Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 71

Chapter 71

“Shatter and break!”

As the third Spirit Order took effect, its manifestation became clearer. Now, even a casual observer could discern the obvious tremors. For the first time, a flicker of unease crossed the dragon’s usually composed face. Noticing his shifting expression, I invoked the Spirit Order again.

“Break into pieces, scatter completely!”

“Damn it! The binding’s power is intensifying. It never relinquishes its captured prey!”

At that moment, a low curse escaped his lips, and a potent surge of mana emanated from somewhere. It felt like the very magic he’d used to initially capture me was being unleashed. The violently shaking barrier of light swiftly stabilized, reverting to its original state in an instant—no, it seemed even stronger than before.

“Wh-what did you just do?”

Looking at him in dismay, the man, clearly the culprit, replied triumphantly.

“As you can see, I reinforced the Dragon Word [a magical inscription or command]. Did you truly believe I’d simply stand idly by?”

“Y-! That’s so unfair!”

“You seem to be mistaken; I never claimed I wouldn’t defend myself.”

At his infuriating retort, I glared at him silently. Using Spirit Orders was a significant drain on my energy. I was already exhausted, and now all my attempts had been rendered useless in an instant, making me want to cry.

The only consolation was that Lapis Lazuli didn’t appear to be in great shape either. The smile had completely vanished from his face.

“Truly, a Spirit King. I never imagined that even after pouring this much Dragon Word into you, you wouldn’t be completely subdued. It feels like taming a rather ferocious beast.”

“Who said anything about treating me like an animal? Ugh! Disappear, just disappear!”

I used the Spirit Order again and again. But the firmly established barrier showed no change. Lapis Lazuli said with a relaxed expression.

“I’m sorry, but it won’t be that easy this time.”

“Shut up! I’ll keep going until it works!”

“You’re going to continue this reckless challenge to the end?”

“Of course! Did you think I’d just sit here and take it? Disappear without a trace, all of you!”

Crack!

At that moment, an astonishing thing happened. A great tremor suddenly ran through the barrier of light, and long cracks began to form from the bottom to the top.

“Kuh! Wait…”

Simultaneously, Lapis Lazuli collapsed to the floor, his face pale. This was the first time I had witnessed such a drastic change in his appearance. Instinctively, I sensed that this was a golden opportunity—a chance for a counterattack that might never come again if missed.

‘Right now!’

I hurriedly raised my hand and summoned water. And with the power gathered, I struck the cracked part forcefully.

Splash! Crack—!

Clang!

Like a pane of glass shattering, a clear cracking sound echoed. At the same time, the barrier that had been trapping me began to shatter and scatter. It was unbelievable how quickly it happened, after having held so firmly until now.

I stared blankly at the fragments of light scattering before my eyes. The fragments were falling not only around me but also from the sky.

Looking up, I saw something filling the void scattering into dots. Fragments derived from it were pouring down on the entire forest like a rain of light. It was a beautiful sight that made me forget the situation for a moment. It seemed that the strange power that had been making this space Spirit-less had been released.

“Cough! Cough!”

Then, a rough cough sounded nearby. Turning to the source of the sound, I saw Lapis Lazuli lying on the floor. Red blood was dripping from his mouth, which he was covering with one hand. It was clear that the forced maintenance of the barrier had backfired and injured him.

But my condition was just as bad. My hands and feet were trembling, and my vision was spinning uncontrollably. My whole body felt parched and burning, making it hard even to stand.

‘I-I feel like I’m going to die.’

Eventually, I staggered and sat down on the floor (though it was on the water). My mind was warning me to get out of here immediately, but I didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

The surprising thing happened next. Suddenly, small bubbles rose from the water, and Naiads [water nymphs] began to peek out from within, one by one.

“You guys…”

Floating in the air, they each held round water droplets in their arms. They flew over with them and hurriedly began to drop them on my body. Then, I felt the terrible thirst gradually subside.

Were they sharing their power? I widened my eyes at the unexpected event. Not completely, but enough energy was returning for me to move.

“Ah… Thank you, everyone.”

The Naiads, who had been restless at my greeting, smiled brightly. But I couldn’t afford to smile back at them. Lapis Lazuli was getting up, perhaps because his condition had improved. His expression was calm, but his complexion was very pale.

The moment I felt our eyes met, I tensed up and froze. I couldn’t let my guard down, as he was the type of guy who might do anything. But as time passed, nothing I feared happened. Rather, I felt the foreign mana that had been surrounding me disappear, and my original energy filled the space. The golden magic circle that had been holding me until just before had also disappeared. He had completely withdrawn the summoning circle. Looking at him in bewilderment, Lapis Lazuli said in a low voice.

“I lost. Go back.”

“……Hee, that’s unexpected. I thought you were going to trap me again.”

“A dragon doesn’t break a promise once it’s been spoken. You broke the seal with your own power, so I’m just keeping my promise.”

He waved his hand dismissively and turned away. After being so persistent, there wasn’t a hint of regret on his face as he let me go. It was as if all the fierce fighting until now had been a lie.

“El!”

At that moment, a familiar voice came from the other side of the forest. Looking up, I saw a familiar boy running almost as if he was flying. It was Trowel.

“Trowel…!”

Seeing him, I felt the tension release at once. I got up on my trembling legs and barely stepped off the lake that I hadn’t been able to escape from. Trowel, who had strode up, quickly supported my staggering form. His face was set hard, unlike usual.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Liar. You’re so exhausted. How much power did you use? It’s a relief you weren’t reverse summoned. I’m really sorry I’m late. I found out it was in this area, but the barrier kept interfering, so I couldn’t find the exact location.”

“Ah, no. Rather, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry for dragging you all the way here because I got caught up in something like this.”

“Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”

He clicked his tongue lightly and took my hand. Then, a refreshing energy suddenly swirled through my languid body. It was a power that couldn’t even be compared to what the Naiads had given me.

“How do you feel?”

“A-amazing. I feel completely healed.”

“That’s a relief. Then, could you wait here for a moment?”

“Huh?”

He gave me a bright smile as I looked at him, puzzled by his incomprehensible words. Then he turned and strode off somewhere.

The place he headed was in front of Lapis Lazuli. A strange air flowed between the two people standing face to face for a moment.

“……”

“……”

Perhaps because he knew he was in the wrong, Lapis Lazuli strangely couldn’t meet Trowel’s eyes. Conversely, Trowel’s face, as he stared straight at him, was so expressionless that I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. But at that moment, a dull thud suddenly rang out. Trowel had punched him in the face.

Thwack!

“T-Trowel!”

By the time I shouted in panic, Lapis Lazuli was already lying on the ground powerlessly. It was the kind of power that could blow away a monster in one hit. There was no way he could be unharmed after being hit directly by that.

I hurriedly examined Lapis Lazuli. Fortunately, he hadn’t lost consciousness, but his lips were completely split and covered in blood. He soon got up and wiped away the flowing blood with a scowl. He was careful with his touch, as it seemed to hurt quite a bit.

Could this lead to something bigger? I had only experienced him briefly, but he was a nasty character by nature. There was no way he would leave the person who hit him alone.

But contrary to expectations, he just silently stroked the area he had been hit, without showing any particular reaction. Trowel looked down at him with a cold face.

“You know what you’ve done, Lapis Lazuli of the Red Clan. Consider yourself lucky that it’s ending at this level. If El hadn’t broken the barrier first, I would have killed you with my own hands.”

Speaking coldly, he seemed like a completely different being. I was reminded once again that Trowel was a Spirit King. He might only be a boy in appearance, but in reality, he was older than the dragon in front of him.

“I thought things had been quiet for a while, but you ended up causing a major accident like this? Since when has a contract with the King become such a ridiculous thing? You trampled not only on El but also on the pride of our four great spirits. I’ll tell the Lord to take strict disciplinary action.”

“……”

“The answer?”

The sunken eyes were very cold. It was the first time I had seen Trowel so angry, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Soon, Lapis Lazuli got up completely. He nodded with a bitter face.

“I admit I went too far. I’ll accept any punishment. This will never happen again.”

“That’s a promise, right?”

“Of course.”

As he readily admitted his mistake, Trowel seemed to feel a little better. He said in a slightly softened voice.

“Why did you do this? It’s not like you.”

“……Not like me. It’s all thanks to your precious Elquines that drove me to this point. No, should I call him the former Elquines now? When did that guy disappear anyway?”

Trowel sighed slightly at the grumbling words. His expression was both regretful and pathetic.

“It’s been over twenty years. I expected it, but it seems you really didn’t know at all.”

“If you wanted me to know, you should have had a retirement ceremony. How am I supposed to know when you leave without saying a word? Tch, actually, I made this barrier to use on that guy. I’ve put up with him for so long, isn’t it okay to mess with him at least once? But to think he’d suddenly disappear like this. He’s really unlucky to the end.”

“It’s foolish of you to not have foreseen it. When you first summoned him, he was already over seventeen thousand years old. He was long past the time when he would normally disappear.”

“That’s why I’m even more annoyed. He could have stayed a little longer before disappearing since he was already past it. Besides, that’s already frustrating enough, but now this Elquines doesn’t even want to make a contract! How am I not supposed to be angry?”

“So you threw away the chance to revamp your image yourself? Really foolish. As an elder, I’m telling you, you need to fix that hot-tempered personality of yours.”

“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do just because you’re about two thousand years older than me, Trowel.”

Now that I see it, the two of them seem to have known each other for a long time. And it wasn’t just a simple acquaintance, but a fairly close relationship. The atmosphere gradually becoming more comfortable as the conversation continued was proof of that.

“Um, Trowel… ?”

Feeling as if I was isolated, I called him embarrassedly. Then Trowel looked back at me in embarrassment.

“Ah, I’m sorry, El. Actually, this guy is my contractor’s son.”

“Huh? Son?”

“I mean the Black Dragon I mentioned before. And to add a little more to the relationship, he’s also my godson. I decided to be his godfather at his father’s request.”

“Hee, really?”

Trowel was the godfather of that Red Dragon? Surprised by the unexpected relationship, I looked at him, and Lapis Lazuli frowned as if he had eaten a bunch of bugs. But that expression didn’t last long. Because Trowel kicked him in the knee.

“Oof! What are you doing!”

“Don’t make rude expressions at him.”

“What?”

“Should I say it again if you didn’t understand?”

“……Damn it, what are you thinking? Since when have you been so concerned about the same Spirit King.”

Trowel sent a sharp look at him, who was grumbling. And when he shut his mouth, he looked at me with a troubled expression.

“As you can see, he’s this kind of guy, so I’m really sorry. Actually, this incident is also my fault for not teaching him well as a godfather. So I don’t know how to apologize to you. I’ll keep a close eye on him so that this never happens again.”

“Ah, no. I’ve already forgotten everything. Well, it seems like I was just unlucky, so you don’t have to worry too much. It’s not something to be proud of, but I’m used to this kind of thing from before. Ahaha…”

“……You’re too nice, that’s the problem.”

Trowel sighed briefly at the awkward answer. Was Lapis Lazuli displeased with the sight of the two of us? As if he couldn’t stand to watch any longer, Lapis Lazuli grumbled.

“Tch, if you’re just going to have boring conversations, then just leave. Don’t make me feel jealous.”