Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 599

Side Story 6

Juvel’s expression turned strange. There were typically three scenarios where a divine being served by a god had a different disposition. These included cases where the god intentionally granted a different disposition when infusing divine power, when another god forcibly seized an angel who already had an owner, and lastly, when another being intervened in the birth process of a divine being.

Gods did not welcome divine beings with different dispositions. The biggest issue was the difficulty in fully connecting with their master. There was also the problem of not getting along with their peers, leading to isolation from the group. Therefore, while it wasn’t something anyone could do, they usually didn’t even attempt it. The last scenario, in particular, was extremely rare. How such an accident occurred in the tightly controlled Chamber of Azure Sky was unknown, but it could only be seen as incredibly bad luck.

‘So what if you’re a high-ranking divine being? You’re just half-baked anyway.’

Juvel felt a strange sense of victory, thinking that she, who was fully connected to her master even with only four wings, was better off. It was then that an unexpected sight caught her eye. Luminael was approaching the Angels of Punishment. Juvel, only then realizing he had disappeared from her side, was very flustered.

“Hey, you.”

The Angels of Punishment, who had been exchanging greetings with those around them, turned at the sudden address. They recognized Luminael and showed surprised expressions. Luminael didn’t look at them, focusing only on one person.

“You, with the pink eyes.”

“Me?” Nadiel, the divine being with pink eyes, widened her eyes.

“Are you Nadiel?”

“Ah, yes. You’re the Demon God’s angel, right? I’ve heard about you from my sisters. This is our first meeting. I’m Nadiel. I look forward to working with you.”

Luminael paused, looking at her bright smile. His gaze seemed somewhat dissatisfied, causing Nadiel to tilt her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, I didn’t expect this.”

“Huh? What?”

“Say ‘sister’ again.”

“Sister?”

Luminael’s expression turned even more serious at the reflexive response. The other Angels of Punishment, trying to protect Nadiel, stepped forward.

“Luminael, I don’t know what’s going on, but if there’s a problem, please talk to me first…”

“She’s cute after all.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m glad I checked. Sometimes the master gives worthwhile tasks.”

Nadiel, and everyone else, stared in astonishment. But Luminael was only looking at Nadiel, as he had been from the start.

“I’m Luminael. Just call me Luna. Hey, want to be my sister? No, just be my sister.”

“Huh?”

“Repeat after me, Luna, big brother.”

“Lu, Luna, big brother?”

“Oh, good, good. Then I’ll take it that way! See you later, Nadiel.”

“What? You just got here!”

“I came to see you.”

All the divine beings watching them were speechless at the cheerful reply. The Angels of Punishment sighed, pinching their foreheads. “We knew this would happen, so we kept hiding her.” “We never expected her to show up at the meeting.” Their low murmurs continued.

Luminael, having finished his business, turned around and ran into Juvel, who was frozen in place, regardless of the chaotic atmosphere of the meeting. Juvel was simply dumbfounded, unable to believe what was happening. She was the one who suggested they become like sisters, but the one he made his sister was someone else. What was going on?

“Luminael… to make her your sister…”

The question, ‘Then what about me?’ rose to her throat. The answer, ‘Whether you do or not,’ contained several meanings. It could also be interpreted as, ‘I don’t care whether you do or not.’ Luminael looked at Juvel with a newly discovered expression.

“Oh, what was your name again?”

“Ju, Juvel.”

“Ah, right? Anyway, take care. Oh, but there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

A glimmer of hope returned to Juvel’s fading eyes. She waited for him to say something like, ‘You’re like a sister to me too,’ or ‘I’m still closer to you than her.’ But it was a futile dream.

“Don’t go around talking about me, even if it’s praise. I don’t like that kind of thing.”

“…….”

“And tell your master to stop contacting mine. My master is already busy enough, and he’s very uncomfortable with the constant bothering. I think his patience is reaching its limit. If you’re a proper attendant angel, you should take good care of your master’s life, right? Make sure she refrains from doing so. Got it?”

His voice was gentle, but his gaze was icy. Juvel nodded quickly, terrified. Only then did the murderous gaze disappear. After Luminael disappeared, Juvel barely managed to catch her breath. Her body trembled from the pressure exerted by the high-ranking divine being.

“See, I told you it was just a bluff.”

Shurei’s angel said to the divine being next to her. The murmurs, which had been harmless until now, finally pierced her heart. Everyone quickly avoided her gaze as Juvel glared at them. The meeting hadn’t even started properly, but the atmosphere was already ruined. The organizing committee, who had worked hard for years for this day, wore a hollow expression. One of Luseph’s angels sighed, saying he knew this would happen. It was as if a storm had passed.

“But… I was born first…”

No one heard Nadiel’s tearful plea.

* * *

Croahen, the God of War and Destruction, also known as the Demon God. His palace was a magnificent golden structure shining in the deep night. From afar, it looked splendid and beautiful, but as one approached, the true appearance of the building, hidden by the light, became apparent.

The parts that seemed like elegant carvings were actually detailed depictions of screaming human heads swarming together, and the outer walls, which seemed to be gold, were actually dark and grimy like an abandoned building. As a result, many people, drawn by its beauty, turned back without daring to take another step when they reached the palace. It was said to be a palace befitting a Demon God in many ways, as it made one immediately guess that the owner’s nature was not ordinary.

“The design is quite intuitive.”

Croahen looked at the person sitting across from him in a slouched posture. Their pearl-like skin and clear, water-colored eyes were strikingly intense. The light-filled blue hair was like a clear summer sea transplanted directly. Even their appearance, which made it difficult to readily distinguish their gender, seemed to perfectly express the characteristics of their race. This was Elquines, the Water Spirit King.

The Spirit Kings, as future high-ranking gods, easily attracted attention, but this Elquines, in particular, was even more famous for having created all sorts of unique precedents from the moment of their birth until now.

It was a strange feeling to face someone who was once a contractor from a completely different perspective. Even now, with so much changed, his feelings towards him hadn’t changed. Perhaps it was because his attitude towards him hadn’t changed either. Even now, he could clearly read all the thoughts in his head. He knew he was going to say something unpleasant, but Croahen asked anyway.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your palace. Isn’t it expressing your dirty personality, which doesn’t match its flashy appearance? I was secretly impressed that you’re so self-aware.”

“Is that so?”

As expected, he only knew how to say annoying things. Croahen retorted indifferently, as he was still annoyed even though he knew it was coming.

“If not, then why is it like this?”

“Try being buried in paperwork all day. Wouldn’t your head go crazy? This is the only way to express my terrible mood.”

“Wow, so you’re aware that your head is strange. It really was a manifestation of self-awareness.”

“Don’t be cheeky.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a kidnapper.”

That was exactly what he meant by muttering sullenly. Originally, Spirit Kings couldn’t move to other dimensions besides Aqua Don. The reason El was in the Demon God’s palace was that Croahen had brought him directly a little while ago.

He had simply brought him without explanation, so it might have felt like a kidnapping to the person involved. But Croahen wasn’t sorry at all. Gods who were restricted by time outside the Great Dimensions couldn’t move carelessly. Otherwise, it would be difficult to find time to talk leisurely with him, who was always running around.

“What am I supposed to do when you don’t even think about coming back when I go to the Spirit Realm? You haven’t even built a temple yet, and there’s no proper way to contact you.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just kidnap me. You know what happens when a Spirit King leaves their post. You’re also from Elquines, right? What kind of senior are you?”

“I’m doing this because I know it well. The Great Dimensions have the same flow of time. A few hours won’t do anything. There’s no problem at all, got it?”

“Still, everyone gets surprised when I suddenly disappear.”

“I told Minerva. She’ll pass it on.”

He had prepared that much, anticipating that he would get annoyed. El pouted, speechless at the gaze that seemed to ask what he was going to do now.

“My personal schedule is also affected.”

“What personal schedule?”

“Well, you know. The return time I told the inn, and the restaurant I was planning to go to for dinner. If I can’t do what I was originally going to do, that’s an impact.”

“Oh, really? What a great schedule. Speaking of which, what have you been up to lately?”

“What do you mean? I’m just traveling.”

“With whom? I’ve already confirmed that the little Demon King and the blue elf have returned to the Demon Realm. You were in the main world for a while after that. Where did you suddenly meet someone and start traveling again?”

“Are those the only two people I know? And when are you going to stop using those nicknames? As is one thing, but Sibel isn’t a blue elf anymore, you know?”

“Enough. Tell me honestly. Are you hiding something?”

“No. What would I be hiding?”

His eyes were shaking, so it was obvious he was lying. Croahen didn’t press him, thinking it was a clumsy trick. You shouldn’t be impatient when dealing with timid and sensitive animals. Since it was impossible for him to keep a secret forever with that personality, it would be revealed soon anyway. It was better to watch leisurely now than to stir things up unnecessarily. That way, he would be more likely to create an opening when he was off guard.

“Oh, but what’s that? Why is there a spider emblem on your banner? It’s intense, but isn’t it a bit scary?”

So, even though he knew he was obviously changing the subject, he decided to let it go. He considered himself a very generous god.

“It’s news to me that you’re afraid of spiders. Why would you be scared of that? You’re the guy who can kill spider-type demons with one finger.”

“…It’s not about the actual threat. I just have a revulsion to creatures with many legs.”

“Haven’t you fixed your past life habits yet?”

“Anyway! Why did you use a spider emblem?”

“It’s my crest.”

“Seriously?”

“What’s the problem?”

“No, it’s not that there’s a problem… It’s just that after bat wings, it’s a spider. It’s a bit embarrassing. Is there a rule that Demon Gods follow superhero stories? But why is the universe different?”

“What are you talking about?”

He had a rough idea. Most of the things El said that he couldn’t understand were due to the influence of his past life. He had been born on Earth, the land of the chief god, among all the middle worlds. Earth, a special zone, was a place where high-ranking gods couldn’t easily interfere. That influence was partly why it had been difficult to find El.

He thought he should learn about Earth’s culture sometime when things calmed down a bit. The problem was that he didn’t know when things would calm down.

“But aren’t you busy? Didn’t you say you haven’t had a break lately? Is it okay to spend time like this?”

El knew very well that he had a lot of work. Croahen frowned, having been pointed out the part he had been ignoring.

“It’s not okay. But I can’t just live working.”

“Well, I understand. But isn’t only our father getting more tired while you’re playing like this?”

“I’d rather that be the case. Ellyuen has almost finished handing over his work and has mostly stepped down. Do you even know how much that terrible bastard has been exploiting me? Hey, and use the correct title. It’s not ‘our,’ it’s ‘your’ father.”

“I can’t help it, I’m from Korea. You have to understand.”

Damn it, I’m really going to study Earth. Croahen sighed.

“Anyway, it’s inconvenient not being able to contact you. It’s annoying to have to go find you every time, so take my crest.”

“Haha, no thanks?”

“You received Ellyuen’s and the former Demon God’s crests, right? You even asked Ellyuen first. Why don’t you want my crest?”

“I don’t want to carry around something with a spider emblem.”

Croahen was momentarily speechless at the unexpected but reasonable reason. He had never cared about the form of the crest, but he also felt dissatisfied that it had to be in the form of a spider. He wouldn’t feel wronged if he had chosen it himself, but he had no choice since he received it along with his name.

“Let’s see what kind of good crest you get later.”

“I’m not going to become a god.”

“Who wanted to become one? You shouldn’t make such rash judgments.”

El quietly closed his mouth, unable to refute that statement. He seemed to have finally realized that it wasn’t someone else’s problem, judging by his anxious expression.

“Anyway, I’ll concede that. But cooperate with something else instead.”

“What else?”

“You’ve been to Ellyuen’s palace, right? Didn’t you feel anything was missing when you saw my palace? What do you think is lacking compared to Ellyuen’s palace?”

“Brightness and elegance?”

“…Yes, besides that.”

El pondered for a moment, then slowly looked around. Then, as if realizing something, he blinked his eyes wide.

“Um… are there no angels?”

It felt like he had come a long way to hear this one word. What am I doing right now? Croahen lightly rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight sense of self-disgust.