Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 36

Chapter 36

“What in the world is all this commotion?”

The heated atmosphere subsided thanks to the thin voice that came from the back. At the end of my sight, I saw Isana sitting up with messy hair. He probably wasn’t fully awake yet, as he was frowning deeply and rubbing his eyes with one hand.

At that moment, I was startled by the people’s shouts.

“My lord!”

‘Huh? My lord?’

Could that little kid really be the lord of these people?

I had guessed that he must be of high status from their reverent attitude, but frankly, this was unexpected. To be called by such a title meant he was at least the lord of a village or a commander.

Moreover, those who called him that couldn’t be of ordinary status either. From what I’d gathered, in this world, those who served a lord were mostly knights or people of similar rank. In other words, they were nobles. It seemed the formality in their demeanor was due to that.

“Congratulations, my lord! We sincerely congratulate you!”

“The heavens were on your side, my lord! Congratulations!”

“…What are you talking about? Congratulations?”

Isana, looking bewildered, asked back and then looked around, questioning.

“Come to think of it, how did I get back here? And is it… morning? Did I lose consciousness?”

“Do you not remember anything from yesterday?”

“I remember going to the spring late at night. It was to perform the spirit summoning ritual that Ferris told me about. I recited the spell he taught me, and suddenly, everything went white. And now I’ve woken up here.”

“Do you not remember anything else? For example, whether the ritual was successful or not…”

At Ferris’s question, Isana paused, looking thoughtful, before shaking his head.

“Unfortunately, I don’t remember anything beyond that. Judging by the fact that I collapsed, it seems the summoning failed.”

‘What, so he really wasn’t in his right mind back then.’

I had a slight hope, but I didn’t expect him to remember absolutely nothing. Is that why? His tone and accent are clearly different from back then. I guess the way he spoke when he was pressing me wasn’t his original manner.

“Did you all find me and bring me here? I’m sorry. Especially to you, Ferris, I’m truly ashamed. To act so recklessly despite your warning.”

Isana said with a gloomy expression. Ferris quickly approached him and exclaimed.

“No, my lord! You succeeded in the ritual!”

“What? What are you talking about? I succeeded?”

“You have become a spirit mage, my lord. Congratulations, my lord! I, Ferris, don’t know how to express this overwhelming emotion.”

“Nonsense, Ferris. Do you even know who I was trying to summon?”

At his shout, Ferris nodded with a bitter expression.

“I know. You attempted to summon the Spirit King.”

“H-How did you…? But you’re still saying I succeeded?”

“Of course. Because there is living proof right here.”

“Living proof?”

Ferris smiled and nodded, then looked directly at me. At his meaningful gaze, I could only offer an awkward smile. Following his gaze, Isana finally seemed to notice me and blinked blankly.

“Wh-Who?”

I wondered if he would remember something if he saw me, but it seems my expectations were too high. I shrugged, unable to hide my disappointment.

“Hmm, you really don’t remember anything. You don’t know me?”

“…I don’t. Who are you? Why are you here and speaking informally to me? You’re being rude.”

“Seriously, dude. You shouldn’t be saying that, of all people. You were the one who dropped the honorifics first thing, you know?”

“I did?”

“Yeah. You grabbed my collar out of nowhere and started yelling. I was so taken aback.”

At those words, everyone looked at Isana with surprised expressions. He shook his head strongly, looking flustered.

“W-What are you saying! I’m seeing you for the first time. When did I ever do such a thing?”

“Seeing me for the first time? We’ve already met; you just don’t remember. How can you be so sure when you don’t remember? Besides, you’re even in a contract with me, you know?”

“A contract? You’ve been saying things I can’t understand since earlier. Are you perhaps mistaken about something?”

“…Fine, so that’s how it is. Then I’m just going to break the contract and go back. Is that okay with you?”

“H-Huh! No, you can’t, Lord Elquines!”

“Please reconsider!”

It was Ferris and the knights who shouted, their faces pale. Actually, I didn’t really intend to break the contract when I said that, so I felt a little sorry seeing the people turn pale. At the same time, Isana’s face, which had been frowning, froze.

“El…quines?”

He raised his head, looking somewhat dazed. It was clear he had finally grasped the situation.

“You’re… Elquines? Could it be that I succeeded in the summoning…?”

“Yes, my lord! The person here is Lord Elquines. The Water Spirit King Elquines, whom you summoned! Don’t you really remember?”

Ferris asked with an anxious face, but Isana didn’t answer for a while. He was just silently frozen, his face filled with shock.

“Hey, Isana?”

I wondered if he was even breathing, as he was completely still. Could he have fainted with his eyes open? Feeling uneasy, I subtly waved my hand in front of his eyes.

Then, he suddenly blurted out something incomprehensible.

“I had a dream.”

“Huh? A dream?”

Fortunately, he seemed to be in his right mind this time. I swallowed a sigh of relief and looked at Isana. He nodded, looking somewhat blank.

“It was a dark and gloomy night. I couldn’t come to my senses in the midst of pain that felt like my whole body was burning. It was the worst thirst I had ever experienced. Just when I sensed death, someone suddenly lifted me up. The moment their hand touched me, the thirst in my throat miraculously subsided. I raised my head to see who it was. And what I found was a beautiful goddess. She had water-colored hair and mysterious water-colored eyes. Yes, just like you now.”

“…That wasn’t a dream. And I’m not a woman, you know?”

“Huh!”

“Not a woman?”

Hey, why is everyone surprised by that? I glared at them, and the commotion quickly subsided, but the people’s faces were full of disbelief.

‘I’ll deal with you later.’

I glared at them one more time, then turned my gaze back to Isana. I thought he would understand the situation more clearly once he realized it was reality, but he still seemed confused.

“That wasn’t a dream…”

“Yeah, it wasn’t a dream. When I was summoned in response to your call, your entire body’s mana was almost depleted. You were in such a dangerous situation that you might have died if you had been left alone for a little longer. So I hurriedly poured mana into you. You probably remember what happened then.”

At those words, Isana stopped muttering to himself and stared at me intently. He looked desperate, as if he were looking at a lifeline that had fallen in front of him.

“If, if you are the Water Spirit King, and it’s true that I made a contract with you…”

“It’s not ‘if,’ it’s all true.”

“…I see.”

Has he finally decided to face reality? He let out a faint groan and lowered his head to the floor. He seemed somewhat dejected, and somewhat resigned.

Isana raised his head again after a long time. His eyes were clearer and sharper than ever, as if he had sorted out his thoughts. But the words he spoke at that moment were enough to shock those around him.

“Unfortunately, I’m going to break this contract.”

“…!”

“M-My lord?”

“What are you saying?”

Amidst everyone’s exclamations of astonishment, I simply remained silent. It was certainly disconcerting, but somehow, this situation wasn’t as surprising as I thought it would be. More than anything, I had been feeling an unsettling aura from him since a little while ago.

A sharp, rough energy, like a honed blade.

It was clearly hostility.

‘…What, is it that again after all.’

I swallowed the sigh that was about to burst out. Even when I was summoned last night, he had driven me with a fierce momentum. The way he expressed it was different, but it seemed that this was also an extension of that time. In a way, you could say he’s being consistent.

Whatever else, one thing was certain.

Isana hates me. And he hates me very much.

‘Seriously…’

It was a contract made while he wasn’t in his right mind anyway, and we haven’t known each other long enough to become attached. It’s a shame to lose a contractor I met with difficulty, but I had no intention of maintaining a contract with someone who hates me. But my pride wouldn’t allow me to just accept it and go back like this.

If he hates me so much, why did he bother summoning me in the first place? There are other Spirit Kings besides me, you know.

“…Well, fine. Breaking the contract is breaking the contract. But let’s hear the reason first. Why do you want to break it?”

“The reason? Are you asking me that now?”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault? What did I ever do to you?”

“…I suppose so. After all, to a Spirit King like you, we humans are just insignificant beings to be trampled on…”

“What? H-Hey, Isana?”

With incomprehensible words, he bit his lip and abruptly stood up. I watched with a bewildered heart, but his back, already walking away quickly, had already disappeared out of the cave. A few knights, flustered, hurriedly ran after him.

“My lord! Please wait! My lord!”

“If you move alone like this…!”

The commotion continued to echo even from outside the cave. It seemed the knights were exhausting themselves trying to appease the angry Isana.

“What’s with that guy…”

If he just does that without explaining the situation, what am I supposed to do? His words were those of an adult, but his actions were no different from when he grabbed my collar and yelled at me indiscriminately the first time we met.

Why does he hate me so much? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out the reason, which is frustrating.