Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 128

The Great War (1)

“……What brings you to the Lord’s manor?”

Even though they were from a different race, Endil seemed concerned, his bluster fading slightly. The men spoke sternly, looking self-satisfied.

“Rumor has it that an elf named Endil is stirring up the villagers by claiming to see the future. The Lord himself sent us to investigate these claims. What exactly are you doing? Why are you inciting people with such absurd lies?”

“Ha! Lies? Who’s lying?”

“So, you admit to making prophecies?”

“Ugh, are you deliberately misunderstanding me? It’s not a prophecy, it’s a prediction! Do you not know what a prediction means? It’s a guess, a guess! And all I predict is the weather! Am I to be accused of incitement for simply telling people the weather?”

“Hmm, you’re saying you can accurately predict the weather during voyages with mere guesses? I’ve heard that elves have more sensitive senses than humans. Is that why?”

“Well, that’s part of it, but I also have a method I know well.”

“What is it?”

“Curious?”

As the men nodded blankly, Endil grinned. The moment I sensed an ominous aura in that smile, a bewildering sight began to unfold before my eyes. As Endil stretched out his arm, a strong surge of moisture spread out. Instinctively, I realized he was summoning a water spirit. Sure enough, his forehead, which had been hidden by his shaggy hair, was revealed by the wind, and I saw the mark of a contract. It was definitely the water seal.

‘What, he’s a water spirit caster?’

And a much higher-level spirit caster than I had expected. While I blinked in surprise, a waterspout soared into the air and formed a bright blue shape. What appeared next was a sleek and massive water wolf, Cyciel.

“So, what do you think?”

Endil puffed out his chest, showing off the wolf that had appeared in such a grand manner, wearing a triumphant expression. The men stared back and forth between him and Cyciel for a long time, their faces frozen.

“……A spirit, I see.”

“And not just any spirit. The high-level water spirit, Cyciel, at your service!”

“H-High-level?”
The men gasped, exchanging troubled glances. The power of a high-level spirit is as destructive as large-scale magic, and contractors themselves are extremely rare. Empires are eager to recruit them, along with Sword Masters and Archmages [powerful magic users]. Endil smirked, looking at their flustered faces with a sly grin.

“Now do you understand what I base my predictions on?”

“……We are truly sorry for our rudeness.”

The men’s tone became respectful. It was the most definitive affirmation, better than a thousand words.

It was only natural that they understood the situation so quickly. Since spirits themselves have a significant impact on the natural world, spirit casters, who have the closest relationship with them, naturally develop an eye for reading seasons and weather. In particular, high-level spirit casters have extremely developed communication skills with spirits, so they can predict the weather for days or even months in advance if they so desire. In other words, they were like living weather forecasters.

And that ultimately proved one thing. Endil knew that a storm wasn’t coming. Yet, he lied to the captain. I frowned, feeling the hypothesis I had forcibly ignored becoming clear.

As soon as the men who had been questioning him left, people began to flock around Endil as if they had been waiting for this moment. They couldn’t hide their excitement as they looked at the majestic Cyciel.

“Amazing, Endil! You made those arrogant officials speechless!”

“Hmph, it’s nothing special. Anyway, did you see them? Those bastards were so scared when they saw Cyciel that they couldn’t say a word? Well, I doubt those bookworms ever had a chance to see a spirit like this.”

“Of course! It felt so good to see those usually arrogant people trembling. You’re the pride of our village, Endil!”

“Puhaha! You’re just realizing that now?”

It was certainly a good thing that different races were coexisting peacefully. The faces of those chattering excitedly were as innocent as any boy’s, but I couldn’t bring myself to see it in a good light.

What bothered me the most was the sight of Cyciel sitting demurely next to him. He must have known that Endil was lying, given his status as a spirit caster. To put it harshly, it was something that could be seen as deceiving not only the people here but all spirits. Yet, he was silently enduring the role of a bystander without showing any displeasure. A low-level spirit who blindly follows its master might do that, but a high-level spirit has as much pride and self-esteem as its worth. I couldn’t understand why he was remaining silent in this situation.

“I don’t know what’s going on…….”

I thought about approaching him to talk, but shook my head. Once I left this place, I would never see him again. I felt uneasy, but I was also reluctant to approach the group that was fawning over that elf named Endil, and I didn’t want to interfere with Cyciel, who probably had his own reasons. I just hoped that he would handle things well before he couldn’t stop lying.

After that, until I got on the ship and unpacked my luggage in the assigned cabin, I firmly believed that today would be the last time I saw Endil. It wasn’t long before I realized that was a complete misjudgment.

* * *

The massive ship began its departure, heavily pulling its weight exactly one hour after the purification ritual. After we were some distance from land, I came out on deck and frowned involuntarily at the familiar figure standing there. It was the blond elf boy—Endil.

‘What, why is that guy here?’

He seemed accustomed to life on the ship, sitting on the railing and enjoying the breeze. It turned out that he didn’t come to the village often, but occasionally, and the reason was to visit Litten Port, the ship’s intermediate stop. For some reason, he visited there regularly every two months. In other words, I would have to see that face for the next two weeks, whether I liked it or not.

I didn’t want to get involved by being near him, so I was about to return to my cabin when I saw the sailors around him hesitatingly approaching him. Endil, sensing their presence, stared at them, and one of them said with an embarrassed expression.

“Endil, could you do that thing for us again this time?”

Endil responded curtly to his subtle request.

“More seasickness? How long have you been a sailor, and you’re still wobbly?”

“Ah, no. I’m not seasick anymore. I actually stayed up all night yesterday.”

“Typical. You knew I was coming and deliberately stayed up all night playing, didn’t you?”

“Hehe, yeah, that’s right.”

The awkward smile on his face was clearly pale, proving his lack of sleep. Through their conversation, I realized what they were asking for. Although not as much as me, who could use healing magic, water spirits could basically invigorate a person’s body. Especially Cyciel, who could not only temporarily recover from fatigue but also bring the body to its best condition for a while. That was what they had come to ask for. Endil stared at the sailor and narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm, I’m a bit tired today.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Please?”

“Please? What do you mean, ‘please’? A big guy like you, acting all disgustingly cute? If you’re going to ask for a favor, do it with more respect, you bastard.”

“Yes, yes, as you command. Oh, our great Endil, please have mercy on this humble body and bestow your boundless grace upon me! How’s that?”

“Keuk, you crazy bastard.”

Unlike his curse, the smiling face didn’t seem displeased. The fact that he summoned Cyciel immediately was proof of that.

‘So, he’s willing to do favors for people he’s close to.’

Feeling my dissatisfaction easing a bit, I muttered inwardly. But that was just my delusion. As soon as he finished summoning the spirit, he suddenly held out his hand to the sailor. Before I could grasp the meaning, the sailor took out what seemed to be a pre-prepared coin and placed it in his hand.

“Hehe, thank you very much.”

“Alright.”

‘……He was doing it for money!’

I exclaimed inwardly as I watched Endil quickly pocket the coin. Of course, there’s no rule that spirit casters have to give everything away for free. Considering the risk of using their abilities while consuming their mana [magical energy], it would be better to receive appropriate compensation to prevent reckless requests. If you think about it that way, it was something you could understand. But regardless of my efforts to calm myself, I couldn’t shake off a strange sense of displeasure. Maybe it was because my first impression of him was so bad, but it seemed like all his actions felt unpleasant.

It was after the ship had fully entered the deep sea that I truly realized the cause of this displeasure. It happened to be lunchtime, and the current wasn’t bad, so I went out on deck with my companions to get some fresh air. But there were unusually many people gathered on the deck, which was generally deserted.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know? Should we go closer?”

Curious, I entered the crowd and soon frowned. Endil was standing in the middle of them with Cyciel by the railing. As before, it seemed to be a crowd that had gathered to see the high-level spirit.

But this time, the atmosphere was a little different. Endil was wearing a garland of elaborately woven flowers around his neck and holding a sign with writing on it. I felt like I was at an event venue you might see at a tourist attraction or amusement park, and then Endil’s loud voice rang out.

“Alright, alright, this isn’t an opportunity that comes every day! A sea exploration with the high-level water spirit! This spirit caster, Endil, will help you explore the underwater world!”

‘……What?’

It seemed like an event was really going on, not just something similar. And I couldn’t guess the purpose at all. While I blinked in bewilderment, Endil incited people with his flamboyant speech.

“Don’t be afraid to go into the water! Cyciel will create an air bubble so you don’t have to worry about suffocating! Of course, your precious clothes won’t get wet at all! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the seabed with a spirit! Only 2 gold!”

“…….”

My mind went cold as if I had been hit with cold water.

Now I knew. The reason why I kept feeling unpleasant. It wasn’t just the lie that was the problem.

No one I had met so far had ever used a spirit for their own greed. Even Isana was sorry for receiving my help, even though she was in a desperate situation where her life was in danger. At least, that’s how every spirit caster should be. Spirits are companions and family who live together for life, not commodities that can be sold carelessly. But Endil didn’t seem to think that way. He was just a merchant who thought of spirits as a way to make money.

They say that when you’re too angry, you become calm, and my mind was strangely calm. Still, my hardened expression must have been evident, as Isana and Kaitain next to me kept checking my mood.

“El…….”

“Um, sorry, Isana. I’m sorry, Mr. Kaitain. Let’s go inside. I saw something I shouldn’t have, and I don’t feel good.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

They also glanced at Endil with uncomfortable faces. I forced myself to turn away, clenched my fist, and took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Endil was eagerly responding to the flood of questions from people.

“How far can we go underwater?”

“You can go as far as you want! But if it’s too deep, there will be an extra charge!”

“Can we catch fish while exploring the seabed?”

“Hey, fish are pretty quick. It’ll be hard to catch them yourself. But if you really want one, I’ll have Cyciel catch one or two for you.”

“Oh? Is that possible?”

“You’re asking the obvious. If he couldn’t do that, he wouldn’t deserve the name of a high-level spirit.”

“…….”

Perhaps that was my limit. I abandoned my plan to quietly go to the cabin and turned around again. My companions, who were taken aback by my sudden action, looked bewildered.

“El?”

In response to their gaze, which seemed to be asking what I was going to do, I simply answered with action. I raised the seawater on the spot and drenched Endil.

Splash! Splat!

“Kyaaak!”

When a huge wave suddenly swept over the deck, people were instantly thrown into chaos. Of course, the only victim was Endil. Helplessly swept away by the wave, he collapsed in the corner of the deck, soaked from head to toe. His limp hair completely covered his face, making him look like a drowned rat. Seeing that, I felt like a decade-old indigestion had been relieved at once.

“Hmph, serves you right.”

Ignoring the shocked gazes of my companions, I stuck my tongue out at him, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to see it. I wasn’t worried about the aftermath, but I felt refreshed. It seemed like this was the first time I didn’t regret causing an accident.