The Right Attitude (2)

‘It feels like things are getting bigger, but it’s okay. I expected this.’

Isilia, waiting for the results of her request to Ethan, was looking at the floor with a stern face and closed mouth. After meeting the elves, she had been acting excitedly, but looking back, everything she had done so far was not trivial.

Due to her intervention, the elves gathered all their clans in one place and completed the formation of a confederation unprecedented in their racial history.

Moreover, she had begun to intervene in the Order of Light. If Great Priest Lebevre, who received her support, wins the factional fight, it will be difficult for Lebevre to refuse her words in the future.

Furthermore, she was now in a situation where she might even be involved in the internal affairs of this Narian Kingdom, which would likely be the first to establish relations with the elves if necessary.

“Is it really certain? Even if he’s influential, for a minister of the kingdom to do such a thing…”

“He said it with his own mouth without knowing who might be listening, so at least it’s certain that he usually wears a mask.”

Laila entered the room and flinched at Isilia’s gloomy face. The fact that the wind spirit had revealed was an evil plot against the elves, and the subject was none other than a minister and high-ranking nobleman of the kingdom.

Of course, since the wind spirit merely relayed what the other party carelessly said, it couldn’t be certain whether that statement about attacking the elves was just empty boasting or a real serious plan.

“The organization’s investigation results will come out. We’ll judge after hearing that.”

Isilia said it wasn’t confirmed yet, but in fact, she had already steeled herself in a corner of her mind. After all, if the other party really turns hostile, there are no other options.

‘I can’t deny that I’m increasingly poking my nose into everything here and there.’

Although there was justification for everything, she didn’t want to step forward as much as possible because it was adding to the absurd misunderstanding that she was moving like a shadow master controlling world affairs.

This kind of thing isn’t really necessary unless it’s absolutely necessary and related to stopping erosion to save this world.

“Has the result arrived?”

The organization’s power in this kingdom’s capital, where its headquarters was located, was quite substantial.

Less than two days after Isilia’s contact, the organization reporting the results had placed the report at the promised location.

She retrieved it and calmly read through it. And as she read it, she couldn’t control her expression, and her smooth brow gradually began to wrinkle.

* * *

“You’re late, Your Excellency.”

“I had to be late. The whole country is in an uproar, and almost everyone is focusing their attention.”

A large mansion in the kingdom’s capital. The person who owns this mansion is Frank Medis, the kingdom’s grand duke and minister of foreign affairs.

He smirked at the words of the butler who bowed politely as he returned to the mansion late at night. He is the minister of foreign affairs.

As the elven delegation, officially sent after forming a single faction, is currently staying with the royal family and in the capital, he inevitably had more work to do.

“You’re later than expected. It was hard waiting for this.”

“You all actually waited. You could have just gone.”

When he returned to the mansion and headed to a room in the corner, there were already several people waiting for him, chuckling with glasses of alcohol laid out.

They were all nobles, but not a few of them were of lower rank compared to Frank, a high noble.

Nevertheless, unlike usual, Frank mingled with them without saying much about their unrestrained words and actions.

“His Majesty the King is very interested in the elves.”

“Heh, the queen’s position is vacant, isn’t it? The young king, who will soon become a man, might have fallen for their beauty. Female elves are famous, aren’t they?”

When Frank naturally brought up the topic of elves, someone among them chuckled and responded.

“Queen? Don’t say such things even as a joke. Do you want to serve a non-aging, non-human monster as queen?”

Some people became serious and started to reprimand their colleague. The person who had spoken under the influence of alcohol was visibly embarrassed.

“Don’t react so sensitively to words that weren’t spoken seriously. But Melchis, as you know, such jokes should be made in taverns where low-class people gather. Elves are just… suitable as livestock for breeding.”

Frank stepped in to mediate directly, but the atmosphere had inevitably dampened. Frank snorted at this.

“I heard the elves are mentioning that erosion that’s been talked about a lot lately, claiming we should join forces.”

One of them, watching the mood, changed the subject. At the mention of erosion, a stir spread among them.

The erosion, which is clearly being witnessed and reported as damages across the continent, was a real threat. It was also widely known that Renia, a beastkin mage and scholar, claimed it to be the process of the world’s end that has continued since ancient times.

“Ridiculous. If it’s really the end, it would rather be an opportunity to clear out things that don’t belong in this world. Like those elves.”

Frank slightly raised the corner of his mouth. Clearly, for some reason, the curse of corruption did not affect ‘humans’.

Rather than being a privilege given to humans, it was a penalty primarily given to those affected by the Tower, but they couldn’t know about the events from 10,000 years ago that weren’t even recorded.

“Opportunity, yes. This is an opportunity. The time has finally come for our oath to be revealed to the world.”

Frank’s eyes glinted as he clenched his fist.

“This world, only for humans.”

“We’ll start with those elves first. So they can regret daring to crawl out into this world first.”

The others also shouted in unity with determined expressions, as if they had made up their minds.

Their identity was that of an extremist group of human supremacists spread across the continent. They were those who believed that all non-human races should be expelled from this world.

“…What a sight.”

And when they were solemnly raising their oath glasses with determination.

Under the mansion wall where the wind was gently blowing, in a passage leading to a secluded alley, a girl with her hood pulled down was rubbing her long, pointed ears as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

“It’s hard to believe. To think that the head of the Medis family was an extreme xenophobe. This might reveal the culprit behind the occasional disappearances of non-humans in the capital.”

“It’s not impossible. Even the elves were trying to hate and distance themselves from humans until just recently.”

Isilia, who finally came out to confirm the reality herself, let out a hollow laugh at Ethan’s words, who had come to meet her.

“But if they become a hindrance, there’s no choice. Moreover, their attitude towards erosion is far too light, so we’ll have to get rid of them.”

It was an unexpected obstacle, but it didn’t matter. Now that we’ve noticed it in advance, we can prepare and sweep them away in reverse.

‘Stupid fools. They don’t even know who they’re antagonizing.’

Ethan swallowed dryly hearing her words. He thought anew that it was a wise decision to immediately bow his head and align himself with her when they first met.

“Then does our organization not need to take separate measures?”

“You probably have a lot to do right now anyway, right?”

“That’s right. The organization is rapidly increasing its influence under my leadership. It’s to preemptively secure areas where exchanges with elves are expected.”

Information is money. Someone like Ethan wouldn’t be unaware of that.

And all the process of Isilia traveling around the world and stirring things up more intensely was that very information. Ethan knew before anyone else in this world that the elves would send a delegation.

Thanks to this, Ethan was in the process of preemptively securing and profiting from places likely to become trade cities with elves on the continent.

“Knowing something in advance means there’s a way to make money somehow. If it’s certain that Lebevre’s faction will win in the internal factional fight of the Order, I, who already know that result, can make an enormous amount of money from there too. An amount of money our organization couldn’t even imagine until recently.”

The organization originally spanned only the level of a single kingdom, but Ethan aimed to traverse the entire continent following Isilia. Although it was said to be a solid organization, it was now comparable to internationally famous merchant groups. And all the money and network of influence earned in this way would directly lead to Isilia’s power.

“Not bad.”

She, who had somewhat let go, responded quite plainly to this fact. After all, there was no reason to refuse the fact that the power she could wield was becoming stronger.

“I’ve changed my mind. If you have the capacity, help me with this matter. We should clear out all those who might interfere while we’re at it.”

These facts gradually began to change her consciousness. There was now enough leeway to step forward in matters she wouldn’t have bothered with in the past.