Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 134

I frowned slightly and forcefully poured power into the medal in my hand. Then, from within the trembling medal, I heard something breaking with a snap! It seemed the core that executed the magic had been destroyed. As if to prove it, the blue light of the medal completely faded.

‘Seriously, how could they do something like this…….’

I never imagined they would resort to such dirty tricks. Now I understood why Moose had been acting so unusually relaxed. Even if Endel refused, he was confident his plan would succeed.

I clicked my tongue softly and looked at the boy and Endel again. Both of their faces were very pale, but thankfully, it seemed putting up the air bubble wasn’t too late, and they were breathing safely. I first removed the necklace from the boy’s body and then sent both of them to the surface. I wanted to rescue them myself and take them away, but that would be too conspicuous. Once they surfaced, I figured the people on the ship would take care of the rest.

As expected, the deck was thrown into chaos when the two surfaced. The people who had been worried about why they hadn’t returned quickly assessed the situation.

“This is terrible! It looks like there was an accident!”

“Someone pull those two up!”

While the sailors jumped into the water to save the two, I went up to the deck and secretly donned a physical form. Since people were rushing over after hearing the news, it wasn’t difficult to blend in. As soon as the rescue was complete, the deck became busy with people performing emergency measures.

“Are they breathing?”

“Thankfully, they’re alive!”

“Oh, my! Young Master!”

In the midst of the chaos, I found Moose, along with a servant, next to the boy. Perhaps because his plan had gone awry, his face, which had been so relaxed just moments before, was now completely stiff (though others probably thought he was worried). When the boy took a breath, he looked even more rigid and anxiously searched the boy’s chest. He seemed to be looking for the necklace. Then, when he confirmed that it was gone, a slight look of relief appeared on his face. He must have thought he had dropped it in the water during the rescue. Of course, I wasn’t going to let that go.

“Looking for this, perhaps?”

I walked up to him and dangled the necklace in my hand. His face, which had been impassive, contorted greatly the moment he saw the medal.

“You… how did you…….”

“Cough, cough!”

It was then. The boy, who had been lying like a corpse, began to regain consciousness. The boy’s servant, who had been desperately performing emergency measures, shouted with a face as if he were about to faint.

“Young Master! Are you alright!”

“Lo… Key….”

Fortunately, the boy quickly responded. His pale complexion was also regaining color. The servant hugged the boy, crying profusely.

“I thought your heart had stopped! What on earth happened! Why did you fall into the water?”

The boy, who had been dazed by the servant’s words, shuddered. His hands, busily groping around his chest, were searching for something. Even though he had been manipulated by magic, it seemed the memories of that moment hadn’t disappeared.

“I… I… the necklace suddenly…….”

“Yes? The necklace?”

The servant, who had been puzzled, soon seemed to grasp the situation and hardened his face. Just then, Moose, who had been frozen, suddenly lunged at me. He was trying to snatch the necklace. His purpose was obvious, but I deliberately didn’t dodge and stood still. I was confident I wouldn’t be robbed, and more than anything, his speed seemed very slow to me.

But he didn’t even reach me before he collapsed. At that moment, someone grabbed his leg and tripped him.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

The person who tripped Moose was surprisingly Endel. He was holding Moose’s leg while lying face down, having regained consciousness at some point. His writhing figure looked like a zombie rising from the ground.

“W-What!”

“Damn it. You son of a bitch…….”

At Moose’s pale-faced scream, Endel squeezed the water out of his dripping clothes and slowly rose. His whole body must have been a mess from not yet recovering from the reverse summoning, but his eyes were fiercely shining. He immediately rushed at Moose.

“You crazy bastard! What did you do! Damn it! Can’t you tell me everything? I’ll kill you!”

“Endel! Calm down, Endel!”

“Let go of me! Do you know what that bastard did!”

But he, who had been shouting and rampaging, soon vomited blood again and collapsed. His body couldn’t handle the sudden strain.

“Cough!”

“H-Hey! Endel!”

At the loud commotion, people’s attention naturally turned to one side. Then, not missing the opportunity, Moose took something out from his ankle. It was a sharply honed dagger.

“Danger……!”

Before I could shout in surprise, the dagger was thrown from Moose’s hand. Its trajectory was aimed at the boy, who hadn’t yet come to his senses. I prepared to reveal my identity and save the boy. But at that moment, an amazing thing happened.

“Oop!”

Suddenly, someone jumped out from among the onlookers and snatched the flying dagger in an instant!

“Tsk, tsk. What an aggressive person. It’s dangerous to throw things like this around, isn’t it?”

“……!”

He was a tall man who had pulled his hood down deeply over his eyes. Until then, most people hadn’t realized what was happening. The man nonchalantly whistled and tossed the caught dagger into the air before catching it again. Only then did the sailors belatedly grasp the situation and rush to Moose to restrain him.

Afterward, the situation was resolved with frightening speed. The sailors beat up the restrained Moose and locked him in the warehouse. He would probably be handed over to the guards at the intermediate stop. The dagger and necklace were submitted as evidence of the attempted murder of the boy.

Later, I learned that the boy was an illegitimate child of a noble family. Originally, he had been living far away with his mother, but after the family lost their heir in an accident, he was being summoned by his father. And Moose was someone sent by the mistress of the main family to eliminate the boy. He had approached him as if he were there to greet him, built up a friendly relationship in advance, and then looked for opportunities to kill him.

Approaching Endel was also not an impromptu decision. From the beginning, it was planned, taking into account that he didn’t have much mana for a high-level spirit mage. The two-day intervals had shown him the limit of Endel’s mana.

The boy’s servant repeatedly bowed to the man who had blocked the dagger, expressing his gratitude. I watched the scene for a while before turning to Endel with a heavy heart. His face, with his eyes tightly closed, was still as pale as a sheet of paper.

The boy would face more difficult things in the future. But an equally great ordeal was approaching Endel as well. I sighed and gently brushed his bangs up. His forehead, clean without a single blemish, was revealed. Even though I had already expected it, I couldn’t help but feel my heart sink.

The seal on Endel’s forehead had completely disappeared.

He could never summon spirits again.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, a familiar world greeted me: high walls surrounding every alley, thick utility poles, and modern buildings scattered in between. Even without anyone telling me, it wasn’t hard to realize that this was the scenery of the neighborhood where I was born and raised in Korea. At the same time, I naturally recognized that this was a dream.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been in this neighborhood.’

Come to think of it, I haven’t thought about things here at all recently. My past memories haven’t disappeared, but it was certain that they had become so distant from my daily life that I wouldn’t think of them unless I deliberately tried to recall them. It was like keeping them in a drawer and only looking at them when needed. It must have been a good thing for me now. Perhaps that’s why, when I saw the scenery after so long, I felt more awkward than nostalgic.

I was also bothered by the fact that, out of all the places in the past, it had to be near my house. Hesitantly, I cast my gaze down the empty alley where no one was passing. The uneven floor, roughly filled with concrete, and the small street, which would feel narrow if three people walked side by side, rose endlessly like a sloping mountain path. The 모습 [appearance] of old shopping districts sparsely appeared between the houses that were terraced on each slope. Right beyond the end of that was the house where I used to live.

“…….”

Unconsciously, I bit my lip, averting my gaze that was reaching out further. The streets I used to walk every day to and from school were still so familiar that I could walk them with my eyes closed. But I had never felt good when walking this road.

“Oh my, who is this? Isn’t it Jihoon?”

At the clear voice, I stopped breathing with a start. Lifting my head, which creaked like rusty machinery, and barely turning around, I saw the reality I had wanted to avoid: horrifyingly familiar figures.

“Mom…….”

The person I once called that was standing there. No, it wasn’t just her. Before I could say anything, I found the 모습 [appearance] of the man who was with her and took another low breath.

“Father…….”

I didn’t know it was so painful to force open my unmoving mouth and spit out a sound. It felt like a spark that started in my throat was swallowed whole and burned everything inside me black.

The two were staring at me with their usual expressions. It was the same look they had always had, even when looking at me, who was already breathless and cold. My whole body froze from head to toe at that gaze.

‘No, this won’t do.’

Regaining my quickly falling mood, I quickly shook my head. It’s all over now. I couldn’t be bound by these memories forever. They were no longer my parents, and they couldn’t mean anything. I’m not Kang Jihoon, I’m El. So there’s no need to be afraid or to look away. I forced a smile, tightly clasping my trembling hands. After repeating the words ‘It’s okay, this is a dream’ several times, I felt my heart calm down a little.

“I don’t care anymore.”

The words I spat out as if being pushed gave me a sense of relief as they became a stronger conviction. I straightened my shoulders and raised my head. I was no longer afraid to look them straight in the face. Perhaps because I was facing them for the first time, instead of always avoiding them, a faint look of agitation appeared on their faces. Seeing that, I felt like I could smile a little more calmly.

“I’ve always longed for a family. I tried to be loved, but there was no place for me there. When I was young, I couldn’t understand the two of you who just hated me unconditionally. But now I know.”

“You know?”

My mom’s voice, asking back, was so faint that it seemed like it would disappear at any moment. Her weak 모습 [appearance], which I had never encountered before, seemed to soften my sharp mood.

“The god of the underworld told me everything. The reason my parents hated me wasn’t my fault, but because my destiny wasn’t there. So I don’t resent you. It’s like an unavoidable accident.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, really. You two also suffered your whole lives with emotions you didn’t need to feel because you met a child who wasn’t in your destiny. In some ways, I think you’re more of a victim than I am. So forget everything about me and be happy now.”

“Jihoon…….”

I don’t know what my mom’s expression is like now. Is she feeling a little sorry and apologetic? I held back the urge to cry and said.

“I mean it. I’m happy now. Everyone here is kind to me. I have a foster father, and I have beings I can call brothers.”

“Do you think they’re your family?”

“Of course. This is my real place.”

“How can you be such a…….”

At the voice that muttered sadly, I tried to smile even brighter. For the first time, I felt my heart warming as I looked at them. But that moment was fleeting.

“—You’re really just saying the same stupid things as always.”

In an instant, my mom’s voice changed. It was a cold and venomous voice that made my shoulders tremble involuntarily. I was flustered and blinked my eyes widely. Only then did I clearly see my mom’s expression, which I hadn’t seen until now. She was glaring at me with a face that looked like she was about to burst into laughter.

“A person’s true value is revealed when they have nothing, when they’re in a very insignificant state with nothing they can do and nothing given to them—yes, like the 모습 [appearance] of Kang Jihoon from before. But look at you now. Unlike then, you’re very beautiful and have tremendous abilities. How many people in the world would dislike someone like that?”

“That’s…….”

“You hated me because there was no destiny? That’s half right and half wrong. Maybe if you had looked like you do now, I wouldn’t have despised you so much, because everyone becomes generous to beautiful things, even putting aside the issue of destiny and your place.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you think it was strange too? Even in ‘your real place,’ people ignored you or treated you harshly when your face was covered. But after seeing your appearance and abilities, everyone became more generous. What do you think that means? In the end, it means you can only shine in front of people if you wear a beautiful shell. In other words, you have to hide your essence.”

“……Essence.”

“Yes, essence. Why is Troel kind to you? Why does Isana follow you? Why did Lapis want a contract with you? Why did your foster father adopt you, whom he had never seen before, as his son on the spot? I can’t say you’ve never doubted it, not even once, right?”

My heart started beating. The thing that shouldn’t even exist was ringing madly as if it were taking over my whole body. I reflexively covered my ears. The sharp voice pierced through even that.

“Think about it, Jihoon. This is a very simple problem.”

“……Stop.”

“You already know the answer.”

“Stop!”

I thrashed and screamed. Only after seeing the droplets falling did I realize that I was crying.

“If you weren’t the Spirit King, would they have loved you?”