit differently from the last time he saw her.

Back then, she wore a strange black dress to maintain formality, but this time, she was in something closer to athletic wear, easy to move in.

She wore long leather boots and a leather corset that fit snugly around her waist.

She also had a wide-brimmed hat to shield her from the sun.

With her burns fully healed, she no longer wore the black veil that covered her face.

"A fitting outfit for an adventurer or mercenary."

"It's the most comfortable thing to wear when moving around. Come on, let's go. I want you to see the changes."

"Sure."

Rudger had come to Leathbark early in the morning for one reason.

To see the changes in the slum.

Viola seemed eager to show the changes.

Her prickly attitude from the first day was gone, and now she looked like an excited young girl.

"Look, this is the newly renovated street."

"Wow."

The dirty and smelly slum street he had seen before was now completely clean.

The residents of this place, which the city of Leathbark had essentially abandoned, had come together to clean it up.

Of course, it wasn't done for free.

"I spent over 80% of the budget here. I hired people who used to just waste their time here."

Cleaning, decorating, and moving things. Demolishing old shabby buildings and constructing new ones.

All of this required a huge amount of money and manpower.

And this place was overflowing with surplus labor that no one else would use.

"I spent over 80% of the budget here."

The large sum of money Rudger had taken from the vault after killing Belport Rickson.

And the massive funds he had obtained by raiding the Black Dawn.

He had donated all of it to the slum's relief efforts.

The effect was clear.

The street, which was dying, was now regaining vitality.

"I'll turn this street into an artists' district, as you suggested."

The dark and gloomy slum was no more.

Carpenters were seen diligently building new houses where old shacks once stood.

Children who used to sell newspapers were now seen playing.

"Here, this is the newly opened clothing store."

Viola led Rudger to a clothing store with large windows displaying the racks inside.

People who used to belong to the Black Rose were busily moving fabrics and cutting clothes.

But beyond what was visible, countless steam machines were likely operating to produce the fabrics.

"For now, we're focusing on producing as many clothes as possible using machines. We're starting with popular items. But once we reach a certain level, we plan to challenge high-end brands."

"Do you have the confidence? Your opponents are deeply rooted in the city and the empire."

"I've always dreamed of this moment."

Viola smiled confidently.

"Even if a tree's roots are deep, if they're rotten, it will fall with just a breeze."

"Good resolve."

"Would you like to see the inside?"

"No, that's enough. You look busy checking other places."

"Then I'll show you another place."

Rudger had only confirmed one clothing store.

The changes on this street were far from over.