Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 93

93.

“D-Dragon-nim [Mr. Dragon] is going to be with us?”

“What’s with that face? Are you unhappy about it?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that….”

“Let me tell you, I didn’t make this decision because I wanted to. Elquines said he can’t leave your side, so I’m here. We’re both contractors, so it’s unfair for you to monopolize him. Don’t you think?”

“I, I don’t particularly intend to monopolize him….”

“Right, so from now on, I’ll be traveling with you too. You’re not thinking of objecting, are you?”

Receiving his fierce gaze, Isana hurriedly shook her head. Only then did Lapis, with a satisfied look, lean back leisurely on the sofa, whom I stared at with a pathetic gaze.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. Sorry, Isana, for making this decision arbitrarily.”

“Eung [Yeah], no, it’s okay. Dragon-nim is right. We’re both contractors, so if you only care about me, he would naturally feel left out. And yet, he’s even come all this way to consider us; he seems like a really good person.”

“…Isana, how were you born with such a kind personality in this harsh world?”

“Eung? Am I? I don’t really think so….”

“No, you’re kind. Really, excessively kind.”

How else could she come to such a conclusion after witnessing all those arrogant and presumptuous actions just moments ago?

Meanwhile, Lapis was clutching his stomach and bursting into laughter. It seemed that Isana’s remark earlier was funny to him as well. And the people around seemed even more captivated by his smiling face. The gazes that were already pouring in felt even more intense from the moment he started laughing.

‘Will we be able to manage well like this?’

With a sense of despair, I let out a soft sigh. Even after calming down, Lapis still looked at Isana with a smile and asked,

“I like you. Your name is Isana?”

“Yes, but I’m currently using the alias Lyra.”

“I see. I’m Lapis Lazuli. Just call me Lapis.”

“Yes, Lapis-nim.”

What are they doing, exchanging names so amicably?

Feeling left out in the harmonious atmosphere, I couldn’t help but feel disgruntled. It was then that I realized the change that had occurred in my body. I hadn’t noticed it at all until just now, but it seemed that the amount of mana I could use had suddenly increased dramatically.

‘Gasp… Could it be because of the contract with Lapis?’

In fact, there was no other way to explain this phenomenon. I hurriedly re-examined my body. If my previous mana capacity was only enough to handle one or two Undines [water spirits] with difficulty, now it felt like I could materialize hundreds of them at once without any problem. I had heard that dragons had abundant mana, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.

‘So that’s why everyone makes contracts with dragons.’

I looked at Lapis with a feeling of admiration. Suddenly, the face of the guy who had only been displeasing me until just now seemed to be shining with a halo. The dissatisfaction that had filled me to the brim had already melted away like snow.

Is this what they call being materialistic? I once again thought that making the contract was a good decision.

* * *

To welcome the new member of our group, we discussed our future plans. In reality, the discussion was just me informing him of the plans I had arbitrarily made, but it was a necessary process since it wouldn’t hurt for him to know as well.

“A priest?”

Looking at Lapis’s surprised eyes, I nodded. He frowned slightly before making a look of understanding.

“Hmm, well, I guess. If you want to use healing abilities to your heart’s content, that might be one way. So you’re going to receive the god’s emblem [divine symbol]?”

“Yeah, I’m going to get help from Ellyuen.”

“Ellyuen? Are you talking about Ellyuen, the God of Punishment?”

Contrary to my expectations that he wouldn’t know, Lapis immediately recognized his name. But it wasn’t a very good reaction.

“He’s just a newbie god whose sect [religious following] isn’t even that big yet. What are you going to do with that guy’s emblem? If the Spirit King asks, even a Demon God would come out. Wouldn’t it be better to receive his emblem instead?”

“Sect doesn’t matter. The important thing is whether or not I can use healing abilities. I heard that the priests of the Demon God don’t have healing abilities. Even if I receive an emblem, it would be useless if that’s the case. Besides, there’s no need to deliberately ruin a personal friendship.”

“Personal friendship? Between you and the god Ellyuen?”

“Yeah.”

When I affirmed, Lapis made a displeased expression again.

“Didn’t you just start your game recently? How long has it been since you were born, and you’ve already built a friendship with a god?”

“Um. Well, it just happened….”

“How did you two even meet?”

“There’s a story behind it. I’ll explain it in detail later.”

Lapis stared at me intently, as if he didn’t like the vague answer. But when I continued to avoid it, he seemed to think there was no other choice and soon sighed and nodded.

“Well, fine. Anyway, if you have a friendship, getting the emblem should be easy.”

“Hmm, actually, it’s not that simple. It’s just a hope right now. But Ellyuen said he’s waiting for me, so I think there’s a possibility.”

“What are you talking about? It’s the Spirit King’s request, so he should definitely do it.”

“It’s not a problem that can be decided so easily. Everything depends on Ellyuen’s will.”

“Ha, the Spirit King is being mindful of a mere newbie god?”

“Don’t call him a newbie, newbie. Ellyuen is clearly a high-ranking god, okay?”

“Hmph, even so, it’s only been about 25 years since he was born. Sects start to form around the time a god is born, so my calculations should be roughly correct, right?”

“Still, he’s a god. What does the date of birth matter?”

“Unless they’re a chief god, gods aren’t perfect from the beginning. Being born recently means there are many clumsy aspects. Well, I guess he might seem quite huge from your perspective, since you were just born.”

“That’s not it! Ellyuen is…!”

“What isn’t it?”

“…You’ll know when you meet him.”

Lapis had a look on his face as if he had a lot to say, but he soon closed his mouth.

Of course. You’ll never know unless you meet him in person. He’ll probably be very surprised. The proud Water Spirit King that he had been obsessed with for thousands of years suddenly appeared as a god; who wouldn’t be surprised?

I hope he’s not so happy that he declares he wants to become Ellyuen’s priest too. Judging from his current haughty appearance, it’s hard to imagine, but the years of obsession he showed to Ellyuen were long, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.

It’s said to be thousands of years, but isn’t that a really distant time? The expiration date of love ends in 3 years, but he devoted tens or hundreds of times that time to only one person. It would be difficult to describe his appearance with the word devoted.

‘I hope he doesn’t declare that he’ll become my mom like Ifrit did?’

Just the thought of it made me feel uneasy, and I glanced at Lapis. The guy, oblivious to my inner turmoil, looked completely nonchalant, unaware of what was about to happen.

‘If he doesn’t give up even after seeing Ellyuen as a fully-fledged man, unlike the immature version he might have imagined, it’s going to be really troublesome. If that really happens, I’m cutting off the contract and everything!’

At that moment, I made a firm resolution.

“But why are we just standing here? If the plan is set, shouldn’t we head to the temple right away?”

“Well, actually, we’re waiting for someone.”

“More of our group?”

“No, it’s someone who’s going to guide us to the temple. But we got a little separated on the way….”

“Hmm―.”

Just then, a bell rang, and someone opened the door to the restaurant. It was a boy covered in snow, a testament to the raging blizzard outside. The boy looked around for a moment, then shouted loudly.

“Excuse me, is there a guest here named El?”

‘Huh? Is he looking for me?’

Surprised by the unexpected call, I quickly raised my head but hesitated to answer. I thought he might be looking for someone else. After all, the name El wasn’t that unique, and there was no way someone would know me in this unfamiliar land. But right then, the boy shouted again.

“I have a message from Priest Kaitain. Is there anyone here named El?”

‘Kaitain!’

I reflexively jumped up from my seat. The boy, spotting me, approached in one stride and asked.

“Is your name El?”

“Ah, yes. My name is El, but…….”

“Are you acquainted with Priest Kaitain?”

Nodding, the boy smiled brightly with a relieved expression.

“Wow, that’s a relief. I finally found you. Actually, this was the third shop I’ve been to. I was only told you were somewhere in the village, but I didn’t know exactly where, so I kept searching. I figured you might have taken shelter somewhere because of the snow, and I was right. I’m so glad I found you.”

“Ah, um, but a message from Priest Kaitain?”

“Ah, right. Yes, he asked me to deliver this.”

The boy hurriedly rummaged through his coat and took out a thin paper envelope. It seemed Kaitain had entrusted it to him to give to me. ‘Why didn’t he come himself and send someone else?’ Inside the envelope was a small map and a letter. Opening the letter, I saw neatly written words.

‘To El,

The fortress gate has been closed due to the heavy snow. It seems difficult to enter today. Furthermore, the soldiers are watching me. It seems to be because of the rumor that the God of Punishment [referring to the protagonist] is helping His Majesty the Emperor. I am sorry, but I think it would be best if you went ahead without waiting.

Here is a simple map to the temple. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find, as you only need to climb Mount Oren. I will apologize to Ellyuen later for not being able to assist you both to the end.

Then, I will see you at the temple.

―Kaitain.’

His calm nature seemed to be reflected in each carefully written character. However, I couldn’t help but harden my face at the contents written inside. I never expected Kaitain, a priest, to be under surveillance. It felt like I had been blindsided.

“Let me see too. What’s the letter about?”

“Ah!”

Just then, a large hand suddenly appeared from behind and snatched the letter from me. It was Lapis. He nonchalantly scanned the letter, regardless of my frown, and smirked with a face that understood everything.

“Looks like the guide can’t come?”

“……I have eyes, you know?”

“Then I guess we’ll have to go by ourselves.”

Muttering lightly, he returned the letter to me and sat down, whistling. I glared at him for a moment, then looked back at the boy who had delivered the letter. He was staring at Lapis with a dazed expression, and when our eyes met, he quickly straightened his posture.

“How far is Mount Oren from here?”

“Ah, no, it’s just a little to the north. It’s the biggest mountain, so you’ll see it right away. But if you’re going to the temple, it’ll take a while. It’s at the very top of the mountain, and it takes a full day to climb.”

“Cough! A day?”

“Yes, and Mount Oren is famous for its harsh cold all year round. You’ll need to prepare warm clothes and food. If you go with what you’re wearing now, you’ll freeze to death. I’ve seen several people freeze to death while trying to pay their respects.”

‘Hmm. As if to prove his eccentric personality, he had to build the temple in such a place…….’

I sighed and then gave the boy some gold as a token of my appreciation. Surprised by the unexpectedly large amount, the boy bowed several times before leaving the store.

“Kaitain can’t come, El?”

“Yeah, it looks like we’ll have to go by ourselves. The mountain is said to be cold, so let’s buy some more coats and leave right away.”

Isana nodded immediately without hesitation at my suggestion. Unlike him, Lapis spoke with a frown.

“Leave right away? Can’t you see the snow piling up outside? Shouldn’t we wait for the snow to stop before we go?”

“We can’t because of the inspection. When the snow stops, the soldiers will start moving again. We should leave before that to avoid any trouble. I’m already worried to death as it is.”

“Why? Are you afraid someone will report us?”

When I nodded, Lapis gave me a dumbfounded look. He seemed to think I was overreacting. Since he didn’t seem to believe me, I had no choice but to tell him what had happened.

“It’s true. I was reported in another village I stopped by before coming here. I guess wearing the hood looked suspicious.”

“Huh? Come to think of it, why are you still wearing that stuffy hood? Just take it off. How many people in the world know the Emperor’s face?”

“How many? His portraits are plastered everywhere. They’ll recognize him right away, you know?”

“Ah, so that was the problem.”

Only then did Lapis realize what the problem was, and he looked at Isana with a meaningful expression. He was fidgeting like a guilty person, with his head bowed. Then, all of a sudden, Lapis asked a strange question.

“What type do you like? Pretty boy? Handsome young man? Or a handsome middle-aged man? Red hair? Blue hair? If you want, silver hair is fine too.”

“W-What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“If his face is different, they won’t be able to recognize him, right? So I’m saying I’ll change him with magic now. It’s rare for this great one to offer such kindness, but let’s just say it’s in honor of becoming comrades. If you have any preferences, I’ll reflect them, so answer quickly before I change my mind.”

“Hee…….”

Come to think of it, dragons change their appearance with something called Polymorph [a type of magic that alters one’s physical form]. He was saying he would cast that magic on Isana too. I never imagined there would be such a method. I was very impressed inside because it was something I had never dreamed of. Dragons are really convenient beings. He was doing something admirable without even being asked, so he looked a little pretty to me.

“Wait, but why are you only giving examples of pretty boys and handsome young men? Wouldn’t a plain face be better to avoid standing out?”

“Rejected. This great body can’t stand anything that isn’t beautiful, even if I can endure everything else.”

“…….”

So that’s why your face is so excessively handsome? Swallowing the question that I was afraid to hear the answer to, I turned to Isana. My current theory is that an excessively pretty face is worse than a plain one (the biggest victim of which is right here), but I had to match his opinion as much as possible, or Lapis might change his mind. If so, I wanted to choose at least a color that was unremarkable.