Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 357

Chapter 357

“So, what do we do now? It’s not like the Grand Duke will just appear because we’re looking for him. Should we join up with Isana for now?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, El. Being among humans will restrict your actions even more. It’s better to stay as we are for the time being.”

Trowel said in a relaxed tone as I was deep in thought. He was staring intently at something.

“And you don’t have to worry about future plans. I think we’ll have something to do soon.”

“Something to do?”

“Yeah, over there.”

With his reply, he stretched out his arm and pointed forward. Wondering what he meant, I turned to look and my eyes widened. I could feel the space rippling in the direction he was pointing. Soon, a figure appeared with a burst of intense flames. The first thing that caught my eye was the vivid red hair. Shades of vermilion, yellow, and crimson mixed together, brightening and dimming as if they contained heat. If Lapis’s red was like a jewel, his red was like the sun itself—a symbol of blessing that governs the world’s light and temperature, an existence that *is* the sun itself.

“Ifrit?”

As I muttered in response to the unexpected appearance, Ifrit’s closed eyes snapped open. Eyes the same color as his hair were revealed between his sharply angled eyes. It was the moment I met his gaze head-on.

“Why are you…”

“Ugh, this is such a pain! Why do I have to do this?”

A harsh voice lashed out as soon as I tried to speak. Ifrit, whom I was meeting after a long time, seemed to be angry. Of course, he always looked like that when he was dealing with me, but I usually went to him, so I just accepted it. This was the first time he had bothered to come to me and be irritable, so I was a little taken aback. While I was blinking, not knowing how to react, Ifrit walked straight up to me and leaned his face close.

“What are you doing with your work? Why can’t you solve things quickly and instead make the situation worse? Did you have to make me move too?”

“…I think I know what you mean, but it’s just like you to express that you’re here to help in such a nasty way.”

“Shut up! If you had taken care of the Grand Duke earlier, this wouldn’t have happened! Find that guy and get rid of him right now!”

“I was trying to. I can’t find him, that’s the problem.”

“Why can’t you find him? You’re so incompetent!”

“It’s not just me who can’t find him. No one can find him, okay? You wouldn’t be able to either.”

“I know that too!”

“…Could you just tell me honestly what kind of answer you want from me?”

“I don’t want an answer. I’m just venting.”

“Huh?”

“You’re the easiest person to pick on in the world. Ah, I feel better after yelling a bit.”

I couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded as I watched Ifrit, who looked relieved. So, in other words, he was openly treating me like a punching bag?

“Don’t you hear a lot that you have a really bad personality?”

“Shut up. With my level, this kind of personality is a charm. Just try telling Ellyuen.”

“What do you mean it’s a charm but I shouldn’t tell him? Besides, I think it’s kind of impossible *not* to tell him.”

“What?”

Ifrit frowned and turned his head in the direction I was pointing, then froze like a stone. It was because he had found the god of the south looking at him with a nonchalant expression.

“…E, Ellyuen?”

“You’re still the same, Ifrit.”

There was no reply. Instead, Ifrit grabbed me and ran off somewhere. It seemed like he was trying to create some distance, but we both knew it was a pointless attempt.

“Why is Ellyuen here!”

“He said he came to see me.”

“You should have said so sooner!”

“Get a grip on your conscience, Mr. Ifrit. When did you ever give me a chance to speak?”

“Ugh, seriously! You’re no help at all!”

Ifrit, huffing and puffing, was full of thoughts about how to get out of this situation. I thought he came because Ellyuen was here, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“All the image management I’ve been doing has gone to waste!”

“Didn’t you know? There’s a Korean proverb for times like this: ‘What leaks inside the house leaks outside’ [meaning your true nature will always be revealed]. It’s a lesson that you should live kindly usually.”

“Do you want to die, really?”

I shrugged my shoulders at the voice that was so low it was eerie. Honestly, has his image improved at all? Ellyuen probably knows more about Ifrit than I do. Even if he suddenly changed his personality now, how much would that work? Looking at Ellyuen, who doesn’t seem to care at all—rather, he seems to take it for granted—it’s clear that it’s a failure, but Ifrit seems to be the only one who doesn’t know that. Or maybe he knows but is just ignoring it.

Anyway, I couldn’t keep going like this, so I forcibly grabbed the guy who was resisting and returned to where we were. Ifrit, who had been resisting, straightened up as if nothing had happened when he reached Ellyuen.

“Ahem, long time no see, Ellyuen. I didn’t know you were here.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“If I had known you were in Arkadon, I would have come sooner. What were you two doing in a place like this?”

“It’s not just the two of us, Ifrit. We’re here too.”

“…Ah, that’s right.”

It was around then that Ifrit seemed to notice Trowel and Lapis, and his eyes shook violently. He grabbed me and lashed out as soon as he arrived, so he didn’t see anything around him. His face, as he looked back at me, was filled with jealousy. ‘Why is everyone hanging out with him when no one participates in my games?’ It was a look that clearly showed his question, and I gave a bitter smile. At this point, I had to assume that the fact that fire and water are not compatible was unilaterally because of Ifrit.

“But really, why did you come? If you didn’t even know Ellyuen and Trowel were here, it doesn’t seem like you checked the situation beforehand.”

“Mine came to find me. It seems like there was a message from the Divine Realm.”

“From the Divine Realm?”

Was Kanos involved in that too? Everyone, including me, fixed their gaze on him at the word ‘Divine Realm.’ As the atmosphere that had been scattered suddenly focused on him, Ifrit seemed quite proud (especially since Ellyuen was looking at him). It was cute how his eyes were sparkling, and he quickly composed himself when I laughed.

“Is it because of the evil god?”

“Why else would they contact us at this time?”

“Tell me in detail. What did they say in the Divine Realm?”

“It seems they’re planning to create a magic circle to purify the evil god. They asked us for cooperation.”

“Purification magic circle?”

“Why not a destruction circle?”

Trowel muttered with a slightly frowning expression. A purification circle meant that they would purify Karyuan’s soul and give him a chance for rehabilitation. Considering what he had done so far, it was an excessively generous measure.

“I asked because it was strange. It seems that’s a slightly easier method. The destruction circle is more dangerous than I thought.”

“Really?”

“The necessary materials also seemed difficult to obtain. So, it seems they’re trying to create a purification circle first to minimize the damage.”

As he said that, Ifrit glanced at Ellyuen for a moment. It was a face that was swallowing something he had to say. Ellyuen must have noticed it, but he didn’t show any particular reaction. No, he was definitely not reacting on purpose.

‘…What is it?’

It’s common for Ifrit to glance at Ellyuen, and it’s as common as stepping on a pebble for Ellyuen to ignore it. But now, I felt a strange sense of incongruity in that scene. It was a strange feeling, as if something I didn’t know was going on. I had a strong feeling that I shouldn’t ignore that part and move on. However, the topic continued faster than I could open my mouth.

“So, what kind of cooperation do they want from us?”

“We need to create mana supply sources throughout Arkadon to support the purification circle. Of course, this is also necessary for the destruction circle, so we have to create it anyway.”

“Hmm. The key will be what to use as the cornerstone.”

“That’s right. I’ve already discussed that part with Mine. Just wait and see.”

“…?”

Ifrit, who had been having an incomprehensible conversation with Trowel for a while, stopped moving for a moment. It seemed like he was sending a message somewhere. Then, after a while, the space rippled and two men suddenly popped out. They were unfamiliar faces I had never seen before.

“Ifrit. What do you think you’re doing, suddenly leaving like that?”

Both of them, who appeared while lamenting, had dark black hair and black eyes. What was fascinating was that the pupils in their obsidian-like black eyes were a brilliant gold color. It was a combination reminiscent of Trowel, and the energy I felt was similar to his. It was clear that they were not human, even though they had human forms. They possessed a strong earth attribute and were not human. Moreover, they were quite strong. Could they be dragons? I became sure of it thanks to Lapis’s reaction next to me. The moment the men appeared, he scrunched up his face.

“Ah, damn it.”

He clicked his tongue lowly, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have. It would be a normal reaction to be happy to meet a member of the same race, but it was a dragon-like attitude that didn’t aim for the ordinary. What was different from usual was that it was closer to a sense of dismay rather than displeasure. I don’t know if he was aware of it, but he even stepped back slightly. Anyone who knew him, who was comfortable even with the god Ellyuen, couldn’t help but doubt their eyes.

“You said you knew the place and just left alone, do you know how embarrassed we were?”

“That’s why I sent Ignis to give you the coordinates.”

“Even so, you should have told us in advance…”

The black-haired men had similar atmospheres as well as similar appearances, so it was obvious at a glance that they were related. Among them, the man who appeared to be a little older grabbed Ifrit and complained, then greeted Trowel with a happy face when he found him nearby.

“Oh, Trowel. I meet you here.”

“Diagon. It’s been a while.”

Trowel, who was greeting him, had a rare gentle expression. It seemed to be the first time I had seen him make such an expression to someone who wasn’t a spirit. Was it because he was a dragon with the same attributes as him? They seemed to be in a close relationship to the point where you could feel their friendship at a glance. As I continued to think, I suddenly realized something.

‘Ah, maybe…’

At that moment, Trowel reached out to the side. What his hand grabbed was the hem of Lapis’s clothes. Lapis’s slightly disheveled form was forcibly fixed, and he stopped in an awkward posture. No matter how you looked at it, it was clear that he had failed to teleport because of his restraint.

“…Are you really going to do this?”

Lapis glared at him while grinding his teeth, but Trowel smiled without any concern.

“You have to greet them properly. It’s been a while since you’ve met.”

“It’s unnecessary interference.”

“You may think so, but Diagon won’t.”

“If you’re my godfather, take my side at times like this.”

“I’m sorry, but my contractor takes precedence over my uncooperative godson.”

Lapis’s expression, which was already crumpled, became even more ferocious. The atmosphere became fierce, but there was no sense of crisis at all because Trowel was smiling so brightly. Instead, I paid more attention to what he said. I thought they looked unusually friendly, and it turned out that the man was Trowel’s contractor. That also meant that he was Lapis’s father. He looked so young that he looked more like a brother than a father.

Rather, the other black-haired man, who was actually Lapis’s brother, looked younger than Lapis. It felt very strange to actually see Lapis’s family, whom I had only heard about. It was even more so because the two of them looked quite similar, while Lapis didn’t resemble them at all. If it were before, I would have guessed that it was because Lapis had transformed with a unique appearance, but now I know that’s not the case. I realized later that dragons and unicorns don’t become human-shaped through magic. It was a type of incarnation, and the appearance was formed under the influence of the main body. You can make some changes, such as changing the race or skin color, but the basic parts are innate. In other words, Lapis’s splendid appearance is actually possible because he is a Mir dragon [a type of dragon known for its beauty].

Of course, it was possible to completely change the appearance using magic. However, in that case, there was a subtle sense of foreignness, as if it were covered in mana. Not everyone could recognize it, but I could feel it because I was the Spirit King. Anyway, that was the case when Isana’s appearance changed, and when Lapis changed his hair or eye color. But now, there was no foreignness visible in the three of them. In the end, all three of them were in their natural incarnations, but even so, Lapis’s appearance was significantly different from that of his blood relatives. Anyone who saw them would believe that he was picked up from somewhere else.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen my family, but you’re trying to run away first. Our Kanil, still so coy.”

“Damn it, don’t express it so disgustingly! And how many times have I told you not to call me that?”

Lapis burst out at the words Diagon, the black-haired man, said as if he was sad. Coy. Apart from the fact that I was getting goosebumps at the expression that didn’t suit him at all, an unfamiliar word caught my ear.

“Kanil?”

“It’s Lapis’s nickname that Diagon calls him.”

Trowel explained with a face that was swallowing a laugh.

“When he was young, his childhood name was taken from the gemstone Sardonyx, but that gemstone is also called Carnelian. That’s where it originated.”

“I see.”

I understand that it’s a nickname that can only be given because they’re family. It felt like they had a separate history that only they shared. The relationship that seemed awkward because of their completely different appearances instantly melted into one.