C182: Silver Sun (2)
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After the festival was over, Theon returned to its original routine. The students talked about the past festival and expressed regrets and promises for the next year.
As a result, there were many students who were cluttered because they couldn’t forget the heat of the festival.
In many classes there were various students that couldn’t concentrate but not in Rudger class.
“I think I still see people living in the festival.”
Standing on the platform, he opened his eyes and the students straightened their backs. It was a moment when the students, who had been a little relaxed, tightened their tension.
“If you catch my eye, I’ll keep an eye on how the results of the upcoming third test will turn out.”
The stern warning forced all the students to behave.
Above all, Rudger was even injured in an accident during this festival. If they think of the festival here, and they were sure it’ll add fuel to his anger.
The students were not so tactless that they quietly shut up and the class that took place in such a quiet atmosphere ended without much trouble.
“Clean up.”
“Yes, yes! What about you, Sir?”
“There’s a place I have to go for a while.”
Rudger had Sedina, his assistant, bring the material to the teacher’s office, and came out of Theon.
Since he had no appointments and a lot of free time he went to check how far the progress of the business in Leathervelk has gone.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve come to Leathervelk.’
Leathervelk remained unchanged. The atmosphere has been unsettled since the Kunst auction house incident, but as time went by, even that has completely cooled down.
Carriages and cars moving around the streets, smoky chimneys and even the hard-working workers.
However, unlike usual, people in priest clothes were often seen.
‘Are they from the Holy Land of Bretus?’
Perhaps because of the emergence of the Beast of Gévaudan, which shook the foundation of a country, the withering Lumensism has again spread its shoulders. How they step up remains to be seen.
Of course, that was not the only change in Leathervelk.
“Is it here?”
The place where he arrived now was the place that had recently undergone the most changes in the city of Leathervelk.
‘It’s gotten a lot cleaner.’
Even when he visited once in the middle, construction was still underway. Now that it was all over, the appearance of the dark slum, which was once full of filth and odor, had completely changed.
Aside from the clean exterior, the number of people walking around was higher than before but the biggest change was the vitality of the streets. The most powerful positive energy emitted by those who tasted hope.
The people who are influenced and attracted by the atmosphere are invigorated.
“Catch me!”
“Hey! There!”
Children with small mechanical toys passed by Rudger.
Originally, they were children who had to drink smoke in the factory area and do forced labor or were children who had no choice but to steal things or pickpocket.
But now those children were laughing and playing happily.
Rudger glanced at the back of the children who passed by and stepped back.
In time, he arrived at the busiest clothing store on the street.
“Ring!”
Before Rudger entered the store, the door opened and two customers came out. They were rich looking middle-aged women in their mid-40s.
The two women, dressed in what appeared to have just been bought, looked very satisfied.
“I didn’t know there would be such a good store in the world.”
“Oh, I told you. It’s a place that became famous recently. And the magazines were full of introductions about this place.”
“I’ll have to tell the others later.”
Rudger went into the store after seeing the two people leaving each other laughing.
The waitress, who heard the door open, approached Rudger.
“Welcome. What are you looking for?”
“Is there a manager here?”
“What? Ms. Violetta is working upstairs right now…….”
“Call her.”
“Well, who should I say is looking for the manager?”
The waiter asked in a slightly wary voice. Doesn’t she know me?
Rudger considered for a moment and opened his mouth.
“You just have to tell her that the owner is here.”
The waitress trembled as if she had thought of something. It hasn’t been long since she started working, but she knew how great the owner’s presence was on this street.
In particular, even Violetta, the manager of this place, treated the owner with great care and respect.
“I’ll be right back!”
Shortly after the employee disappeared, a thump came from above and Violetta appeared upstairs with an urgent face.
“You didn’t have to come in such a hurry.”
“How can I not show my face when the owner visits me himself?”
Rudger shrugged his shoulders as he watched Violetta speak calmly as she began to manage her expression.
Violetta said with a slightly sly look.
“You should have contacted me if you were going to come in advance. I would have prepared.”
“There is no need to bother to do so. It’s a distraction for working people, too.”
“Looking at you saying that, I guess you finished watching on your way here?”
When asked by Violetta, Rudger nodded.
“It’s completely changed. People are full of energy.”
“It’s all thanks to the owner.”
“I just invested. It’s your ability.”
“If the owner says so, I’ll go with that.”
Violetta readily accepted his words.
The man, who provided not only the funding but also the idea of the business, took up most of the shares of the changed street but he didn’t care about praises or bragged about it. He was this kind of man.
“So what exactly is your reason for coming? A simple outing?”
“I came because I had some time left, but I heard that there are a lot of intruders recently.”
“That’s ridiculous. How tiring it is to rush here and there late because people who usually don’t pay attention start looking at you.”
Still, the obstruction done by merchants could be prevented without any problems. The real problem was next.
“The fact that the owner came all the way here, did you hear the news?”
“Yes.”
“……You know, Silver Sun was the one who dominated this world before the Red Society. They’re out in the sun now, but they’re much more brutal than the Reds.”
Those guys are even bigger now.
The Silver Sun was like a typhoon blocking the road in the current situation where they were moving forward like a ship on a fair wind.
It was a disaster that cannot be avoided by a single boat so Violetta’s face was bound to be filled with water.
“You know, they’re different from the Red Society. That’s why it’s dangerous.”
“I suppose so.”
They are not ones to look down on as a criminal organization. There are wizards and knights inside the Silver Sun. Like those who are pressed for money or if they are active knights but waste money because of gambling.
It was common to immerse oneself in a dark world half of one’s own will and half of others. The same was true for wizards because of money.
It was like that in the past, but now the world is more and more driven by the power of capital.
Although the knights and wizards who are still in charge of some of the fighting power in the world are great. They were also helpless in the face of the power of capital after all.
Silver Sun tied such people strongly with money and used them as their own hands.
When she heard that Silver Sun was aiming for them, she couldn’t sleep well.
“They won’t come forward right away, but I think we need to prepare.”
“Yes, that’s why I came here. First, I’d like to talk to the person in charge.….”
As soon as the two were talking, the door of the store rattled open.
“There’s trouble Violetta!”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s an assault! Some bastards came and set fire to the printing plant!!”
“What?!”
Violetta’s expression became serious but Rudger moved before Violetta could say anything.
“I’ll go first.”
Rudger, who ran out of the store, climbed to the roof of the building through a wire launcher. When he looked around from the rooftop, he saw smoke coming up from not far away.
Rudger ran in the direction of the fire without delay.
* * *
People wearing white hoods around their mouths suddenly attacked the printing plant without saying anything.
“Sweep it all!”
“Flip it all over!”
The employees who worked there were overwhelmed by the sudden attack.
Members of the Silver Sun broke the printing machine with pipes and mercilessly beat anyone who disturbed it. Screams of pain were everywhere.
“Fire!”
Gasoline was sprayed on magazines piled up on one side of the factory and they were set on fire. In an instant, the paper burned and the flames spread wildly.
“Done. Let’s go!”
They got out as quickly as they did when they rushed in. It was only after that that Rudger arrived at the scene that was in a mess.
“…….”
From the inside of the chaotic factory to the urgent appearance of people bringing water to extinguish the fire.
At this rate, the fire would have engulfed the entire factory.
‘Magic…’
It was when Rudger tried to magically extinguish the fire that Something in his inner pocket moved.
‘This is…’
It was a red burning gemstone.
‘The stone that Quasimodo left behind when he died.’
As it got closer to the hot fire, the tremor of the cryptid stone became stronger. At this moment, Rudger realized how to use this gemstone.
“Get out of the way.”
After breaking through the people, Rudger lifted the cryptid stone and pushed it forward, and the burning fire began to move.
“The fire?”
“Is it getting sucked in?”
The fire, which was about to burn the factory, was sucked into Rudger’s cryptid stone. It was a little bit, but it seemed like the cryptid stone became brighter.
“The fire is out.”
“Hurry up and move the wounded!”
Rudger, who was watching the busy people, peeked at the cryptid stone and put it back in his pocket. Suddenly, he realized that he couldn’t see the ones he needed to see.
‘What about Deon and Mastella?’
Originally, the business related to Job Printing was the role of Old Kids, one of the slum organizations of the past.
It was Deon, an old man, and Mastella, a doll-like girl who ran the Old Kids but they were not here now.
“No way.”
Rudger headed to the adjacent wooden building where Deon and Mastella stayed with a heavy face and opened the door roughly.
The scene inside was harrowing.
The bloody building was filled with bodies, most of them were members of the Silver Sun, wearing white hoods but in the center of the misery were Deon and Mastella.
“Grandpa, open your eyes.”
Deon lying on the floor was covered in blood. He was missing one arm and his body was full of stab wounds. On the contrary, Mastella was not hurt at all. Blood splattered, but it wasn’t her blood.
Mastella was shaking Deon with a messy face.
“This is…”
Mastella felt Rudger’s and looked back at him.
“Owner. Are you here? I’m sorry, I’m sorry. We’re going to……I should’ve gone to greet you.”
“……Mastella.”
“Oh, it’s weird. I can’t stop crying. I can’t do this…….”
Mastella’s face was a mess with tears and a runny nose.
Rudger realized how this happened. Some members of the Silver Sun set fire to the printing plant and some aimed at Mastella and Deon.
And Deon fought to protect Mastella.
“Why the hell are you doing this to us?”
Mastella, who usually acts mature, couldn’t resist and shouted.
She finally got her hopes up that she could succeed. She expected that she would not have to live in pain like she used to.
“We just wanted to live like people.”
Abandoned children huddled together to support each other in the cold of winter. There were children who were beaten for not making money, and who starved for not being able to eat a piece of bread.
When they asked for help, people said,
– Dirty people like you are a sin just by being born.
It was wrong to live like a human being but she has not lost hope in such a world. She tried hard not to lose it and yet, the world was trying to take something precious away from her.
“Please…… help me.”
If there is a god, please. Please listen to our story.
The moment Mastella tried to speak in a tearful voice Rudger covered her eyes with his hand.
“It’s all right.”
The gentle voice scared Mastella. It was a soft voice that she didn’t think came from the usual owner.
“It’s all right.”
Rudger consoled Mastella and kept his eyes on Deon. There was nothing strange about Deon, whose eyes were not properly focused, when his breath stopped. Even so, Deon desperately stared at Rudger until the end.
‘I’m asking you to take care of the child.’
That’s what his eyes were saying.
If he ran away, he could have survived. Nevertheless, Deon chose to fight back instead of running away.
“I’ll do that.”
A wounded child is crying and an adult died for a child.
The future set at the end was eventually marked with sadness.
If so,
“Release the seal control.”