Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 201

201. The Great Deception

The dreamlike, cozy atmosphere didn’t last long, shattered by Sibelius’s booming shout.

“Wait a minute! There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize El! This is all a lie! What about the past events I remember? The El I know?”

Hearing that, I realized there were still unresolved issues. He had a point. Then who *is* El? I looked up sharply, and Ellyuen frowned slightly.

“Well, I have no idea who that is. Did such a person even exist?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I reunited with El not long ago, and we’ve been together ever since! Everyone agrees, right?”

At his question, the group watching nodded, looking uncomfortable. I did too. Seeing everyone’s reaction, Sibelius became triumphant and shouted.

“See! If I were just imagining things, there’s no way El would appear in reality, right? Let’s talk after meeting El! Seeing him might bring back memories…!”

“Ah, that probably wouldn’t accomplish much. We’ve already met.”

“What?”

Sibelius wasn’t the only one surprised by the unexpected answer. I was also taken aback and stared at Ellyuen. He said they’d already met El. That wasn’t the kind of answer you’d expect from someone who had been treating him like he didn’t exist. But Ellyuen, who had thrown everyone into confusion, looked like he didn’t see what the problem was. He turned his head indifferently and said.

“Did you hear that? It seems like it’s your turn to step up. Why don’t you offer an explanation, ‘El’?”

“……!”

At those words, I was startled and looked in the direction Ellyuen was staring. But the person there wasn’t El. All I could see was the broad back of a man with black hair hanging down. I could tell at a glance that he was the one Ellyuen had beaten up earlier.

“El……?”

Sibelius and the others all wore bewildered expressions. They couldn’t help but be confused when the person they saw when calling for El was a completely unexpected man they couldn’t associate with him at all.

The black-haired man seemed to have stopped as he was about to go somewhere. When his eyes met Ellyuen’s, the man smiled awkwardly. Of course, Ellyuen didn’t smile at all. His already fierce eyes only became colder.

As soon as Ellyuen sent a chilly look, the black-haired man quickly approached and stood next to him. It was a skilled movement, as if he had been trained for a long time. But Ellyuen didn’t seem pleased; instead, he wore an annoyed expression. Was he going to hit him again? Remembering how Ellyuen had suddenly assaulted the man earlier, I watched them with unease. The others, who didn’t know what had happened, were also cautiously watching them.

Come to think of it, who *is* that man anyway? What’s his relationship with Ellyuen? Judging from how he treats the high-ranking god so casually, he must be an extraordinary being, but the treatment he receives is so poor that it’s hard to guess his identity. Ellyuen’s words that he was the culprit lingered in my mind, but it was hard to grasp the exact meaning.

As everyone’s attention focused on him, the black-haired man scratched his cheek as if embarrassed. But as if he wasn’t one to dwell on things for long, a carefree smile soon appeared on his face.

“Nyaha, hello everyone? It’s a good night to indulge in sweet dreams. How about a dance with me….”

“Shut up and talk properly.”

Once again, Ellyuen’s chilling voice interrupted his cheerful greeting. The black-haired man pouted for a moment (but quickly smiled again when Ellyuen glared at him fiercely) and cleared his throat briefly.

“Ahem, the introduction is very late. You must all be very curious about who I am, right? Yes, I understand. You must be wondering who this handsome man who suddenly appeared is. Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t think I’m handsome. Everyone has their own tastes. Of course, I’m sure it’s a *very* suspicious taste.”

“If you keep talking nonsense….”

“I know, I know. Geez, our Ellyuen is too impatient. If you keep getting angry like that, you’ll end up like me?”

“Do you want to die?”

“Eeeh, just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, you get serious so quickly. Anyway, I’ve taken up too much time. I’ll formally introduce myself at this point. I’m Kanos.”

The moment I thought he was a boisterous person, I tilted my head, puzzled by the name. It was a name I felt like I’d heard somewhere before.

At that moment, there was a thud. When I turned around, Deron was sitting in an awkward position. He looked like he had tried to dust himself off and get up, but then sat back down. His wide eyes and blankly open lips made him look like he was in a daze.

Since it seemed like he was reacting to the man’s name, I was a little nervous. For the usually calm Deron to be so surprised, he must be a more significant figure than I thought. From the start I didn’t think he was an ordinary person, but it seemed like he was an even more amazing being than I had imagined. Besides, his actions were the most noticeable, but the others were in a similar state. Isana and Alisa kept coughing as if they had choked, and Sibelius was just gaping like a fish. It seemed like everyone knew the name well.

I racked my brain to figure out his identity. Judging from the fact that he appeared with Ellyuen, there was a high possibility that he was also a high-ranking god. Among the gods, there was a name Kanos… Huh? Wait a minute, Kanos? Kanos, you said?

“……Demon God Kanos?!”

My spine tingled at the belated realization. When I shouted in shock, the black-haired man smiled brightly.

“Correct! Very good.”

“……!”

No way! Is that man really a Demon God?

I was breathless because I never expected him to actually confirm it. The others also seemed newly shocked, and their complexions rapidly turned pale.

“H, how can a Demon God be here….”

I thought I would have to meet him someday, but not like this. There were so many things I wanted to ask and confirm if I met him, but when the man in front of me said he was a Demon God, my mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything.

“Hehe, are you surprised? Come to think of it, is this the first time we’ve met in this form? It’s not our first time, but nice to meet you.”

The black-haired man—no, Demon God Kanos, who had strode over as he pleased, grabbed my hand and shook it up and down. I was caught off guard and let him do as he pleased, but then I was startled and shook him off. It was an action that could be considered rude, but he didn’t seem to care much. His face was still smiling kindly, and he was looking at me with friendly eyes.

I never thought Kanos, whom I had only heard about, would be like this. Until now, when I thought of a Demon God, I could only imagine a fierce and scary appearance, but I was embarrassed because he had a more handsome and gentle impression than I thought. Not only his appearance but also his tone and personality were very different from what I had expected. Huh? Wait, but he said it wasn’t our first time?

“……Are you saying we’ve met before?”

He clearly said, ‘This is the first time we’ve met in this form.’ That means we’ve met each other before. At my question, Kanos smiled strangely for a moment and nodded.

“Yes. We have met.”

“R, really? Where?”

Was he one of the Demon God cultists in the academy? Or before that? I couldn’t get a grasp because there was nothing I could guess. Kanos smiled brightly as he watched me become confused.

“Why don’t you guess who I am?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you know? It shouldn’t be too difficult. Shall I give you a hint? What did Ellyuen call me a little while ago?”

Sweat dripped down my face at the sparkling black eyes that seemed to be having fun. What did Ellyuen call him? That’s…….

“…….”

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion. Then my mind turned cold in an instant. The Demon God intervened while we were talking about ‘El.’ Ellyuen said he had already met El, and suddenly turned to him and told him to explain. ……And he called him El.

“Could it be…….”

I groaned as I looked at the Demon God smiling in front of me. I didn’t want to believe it because it was so absurd, but I couldn’t think of anything else, and I felt like my mouth was drying up. But the Demon God didn’t seem to have any intention of considering my feelings.

“That’s right, I was El.”

“……!”

Sounds of gasping echoed from here and there at the nonchalant reply. Suddenly, my head started to throb. El, you say. He *was* El? Then wasn’t the real El…was being trapped for 4,000 years…was that all a lie?

El was fake. Now I knew what he meant by being the culprit. The existence of El itself had already become suspicious, but his confession made me feel like a conclusion had been completely reached. I didn’t know where to start or what to say. Kanos seemed carefree, as if he had detonated a huge bomb all by himself. He clearly didn’t care at all about the repercussions of what he had said.

“No way!”

At that moment, someone jumped forward and grabbed the Demon God by the collar. It was Sibelius, his face contorted with anger. He was the one who couldn’t accept this shocking situation more than anyone else. A fierce light flashed in his blue eyes.

Deron didn’t stand still at that action. The Demon God was the creator of the demons, and Deron was a member of that demon race. No one could tolerate anyone treating their god carelessly.

“Hey! What are you doing to the Demon God!”

“Shut up!”

When Deron rushed at him, Sibelius roughly pushed him away. He wouldn’t have been pushed back by force under normal circumstances, but Sibelius was so agitated now that he was knocked away more easily than expected. Deron couldn’t approach again because Kanos raised his hand to stop him.

“K, Kanos-nim [formal suffix]!”

“It’s okay, step back, Deron. It seems like he has something to say to me.”

At Kanos’s words, Deron swallowed a groan and stepped back. Even so, his face was flushed. He seemed moved by the fact that Kanos had called his name. On the other hand, Sibelius was even angrier and gritted his teeth. He was staring intently at Kanos without even blinking.

“You were El? The El who was with us all this time, wasn’t the real him, but a fake you played? You want me to believe that?”

At the harsh words, Kanos smiled leisurely even while being grabbed by the collar.

“Well, I don’t really care whether you believe it or not? I’m just telling the truth.”

“Don’t lie! There’s no way! There’s no way you could be El! His abilities, his personality, even his trivial tone and expressions! Everything was exactly the same as the El I remember! But how could you……!”

“Haha, that’s obvious. I created that El by embodying him as he is in your memory.”

“……What?”

“A god of my level can see right through someone else’s mind.”

At that moment, Kanos’s appearance in front of him changed to ‘El.’ The clothes he was wearing, his hairstyle, and even the weapons he was wearing were all exactly the same as El’s appearance while he was with us. The blonde El smiled at Sibelius, who flinched as if he had been caught off guard.

“The El I played was created by taking the appearance of the El you know. So, of course, it can’t help but be the same as the image in your memory.”

“…….”

With a heavy silence, Sibelius’s hand, which had been grabbing his collar, fell limply. He staggered back one step at a time, looking precarious. Eventually, he soon collapsed to the floor.

“S, Sibelius!”

I was surprised and tried to approach him, but someone’s arm blocked my way. It was Ellyuen. He shook his head at me and then looked down at Sibelius with a cold gaze.

“You must understand a little now. The only reason I’m letting you live right now is because you’re also a victim of that damn bastard’s prank. It’s not because I condone your actions.”

“Prank……?”

“Yes, a prank.”

A cold smile was added to the indifferent gaze.

“The Demon God Kanos, the god of gods, is famous for his eccentric personality and malicious curiosity. He had been hearing rumors that I had adopted a child and had been watching for an opportunity. I was hiding it thoroughly because I was afraid this would happen, but he must have found out by chance while lurking. Disguising himself and even the spells laid out in this dungeon were all his work to drive my son into a corner. You were beautifully used in that plan.”

Sibelius’s eyes shook as he listened to the explanation. I couldn’t help but look at Kanos with a dumbfounded feeling. He, who had been ‘El’ until a little while ago, had returned to his original form. Seeing that appearance made me realize that he had really been disguised as El.

To think that even the spells inside the dungeon were all the Demon God’s pranks. I was even more taken aback when I heard that all of those things were to torment me.

How much hardship have I gone through since entering the dungeon? My face hardened as I recalled the many hardships I had suffered. The other members of the group seemed to feel the same way as me. Even if they didn’t remember the last hallucination, the things they had experienced before that were more than enough to be difficult. As blame settled in people’s eyes (even Deron’s), Kanos scratched his cheek with a troubled expression.

“That’s too much, Ellyuen. When you say that, it makes me sound like some kind of villain.”

“Villain? That would be cute. You’re just evil. A lump of evil itself that can’t be saved.”

“Wow, that’s really too much. I only slightly modified the existing traps in the dungeon, you know?”

“Slightly modified? Are you talking about laying down a spell that even breaks the spirit of the Spirit King?”

“No, it was really just a little bit. I just made his emotions severely unstable beforehand so that he would be easily caught by that level of spell.”

“……Yes, you have a talent for saying you wanted to die in a very long way.”

Ellyuen, who had muttered gloomily, grabbed Kanos’s neck tightly. Kanos coughed exaggeratedly, and Ellyuen, who was furious at the sight, strangled his neck even harder. I was worried that he might actually kill him. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop him because Ellyuen seemed to be furious. Even Deron didn’t seem to dare to intervene this time.