Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 130

130

Is this how a mother-in-law feels when her son brings home a bride she doesn’t approve of? It’s an emotion I never thought I’d experience, but being in this situation, I think I understand it a little. I suppressed my anger and tried to speak calmly.

“If you wanted a contract, there were other ways. And even if you had to choose a contractor, why that guy…?”

—He, he’s not as bad as you think. There are circumstances…

“No, that’s enough. I’ll hear your excuses later. For now, terminate the contract immediately.”

—Your Majesty!

“I don’t want to interfere in other people’s contracts like this. I don’t like your contractor, but it’s your choice. Enduring that kind of treatment and still staying by his side means you’re accepting it all. So I was going to respect your decision. But this is not okay. You know better than anyone how dangerous this is.”

—…

No matter how high-ranking a spirit is, there’s a limit to forcibly maintaining affinity. To restore the rapidly dissipating affinity to its original state, it would take pouring all of its power, and even that might not be enough. But the real problem was something else.

In the case of a Spirit King, once a contract is made, there are few restrictions. The range of power that can be used is determined by the contractor’s ability, but they can use their power independently without the help of others (except for materializing spirits). However, lower-ranking spirits below the superior level can only use their abilities by relying on the contractor’s mana. If they want to use their power on their own, they have to endure pain and consume their own life force. In other words, Cyciel is maintaining the contract at the cost of his lifespan. It was a reckless act in anyone’s eyes.

Naturally, Cyciel couldn’t say anything. I stared silently at the wolf who had become as mute as a clam. He still seemed to have lingering feelings, even after being reminded of the painful reality, and he continued to hesitate. His expression gave me a headache.

“Think carefully, Cyciel. This is also for your contractor’s sake.”

—Yes?

“You won’t last long anyway. A few years at most? Maybe you’ll collapse even sooner than that. I think there’s a higher chance of that happening. Sooner or later, this contract will end, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. I think you already feel that yourself. But what about that elf? Does he know this fact?”

—That’s…

Of course, he didn’t. Seeing the wolf’s surprised expression, I sighed.

“We haven’t been born long, so this contract probably isn’t that old either. But already, that elf is making numerous achievements as a prophet and a spiritist. He’s overly dependent on you. Right now, he has nothing to fear in the world because you’re by his side. But what happens when you disappear? What will happen then?”

—…

“He’s still a young elf. The more he gets used to this life, the harder it will be for him to face reality after losing you. Wouldn’t it be better for your contractor to step back at this point?”

Cyciel stared blankly at his contractor with a confused expression. He had only thought about sacrificing himself, and it seemed he hadn’t anticipated such side effects.

I waited patiently for him to make up his mind. After watching his contractor for a while, he soon turned to me with a painful expression. I frowned at the words that followed.

—Forgive me, Your Majesty. But I still want to help him.

“…Cyciel, you really…”

—I don’t mean to keep insisting. Just a little longer, just a little longer with him. I want to watch over him until he safely completes this voyage. Please, just until then…

“……”

His voice was fading away, and I couldn’t say anything more because I felt sorry for him. He had already backed down this far, and it didn’t seem right to keep pushing my point. I sighed briefly and eventually nodded.

“Alright. But only until this voyage.”

—Re, really? You’ll allow it?

“If that’s what it takes for you to feel at ease, I can’t help it.”

—Thank you! Thank you so much!

Cyciel smiled sincerely and bowed repeatedly, as if he had gained the whole world with just that permission. Perhaps that’s why, even though it ended the way I wanted, I felt strangely uneasy. It felt like a heavy stone was hanging in my chest.

* * *

There’s an old saying: ‘The person who was hit can sleep with their legs stretched out, but the person who hit them cannot.’ Frankly, it’s a saying I had never agreed with in my entire life. At least, it had never applied to me. It was always me who was tormented by fear and couldn’t sleep, while my father, who committed the violence, was more at peace than anyone else. At least, that’s how it was in my world back then. But I never thought that saying, which I had always considered absurd, would resonate with me now.

Thank you so much!

The last words I heard from Cyciel that day haunted me relentlessly for days. The sight kept popping up whenever I closed my eyes, and after tossing and turning all night, I naturally realized the identity of the heavy stone that had taken over my chest.

‘It’s probably… conscience.’

I smiled bitterly and pressed my chest with my fingers. From my perspective, I had done what was natural. Even if it wasn’t me, any other Spirit King would have made the same decision in that situation. But even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had unilaterally tormented him. Was that method really the best?

‘No.’

The answer that came back to my own question was clear. I have the ability to resolve this situation in a different way. I’m just ignoring it because I don’t want to. It’s overly presumptuous to think that Cyciel accepted my persuasion. In the first place, a spirit who can’t disobey the king’s orders wouldn’t have any other choice.

“Haaa…”

The sigh I unconsciously let out seemed louder than I thought. Isana and Kaitain, who were talking next to me, stopped and looked at me.

“What’s wrong, El? Is something the matter?”

“You seem to be sighing a lot lately.”

“Well, you see…”

I stared at Isana, still lying on the bed. His face showed bewilderment, as if he found it strange that I was staring at him without saying anything.

“…El?”

“Isana, what would you do if your son wanted to marry a woman who was clearly lacking?”

“What? Son?”

The question I suddenly asked was very random, even to me. Isana’s eyes, which were already round, widened even more.

“I don’t have a son?”

“No, I’m just giving an example. Someday you’ll get married and have children, right? In the future, if that child brings a spouse who is clearly lacking in everyone’s eyes and says they want to marry them, what would you do?”

Like a young boy, Isana was noticeably shy just hearing the word marriage. But his attitude in answering was surprisingly serious.

“Hmm, well. If it’s my son, he’ll be the next emperor to rule the empire, right? I don’t think I’d particularly interfere.”

“Huh? Isn’t it the opposite? I thought there would be more restrictions on marriage partners because he’s the emperor.”

“That’s generally the case. But there’s a slightly special imperial law in our Swalt imperial family.”

“Imperial law?”

I was a little surprised by Isana’s words. In the Swalt Empire, only the emperor can be involved in the selection of the empress. It was a law established with the aim of allowing the emperor to marry the woman he wants, instead of being bound by numerous restrictions throughout his life.

“In fact, all the emperors of the past have had free love. My father, the late emperor, was like that too.”

“Hee, so even someone of low status is okay?”

“Yeah, no problem. The moment they become empress, their status changes anyway, right? Regardless of their past status, the basic ideology of this empire is that once they become royalty, they should be treated as royalty.”

Of course, the reality isn’t that ideal, and Isana explained that there are nobles who ignore commoner-born empresses. But their status is undoubtedly high, and the imperial family’s protection is very strong, so they can’t openly attack the empress. Considering the aristocratic world, where they often try to enjoy stronger power through alliances between families, that alone was quite remarkable.

“Anyway, if the lacking part is wealth or power, I wouldn’t oppose it. Those are things that our imperial family can easily make up for.”

“What about lacking talent or ability?”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to teach them? No one can be good at something from the start. But even if there are parts that can’t be taught, I don’t think there would be any particular problem. We can just have people by their side to fill in those lacking areas.”

“What if they have a terrible personality?”

Perhaps even for Isana, this example was beyond the acceptable range. Unlike when he had been answering confidently, he looked a little embarrassed.

“Hmm, I think I’d have to think about that a bit. Everything else is okay, but if there’s a flaw in their personality…”

“Right? That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Uh-huh.”

Isana nodded with a slightly bewildered look, perhaps because I had shown too much enthusiasm. But his next words were enough to betray my expectations.

“But still, it can’t be helped. If my son likes them.”

“Ugh, you’d just put up with it? Even if it’s at an unacceptable level? If such a person becomes empress, they might cause serious harm to the empire.”

“But that’s not something that has actually happened yet, right? Isn’t it just my own judgment?”

“We, well, yes, but…?”

“Yeah, so I’ll try not to worry about it. No one knows what will really happen in the future. Surely, the way I see them isn’t all there is to them. If my son chooses them, they must have something worthwhile, right? They might become a surprisingly good empress, contrary to my expectations. I’ll trust my son’s eyes.”

“Trust your son’s eyes…”

“He’s my child. I believe he’ll grow up to be more upright and wise than anyone else. I believe my late father also thought of me that way.”

“…Yeah, I see.”

For a moment, I felt like something huge was pounding in my chest. Although it was far from the answer I wanted, Isana’s words evoked many thoughts in me. His face, full of conviction and trust, shone like a star and was dazzlingly bright. Looking at his upright eyes, I felt as if I had become a very small being.

“Is there something bothering you?”

At that moment, Kaitain, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, asked casually. His eyes were calm, as if he knew everything in my heart. I felt a little prick inside, wondering if I had revealed my inner thoughts too openly.

“Hmm, it’s nothing. I just don’t know what’s good.”

“What…?”

“There’s a way for two people to be happy if one person endures a little. But I’m not sure if that’s really okay. I don’t have the confidence that I won’t regret it later.”

“I see. Then what about the opposite situation?”

“The opposite?”

“You said you might regret enduring it, so consider the situation where you don’t endure it. Would that be okay?”

At those words, I swallowed hard. That was exactly why I was worried. Kaitain smiled faintly, as if he knew without hearing the answer.

“If you’re going to regret both ways anyway, wouldn’t it be better to choose the one you regret less?”

“…I don’t know which one that is.”

“Deciding is simpler than you think. Just choose the one that makes you feel more at ease.”

“What if the result is wrong?”

“Well, maybe that choice was wrong. But what does it matter? Life will move forward in some way anyway. Besides, being cautious doesn’t always lead to good results, does it?”

The gentle tone of his voice was as calm and soft as his nature, and it had a strange power to make people agree. When I hesitated without saying anything, he smiled again and said,

“Personally, I don’t think there’s a life without hardship. Even the happiest person has their own harsh winter inside. So it won’t be much different no matter what choice you make. The most important thing is to trust yourself and not sharpen your heart.”

“So it all depends on how you think.”

“You could say that. But what’s clear is that God will give you another option.”

Perhaps it was the most like him answer. Maybe it was because of the energy of Eluien that I felt from him. Although the tone and manner were completely different, it felt as if Eluien was telling me that directly. ‘It’s okay, do as you wish.’

However, contrary to my clearing mind, my heart was still in a mess. No, it felt like it was getting even more complicated. I smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Thank you, Kai. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I apologize if it was an impudent intrusion.”

“No, it was helpful enough. Oh, by the way, how much longer did you say it would take to reach the intermediate stop?”

“I think we’ll arrive in about four days.”

“I see. Four days… four days…”

Endill gets off at the intermediate stop. That meant that the remaining connection with him was only that much.

“El?”

Isana’s eyes widened as if he found it strange that I was muttering to myself. I smiled awkwardly and got up from my seat. Then, as if he immediately noticed my purpose, Kaitain asked,

“It’s already late. Are you going out at this hour?”

“I feel a little stuffy. I’m just going to get some fresh air. Don’t wait up for me, just go to sleep.”

At my words, the two of them tried to say something but nodded. They probably thought it would be better to leave me alone. I felt like I was unnecessarily worrying the group, but it seemed better than sitting and sighing.