Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 445

445.

“El, look at this.”

I turned my head at the cheerful voice. Sibelius, beaming, held out a large pot to me. Opening the lid revealed hot steam and a savory aroma. Inside was something that looked like porridge, close to a cream color. There was a yellowish layer around it, as if something had been added.

“What’s this, Sibel?”

“It’s bean soup. I sautéed onions in butter, then blended them with boiled beans and milk, simmered it all, and added honey. Try some.”

“Wow!”

I was hungry anyway. What a windfall!

With a delighted heart, I accepted the spoon he offered. I took a generous spoonful and swallowed, and a savory and sweet taste spread throughout my mouth.

“It’s so delicious!”

“Really? I’m glad.”

Sibelius, who had been watching my reaction, smiled brightly with relief.

“It’s something you like, isn’t it?”

Was it? I guess it was. Actually, how could anyone not like something this delicious?

“Can I eat all of this?”

“Of course. Tell me if you want more. I’ll make you as much as you want.”

Goodness. How could he be so kind? Could Sibelius be an angel sent from heaven because it felt sorry for me? As I began to eat with emotion, he gazed at me with a soft look.

“More than that, El, how can you eat that so nonchalantly?”

“Huh?”

How could I eat it? I’m eating it because I can? I looked at him, puzzled, and Sibelius tilted his head.

“You’re not human, are you?”

I suddenly opened my eyes and bright sunlight streamed in. I blinked blankly, then realized I was lying on the bed. What’s going on? What happened? Where did Sibelius go? I was momentarily unable to grasp the situation and hurriedly tried to get up, only to meet a familiar face staring at me from the bedside. It was Trowel.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Only after hearing what he said with a grin did I come to my senses a little. The dark clouds that had been in my head cleared, and the forgotten reality began to return.

‘It was a dream.’

It was a vivid dream after a long time. To dream of deliciously eating the food Sibelius made—it was an extremely dreamlike setting in that it was impossible in reality. They say eating dreams cause colds, so I don’t know if I’m okay.

I rubbed my blurry eyes and slowly looked around. It was definitely an inn, but I couldn’t remember how I got here and fell asleep. The last scene I knew was going into the inn, asking for a room, and finishing the calculation. Even in the midst of that, I somehow managed to come in and collapse. Now that I see it, I haven’t even changed my clothes. But since I don’t feel stuffy, I must have washed up.

But I definitely fell asleep during the day, didn’t I? Why is it still bright? I feel quite refreshed, so I feel like I slept well, but did I not sleep as long as I thought? As I was about to look around in embarrassment, Trowel, who was smiling, kindly told me today’s date. The date was two days later than the date I knew. I didn’t sleep a little; I slept too much.

“You were really out of it.”

“Ahaha, but Father… Elquines?”

I’ve been looking around since earlier, but I can’t see him. I was suddenly worried that he might be angry because I slept for too long, but suddenly something was held out in front of me. There was a greenish soup in the bowl. The savory smell penetrated belatedly. When I looked up in embarrassment, I saw Ellyuen’s indifferent face holding it out.

“Eat it.”

“Huh?”

“It’s soup made from beans. You kept looking for this while you were sleeping. It was so noisy, so I brought it.”

“…Huh?”

Oh, did I sleep talk? I must have been really desperate, even shouting out the name of the food. Well, it was really delicious, even in my dream. Still, I never imagined that Ellyuen would bring this to me, so I was just dumbfounded. Could this still be a dream? As I was blinking blankly, Ellyuen’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“Ah, no! I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it!”

After answering in a fluster, I held out both hands. As I carefully received the bowl, I felt a hot sensation filling my palms. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in my dream, so it was definitely reality.

I accepted the spoon he handed me and slowly swallowed a bite. The soup was different in color and shape from what I had eaten in my dream, except that the ingredients were the same beans. But somehow it tasted the same.

I smiled because I felt like I was going to cry. Come to think of it, bean soup was one of the first foods Sibelius made for me and Isana. He said it was something I liked. He was right. From today, bean soup was going to be my favorite food.

* * *

In this era, the establishment of guilds was relatively free. Therefore, many guilds existed within the same occupation, and each guild had its own separate rules. Anyone with a license and an office with 5 or more people could register. Guild members, whether large or small, were all considered one community, regardless of whether they were divided into teams. It felt like the Champagne Mercenary Group and the Cocktail Mercenary Group were each operating under independent signs.

Instead, the city managed all aspects, including the issuance of licenses, while in the Empire, associations recognized by the government took on this role. At first glance, it seemed similar to my era, but it seemed like a more flexible and efficient format.

Hunters also had an association. Trowel or Ellyuen would never kindly tell me, and I thought it would be fastest to go to the association and find out, rather than asking around, so as soon as my fatigue was relieved, I dragged everyone out.

“It’s no fun. I was expecting what absurd way you would make me happy this time.”

Trowel was very disappointed. He must have enjoyed seeing me suffer during the last journey.

“I know I’m unlucky.”

He blinked as if asking what I was talking about at the grumbling words.

“No, you’re lucky.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Of course. How could someone without luck summon Elquines in the first place?”

“Ah, I guess so. That’s true.”

“I told you. It’s just that you kick it away yourself.”

…Isn’t that bad after all?

I had a lot to say, but I kept quiet. Things are going well for once, so if I provoke Trowel here, I don’t know what will happen. There’s no need to prove that I’m kicking myself.

Anyway, the Hunter Association building, which I arrived at more comfortably than I thought, was quite large and decent. When I went inside, I saw quite a few people. The eyes of the people who were doing business poured out at once. It was one of the things I had become accustomed to—going anywhere because Ellyuen and Trowel’s appearance stood out too much. Ignoring it, I approached the reception desk and the staff greeted me in embarrassment.

“The Dawn’s Bow Guild?”

“Yes, can I know where the guild office is?”

After filling out the form I was handing in and telling me the reason for my visit, the staff had a slightly troubled face.

“Excuse me, but are you really looking for the Dawn’s Bow Guild?”

“Yes, I am. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

The staff’s expression became even more troubled. Several people nearby were sending glances. Whispering was growing among them. It seemed to be a fairly famous guild, but somehow everyone’s reaction was strange.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve heard this guild name somewhere.’

Could it be a notorious guild? I thought the start was smooth, but the feeling wasn’t good. The result that followed was bad in a slightly different way than expected.

“…Disappeared?”

“Yes, the Dawn’s Bow Guild was dissolved two years ago.”

“Then the guild members…”

“Of course, everyone scattered. I know they all left the system.”

“Left? Everyone?”

“Yes, we can’t tell you more than that.”

My heart sank as much as the troubled expression on the staff’s face. I was prepared that it might be difficult to find at once, but I never thought that the guild would be dissolved altogether. It was the case I had never thought of the most. In the end, I had no choice but to leave the association without any information.

“What should I do? I didn’t know the guild would disappear altogether.”

“It seems better for you? Look, you’re lucky, right? Since there’s no recipient, now that document is yours. You can give it to Lamias without any burden.”

Oh, is that how it works?

It was quite tempting, but I don’t know if I can change my thinking like this. I was frowning at the complicated feeling.

“Why are you looking for the Dawn’s Bow?”

Someone spoke from behind. When I turned around, there was a man who looked like a hunter. He was one of the people who had been glancing at us in the association a little while ago. It seemed like he followed us as soon as we came out.

“Oh, sorry, I don’t mean anything. I just said hello because I was happy to hear that name after a long time.”

“Were you a member of the Dawn’s Bow Guild?”

“Not really. I was an aspiring member. I worked hard to become a hunter, but the guild disappeared. I don’t know how devastated I was at that time. Are you also aspiring members?”

“No, it’s not like that. But why did you dissolve it?”

“The guild master died in an unexpected accident. There was discord in the process of deciding the next master, and eventually it collapsed in an instant. The whole world was buzzing because it was the fall of one of the seven major guilds on the continent, but you don’t know that famous fact, so were you in a distant foreign country?”

Seven major guilds on the continent!

When I heard that, I remembered where I had heard of the guild. The guild that Lansi’s mother belonged to when she was unmarried was the Dawn’s Bow Guild. I didn’t remember it right away because it was a name I had only heard once. Out of so many guilds, the name I heard twice was the same guild. I don’t know what kind of relationship this is.

“If you’re not an aspiring member, are you looking for someone from Dawn?”

“Yes, I have to meet someone named Chris.”

“Chris? Lachein Chris?”

“I don’t know the exact name. I just heard it as Chris.”

“Well, if it’s Chris in Dawn’s Bow, there’s only one person, so that must be the person.”

“Do you know each other?”

“I was just a fan. You don’t seem to know Chris well?”

When I nodded, the man’s expression became bitter.

“He used to be a pretty successful hunter. Especially if you’re an archer, you can’t not know his name.”

“I see. I heard that all the members of the Dawn’s Bow Guild left the system. Have you heard where that person went?”

Even while asking the question, I wasn’t particularly expecting it. But an unexpected answer came back.

“If it’s Chris, he’s still in the system.”

“Yes? Really?”

“Well, but it’s better not to meet him. He’s the one who broke down the most after the guild was dissolved. He’s not even doing hunter activities now. There’s even a rumor that he’s already returned his license.”

“That doesn’t matter. Where can I go to meet him?”

When I asked with a change of color, I heard a snickering sound from behind. It was Trowel. “I told you to kick yourself.” The content of the mumbling was clearly heard even though it was a small voice. …It seems like I’m on a straight line to suffering again.

“Hmm, wait.”

The man, with a troubled expression, took out a notebook from his inside pocket of his jacket and wrote something down. When I received what he handed me, it was a map with a simple explanation attached.

“Go here.”

However, even while giving the map, the man had a suspicious expression.

“I gave it to you, but it’s still better not to go. The place itself is not a safe place, and Chris is not the same person as before. He might do something bad to you.”

His condition must be really bad if he keeps advising me. With Trowel’s reaction on top of this, it was difficult for even me to take it easy. The taste of the forced smile was bitter.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for letting me know.”

Where did the saying that it’s better to be beaten knowing than being beaten without knowing come from? I’d rather not know anything. Then I’d feel comfortable being wronged.

* * *

The map the man wrote said District 5. It turned out to be the most remote and dangerous slum in the system. As expected of a schedule that kicked away luck, every coachman who saw the map refused to ride, so it wasn’t easy to move. In the end, I managed to catch a carriage only after paying more than double the normal fare. Even that was the result of agreeing to go only near it.

The place I arrived at after asking around was a shabby bar. When I went inside, the people who were chattering loudly turned to look at me. The noisy space became quiet for a moment, and the wide-eyed gazes scanned our appearance. It was a familiar reaction, but this time the feeling was a little more unpleasant.

“You know what? There’s as much trash in the slums as there is.”

As I forced myself to ignore the clinging gaze and entered, I heard a voice with a smile. Trowel’s golden eyes were sparkling dangerously. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. When I first met him here, he had this look in his eyes right before he took out his sword. That’s not a delusion, is it?

“I hate dirty things.”

I have to finish my business quickly. I quickly moved my steps and approached the person who seemed to be the bartender.

“I heard there’s someone named Chris here.”

The bartender, who was slightly wary of my words, turned to look at Ellyuen and Trowel. Then Ellyuen lightly flicked his finger. Something that popped out from the fingertip swirled in the air and went into the bartender’s hand. A satisfied expression appeared on the bartender’s face after opening his palm and checking inside. It seems like he gave money. I couldn’t just ask. I was getting a big realization when the bartender gestured somewhere. It was the table farthest in the store. I was about to wonder if there was nothing there, but I saw a small door next to it. It seemed to be the back door.

‘Is he outside there?’

After expressing my gratitude, I headed towards the back door. When I opened the door and went out, there was a narrow alleyway. One side was a road that continued straight, and the other side was blocked by a pile of garbage. A musty smell mixed with alcohol and sewage pricked my nose. A man was lying face down in front of the dirty wall. I felt intuitively that he was the person I was looking for.