Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 350

Luseph’s mouth gaped open, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The hand that had been clutching at Kanos’s collar slowly lost its strength. He stumbled backward, his expression a mask of confusion.

“Sibelius… is alive?”

“Ah, right. Sibelius. That was the name.”

“Impossible. I heard he was dead… that he got caught up in the human wars… and was killed by a mage before he could even react…”

“Did you check the death ledger in the Underworld?”

“…I couldn’t find it. His body was incinerated without a trace, and his soul was said to have fallen into a dimensional rift. Once that happens, no one can track where it goes. So, I’ve just been waiting for him to turn up by chance…”

“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. He was sealed in a dimensional rift, after all.”

“Sealed…?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask the guy who told you he was dead? He can explain what happened.”

A flicker of light flashed in Luseph’s bright blue eyes before disappearing. Kanos’s grinning face was usually one of the things he hated most, but he didn’t care right now. He had a rough idea of what had happened. Luseph clenched his fist.

“That feeling when your creations don’t do what you want. I know it well.”

“…”

A groan escaped Luseph’s lips at Kanos’s humming tone. He vaguely recalled the times when he had been badgered to fix the messes the demons had made. The excitement that had filled his head slowly subsided. Luseph calmly smoothed back his fallen hair. He felt a deep fatigue, as if he had been through a terrible ordeal.

“…If Sibelius is really alive, it’s not entirely my fault that I didn’t sense it. That child denies his own bloodline. He has no pride in his clan, no family affection, not even faith. He has even less presence than Glen, who abandoned his power, so it’s always been hard to keep track of him. Naturally, he hasn’t awakened the power of the Rune [a magical power]. So, even if I wanted to use him as a contact, it would be impossible.”

“Figure it out. Now that you know he’s alive, there must be a way for you to force the issue.”

“But what if he goes crazy like his brother…”

“It’s a problem if his creator god is scared. I’m not saying you should be forceful. Just knock on the door gently. There’s probably a chance. He might have lived in a suit of armor before, but he’s softened up quite a bit now.”

“What… do you mean?”

Kanos laughed at his bewildered question. In all the years they had known each other, this was the first time he had seen him smile so gently. While those watching were lost in admiration, Kanos muttered to himself.

“He’s made quite a good friend.”

* * *

Sibelius’s day begins with preparing meals. Today, unusually, the supplies included seafood. It was a surprise gift from the Cliff Merchant Guild to comfort the soldiers who were tired from the long battle. Thanks to the development of magical preservation methods, it wasn’t difficult to get seafood on land, but it was too expensive to eat often. The soldiers were enthusiastic, and Sibelius’s hands began to move busily after a long time. He cut the fish into thick pieces and cleaned them thoroughly, then stir-fried the bones and heads with various vegetables and simmered them to make broth. Next, he stir-fried the prepared fish with onions, tomatoes, and garlic, then added the broth and herbs and simmered again for a long time. As the rich fish soup was completed, everyone watching swallowed hard as he added mussels and octopus and simmered it down.

Sibelius had a habit of letting someone nearby taste the food when he was done cooking. Everyone waited for that moment with bated breath. As expected, when he scooped the dish onto a plate, everyone craned their necks and tried to stand out.

The luck of tasting went to the youngest cook, who was also the shortest. As everyone watched intently, the youngest soldier carefully scooped up the fish and shrimp that had absorbed the broth with a spoon. It was a reverent posture, as if performing a sacred ritual. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his eyes widened.

“How is it?”

“Kuh! Kuhhh! Amazing! It’s so delicious! I’ve never had such delicious fish stew in my life!”

The other soldiers wore blissful expressions, as if they had eaten it themselves, at the youngest soldier’s exaggerated praise. Sibelius, the cook, just chuckled.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“No! It’s really delicious! I heard that blue elves eat seafood as their staple food, is that why? It’s fish, but it doesn’t smell fishy at all! What kind of magic did you use?”

“It’s not magic. You can just add white wine to get rid of the fishy smell.”

“Ugh, that’s like magic to me. I know the method, but it doesn’t work for me. Anyway, my mouth is enjoying itself today. I thought I would suffer a lot from food when I came to the military. I never thought I would think that it was a good thing to participate in the war.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

“Yes! Have I ever told you? Sibelius-nim [honorific suffix in Korean] is definitely blessed by the god of cooking!”

“Is there even a god like that?”

Sibelius was taken aback but accepted the sincere compliment with pleasure. When all the preparations were finally completed, those who had been waiting rushed forward. While the distribution was taking place, Sibelius also headed to his camp with a pre-prepared meal. Alisa and Asel were still fast asleep. He placed the tray on the table and knocked on the tightly locked doors to wake his companions, as he always had.

“Alisa, Asel. Everyone, wake up. It’s meal time.”

The inside, which had been silent even after he called out, began to stir only after he knocked a few more times. By the time he had set the food out, Alisa and Asel came out with disheveled faces, each opening their doors.

“Haaam, good morning.”

“Good morning, Sibelius-ssi [honorific suffix in Korean]. Mmm, smells delicious.”

“Good morning to both of you. Come and sit down.”

Unlike Asel, who had regained her senses while walking, Alisa still couldn’t open her eyes even after sitting in her chair. Sibelius scooped up a spoonful of stew and put it in Alisa’s wandering mouth. Alisa, who had unconsciously accepted it like a chick, opened her eyes wide.

“Wow, what is this? It’s so delicious!”

“It’s fish stew. Is it okay?”

“It’s really the best! Ah, I can’t believe it! Is there any dish that Sibelius-ssi [honorific suffix in Korean] can’t make?”

Asel, next to her, nodded repeatedly as she burst into praise. Now that they were fully awake, both of their eyes were sparkling.

“Sibelius-ssi [honorific suffix in Korean], won’t you marry me?”

“You can come to me, too.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, you two, and eat before it gets cold.”

“Okay, I’ll enjoy the meal!”

“Thank you for the meal!”

With a loud shout, the two began to eat the stew in earnest. The way they swallowed it all down, as if they were absorbing it, seemed to show that the word ‘delicious’ was not an empty one. Sibelius, who had been watching them with satisfaction, soon took a bite of his own stew. He thought it tasted pretty good. Suddenly, the words of the cook who had praised him so much came to his mind again, and he chuckled.

“God’s blessing…”

“Huh? What did you say, Sibelius-ssi [honorific suffix in Korean]?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

After answering casually, Sibelius flinched. He thought they would lose interest if he answered this far, but instead, the two of them were sending him even brighter eyes.

“I’m curious about Sibelius-ssi’s [honorific suffix in Korean] childhood. Did you look like a blue elf when you were a kid, too?”

“Hmm, no. I was just a human back then. Originally, the basic manifestation of a unicorn is in human form.”

“Then when did you start turning into a blue elf? No, why did you decide to change into a blue elf?”

“Well. A blue elf came to visit the village once. I guess I liked the look of it.”

“I see.”

To be exact, it was just that he wanted to look a little different from the clansmen. He decided to hide such a bitter truth.

To be more honest, he also hated hearing that he looked more and more like his brother as the days went by. The blue elf who visited the village at that time was like an escape route for him. Silver hair and blue eyes were noble symbols that only the Rune’s bloodline had in the unicorn clan, but they were common colors that everyone in the blue elf clan had by default. If he became a blue elf, his uniqueness would turn into something ordinary in an instant. Because the elder didn’t like his appearance, he tried harder to maintain it. Now he was so used to this appearance that he had no intention of looking any different, but back then it was almost out of spite. Now he couldn’t even remember what his original appearance was like.