Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 107

107.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s going to be tough to go down like this. I can’t see anything ahead.”

“What? You can’t see?”

“Can’t you tell? The fog is too thick.”

I was puzzled by Lapis’s reply and looked around. There was no fog; the weather was too clear. Even the ice and snow that had been abundant when we came up here had completely disappeared.

“I don’t see any fog.”

“What are you talking about? How can you not see it when the fog is so thick?”

“I’m serious. In the first place, fog is something I’m in charge of, so there’s no way I wouldn’t notice it. Isana, can’t you see ahead either?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Mr. Kaitain, how about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Kaitain, next to me, also looked puzzled as he answered. It seemed that only he and I were not aware of the fog covering this mountain.

Come to think of it, didn’t they say that the path would only open to the priests? Suddenly, the story he had told me a few days ago came to mind. It was about the miracle at the foot of the mountain that was happening after Ellyuen’s descent. I thought it was a phenomenon that only applied to those entering the mountain, but it seemed to apply to everyone coming into the mountain.

“Tch, I thought it was strange that mere fog was blocking my sight.”

Lapis couldn’t hide his displeasure at learning the truth. It was clear that he was biased, and now he was ready to view everything Ellyuen did with tinted glasses [seeing things negatively].

“Then what should we do? Do you want to hold my hand and go?”

“Why would we do that? We can just use a simple method.”

“A simple method?”

“Well, in some ways, it might be better this way. I didn’t want to climb the mountain again anyway.”

“What are you going to do?”

I sent a wary look, a creeping ominous feeling washing over me. Lapis didn’t even look at me and replied lightly.

“Teleport.”

“Teleport…? Ah! Wait, Lapis!”

Poof!

It was too late when I realized the meaning of what he had said. The wave of mana covered us in an instant, my attempt to stop him proving futile.

When I came to my senses, a completely different space was unfolding before my eyes. It was a flatland with large and small trees, and rocks scattered below.

I knew right away where this was. It was the very bottom of the mountain, the first entrance to the forest. We had moved a whole day’s distance in one go.

“How…”

Lapis said smugly to me, who was muttering in dismay.

“Calculating the coordinates of a distance I’ve already traveled is easier than breathing for me.”

He seemed to think that I would admire him if he explained it that way. And, of course, I wasn’t impressed at all.

“Are you crazy? What if there were people here!”

“What, is that the problem?”

“Of course! What if someone saw us suddenly appear like this?”

“It’s okay because no one’s here. And what if they did? Humans can do teleportation magic too.”

Still, it’s too noticeable, isn’t it?

I was about to shout that. But at that moment, I felt Isana and Kaitain slump to the ground. The two of them covered their mouths with their hands and retched frantically. It seemed to be an aftereffect of the sudden movement.

“Are you okay?”

When I rushed to check on him, Kaitain nodded with difficulty. His face, which had turned pale for a moment, was frozen in great shock.

“I can’t believe it. To use magic without drawing a circle… Moreover, I heard that even high-level magicians struggle with space movement magic… Just who is that person…?”

“No need to be surprised. Actually, that guy is a dragon.”

“Y-yes? A d-dragon?”

After a moment of shocked expression, he looked at me and quickly calmed down. He seemed to have realized who I was in front of him.

“Well, you’re with the Spirit King, so you can’t be an ordinary person. My thinking was short-sighted.”

“I’m sorry. Were you very surprised? That guy is a bit of a handful…”

“No. Thanks to you, I don’t think I’ll be surprised by anything anymore. Come to think of it, I think I’m very lucky. Not only did I see His Majesty the Emperor and the Spirit King, but I even met a dragon. Everyone will envy me when they find out about this.”

I was embarrassed by his purely admiring appearance. In fact, only the outside was flashy, and there was no one in our group who could be called normal.

An emperor in name only, a Spirit King who has not awakened his abilities, and even a quirky dragon with perverted tastes. When I think about it, it seems like it would be really difficult to gather like this even if we forced it. In that sense, it might be amazing.

‘…But I’m not proud of it at all.’

What else awaits us on this path? It’s not my fault that I feel uneasy about the future at this moment. I could only hope that I could complete the entire journey safely.

* * *

Contrary to the thought that everything would go smoothly with Kaitain’s cooperation, the reality was not so easy. Duke Carrowell refused the envoy’s audience request.

“I’m sorry, but His Excellency is currently ill and unable to move. Therefore, he cannot receive an audience either.”

The butler, who came out on behalf of the Duke, notified us in a stiff tone (literally in the form of a notification). Kaitain calmly spoke on behalf of us, who were embarrassed.

“Is he very ill? We can use healing magic, though it may be weak.”

“The priest’s healing magic is useless. It’s not a disease caused by the body.”

“Then are you saying it’s a mental illness?”

“I can’t tell you more details. I will deliver the relevant documents to His Excellency on your behalf, so the priests should return now.”

He was speaking politely, but it was a clear eviction. If we had persisted any longer, he would have called the soldiers, so we had no choice but to turn around without any results.

That was just a few minutes ago.

“This is really difficult. What should we do?”

We were sitting in a restaurant a little away from the mansion, looking around the mansion. The Duke’s mansion, which I actually saw, was as solid as a fortress, as rumored. The number of soldiers guarding it was roughly hundreds, and there was no part where the security was lax. I looked at Lapis, just in case, but he also shook his head lightly.

“Impossible.”

“Why?”

“Mana detection magic is spread around the mansion. It’s possible to ignore it and destroy it, but if I did, the guy who cast the magic would notice right away.”

“…He’s a really thorough person.”

I couldn’t believe he had taken such measures. I had never met him, but I thought he was a very stubborn person. I sighed deeply because I couldn’t think of a good idea. Next to me, Isana was constantly restless. He had been worried ever since he heard that the Duke was ill.

“A mental illness, what happened to my brother? The brother I know is not such a weak person.”

“Hmm, could it be because your father died? Maybe he was shocked to hear the news from afar.”

“Brother…”

Isana’s eyes turned red as if he was about to burst into tears. Lapis clicked his tongue as he watched.

“Don’t expect too much, okay? Would a shocked human just stay put like that? Especially a human who used to be a commander? It’s normal to lead the army and charge into the Imperial City right away.”

“Still, he can’t move, so he might not have the strength…”

“Huh, how do you know if that’s an excuse or not?”

“Lapis Lazuli.”

Anyway, he seems to be second to none when it comes to ruining a good atmosphere. When I stared at him, he flinched and shut his mouth. Of course, even so, the atmosphere had already sunk as much as it could.

I frowned as I sighed. It felt like someone was staring at us.

‘Is it this again?’

I’m used to it now, but recently, I felt like strange gazes were sticking to me wherever I went. To be exact, it seemed to have started when Lapis joined us.

As expected. I could see people nearby quickly turning their heads away. Most of them were women who were mesmerized by Lapis’s beauty.

‘What’s so cool about that guy?’

No matter how handsome the outer shell is, it’s all just a fabricated illusion. I grumbled inwardly, trying to bear the feeling of wanting to reveal his true nature to the world.

At that time, Kaitain’s expression hardened as if he had discovered something.

“That’s…”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Kai?”

Following his gaze, I soon discovered a carriage approaching the mansion. It was a two-wheeled carriage with a black roof and a red pattern elaborately engraved on it. The carriage stopped in front of Duke Carrowell’s mansion after a while, and a man got out of it. He was a man in priest’s robes. What was unusual was that he was wearing something like a blood-red insignia over his pure white robe.

“It’s a priest of the Evil God.”

Kaitain immediately told me his identity as I was watching him. It has been customary for Evil God priests to wear a blood-red insignia over their robes when going out.

What was embarrassing was what happened next. The tightly closed door of the mansion opened, and the butler greeted him happily. It was a completely different atmosphere from when he coldly rejected us a little while ago. I couldn’t hide my absurdity and muttered.

“What, they rejected us, but why are they letting the Evil God priest in so easily?”

“It’s possible if the Duke is a devout follower of the Evil God.”

“Is that why they rejected us?”

“Maybe. But it’s a bit suspicious. If he’s really sick, it wouldn’t be good to be close to the Evil God priest.”

The power of the Evil God is for destruction and conquest. It is a more powerful force for the strong, but conversely, it is like a difficult blade to handle for the weak. Therefore, even the most devout followers tend to stop visiting the church when they are sick. Considering that, the Duke’s actions were definitely suspicious. Moreover, in the current situation where the Evil God Church is openly rejecting Isana, a public exchange with the Evil God’s priest… No matter how positively I try to see it, the interpretation can only lean to one side. Isana also seemed to be the same, clenching his fists with a pale face. At that time, Lapis, who was sitting indifferently, suddenly said.

“What’s going to change if you just worry here? If you’re curious, go directly and look into the internal affairs.”

“I can’t go in, so how can I see the internal affairs? You can’t use magic either.”

“The physical body can’t pass through, but the spirit body doesn’t matter, right?”

“What? What is that… Ah, come to think of it, I was a spirit.”

I had forgotten because I was so used to living in the middle world. Then, the absurd gazes of the group flew and hit me.

Well, I’m dumbfounded, so how much more would others be? I was so ashamed that I wanted to go into a rat hole, but I tried to put on an indifferent expression as if nothing was wrong. People (not people, but) can make mistakes while living. I don’t even remember when I returned to nature, and it’s more difficult to live while being aware of it one by one. Yes, that’s right.

‘Huh? Wait, then it’s possible to read the memories of water, right?’

With that thought in mind, I immediately watched the mansion.

The spirits of the spirit world are spread everywhere in this world, and the Spirit King can borrow their bodies at any time. In other words, it is possible not only to follow traces but also to see through their vision on the spot. I don’t have to go directly, I can just borrow their eyes and ears to look inside the mansion from here.

Isana looked at me with a puzzled expression as I stared at the mansion.

“El? What’s wrong?”

“Um, wait a minute.”