Chapter 119 : Hey, Older Brother~ (1)
Hey, Older Brother~ (1)
When the elven neighbors left, Kelian's family fell into deep agony.
Fifty gold a month.
Just that one sentence was enough to shock them, veterans of countless trials as members of the special task force.
"Young master. Just how expensive is 50 gold a month?"
Of all of them, Rio, who was the least familiar with such things, tilted her head and asked a question.
Louis answered with a visibly disturbed expression.
"Listen closely, Rio. Do you know how much salary a soldier makes per month, apart from the 7th Legion?"
"Um... Around 8 silver?"
"Pretty much right. Then how about the officer's pay?"
"I heard it's 1 gold."
Fortunately, Rio knew at least the basics.
As the saying goes, even a school dog learns the ways after three years.
Most kids might not know, but Rio, who'd grown up steeped in the 7th Legion, had learned this much.
"Yes, exactly. An officer can only earn that money, 1 gold, after working his bones off for an entire month. Now, what level do you think 50 gold is?"
"...."
After thinking it over, Rio's face stiffened as the reality dawned on her.
Fifty gold a month.
By Louis's reckoning in terms of his original world, that would be 50 times the monthly salary of a hard-working civil servant.
In other words, those elves were demanding tens of millions of won a month.
"This is insane. How the hell are we supposed to come up with that much money?"
Of course, Silia clicked her tongue and voiced her dissatisfaction.
A whopping 50 gold. Demanding that much in a single month— even for people of the Imperial Court, that was madness.
"From what I heard, most people who escape to this village, like us, are fallen nobles. They supposedly pay with the savings from their noble days."
"You idiot! Even nobles couldn't pay that much in a month."
"That's true."
Louis, having once been of noble status himself, had a rough idea.
Silia too, was the adopted daughter of a prestigious family, and Kelian had been a noble before his assignment to the 7th Legion.
Everyone except Rio had once experienced being a noble.
That's how they knew just how outrageous the elves' demand truly was.
"For now, everyone calm down. There's still plenty of time before the elves collect, after all."
As Kelian said, it wasn't something they had to pay right away.
Collection was at the end of each month.
Since they had moved in at the beginning of the month, they still had some leeway.
"Still, it's far too little time to raise that kind of money. They say there are jobs around here..."
Even if the daily wage for those jobs was 1 gold, it still wouldn't be enough.
Handing out gold coins every day, when even giving them as a monthly salary would be excessive, was unthinkable.
Did they think gold was the name of some neighborhood dog?
The moment they demanded money that couldn't be earned by honest work, it stank of something fishy.
"This just makes what Grandfather said even more concerning."
The pendant that served as a pass to the elven village had been given to Kelian by his grandparent.
But his grandparent had recommended he avoid the elven village if possible.
Not just about the 50 gold, there were other odd things, too.
"Young master. My strength still isn't coming out."
No matter how hard she tried, Rio couldn't manifest her aura.
Even her hand movements seemed slower than usual.
"How about you, Louis?"
Prompted by Silia, Louis also tried to manifest his aura—only to fail as well.
"I can't do it either."
Realizing even Louis had lost his strength, Silia and Kelian were thrown into panic.
"But for me, it's only the aura that's gone; I think the rest remains."
"The rest...?"
"The Chaos Dragon's power."
Thankfully, the core strength wasn't gone.
It seemed only aura and magic power were being sealed.
"But even my Chaos Dragon's power is influenced by magic power. There's no doubt it's gotten weaker."
"For example?"
"Usually, I can hear things far away, but now, my hearing's dulled."
Unlike everyone who had lost their power, Louis was lucky to only be 'nerfed'.
Knowing Louis's power was still intact, everyone felt relieved.
"That's a relief, young master."
Rio said this as she ate some fruit gifted by the elves.
"Mmm... Delicious!"
Enticed by her, Louis also took a bite.
"How is it? Is there any poison or anything?"
Silias's suspicion prompted Louis to shake his head.
"There's no sign of poison at all. It's actually pretty tasty."
"Really?"
Reassured by his words, Silia tried the fruit too.
It really was good; at least the fruit seemed completely safe.
"Commander, would you like some?"
"I'd rather drink than eat fruit."
After the three of them finished off all the fruit, they spent their first night in the elven village.
At dawn, Louis and Kelian were the first to wake up.
Planning to live as a real family for a while, they decided to use family titles at home.
"I, as father, will go look for work."
"Then I'll check out the state of the village."
"Be careful."
"You too, father."
Kelian, playing the father, headed outside while Louis, the 'son', changed clothes to go out as well.
"Elder Sister! Rio! How long are you going to sleep?"
Louis had an 'elder sister'(older sister) and a little sister.
Even after shouting loudly, the two didn't wake, so Louis checked on them.
Finding them sleeping peacefully, he decided not to bother waking them.
"They'll manage on their own."
Trusting in them, Louis left them be and headed out.
Wandering around, Louis met various neighbors.
Except for their pointy ears, the elves didn't seem all that different from humans.
"Are you the new family that just moved in?"
"Yes, my name is Louis."
Meeting people as he wandered, Louis gathered information about the village.
First, the village was larger than expected.
With a radius of about 7km from the center, it wasn't quite a capital, but calling it a city wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Given its vastness, there were many places where people lived.
As befitting its size, elf guards patrolled the village, and there seemed to be a proper society in place.
However, elves were known to be a very rare race.
Without a pass, entry was impossible, so actually meeting them was not easy.
Unless an elf left the village temporarily, there was no way for outsiders to meet them.
'It's not like they're some kind of natives.'
Aren't natives the ones who tend to reject modern civilization and live in secluded places?
Indeed, no one here could use magic or aura.
With the technology of this world sealed, the comparison seemed apt.
Thus, a question arose.
Why did they make it so you couldn't come in without a pendant or pass at all?
Still, there was something else Louis wanted to ask them.
"What's this development fund? I heard you have to pay 50 gold a month."
"Ah, it must be your first time here. You have no idea, huh?"
The neighboring elf kindly explained.
"I'm sure you noticed you can't use magic power here. That's right. You can't use magic or aura in this village. Of course, that also means magitech can't develop."
"Are you covering for the lack of technology with money?"
"Exactly! It'll be tough, but you'll get used to it soon enough. You see that massive tree over there?"
The elf gestured to a great tree rising in the center of the village.
Louis could tell at a glance what it was.
"That's the World Tree, isn't it?"
"Yes. That tree is the wellspring of all life and, according to legend, can eternally seal away evil powers. It's also worshipped as a god by us elves."
It's said that no monsters ever appear where the World Tree stands.
If that was true, calling it a guardian deity would be no exaggeration.
"This place too used to be overrun by monsters, like the demon realm. But ever since the World Tree appeared, all monsters were driven out, and only the energy of life remains. Of course, the World Tree doesn't just stand there. What happens to trees without water?"
Without sunlight or water, a tree withers.
So, the World Tree needed the same.
"Would a tree that great need something like water?"
"Of course! But the water is something special: it's the 'divine crystal' managed by the Holy Nation's Papacy."
"Divine crystal?"
"Yes. The divine crystal is a chunk of holy power that only Saints chosen by an oracle can create. Because the Saint receives the gods' power and creates it, nothing can rival its strength."
Apparently, that absolute spirit stone was the water the World Tree needed on a regular basis.
"So getting the divine crystal must cost a fortune."
"Exactly! If we fail to get it and let the World Tree rot, this place will become a demon realm again. That's why we gather the development fund every month."
That was the reason for the 50 gold each month.
It wasn't ideal, but they had no choice.
"So you picked the lesser evil to prevent the greater one?"
"Well put. That's why all the elves are working hard. Your family will be given jobs soon too."
"What if we can't pay?"
What would happen if they failed to pay?
At that, the elf looked grim.
"You'll be kicked out, of course. There was an elf family not long ago who disappeared for that very reason."
"......."
"But there's no need to lose hope! As long as you pay the fund, things will work out. Also, the newly appointed Saint is apparently incredible. They say she's the very Saint prophesied in the oracles!"
The divine crystal made by the Saint through god's power—
This time, the elf was hopeful, expecting an extremely pure divine crystal from this new, exceptional Saint.
"Is that so?"
Louis let out a faint smile at this.
He was well acquainted with this particular Saint.
"Anyway, there's no need to worry about the fund. Look over there."
The elf pointed toward a small residence.
In the yard, a human boy and his father were playing and laughing together.
"That family are outsiders, humans like yourselves. They've been here a few months now, paying the development fund and living well."
"Oh! Hello, sir!~"
At that moment, the father spotted the elf and waved cheerfully.
The father and son both beamed with joy, as if something good had happened.
"Is the boy with him the new Saint?"
"You got it! Since you're here, let's give you a gift!"
"Great!"
The boy's father came running over, holding a basket.
Inside were the same fruit they'd eaten last night.
"Share with your family! Hahaha!"
The father grinned, holding out the basket.
Having no reason to refuse, Louis accepted it.
"Thank you very much."
"After you eat, come work with us and laugh together! Hahaha!"
After that, Louis continued walking around the village, gathering information.
The thing he was most curious about was the World Tree.
He wanted to get a closer look, but since their family hadn't paid the fund, they were denied entry and chased away.
In the end, Louis decided to return home for now.
Even on the way back, he still didn't understand the fund.
It might be to maintain the World Tree, but...
How could anyone realistically come up with such a huge sum every month?
Still full of questions, Louis opened the front door.
"Huh?"
Opening the door, Louis saw Rio sitting in the living room.
She was slumped over like a woman suffering heartbreak.
"What are you doing there?"
At that, Rio turned around to meet Louis's eyes.
"Uuuuuung...."
Suddenly, Rio poured tears from her eyes and began to cry.
"Older Brother...."
She rushed into Louis's arms, hugging him tightly.
"Where have you been, older brother~!"
"What's gotten into you?"
Louis was taken aback by her sudden outburst.
"Older Brother! Older Brother!~"
Did she eat something weird?
She never acted like this usually—
"Huh?"
Just then, Silia walked into the living room.
Seeing her, Louis hurriedly called out for help.
"Elder Sister! What's wrong with her...?"
But Silia promptly rushed in and hugged him just like Rio.
"Ehehehehehe...."
With a bright smile he'd never seen before, she said,
"I missed my little brother!!~"
With both of them acting strangely, Louis was left completely dumbfounded.
Did they eat something weird?
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Oh, the fruits...
(ㆆ.ㆆ )