Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 600

Side Story 7

“Why don’t you have an angel? I thought when a god is born, a chief angel is born with them. You should have at least one. Did you torment them so much they resigned? But can angels even resign?”

“They can go to another god or commit suicide… No, I do have one, okay? They’re just working right now.”

The accusing gaze intensified.

“Seriously, that’s too much. You make the angel work while you’re playing around? At least increase the staff. You really are tormenting them!”

“What do you want me to do when that one and only angel is against increasing staff?”

“Why are they against it?”

“Just wait. You’ll see.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

At that moment, the door burst open and an angel with six wings entered. It was Luminel, Croahten’s chief angel and first angel. Luminel, noticing the guest, slightly bowed to El. El, returning the bow, looked very impressed by the angel’s splendid appearance.

“Master, can I beat up Craze’s angels a bit?”

Of course, that admiration didn’t last long. While El’s smiling face froze in disbelief, Croahten, who had expected this, nonchalantly shrugged.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, they keep pissing me off. I sent them the document about the Demon Realm reorganization, and they want me to summarize only the changed parts and resend it because they don’t have time to read it. Am I their subordinate? Do I have all the time in the world? Anyway, they seem to think I’m a pushover, so I’m going to give them a warning.”

“Well, I don’t care. Just don’t kill them. It’ll get annoying.”

“Yes, I won’t. Honestly, all those personalities are so stiff! Ah, I really don’t know why all the gods are like that. Especially the high-ranking gods are the worst.”

Muttering, Luminel soon returned to a nonchalant expression, bowed to El, and went outside. By that time, El already looked fed up.

“…What was that just now? A demon disguised as a god?”

“No, just a god. They just have some self-loathing.”

“How like your angel. But if they’re like that because they resemble you, isn’t it more like hating others than self-loathing?”

“That’s right, you know me well. They just hate everyone but themselves.”

The bewildered expression turned sullen. Croahten felt the reproachful gaze but ignored it as always. He knew his personality better than anyone else, and he never really thought it was wrong. He only acknowledged that it made things inconvenient.

“Even if I recruit someone new, they’d probably have the same personality and hate each other. I need to increase the staff for smooth operations. I’ve been pondering a solution, and I happened to hear a strange rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“There’s an angel in Eluien’s palace with a different disposition, and they say that angel is gentle because they were influenced by you during their creation.”

It was literally something he found out by chance. At first, he thought it was nonsense. He had never seen such an angel, even though they were constantly intertwined during the handover. It turned out that Eluien and those angels were conspiring to hide the rumored angel. El, who had a momentarily dumbfounded expression, soon smiled awkwardly.

“Wow, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“That feeling is probably right.”

El, turning pale at the smile, backed away. He couldn’t get off the sofa, but Croahten felt displeased at the evasive movement.

“I need a good-natured angel. Can you cooperate?”

“No, I appreciate you saying I have a good personality, but what happened with my father was just an accident. I don’t particularly want to influence someone’s life like that. If it’s a matter of personality, there are other people besides me. Aren’t the angels of the Heaven lineage all good?”

“Good personality, my foot. The ones who most relentlessly killed the demon gods’ angels in the Great War of Heaven and Demons were those of the Heaven lineage. And I don’t like the others. You’re the only one I’ve recognized as a friend so far.”

“How is that something to be proud of with all those accumulated years? Even if I help, what if your angel can’t tolerate it?”

“Ah, that’s okay. I’ve already checked. It just so happened that all the Eluien’s kids are attending the angel meeting, so I told them to meet and come back. They said it was okay. I guess they do resemble me.”

El, who had been dumbfounded, soon shook his head with a sigh. Croahten narrowed his eyes at the face that clearly showed unpleasant thoughts.

“What are you thinking with that expression?”

“No, I was just thinking that memories of the past are beautified. I’m trying to decide who’s more unpleasant, Lamias or you.”

“Just try saying it’s me.”

“You’re the one who urgently needed reevaluation.”

Croahten also sulked at the firm attitude. Should he have just taken him to the Azure Palace without asking for consent? He was muttering the thought that El would be horrified to know, when.

“Anyway, stop talking nonsense. How long can you stay in the Mortal Realm?”

“It’s not nonsense. About 30 minutes. Why?”

“That’s really short. Can you spare another 30 minutes?”

“Maybe?”

“Then let’s go somewhere for a bit.”

Croahten, receiving an unexpected proposal, gave a questioning look. El’s face, receiving that gaze, had a meaningful smile.

“Gasp! Who is this? It’s El?”

The place they arrived at was in front of a small mansion built against the backdrop of a beautiful lake. A man in work clothes, who was tending to the garden inside the fence, discovered the two approaching and showed a surprised expression. The black-haired man, hastily greeting them, was someone Croahten knew well. *Damn it,* unlike him who was grumbling inwardly, El, who had created this situation, had a purely joyful face.

“Diagon, it’s been a while.”

“It has. It’s been a long time. I heard you returned. It’s good to see your face like this. But what brings you here?”

“Lantasha… I heard your partner has awakened. I heard you two started living a secluded life and wanted to congratulate you.”

“Wow, really? I’m so touched.”

Diagon, with wide eyes, couldn’t hide his moved expression. He fussed, telling them to come in quickly, and soon noticed Croahten next to El and tilted his head.

“But who is this?”

“Ah, he’s my friend. He came with me, is that okay?”

“Of course, guests are always welcome. Come on, come on in.”

With a cheerful reply, a flurry of gestures followed. Croahten, reluctantly walking along with the hand gestures, subtly glared at El. El, receiving the gaze, shrugged.

When he heard that Lantasha had awakened and was asked to go see her, Croahten refused at once. Even if they were once blood relatives, it was just a past life now. With the end of Lapis’s life, all the connections on that side were also terminated. He reluctantly agreed on the condition that his identity was concealed, because he couldn’t bear to see El feeling bitter, saying that everything ends when you die, but he still didn’t feel like it.

“Lantasha, I have someone to introduce you to!”

But no matter how he felt, the situation was already unfolding. Opening the door, a cozy living room came into view. Lantasha wouldn’t have this kind of taste, so it was all Diagon’s taste. The red-haired woman sitting in an armchair on the terrace connected to the backyard, heard the cheerful voice and raised her head.

“Someone to introduce?”

El, perhaps nervous at the calm voice, swallowed his breath. Maybe it was because she hadn’t changed at all from the last time he saw her 4,000 years ago. Lantasha also stared at El with intrigued eyes.

“Ah, could it be?”

“You recognize him right away, right? It’s El, who I mentioned before. The current Spirit King Elquines.”

“Hello, Lantasha.”

Lantasha, at El’s cautious greeting, blinked as if surprised and smiled faintly.

“This Elquines is very polite. I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard you made a contract with that child? I wondered why, but it was because of this personality?”

“Haha, there were twists and turns, but.”

“I wanted to thank you, though it’s late. That child must have bothered you a lot?”

“No, Lapis was a good friend.”

Croahten was inwardly pleased at the following words. But that moment didn’t last long.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t properly protect the contractor.”

“Hey, you…”

Croahten, immediately frowning, turned to look at El. Just as he was about to say something, Lantasha opened her mouth first.

“No. I heard all the circumstances. But it’s not your fault. The Dragon Heart was damaged because of the Evil God. How could you have stopped that?”

“But…”

“Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I was relieved to hear that.”

“…Yes?”

El, flustered, raised his head. Lantasha’s expression was still calm. But Croahten, who was good at reading her expression due to their long acquaintance, realized that Lantasha was being self-deprecating.

“Because that child didn’t die young because of excessive fire energy. Because they died in an accident in the process of stopping the Evil God. I thought it was rather fortunate.”

“Lantasha.”

“Do you know? It’s all my fault that Lapis was born with excessive fire energy.”

“What do you mean…”

“I consistently conducted experiments to strengthen power from a young age. I didn’t hesitate to test it directly on my body. Ifrit kept warning that it was dangerous, but I didn’t listen. I said not to give birth to a Red Dragon, but I didn’t listen to that warning either. That selfishness drove that child to death from birth.”

El’s eyes widened with a surprised expression. He shouldn’t have come here. Croahten, regretting stepping foot in this place again, sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the related circumstances. What was meant to be known would be known no matter how much they tried to hush it up. Moreover, he had always been quick-witted.

Still, he didn’t particularly care, so he thought that if he didn’t blame himself, others would be okay too. No one had expected that she herself would be blaming herself, that the poison of the accumulated heart would lead to a deep sleep. It was even more so because Lantasha usually had such a confident and lively personality. It was clear that it had suddenly gotten worse at some point. Perhaps the disappearance of Ifrit, whom she relied on like a brother, was the cause.

He didn’t have the chance to experience it, but he heard that Spirit Kings feel a tremendous sense of loss when they disappear or break the contract. A feeling like being abandoned by the world. It was a part that he couldn’t fully understand even if he heard it, but he could roughly guess it now. It was after seeing El that day, unable to hold back the rising tears.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? With that kind of background, I’m now relieved that they didn’t die because of me. I’m such a selfish and incompetent mother.”

“Then just live selfishly until the end. Don’t pretend to be pitiful when it doesn’t suit you.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Croahten at the words he spat out. El grabbed his sleeve in horror. It was a clear act of telling him to stop, but Croahten didn’t care.

“What kind of selfish bastard can’t overcome guilt and even goes into a sleep cycle? But seeing that you woke up again, you must have the will to live. Then just live a little easier. What are you going to do now with things that have already passed?”

“Hey, you really. Can’t you say things any differently?”

“El, you too. Stop it now.”

It was El who closed his mouth at the low warning. Silence flowed, and an awkward atmosphere lingered for a while. On the contrary, Croahten, feeling refreshed, casually hit El’s shoulder.

“It seems like we’ve confirmed the well-being enough. Is that it? Hurry up and give that and finish the business.”

“…I don’t know why I brought you.”

El’s grumbling words had no impact at all. He himself thought so more than anyone else.

“Anyway, finish it.”

“Okay, wait. Lantasha, take this.”

El, sighing, handed over what he had prepared. Lantasha, who had accepted it in a daze, had a questioning expression. “Open it.” Still, she didn’t refuse the urging and obediently untied the silk wrapping the surface. Soon, Lantasha raised her head with a surprised expression at what came out from within.

“…A mirror?”

“It’s a mirror that reflects memories. You’ll be able to see the places or people you want to see from the past. Even so, it’s a divine artifact made by the Demon God Croahten.”

Diagon and Lantasha widened their eyes at the words ‘Demon God’s divine artifact’. Croahten grumbled, wondering why the words ‘even so’ were included.

“Dragons have good memories, but it’s different from seeing it with your own eyes. Well, the Demon God made everything, but I provided the idea, so I have a stake in it.”

“Why would you…”

“It’s a wedding gift. It’s very late, though.”

The two dragons, who had been examining the mirror, were once again taken aback. It was absurd to give a wedding gift that was already over 4,000 years late. Lantasha, who had been unable to speak for a while, soon slowly looked into the mirror. The wavering pupils contained moisture, as if they had found something in the mirror.

“Thank you. It’s a really special gift.”

“I hope you like it.”

“I really like it. I had a similar mirror like this before. It was a divine artifact of Highton back then.”

“Really? What a coincidence.”

*What a coincidence,* anyway, he’s really good at lying like that. Croahten grumbled inwardly. Then, he suddenly met Lantasha’s eyes, who was looking at him. It was an unusually intense eye, like a flame burning.

“Thank you too. Really.”

“…”

It seemed like she had realized that he was a Demon God. Maybe she even recognized the identity beyond that, but Croahten just decided not to care. He nodded roughly, and soon a bright smile spread across Lantasha’s face. Croahten also chuckled. At least it didn’t seem like she was going to make a fuss about going into a sleep cycle again.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Huh? Wait a minute!”

He stroked El’s head once and turned around as he was. He heard El calling out in embarrassment, but he just waved his hand once. It was only after returning to the palace that he was belatedly struck by self-reproach.

“Damn it, that bastard, he ended up using me again.”

He was clearly thinking of getting El’s cooperation, but it turned out that he was the only one who cooperated. He even felt like he had jumped into a pre-arranged game, which made him uneasy. Why is he so soft on that guy? He was dumbfounded by his situation, being thoroughly exploited even after becoming a god. The bigger problem was that he didn’t feel particularly bad even in the midst of this.

‘But I should postpone the plan to get El’s help in the formation of an angel.’

If he was swayed by El, there was a high possibility that the chief angel would also be swayed by an angel who resembled that personality. He came to that conclusion and was about to nod again when the door opened and Luminel entered.

“Master, I’m back.”

“Did you take good care of your hands?”

“I just quit.”

“Why?”

“I met Nadel on the way, and they told me not to.”

“Ah, is that so?”

He should postpone it after all. Croahten nodded again. He was really glad he realized it before committing it. It was a very big realization.