Chapter 408: Gold and Silver (13)
Chapter 408: Gold and Silver (13)
The North remained in turmoil even after the flames of war had subsided.
The primary reason was the devastation of the land that the flesh monster had blanketed. More than half of the vast coniferous forest had been wiped out, leaving the people who relied on it for their livelihoods in a state of distress.
The coniferous forest was the lifeblood of the North.
It wasn't just a source of firewood; it was a place where rare mosses and medicinal herbs grew wild. Naturally, many villagers depended on it for survival.
This remained true despite the dangers lurking within, such as demonic beasts and Elves.
In fact, the presence of demonic beasts drew the attention of demonic beast hunters. Some villages even functioned as outposts where these hunters would stay.
In this way, the coniferous forest was one of the cornerstones of Northern industry.
And now, that place had been utterly destroyed.
Even the Elves who lived there were in a state of extreme chaos. Now that the trees that once hid them were gone, they were forced to take action in one way or another.
Such potential threats inevitably led to tension and rigidity among the populace.
Though they were somehow holding together under the powerful leadership of the Yurdina family, public sentiment in the North was incredibly volatile.
Of course, that wasn't my problem to worry about.
If anything, the more volatile the Northern sentiment, the better. It would give the Imperial Household more room to intervene.
I trusted Senior Delphine’s leadership.
I believed she could rebuild the North’s collapsed industries while upholding the authority of the Imperial Household to an appropriate degree.
My actual concerns lay elsewhere.
"Avian, you're staying here?"
"Yes, that's the plan."
The answer was exactly as I had expected.
The reason Avian had been staying near the Academy was for her mission—acting as a spy to scout the movements of human society.
Now that her purpose was fulfilled, it was only natural for her to return.
To be more precise, it was more accurate to say her role had become meaningless.
The war between humanity and the Elves was over.
There was no clear winner.
As a result of driving the Elves into the cold North, the humans living there had lost their homes.
And as for the Elves, there was no need to even measure the extent of their losses.
In such a situation, there was no reason to continue acting as a spy.
Instead, Avian was set to take on a different role.
"The Elves still don't know much about human society. It'll take a long time for them to adapt. But I've spent a lot of time among humans, so..."
"And you're the least hostile among the Elves."
At my words, Avian seemed to hesitate for a moment before a bitter smile touched her lips.
I found myself smiling as well.
I was reminded of our first meeting.
To think that the little brat who used to call humanity inferior would now be acting as a bridge between humans and Elves.
It was a change that had occurred in just a few months.
It sounded hard to believe, but the proof was sitting right in front of me.
"...Yes, I suppose so."
That one sentence contained her will—that she no longer hated humanity, or at least, that she would try not to hate them in the future.
That was enough.
I felt that the days I had spent running around to save Avian were not in vain.
Suddenly, I heard a disgruntled muttering from somewhere, but I did my best to ignore it.
The atmosphere was heartwarming.
The topic of conversation naturally shifted to checking in on each other.
"Speaking of which, is your younger sister doing okay?"
"Fortunately, she's receiving help from the Heavenly God Religion. The Saintess, in particular, has been a huge help... She said you were the one who introduced her, Ian."
"You should thank the Saintess more than me. She said she'd make time to look after Betty even though she's busy."
I spoke in a playful tone to Avian, who was hesitating and glancing at me.
"Besides, look at the relationship we have. Your sister is basically my sister..."
"Who's your sister?!"
It was then that a shout erupted, too loud to ignore any longer.
I let out a long sigh and turned my head.
There stood a girl, clinging to my arm and growling.
My younger sister, Ria Percus.
She was the one who had come to find me just a few minutes ago.
Since this was a rare meeting alone with Avian, I had wanted to issue an expulsion order, but Ria was already in a state of high agitation.
In other words, she was beyond the point of being controlled by words.
I could have used force, but well...
Ria's physical abilities, which had awakened after the attack by the Corpse Giant, were nothing to scoff at.
Even I could find myself caught off guard if I let my mind wander for a second.
It meant I would have to use mana to truly suppress her.
But how could I use that kind of force against my cute younger sister?
In the end, I had no choice but to indulge her tantrum.
"My brother only has one sister, and that's me! How could that Elf ever be your sister?!"
"Right, right."
I tapped Ria on the head to show I understood.
Even so, Ria's excitement didn't cool down in the slightest. It was only after I pressed down firmly on her head that I managed to barely restrain her as she prepared to scream even louder in her fury.
Avian could only manage an awkward smile at this scene, which felt like something out of a comedy.
"Um, so... you're his sister?"
"That's right!"
Ria barked back, popping up again.
If she had a tail, it would surely be pointing straight toward the sky by now.
That was how much her face was filled with wariness.
She really was a possessive sister.
"You're that Elf who was traveling with my brother, aren't you? I heard all about how much trouble my brother went through because of you people... Do you have any idea how miserable I felt hearing that?!"
"Ria, please..."
I covered my face with both hands in resignation.
Of course, Ria wasn't about to stop.
"I'm holding back for my brother's sake, but if I hear even one more word about you being a nuisance to him, I'll use every means at my disposal to bring about your ruin...!"
"Um, I've lived for over a hundred years."
It was a sudden confession.
Ria could only freeze at Avian's words.
It must be hard to wrap her head around the fact that a girl who looked to be in her late teens at most was over a hundred years old.
She probably knew it intellectually.
Elves were a race that lived for over five hundred years. Their sense of age couldn't possibly align with that of humans.
But hearing it directly from the person was a different matter.
The 'hundred years' she knew as a concept had suddenly manifested as a reality.
While Ria was stunned into silence, Avian asked with a bright smile.
"So how could I be a younger sister? Also, it seems humans have very close relationships with their elders. You've been speaking informally to me since the moment we met."
"No, well... I mean..."
Anguish began to swirl in Ria's golden eyes.
The person before her had lived for over a hundred years. She was certainly an elder, but wasn't that only by Elven standards?
By human standards, Avian was still a novice.
She hadn't even lived a quarter of her total lifespan.
But then again, a hundred years was far too long to simply dismiss.
Even Ria's grandparents wouldn't be that old.
A confused mind breeds hesitation.
Ria, who had been so worked up, began to look dizzy. It was a rare reaction for someone as sharp as her.
I considered stepping in to mediate, but then decided against it.
Seeing Ria flustered was quite cute, and I was also pleased to see how much the once-childish Avian had grown.
The past few weeks had allowed Avian to step forward into true adulthood.
In the past, she would have gone straight for the hair.
It was truly a touching scene.
"I'm not staying just for myself. I'm not so foolish that I don't recognize the grace I've received from you, Ian. I suspect the Elves of the coniferous forest are hiding a lot of information."
"Information?"
"Information that Leoric and his gang obtained while cooperating with the Dark Cult."
As soon as I heard that, I hummed and sank into thought.
Leoric had certainly left me a warning as he died.
Archbishop Aindel.
From what I remembered, he was a figure from the Holy Kingdom.
I would have to hear the details from the Saintess, but there was no way an organization that had reached its hands into the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire would have left the Holy Kingdom alone.
There had to be a connection.
Somehow, I got the feeling I would be hearing that name for a long time to point.
"I never thought I'd be benefiting from an Elven intelligence agent."
"After you've already worked me to the bone..."
Avian grumbled, perhaps remembering her past hardships.
Of course, she wasn't genuinely complaining.
It was more like an attempt to reminisce about our memories together.
I was happy to play along.
"In exchange, you worked me pretty hard too. Hunting snow leopards, hauling timber..."
"That was voluntary labor."
Her words had a sharp edge.
As the person who had once knocked out a couple of Avian's molars, I didn't have much room to talk.
"...Fine, let's leave it at that."
A warm atmosphere settled between Avian and me.
Ria was not about to let that stand.
She clenched her fists, her body trembling.
She looked incredibly frustrated.
However, at this point, I felt something was off.
No matter how excited Ria got, she wasn't someone who lacked this much emotional control.
If she were that kind of person, she wouldn't have been fit to lead a merchant guild in the first place.
So why was she acting like this today?
Just as I was beginning to feel suspicious.
"Anyway, that's enough talk. Brother, let's get back to the Academy right now."
When Ria started acting stubborn, Avian's expression began to sour as well.
She wouldn't be happy about having her private conversation with me interrupted either.
Nevertheless, Avian seemed to exercise maximum patience, clearing her throat to calm herself.
Then, her voice followed, calm and steady.
"Um, little sister? I'm sorry, but I have something important to discuss with Ian in private..."
"Stay out of this, Elder."
Now it was Avian's turn to be devastated.
At those three syllables, 'Elder,' Avian froze on the spot.
She had brought it on herself.
Still, the words were a bit harsh, so I was about to gently scold Ria.
That is, until Ria dropped the main point.
"Sister Celine is missing."
I let out a low hum and leaned back against the chair.
What was she talking about?
My mind spent a few seconds chewing over and processing Ria's message, word by word.
The moment I realized the implications, my body sprang up like a coiled spring.
"Why are you only telling me that now?!"
The reason Ria had suddenly come to the North.
This was the moment it was revealed.
A new incident was approaching.