Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 537

537

The marquis of a nation had been brutally murdered. Although his family had recently fallen on hard times, he was a member of the high nobility and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Moreover, the perpetrator was the Spirit King Elquines. What could be more delightful prey for reporters seeking a scoop? With witnesses present, I knew it was only a matter of time before the capital became noisy. However, Duke Lamias was more capable than I had anticipated.

He stood there, dazed, but as soon as he grasped the situation, he immediately took custody of Marquis Raspo’s body for an autopsy and announced that the cause of death was a heart attack. It was assessed that the marquis had a pre-existing condition, and his fear had triggered a seizure, leading to his death. Since the actual cause of death was indeed a heart attack, no one questioned this conclusion. The witnesses’ testimonies also lacked evidence that Elquines had harmed the marquis.

Thanks to this, the situation was resolved smoothly as a simple accident rather than a murder case. Rumors spread that Elquines was displeased with Marquis Raspo’s request, and the number of letters asking for treatment decreased significantly. And Lamias, who accomplished all of this in an instant…

“Elquines stroked that guy’s face. He stroked his face and smiled at him…”

He was still unable to escape the shock he had witnessed that day. I sighed as I looked at his face, drained of all spirit, as if it had been completely threshed.

“Are you still talking about that? Persistent contractors are not popular.”

“Shut up. What do you know? You can call Elquines ‘Father.’ He never stroked my face or smiled warmly at me like that.”

“That was treatment. And wasn’t that more of a wry smile than a warm one…”

“Damn it, Davian, that lucky bastard. He’s being spoiled rotten just because he made a spirit contract by chance. I’m not going to let this go. Just you wait. He’ll realize exactly who he’s messed with.”

“Excuse me, who are you talking to right now?”

The one-sided misunderstanding of someone with a crush is truly terrifying. It seemed impossible to dissuade him no matter what I did, so I just decided to wish Davian good luck in the future. Surely he wouldn’t kill him.

“Anyway, thank you for your help.”

“Well, even if I hadn’t cleaned it up, things wouldn’t have gotten too difficult. The Emperor wouldn’t want to antagonize the Spirit King either. In fact, that’s why this matter was resolved so quickly.”

So the Emperor knew the truth. Of course, he wouldn’t be the only one who didn’t take the official report at face value.

“No one in their right mind would dare to provoke you recklessly. But that makes you an even more dangerous existence. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes.”

With this incident, the Emperor would know that the Spirit King could kill a human without leaving any trace if he so desired. He would think that the sword he already considered dangerous could now be aimed at his neck at any time. There was no way the one holding the reins of the empire would leave such a threat unchecked.

“Sooner or later, we’ll have to settle things somehow. You’ve heard the Emperor is pushing for a disastrous marriage, right?”

“Is that true?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Fortunately, betrothal agreements from birth aren’t very strong, so he can’t push it through. You have no idea how lucky it is that there aren’t any kids your age in the Imperial Family right now. Otherwise, he would have already presented you with a marriage certificate.”

I swallowed my bleak feelings and looked up at the sunset outside the window. The setting sun was painting the sky red. The earth, shrouded in twilight, had long been ready to welcome the peaceful night. It was time to wrap up the day’s work.

That night was particularly dark. Was it going to rain again? The sky, as I sat perched on a tree branch, was filled with thick clouds. I quietly watched the pale moon being swallowed and released from within them for a while. After some time, I saw a carriage speeding through the alleyways. It seemed to be heading to the train station nearby to catch the night train currently docked there.

There were hardly any people at the train station. That’s why the busy movements of the lone carriage stood out even more. “Hurry up!” The man who got out of the carriage urged the coachman, who was hurriedly moving luggage into the freight car, as if he was pressed for time. He kept looking around, as if he was being chased by someone.

“All done, sir.”

The man handed the bowing coachman a money pouch. The coachman peeked inside the pouch, and his face broke into a wide grin, as if the amount was more than he had expected.

“You know nothing about this. You didn’t see me, and you didn’t notice anything suspicious. Understand?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The bowing coachman drove the carriage away with a satisfied look on his face. The man watched him go, then pulled his hat down low and grumbled. He took out a cigarette from his pouch, intending to smoke one last time before boarding the train.

“Damn it, if I could use the gate, I wouldn’t have to go through this trouble. But that would reveal my every move.”

To use the space- 이동 gate [space-移動 gate], one had to obtain permission from the Imperial Family, and except for special cases related to official duties, the usage history was recorded. Everything from the departure time to the destination was written in detail, so people who wanted to hide their movements avoided it. It seemed the man had a reason for wanting to leave without telling anyone.

‘But he won’t be able to leave anyway.’

He turned his head and looked at the person next to him. Chris, receiving the signal, nodded in acknowledgment and jumped down from the tree. Like a skilled hunter, no sound was heard when his massive frame landed on the ground. The man, standing in a secluded spot and smoking, didn’t notice Chris approaching at all.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could at least use an airship? Why did they suddenly stop operating them?”

“I know, right? Maybe it’s to stop guys like you from secretly running away?”

Chris replied in a cheerful tone to the man’s still grumbling words.

“What? What are you…?”

The man, startled and turning around, gasped. Even though his face was hidden by his hat, I could tell he had turned pale. Chris grinned and raised his hands as if he had run into him by chance.

“Wow, fancy meeting you here. Where are you rushing off to in the middle of the night?”

“You, you, how did you…?”

“It’s not like I’ve only known you for a day or two. I know all your tricks.”

Still, I never thought he’d actually do this, Chris laughed with a look of disbelief. It was a chaotic laugh mixed with anger, contempt, relief, and joy.

“Abandoning your wife and kids and running away alone in the middle of the night. Seriously, how can you never deviate from my expectations, you son of a bitch.”

Chris sneered and knocked the man’s hat off with the staff he was carrying on his back. The hat fell off, revealing the face that had been hidden. The man, the Guild Master of Jinhon, swallowed hard.

“A-Abandoning? Who said anything about abandoning? I was planning to settle down first and then contact them.”

“Oh, is that so? So you were trying to run away in the middle of the night.”

“T-That’s…”

The Jinhon Guild Master trailed off and took a step back. Even as he did, he kept glancing at the train behind him, ready to bolt at any opportunity. Of course, Chris wouldn’t allow that. He strode forward, grabbed the Jinhon Master by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him away.

“L-Let go of me! Is anyone there?”

“Shut up and come with me.”

Originally, the Jinhon Master was a poor hunter. There was no way he could stand up to Chris’s strength, and he was helplessly dragged away. He desperately looked around, trying to call for help, but it was a mistake to have chosen such a secluded spot in the first place. The structure of the train made it difficult to see this area, and the stationmaster, who was busy talking to the engineer, didn’t notice the small commotion happening in the corner. The noise from the train was too loud for that. In the end, he couldn’t get any help until he was dragged out of the train station and into a dark forest.

“W-What are you doing!”

The Jinhon Master, thrown to the ground by the rough force, shouted with a pale face. Chris chuckled, as if he wasn’t even bothered.

“Seriously? That’s what we want to ask you.”

“We?”

It seemed like I should reveal my presence at this point, so I stopped watching from behind and walked forward. The Jinhon Master’s face stiffened even more when he recognized me.

“You are…”

“It’s been a while. I’m sorry we had to meet like this.”

My calm words were met with a rough, fearful gasp. Chris stepped forward menacingly towards him as he glanced around, trying to find an escape route. That alone made the Jinhon Master shrink back with a metallic groan.

“L-Let’s talk. Please, let’s talk this out.”

“Aren’t we talking right now?”

“But…!”

“Understand that Chris is acting harshly. Honestly, it’s an understandable situation. It’s a problem for us when the opposing master disappears right before the guild war.”

The Hunter Association, with Duke Sepion as the temporary chairman, readily accepted the application for this guild war. The Jinhon Guild protested and requested reconsideration, but it was no use, and the guild war schedule was smoothly set. Rumors had spread that Jinhon Guild members were leaving in droves, but that was none of our business.

Ahin Idris, the face of the guild, was still unconscious in the hospital ward, and the reliable members were trying to leave the guild. I didn’t think the cornered Jinhon Guild Master would stay still. I thought he would at least hire foreign mercenaries, but I never imagined he would pack up everything valuable and try to run away alone. It was a good thing Chris had prepared for this situation, or we would have been left chasing chickens and staring at the roof [a saying meaning to be left empty-handed or in a futile situation]. Chris glared at the Jinhon Master, grinding his teeth.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t see what happened today. Go back quietly and prepare for the guild war. Don’t even think about escaping easily. Understand?”

“I-I’m sorry, but the guild war won’t happen.”

The Jinhon Master, who had been cowering, raised his head.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s already too late. I’ve already filed for closure.”

“…What?”

“It’s a loophole that people don’t know about. Even if a guild war is scheduled, you can still file for closure. You must have trusted the temporary chairman, but the person in charge of the filing is on my side, so it’s already been processed.”

Chris, flustered, looked at me. I also hardened my face and looked at Chris. The Jinhon Master grinned as he looked at us.

“It means the Jinhon Guild no longer exists. No matter how great you are, you can’t have a guild war with a guild that doesn’t exist, can you?”

“…Ha, I was trying to end this on a good note.”

Chris chuckled and slung the staff he was holding over his shoulder. He broke the posture he had been standing in, towering over him, and slowly bent down, getting closer to the Jinhon Master.

“Aren’t you misunderstanding something? The guild war wasn’t for our sake. It was just a final courtesy.”

“Wh-What?”

“So what if you closed it down? Did you think I would just let it go? If you had lost the guild war, you would have just been humiliated and lost some assets. Why did you stick your neck out to die?”

The smile slowly disappeared from the face of the Jinhon Master, who had been so confident as if he had retaliated. Even someone with no sense would be able to tell that the murderous intent in Chris’s eyes was genuine. He took a step back, faltering.

“I-It won’t do you any good to kill me! Everyone will know who did it. Do you think your guild will be okay if the guild master is arrested for murder?”

“That’s none of your business. Why did you make things this way?”

Chris’s face became even more ferocious. The Jinhon Master, his face stained with fear, swallowed hard.

“Have you forgotten Ramin’s words?”

Chris, who had been approaching menacingly, stopped walking at the following words. A fierce gaze burned in his shadowed face.

“…What did you just say?”

“Y-You’ve never tried to kill me, no matter how angry you were. It’s because Ramin told you not to kill anymore. It’s because he wanted you to live as an ordinary person. Isn’t that right? But now you’re going to break that promise? Even though I’m Ramin’s brother?”

“A guy who knows that…!”

At that moment, a dull sound rang out. Chris had punched him in the face. The Jinhon Master, who had collapsed, screamed. Chris didn’t care and kicked him again. Several brutal assaults followed. Chris grabbed the Jinhon Master by the collar, lifting him up. The Jinhon Master, forcibly raised with his face a mess, trembled.

“Say it one more time.”

“Hngh, s-save me… save me…”

“You still want to live, huh?”

A boiling groan flowed from Chris, grinding his teeth. His actions were rough as if he had lost his mind, but his coldly sunken eyes were still calm. He was still enduring at this moment.

“Yeah, that’s right. Like you said, I wasn’t planning on getting my hands dirty if I could help it. That’s why I chose the guild war. You crossed that line. Did you think I would just keep putting up with it forever?”

“I was wrong, I was wrong…”

“Don’t lie. You don’t really think you were wrong, do you?”

“No! I’m serious! I was wrong about everything! I’ll do whatever you tell me to do! I’ll kneel and beg! Please save me!”

The Jinhon Master, begging so abjectly, didn’t seem like the shameless person I knew. Chris, looking at him with contempt, took another deep breath.

“…Okay. I want to tear you apart, but I’m really patient. If you answer my questions truthfully, I won’t kill you. This is the last chance I’m giving you. You better make the right choice.”

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”

“You killed Ramin, didn’t you?”

The Jinhon Master flinched for a moment and swallowed a stiff breath. After hesitating for a long time, he nodded, unable to resist the icy gaze.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…Ha.”

Chris, who had lowered his head, chuckled softly. The hand gripping the Jinhon Master’s collar was visibly trembling.

“You were the one who harmed the former members of the Yeomyung Bow Guild [Yeomyung Bow Guild: a former guild], weren’t you? Luke’s sudden death, Dalia’s blindness, Elsid’s crippled legs, you did all of that, didn’t you?”

These were words that showed what kind of years Chris had gone through. The Jinhon Master hesitated to answer again. Chris, pulling on his collar, gave him a fierce look.