Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 231

231. Episode 231

“I won’t let things proceed according to his wishes any longer.”

The Duke’s fists, resting on his knees, clenched tightly. He had already lifted the lockdown of the mansion and was organizing troops, fully preparing to confront the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke’s soldiers stationed in Clamor and those cooperating with them were being pursued and captured. Soon, he would declare the Grand Duke a traitor to the empire and march towards the capital where the Imperial Palace was located.

When the head of the most influential duchy in the empire began to move, it would significantly affect public opinion. In fact, from the moment the curse on the Duke was lifted, the Grand Duke’s plans had begun to unravel. Or perhaps, it was from the very moment Isana was missed. Isana seemed to think so too, as she relaxed her hardened face and smiled.

“I feel the same way. I think I’ve been surprised enough by my uncle, so it’s my turn to return the favor one by one. I will definitely make him pay for touching my people.”

The determination she had held for a long time was spoken in a firm voice. Her face, never losing its composure, shone with confidence. The Duke’s eyes were filled with emotion as he watched her.

“Everything is according to His Majesty the Emperor’s will.”

Following the solemn command, everyone in the room knelt before the Emperor. Watching the scene from a short distance, my companions and I exchanged satisfied smiles.

* * *

“Hmm, so that’s how things turned out.”

The woman, who had been silently listening to the long explanation, nodded. With her captivating red hair cascading down like a waterfall, the woman lounging comfortably on a cushion was Ikana, the head of the Cliff Merchant Guild—no, Ifrit. I had stopped by the guild to explain the past events and to repay the favors I had received.

Ifrit, whom I had met after a long time, seemed quite busy but in a good mood. Thanks to being recognized for protecting April, she was on the fast track to success in the guild. The Duke remembered Ikana, who had used her authority as the guild’s head to arrange a meeting between him and his sister, and was very grateful for her continued protection of April. As a reward, he had indicated that he would spare no support for the guild.

The Demon followers who had been persistently harassing them had locked the doors of the temple as soon as the Duke ended his seclusion and became quiet, making it difficult to find them. Thanks to this, the previously sluggish operation seemed to be actively resuming.

“It’s really good that the Duke came to his senses. Thanks to that, our guild is now at its peak. I didn’t trust you much, so I wondered if it would work out. You’re more useful than I thought?”

“……Are you calling that a compliment right now?”

“Of course, it’s a compliment. It’s better than being called useless, isn’t it?”

“You…….”

“Anyway, I need to get a lot from the Duke this time. Since a war is about to start, I should ask for exclusive rights to sell military supplies. He’s the benefactor who helped his only sister, so he’ll definitely give me that much, right?”

“Is that all you can think about at a time like this?”

“Of course. Why else would I have taken care of April?”

Her face, replying with a sulky expression, showed no sign of worry. She clearly didn’t care about the Demon King or the evil god. I don’t know why everyone is so carefree. But Ifrit looked at me as if I was the strange one.

“Why are you so worried? Stop saying things like you have a bad feeling; you’re not Trowell. Trowell isn’t saying anything right now.”

“Well, that’s true. It’s been over half a month since I parted ways with Kanos. But it’s still quiet, so I’m a little uneasy.”

Of course, he has no obligation to inform me of the progress in the Demon World. No news is good news, so the fact that there is no news means that things are going smoothly. Still, it was frustrating not knowing what was going on.

“How about the Grand Duke’s side?”

“They don’t seem to have any particular reaction yet. ……Maybe.”

“Why maybe? Didn’t you check it yourself?”

“No, I did check.”

I could answer that part with confidence. Apart from Isana’s people actively preparing for war, I had also been using ‘Eyes’ [a magical ability for remote viewing] from time to time to observe the situation in the Imperial City. Even if the Grand Duke’s disposition was left to Isana, I couldn’t condone the evil deeds he would commit in the meantime. I was planning to interfere if he tried to perform another ritual, but the Grand Duke had been quiet for the past few days. To be exact, he was holed up in his office and not moving at all.

“So what’s the problem?”

“……His appearance is blurry.”

I confessed the thing that bothered me the most while watching the Grand Duke. From the first time I started looking at him until now, I had never seen his appearance clearly. Even though he was in the same place, everyone else was clearly visible, but only his appearance and voice were conveyed with a slightly murky feeling. It was as if a thick curtain was covering him. There was an aura flowing in the Imperial Palace that blocked and sensed magic, but it was a different kind of power. If I, a Spirit King, couldn’t see him clearly, other people wouldn’t be able to sense him even if he was right in front of them. I think I know why he hasn’t been caught even though he’s been performing rituals right under the Imperial City.

He’s not a real Demon follower; he’s just an ordinary human, but he has this power because he made a contract with the Demon King. His power is protecting the Grand Duke. That’s what makes me uneasy. Ifrit, who had been listening calmly, frowned at those words.

“He’s still under the protection of the Demon King. That means the Demon King is still alive. If he were dead, the contract would have been broken.”

“So it is, right? Could it be that Kanos failed…….”

“That’s impossible. He’s a Demon God, not another god, so that can’t be?”

Her face asking back contained an expression that she didn’t know why I was thinking such absurd things. It seemed that she thought it would definitely succeed just because the one who stepped in to fix it was a Demon God, not just a feeling. Come to think of it, Lapis seemed to take the fact that a Demon God had stepped in the most seriously. I hesitated and asked, wondering if there was another reason I didn’t know.

“Are Demon Gods that great? I think I heard that they are the strongest among the gods except for the main god.”

“Of course. They are the supreme gods. High-ranking gods are originally strong, but they can’t be compared to the supreme gods. They are the ones who opened the divine realm and laid the foundation, so their meaning is different. Besides, you said it was Elquines? Then he must have been the first Elquines.”

“Yeah, I heard. So what?”

“Tsk, tsk, you know that and you still don’t realize it? You still have a long way to go?”

After lightly clicking her tongue, Ifrit looked at me with a pathetic look.

“I don’t think you still understand our structure, so let me explain it to you properly. Listen carefully, El. Spirit Kings are semi-spiritual beings, so they are complete from the beginning but not complete. So, apart from their innate power, power accumulates in their souls during their lifetime. In short, they grow.”

“They grow?”

“Yes, of course, it’s the soul that grows, so you can’t see it as actual power. Anyway, Spirit Kings have a structure where the four of them have to balance each other, so there’s no need to argue about who is stronger. In fact, until now, I didn’t even know what the power was for. I just thought it would help in the afterlife; who knew that we would become gods after disappearing? This is a more important issue than it looks. The world of gods is different from our spirits, and the hierarchy is determined by the difference in the power they possess. Even if they are the same high-ranking god, their influence on the surroundings is completely different.”

“You mean you become a stronger god as you grow here?”

“That’s right. It’s obvious that the longer you live, the more you grow, right? Now, let me get straight to the point. Among the first Spirit Kings, Elquines was born first and disappeared last. This is so amazing because at that time, the lifespan was not fixed like it is now.”

“……!”

Not having a fixed lifespan means that they lived infinitely like gods.

Towards me, who was surprised, Ifrit continued the next words. At that time, the spirit world was newly created, so it was very chaotic and unstable. The world was empty without anything, and the Spirit Kings were born one by one with a difference of hundreds of millions of years. Even in the case of Ifrit, who was born last, there was a difference of 800 million years from Minerva, who was born before her.

“Do you understand that huge gap? But Elquines was the last to disappear among them. Maybe Elquines lived for tens of billions of years alone?”

“T, tens of billions?”

“That’s right. In short, it means that he accumulated the power of tens of billions of years. That’s what the current Demon God is. Do you know how amazing it is now?”

I nodded with a half-dazed feeling. He was really an amazing being. Even if I can’t quantify the power he has, I know that it is immeasurably far from me. I only saw him being unilaterally beaten by Ellyuen, so I felt a little comfortable, but after all, the appearance is not everything. It was natural that Ifrit didn’t think about his failure.

“I’m relieved that the Demon God is so strong. But why is the Demon King still alive?”

“Isn’t the work in the Demon World still in progress? Or is it taking time to finish?”

“Is that so……?”

“Well, the opponent is an evil god about to awaken, so it won’t be as simple as you think. Anyway, there won’t be any problems right now. If things went wrong, the divine realm would have been turned upside down first. First of all, Ellyuen wouldn’t be still. Wouldn’t he be the first to tell you the news? I don’t really want to admit it, but Ellyuen takes good care of you.”

Well, that’s true too.

As I was about to nod in agreement, I felt a stinging gaze on my face. I don’t know why, but Ifrit was glaring at me with burning eyes. Feeling an ominous feeling and trying to back away, he moved faster. He rushed at me in an instant, wrapped his arm around my neck, and began to choke me.

“Ugh! What was that suddenly for!”

“What else? It’s the punishment of love from your future stepmother! That expression as if it’s natural for Ellyuen to contact you! It’s really annoying! Is it okay because you’re his son? Is it okay because you’re his son!”

“Ah, come on! What kind of punishment of love is this!”

I was exhausted from struggling with him for a long time. When I released the restraint and barely escaped, Ifrit was also exhausted and was panting on the floor. I’m so glad I visited alone. If the other members of the group had seen this, they would have downgraded their evaluation of the Spirit Kings to the mantle [a position of authority or responsibility]. I sighed, sweeping back my disheveled hair.

“You really need to stop taking it out on innocent people. Don’t you feel pathetic yourself? You can’t say anything to Ellyuen.”

“Hmph, of course I can’t! I only remember fighting when I was a Spirit King; how much more of a bad impression should I give here? Do you know what he said back then? He said he didn’t want to associate with me because I had a bad temper!”

“……You must have done quite a bit.”

“Shut up! Anyway, I have to show a different side of myself now so that he will look at me again!”

It was strange that she was showing a gentle side to Ellyuen, even though she had been constantly fighting. I thought people changed when they became aware of their feelings, but it was all intentional and calculated behavior. It seems to be a method that I have carefully decided on, but I don’t know if it had a very good effect, seeing Ellyuen looking at her as if she had eaten something wrong every time.

“While I’m at it, don’t you think it’s really too much when I think about it? But I have a worse temper than me! That’s why you can’t do anything with those who are good-looking? ……But I can’t help it because the one who fell in love first loses. No matter how unpleasant and annoying it is, I will endure until Ellyuen comes over to me.”

“Ah, yeah. That’s commendable.”

“If you understand, cooperate properly! Keep mentioning to Ellyuen that I’m not the same as before! Got it?”

“……I think it’s already too late.”

“Too late?”

“Did you forget that I have Ellyuen’s seal?”

“……Huh?”

“I think he watches my situation sometimes.”

“…….”

Maybe he saw everything that happened just now. When I added one more word, Ifrit’s face turned as white as if it had been discolored.

For a while after that, I was able to leisurely watch the sight of him grabbing his hair and writhing in pain. I wanted to sip some tea for visual effect, but Ifrit, who is stingy with hospitality, would not bring such a thing, so I had to soothe my disappointment empty-handed. Of course, I wouldn’t have wanted to drink it even if he had given it to me.

“Did he see it? What if he saw it?”

“Well, don’t you think you don’t need to pretend to have a different personality? Ellyuen probably knows you better than you do, no matter how much you pretend.”

“……Have you grown a lot in the meantime?”

“If you’re harassed here and there, you’ll grow even if you don’t want to.”

At the reply that didn’t give in, Ifrit glared at me with a hateful look. Even so, seeing that he doesn’t try to choke me again, it seems that he has a great desire to look good to Ellyuen.

“Okay, I’ll make an exception because you’re my son. They say it’s a parent’s love for their child, so what can a mother do but endure?”

“Who’s the mother? Can you please stop insisting on that ridiculous relationship?”

“Shut up. Speaking of Ellyuen, did you know that? There’s a rumor that Ellyuen has almost the same power as that Demon God.”

“Huh? Really?”

“That’s right. I looked into the rumors about him a little bit. Ellyuen’s soul was close to being complete from the beginning. If the Demon God accumulated power through growth, Ellyuen’s innate power itself is amazing. Isn’t it really amazing?”

Ifrit had a blissful expression as if Ellyuen was standing in front of him. He was all excited and proud of his own business, focusing all his attention on one rumor. I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking that even Spirit Kings are helpless when they fall in love.