Elte Company Recapture War (2)
?If you take away money and power, what is left?
When you lose everything and are thrown into the gutter without even a chance to recover, do you think there will be a person who will reach out to you?
Once you surround yourself with the scent of money and power, only flies attracted by that scent will be attracted to you.
After falling to the floor like that… There will be no one left around.
Ending their lives by being weeded out in that way is the end that most great merchants face.
Among those who made a name for themselves as great merchants in Old Deck, there are only a handful who lived happily in their later years.
Do you think it’s any different for you?
Do you think there will be a happy ending in a life full of betrayal and fraud?
Your ending, like most realities, ends up in a gray, dark mud.
Either you chose it because you wanted to, or you had no choice but to survive. That doesn’t matter.
Once you enter this bondage, you can never get out again.
Elte Kecheln, with a bitter laugh and his neck turning back and forth, uttered a curse.
Covered in blood inside the convoy, he showed his teeth with a creepy face and laughed for a long time.
– Tweet, Tweet.
Just like that, Lortel opened his eyes.
I could feel the refreshing air unique to the northern forest morning.
Inside the villa, bathed in morning sunlight, neatly designed wooden furniture is lined up in an orderly manner.
Lortel’s expression was infinitely calm as he slowly pushed off the blanket and raised his upper body.
I don’t really make a fuss or feel uncomfortable just because I had a dream like this.
Because it was like everyday life.
*’Seong Changryong Bellbroke.’
I tried reciting that name quietly to myself.
A mythical spear dragon that has not yet seen the light of day, as it was sealed by Luden McLore, the ‘First Sword Saint’, and maintained and repaired by the great sage Sylvania.
The monster known as the ‘God-Eating Dragon’ attempted to burn the world several times during the mythical era, and has attempted to devour the world several times since then.
However, it was stopped by the heroes representing that era and eventually became an old story beyond history.
The roar of Belbroke that split the sky has become a story in history books, and the generation that remembered its majesty has all passed away.
The final boss, which marks the end of , is resurrected without any warning.
A disaster that blows away half of the island with a single wave of the hand and massacres thousands of people with just a roar filled with scales and magical power.
The Seongchangryong of creation, who could not even get a scratch on his body even when famous great wizards and warriors came rushing at him.
Even Lucy, who was treated as an outcast, was the best she could do to resist the attack, and even the saint’s guardian, Obel Forcius, was a powerful enemy who ultimately led to his death.
As the boss that concludes every story, this is an opponent that boasts such power that you wonder how you can defeat it.
To put it bluntly, you can’t win.
The tooltip clearly stated that the scales that Velbroke was wearing could only be pierced by special means.
There is only one special means, the main character Tailley McLaure’s Sword Saint Ceremony.
At least in the game… No matter how powerful other means were used, Velbroke’s scales could not be pierced.
Any sword, spear, or magic could pierce Velbroke’s extremities, but they could never pierce his vital points.
Especially the part of the heart that must be pierced… Unless it was Tailley’s sword training, he didn’t even move.
It goes beyond absurdity to the point of being unnatural. It seems as if the world has made a concerted effort to make Taily a hero.
It has to be that way. Tailly is born with the fate of a protagonist.
Since it is a sword saint ritual designed by Luden McLore, who sealed the Holy Spear Dragon a long time ago, it is only natural that only Tailly, who inherited the sword saint ritual, can pierce the Holy Spear Dragon’s scales.
… There is a reason added that is strangely incomprehensible but also cannot be refuted.
“I didn’t know you would call me… .”
“I didn’t really want to call you either. “You and Tailina don’t even like me that much.”
“… ”
The location was a terrace cafe near Maxes Bridge. Since the commercial district of Seongdong-dong was most active around the entrance to Maxes Bridge, there were quite a lot of people around.
The girl sitting crouching across the cafe table was someone I hadn’t seen in quite some time—Isla Tris.
The girl with the largest and deepest proportions among the four failed sword saint heroines of Sylvania.
As a childhood friend of Taylor McLaure since childhood, she supported him whenever he was tired or tired… This is a character that anyone who has played Sylvania’s failed swordsman would have become attached to.
Her short chestnut hair falls down cutely and ends around her shoulders. The slightly curled ends of her hair, giving her an elegant look, go well with her personality.
However, every time he sees me, I can see that he is wary as if he is seeing a monster… I didn’t even bother to approach it.
It was only confirmed through occasional rumors that he was staying next to Taily, who was steadily progressing through the main scenario.
As time has passed, I wonder if you have developed a special relationship with Tailly… As she walks around the school, she often hears various love stories and rumors.
What am I… They just applaud from afar.
After retirement, I spent a long time locked in my room unable to adapt to the peaceful world.
At a time when I was devastated in many ways because my body was injured physically and my mind was injured at will, I received quite a lot of healing from seeing them.
Although both of them are grumpy and aggressive to me, as a player, they are quite affectionate characters… I didn’t feel any ill feelings whatsoever. The mindset was to just watch from a distance.
Still, things have changed a lot.
Now we are in a situation where we have to approach the two out of necessity.
It was a bit burdensome to attack Tailly, who was hostile towards me, so I thought I’d meet Ayla first and talk to her.
Vacation ends in 5 days. It is the time when students are returning home one after another.
Since Aila also happened to be back at the Lorail Pavilion, she asked Ziggs, a member of the Lorail Pavilion, to personally summon her.
However, I didn’t have high expectations.
Isn’t Ayla always shaking with fear or just being wary when she sees me? If I get rejected, I’ll have to find another way… It was just a toss-up suggestion.
“No, it’s not that I don’t like it… Just… There were a lot of misunderstandings… I understand… ”
However, surprisingly, Ayla, whom I had not seen in a long time, was not wary of me at all. Now that I think about it, I also remember her saying something about what happened when she apologized.
Was there a change of heart in the meantime, or was I just guessing too much? .
Ayla came to the cafe without any suspicion.
“so… Why am I… ?”
“I want to spar with Tailly once.”
Predictably, Tailley McLaure’s power will be much weaker than I thought. That has to be the case.
A great ordeal was planned for Tailly. The Lucy subjugation battle and the Crepin subjugation battle have completely disappeared.
In addition, since all the various small events have evaporated, Tailly’s Sword Saint Ceremony will no longer be able to grow and will remain sluggish.
“With Tailly… ? If it’s a simple couplet… Can’t I just apply to Tailley? “Why go through me?”
“If it’s like that, I don’t think she’ll be sincere.”
“… yes?”
There is still quite a bit of time before Seongchangryong Velbroke descends.
However, that does not mean you should let down your guard.
Due to just one minor variable, all boss battles were advanced by at least a month, or as much as half a year at the most.
It feels like the tempo gets faster than Jeongsa as we go.
According to the original work, Seong Chang-ryong’s Velbroke descends a semester before the main character’s generation graduates, but such speculation is meaningless now that the world is already filled with all kinds of variables.
If you can, it is better to start responding as soon as possible.
“I don’t even know if he’ll accept the sparring in the first place.”
“hmm… surely… Tailly doesn’t seem to trust senior Ed that much yet. He has a good reputation and his grades have improved these days, but it must be very annoying for Tailley. He wasn’t good at first steps… “But it’s not like we’ve officially reconciled.”
“Yes, I plan to take advantage of that aspect.”
I calmly continued the next story to Ayla, who looked puzzled.
“I hope she gets all fired up and attacks me with all her might.”
The first thing to do is check Tailley’s current status.
To what extent have the specifications improved? How much more will I have to grow to carry out the battle to subjugate Bellbroke?
Is it right to choose the direction in which Tailly is leading, or is it right to look for another direction?
In order to judge these things, you need to face Tailley, who is giving his all.
Currently, Tailley is entering the second semester of her second year. Tailie’s growth potential is truly enormous, so she may already be among the top performers in her grade.
I wanted to take the opportunity to check in detail where and how it is growing.
It is not simply a duel according to academic rules, but a real fight with all your might. If you’re going to pay for it… In the end, there is no choice but to stimulate Tailly.
“So, Ayla, I’m thinking of kidnapping you. “It’s a classic but reliable method.”
“… yes?”
“thing… Well, it’s a bit strange to say this… When the time comes, can you be kidnapped calmly? ?”
“… Are there people who get permission to kidnap… ?”
“That’s it.”
In the end, it was to ask Ayla for understanding. The problem is that you have to give a good reason.
“what is it… Taily is the type that becomes stronger the more trials she encounters. “You know that well, right?”
Taylor McLaure and trials are inseparable words. In fact, he is a character who contains the core message mentioned in Sylvania’s Failed Sword Master.
Isn’t this the life story of Tailly, who endures endless trials and is eventually reborn as a sword saint?
Therefore, Ayla, who has seen Tailley closely since she was young, would understand.
“In order for Tailly to grow stronger on a regular basis, we ultimately need to push her to the extreme.”
“Anyway, it’s like that… “I don’t want to worry Taily.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. I have no choice but to find another way. However, I don’t know how it will work out.”
It may sound like a half-threat, but I can’t help it.
From my perspective, properly checking Tailley’s specifications is a necessary process. Isn’t it a problem that if I’m the only one who gets screwed, the entire Aken Island could be blown away?
“No, that… . Why on earth do you care so much about Tailly’s growth? ? He even took it upon himself to get his hands dirty… ?”
“… ”
“Senior Ed, it was like that during the entrance exam in the first place… In fact, there are so many stories going around that it is sound, but why do you take such risks and do this… ?”
That’s because if Tailly doesn’t do his job, everyone will die.
If it seems like he won’t be able to do his job, I need to find another way quickly.
Even if I say this honestly, there is no way he will convince me. In the end, she had no choice but to come up with a good reason that Ayla could understand.
“She and I are fundamentally similar.”
“… yes?”
“My life was full of trials like that. The life experienced in the Ross Taylor family… Because it wasn’t all smooth sailing. So it was hard to just look at it and pass it by.”
Is this reason too casual?
However, the longer the story goes on, the more suspicious it becomes. Here, you need to be simple and clear so that the story fits together neatly.
“so… You helped Taily like that, and then she pushed you away again? Even risking her own reputation… ?”
“First of all, am I not a senior?”
“… ”
“Even though it was strange, it was difficult to just leave it behind. That’s it. Actually, it’s not much of a story. “It’s a more common story than you might think.”
After saying that, I remained silent.
Ayla looked at me for a long time. He kept his gaze straight at me and kept his face as if he was seeing something in vain.
A street where many people pass by. We sat quietly for a long time on the terrace where we could hear the noise of passers-by coming and going.
Eventually, it was Ayla who broke the silence.
“… Senior Ed. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever properly apologized to my senior for the misunderstanding I had.”
“what?”
“… I’m truly sorry for the harsh treatment I’ve had in the past. Our insight… It was very short… ”
I withheld my reaction to the unexpected reaction. There was a slight sense of embarrassment.
“Uh, there’s nothing else to talk about like that.”
“no. I think we were too quick to judge Ed. You said you could apologize or something, but… Still, I wanted to apologize since I had the chance.”
“Well, I understand if you really want to do it. “Just do it in moderation.”
After saying that, Ayla spoke while looking at me quietly.
“I will cooperate if necessary.”
“That means… ”
“Actually, I’m good at getting kidnapped.”
Ayla, a gentle scholar-type girl, seems far from a combat career.
Rather, she is a girl who seems more appropriate to be trapped at the top of a castle waiting for rescue, like a princess waiting for a hero.
but…
“Actually, the main character was kidnapped… It’s a shame… ”
Is this right…
I suddenly had that thought… .
*
“The updated unit price list is scheduled to be approved sometime today. “I will report it soon and upload the documents.”
Lortel, who returned to work at the Sylvania branch of the Elte Company after a long time, looked over the backlog of work in his personal office.
I was so busy looking at the Old Deck side that I barely looked at the Sylvania side. As the period has accumulated… Lortel’s desk was filled with all kinds of documents that needed to be checked.
In the end, even after returning to Sylvania, I can’t escape the swamp of work.
Thinking of that, Lortel sighed and rolled up his sleeves. First, I had to check everything that happened while Lortel was away and check all of his ledgers.
In the meantime, Lortel remembered Belle’s story and gave Dune instructions.
Please bring me the most updated grocery price list.
However, what came back from Dune was that the unit price list had not been updated yet.
– ‘However, I was expecting a rise in prices, but I didn’t know it would be to that extent. I’ll have to check it myself tomorrow. I wonder if there are any materials left in the file room of the Chamber of Commerce branch.
– ‘It was probably finalized yesterday or today, so it will probably remain.’
Bell said the updated inflation-adjusted grocery price list was clearly set by Dune.
However, Dune reported that the unit price list has not yet been updated.
In that gap, Lortel felt a strong feeling for a moment.
Looking at Dune… . Lortel hardened his expression.
“Dune.”
“Yes, Assistant Manager Hoeju.”
Lortel uses a mix of honorific and inferior courtesy to its employees. Lortel’s treatment, which changed at will depending on the need, was a means to awaken the mood among the employees.
“Bring the updated unit price list.”
I just said that the unit price list has clearly not been updated yet. Nevertheless, Lortel ordered the same task once more.
Dune stood still for a moment. Standing straight across the office table… I was pondering Lortel’s instructions.
Lortel knows. Dune is not an incorruptible employee.
They turned a blind eye to the fact that they often used loopholes in their ledgers to commit petty embezzlement.
Dune himself probably knows this to some extent. Nevertheless, what Lortel did not take issue with was the silent warning to ‘do it in moderation.’
However, if it crosses the line, I feel the need to maintain discipline.
In any case, when an issue is formally raised, Dune always ends up being the one to be disappointed. Since the power dynamics are set up that way, Dune is always in the position of lowering his tail.
If the unit price table itself was manipulated to raise the purchase price and then the difference was pocketed, Dune’s embezzlement has already exceeded the ‘light’ level.
I felt a little uncomfortable.
No matter how recently Lortel had been neglecting the Sylvania branch because he was concentrating on the situation in Oldeck, Dune was not someone who would have dared to engage in embezzlement like this.
At best, you can collect precious alcohol from overseas with little money stolen… He’s just an ordinary employee with a bit of a collecting obsession.
In the world of cold-blooded merchants, this level of corruption honestly does not even fall into the axis of corruption.
For Lortel, who has lived his life watching all kinds of vile scenes, it is not a big problem.
however… Actions that clearly cross the line… There is a feeling that some external variable was at work.
Is this not Dune’s own judgment, but someone else’s encouragement? Or was there some other change of heart?
In any case, it was a problem that could not be ignored.
Lortel glared at Dune with a cold face.
However, Dune was staring straight at Lortel without moving a single inch.
It didn’t even occur to me to quickly bring in the adjusted price list and ask for forgiveness.
However, I thought I would at least come up with an excuse…
Dune was just looking at Lortel with creepy eyes for some reason.
*
“Uh, my name is Rienna Clemson, the secretary under the direct management of Elte Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lortel… ”
It was the time when I was talking to Ayla.
A short, shy woman with red hair came up to the table where we were sitting.
“to… four… ? “Elte Trading Company?”
Ayla was momentarily taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected the girl to talk to her.
However, Secretary Rienna paid no heed to Ayla’s reaction and spoke straight while looking at me.
“Eh, you are Ed Ross Taylor… ?”
“… “That’s right.”
Secretary Rienna spoke slowly, putting down the bundle of documents she was holding in her arms.
“I came to you because Elte Trading Company had something to offer… ”
It was a sudden thing for me.
It felt as if something big was happening.
