Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 551

551.

Sibelius, who had paused his ingredient prep, silently resumed his movements. In the subtly hushed atmosphere, he quietly placed the pot over the firewood, sliced the prepared ingredients, and added them with water. Soon, a delicious aroma rose from the simmering stew.

“Try it.”

Sibelius ladled the stew into a small bowl and offered it to Weldy, who was watching him intently. Weldy hesitated, swallowing back her objections, and reluctantly accepted the dish.

“…It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Weldy’s expression flickered at his gentle smile. Emboldened by the relaxed atmosphere, she seemed determined not to back down, and her nagging persisted.

“Anyway, enjoying it as a hobby occasionally is one thing, but making it your main job is completely different! I don’t want you to do this at all.”

“Let’s drop the subject.”

“Are you trying to brush it aside like that? I don’t like it. I’m going to be your partner. Can’t you at least grant me this request?”

Sibelius, who was filling bowls with stew for everyone, paused again. He sighed softly, lowering his gaze slightly.

“Weldy, let me be clear about something.”

“Why? Are you going to tell me I’m being immature?”

“I never said I would accept you as my partner.”

…Silence fell again. This time, the impact seemed even greater. Weldy froze, and Arrell and Karian, who had been whispering, stared in stunned silence. The reactions of the other unicorns were easy to imagine.

“Oh, um… Ah, I’m hungry! Isn’t everyone hungry? The food looks ready, let’s eat!”

Desperate to salvage the disastrous atmosphere, I jumped in and started serving the food. However, even with their meals in front of them, Weldy didn’t touch hers. Since their leader wasn’t eating, the other unicorns hesitated to pick up their spoons. The dining area, which should have been the most welcoming place, felt as somber as a funeral. Naturally, Sibelius’s expression darkened as he watched them.

“Wow, wow! This is really delicious! Is this the kind of taste that makes you oblivious to someone dying while you’re eating? [A Korean idiom referring to food so delicious you forget your surroundings.] Father! Father, try it quickly!”

Forced to play the role of the cheerful one, I stuck close to Ellyuen and held out the bowl. He gave me a look that clearly said I was acting crazy. Ignoring him, I poked at the stew with a fork and pushed it closer. Seeing my determination, Ellyuen sighed and reluctantly took a bite.

“It’s delicious, right?”

“Yes.”

“Sibyl, did you hear that? Father says it’s delicious too!”

Only then did Sibelius offer a faint smile. Just as I began to relax, I felt a sharp gaze from the side. Ellyuen was giving me a disapproving look.

“Haha, would you like some more, Father?”

“Were you trying to be a clown just now?”

“No, I was trying to lighten the mood.”

“You really have no idea how to lighten the mood.”

Suddenly, my hand felt empty, and the food vanished from in front of me. Ellyuen had snatched the bowl I was holding. While I blinked in confusion, he quickly devoured the stew. Only after receiving the empty bowl back did I understand what had happened.

“My food!”

“I ate well.”

“Ugh!”

“Wasn’t this what you wanted? If you’ve learned your lesson, stop worrying about others and focus on your own meal. Especially since you love to eat.”

I stared at Ellyuen with disbelief and bewilderment. Who was this childish and shameless Spirit King before me? I recognized his face, but he seemed like a completely different person.

“Father, are you familiar with the term ‘character collapse’? [A term used when a character’s established personality suddenly changes.]”

“Meaningless.”

“That’s it, that’s it! That’s exactly how I feel right now!”

“Truly meaningless.”

The eventful meal finally calmed down when Sibelius served more stew. The extra portion he had prepared was never so welcome as it was today. Weldy, who had refused to eat until the very end, reluctantly finished her meal, unable to resist the persistent urging of her attendants.

After that, we continued walking until nightfall. Since crossing the mountain in the dark was impossible, we decided to set up camp before it got completely dark. The flat ground was narrow, so we couldn’t pitch a tent. Instead, we decided to light a bonfire and use sleeping bags. In the evening, Sibelius volunteered to prepare the meal again. Weldy, having learned that unnecessary interference invites disaster, didn’t interfere this time.

“I need to talk to you.”

But it turned out she hadn’t given up, just changed her target. Later that night, when everyone was asleep, I took a short walk to stretch my legs during my watch, and someone followed me. It was Weldy, who had gone into her sleeping bag early, claiming she was exhausted.

“You weren’t asleep?”

“I was trying to sleep, but I couldn’t. I thought I should talk to you.”

I glanced at the campsite a short distance away. Only Ellyuen, who was sharing watch with me, was awake in front of the faintly burning bonfire. Everyone else was sound asleep. Sibelius, who had been tossing and turning in his sleeping bag, had finally settled down. If she had waited for him to fall asleep to talk, it was obviously important, but I pretended not to know and waited for her to continue. As expected, she got right to the point.

“What did you do to Sibelius?”

“What do you mean, ‘do’?”

“The old Sibelius wasn’t like this.”

Weldy, though speaking calmly, was clearly trying to suppress her anger. She looked at me like I was a delinquent who had corrupted a model student.

“He always liked to cook, but he understood that others disapproved. So he knew how to restrain himself. He never stubbornly insisted or acted impulsively like he has been lately.”

“Um…”

“From the start, leaving the village was an unlike decision for him. Mixing with human society and associating with them… Sibelius understood the mission of the Rune [Referring to the Unicorn clan’s duty or destiny] better than anyone else. He desperately tried not to become like the irresponsible predecessors since he was young. It doesn’t make sense that such an upright person has changed like this. Unless someone has forcibly charmed him…!”

“Ah, so you think I hypnotized him or something?”

“…”

She couldn’t answer, so she must really suspect that. As I stared at her in disbelief, Weldy lowered her head, her face flushed. “Because I can’t understand it otherwise.” Hearing the resentment in her voice, I couldn’t even feel angry.

“In my opinion, it seems like he’s woken up from hypnosis.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Don’t you think he finally exploded after holding it all in? Who would be happy to endure it if everyone around them is pressuring and controlling him?”

“Did Sibelius say that? That we pressured and controlled him?”

“No, he doesn’t talk about himself much. It’s just my guess. But I don’t think I’m wrong. If you’re the kind of people who won’t even allow him the hobby of cooking, I imagine you’ve interfered with and restricted other parts of his life too.”

“That’s… all for the Rune.”

She still wouldn’t admit that she hadn’t done those things. I didn’t know whether to see this as having a conscience or to say that she was shameless even though she knew everything.

“It’s not for the Rune, it’s for your reputation, isn’t it? Isn’t it just demanding the image of the Rune that fulfills your ideals?”

“The Rune is a king. It’s not wrong to want an ideal monarch, is it?”

“What is that ideal? An employee who throws away all his passions and life, only cares about the clan, only thinks about the clan, and does everything the clan wants? Someone who has to make the impossible possible, and silently endure the oppression and criticism of why he can’t do well?”

Weldy, her face pale, clenched her clothes tightly.

“Don’t judge him like that. It’s called a mission because it’s such a strict and difficult position. There are many who want to take on that heavy mission but can’t.”

“Those people would run away if they actually took it on, right?”

“That’s nonsense…!”

“You’ve never experienced it. Everyone can easily judge other people’s situations.”

The unicorns also feel the speck in their own eye more painfully than the beam in someone else’s eye. [A reference to a biblical quote about hypocrisy.] In the first place, no one can perfectly understand the pain of others. So they think they can readily do it.

“Of course, even if you can handle it, that doesn’t qualify you to criticize and abuse those who can’t.”

Even if it’s something you started willingly, let alone Sibelius, it’s not a life he chose. As I spoke, I became angry and my face hardened.

“You said earlier that Sibelius understands the mission well. You also said that he worked hard. Then he’s done what he has to do. What did other people do during that time?”

“What do you mean, ‘do’?”

“All relationships cannot be maintained by one person’s efforts alone. If someone is taking on a difficult mission for the clan, the people around them should help them endure it. Instead of stifling them and urging them to do better.”

Of course, I didn’t know all the details of their situation. I also knew that it was presumptuous to lecture others like this. But for the sake of the young Sibelius, who had to endure the harsh gazes all alone, and for the sake of Sibelius, who still couldn’t completely let go of his guilt, I wanted to say this much. Weldy didn’t say anything for a while. Was it too much to hope that she was considering what I said?

“It’s not that we don’t encourage him usually. But that’s because Sibelius hasn’t fully mastered the power of the Rune yet. Everything will be fine when he can properly fulfill the role of the Rune.”

Lie.

My strength drained and a hollow laugh escaped.

“You must find it easier to avoid the truth until the end.”

Weldy glared at me, looking ashamed at my sarcastic words.

“Outsiders will never understand us anyway.”

A cold wind seemed to blow from her back as she turned and snapped.

Instead of using this as an opportunity to reflect, it seemed she had only built her defenses higher. Well, if it was something that could be solved with just a few words, it would have already changed when the predecessor broke his own wings. I knew that would happen, but I couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Someone who can communicate, huh? That’s why the surrounding environment is so important. That kid has been living with blockheads, so his standards are too low. Sibelius, you idiot. You were deceived. That wasn’t understanding, it was just putting it on hold.

It was right after that that I sensed a change. As I let out a long sigh with a heavy heart, I suddenly felt a strange presence in the distance. Someone was approaching us. Not just one person, but several. Judging from the intermittent metallic sounds, they were armed.

‘An attack? Or just someone passing by?’

I was worried about waking everyone, but I decided to investigate first and jumped into a tree. The fact that Ellyuen, who would have sensed the presence before me, was silent meant that it wasn’t a dangerous situation. If they were coming from the opposite direction, it meant that they weren’t chasing us, but just travelers crossing the mountain. It was a bit suspicious to be moving at this late hour, but maybe their schedule was tight.

I moved through the trees and approached quietly, spotting a group holding magic lamps. There were five people in total. Three of them carried weapons, and the other two were empty-handed, without even backpacks. Considering the disciplined posture of the armed group and their formation, which seemed to protect the two unarmed individuals, they might be nobles and their bodyguards. They didn’t seem like attackers. But just as I was about to relax and head back,

“As you said, we can see a fire over there.”

“We’ve come to the right place.”

Their words stopped me. They were looking in the direction of our camp. It seemed that our campsite was their destination.

I have no connection to this country, and there’s no reason to have any. Surely they’re not unicorn hunters. No, there was nothing that would reveal their tracks. Even if that were the case, we wouldn’t be defeated by just five people, but considering how wary the unicorns already were of humans, I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I decided to find out their purpose first and jumped out of the tree.

“Who, who are you!”

The group, startled by my sudden appearance, quickly drew their swords. I put my index finger to my mouth to signal them to be quiet, but it didn’t seem very effective. Still, the fact that they didn’t rush at me recklessly was a good sign.

“Excuse me for a moment. I’m sorry, but if you want to go any further, you’ll have to tell me your business first.”

“What…!”

As I spoke, I carefully examined the group. Those who had quickly taken a defensive stance were prioritizing protecting the two unarmed people. They still didn’t seem to be planning an attack. Did they get lost because the sun went down before they could find a campsite, and accidentally followed the bonfire light they saw? If it was their first time hiking, it was a mistake they could make. It would be difficult to allow them to join us, and I should direct them to another suitable place. But then, the person who was checking me out stepped forward.

“Perhaps, El…?”

At those words, I blinked in surprise. Not only did they know my name, but the voice was also familiar.

“Huh?”

While I was still reacting in confusion, the other person pulled back the hood they were wearing. Long hair, hidden beneath the cloth, cascaded down. At the same time, the face that was revealed froze me in place.

“Could it be Ayra?”

“So it was El after all.”

Ayra smiled brightly, despite her own look of disbelief. But the surprise didn’t end there.

“El?”

One of the two people being protected spoke. This time, it was also a familiar voice. Along with the hair fluttering from the pulled-back hood, a graceful face was revealed.

“May there be glory in the arrangement of the Demon God. El, I meet you here.”

I swallowed hard as I looked at the smiling face. The priest’s robe, which had been hidden beneath the long cloak, finally came into view.

“Edith.”

Ayra and Edith.

It was the group of Demon God followers who had parted ways with me in the Empire.