The Best Merchandise (4)

“Someone in your clan was afflicted by the curse of corruption, so you had no choice but to set out on an adventure to find a priest from a sect with purification power to save them?”

“Of course, if it were just a matter of stopping a simple curse, we could do it ourselves. But the curse that appeared this time seems a bit different…”

Arisa, freed from her restraints thanks to me releasing her, opened her mouth while rubbing her wrists where clear marks from the handcuffs remained.

My eyes widened at the mention of a curse that she cautiously brought up. As expected, the human extinction project that was implemented when the Tower collapsed clearly remained even after a long time had passed, trying to exterminate even the descendants.

“I’d like to know more details about that curse you say is a bit strange. I’ve seen and heard some things lately too.”

“I don’t know the details well because I just received an urgent order that was suddenly issued. M-more importantly, who exactly are you? I’ve never seen someone like you even at the grand council where all our clan members gather.”

Arisa scratched her head, saying that she, who was just following orders, didn’t know much. At the same time, she finally hesitantly asked about my identity.

She seems to recognize me as one of her kind, but still finds me unfamiliar.

“Of course you wouldn’t have seen me at the grand council where all the representatives of the elf clans gather, as I’ve never participated. Would you believe me if I said I’m one of the High Elves from the distant past who are your origins?”

“That can’t be. The High Elves all… thousands of years ago…”

I revealed the fact that I was a High Elf to gain her trust and obtain more information. Arisa’s eyes shook violently. It was a reaction of not being able to accept it as it was.

“If they suddenly disappeared, they could come back like this too. Though the High Elves who disappeared then have nothing to do with me.”

I didn’t bother to make the convoluted explanation about being trapped in the Tower and ejected 10,000 years later. In fact, even without saying such things, Arisa already believed that I was a special elf.

I, the origin of the current elves, and they were the same elves but clearly different. Both in appearance and in the power we wielded.

“Spirit magic was a privilege that only those close to High Elves could possess. I-I never imagined meeting someone like you in a place like this.”

“Although nothing has been confirmed yet, a new form of curse called erosion was recently discovered in Suan. The calamity that appeared when the Tower collapsed still remains, trying to kill you, no, us. What appeared in your village might be similar.”

I told her, who was dumbfounded, why I was interested in this. If the curse that appeared in Arisa’s tribe was another form of erosion, it would prove the worst hypothesis that Renia and I had formulated.

We had to fix the barn before losing the cow.

“I will return to the village immediately and inform them of this fact.”

Arisa, who had already come to trust me after going through the process of being rescued when she was about to be sold off to some unknown place, nodded as if she had realized what should be prioritized. She meant that she would return to the village right now, spread what I had told her, and bring me there.

“Will the villagers easily believe it?”

“I believe it because I’ve seen it directly, but it certainly won’t be an easy task. That’s why I beg you to grant me one request. If you, a High Elf, would share one of your hairs, I could prove your existence to our kin in the village with the power residing in it.”

So she requested that I pluck out one of my hairs, saying that with it, she could prove her words to her kin, as I was worrying about how other elves might react.

“In fact, for our kin, the news of your reappearance in the world will be more shocking than the talk of curses or erosion. Many elves revere the High Elves of the distant past as ancestral deities.”

“Then tell them there’s no need to make such a fuss. Tell them I’m just an ordinary person like you.”

I snorted at the words left by her as she preciously received and kept one of my lush, flowing hairs, and was about to set off immediately as if there was no time to waste.

I understand the elves’ feelings, but there’s probably not much I can do for them. Rather, right now I needed their help.

‘I wonder if she can go safely?’

And I was more worried about her setting off alone. Even though she was caught off guard while in a hurry, she’s still someone who was almost sold as a slave once.

“—?”

“That’s right. I’m not going right away. Anyway, she’ll sort everything out and send news again. Arisa, who was betrayed and caught by those trash-like guys, already showed that rushing things leads to big trouble, right?”

The earth spirit tilted its head, asking if it shouldn’t follow her. This was already agreed upon with Arisa.

The plan was for her to return to the village first, inform them of the situation, and then send news to me again, after which I would depart for her hidden village.

It was obvious that it would be too confusing if I suddenly appeared without any warning, given how surprised Arisa alone was. I too would be shocked if someone claiming to be Dangun from the Gojoseon era suddenly appeared before me.

‘I should go soon.’

I could hear the sound of the city guard approaching from far away on the wind. With Herman’s gang lying unconscious on the ground, I put my hood back on and slipped into an alley.

* * *

“In the end, they say they couldn’t find the elf who was captured by those guys. It seems they freed themselves from the restraints and escaped. But they should have secured testimonies and evidence, at least.”

“That’s right. I freed her, and she returned to her hometown. I think she might have left the city by now.”

“When the city guard was dawdling at first, I thought we were in big trouble. So, did everything you wanted to do work out well?”

Patrick, who spoke while looking directly at me, nodded as if he had expected it.

I returned to the lodging late at night where Lina and Patrick had already returned, and told them the results.

We used the city guard to clean up the greedy guys, and Herman, Ethan’s competitor and an executive of the organization trying to interfere with my work, was also removed using this incident as justification.

We had obtained everything we wanted.

“That’s right. Let’s spend the remaining schedule leisurely before going back. Actually, we could go back right away, but you worked hard.”

I grinned and threw myself onto the soft bed. Throughout this whole process, the enemies didn’t even notice our existence.

As the saying goes, if you don’t know, just take the hit; if they can’t figure out about me, they’ll have no choice but to keep getting hit. I didn’t think I could hide forever, but that’s why I intended to milk it for all it’s worth while I could.

“Now we can relax a bit.”

Lina sighed in relief and smoothed her chest.

In fact, what we did this time wasn’t direct combat, but just digging up information and carrying out operations, but it seems she had been feeling fear about antagonizing the organization.

‘It was kind of fun.’

Two days passed in a flash like that. Since Herman, who was caught, didn’t need to be monitored, it was purely enjoyable days.

Perhaps because it was a day of rest after achieving all our goals, even though it didn’t feel like we did much, time passed particularly quickly.

Now, it was time to end the sweet vacation and cross back over the spatial jump point.

‘What? Why are you waiting out here?’

When we arrived in Suan like that, Ethan was already out waiting for us. Glancing at Patrick, I used the wind spirits to convey words to him.

“I heard the news from that very day. The organization has been completely turned upside down, as if one important branch was shattered.”

“I didn’t do anything. That guy just fell because of his own greed.”

“Even so…”

After parting with Patrick, when I properly conversed with Ethan after returning home, he poured out words as if he had been so urgent that he came to greet us personally.

“Who could have expected it? To make plans to kidnap and sell an elf at that moment. Probably Herman, that bastard, tried so hard to get that elf in order to win the ranking battle within the organization.”

Ethan clicked his tongue at Herman’s greed, as if it was foolish but understandable. He added that an elf slave would certainly be enough to gain the favor of the higher-ups.

“Your organization, which is already running numerous businesses in several cities, should be able to get most things, so is an other-race slave that valuable? To the extent of trying to get one by doing such things?”

“It’s not because it’s simply another race, but because it’s an elf. Beast-kin slaves and human slaves are common. Those who use slaves on a large scale in foreign plantations would rather avoid elves, who are not easy to subdue unless extreme methods are used.”

“You mean it’s an expensive and rare luxury item.”

The weapon of rarity is never light. It’s because the fact that they can’t have it no matter how much money they have or how high their authority is, drives them crazy.

From the seller’s perspective, it’s the best merchandise with value beyond a gold nugget of the same weight. That’s how Ethan evaluated elf slaves.