Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 597

Side Story 4

That evening, Lamias dropped by for a visit. He was furious about some new atrocity the Emperor had committed. Lately, his routine when he came over was to complain about the chef who had run away in the night, but today it was particularly bad. At first, I tolerated it, thinking he must be having a rough time, but his snide remarks and sarcastic comments were endless. Sibelius consistently ignored him, but I found it hard to bear. Eventually, I drew my sword, and only then did he quiet down.

“Next time, it won’t end with a warning.”

“Don’t you think you’re treating me a little harshly these days?”

“You’re getting slapped in Jongno [a district in Seoul] and taking it out on the Han River [a Korean idiom meaning to misdirect blame]. Let’s resolve the Jongno issue in Jongno, okay?”

“Jong…? Is that a place name? I’ve never heard that pronunciation before.”

“Focus on the meaning, the meaning.”

As expected of the Director of the Intelligence Agency, he never let anything slide. Afterward, we had dinner and talked about current events. The conversation eventually led to the news that the Unicorn Clan was migrating to the Divine Realm. When he heard that Sibelius was planning to stay behind, he looked serious. Sibelius tensed up when he saw him become serious.

“What do you mean by that question?”

“I mean it literally. Unicorns are social animals, just like humans. Leaving you alone in a land without your kin isn’t as light a matter as you might think.”

“That’s…”

“Right now, it’s fine because you have El. But you do realize that El is human, right? He won’t live as long as you, and he might not even make it a hundred years. Won’t you regret your decision then?”

Sibelius, who had been wearing a dissatisfied expression, faltered. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered it, but rather that he was taken aback by the pointed remark about something he had already been agonizing over.

“If you were sociable and made friends easily, it would be different. But as far as I’ve seen, you haven’t made any friends other than El. You can’t even blend into human society, so how will you live here? You’re a Rune, so you have to be especially careful about revealing your identity. Have you fully considered all of these things?”

“……”

Sibelius couldn’t answer readily. His wavering gaze turned to me, then clouded over as if he had recalled a sad thought.

“Well, if it doesn’t work out, I might be able to help you out. I wonder if you know that there might be another being like you nearby.”

Lamias cleared his throat conspicuously. It seemed like an attempt to reveal his identity, but by that point, Sibelius wasn’t even listening to him.

“I’m not usually one to offer such kindness. I could even be your friend if you wanted… Hey! I’m still talking, where are you going!”

“I’m going to go think alone for a bit.”

With a stiff face, Sibelius got up, leaving Lamias dumbfounded, and went outside. He didn’t return until late at night. After Lamias left, exhausted from waiting, I went to find him myself. Following the direction Ellyuen told me, I found Sibelius sitting blankly on the beach, watching the night sea.

“The night view is nice, too.”

I approached and spoke to him, and he flinched and turned around. Seeing the slightly subdued look on his face, I smiled wryly.

“It’s not like you hadn’t thought about it at all, right? You were going to stay, accepting all of that, weren’t you?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I was wondering if we could ever meet again.”

It was an unexpected answer, and I paused for a moment. As I stared at him, Sibelius swept back his hair and lowered his head.

“I know, too. El is human, and he’ll die before me. He’ll be reincarnated, but there are many realms besides Arcaedon. Even if he’s lucky enough to be born here again, I might not recognize him. I got a little depressed thinking about those things.”

“Haha, that’s right. That’s true. I guess it’s just because I realized recently that you could die. It was something I thought was far off, but it could end so suddenly.”

Well, this was karma. I avoided his gaze, not knowing what to say, and Sibelius quickly waved his hand.

“Ah, I’m just saying. It was too heavy of a topic. Sorry, I said something unnecessary…”

“We’ll meet again.”

I opened my mouth, my gaze fixed on the crashing waves. I could feel Sibelius’s movements, which had been hurried, stop. When he turned back, his eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions. I smiled, meeting his gaze.

“Even if you’re in a different form, even if I can’t recognize you. Even if everything about each other is unfamiliar. We’ll still be friends.”

“…Now that I think about it, that was a very irresponsible thing to say.”

In fact, until then, I had only thought about reuniting after 4,000 years. I had no idea that so much time had passed since I returned here, that the people I knew would have disappeared, so I could answer lightly without any awareness.

Each on a different timeline. If I were the me now, who has realized the weight of a life left behind, I wouldn’t have been able to say that so readily. I believe that we can all meet again, but it was a separate matter from that.

“But I was happy when El said that back then. And it wasn’t wrong.”

Still, Sibelius’s kind words were comforting. To be honest, I didn’t regret answering that way. I would probably say the same thing even if I could turn back time. Because that’s also my hope.

“But where did As go?”

“Ah, that guy is fixing the barrier. Sephiion… no, Lamias, I mean. That guy keeps loitering around here. I let him in for a moment when he was delivering the newspaper, and it seems he figured out one of the circuits. He can’t destroy it with that, but he’s trying to strengthen it just in case.”

“Ahaha. He’s working hard. Still, I didn’t expect As’s barrier to be so strong that even an Elder Dragon couldn’t break through it. He’s a Demon King, but he’s only 300 years old.”

“That’s his specialty. He’s excellent overall, but his formations and barrier formulas are unparalleled. But don’t praise him. He’s just getting better at scheming to ditch his subordinates and play around.”

Maybe it’s the influence of Lapis’s blood. Sibelius, who was complaining that his subordinates were dying because of it, seemed to have a lot of grievances. Apparently, everyone around him had been nagging him whenever As ran away.

“I’m a contractor, not a babysitter, right? Why does everyone complain to me every time that guy causes trouble? What am I supposed to do with a Demon King they can’t control? It’s not like he listens to me.”

There was someone else here suffering because of their contractor. I was listening with a sense of camaraderie when something suddenly occurred to me.

“But is it okay for As to keep coming down to the Middle Realm [the human world]? I thought he was very busy right now?”

“Oh, um. Probably not. It seems like he’s been getting calls from the Demon World. The barrier he set up is probably to avoid that.”

“…Is that okay?”

The answer was obvious even without hearing it. Of course, it wasn’t okay.

At that moment, I felt a chilling sensation all over my body. Kuung, at the same time, a heavy noise and the ground shook violently.

“What, what is it?”

Sibelius, startled, jumped up from his seat. I also quickly got up. Hurriedly going outside, I saw As standing blankly with his back to us. Fragments of subtle magical power were scattered all around. Ever since he set up the barrier, I had felt like something was surrounding us, but now I felt nothing. It was proof that the barrier surrounding this place had disappeared.

“Was the barrier destroyed?”

Sibelius gasped, as if he felt the same thing.

“Could it be Lamias?”

“…Um, no. It seems like someone else intervened.”

“Someone else?”

If the sensation I felt before the barrier broke wasn’t a mistake, it was definitely an energy I knew. The one who could find the hidden Demon King in an instant and destroy the barrier faster than I could perceive it couldn’t be an ordinary being in the first place.

“Wow, New God! That’s too much!”

As shouted at the sky. It was Croahten, as expected. I was about to sigh when someone walked out hesitantly. The man, who was noticeably pale, was a demon just by looking at his hair and eye color. As, who found him, approached in an instant.

“Was it you? Did you pray to the God to find me?”

“Y-Your Majesty, the Demon King. Everyone is very worried because you haven’t returned on time. There are too many pending issues because you are not here. Please consider our circumstances.”

“That’s why I left Deron in charge.”

“That Deron sent this.”

The demon, who answered with difficulty, trembled and took something out of his arms. It looked like an ordinary letter on the outside, but he seemed afraid to even hold it.

“What is it, a letter? What’s so special about this…”

As clicked his tongue and nonchalantly opened the envelope. The moment the contents unfolded, everyone gasped.

To His Esteemed and Beloved Majesty, the Demon King. I am well aware that Your Majesty, the mighty ruler of the Demon World, is very busy. As a loyal subordinate and assistant, I know better than anyone that it is my duty to understand Your Majesty’s deep and noble intentions. However, I am deeply sorry to say that there was a limit to the scope of work that I could handle on my own. I earnestly hope and pray that you will return to the main castle as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Deron, who admires Your Majesty more than anyone.

The tone was very polite, but it was a courteous and gentle letter, as expected of Deron. The problem was that the letter was written in blood instead of ink. The entire letter was filled with a strong magical power and the stench of blood. Now that I looked, there was blood splattered on the hem of the demon’s clothes. I could see why he was trembling as he took out the letter. He must have drawn blood in front of him (I don’t want to know what method he used to shed blood) and wrote the letter on the spot.

P.S. If you don’t come back, you’ll see my corpse next time.

The postscript at the bottom was even more blatant. Still, it was better in that it matched the atmosphere of the blood letter.

‘…Yeah, he was that kind of demon.’

He was polite, but a bit strange. And now he seems to be even stranger. Was it a problem that he was in charge of childcare?

“Godfather, Deron is threatening me.”

As turned around with a tearful face. He’s definitely a Spirit King now, not a human, but I don’t know why I feel a headache. Haven’t I thought this before? Anyway, one thing was clear. My cute godson had grown into quite the troublemaker while I wasn’t looking.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It seemed like this trip would have to end here.

2.

The term “God Race” is used in two main senses. One refers to the divine race created by the Heavenly God Iowen, and the other is a general term for the inhabitants of the Divine Realm, including the Divine Beasts. However, since each clan of inhabitants had its own separate title, simply calling them the God Race mainly referred to the children of the Heavenly God. They were also called Messengers.

Although they are now completely separated, the Demon Race and Dragons were once God Races belonging to the Divine Realm. Unlike the inhabitants who have lifespans and need productive activities, the God Race who receive the position of angels are born only from the divine power of God and share their lives with their masters. Their innate tendencies are also formed under the influence of their masters, so there were many differences from the inhabitants.

The same was true of souls. In general, the God Race is born with pure souls, but among them, only the souls of children who died without blossoming in their first life can become messengers. That’s why the more affectionate gods tend to cherish their angels and care for them like their own children.

Such differences caused conflicts between the God Races, eventually leading to the outbreak of the Celestial-Demonic War, but this system has not changed and remains the same. Even if it’s not as intense as it was in those days, minor conflicts still exist.

“I would like to see Lord Lusef.”

The palace of Lusef, the God of Justice, built in the sky and called the Sky Garden. A group of people had gathered in front of its gates. The angel Gaiel looked at the elderly man standing at the forefront as their representative with a dry gaze. He had seen him since his hair was colored, but they had rarely been on good terms. To be precise, they had only been getting worse since they settled in the Divine Realm.

“My master is a busy person. It is difficult to come here unannounced and request an audience every time.”

Lusef, one of the commanders of the Heavenly Army and the guardian of the Divine Realm, was more often away from the palace than in it. Gaiel was most displeased that they came as if it were natural, knowing that fact well, as if they were ignoring his master. In principle, they were not even allowed to come here.

“In particular, I have repeatedly told you that the first-generation returnees must not leave the residential area until all the contamination of the Mortal Realm has been purified. If you continue to do this, disciplinary action will inevitably be taken.”

“It has already been 4,000 years since we returned. How long do we have to wait?”

“Of course, until all purification is complete.”

“We are his children!”

Gaiel frowned at the man’s protesting cry. Saintly Unicorns. Even the believers claim to be the children of God, but it was not strictly wrong to say that their clan, which Lusef directly created and gave existence to, were Lusef’s children. It’s just that it wasn’t appropriate for the God Race to say.

It was strange that they were so obsessed with a temporary life and a body that would change when they were reincarnated, but if I thought of it as the aftermath of spending a long time in the Middle Realm, I couldn’t help but understand. No, maybe it’s because they know too well that it’s temporary. Either way, it was clear that purification was still a long way off. At the gaze of ‘so what are you going to do,’ the unicorn representative Ardan, who was protesting, hesitated even more.