Hmm.... 30 Minutes Before the Branch Office Opens
"Hmm...."
Thirty minutes before the Kikiwai outpost branch opened for business. I gently cleaned the wind spirit sprawled on the floor with a damp cloth and applied ointment to its minor scratches.
"Why the hell did a spirit come all the way here?"
Elama, who seemed to know everything about everything, stared at the spirit slumped across his desk with a thoroughly baffled expression. On any other day, I might have savored a little petty satisfaction at the sight. But with the World Tree collateral loan hanging at a critical juncture, this spirit's visit didn't feel like some random mishap.
"Maybe it followed me."
"A plain old human? What would a spirit want with you?"
"No, I mean... Donjubara Palri from accounting said the same thing. People welcomed by spirits are rare."
"Your twenty-nine-year-old brain is pure as fresh snow. Unreal."
"Ah, people often say I haven't been tainted much since I used to draw caricatures. So maybe the spirit likes me for that—"
"Swallowing client schmooze talk at face value? You're done for."
"Why would he butter me up? Spirits hate liars!"
"That could be a lie too."
"...You say that with a smile?"
For some reason, hanging around this guy made me start doubting everyone's sincerity and true intentions. No wonder—coming from an acting background, he was impossible to let my guard down around.
"Well, I don't know much about spirit ecology myself, so I can't say for sure. But no one knows if this is the same individual we saw that day or just some lookalike unrelated one."
"Impossible. If you've read the scriptures, you'd know there's only one of each spirit living in the World Tree."
"And there's only one World Tree left in Dimension 33...."
"This child is the only wind spirit in the world."
"......"
A brief silence settled over the branch manager's office. The only sound was the faint, steady breathing of the unconscious spirit. Its tiny, fluffball body rose and fell delicately.
"How did it even make it here...."
I had no idea how or by what means it had tracked our trail, but for this little thing without limbs to journey from the Santancho Josa Bella Forest to the Kikiwai outpost couldn't have been easy. Covered head to toe in dirt and wounds, it clearly couldn't fly outside the World Tree like it did inside.
There had to be a purpose behind exhausting itself to reach us. In my eyes, a noble sense of mission shone on the spirit's cute, intricate face even in its fainted state.
Tremble.
That was when the spirit's body twitched slightly. Was it regaining consciousness?
"Kim Jian, water."
"On it."
Before Elama even finished, I was already dashing to the water cooler. I filled a paper cup with cold water and hurried back, tilting it toward the spirit's beak-like mouth as it began to smack its lips.
Only a tiny bit made it in, but it seemed to do the trick. The spirit opened its black-bean eyes and looked up at me.
"Kyuu...."
Its face looked on the verge of tears. Of course, I had no clue what it was trying to say. But from the vibe, something bad must have happened.
So why come to me instead of the World Tree's elves?
"Let's contact Representative Turea."
"Don't order your boss around. Already calling."
Elama had already switched to speakerphone for the video call.
"Hello?"
Turea's face appeared on screen moments later, looking utterly wrecked after just one day. Like us, he probably hadn't slept a wink.
"Elama here. How's the situation, Representative Turea?"
"The bishop's followers are gearing up for a riot."
"We need to hurry. Police on the line?"
"The World Tree is treated as an autonomous zone. To them, the saplings are just ornamental plants. No grounds for police even if they try to burn them."
The situation was more dire than expected. No time left to stall. The moment the bishop and his followers torched the World Tree saplings, all our efforts would go up in smoke, and the elves would lose their future.
"...Got it. I know it's a tough ask, but hold on as best you can—we're rushing too."
"Doing our utmost, but even with the spirits' power, the fire spirit only obeys the bishop...."
Turea bowed his head in pain on screen. I recalled the research notes.
Records on the four spirits dwelling in the World Tree. Fire posed the greatest threat to it. And the fire spirit held the most powerful force among them. That's why it only followed orders from the religious leader, the Divine Wood Bishop.
No matter the other spirits' aid, once the bishop got serious, the young elves couldn't stop him.
"Even if an equal number of elves supply power to the spirits, the other three together can't beat the fire spirit."
The conditions for a spirit to unleash full power: the World Tree's protection and elves to fuel its energy. That's why the wind spirit couldn't fly freely outside. Its wounds came from tumbling through rough forest paths bare-bodied.
"As long as the followers obey the bishop, the top-floor saplings stay at risk."
"Bishop Zailini is just waiting for a chance to escalate. If we back down, he'll subjugate the other spirits and burn the saplings."
"Aren't the bishop's elderly followers the parents of those who side with you?"
"Yes."
"With their kids' future on the line for this loan, why follow the bishop?"
Turea didn't answer, but even through the screen, I could tell what he was thinking. Shame and fury at his fellow kin—especially the elders' irrationality—burned plain on his face.
It was all too familiar to me. The me from before coming here. The reflection in the mirror. I'd worn that exact look countless times back on Earth.
Negative thoughts that bubbled up in my head back then. The older generation hoarded everything, shoving their own kids off cliffs.
"They have no real justification. The World Tree is sacred, ancient, our lifelong home—they just repeat it like machines...."
'Like machines.' Comparing living beings to machines was reviled and insulting among elves. Hearing it, I deeply empathized with Turea's rage.
"...Foolish. Driving their own children to death just to preserve tradition and history."
Back home, I was just one powerless artist fuming. My position here wasn't much different—a rookie banker with no real authority or experience.
Like how one pissed-off nobody couldn't fix Korea's grim realities, a banker couldn't resolve a species' generational clash.
But I wasn't giving up. I had to stop this fool of an elder dragging his blind followers toward his kind's doom.
At least try, right?
"Kyuu."
"......"
The wind spirit wriggled its tiny body over to me. I picked it up by its squishy back and brought it to my smartphone.
"Do you know this one?"
"Why is Echo there...? Did it cross to Kikiwai alone?"
"Seems like it."
Echo, huh. It had a name.
"Looks like it followed us. Probably has something to tell us. But as you know, we can't understand spirits...."
I held palm-perched Echo closer to Elama's phone screen.
"Figured you might know what it's saying. Please."
But Turea sadly shook his head.
"Afraid that's impossible for us too. Spirits understand elven commands, but we can't comprehend their language."
"...Pardon?"
"Echo's clever—there must be a reason it sought the bank. Could be the key to resolving this. Look for clues."
Made sense. Spirits didn't come to borrow money.
"Kyu, kyuuu... Gyuuut."
...Those cute eyes stared up at me, but I couldn't understand a word.
"If only we knew what it was saying...."
"Impossible. Only ancient gods can hear spirits' voices—"
Whooooosh!!!
That was when Echo, huddled tight, vibrated with immense force, emitting light.
"What the...?"
Ziiing!!
At the same instant, stabbing pain like a needle pierced my right eye.
"Aaaargh!!!"
"Kim Jian!!"
Elama caught my shoulders as I collapsed. My smartphone and Echo hit the floor. Turea's worried voice leaked from Elama's cracked phone screen.
"Agh...!"
My head spun from the impact. Clutching my eye socket with my right hand, intense heat surged. And in my ears, ringing. No.
Wind blowing. I could hear the wind.
Deep in my ear canal, tickling my eardrum.
"...Huh?"
In this sealed office with doors and windows shut, why wind—
'If the bank takes the tree as collateral, that'll be trouble. You know that, right?'
'Even if it's not in the records, we set the lien on the World Tree first.'
'True. With repayment impossible now, the tree's yours.'
'Rest easy. Taking the World Tree's rights won't evict you right away.'
A whispery, unfamiliar voice vibrated my eardrum.
Unfamiliar man and Bishop Zailini's voices.
"......!!"
I couldn't grasp exactly what happened. But if that exchange was real between those two, then this loan...
"We can turn it around."
It wasn't over yet. The 130 billion-gulden loan—I'd make it happen, no matter what.