Chapter 100: Chapter 100

C100: Source of sound (2)

I wanted to post 2 chapters today but as I was eating dinner yesterday all of a sudden I heard a ‘snap’ sound and I couldn’t turn my head to the left. My neck hurts a lot and I can’t stay to much up, so until I get better only 1 chapter a day.

“Can you hear anything?”

Vierano, who asked that, seemed to have some kind of certainty but Rudger shook his head and denied it.

“It didn’t happen.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Mr. Vierano’s comments are very interesting, but unfortunately they have nothing to do with me. However, it is a little strange that there are people who do not have standards in their talents and thinking. Do you know anything more?”

“I don’t know because I’ve come across it in an old literature. That’s all I heard about when I was a kid.”

“If that’s what Mr. Vierano, an elf, says, I think it’s almost a legend for humans.”

At Rudger’s words Vierano smirked.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Vierano was disappointed that the man in front of didn’t have a framework but he somehow expected that.

‘If you’re an ordinary person, you’ll never be able to endure it.’

People will not know since they live less than 100 years and tried to record a lot of history, but in many cases not all the facts that actually happened are recorded, at most, 70% of them are.

Thirty percent is so forgotten by humans but the elves are different. They have a lifespan over ten times that of humans and they’re like observers of history.

Although their numbers are extremely small and were reduced even more in the wars up until 50 years ago they still remember it all.

‘There are beings far beyond human cognition in the world.’

Huge spirits that exist in Mother Nature, higher races far superior to humans and even existences like monsters and demons that disappeared beyond the barrier of shadows in the Giant’s Spine Mountains.

And lastly, looking down at the world.

‘God.’

Therefore, humans without a framework are quickly destroyed. Their vessels are so small that they dare not contain all the water of higher being’s interest. A talented man may have a bigger bowl, but all he can do is hang in there a little longer.

‘But Mr. Rudger is fine. I didn’t feel anything strange before, and I don’t feel anything now. I guess he’s not the latter case.’

He was a little disappointed, but was relieved because he liked this human teacher in front of him.

As soon as he thought so, Rudger opened his mouth and asked a question.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“You said that people who don’t have a frame hear voices of being outside.”

“Yes, that’s right although it might be a false rumor.”

“If it’s true, then there’s more than that?”

More than that?

Vierano stroked his chin and groped his memory but shook his head immediately.

“No. As far as I know, there are only cases where people heard voices.”

“Is that so?”

“There may be more but the average person wouldn’t have endured that much to make it there.”

“If they endured it, what do you think will happen?”

“Well, I’ve never heard of that, but if they really get through it, there might be a next step. Just like how symptoms get worse.”

Vierano lifted his index finger.

“I think the next step after hearing voices is seeing things.”

“You mean visions?”

“Yes, but it’s just a hypothesis. There’s no way there’s such a person in the first place. If it was, they’d be crazy. Wouldn’t anyone be crazy if they had to see things they didn’t want to see all the time?”

Even long-lived species, especially nature-friendly elves, would have a hard time bearing it let alone humans.

“And this is just in case, but if there’s another one, I think it’s probably this.”

“What is it?”

“If you can hear the voice and see it with your eyes, there’s more to it than that.”

Vierano said that it wasn’t a big deal and it wouldn’t happen anyway.

“You can have direct contact.”

And added one more word.

“God.”

* * *

Vierano left to explain the details of the incident. It was in the midst of his busy schedule that he had come to say thanks to Rudger.

Rudger watched his back for a while before moving.

‘Is it contact with God?’

Vierano’s hypothesis was interesting. No, beyond interesting, Rudger was deeply impressed.

‘Because it’s all true.’

As expected of an elf who lived for a long time. Narrowing the truth all the way here with a story he read a long time ago.

‘But I’m not going to tell you anyway.’

His constitution was not something that could be easily talked about. That’s why he’s trying to suppress it with his own magic but this wasn’t important now.

‘Joanna Lovett. No, Esmeralda, First Order of the Black Dawn Society. What should I do with her?’

Rudger contemplated a lot while talking to Vierano. Should he hint at the real culprit of the “spirit of fire” terrorist attack?

If he does that, he can clean up one of the most intrusive first orders but he will also be suspected if Esmeralda were to be identified.

She, who has not been active until now, is identified as the culprit the moment she moves for the first time?

If that happened Black Dawn might start an investigation and that would be a disaster for Rudger.

‘If I make assumptions without proof things will be troublesome.’

It was clear from the circumstances that Joanna Lovett was Esmeralda. However, her opponent is a contractor who wields the highest level of fire spirits.

The power of the supreme spirits is close to that of the 6th rank. In particular, the fire spirit may be even more dangerous because it is so different from normal spirits. It will not be easy to overpower such an opponent without considerable force.

‘To do that the president must step in but when that happens, it will become difficult to hide the truth.’

In other words, Rudger’s immediate income was that he discovered Esmeralda’s identity but he couldn’t decide what to do with it yet.

‘Is it better to pretend that I don’t know?’

He had no choice but to since Esmeralda would have noticed that Rudger had come forward and cleaned up the scene. Unless she’s a fool, she won’t argue why he interrupted her. Rudger also went out when he thought it was appropriate.

He came to a conclusion immediately.

‘I can’t touch her for now.’

If Esmeralda’s identity is revealed immediately after the incident has just begun, the Black Dawn will suspect a traitor.

He’s doing it for his safety but if he touches Esmeralda he would be in more danger so he had to wait and see.

‘When she acts next time and shows her tail, at least a little.’

At that time, he will use Theon power to secretly reveal her true identity.

‘So I’m waiting.’

Patience was one of his greatest weapons.

* * *

The next morning the fire spirit terror incident was featured on the front page of the newspaper.

[Terrorists attacked the banquet hall! Who is the culprit?]

The provocative title, which was largely written in black, naturally caught the eye.

I sat at an outdoor table in a secluded cafe and opened the newspaper.

‘Well, it caused a riot, but it would be rather strange if it’s not known.’

Leathervelk expressed its regret for this incident and threatened to find the culprit but Rudger didn’t think they could do anything.

If they could catch the Black Dawn Society they would have done it long ago.

‘There are all sorts of conspiracy theories regarding the culprit’s identity.’

Starting with lunatic terrorists, the opinion that the perpetrator of the terrorist attack was the work of the Liberation Army was dominant.

In particular, considering that the majority of the victims who died this time are high-ranking members of society, it was inevitable that people would think it was the Liberation Army.

‘They didn’t do it but took the blame.’

Rudger felt that it was a bit silly but he didn’t like the Liberation Army anyway. To put it bluntly, he was closer to hating the Liberation Army.

‘Because of them, I am suffering now.’

My teeth are still gnashing at the thought of that time.

If they hadn’t stormed the magic train he was on, his hidden face wouldn’t have been destroyed and he wouldn’t have been forced into Theon Academy.

But what can he do? It already happened. Now all that remained for Rudger was to do his best in the current situation.

On the next page of the newspaper, there was an article written in small letters about the fact that the security of the auction at the Kunst auction house would be strengthened. And the fact that Luke’s director, Ivan Luke, is the main host of the Kunst auction house.

The man’s rude face came to his mind.

‘Is he the main host of the auction this time?’

Perhaps Ivan Luke will make the event even bigger, especially to make up for the scandal at the banquet hall. It will attract people, hold more spectacular ceremonies, and increase costs. He will restore his collapsed image by making a big fuss this time, and solidify his stake as a director at Luke.

A faint smile formed around Rudger’s mouth.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

If the auction ends without a hitch, Ivan Luke will be able to make up for what happened out of his father’s sight.

‘If it ends without a hitch.’

It’s a pity for Ivan that he does not know that the man he quarreled with at the banquet hall is secretly attending the auction.

Rudger, who had been thinking that far, folded the newspaper because the person he was waiting for came.

“Are you here?”

“You said you were a teacher. Can you come out like this early in the morning?”

Looking at Violetta staring at me with a slightly dissatisfied gaze, I got up from my seat.

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

“If you call someone as a guide early in the morning, everyone will be like that.”

“For that, I think you put a lot of effort into your makeup.”

“Makeup is like armor to a woman. It takes a long time to prepare.”

“So it was.”

Violetta was dressed a little differently than before. At that time, she wore a black dress with a strange atmosphere to be formal, but this time, it was more of an easy-to-move activity suit.

She wore long leather boots on the legs and a leather corset fitted to the waist and a wide-brimmed hat that blocked the sunlight on her head.

After all of her burns were healed, she no longer wore the black cotton yarn that covered her face.

“It’s a suit that an adventurer or mercenary would wear.”

“There is nothing more comfortable than this when moving around. Let’s go, we have to see what has changed.”

“Yeah.”

There is only one reason why Rudger came out to Leathervelk early in the morning. It was to confirm the changed appearance of the slums.

Violetta was already anxious to show him the changes. Her thorny attitude from when they first met disappeared and now she looked like an excited young woman.

“Now, look, this is the new street.”

“Oh.”

The streets of the dirty, smelly slums I had seen before were completely cleaned up.

“As you said, I used the money and hired people.”

Cleaning, grooming, eliminating the existing shabby buildings and building new ones required a huge amount of money and manpower

and this is a place full of surplus manpower that other people don’t use.

“I spent more than 80% of the budget on this.”

The huge amount of money in the vault of Bellbot Rickson and the money from the Red Society was used to fix the slums.

The effect was clear because the dying streets were starting to come alive.

“As you said, I will make this road a street of artists.”

The dark and dull slums were gone and carpenters were seen tearing down shabby houses and working hard on new houses.

The children, who used to always sell newspapers, were seen running around.

“This is the newly opened clothing store.”

Violetta had brought Rudger to a clothing store with large glass windows showing the inside display.

There, people belonging to the Women of the Black Rose were moving around eagerly arranging and cutting clothes but out of sight countless steam engines were also moving and pulling out fabric.

“First of all, I’m focused on using machines to pull out as many clothes as I can. Popular clothes come first but when we get to a certain level, we’re going to challenge the luxury brand.”

“You must be confident, right? The opponents are those who have long taken root in the Empire beyond this city.”

“I have always dreamed of this moment.”

Violetta smiled confidently.

“No matter how deep the roots of a tree are, if it is rotten, it will fall down when the wind blows.”

“That’s a good resolution”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Would you like to look inside?”

“No, thanks. I’ll check the other places.”

“Then I’ll show you somewhere else.”

Rudger has only checked one clothing store but there are more places that need to be inspected.