Chapter 13 – The Mysterious Girl (3)
“It’s been a long time. I thought things were quiet lately, but here you are, awakening old sensations. I should rather say thank you.”
In the basement of the mansion, where no sound could escape despite the shouting, Ethan grinned at the intruders he had captured there.
He wasn’t unfamiliar with assaults from hostile organizations; fighting and interrogating captured prisoners were routine for him.
‘What on earth…’
The captives were still in a state of great confusion and were not in their right minds. They had braced themselves for battle or capture during their mission, but they were shocked beyond that.
Honestly, they couldn’t even hear what Ethan was saying through the haze of shock.
“Well, shall we start with you? Personally, I hope you’re a tough one. That way, interrogation will be…”
“What the heck is that elf!? Is she, is she really an elf!?”
Ethan had released one of their mouths, but as soon as he did, the guy asked about the elf girl who had subdued them in one blow.
Even now, her face was vivid in their minds. In the darkness of the night, her brilliant silver hair glimmered in the moonlight, and her indifferent crimson eyes shined with an unsettling charm.
Wearing nothing but a light negligée that seemed more like underwear, her bare feet gave the impression that she could easily break if kicked. Yet, what they witnessed was a monster wielding the power to manipulate the earth at will, making it impossible for them to touch her.
“This is quite a feeling of kinship.”
Ethan couldn’t help but smile bitterly at their reactions. Though he hadn’t clashed directly with Iriliana, he felt a similarity in being caught off guard and swiftly defeated, like a hapless player in a game.
“What use is it to know? That little monster is an absurd existence. Don’t ask; just spill what you know. It will hurt less that way.”
He had no intention of sharing any information, and honestly, Ethan himself didn’t know much about Iriliana.
Perhaps due to her background, her actions were unique to the point of being eccentric, and she had some rugged aspects that contrasted with her appearance.
“Ahhh!”
Soon, horrifying screams echoed in the basement, along with the sounds of bodies being broken and the smell spreading, while the surface calmly welcomed the night and the dawn.
‘Still sleeping now? Must be nice and comfortable. Is this what it’s like after living for ten thousand years?’
Ethan had done his best to gather the information he wanted, and was about to share it with Iriliana, but hearing that she was sleeping soundly while he was struggling throughout the night made him click his tongue.
Of course, the intruders were captured because she had noticed them first and acted on her own, so Ethan had no grounds to complain.
*
“Iriliana, it’s morning. You need to wake up.”
“I’m tired after using my power yesterday. Let’s stay like this a little longer.”
She knew it was morning, but the blanket was too cozy to get out of. Ultimately, Rina, who had slept beside her, let out a small sigh and had to wait until she got up.
Whether going to work or anything else, it felt great to not have to rise in the morning under pressure.
Finally, it was when Ethan came up to urge her to get up immediately that she lazily crawled out of bed.
“M-Master. Iriliana hasn’t gotten ready yet…”
“Just let him in. If he’s come this far, it must be urgent.”
Seeing the still disheveled Rina in her pajamas, Ethan looked shocked, but Iriliana simply waved her arm and told him to come in.
Sure, her pajamas were not suitable to be seen by others, but she genuinely didn’t think much of it.
While she appreciated Rina’s beautiful body, even cuddling with that body, it seemed that she no longer cared about such things, realizing that these matters didn’t hold any importance anymore.
‘It’s almost as if I’m a truly enlightened ten-thousand-year-old elf.’
Even she found it amusing to think that way. The emptiness that filled her mind ever since discovering she had lost everything in the tower appeared to still linger without being completely healed.
“Don’t you feel any shame? An elf of noble stature…”
“What’s wrong with pajamas? It’s the one who has indecent thoughts who should be ashamed.”
Ethan entered and was horrified at her state, but she merely smiled mischievously. Perhaps it was because her body had completely changed; she hardly recognized it as her own anymore.
“So, have you figured anything out?”
“It took some time, but it wasn’t difficult. However, the full story seems to be more complex and difficult than what we learned from capturing them.”
Ethan frowned. If he was saying that, it was very likely a serious matter.
“The artifacts we restored last time… it seems they’re items that shouldn’t be touched.”
“The smartphone? Why?”
“The value of it is too great.”
He gave her a rough explanation of the situation. The conclusion was that the restored smartphone held such immense value that it attracted attention from all around.
From her perspective, it was enough to cause a scoff. With no way to charge the battery and not even knowing if it would function, what was the big deal?
“It is only natural that people with an understanding of its value would go crazy since a non-existent item has appeared in the black market. Fortunately, given the structure of the black market, it would be hard to trace it back to me as having sold it, but they can surely speculate.”
Those who understood the value of the smartphone moved like fish biting bait; from people in the underworld like Ethan to the mayor of the city who could be seen as public authority.
It was unfortunate that Ethan had recently bought a lot of artifacts; while there was no solid evidence, the suspicion was there, and the intruders who broke in last night came to confirm that suspicion.
“Of course, they will constantly harbor doubts. While I did act suspiciously, they must realize that since they don’t know your identity, there’s no way I could possess the skill to restore such a precious and valuable artifact. They will likely think of me as just an intermediary, assuming I bought the artifact without understanding anything and resold it.”
“Then shouldn’t we spread false information? Saying we bought it from an imaginary entity that doesn’t exist?”
“That could work. For now, I’ll handle it in my own way. Damn, I should have taken more interest in artifacts.”
Shaking his head, Ethan said he’d take care of it since he now understood the full story. Whether it would turn out that way, he wasn’t sure, but for now, it was indeed the best course of action.
“And there’s one more piece of news about that human adventurer named Patrick.”
Before leaving, he shared another piece of news with her. After sending someone to investigate for just a day, he had once again done as she asked.
“I’ve found out he’s a reliable person who has been an adventurer in this city for over twelve years. Did he really warn us out of goodwill?”
Ethan mentioned that the man was no outright crook but had a guaranteed identity.
Learning an unexpected fact made her chuckle. It was true that unmotivated goodwill was dangerous, but such goodwill certainly existed.
And sometimes, that goodwill became the driving force that moved the world in ways that cold, rational reasoning could not contend with.
“Then, does that mean everything he warned us about is true? Should we not worry?”
“I think we should be okay. I fought with those intruders yesterday and gained confidence.”
Rina wore a worried expression, but Iriliana didn’t care much.
Thanks to slowly beginning to grasp the extent of her current power, she didn’t feel too concerned about it.
Moreover, she had confirmed that she could quickly increase her skill level through practical experience, making it rather welcome if someone tried to provoke her.
It meant that they were willing to become her experience points with their lives.
“Get ready, Rina. Let’s head out for work today.”
Fully awake, she finished preparing her body and urged Rina to exit the mansion again.
Now almost familiar with the paths, she was thinking of venturing deeper.
Although there might be those who followed them, if they ventured into the deep forest, those people would most likely disappear without a trace.
“—!?”
“Are there others following us? I know. They seem to be underestimating us too much.”
The earth spirit warned her when they entered a less populated area away from the city center.
However, she had already sensed the followers even before receiving the warning from the earth spirit. Just how much did they underestimate her? They were openly tailing them without any intention of hiding.
“Deeper.”
She manipulated Rina, who was walking ahead, to head further into the depths. The hunt for monsters was no longer her priority. She intended to find out what those low-quality adventurers Patrick had warned them about were truly planning against them.
