Chapter 31 – Ethan Conrad (1)
“It is true that your talents are remarkable. But don’t you understand? In this world, talent is not everything.”
When he was much younger and full of vigor, the person who drew him into the organization persuaded him with the words that he couldn’t achieve what he desired in this world solely with talent.
Ethan, who had directly witnessed and experienced that the words were not false, couldn’t refuse the proposal. After all, ability and effort alone could not surpass innate status and class.
“Once I join the organization, will I truly be rewarded for my efforts?”
“At least it should be different from a world full of hypocrites.”
“Then I will do it.”
What he desired at that time was merely to receive fair compensation from those who recognized his abilities.
Thus, a boy who had been a mere errand boy in the alleys of the poor quickly rose to a position of authority in the organization through his talents.
With his sharp mind and robust physique, it was not a difficult task.
Although as he climbed higher, growing older and seeing a broader world, he realized that what he thought was supreme talent was ordinary compared to real monsters, it was still okay.
Some believed that if they could ever grasp the opportunities that others had since birth, they could rise once again.
“Why are you so afraid?”
It seemed that the opportunity had recently come to him.
The silver-haired elf girl he stumbled upon by chance. Her hollow and detached demeanor was precisely that opportunity.
‘If I can gather enough funds, I can gain the power to create factions within the organization.’
Though he thought it was dangerous to ally with such a being, Ethan considered that the money she brought in was worth the risk.
After becoming the head of a branch overseeing a city, he planned to attempt expanding his influence once more.
“Take this to my brother. I’ve made a sizable offering after a long time, so tell him to accept it. If he asks about the source, just say it was a profitable business deal.”
“Understood.”
He handed a well-filled money bag to his trusted subordinate and sent him on his way. The first step was, of course, to bribe his superiors to put himself in good standing. In their world, this was equivalent to ability.
“What does getting promoted in the headquarters entail?”
“…Are you curious about that?”
Irilia became interested when she heard about his plans, which involved selling artifacts and making money.
“Our organization’s headquarters is located in the capital of the Narian Kingdom. We’re of course expanding our influence beyond that, creating branches in cities and engaging in business.”
Since he had nothing to do at the moment and it would be impossible to shake off the interested Irilia, Ethan spread out a map and began to explain properly.
“Here’s Seoul. It’s quite interesting. No matter how much time passes or how the environment changes, it seems that places where people can comfortably live do not change.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Irilia laughed at the familiar sight when she looked at the spot Ethan pointed to on the map.
Various powers located within the slightly transformed Korean Peninsula; she dismissed it as nothing significant, but each time she saw it, she felt a strange sensation bubbling up, unable to suppress her laughter.
“The leaders of each branch oversee the city and surrounding towns, but in a broader organizational sense, they are considered mid-level. Just as branch leaders have personnel responsible for various districts and towns under their command, the division heads also have several branch leaders beneath them.”
“Is that division head your superior?”
“And he is a cherished sworn brother of the overall leader, who stands at the pinnacle of the organization.”
Irilia showed interest in Ethan’s organizational structure, which was somewhat similar to the criminal organizations she imagined. From her perspective, it was a world that had always been distant from her, making it all the more captivating.
“Since the organization’s expansion is somewhat stagnant, even though the number of branch leaders is increasing, positions of division heads do not often become vacant, making it challenging to rise higher. However, according to the information I’ve gathered, a position will likely open soon. I am aiming for that.”
“Well, if that’s what you want to do.”
Irilia nodded, listening to Ethan’s plans. She didn’t feel the need to deal with Ethan as if he were a subordinate. There was no high necessity for that, and it would be too bothersome.
Ethan also had no greater expectations from her than restoring artifacts and generating income.
Though confident in his own abilities, he instinctively felt he did not want to get overly entangled with her.
‘Excessive greed always brings trouble.’
Despite his great ambitions, the Ethan of now had learned enough about realism not to take reckless actions. Even if he was tempted by Irilia’s strength, he was fully aware that he could not handle it.
“Is your training going well?”
After a moment, fearing that Irilia might pry into more detailed matters, he changed the subject regarding her recent sponsorship activities.
*
“The weather is nice. Very pleasant.”
Regardless of the city’s atmosphere, the sun, which did not care, was bright, and the wind was as refreshing as the open sky.
After arriving at Ethan’s house the next day, I went straight to the sponsorship.
“What are you going to do here?”
“Nothing.”
Rina, seemingly tense at the mention of training, asked what I was going to do, but I just smiled and shook my head.
It was a statement that might be difficult to understand, like the blank expression on her face, but I was not lying.
The wind is always beside us. Meeting the wind, which is freer than the ground, is a matter of ease.
‘If I start calling, they should come soon.’
The bond I had built up to this point was considerable. Intuitively convinced my voice would reach them now, I simply stood still, feeling the wind.
“It’s fascinating… to think that spirits truly exist in this nature.”
“Spirit art was a specialty of the elves I knew. I don’t know why it seems to have completely fallen out of practice.”
Rina muttered as she looked at me standing still in the middle of the sponsorship like some scarecrow. The spirits were indeed very foreign beings to the people of this era, and even the elves were no exception.
The fact that the spirits were flocking to me, someone who could communicate and bond with them, stemmed from that reason.
‘Is something about to happen?’
The elves I knew in the tower were mostly skilled in spirit arts. While other races inherited the abilities of their ancestors, the elves alone had lost this ability, which was evidence that something had occurred after the tower’s collapse.
“—!”
“Right. That isn’t what’s important right now.”
Of course, worrying about the future of spirit arts as a novice spirit master who had yet to meet all the spirits was out of order.
Seeing a jubilant earth spirit popping up from the ground, I smiled faintly and looked up at the blue sky.
A perfectly clear blue sky without a single cloud, while others were marveling at its clarity, I could see a blurry, rippling shape.
“The first arriving wind brother. Finally, we’ve made contact.”
I reached out towards them. With the gentle breeze flowing in, they wrapped around my body as they met me — they were finally the wind spirits.
Like when I met the earth spirits, if I frequently interacted with them and built my proficiency and bond, I would soon be able to skillfully manipulate the wind.
“The wind’s direction has changed. Did we succeed?”
“Yes. Now the wind is with me.”
The surrounding air shifting around me was noticeable enough for Rina to detect. The wind was a highly important and sensitive element to everyone.
“The more you use it like the earth, the faster you’ll grow. But right now, the adventurer’s guild has a funeral atmosphere, so it won’t be easy to act right away.”
I pondered while observing the lively wind spirits.
Although growing spirits could simply be done by sitting still and bonding, it was evident that experience and effort would accelerate their growth.
Having already been nurturing the earth spirits in that manner, I wanted to do the same with the wind spirits, but currently, it was a bit ambiguous. It would take time to completely resolve the aftermath of the recently discovered erosion event.
While I could just go out and hunt monsters, everyone was on high alert now, and I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention.
Causing a commotion like that would defeat the purpose of operating under cover. I disliked the idea of hiding from the guards, who had ramped up their patrols due to the emergency.
‘There’s no rule saying I must only hunt monsters.’
Of course, utilizing the wind spirits was not exclusively focused on combat with monsters. Wind is the most crucial element for conveying sound.
Standing still, closing my eyes, and concentrating, I spread the wind spirits wide around me.
“The materials have run out. I told Jack to buy more…”
“Boss, here’s the daily performance report.”
I began to hear numerous things in my ears. Even sounds that were much farther away and smaller, which I couldn’t catch with my already sensitive ears.
While it was currently only about a 30m radius, as the wind spirits grew, that range would undoubtedly expand.
‘I could probably hear everything from my sitting position.’
I summoned a stone chair and slumped down, quietly enjoying this. As the people of the mansion were all familiar to me, I could tell who was who just by hearing their voice.
“No unusual occurrences again today. It seems it will be difficult to uncover the source of the slush fund with just simple surveillance.”
“…?”
It was then that I heard the voice of a stranger. Not from within the mansion, but from outside the walls.
