Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 506

506

“So, how was it? Did you see?”

“I get it, so come down already!”

The Crown Prince frowned, watching his sister wave the kite with a smile. Just as the Princess was about to descend, a cracking sound, ominous to the ear, echoed, and the branch she was on snapped in an instant.

“Kyaa!”

“Anais!”

“Princess!”

The horrified people rushed forward. I was also startled and about to step in when Trowel grabbed my arm, stopping me. But at that moment, a gust of wind rose from somewhere, safely catching the falling Princess.

“Are you alright?”

The voice was familiar. I didn’t need to see who it was to recognize the voice. As expected, a familiar face emerged from the crowd. It was Ain Idris. The Crown Prince, and everyone else, stared blankly at him, dumbfounded. Soon, Ain Idris approached them and extended a hand to the Princess, who was sitting on the ground in disarray.

“Let me help you up.”

The Princess, who had been staring blankly at him, slowly reached out her hand. Soon, their hands overlapped.

“Remember when that guy said he was going to make another lover?”

Trowel’s voice rang out like a song.

I think I groaned without realizing it. Trowel’s languidly curved golden eyes blurred. It was impossible to tell whether what flickered within them was tears or light, his or mine.

“It started with this.”

* * *

More than twenty days after the cessation of the rifts, the Special Task Force was disbanded as expected. Although it was a temporary disbandment, with the possibility of being recalled at any time if problems arose, the faces of the hunters who could return to their daily lives were very bright. This was also thanks to Duke Sepion, who threw a grand banquet to commemorate their hard work.

Unlike the banquets of the nobles, which were aimed at socializing, this was a place where people could simply enjoy the delicacies without having to dress up in formal attire, which made the response even better. People laughed and chatted all night, saying their farewells to the colleagues they had bonded with. The Special Task Force had not been operating for a long time, but it was not a short period either. It was rare for members of different guilds to work together as a team for a long time, so everyone felt a mix of relief and regret.

“Thank you for your hard work during this time.”

I stared at the hand offering a handshake before raising my head. He always paid attention to his attire, but he looked even more dapperly dressed for the banquet. Tall and handsome, with strikingly clear blue eyes. His dark hair contrasted with his flawless white skin, giving him a clean impression. The clear air around him further enhanced that atmosphere. There were so many flamboyant people around that I hadn’t been aware of it, but he generally had an impression that was easy to like at first sight.

“El?”

“Ah, sorry. Ain, you worked hard too.”

I smiled wryly and shook his hand, and he smiled happily, looking puzzled. His shy, flushed face reminded me of a docile small animal. It was a look that always made my heart soften whenever I saw him. However, recalling that the same smile was on his face when he rescued and supported the woman who fell from the tree, I couldn’t just let it go this time. Especially when I remembered the expression on the woman’s face as she met that smile.

“It started with this.”

Trowel’s voice seemed to echo like a hallucination. Perhaps my complicated feelings were evident in my attitude, as Ain Idris looked puzzled again. I shook my head, saying it was nothing, and swallowed a sigh inside.

‘……I didn’t want to see the face of my affair partner.’

To have an affair with such a clean and innocent face. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. I think I was complacent myself. I already knew that Ain Idris would have feelings for someone other than Minerva, but when it actually started, my heart seemed to sink. It was also because the atmosphere I had vaguely imagined was so different.

I must have unconsciously imagined a villainous image of the person who made him abandon his eternally sworn partner. I never imagined that the other person would be such a purely smiling girl. Nor that their meeting would begin like a fairy tale.

Besides, why did it have to be that damn Crown Prince’s sister of all people? So this is what Trowel meant by his meaningful words. Should I say it’s adding insult to injury, or that enemies meet on a narrow bridge? I couldn’t think of a word to adequately describe this situation. Thanks to this, I haven’t been able to sleep properly these days, and it’s even more frustrating that Ain Idris, the source of all this worry, is smiling so carefree.

“It’s been a while since I last saw El after you were assigned to another mission. I was disappointed that I might not be able to say a final goodbye, but I’m glad I could see you like this.”

“Ahaha, that’s right. Now we’re all going back to our daily lives.”

I wish this was really the last goodbye. Let’s try not to run into each other again if possible. As I smiled with sincerity, Ain Idris’s expression became anxious. He looked like he had something to say, and an ominous feeling crept in.

“El, would it be alright if I arranged a separate dinner sometime? There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

“Pardon? ……Who?”

“It’s a bit difficult to mention here. I’ll just say that they are someone in a noble position. I also recently became close to them by chance, and they are very interested in spirit magic. They showed interest in El.”

Even though the subject is omitted, I think I know who he’s talking about, but that’s just my imagination. The story of Ain Idris saving the Princess of the Epen Kingdom was very famous. Thanks to that, the fact that he often hangs out with the Crown Prince is also something that everyone who knows, knows. Thanks to that, only I know that Duke Sepion is clutching the back of his neck several times a day.

Interested in spirit magic, my foot. Is that how you’re going to come out? The face of the Crown Prince, who was shamelessly smiling, flashed in my mind, and I felt a surge of anger. It was a pity that there was no evidence that he was using black magic, so I couldn’t make an issue of it right now.

“I’m sorry, but I’m uncomfortable with such gatherings. I’ll politely decline.”

“Ah, I see. I was just asking in case. Don’t worry about it. I apologize if I put any pressure on you.”

Even though he said that, Ain Idris looked quite embarrassed, as if he didn’t expect me to refuse. I turned away from his face, which only made my stomach churn, and looked around. I thought Davian would be here since it was a banquet where everyone was encouraged to attend, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see him.

“Haven’t you seen Schultz today?”

“Schultz? Ah, no. I haven’t seen him. He doesn’t seem to have attended the banquet today.”

“……I see.”

‘I had something to ask him.’

I was actually here to meet him, so I felt deflated. What’s going to happen will happen, but there was one thing that bothered me. I vaguely heard from Trowel before that the woman who courted Ain Idris was definitely the daughter of a Count’s family. But now, the woman who is destined to be his mistress is a Princess. I couldn’t figure out if something had gone wrong somewhere, or if there was more to the background that I didn’t know about.

“Find out yourself. There’s a guy who only answers you, right?”

Just in case, I asked Lamias about the Princess, but only a sarcastic answer came back. I wondered where he had spent thousands of years, as he seemed to be getting stingier as the days went by. I also became stubborn and came out, but I was in trouble because I couldn’t even meet Davian. He was still in hiding, so I didn’t know where he was staying. Lamias would know his whereabouts, but he obviously wouldn’t answer.

Tap tap

I was lost in thought when I felt a hand lightly touching my shoulder. I turned around without thinking and flinched at the face I saw. It was Sibelius.

“It is you.”

“Ah, hello!”

Come to think of it, the banquet food was prepared by the kitchen. Reconnecting with Sibelius was also scheduled when I came here. As I greeted him awkwardly, he quietly looked down at me.

“I prepared the protection squad, but why didn’t you come?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ve been a little busy lately.”

A look of relief seemed to appear in his sunken gaze. He must have thought I was avoiding him on purpose. Since I was actually avoiding him on purpose, my conscience was pricked by his brighter face. Damn it, when do I reveal my gender? Wouldn’t it be strange if this guy suddenly told me I was a man without even asking me? No, is it a problem that it looks strange now? Clearing up the misunderstanding comes first! My head was spinning furiously.

“But what’s bothering you?”

“Ah, there was someone I had to meet, but I couldn’t.”

A different light flickered in the blue eyes that were staring at me. The meaning of that look couldn’t be asking if I didn’t have time to receive the protection squad but had time to meet other people. Ignoring the guilt that was washing over me again, I quickly rolled my eyes to the other side.

“It seems like he’s not coming here today. Hahaha, it’s an important matter, but it’s troublesome.”

“How about going directly to his residence?”

“I don’t know the address.”

“Is it someone you really need to meet?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Should I reveal that I’m a man around here? I was answering with a feeling that I didn’t even know what I was saying, and I was carefully trying to time it. Sibelius, who seemed to be pondering for a moment, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and quickly drew letters or patterns on it. Then he handed what he had written to me.

“Hold this and concentrate, then strongly recall that person’s face.”

“Huh?”

“If the letters glow blue, you’ve succeeded. Then throw it, and it will guide you to where he is.”

“……Huh?”

“The more unclear the memory, the less effective it will be, so you have to imagine as specifically as possible. The shape of an object that only that person has is also fine.”

No, Sibelius. Was this guy such a great ability user?

As I was blinking, Sibelius forcibly put the paper in my hand and turned around. He ran away so quickly that I didn’t even have time to catch him. It might be more accurate to say that I couldn’t catch him because the tips of his ears, which were barely visible, were red.

“……I have to tell him my gender.”

I realized belatedly that I had missed the opportunity to explain, but it was already too late. It’s hard to shake off the feeling that I’m accumulating time bombs one by one, but I was honestly happy to receive help. I’m sorry, Sibelius. I’ll definitely repay this debt later.

“I should use what he gave me for now.”

With a lighter step, I went straight out of the banquet hall. After reaching a suitably deserted place, I held the paper in my hand and concentrated as Sibelius had told me. Since there might be an influence from the magic tool, I recalled the shape of the medal rather than his appearance. Soon, the paper trembled, and a blue light began to surround the black pattern.

‘I think it’s a success.’

With a pounding heart, I threw the paper, and it began to flutter and fly away. It was clearly moving on its own, swaying but never falling to the ground, as if it were fulfilling its mission. I followed behind it as if possessed.

The paper didn’t fall from the sky for quite some time. It was probably after walking for several hours that the movement changed. The paper, which had been flying vigorously, turned into an alley and quickly lost its strength and fell to the ground. Then, as if it had fulfilled its mission, it turned to ashes and disappeared on the spot. I was flustered and approached, and I saw a shabby house that seemed to be roughly woven with planks.

‘Could he be here?’

Only then did I have the leisure to look around. I thought only the house in front of me was like that, but most of the houses in the vicinity were made of planks. The neighborhood, where not much activity was felt, had a gloomy feeling even though it was daytime. The floor was dirty and unmaintained, and it smelled bad. I had been following the direction the paper was flying all along, so I didn’t know, but now I saw that it was inside a slum. This area is close to the pleasure district, so it becomes active at night, but the daytime is as quiet as death. As such, the daytime is also an environment where outsiders are easily noticeable. Before getting caught up in unnecessary quarrels, I carefully approached the house and grabbed the doorknob and knocked several times.

“Davian. Are you inside?”

At first, it was so quiet that I thought no one was there. But when I concentrated, I felt a faint presence inside. I moved closer to the door and pressed my ear against it, and I heard a strange sound. It sounded like a groan or a scratching on the floor.

‘What is it?’

What’s going on? Is he sick somewhere? My heart grew impatient, so I decided to pay for the repairs later and broke the doorknob first. The inside was dark without a single ray of light. It seemed that all the gaps where light could enter, including the windows, were covered. The air had a strangely fishy smell.

“Davian?”

As I moved, I stepped on something squishy on the floor. I reached out and touched it, and something damp stuck to my hand. I couldn’t tell if it was the smell of blood or fish, but an unknown smell pricked the tip of my nose. I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed to be the cause of the smell that filled the house.

“Hnggh…….”

I frowned, and a faint groan came from inside the room. The sound became clearer as I went in. As I went in a little further, I saw a black mass crouching in the corner.

“Davian, are you there?”

I spoke to him, but there was no response from the shadow. The space was so silent that I doubted whether the sound I had heard earlier was all a mistake. If the clumped shape hadn’t been heaving at regular intervals, I might have even doubted whether it was alive or not.

‘What is all this?’

I calmed my nervous heart and slowly looked around. I happened to see the shape of a lamp nearby. I didn’t know if I could touch it, so I hesitated, but I couldn’t stay like this, so I just decided to go ahead.

Click, I pressed the operating device, and light began to appear, and the surroundings gradually brightened. Only then did I gasp at the sight of the room. All sides were covered in blackish-red filth. It seemed that blood was mixed with an unknown liquid, whether it was oil or bodily fluids. When I checked the location of the shadow, I saw a man crouching.

“Davian!”

His knees and ankles were tightly bound. He was also wearing shackles with iron lumps attached to his wrists.

‘Who did this?’

Surely Lamias didn’t do this. There were only a few people who knew Davian’s identity and location, so there was no one else I could think of.