Interspecies Trader

I didn’t comment on her words, forcing her to go on.

“Who’s more unique than you in this region of the world? There’s value in kidnapping you. You did well to hide your real skills from her, even though she was your lover. That, and your incredible poison resistance, saved your life.”

I knew she was right about that part, but that didn’t mean everything was true.

“How can you be sure she was a spy from a country and not an organization?”

“We can’t be completely certain about that. It’s just that wind mages and winged species are well-suited for the job due to their high mobility. Didn’t she disappear during Geola’s quarantine? We asked around, but no one knew where she was. Of course, we didn’t have a lot of time to investigate, so it’s guessing work for now.”

I nodded, and she continued.

“Next is about her house. Do you want it?”

The sudden proposal took me by surprise. She would give me that house, just like that?

“Why would you give it to me?”

“Well, let’s call it compensation for her crime. On top of her death.”

She gave a cruel smile, proof that she wasn’t as kind as she looked. Not that I ever doubted it. It was impossible to reach such a high position while staying pure of heart. That applied to me, too. I had killed people several times already.

Maybe my heart hadn’t settled yet because I couldn’t help clenching my fists. After a few seconds, I took a few deep breaths and finally answered her.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Fine. We’ll maintain it until then. She didn’t have any relatives and didn’t leave a will, so we’re free to do whatever we want with it. As you can guess, not having any relatives is also somewhat suspicious, but not enough evidence to prove anything. It’s not unusual in this world.”

That wasn’t wrong. Life was fleeting in the outer world. A single moment of misfortune and one could lose everything, whether it be from bandits, sickness, or assassination.

“The last thing is this.”

She took something from her pocket, and I recognized it as the item she called an artifact. I shivered a little, remembering where it came from, but focused again.

“The… artifact, you said?”

“Correct. Are you familiar with the term?”

I shook my head.

“Not at all.”

“That’s not strange. What about relics?”

“I also don’t know about them.”

Of course, these terms made me think about my emergency shelter, which was full of improbable technology, but it was better to stay quiet and receive a full explanation. Not that I knew anything anyway.

Angin smiled and switched to teaching mode. It was noticeable enough that even Crali unintentionally straightened her position at her desk, listening attentively, or at least pretending to do so.

“Let me tell you. Relics are more like an open secret. Many people know about them. Artifacts are different, though. They’re true secrets, and few are aware of their existence. That’s why I didn’t expect that eagle to possess one.”

“From their names, are they items from the past?”

She nodded approvingly, happy that I understood quickly.

“Precisely. As far as we know, what we call relics and artifacts come from two completely separate times in the past, and two distinct civilizations. The reason relics are relatively well known is that they come from what we believe is the civilization right before ours, which we call the Ancients. We still discover ruins from them from time to time, even though people who discover them usually hide the information. Artifacts are much older and much rarer. We don’t know how far in the past, but what’s interesting is that the civilization that created the relics was aware of them. We call them the Elders. We found a few Elders’ artifacts displayed in the houses of the Ancients.”

“…What a simplistic naming sense.”

“Haha! You’re right. But simple is best. It makes it clear to understand what we’re talking about.”

“Is it fine to tell me all of this?”

She waved her hand carelessly.

“Why not? You’d probably find out about it eventually.”

Nonetheless, this was very interesting information. To think that not just one but two civilizations roamed this planet before modern times. It might even be more than that.

“Why happened to these Elders and Ancients?”

“No one knows. It’s one of the greatest mysteries in our world. Anyway, I wasn’t done with my explanation. There’s a very critical difference between Elders and Ancients. Any idea what it is?”

How many times have I been asked this exact question by over-excited instructors? It was wrong to assume they expected their interlocutor to answer correctly. I knew what she wanted me to say, so I resigned myself and quickly moved the discussion forward.

“Not at all.”

Her smile widened.

“Elders used sel, but Ancients didn’t.”

That was a shocking statement.

“…They didn’t use sel? How’s that possible?”

“Incredible, right? But that’s the truth. They built a complete civilization without using sel at all. And, as far as we know, they were much more advanced than we are and lasted for a long time too.”

“That’s… impressive.”

Impressive was a euphemism. After all, I only knew of three civilizations, and they were all completely based on sel. I couldn’t even imagine how people could live without it. To the point that I couldn’t help myself with my next question.

“Wait. Isn’t sel everywhere? How is it possible not to use it all, even involuntarily?”

“Excellent question. We don’t know about that either. The Ancients were truly mysterious people. In a way, the Elders feel closer to us, even though they are from much further in the past.”

This was quite fascinating.

“What did they look like? People who discovered the ruins must have found portraits, paintings, or something, right?”

She shook her head.

“That’s what one would think, right? But strangely, that’s not the case. And it also applies to the Elders. We haven’t found a single representation of them, anywhere, at all.”

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