Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 459

459.

“Oh, I see.”

The Master of Requiem chuckled awkwardly, seemingly at a loss for words now that the person in question had spoken up. It was amusing to see him unable to express his displeasure, despite clearly being upset. It seemed Requiem Guild had taken in someone too extraordinary for their tastes. The thought of their future troubles made the situation less unpleasant. Chris, seemingly thinking the same, had completely calmed down and was smirking.

“Especially a High-Level Spiritist would have definitely caught that Demon Beast.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected that much. I flinched slightly and looked up, meeting Ain Idris’s gaze directly. He was looking straight at me. The Master of Requiem turned back, surprised.

“A High-Level Spiritist? You mean this person?”

“Yes, I believe it’s him. He was wearing a hood back then too, wasn’t he?”

“…….”

“Not many people recognize Jin at a glance. I was impressed by his appearance back then, so I looked into it a bit. I heard he was a Water Spiritist. Many people said they saw you leading a group of Naiads [low-level water spirits]. As soon as I heard that, I knew. The Water High-Level Spiritist who recently became an Axis-Class Hunter was you.”

Ain Idris’s face was flushed. Perhaps feeling a sense of camaraderie as a fellow Spiritist, he seemed as friendly as if he were talking to an old friend. The Master of Requiem, who obviously hadn’t envisioned this scenario, couldn’t hide his discomfort.

“But aren’t Naiads the lowest-level spirits?”

“Yes, they are low-level Water Spirits.”

“And you’re saying he’s a High-Level Spiritist?”

“Of course. I just mentioned that he was leading a group of Naiads.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, I guess you don’t know. Being able to summon multiple spirits has many implications.”

Ain Idris smiled and briefly explained the structure of spirit contracts: even the most talented Spiritist can only contract with one spirit per element, but they can summon spirits of a lower rank than their contracted spirit without a contract. The number of spirits they can summon depends on their abilities, and so on. It was basic knowledge in Spiritism, but everyone listening looked like they were hearing it for the first time, as if it wasn’t commonly known.

“So, how many can they usually summon at once?”

“It depends on their training, but usually, four or five is the limit. Summoning enough Naiads to form a group is not something anyone can do, even if they are low-level spirits. It’s impossible unless you’re a High-Level Spiritist.”

Ain Idris looked at me as if seeking confirmation. I hadn’t exactly hidden it, but I felt awkward about readily agreeing, so I just shrugged without confirming or denying. The Master of Requiem then looked at the people from the Association with a strange expression, as if checking the facts. The Association members’ faces turned pale under his gaze. Judging by their obvious embarrassment, they had deliberately not revealed information about me.

“Well, um… if he’s a Spiritist from the Yeomyeong Guild, then he is indeed Axis-Class.”

“…I see. I wasn’t aware. I had heard rumors recently, but since you didn’t mention anything, I didn’t think it was possible.”

“The Association President didn’t want you to bother with such minor details…”

“I understand. I didn’t realize you were being so considerate of me. I’ve been too indifferent. I should visit the Association President soon and have a meal together.”

The faces of the Association members turned grim at his smiling face. The Master of Requiem, who had been watching them intently, soon turned back to me. His eyes, slightly angry yet filled with interest, gleamed with an unpleasant light.

“It’s nice to meet a fellow Spiritist like this. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I heard rumors of an Axis-Class Spiritist appearing in the capital. I’m Ain Idris.”

Ain Idris, who hadn’t seen his expression because he was in front of him, approached and readily offered a handshake. Was it okay to take his hand? I stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before awkwardly shaking it.

“I’m El.”

“I see. May I call you by your name?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Thank you, El. Please call me Ain too. As fellow Hunters and Spiritists, I hope we can get along well in the future.”

No, the man behind you definitely doesn’t seem to think so.

The Master of Requiem was wearing a smile that looked almost painted on. Anyone could tell that his patience was reaching its limit. As the contractor of a Spirit King, he must have paid a fortune to have him, but he must be furious that he was befriending us, who were like enemies to him.

‘…And I don’t plan on getting along well with you either.’

In fact, I had readily shaken his hand because there was a possibility that Troel was watching from somewhere, but I had no other intentions. Honestly, I was just feeling awkward about the situation. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like it would last long, as an Association member who had been watching the situation quickly interjected.

“Um, Idris-nim. It’s time for you to go inside.”

“Ah, I see. Understood. Then, I’ll see you again next time, El. I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, goodbye.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say, “See you next time.” Ain Idris, who seemed oblivious to the obvious difference in temperature, smiled kindly and didn’t seem to mind. With a brief nod, he turned towards his group. The Requiem Guild members, who had been glaring at us, surrounded him as if they had been waiting for him, and the distance between them quickly grew. Chris scoffed at their attitude, as if they were protecting their child from a suspicious person.

After that, the whole situation ended as they entered the Association building in a group. People who had been watching nearby also dispersed busily. Then, Chris took out a sack from his pocket and started scattering strange powder everywhere.

“Ugh, what are you doing, Chris? What is this?”

“Blessed flour. I bought it from the Temple of Purification. They say it’s used to ward off evil spirits. It’s good to sprinkle it when something ominous happens.”

Is it like a type of salt?

It was the first time I had heard of blessing flour to purify something, let alone holy water. It seemed like he had been played by the temple’s marketing tactics, but it wasn’t just my imagination. I couldn’t bring myself to ask why he always carried something like this with him. Anyway, Chris didn’t care whether we hated it or not and kept scattering flour everywhere. He especially sprinkled more on me. His bizarre behavior only stopped after we got angry (even Neb, who was usually quiet, openly expressed his disgust) and barely managed to stop him.

“That’s it! The evil spirits are gone now!”

“…I feel like I’m becoming an evil spirit.”

“Damn it, what bad luck! Why did we have to run into those guys here? And who is he to act so friendly?”

Chris kept huffing and puffing. It was obvious that he was trying to pretend he didn’t hear what I muttered. His pathetic attempt made me lose the will to get angrier.

“He probably just felt happy to see a fellow Spiritist.”

“Tch, even so, you have different elements. What’s his real motive?”

“I don’t think he seemed that sinister to have a motive.”

“Yeah, he even took our side in front of everyone.”

Chris’s expression turned sour at Simon and Della’s interjection. However, he couldn’t bring himself to deny it, so he probably couldn’t abandon his conscience either.

“Still, I don’t like that guy. What’s the point of having a good personality and abilities? He has no eye for people. With his abilities, he must have had many places to go, so why Requiem of all guilds? Just thinking about how Theo will become arrogant thanks to that Spiritist makes me angry.”

“Ah, that’s a shame for me too. He must be Legia-Class [high-ranking hunter], right?”

“Of course. He’s the contractor of a Spirit King.”

“Ha, a Spirit King…”

Everyone’s gaze became wistful, and the atmosphere became solemn for a moment. It seemed they had suddenly realized the majesty of Ain Idris, which they had overlooked in the midst of the chaos. I wondered what kind of expression they would make if they knew that the contractor of that Spirit King was here too. Of course, I had no intention of telling them.

“Eiiish! Don’t be envious! We can create our own history in our own way! Ah, right, El! Aren’t you thinking of taking the promotion exam? No, take the exam!”

“Huh? Me? Promotion?”

What, did Chris notice everything? How? I was flustered and turned around, and Chris grabbed my shoulders with both hands. I unconsciously held my breath at the sight of his eyes burning fiercely right in front of me.

“Of course, in a region other than the capital!”

“…Pardon?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? If you can get an Axis-Class [high-ranking hunter] in the capital, you can get a Legia [even higher-ranking hunter] in another region! Now is the perfect time to confirm that! Let’s do it right away!”

“No, wait a minute, Chris. Isn’t that a bit… too much of a trick?”

Della threw a disapproving look at me, who was speechless with bewilderment. Of course, Chris didn’t flinch at all.

“What’s wrong with that! The only thing that remains on the record is the rank! It’s important that we’re the same Legia, regardless of the difference in skill! What do you think, El? Isn’t it a good idea? Should I book a train ticket right away? Let’s go to the most backward place possible!”

“…Seriously, you’re not serious, are you? If you go any further, I won’t see your face for a while.”

“Kuh! But honestly, I’m a little upset! That guy said it too. He said you would have caught the Demon Beast even if he hadn’t shown up! Then your reputation and our guild’s reputation would have soared! I feel like that guy blocked our path!”

“Well, I would have caught it. But the damage would have been greater. Chris wouldn’t have wanted casualties either, right? I’m glad that person came and things were resolved quickly.”

“That’s right too! It’s true, but! Damn it, Requiem guys!”

I glanced at Chris, who was clutching his head in anguish, and turned to the other members. Everyone was looking at the master who was going off the rails with pity, but also with a very annoyed expression. It was fortunate that only one out of the five of us was abnormal. It was a bit of a shame that the one person happened to be the guild master.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Since the guild master is in this state, let’s end today’s schedule here.”

“Yeah, El. You’re really going through a lot.”

“It’s nothing. Everyone is the same.”

We looked at each other pitifully for a moment. I’m sorry to Ain Idris, but the sense of camaraderie that I hadn’t felt while talking to him was now surging up.

“No, what about me? Why! What!”

Only Chris, who couldn’t agree, was jumping up and down.

* * *

I think I’ve said it several times already, but I have no intention of getting involved with Ain Idris. Regardless of whether he’s a good person or not, I have no intention of affecting his life in any way, and I don’t want to receive anything from him either. The best way to do that is to avoid running into him. If there’s no contact, nothing will happen, no matter how trivial.

Fortunately, Ain Idris was a well-known contractor of the Spirit King. He received the title of Count in his home kingdom, and even after coming to the Empire, the Emperor offered him several titles. He has received so many medals that he can’t even count them. He is also a qualified knight, a Legia-Class Hunter [high-ranking hunter], and has joined a large guild called one of the Seven Great Guilds of the continent. At that point, he should be so busy being called here and there that he shouldn’t have any time to stay in the capital.

In comparison, I was a very free Hunter who only took on Arma-Class requests [mid-level difficulty] and spent my days in the capital. In other words, there was no chance that our paths would cross.

“El?”

…But why is that person there?

I looked up at the sign of the store as soon as I opened the door. A neat wooden sign with elegant handwriting was carved with elaborate patterns. No matter how many times I looked at it, I had come to the right place.

“Wow, it’s nice to see you here again.”

“…Yes, it is.”

“Is this the third time we’ve met by chance? I think we’re a good match.”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I looked at Ain Idris, the black-haired man who was smiling happily and expressing his favor. As he said, this wasn’t the first time we had met like this. We met at a tea house yesterday, and I think we met at a park the day before. I didn’t know why we kept getting involved, and our paths strangely overlapped wherever I went. I didn’t know if they had always overlapped but I didn’t know it then, or if the coincidences were particularly frequent these days.

“You’re always wearing a hood whenever I see you, El.”

“Yes, but you still manage to recognize me.”

“Haha, I somehow just know when I see you. It’s your body shape and height, and there’s something about the atmosphere that only El has.”

What’s wrong with my body shape and height? I had an average build for my age in modern times, and I’m not that different here either. I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression, but Ain Idris—Ain just said it was hard to explain exactly. He seemed to be guessing by feeling. As a Wind Spiritist, he might be sensitive to the aura that people exude.

“You came to get clothes made.”

“Yes, I need a few comfortable coats to wear. People around me recommended this boutique, so I just came here. What about El…?”

“Ah, I came to pick up something I ordered.”

Then, the boutique employee who was listening next to him quickly brought a basket. Inside were several pairs of gloves for the back of the hand, made in the same shape.