Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 101

101.

“Hair of platinum-blond, as if woven from light, and blue eyes. Could it be…?”

Kaitain began to tremble visibly. He must have intuitively recognized Ellyuen’s identity from what I had said and the circumstances. There was no doubt about it.

“Chief Priest Kaitain! That is the man who destroyed the temple!”

Just then, someone cluelessly interjected. It was the priest who had questioned us earlier. The High Priest, standing next to him, showed interest in his words.

“Is that true?”

“It’s true, High Priest! I heard him confess with my own ears! He said he got rid of the worship chamber because it was unnecessary!”

“What is this…?”

“That’s not all! He made rude remarks, saying our worship was meaningless! How can such a person exist under the heavens! He dared to insult the sacred grounds and the servants of God! He must be punished for his sins!”

Perhaps he felt a thrill from the attention he was receiving. He asserted his claims, shouting confidently. But that moment didn’t last long. The instant Ellyuen turned his gaze, the priest’s face quickly hardened.

“Cough!”

His eyes widened, and he clutched at his chest with both hands. Then, he began to emit strange groans, as if suffocating and struggling.

“Kuh! Keeeuk!”

“Erun-nim?”

“Erun! What’s wrong!”

The priests beside him wore bewildered expressions at his sudden behavior. But no one there could hear his answer. Thud. He collapsed to the floor and fell silent. No life could be felt from him as he lay prostrate. Immediately, one of the priests approached him, cautiously checked his condition, and then raised his head with a pale face.

“H-He’s dead.”

“…….”

“…….”

A chilling silence fell among the people. Anyone would be shocked to see a perfectly healthy person suddenly die before their eyes. The priests, with their mouths shut tight, remained motionless for a while. Some of the onlookers collapsed to the ground. I stared at Ellyuen with a hardened face. As if sensing the meaning of my gaze, he lightly shook his head.

“I didn’t do it.”

“T-Then?”

“The priest denied his own source, so he received a curse. His recklessness brought disaster upon himself.”

Ellyuen clicked his tongue, looking at the foolish man. And that answer seemed to give all the priests present a realization. They all looked at Ellyuen with ashen faces. At that moment, Kaitain prostrated himself and shouted, as if driving a wedge.

“T-The humble servant Kaitain greets our master, the Almighty Ellyuen-nim!”

“……!”

It wasn’t just him. High Priest Ruyan, as well as the other priests, began to prostrate themselves one after another like a wave. Those with low divine power or ordinary people who were there as guests hadn’t yet grasped the situation, but they too hurriedly knelt down, following the priests.

The sight of so many people prostrating themselves at once was spectacular in itself. Swept away by the atmosphere, I unconsciously tried to bend my body as well. But Ellyuen immediately stopped me, frowning.

“Why are you trying to kneel too?”

“Ahaha, w-well, I don’t know.”

As I laughed awkwardly, he sighed and lightly shook his head. Seeing that, I felt myself shrinking back. I wondered if he was annoyed by my actions. A Spirit King being swayed by the atmosphere and following the crowd was pathetic, even to me. From his perspective, it must have been even more absurd.

Suddenly, Ellyuen roughly stroked my hair. It was more like he was just pressing down on my head.

“Ouch! What are you doing?”

“El, what did I say I was to you?”

“What? …Ah, Father?”

“Then that’s enough.”

What, is that it?

I stared at him, dumbfounded. But Ellyuen had already turned his gaze away from me, as if he had lost interest. Even though it was just that, my mood lightened strangely. I felt like I wanted to laugh for no reason.

I forced my mouth shut to keep from grinning. It was fortunate that the others couldn’t see my face because they were bowing their heads. I must have been making a very foolish expression.

Of course, even if they had seen me, I doubted there would be anyone among them who would pay attention to me. The crowd was so stiff, and everyone’s attention was focused solely on Ellyuen. The people who had been bewildered at first now seemed to have realized the whole situation and were trembling, prostrate on the ground.

The descent of a god. And the true owner of this temple had come in person. It was something that ordinary people would never experience in their entire lives. Faced with the sudden miracle, people seemed unable to even think about what to do.

Then, the High Priest took off the crown he was wearing and placed it on the floor. With a face full of fear and awe, he bowed deeply and said.

“Ruyan, the first servant of Ellyuen-nim, beholds the sacred one. Please punish me for the sin of not recognizing my master with my foolish eyes.”

“Please punish us for our sins!”

No sooner had his words fallen than the priests shouted in unison, as if chanting. The faces of the people, with their eyes tightly closed, were filled with resignation. They seemed ready to endure whatever was about to happen.

Ellyuen looked back at them indifferently and said.

“The first servant, listen.”

“Y-Yes, Your Eminence.”

“You have failed to keep any of the commands I gave you.”

Then, the High Priest’s shoulders visibly flinched. But Ellyuen didn’t give him a chance to speak and immediately continued.

“From this day forward, you will not see the restoration of the worship chamber in your lifetime. Furthermore, you will never receive my revelation again.”

The content conveyed in his indifferent tone was cruelly cold.

To not receive revelation meant to be cut off from God. In a moment of error, all of them would be unable to communicate with God for the rest of their lives. It was a declaration that was no different from dismissal.

“Your Eminence, I obey.”

The High Priest answered more calmly than expected. But he couldn’t hide his miserable feelings, as a tremor could be felt at the end of his voice. The sound of sobbing mixed in from the surroundings. People who couldn’t suppress their sadness had begun to cry.

To think that such a disaster would occur because of me. I looked at Ellyuen, thinking that I couldn’t stay still like this. Then, he replied without even turning to look at me.

“No.”

“B-But that’s too harsh. It wasn’t done on purpose.”

“When you fail to carry out the task you were entrusted with, you bear the responsibility.”

“I was the one who did wrong first. I didn’t mention my name on purpose because I didn’t want to make a fuss, and I didn’t reveal that I was Ellyuen’s guest, so that’s why.”

“That’s also because they made you feel burdened in the first place.”

“Ugh, if you put it that way, it’s because Ellyuen sent an angel in the first place. How would those people have known that things would get so big?”

“…….”

At that moment, Ellyuen’s expression, which seemed like it wouldn’t budge at any words, wavered slightly. Oh, did I hit the nail on the head? Even so, I didn’t expect Ellyuen to show embarrassment. It was a feeling that was so unexpected that it felt strange even as I watched. I decided to dig a little deeper while I was at it.

“Come to think of it, why did you really send an angel? It would have been enough to tell just one or two people discreetly. If you had, people wouldn’t have flocked in the first place, and it wouldn’t have become so noisy.”

“Whatever method I choose, it is my will.”

“Still, it was too noticeable. I was so surprised when I heard that story. How many gods would send an angel to greet a guest? Anyone would think Ellyuen is a fool for showing off his son?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t it natural for a father to do that much for his son?”

“Huh?…Ahaha, w-well, that’s true.”

I nodded hastily because I didn’t expect him to agree so easily. But my head was in a state of confusion. A father for his son. What, then all those things were for me?

To be honest, it felt like I had been hit hard on the back of the head. In some ways, it felt like I had given a *doe* [a traditional Korean unit of volume, approximately 1.8 liters] and received a *mal* [ten *doe*, approximately 18 liters]. Rather, he had an indifferent expression, so I couldn’t look him straight in the eye. If I made eye contact, I felt like I would burst into flames and turn to ashes.

In fact, until now, even if I heard that children dislike parents showing off their children, I didn’t understand it well. But now I finally understand their feelings. Wow, I didn’t know because I hadn’t experienced it before, but this is a really embarrassing feeling? I hurriedly changed the subject to change the atmosphere.

“Um, anyway, Ellyuen, can’t you just cancel what you said earlier?”

“I said I’d only give you one pass.”

“That’s my problem with acquaintances. This is clearly a different case.”

“Such a stretch…”

“I know it’s unpleasant. But still, can’t you do something? If it ends like this, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep at night because these people will bother my eyes. I’ll be tormented by guilt. Is it okay with Ellyuen if I become like that?”

“…I really can’t stop you.”

“Then you’ll listen?”

Ellyuen looked at me with a complicated expression for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and lightly shook his head. Is it not going to work after all? Just as I was about to let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Restoration.”

At that moment, an amazing sight unfolded before my eyes. The stone fragments that were rolling around on the floor all floated into the air at once, and then gathered together as if drawn by a magnet. The gathered fragments then became one mass and began to take shape at a rapid pace. It was as if they were moving with their own will.

It wasn’t just me who was surprised by the sight, but the priests as well. They all opened their mouths and stared blankly at what was happening around them.

The stone fragments started from the walls, then formed the pillars, the floor, and the decorations one by one. And when I came to my senses, we were standing in a clean worship chamber. As if it had never been destroyed, the elaborately restored worship chamber was no different from the scene I had seen when I first entered. It felt like I had woken up from a dream.

But the restoration of this space contained a more important meaning. Just a moment ago, he had said to the priests that they would not see the restoration of the worship chamber in their lifetime. But he broke the words he had declared himself.

“Ah, my master!”

The priests were overwhelmed with emotion and prostrated themselves on the floor again. They were all so shocked by the miracle that had happened before their eyes that they couldn’t describe it.

“Today’s events are specially unmentioned.”

The priests all started crying at his short words. They seemed to be sobbing even more than when he had punished them. Ellyuen clicked his tongue slightly and looked at me as if to say, ‘Is that enough?’ I couldn’t help but feel a lump in my chest at the sight.

Even I, who was an outsider, knew how strict the covenant of God was. It would also be a matter of pride for him. But he reversed it without any hesitation. All because of my one request.

“…Thank you.”

“I’m telling you, this is really the last time.”

He spoke quietly, but I could only smile. I had a feeling that there would be another last time next time. Was it because I had become too arrogant? I felt like I was going to get bad habits. Ellyuen clicked his tongue softly at the sight of me.

“Don’t laugh. I swear, the only son I have is causing so much trouble.”

“Ehehe…”

But it was just then. Suddenly, light began to burst out of Ellyuen. It was such an intense light that I couldn’t open my eyes wide for a moment.

“Ugh! Ellyuen?”

“…Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue lightly, as if embarrassed. At the same time, his presence, which had been hidden until now, slowly began to be revealed. It was such an overwhelming pressure that even I was breathless.

“Cough!”

“Keuheok!”

The priests seemed to have almost lost their minds to the sacred energy that filled the surroundings. The High Priest, including Kaitain, all made strange noises that were neither screams nor shouts with insane faces. It was like they were on drugs.

Their case was a little better. Ordinary people were foaming at the mouth and convulsing on the floor. There were quite a few who fainted, bleeding from their eyes and ears.

But even though the situation was like this, Ellyuen didn’t try to withdraw his presence. No, it seemed like he couldn’t withdraw. The light that started from him had already reversed its momentum and was swallowing his entire body. Now, I couldn’t even tell where the light started and where he was.

“E-Ellyuen?”

“El, this way.”

I stared blankly at the lump of light that was held out in front of me, presumably his hand. When I carefully grabbed it, the same warm body temperature as usual was transmitted. Thanks to that, the feeling that had been hardened by tension was a little stabilized.

“It seems like the time given to me is over. It seems impossible to manage the energy any longer. If I delay any longer, it will have a big impact not only on this place but on the entire city.”

“Ugh, I see. Then I have to go back quickly.”

“Ah, I’m sorry that it’s been a while.”

I quickly shook my head at his apology. It was true that I was sad, but I couldn’t complain to him who had taken the time to come in the midst of his busy schedule. Perhaps feeling that, Ellyuen smiled softly.

“Come to think of it, there was another reason for coming.”

At the same time as he finished speaking, Ellyuen pressed his finger on my forehead. Then, an unfamiliar heat began to scorch the skin above my eyebrows. I was startled and quickly grabbed my forehead.

“Wh-What?”

“What you need for this game. Wasn’t this what you needed to meet me?”

“Huh? Ah! Could it be the Divine Mark?”

Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten. It was the most important reason I came here. I let out a sigh of relief at the thought of having aged ten years, and Ellyuen chuckled as if it was interesting.

“From now on, you’ll be able to talk to me anytime through that mark.”

“Wow, really? How?”

“You can think of it as a kind of individual passage connected to me. The Divine Mark has the same role as the worship chamber of the temple. That’s why formal priests can receive oracles individually. So formal priests are also called a small temple in themselves.”

“Hee, I see.”

“Personally, I feel a little strange that my son is becoming my priest. You’re probably the only Spirit King who asks God for a mark.”

“Why? Isn’t it good to be able to contact each other easily?”

“It’s like you to think that way.”

Ellyuen chuckled again and stroked my hair. I felt like I was being treated like an idiot, but maybe it was just my imagination?