Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 553

553

“The Siren statue will be in the very center of this place. Put the Demon God’s relic on its head.”

The method was simpler than expected. I nodded, and one of the paladins promptly took out a box from his backpack and handed it to me. I didn’t need to ask to know that the relic was inside. They said time was short, but their preparedness was thorough. I accepted it without thinking and checked the contents first. The sight that greeted me took my breath away.

“This… is the relic?”

“Yes, a bit unexpected, isn’t it? It may not look like much, but it is indeed a relic. It’s made to fit on the head.”

Edith explained with a smile. It seemed like she said more after that, but I didn’t hear a word. My mind was blank, as if I’d been struck by lightning.

Inside was an elegant ornament: a silver frame that seemed to hold the cold moonlight, with a deep blue jewel in the very center, reminiscent of the deep sea. Lapis lazuli, more precious than gold in this era. It was probably made with expensive materials befitting a relic, but that wasn’t the problem right now.

“Why is that coming out of there?”

Lapis’s bewildered voice echoed my feelings. With a sympathetic heart, I slowly scanned it before closing the box. When something is too absurd, you can only laugh in disbelief, and that’s exactly how I felt now.

Can’t things like this stop happening? The ornament I saw for the first time today was so familiar that I felt indescribably complicated. It was the very circlet that Lapis had given me, and that still adorns my forehead.

* * *

The morning after the midnight guests left was very bright. It was good weather, enough to make it not too embarrassing to announce the sudden change of plans. Of course, that was just how I felt, and it seemed the receiving end didn’t feel the same. When I told them that I had other plans and returned the divine object, Weldy was very taken aback.

“Are you really quitting? If you go back like this, we won’t be able to lend you the divine object again in the middle of the mission. If you miss this opportunity, you’ll have to wait a very long time.”

“It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to bear with it. Don’t worry, I won’t ask to borrow it again.”

“I understand. Then, what about Sibelius…?”

“Of course, he’s going with El.”

Sibelius, who had finished packing up early as soon as he heard that the schedule had changed, was already prepared to say goodbye to everyone. Weldy couldn’t hide her resentful gaze at his cheerful face, which didn’t show even a bit of regret. But the next Elder was not an easy person either.

“You said you had other urgent business. What is your destination?”

“Ah, it’s a bit far from here. We’re going to the Epen Kingdom.”

“The Epen Kingdom? That’s great. I’ll go with you.”

“Pardon?”

“I said I’ll go with you.”

I never thought they would choose this method. I, of course, as well as Sibelius, couldn’t hide our bewildered expressions at the unexpected answer.

“Actually, we don’t just have this one schedule. I can’t tell you the exact reason, but we were planning to move to the Epen Kingdom as soon as we finished this schedule.”

It was obvious from the reactions of the surrounding unicorns that this was a hastily made excuse. Everyone was panicking with faces that said they had never heard of it before. But the justification was plausible, so it was difficult to refuse outright. So, I put forward the softest reason possible.

“Well, it’s going to be a bit difficult. It’s something that needs to be done in a hurry, so I have to use space movement [teleportation], but there’s a limit to the garden’s capacity.”

“Space movement? Weren’t you a spiritist?”

“He’ll do it, not me.”

Weldy’s expression changed from moment to moment as I pointed to Ellyuen. From surprise that the person who had been suspiciously strong was a wizard, to tension that he might be a dragon, to peace again, thinking that couldn’t be the case. It seemed that he had come to the conclusion that a dragon could easily do space movement magic without any limit on the number of people.

“What’s the possible number of people?”

“About four people.”

Weldy’s face became more comfortable at the following answer. It was obvious that he thought he wasn’t a dragon after all. I was a little curious about what kind of expression he would make if he found out that he was a Spirit King instead of a dragon.

“Then let’s do this. I have a magic stone. If I use it, I can handle about one more person. Arel, you take the divine object and go back to the village with everyone. Karian and I will go to the next schedule.”

“Yes? Weldy-nim, that’s….”

Arel, who had been listening silently, raised his head in embarrassment. Weldy didn’t meet his eyes.

“It can’t be helped. We have to reduce the number of people, and we also need someone to lead the way back. Arel, you led this divine object rental, so please take responsibility until the end. I’m entrusting this to you because I rely on you.”

At first glance, it was an impeccable answer. But there was a strange undercurrent that suggested it was more than just that. It was like a warning not to come any closer, a feeling that a line had been drawn. Arel had been excluded from their world, probably because he had tried to defend Sibelius several times. Arel seemed to feel the same way as I did, and his eyes changed. His agitated face soon calmed down.

“……I understand.”

Weldy looked back at me with a satisfied face.

“Now the problem is solved.”

“…….”

Is it because I know too much that I shouldn’t know? I thought it was a very ambiguous answer in many ways. I couldn’t help but feel that my mind, which I had barely managed to control last night, was becoming complicated again. I couldn’t openly frown, nor could I be calm, so I just looked at Sibelius. His innocent eyes, not knowing anything, met mine with a questioning gaze. Seeing his clear blue eyes, I was reminded of the first time I met him.

The real first meeting in my memory, which took place in a different place than this era. Even then, his eyes were shining blue like now. At the time, I was in such a difficult situation that I couldn’t afford to care about others, but now I think about it from time to time.

Sibelius had been trapped for a very long time.

Four thousand years is enough time for a newly hatched hatchling to become a fully grown dragon. It is also the period in which a civilization collapses, and humanity, rising from the ruins, once again dominates the world. For that incredibly long time, he was confined to a space made of magic.

‘Complete sealing’, ‘closed chamber’, ‘time stop’, ‘alien who cannot return’, ‘isolation from the world’, ‘terrible solitude’. All the incantations completed for the sake of bondage were only unkind words. It was a dark room that could not be created without the emotion of hating and despising someone. It was said to be for the eternal punishment of a sinner. That prison was now in my backpack.

“El, you don’t have to accept everything that guy is forcing on you. If it’s difficult, what should I say?”

“No, it’s okay.”

It was a welcome suggestion, but I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“Let’s wait and see for now.”

If this is really something that has to happen, it’s no use just avoiding it. It’s better to keep it in a situation where I can control it, even a little, than to get caught up in something that’s happening without me knowing.

I don’t know how the relic made for purification ended up in the hands of the unicorn, but it was clear that I was involved in the distribution process. They said they stole it from the Demon God’s Hall, so I’m paying the price for receiving stolen goods here like this. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

“Oh, did you hear the news, El?”

As I was newly immersed in regret, I was reminded of the memory of paying the most painful price. It was Edith’s words before we parted that triggered it.

“Ain Idris, was it? That contractor of Minerva. His contract was terminated after that day. I heard he’s no longer a spiritist.”

“Ah, is that so…?”

“I only found out about it a while ago, but it seems he’s left the Empire now. I didn’t know that a spirit contract could be broken. Could it be that he really did something wrong and the King of Wind went berserk, as the rumors say?”

I couldn’t bring myself to react to the question that followed like a monologue. It wasn’t something that anyone could easily discuss or answer. In any case, even that wouldn’t be the end. That’s what scared me.

I looked up and stared at the forest, which had a strong smell of winter. There were many predictions that winter would be particularly cold this year and spring would be delayed. In fact, the trees that should have bloomed at this time have not yet sprouted. Everyone knew that it wasn’t just because of the sealed wind.

Is it because the time has come to face the part that I had been trying to avoid? How much more do I have to endure, and how much can I endure? My vision blurred as my mind clouded.

It felt like the coming beginning was warning me to prepare myself in advance.

* * *

Squeak, the old wooden door made an unpleasant noise every time it was opened and closed. It was very rare for that sound to ring out before the day was over. The shop owner, who was busy trimming the ingredients, stared at the man who staggered in with a frown. Most of those who came to this kind of shop were like that, but he was dressed in shabby clothes that showed his poverty at a glance.

“It’s prepaid here.”

Because of this, the first thing to say to the man who sat down was already decided. The man rummaged through his pockets and handed over a few coins. He wasn’t a beggar. Only then did the owner’s brow furrow a little.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Anything, as long as it’s alcohol. Please give me a simple side dish with it.”

The way he answered was also surprisingly neat, so the shop owner gave him a fresh look again. But after seeing his shabby clothes and gloomy face, he clicked his tongue inwardly. Those who had lived well without envy and then lost their fortunes overnight were just like that. He had jumped into business before he was old enough to know better, and he prided himself on having a good eye for people, having experienced all kinds of shapes [seen all walks of life]. Those people were generally not good with words either. He thought he should just feed him some cheap alcohol and get him out of here quickly, and he moved to the kitchen.

Regardless of what the person making it was thinking, the cooking process was fair. As the smell of food began to waft, the man’s complexion, which had been stiff, relaxed a little. Only then did he have the leisure to slowly look around. The shop, which had only him as a customer because it was still early, was so small and old that it looked like it would collapse at any moment, and it was dirty. Just by looking at the tables with stains still on them and the cooking utensils covered in grease, it was clear that they didn’t care about hygiene at all. He was able to come to this kind of shop, but he couldn’t help but feel bitter about his situation. He couldn’t even imagine eating at this kind of shop before. That was just a few months ago.

‘It all feels like a dream.’

Rubbing his tired eyes, he repeated a sigh that he didn’t know how many times he had already done. Since that day, there were fewer moments when he didn’t sigh.

Everyone has a moment they regret. For the man, it was the event of the past half year. If he could turn back time, he would turn back to that day a hundred or a thousand times. Every time he fell asleep, he prayed earnestly that all of this was just a terrible nightmare and that when he opened his eyes the next day, everything would be back to normal. But no matter how much he prayed, such a miracle did not happen. When he opened his eyes, only one day had passed, and he was still left in a cruel and dry reality.

Ain Idris. The most outstanding wind spiritist on the continent. The blessed favorite of Minerva. The one who was once envied by all spiritists no longer existed in this world.

He realized this when he opened his eyes in the ward. He had been unconscious for a long time due to a major injury, and as soon as he woke up, he sensed that a part of him was gone. All of his limbs were fine, but he couldn’t feel something more important than that. He only realized the feeling that he didn’t even know he had when he had it, after he lost it. He was cut off from the world that made him who he was overnight.

He couldn’t figure out what was going on. People were only saying strange things: The Wind Spirit King had gone berserk. El had stopped it. El was also a contractor of the Spirit King, even the contractor of Elquines, who had never been summoned by a human before.

The news that poured in was all shocking, so he didn’t even have time to feel betrayed or surprised. People urged him not to be so complacent and said he had to appease Minerva quickly so he wouldn’t fall behind. He agreed, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t call Minerva anymore.

For the first few days, he was just dazed because he couldn’t believe it. That became a week, a month, and several months. It was only after more than half a year that his head finally accepted it. Minerva had left him. Something that couldn’t have happened had happened, and it was real.

Without being a contractor of the Spirit King, he wasn’t even a spiritist. No matter how much he drew summoning circles and chanted spells, the wind did not respond to him. The same was true for other spirits. Without the blessing of nature, he was just an ordinary young man. The friendships and connections he had diligently built up while working hard, regardless of the hard work, were like bundles of straw crumbling in front of him, who had become ordinary. The invitations that had been arriving in droves stopped abruptly. No family was looking for him anymore.

He regretted that he should have accepted when the Emperor offered him a title, but it was no use. The whispers and sympathetic glances that followed him wherever he went were even harder to bear. He accepted the advice of an acquaintance to make a fresh start in a new place, liquidated his assets, and moved to another country. But that was an even bigger mistake. The acquaintance who had agreed to start a business together disappeared as soon as he received the investment. The building he had contracted for and the related documents turned out to be forged documents. He had been scammed.

Another acquaintance, who was angry about the misfortune that had befallen him, led him to the pleasure district to change his mood. He only drank alcohol and played cards lightly a few times, but when he came to his senses, the bills piled up in front of him were enormous. As this happened several times, his vast fortune was ruined in an instant.

Having become almost penniless, there was only one place to return to. So he crossed the sea and set foot on his home continent again. It was far from the triumphant return he had dreamed of, but as his home country got closer, he thought he had made a good decision. In his home country, he had the title of Count, and he also had a small territory. The news of him may have been conveyed to the kingdom, but they would not be able to do anything about the title that had already been given. He just needed to live quietly in his territory and build a foundation to get back on his feet.

Above all, that country was also where he had met Minerva. The place where he had confessed his feelings, and the mansion where the two of them had lived together for the first time, would all be the same. If he went back there, he might be able to get Minerva back. She might forgive him.

“Do you really think so?”

“……!”

At the voice he heard suddenly, Ain raised his head in a flash. Someone was sitting in the space opposite him, which had been empty until just now. Even though he was wearing a hood pulled down deeply, he felt an undeniable presence. Who, when did he come? He didn’t even hear the sound of the door opening, let alone feel the approaching presence.