Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 305

305. The Great War (2)

“After classifying them by their region of origin, we grouped them by family, and then by age and gender. I thought this would make it easier to grasp the scale and determine the distribution amount. It will also be easier to identify people who came from outside.”

“Hmm. I was worried about spies infiltrating among the refugees. It seems you’ve taken that into account as well.”

“I simply thought that impurities are likely to mix in during times of chaos.”

It was a calm answer that seemed to represent his nature. Isana’s gaze deepened as he stared at him. Asel glanced up, perhaps uncomfortable with the lengthening silence, and quickly lowered his gaze when he met Isana’s eyes. A slight smile appeared on Isana’s face, which had been expressionless until then.

“I received a rather interesting report recently. It concerned the compensation to be given to the dead and wounded in this war, and the direction of welfare for the bereaved families. When I asked who proposed it, I heard it was a distinguished guest from abroad. Are you the one who made that proposal?”

“I-I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”

“No, I quite liked it. I thought the direction you suggested was appropriate, so I ordered it to be implemented as is.”

“I am honored.”

Asel bowed his head, his face flushed. Isana’s smile deepened at his reaction, which couldn’t hide his shyness.

“Asel, may I call you that?”

“P-Please, make yourself comfortable.”

“I will, Asel. I am grateful for your help. The Carters Empire has nurtured an outstanding talent. May I ask for your advice on future matters?”

“Y-You flatter me. If my mind is of any use, I would be happy to help.”

“Thank you.”

After smiling, Isana exchanged a brief glance with me and then left the room. Asel’s expression was blank as he watched him walk away. He stared for a long time, then muttered, still dazed.

“El, Your Majesty thanked me.”

“So what?”

“For a member of the Imperial Family to thank someone like me… I’ve never met anyone like that before.”

It was a greeting that should be received as a matter of course from the person who gave the help. He didn’t receive a huge reward, but he was so moved by just one word. At times like this, I’m keenly aware that this is a class society with a caste system. I smiled wryly and said something that would make him even happier.

“It seems like Isana quite likes you.”

“Yes?”

“Isana, I mean. I’ve rarely seen him be so casual with someone right away. If they’re not his people, he’s usually overly polite. It seems like he’s opening up to Asel easily, so he must think very highly of you.”

Even if he’s from another country, it would be nice to be favored by someone so high up. As expected, Asel’s eyes widened. He seemed even more moved than I thought, and he even looked a little choked up.

Since that day, Asel seemed to have gained confidence and began to get more involved in the work. He went beyond examining the situation inside the camp and seemed to organize his thoughts and send proposals directly to Isana. On those days, they would arrange private meetings and have long conversations. They didn’t try to hide their interactions, so I heard the news without having to ask separately.

“I heard you’ve been hanging out with Asel a lot lately?”

When I asked out of curiosity, Isana smiled with an unusually satisfied expression.

“He grew up in a different environment than this place, so he has many fresh perspectives. Thanks to him, I’m getting a lot of help in changing the fixed ideas I unknowingly had.”

“I see. That’s good.”

“Yeah, and Asel also read my stars.”

“Stars?”

Ah, now that I think about it, he said he was an astrologer. I nodded, recalling the memory of being quite surprised when I heard it once. I heard that his group was able to come all the way here thanks to the stars he read. If the crown prince trusts him so much that he leaves the way to him, he must be a very talented astrologer. He actually found his way here, so there was no doubt about his skills.

“My star is in the south. People born under the southern star are generally said to have gentle personalities and strong patience. The position of the star receives the blessing of the earth, but the date I was born is a time when the energy of the wind is strong, so it actually brings in the energy of water.”

“Huh? That sounds quite plausible.”

“Right? He also matched the time when I experienced major events while growing up with things like the amount of rainfall and crop yields that year. Astrology is not common in our empire, so I never had a chance to experience it properly, but it seems really amazing. Next time, he’s going to look at my love life and my luck with children. He also said he’d find out the most suitable date for carrying out the great task.”

“Haha, it seems like you’ve become really close.”

“I like him more and more.”

Isana, who answered readily, did not show the same shyness as usual. It was the first time I had seen him express his feelings so actively, without hesitating even once, so I even felt a little strange.

“I really don’t like this situation.”

Of course, there was also someone who was very unhappy with this situation. The owner of the grumbling voice was Alisa. As Isana spent more time with Asel, she openly showed her wariness. It wasn’t just jealousy that she was losing a close friend. She seemed to think that he, who had suddenly appeared and was exerting influence like a flood, was threatening her position, which she had built up as a comrade. This was partly my fault. Every time she contributed to the battle, I gave all the credit to Alisa, which seemed to leave her with a sense of guilt that she hadn’t achieved it on her own. In comparison, Asel had caught Isana’s eye with his own abilities, so a sense of competition had sprung up.

I gave an awkward smile as I watched Alisa, who couldn’t bring herself to openly interfere and was just huffing and puffing inside the tent. As was innocently held in her arms, unrelated to this situation. He was a sacrificial lamb forcibly chosen by Alisa because she needed emotional stability.

“…Alisaa. I’m suffocating.”

“Just bear with it a little longer. I feel like I feel better when I hold something cute.”

“I’m not cute. I’m all grown up.”

“You’re still cute to me.”

“…Until when, then?”

“Until I feel completely better!”

Attempts at resistance were repeated several times, but to no avail. As’s face darkened rapidly, and he sent me a pleading look for help. I could feel Sibelius and Deron desperately trying not to look at us (I’ll make an exception for Lapis, since he doesn’t get involved in anything). It was to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out. It wasn’t just my imagination that As’s eyes were getting more and more fierce as he stared at the two of them. I thought something was going to happen, so I quickly started to appease Alisa.

“Alisa, as I always say, you’re a mid-level spiritist. You know that’s an achievement that’s hard to achieve at your age. That’s amazing enough. Do you think anyone can handle the tricks I make up? You’re the only one who can support me.”

“I know. But Isana has important debates with Asel, but he doesn’t talk to me about that.”

“Hmm, isn’t that because you’re still young? And Asel and you are in a slightly different position.”

“What’s different? Is it because I’m a woman?”

“No. He sees Asel as someone to use as a tool. Alisa, you’re like a friend and family to him.”

I swallowed the words that she was also his destined lover. Fortunately, the expression wasn’t bad, and the face that had been crumpled up was a little relieved.

“If we’re friends and family, shouldn’t we share important things together?”

“There are things you can’t do because you’re precious. And as I said, you’re still too young. Isana has been against you participating in the war. That’s why he doesn’t want you to get more involved.”

“…If I get bigger, will Isana rely on me more?”

“Maybe he will?”

“When that time comes, will there be things that he only tells me?”

“Of course.”

Alisa’s face became more relaxed when I nodded. She gained peace of mind with just an uncertain, speculative answer. I was reminded of how much influence Isana was having on her. It would be nice if she could tell Isana how she really felt. It was a pity and cute that she couldn’t say a word to him and was just groaning behind his back.

Anyway, thanks to that, As was freed. After soothing the child who ran away as soon as he was released and clung to my back, I gave Alisa a request.

“Anyway, Alisa, get along with Asel. You might be seeing each other for a long time, so it would be nice to be friends.”

“Ummm, I’ll think about it. But is that person really going to come over here?”

“Well, I don’t know. It would be nice if he did.”

“El, it seems like you like that guy quite a bit?”

Sibelius, who had been listening until then, joined the conversation. He had a very surprised expression, so I shrugged my shoulders.

“I like him because he has a good personality and seems to have a hard-working attitude. Sibyl, don’t you think so? He’s a descendant of your brother, even if it’s several generations later.”

In fact, the most incomprehensible thing to me was Sibelius’s reaction. Asel was the heir to the unicorn’s blood, and I was also taking care of him and teaching him, so I thought they had a close relationship. But Sibelius mentioned Asel as if he were a stranger. He had a troubled expression, like someone who had received a difficult question.

“Well, I don’t know. The blood is already very diluted. He’s almost human.”

“So you have no relationship at all?”

“To be honest, yes.”

“But…”

“I feel sorry for the situation he was in, but that’s it. In the first place, I don’t feel any special affection for my own kind. I might even hate them. Asel is the same. Maybe I’m being kind to him because he’s closer to a human.”

“…”

I was speechless, so I quietly closed my mouth. I knew he hated his clan, but I felt like I had reaffirmed the depth of his feelings. It was a deeper and darker abyss than I thought.

“El, I… I don’t think bloodlines mean anything. In the end, the relationship ends when they leave. Nevertheless, the abandoned side becomes more miserable. I don’t want to be obsessed with such an unfair relationship.”

I couldn’t deny those words because I had once suffered from the same thoughts. An unfair relationship where you only confirm the feeling of becoming more miserable the more you cling to it. I knew it all too well. There were days when I was so afraid that this moment was a dream that I was startled, and I was so painfully and painfully. That’s why I was even sadder. I also knew that the emptiness caused by it could not be filled with anything.

I don’t know what kind of eyes I’m looking at him with now, but judging from the gloomy shadow on Sibelius’s face, I didn’t seem to have a very comfortable expression.

“Where are you going?”

“…!”

Fortunately, the voice that came from outside naturally interrupted the conversation. It wasn’t a nobleman, but coincidentally, it was Asel’s voice. Because of the timing, Sibelius’s face hardened even more. It wasn’t so much that he hated it, but rather an expression closer to the embarrassment of a child who had been caught stealing food. If he really didn’t care, he wouldn’t have reacted even at times like this. Even though he said that, he couldn’t turn away as coldly as he had resolved in his head. Come to think of it, he had an unexpectedly weak side. Even when the fake El appeared and was causing conflict, he couldn’t be cruel to me until the end. When I remembered that, a smile came out.

But apart from that situation, it was strange that Asel was here. The barracks we use are built in a place away from the camp because Sibelius makes them by illegal means. It was a very deserted place, and it was also the farthest place from the barracks where Asel and his group were staying.

I could feel about five presences. That was the number of the crown prince’s group. Judging from the fact that the distance was getting farther and farther away, it seemed that this place itself was not the destination, but just a passing road. Were they going out for a group outing? It was getting dark as the day was coming to an end. It was not an appropriate time to go for a walk, so I felt even more strange. I couldn’t resist my curiosity and opened the door slightly. I could see a group walking away quickly in the distance. As expected, it was the crown prince and Asel’s group.

I expected a light atmosphere like an after-dinner exercise, but their expressions were quite serious. The crown prince looked angry, and Asel and the rest of the people who were following him looked very embarrassed.

“Your Highness, where are you going?”

Even with Asel’s repeated calls, the crown prince’s steps did not stop. The quickly receding backs were soon swallowed up into the darker side and disappeared. I decided to follow them without much hesitation. Someone quickly followed me beside me. It was Sibelius.

“Just. I was curious about what was going on…”

I just looked at him, but an unasked excuse came out. The person who was doing that had a more complicated expression, so I nodded without showing any special expression on purpose. I pretended not to know that a sigh of relief was reaching the top of my head.