Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 131

131.

Swaaaaah—

As I stepped out of the cabin, a cold night breeze washed over me. I took a deep breath and looked up. The sky, already darkened by the late hour, relied on the lanterns hanging from the ship, appearing and disappearing hazily.

At night, the sea becomes darker and more secretive than anything else. The surface of the water, untouched by starlight, was a deep black, as if it would swallow everything whole. The ship, illuminating its path through this pitch-black darkness, resembled the ferry of a grim reaper crossing the river of death. If I were an ordinary human, I might have been a little scared. But now that I am a Spirit King, water is no longer a frightening unknown to me. Rather, seeing the quiet sea without any noise because everyone was asleep, I felt at peace, as if I had returned to the water domain in the Spirit Realm.

I gazed at the vast ocean beyond the ship’s railing and began to walk. Since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I thought I would slowly stroll around the deck. But the peaceful time didn’t last long. I stopped walking because of a small sound coming from a secluded area.

“…die…”

“So…”

‘Huh? Conversation?’

The sound, like a whisper, was coming from below the deck where I was standing. Upon closer inspection, I could see two people standing in the corner of a pillar, talking. It was hard to make out their faces because it was such a secluded place and dark, but I could tell they were both men.

‘What are they doing outside at this hour?’

If they were a man and a woman, I would have thought they were lovers enjoying a secret rendezvous, but two men? The picture didn’t quite add up. Besides, the atmosphere between the two seemed very serious. They didn’t seem to be standing there for a light chat.

Just then, the moonlight that appeared through the clouds faintly illuminated the faces of the hidden figures. It wouldn’t have made much difference to ordinary people, but for me, a Spirit King, it was enough light to distinguish their features. Thanks to that, I unintentionally recognized them and immediately hardened my face. The source of the turmoil I was currently experiencing—Endil was right there.

‘Why did I have to run into that guy of all people?’

Enemies meet on a narrow bridge, and I never thought I would see that face at a time like this.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice my presence at all. Feeling my mood, which had barely improved, rapidly declining, I quickly turned around. My thoughts were not yet organized. I was going to get out of there quickly before my heart weakened—if it hadn’t been for the voice I heard at that moment.

“What are you saying? You want me to kill someone by disguising it as an accident?”

“…!”

At the chilling words that didn’t match the calm tone, I unconsciously stopped. The still youthful voice belonged to Endil. When I carefully turned around, I saw his face with a dumbfounded expression. In contrast, the man facing him looked very relaxed. He took out a pipe, leisurely lit it, and said,

“You catch on quick. You just live as usual. Receive guests as usual, and take him out to sea. It’s just that an unexpected accident will prevent the guest from breathing in the water. That should be very easy for you, right?”

“Damn it, are you trying to ruin my business? If that kind of accident happens during business hours, who would want to use it next time?”

“Of course, I’ll give you a generous reward. Enough that you won’t have to do that kind of business for the rest of your life.”

“What, are you going to give me 10,000 gold?”

“100,000 gold.”

The face that had been full of sarcasm quickly hardened at the following answer. It was natural, since it was a huge sum that an ordinary person would never even touch in their lifetime.

“Crazy… 100,000 gold? Are you kidding me right now?”

“Why do you think I’m lying?”

“Isn’t it obvious? 100,000 gold isn’t just some dog’s name [insignificant amount].”

“Of course, it’s a lot of money. But it’s not too much to spend for such a big job. As long as you handle it well.”

“What kind of person are you trying to kill…”

“That’s none of your business. It’ll be more comfortable for you if you don’t know. How about it? 100,000 gold. It’s a really good opportunity, isn’t it? It’s just a slight accident. Just an unfortunate coincidence that can happen to anyone.”

“A coincidence…”

“Yes, a coincidence. People can die from a stray stone that happens to fly by while walking down the street. Who would think it strange if a little misfortune occurred during a rare experience? We’ll take care of everything, and no one will blame you. Just close your eyes for 10 minutes, and you’ll get enough money to live off for the rest of your life.”

“…”

Endil was silent, and I fell into anxiety. I felt like opening my mouth and shouting right away. The other party’s proposal, no matter how sweetly disguised, was clearly a contract for murder. They’re not trying to make Cyciel do that, are they?

I steeled myself and stared at Endil almost glaringly. If he accepted this offer, I wouldn’t just stand by and watch. I was going to break the contract by force, no matter what resentment I might hear later.

Was I thinking too much? The next moment, Endil looked at the other party with a cold face.

“Ha, I guess I’ve given the impression that I’m disgustingly greedy for money, seeing shady bastards like you flocking to me.”

“…What did you say?”

The man seemed embarrassed by his unexpected reaction. As his face showed agitation for the first time, Endil clicked his tongue and let out a sneer.

“Why, did you think I’d just say thank you and jump at it? You must think I’m easy to underestimate because I look young, but I’ve lived several decades longer than you guys, even like this. You think there won’t be any repercussions for killing someone while paying that much money? What a load of crap. Even if there really aren’t any repercussions, I won’t do such a dirty thing. Damn it, what do you take me for?”

“…I heard you needed money.”

“Ha! You even investigated me? Of course, I need it. You human races buy and sell even a single blade of grass for money. It would be weirder if I didn’t need it, right?”

“But…”

“But I won’t earn it like this! Haven’t you heard that elves live on pride? Even though I’ve left the village, this isn’t right. I’m even a spiritist, you know? A high-level spiritist who’s one of the best on the continent! Chosen directly by the Water King!”

His pride was evident in his last words. It seemed he was still living with some awareness as a spiritist. I was relieved that things hadn’t gone to the worst. But the man, who had been hardened, quickly regained his composure upon hearing those words.

“A spiritist… Huh, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard so far.”

“What?”

Endil’s eyebrows furrowed greatly at the man’s sarcastic tone. Seeing that, the man sneered even more.

“You don’t seem to know, but most spiritists tend to belong to a country. If they reveal that they are spiritists, the country treats them quite well. That’s why they seem to mistakenly believe that they are quite noble beings. But do you know what? The reason the country does that is only because they can mobilize them for war. What’s the difference between getting paid to kill someone and going to the battlefield as ordered by the country in exchange for becoming a noble? Honor? Merit? That’s just cheap self-consolation. In the end, aren’t they all just murderers?”

“I don’t do such things…”

“You’re different? But I think I’ve found the right person. Aren’t you using spirits for profit? As far as I know, spiritists don’t handle their spirits privately. Oh, does that mean it’s okay as long as you don’t commit murder?”

“Th, that’s…”

Perhaps because he was hit right on the mark, Endil couldn’t easily continue his excuse. The man chuckled lowly as if he knew it would be like this.

“No matter how precious something is, if it rolls around in the market, it’s only worth that much. You’re already wallowing in the mud, but you say it’s unclean to get dirt on your hands? The standards of pride for noble elves must be very different from those of humans? I’m just a lowly human, so I can’t understand it at all. Is that what you call pride? Just that kind of thing?”

“…”

Endil’s face turned blue at the blatant rebuke. The man, who had been admiring the sight like a painting, soon took out a small pouch from his arms and handed it to Endil. It was easy enough to guess the contents without even looking. Endil’s eyes, staring at it, trembled slightly.

“The work will proceed as planned when the day dawns. The decision is up to you.”

“I…”

“Can I give you a piece of advice? If you’re going to make money anyway, be a little smarter. Think carefully about what’s more beneficial to you.”

“…”

Even after the man left, Endil stood there for a long time. I, too, stood in an unseen place and continued to stare at him.

I don’t know what Endil is thinking. Maybe it’s just my worries again. But the way he silently looked down at what was in his hand looked as precarious as a candle flickering in a strong wind.

* * *

The next day, the sky was very clear. It was a peaceful day as usual.

The captain was the most moved by the smooth sailing that continued without a single bad day. He had already been bragging for days about how all these results were thanks to his purification ritual and how much money he had spent on it. He also gave credit to Endil for warning him about the storm through a prophecy (which was all a scam), and thanks to that, Endil was enjoying popularity in the ship no less than a celebrity.

No sooner had lunchtime passed than people flocked to the deck. It was a crowd to see Endil’s ‘Underwater Experience Time,’ which had already become a specialty of this voyage.

Of course, as the price was somewhat high for ordinary people to afford, most of the actual customers were limited to wealthy merchants or nobles. Considering that there were only about 300 people on the ship, and only about ten of them were wealthy, it was an unstable business in many ways. But even with only a small number of customers, Endil’s business was always thriving. People who had initially come out of curiosity were now fascinated by the underwater scenery, or they repeatedly came out to show off their wealth to others. In addition, the limit of only two people per day seemed to stimulate their competitive spirit, and they were showing a structure of competing with each other more and more as the days went by. They would charter the entire day’s worth to block competitors in advance, or they would raise the price like an auction to take the spot. Therefore, the biggest concern of the spectators was also focused on ‘who will be today’s guest’.

I looked for yesterday’s man among the crowd filling the deck. But no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find him or even someone with a similar impression. Some nobles would leisurely appear after Endil started his business, so he probably belonged to that group.

Meanwhile, Endil, who had finished preparing, appeared. He looked very tired and haggard, probably because he hadn’t slept well all night. And as if on cue, yesterday’s man also appeared when he appeared. It was possible to recognize each other with just a slight turn of the head because they were nearby. Soon, the two people’s eyes met, and at the same time as a subtle smile appeared on the man’s face, Endil’s face contorted. In the gaze that hastily avoided as if burned, there remained the remnants of anguish that had not yet been tamed. …… It was not a good omen.

I stood in the passage that Endil used and waited for him to pass by. And in time with the interval that he brushed past me, I muttered so that only he could hear.

“Don’t make Cyciel suffer anymore.”

“…What?”

Endil reacted immediately to my words. I glared at his flustered appearance with all my might. But it wouldn’t be visible because it was covered by the hood.

“Are you talking to me right now?”

“Then who else would I be talking to besides you?”

“What the hell…”

Endil, who had been bewildered, hardened his face fiercely at the last words. I almost flinched unconsciously at the vivid murderous intent in his eyes. He looked like he was about to attack right away, so I quickly added a word.

“I’m telling you in advance, your abilities won’t work on me very well. Don’t bother trying.”

“…What?”

“Spirits aren’t just for you.”

At the same time as the answer, I summoned Cyciel and materialized him. Of course, I borrowed Lapis’s mana. Endil seemed shocked by the appearance of the suddenly appearing high-level spirit. He stared blankly at Cyciel for a moment, then gritted his teeth and glared at me.