Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 121

Compared to Arkadon, where the seasons change distinctly throughout the year, the spirit realm’s seasons remain constant. The vast flowerbeds in the garden bloomed with radiant petals every day, the weather was perpetually clear, and a cool, gentle breeze circulated in a constant rhythm. Occasionally, the Spirit Kings’ emotions would become agitated, causing blizzards or storms, but after that period passed, everything would quickly return to its original state as if nothing had happened.

When it came to splendor, the numerous palaces in the Divine Realm were certainly impressive, but if asked to name the most beautiful place in the world, the gods would undoubtedly choose the Spirit Realm. It was the only world where the four natural elements, which would never harmonize in one place elsewhere, all existed in perfect balance. That is why the gods called this place a living paradise.

“—Minerva! Minerva!”

At the sound of a chattering voice calling him, Minerva languidly opened his eyes. The figure of a youthful young man, smiling brightly, came into focus in his blurry vision. He had a lively, masculine face and curly hair that scattered wildly even though there was no wind. Minerva noted it was the exact same transparent gray tint as his own hair.

“It’s Jin.”

As he gave a faint smile, Jin’s face lit up even brighter. Minerva slowly raised his body, which had been resting on the clouds. Perhaps because he had been asleep for so long, his whole body felt as heavy as lead.

Originally, at this time of year, he should have been full of energy and vitality. This was because the season of winter, when the wind spirits were most active, had arrived in Arkadon. But unlike before, lately, instead of feeling energized, he had only become more and more lethargic.

The fact that his body’s pattern was starting to change was never a good sign. However, Minerva didn’t seem overly concerned. He had foreseen this to some extent a long time ago.

“—I’ve completed the task you ordered.”

Jin cheerfully announced from beside him as he lightly straightened himself. Minerva paused for a moment, then nodded, sweeping his long hair back over his shoulder.

“Yes, I’m glad you found him so quickly. Where is he now, and what is he doing?”

“—He was with a human man. It didn’t seem like they had been traveling together for very long, though.”

“So, he finally came out into the world again. Did the human man break his seal?”

“—No, his companion didn’t seem to have noticed his existence yet.”

“…I see.”

There was no outward expression of emotion as he murmured calmly, but his eyes were sunken.

“—Oh, right! But I saw the Water Spirit King near him.”

“…El?”

“—Yes, he was with his contractor. He briefly brushed past his companion and kept staring at him. I think he sensed his energy from his companion.”

“He sensed it but didn’t realize his identity? Huhu, that’s definitely like El.”

“—Should I go back and let him know?”

“No, leave it as it is.”

Minerva answered immediately. He was rather relieved that the spirit king he encountered was El. If it had been another spirit king, they would have recognized him at a glance and they would never have let the evidence of ‘that time’ pass them by. Especially Trowell, who would have undoubtedly annihilated him on the spot without a trace, even though the poor thing was not at fault.

“That won’t do. That’s a tragic ending for everyone.”

Muttering to himself, Minerva raised his head at the intense gaze he felt from the side. Jin was looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if waiting for his next instruction. Unable to ignore his expectations, Minerva smiled gently and said,

“Good work, Jin. Would you keep an eye on his movements for the time being?”

“—Do you mean keep watching him?”

“Yes, if anything changes in his daily life, come back and let me know.”

“—Yes, I understand! Leave it to me!”

With a lively answer, Jin flew away, creating a great gust of wind. Minerva watched the disappearing figure of the high-ranking spirit. He knew someone who was the same as him, but now a different being. Whenever he saw the Jins, he would naturally recall his existence without even consciously trying to – the figure of his little friend, who understood his heart better than anyone else.

‘Please leave it to me, my King. I will help him for you.’

His friend, who was once in a noble position, had fallen into a dark and deep path of destruction, by his own hand, no less. Perhaps that was why. Even if he seemed to have completely forgotten, his existence would always suddenly overwhelm his mind again, along with the memory of another person he never wanted to recall.

“…I said I loved you.”

When he closed his eyes, he could still clearly feel his embrace: the low laughter that rang pleasantly, the scent of the rough wind that he felt from him, too. How much he had resented the spirit’s body, where the power of oblivion did not strongly permeate, every time.

“You said you loved me with those lips, with those eyes, with those arms. You were such a heartless human…”

It was nothing more than an emotion that had faded long ago, but Minerva still loved him. His cherished feelings were so overflowing that he would have done anything to protect him. And so… he would have given everything he had without regretting a single thing.

‘Bluster?! Are you going to share your power with a mere human? Are you crazy, Minerva?’

The one who reacted most passionately to his decision at the time was the previous Ifrit [a powerful fire spirit], who was now extinct. Until El was born, he was considered the most human among the Spirit Kings. He was such a busybody that they often clashed in various ways, but that was the first time he had ever been so angry. It was also the first time he had ever seen Trowell’s tears; Trowell, who was always calm and indifferent.

‘He doesn’t love you.’

A voice suppressing trembling conveys a quiet warning. His face, hiding his agitation, was forcibly feigning indifference so as not to be distorted.

‘But he knows better than anyone that you love him. Poor Minerva. What words can I use to persuade you now? But keep this in mind. You will definitely get hurt.’

What was his reaction when those tearful golden eyes said that? He probably wasn’t listening. At that time, he was so overwhelmed with controlling the emotions he was feeling for the first time that he didn’t have the余裕 [leeway/composure] to look around properly. So, he didn’t even look back at the words that were sincerely worrying about him. Looking back, it was a really cruel thing to do – to them, and to himself.

‘If I had stopped everything when I heard the warning, would I be regretting it a little less now?’

That is something no one can know, but Minerva thought that the result would not have been much different.

The pain now was a trace, a trace of the heart that would never be erased, proving that he had once loved a human so much.

It was only a diluted past that he could now talk about with a smile, but the traces do not disappear. If he had known that that one moment of foolishness would drive him so far, Minerva would never have learned the emotion of love. So, he always regretted and regretted again, even if it was all useless now.

“Well, I guess I don’t have much time left to be upset about this.”

Brushing away the reminiscences that were complicating his mind, he muttered lowly. It wasn’t like Minerva didn’t know what the increasingly lethargic body and the fading wind energy meant. He had been waiting for this moment ever since that day.

“It’s okay. It’s just for a little while.”

Minerva said to himself as if he were coaxing himself. He thought he was okay, but as the time he had been waiting for approached, he seemed to become more impatient. He put his hands on his chest and closed his eyes. Whee- A dry sound arose from his wind-filled body.

“I can end it all soon now.”

The empty voice slowly scattered into the air.

* * *

Since the first snow, an unusual weather anomaly had occurred in Clamore. Even though the cold hadn’t fully arrived yet, heavy snow had started to fall every week. When the fierce snow began to flutter, the people on the streets hurriedly took shelter inside the buildings. This was the same for the soldiers, and all work except for the outposts was frequently stopped. It was very unfortunate for the procession waiting outside the castle gates to enter.

But the ones who were really in trouble because of the snow were the pursuers chasing after the Emperor. When the weather was bad, it became very difficult to find traces. This was why the investigation, which was already facing difficulties, was suffering even more.

A knight belonging to the pursuit party sighed as he looked at the thickening snow through the window in the hallway. Seeing how quickly it was piling up, it seemed like they would fail to catch the Emperor’s tail this time as well.

The Emperor, who was said to be young and weak, was truly a man with incredibly good luck. Before winter came, he kept missing traces because of the continuous rain, and now it was snow. Since when did this empire become a land where rain and snow fell so often? It was as if the weather was helping the Emperor’s escape.

The grumbling knight eventually stopped in front of a certain door. In an instant, his leisurely expression changed, and his eyes sharpened. The knight carefully checked his condition and opened the door with a light knock. Inside the quiet reception room, a man was sitting in front of a fireplace where the embers were burning red.

A mane of golden hair like a lion’s mane, sun-tanned copper skin, and cool purple eyes set between thick eyebrows made the man’s impression even stronger. Pylon de Caribdis – one of the five Sword Masters [highly skilled swordsmen] on the continent and the commander-in-chief of the Grand Duke’s personal guard.

The knight trembled slightly at the sight of him, which always felt overwhelming. To those who walked the path of the sword, Duke Caribdis was a living legend and hero. Among the Grand Duke’s knights, there were many who had applied simply because they wanted to follow him. The knight standing in front of the Duke now was one of those people.

“Your Excellency, I have a report.”

At the knight’s words, Caribdis gestured without turning around. The knight approached him with a stiff face and politely handed over the report. It was a daily routine, but he was always nervous at this moment. As a lower-ranking knight, he had few opportunities to meet the commander-in-chief. Perhaps if it weren’t for this incident, and if he wasn’t the type to act independently without an adjutant, he would never have had the chance to exchange words with him in his life.

The Grand Duke Yucarte’s right-hand man. As that title suggests, Duke Caribdis was the vassal who served the Grand Duke most closely. Two months had already passed since the Grand Duke had entrusted him with the command of the pursuit party, citing that the investigation into the Emperor was too slow. Some viewed this measure as an excessive decision. It was a waste of the Duke’s position and ability to be used to catch a fish that was already caught (although it was unexpectedly struggling).

In fact, on the first day he was dispatched to the pursuit party, there were various rumors circulating among the people. Some said that the Grand Duke had decided to abandon him, while others said that he was being ignored because he was from a commoner background. Most of the stories were about how worried they were that the Duke himself would hear about them. But regardless of those rumors, the knight who came to report was simply thrilled to be serving the existence he had only admired from afar.

Caribdis didn’t even glance at such a knight and silently read the report. His face frowned for a moment as he looked down at the densely written letters, but soon cooled down.

“…So, he died again after all.”

Wrinkle, the paper crumpled in his hand, crumbled as if it had touched fire. It was burned with the energy of pure flesh. The knight’s eyes fluttered with emotion at the ever-amazing sight, but he didn’t show it, considering the atmosphere.

“And you still haven’t figured out who’s responsible?”

“I’m sorry.”

Caribdis frowned slightly. For the past month, they had been suffering from a bizarre incident: knights were being found dead one after another.

It was already the twentieth consecutive murder. The places and methods of the crimes were different, but the victims had one thing in common: they were all knights belonging to the Grand Duke’s faction, and they possessed magical artifacts acquired from the Orcs a while ago.

When the first incident occurred, he thought it was the work of robbers who had a grudge against the Grand Duke or had lost their nerve. But as the number of victims gradually increased, he had no choice but to change his mind. Among the many knights, only those with magical artifacts died. From the beginning, someone was only targeting weapons. As evidence, among the valuables possessed by the murdered, only the weapons had disappeared.

‘Count Setnio must be very upset.’

It was the knights of Count Setnio’s division who shared the weapons at that time. He had lost most of his subordinates due to the failure of his recent mission and this serial murder case. Personally, he was someone he didn’t want to be close to, but as a commander, he felt sorry for him.

‘Come to think of it, the failure of that incident was also a bit suspicious.’

Did he say that one division was completely annihilated? Caribdis recalled the related report he had read a while ago. While he was looking for the Emperor’s traces, Count Setnio was chasing after the Imperial Guard. Until then, the Count was relaxed and confidently assured of his victory. However, what arrived soon after was not news of victory but news that his division had been annihilated. The Count was greatly shocked by the result, because both numerically and in terms of military strength, their side was overwhelmingly superior to anyone who saw it.

Even the dead could not leave their bodies properly. Only traces of black charred remains were left at the place where they were expected to have fought for the last time, and nothing existed. At the end of the report, there was an opinion from the investigation team that there seemed to have been a strong magical manifestation there.