Chapter 6 – The Restorer of Shadows (1)
“This is it. This is one of the precious relics from the Mythical Era. I obtained it from the black market.”
“I can’t even tell what it is.”
What I suggested to Ethan was a conversation about the secrets of this world, which was completely different from the one I had lived in.
I smirked as I held what he had brought me. It was something metal that was smaller than my palm… that was all I could guess.
Its blackened, twisted form made it hard to identify even for me. However, I could tell one thing for sure.
This was absolutely not a result of natural causes.
“As I mentioned, there are hardly any relics left from the Mythical Era, and the few that remain are incredibly valuable because of that. I don’t know why, but the relics from that time have been destroyed and altered by something those with long bags call dark mana. It’s as if they are trying to erase that era.”
“Dark mana, you say?”
Hearing Ethan’s serious explanation, I scoffed at the awkward naming. Surely, the license plate I dug from the ground had similarly been altered, just to a lesser extent.
‘This is one of the disasters foretold by the tower. The Great Catastrophe. The earth has truly been eroded and destroyed by failing to conquer the tower.’
I knew why that was the case. It was one of five endings that spread through those who climbed the tower. When one failed to conquer the tower, a force that denies everything would erase every trace of the failures.
Those who heard that from the climbers were starting to fall into an apocalyptic mindset.
However, there was one blind spot. The disaster foretold by the tower could only be activated when not a single challenger who had the qualifications to attempt it was left.
Even if all the other climbers had died or been thrown out of the tower, and the current new humanity assumed them as their descendants.
Here I was, a climber who had only barely finished the tutorial, still alive and breathing. I had not failed in the tower.
That damn tower had simply crumbled before me, unilaterally casting me out.
“I was hoping, but it really is a lighter. A tool for starting a fire.”
“This… how is this even possible? To erase dark mana, an enormous amount of high-purity mana is needed…”
The corroded, altered lighter in my hand began to regain its former self, like purifying something filthy. My strength was actually pushing out the negative power bound within the lighter.
Ethan was dumbfounded, stuttering as he gazed at the shining silver oil lighter.
I heard that the power and money required to restore such an altered relic was enormous.
“I think this could pay for my living expenses. Do as you wish with it.”
“Are you, really sure this will work?”
“On the condition that you provide everything I want. Don’t worry too much. I probably won’t ask for anything excessive.”
I threw the lighter to Ethan, and he scrambled to catch it, grasping it delicately as if it were precious.
It was amusing to see him so anxious over such a trivial item. No matter how I looked at it, the golden bracelet he was wearing seemed far more valuable.
“Don’t expect too much. It won’t be easy.”
Although I had used my special ability to immediately restore the relic, it wasn’t free. I had expended a considerable amount of power to drive out the negative forces.
It was enough power to sell a deep well using Earth spirits. I certainly couldn’t afford to waste it.
‘In the first place, my current power is too weak. I need more power anyway.’
My ultimate goal was to secure the power that could ensure my safety and buy time to obtain that power. I planned to investigate this world while doing so without wasting time working unnecessarily to make money.
What Ethan provided would surely aid me substantially in that regard.
As I do whatever I can, I might eventually find a new reason to keep living.
“This house is nice. I’ll take the second floor? And your maids are pretty. Get me one too, if you don’t want to keep tending to me.”
“…Understood.”
After that, I robustly continued to demand what I wanted from Ethan. Having paid a price in a way, even though he looked sullen, he agreed.
It felt surprisingly good to speak my wishes and have them fulfilled.
It was a life I had never even imagined, but I was sure of it. I would try doing everything I wanted from now on.
I was currently in a state where I had no responsibilities or anything like that. I still experienced a considerable void from that, but conversely, it could also be said that I had gained complete freedom.
Having broken free from the past and the tower, I was free. It was an opportunity to walk a path I didn’t know, liberated from the bonds of fate and karma.
*
‘Perhaps I am entangled with a disaster I should never be involved in?’
When I descended to the first floor, Ethan opened his hand to look at the silver lighter he was holding.
I expected it, but indeed, her power was enormous and magnificent. In a way I couldn’t imagine, she restored the altered relic back to its original state more easily than flipping her palm.
A ten-thousand-year-old elf from the Mythical Era. Just recalling her red eyes sent chills down Ethan’s spine, causing him to rub his arms subconsciously.
‘But it seems she clearly intends to use me. Perhaps merely associating with her could yield unimaginable benefits!’
He was not only an executive of the organization but also a businessman pondering how much more bribes he could siphon off. Even if it were a double-edged sword, he was prepared to grasp it and wield it.
Moreover, this was no ordinary sword. It could be a magic sword capable of severing this world itself. Thinking that, Ethan bit his lip with determination.
“Selene.”
“Yes, Master.”
“The maid being trained this time… I believe her name was Rina? Attach her to the guest on the upper floor, not me.”
He summoned the young woman, his dedicated maid and head maid, to give her the order. Her eyes widened in surprise.
The newly arrived maid in the mansion was one he had carefully brought in and trained to have for his own purposes.
“It can’t be helped. Among the maids in the mansion, she is the only one who is completely pure. If something is to be revealed, it’s better to do so without any blemishes. Since elves value purity, it should be effective.”
‘That sounds right?’
He had doubts while giving the order but tried to shake them off. After all, an elf who was ten thousand years old was still an elf, and he presumed there wouldn’t be much difference from the elves of this world.
To such a being, appearance or gender wouldn’t matter at all.
Ethan prepared thoroughly and sent the selected maid to the second floor to score points.
“Rina, this is a command from the Master. From now on, you will be serving another guest of the mansion.”
“Who do you mean…?”
“Honestly, I’m not too sure myself. Only the Master has spoken with that individual.”
In the maid’s room located in the annex of the mansion, Selene went to inform the black-haired woman, who had been waiting anxiously, about Ethan’s command.
Upon hearing an unexpected order, her youthful face—still retaining some childlike features—grew wide-eyed. Additionally, the cat ears upon her head twitched.
“Is it a, a guest?”
The girl called Rina asked with fearful eyes. It was common to assign a maid to a distinguished guest.
It was only natural that Rina, inexperienced with such matters, would feel uneasy about the prospect of serving someone through the night.
“It could be a guest, or it might not…”
Selene opted not to mention what she had seen. To be honest, she couldn’t comprehend why her Master had brought home a strikingly beautiful elf girl and intended to treat her with such reverence.
“So, what is that person’s name?”
“That is something the Master mentioned.”
Thanks to that, Rina’s anxiety increased even more, as if it were her last resort, she desperately asked for the name of the guest.
“Iriliana.”
One of the old words meaning “the progenitor.” However, even though it was an ancient word, for someone who had lived through myths, it was as fresh as could be.
As Rina heard that name, she found herself nodding unknowingly.
More than the meaning of the name, she felt relieved simply because it was a woman’s name.
“Iril… Iriliana. I am…”
But that sense of relief shattered completely the moment she stepped onto the second floor and faced the guest herself.
It was a girl who made Rina question whether she truly belonged in this world, standing before the balcony bathed in pouring moonlight.
“What’s this? Why are you dressed so poorly? Everyone else looked decent enough.”
The girl turned her head, smiled slightly, and looked at Rina.
Ethan had specially taken care to have her wear a modest maid outfit, with long sleeves and a long skirt to minimize skin exposure, but it seemed the girl was displeased with that.
