Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 559

559.

“So, you decided to become a god yourself?”

The Count Ailbra family was said to have inherited the soul of Siren. It was said to be passed down through baptism (though it was black magic), so it was probably a method of dwelling in the soul of the cult leader. Considering that a separate body was needed for resurrection, it might not have been possible to completely take over in that state.

In any case, since the soul of the queen, who was the cult leader, had disappeared, Siren must have disappeared as well. Nevertheless, the fact that the sanctuary was intact meant that someone was filling the void. The bizarre magic circle connected to the altar where the queen was laid, the hymns using women, and just looking at the mermaids following the crown prince, the whole situation was obvious.

“Siren isn’t a real god anyway. Maybe she was once, but now that she’s been removed from the divine ranks, she’s just a soul with a little ability. A *japgwi* [a minor, wandering spirit] that can’t even live on its own without dwelling in a human body to avoid the eyes of the underworld. If such a thing can become a god, then can’t I too?”

The crown prince, grinning, didn’t even try to hide it. He seemed to have regained his confidence, perhaps realizing that I couldn’t kill him as long as he was connected to the hostages.

“You absorbed Siren’s power?”

“Yes. She was very flustered. Of course, she would be. She probably never imagined that she would be defeated by the very method she created.”

“Why did you gather the women? Is there a reason why you only gathered women?”

“I needed the faith of humans. But not just any faith would do; it had to be compatible with the Siren’s power that I absorbed. I tried it with the women my mother had gathered, and it was a perfect fit.”

So, he started kidnapping more people with the same requirements. It was faith in name only, but it was a kind of sacrifice. Karyuan sacrificed innocent and talented young children, didn’t he? Regardless of the era, the most vulnerable always suffer the greatest damage when evil prevails. That fact felt bitterly new.

“If your curiosity is satisfied, won’t you release me now?”

“What?”

“I don’t want as much as Siren. I was blinded by revenge and tried to suppress Siren and become a god, but I’m satisfied enough with my current state. If you release me, I will leave this place with the mermaids. I promise to live quietly out of sight.”

The crown prince was talking nonsense with a straight face.

“Would you release you if you were me? How can I believe what you say?”

“Then what are you going to do? I have no intention of undoing the magic that connects me to the women, so you can’t kill me, can you? Or do you want to be with me forever like this? That’s not bad either.”

“Are you crazy?”

I shouted in horror, and the crown prince chuckled. Was the wrist hemostasis [surgical procedure of stopping blood flow] not done properly? He must have lost too much blood, as he seemed to have lost his mind.

“I’ll ask again. You absorbed Siren’s power, right?”

“Why, don’t you believe me? Well, I don’t have much power yet other than controlling the mermaids. You look more like a god than I do. What was that you did earlier?”

“Answer my question. Does that mean the faith of the believers has all gathered to you?”

“Of course. Because I am the subject of faith. Siren had to create idols because she had no body, but I don’t. That’s why the lives of the women are connected to me.”

Ah, I see. That’s what it means.

I immediately took off the backpack I was carrying and opened it. It was still a hypothesis, but it was worth testing. As I approached, the crown prince tensed up and hesitated. His few remaining subordinates didn’t even dare to stop me. Thanks to that, I was able to reach him without any hindrance.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I didn’t just come here to save the people here.”

“……?”

If I purify Siren’s power, the magic might be undone on its own. I have something that can purify that power. In that sense, I put the circlet I took out of the case on the crown prince’s head. I felt very uncomfortable dirtying my future treasure, but there was no harm in trying it first. Of course, I’ll take off the circlet and wash it thoroughly when I return later.

“What the hell is this?”

The crown prince, who had been forced to wear the circlet, blinked. Judging from the fact that there was no change in his expression, he didn’t seem to feel anything special. I guess I have to put it on Siren’s statue. I was about to sigh inwardly, thinking that I had only wasted my time.

“I don’t know what you’re trying, but you have quite strange tastes…큭?”

The crown prince, who was laughing weakly, suddenly opened his eyes wide. I was also surprised. The part where the circlet touched was sizzling and burning. The crown prince, horrified, grabbed it to take it off, but the circlet didn’t budge as if it were fixed. Rather, he screamed even louder, as if he had burned his hand.

“Aaaagh! Keuaaagh!”

“Y, Your Highness!”

“W, What! What did you do to His Highness!”

The flustered subordinates didn’t know what to do. In the meantime, the circlet was burning the crown prince’s skin. The black scorch marks that started from his forehead spread rapidly across his entire face. It was as if I was watching a person being burned alive without any embers. It was when the invisible embers went down his neck and covered his entire body.

“Keoeok!”

The crown prince, who was frozen with his mouth open without even struggling, stared blankly at me. The blood vessels in his wide-open eyes were vivid. In that state, the crown prince slowly reached out his arm to me. He took a step as if trying to come closer. And then he collapsed in that position.

He didn’t just fall. He really ‘collapsed’ as he said. The crown prince couldn’t even leave a human form. All that was left in the completely collapsed place was a pile of black ashes. On top of that hideous pile of ashes, a silver, sparkling circlet was placed in an elegant pose, without even discoloration or deformation. Just like when I took it out of the case, as if nothing had happened. Is it just my imagination that it looks triumphant?

‘……What the hell did you give me?’

“Um, sorry.”

Lapis must have been surprised too, judging from the fact that he, who never apologizes, even apologized.

“Heueueu…….”

I barely came to my senses after hearing a strange groan. The crown prince’s subordinates, terrified, were scrambling and crawling on the floor. They wanted to run away, but they couldn’t move because their legs were weak. They must have been shocked to see a person being burned alive in front of their eyes. The mermaids who had lost their master were also running away at a rapid pace.

‘Huh, now that I think about it, the crown prince shouldn’t die?’

I hurriedly turned to the women at the sudden thought. I was worried that they might all be collapsed, but I was relieved to see them looking at me. They seemed surprised, but they all looked fine. Fortunately, the magic must have lost its effect as it was purified. As if to prove it, the magic circle that had been clear on the floor had disappeared without a trace.

“Are you all okay? Can you move?”

The women, who had finally come to their senses, looked at each other and nodded. Some of them were hugging and crying with relief that they had survived. I decided to check the detailed damage situation later, and first approached Weldy, who was sitting blankly.

“Are you hurt anywhere, Weldy?”

It didn’t seem like there was any violence, but you never know. I approached her to see if she had any injuries, and Weldy lowered her head with reddened eyes.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I caused you trouble. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s the kidnappers who are bad, why is Weldy apologizing? Everyone is the same for not paying attention in advance. You’ve already had a hard time, so don’t blame yourself. Can you get up for now?”

When I held out my hand, Weldy, who nodded slowly, grabbed my arm and stood up. I could feel a slight tremor in her clasped hand. Her complexion was also much paler than usual, and it wouldn’t be strange if she collapsed right away.

“But how did you find this place? I heard that everyone was wandering in the forest…….”

“I was just lucky. They were careless.”

“Was this the reason why you came to this forest? To save the kidnapped people?”

“Um, well, something like that.”

The original purpose was to purify the sanctuary, but if the result is good, that’s all that matters. It was certain that the mission had been completed, and the fog that had been thick in the forest was gradually clearing. The powers that had been united for the fake god were disappearing. Still, just in case, I was thinking of putting the circlet on the statue as well. It would be better to finish it perfectly if possible.

……Of course, there is a mountain to climb before that. I looked at the circlet that was still shining alone in the ashes with a sullen expression. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it felt more lively than before.

Is this just an object? It feels like what I thought was an ordinary accessory turned out to be a monster that eats people. It was more unsettling than when I heard that a prisoner was trapped inside. I can’t throw it away because Lapis gave it to me, but I don’t know if I can continue to wear it in the future.

Anyway, I plucked up the courage and picked it up again. I was carefully lifting it up so that it wouldn’t touch the ashes and quickly shaking it off when water poured out from somewhere and washed the circlet. It was Ellyuen.

“Ah, thank you.”

―Are you going to put that back in?

“No, I’m going to put it on the Siren statue for now.”

Then the circlet that floated up quickly flew through the air. The place where it landed a moment later was exactly on top of Siren’s statue’s head.

―Is this okay?

I may not have anything else, but I was really lucky to have met my father! As I was sending a look of emotion, I heard a gasp from the side. Weldy was opening her mouth blankly. Ah, now that I think about it, this person was nearby.

“W, What was that just now? The accessory flew in the sky by itself. Did I see it right?”

For Weldy, who can’t see Ellyuen, it was a scene that could be misunderstood. A circlet that not only turns people into ashes but also flies around on its own. Wouldn’t it look like a haunted object? I smiled at her face, which was as surprised as a child.

“My father did it.”

“Father? Ah, it was magic! Is he also in this neighborhood? Then did he also deal with the soldiers all at once earlier? But I’ve never heard of such magic.”

“I’ll explain everything later.”

I was roughly calming Weldy, who was in confusion, when I felt a presence approaching from behind. When I turned around, a girl was standing there hesitantly. It was the very girl who was Mi-on’s friend and was caught for interfering with the magic. At first, I thought she was going to thank me for saving her. But what came out of the girl’s mouth was a word I never expected.

“……El?”

“Um?”

“Well, I’m sorry if I’m wrong. Is your name El?”

Huh, how does she know me? She said she came from another region, so is she from the Saike Empire? She said she was a student of the Department of *Sulbeophak* [Art of Spell] , so she might have found out about me. The contractor of the Spirit King is an existence that attracts attention in any country. Among the reporters who followed me, there were quite a few from foreign countries. But it didn’t seem like it was just that.

“Don’t you know me?”

“Huh? Yes?”

Do I know her too? When I opened my eyes wide in embarrassment, the girl hurriedly pulled down her headscarf. When the cloth that had been covering almost her entire face disappeared, clear *hongchasaek* [red tea color] hair and black eyes like Go stones were revealed. Her face with freckles was very white. It was a combination that I had seen a lot, an overly familiar combination. If someone I knew had a sister, she would look just like that.

Ah, no way. It can’t be.

“……Lansi?”

The girl’s face immediately brightened.

“Yes! I’m Lansi! You remember me!”

“헐, 헐? [Heol, heol? – Korean slang expressing disbelief or shock] Are you really Lansi? What happened? Why did you grow up so much? You were a kid!”

“It’s been a long time since then! Of course I grew up!”

Come to think of it, it’s been 3 years since I first fell here. 3 years in the growth period is when the change is the greatest. Still, I couldn’t believe it and kept looking at Lansi’s appearance. Her thin figure was the same, but she had grown so much that I couldn’t recognize her. Her originally cute appearance seemed to have become more radiant. Now, no matter where you look, she was not a child but a lady.

“Wow, I was really surprised. I never imagined I would meet you here.”

“Me too. My heart was pounding so much! I was *seolma seolma haetneunde* [thinking ‘no way, no way’] it was really El! I really can’t believe it! But weren’t you blonde? Your hair color is different, so I was *ginga minga haesseoyo* [unsure].”

“Ah, I’m originally blonde. This is dyed.”

“Ah, why? Your long blonde hair was so pretty! Black hair suits you too, but when you had blonde hair, you had a very mysterious atmosphere. So, I thought El wasn’t human at first.”

“That’s right, you asked me if I was a mermaid back then.”

“으아아! [Euaaa! – Korean exclamation of embarrassment] It’s against the rules to say that! I really didn’t know anything back then. But now that I see it, it was a ridiculous misunderstanding. It can’t be compared to a mermaid. El is much prettier.”

I chuckled at Lansi, who was pouting with a flushed face from embarrassment. Come to think of it, the first person who told me about mermaids was Lansi. And to be reunited thanks to that mermaid. I don’t know what kind of relationship this is. Lansi seemed to have similar thoughts, and her face was lost in memories.

“I’m really happy to see you again. How have you been?”

“I’ve been doing well. I’m so happy to meet you too, Lansi. How have you been? I had something to do with visiting the *geunwonui sup* [Forest of Origin], so I went to your house. But there was nothing there.”

“Ah, you did! I moved to the city because of my studies. If I had known El was coming back, I would have left a letter.”

Even if she had left a letter there, wouldn’t it have already rotted away? Of course, I laughed at the thought that it would have been fun in its own way.

“So, you’re going to school?”

“Yes! I’m attending the Royal Education Center in the capital. I’m a sophomore in the Department of Spirit Studies in the *Sulbeophakbu* [School of Spell].”

Lansi’s eyes, answering proudly, shone like stars. Lansi’s mother, Erina, had looked into schools as soon as she found out that her daughter had become a spirit master. She seemed to have used it as a good turning point, as she was always worried about leaving her young daughter alone in an empty house. She cleaned up the inn that had already stopped operating without regret and came up to the capital to open a small store, and she said that the business was doing well, so now the two families were living as well as anyone else. “It’s all thanks to El.” The face that smiled *baesisi* [brightly] while saying that was the same as when she was a child 3 years ago, and I was filled with new emotions. But Lansi’s face, which had been beaming, soon clouded over rapidly.

“But I might be in big trouble now.”

“Huh? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Actually…… my spirit hasn’t been summoned since I came here. No matter how much I call, Naias doesn’t respond.”

From what I heard, it wasn’t a big problem, fortunately. I relaxed my shoulders, which had unknowingly tensed up, wondering if she was hurt somewhere.