Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 138

Chapter 138

In criminology, there’s a concept called the ‘labeling effect.’ This occurs when someone within a social system is perceived as deviant and subsequently branded a criminal, regardless of whether they’ve actually committed any crime.

The people in this room were exhibiting this exact behavior. From the outset, they dismissed the possibility that ‘Endil might be innocent.’ Sensing the increasingly hostile atmosphere, Endil stiffened beside me, his hands trembling as he clutched my sleeve like a lifeline. Seeing his distress, the anger I had been suppressing surged.

“Everyone, please calm down. Aren’t you ashamed of making such accusations without proof?”

“What is it now?”

“He said he didn’t do it, and there’s a witness to support him. So why are you still treating him like a criminal? How will you face Endil if he turns out to be innocent? A simple apology won’t suffice then, will it?”

My words were intended as sincere advice. However, those who were already biased paid no attention. The sailors even sneered and openly mocked me.

“Little kid, you’re mistaken. Your testimony doesn’t carry much weight.”

“Why not?”

“Like I said, you look suspicious yourself. You’re hiding your face and dressed in rags. Even if someone with a reputable identity spoke up, it wouldn’t be enough. How can we believe the words of some dirty kid who crawled out of nowhere?”

“Dirty…”

“Oops, was that too blunt? But I can’t help it if you’re offended. To us, it just looks like you’re in league with that guy.”

“If you’re so concerned, you can testify for him at the trial. We won’t stop you from doing that.”

At the mention of ‘trial,’ Endil’s face paled again. His pleading eyes seemed on the verge of tears. *It’s okay, don’t worry,* I reassured him with my eyes (though I wasn’t sure he understood), and sighed.

“Okay, then what qualifies as someone with a reputable identity?”

“Well, someone in a position that everyone recognizes. Someone who’s willing to vouch for him with their reputation on the line.”

“Vouch for him with their reputation…”

“Oh, and don’t think you can just say you’re so-and-so from such-and-such region. That won’t work. We obviously won’t know who that is anyway.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Now I understood. These people were treating me like a fool and a child.

“El, Your Holiness.”

Just then, Kaitain and Isana approached. They had been watching from a distance and came to help when the situation turned hostile. The sailors’ expressions shifted, as if they hadn’t expected me to have companions. Especially since Kaitain, unlike Isana, was clearly an adult, they seemed a bit nervous. I ignored them and looked at Kaitain. Seeing him, an idea struck me.

“Kaitain, can I ask for a small favor?”

“Pardon?”

He seemed taken aback by the sudden question, his expression bewildered for a moment. But, befitting his title of Chief Priest, he quickly understood. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“As Your Holiness wishes.”

“Thank you. Ly, can you look after him for a moment?”

“Huh? Ah, uh-huh.”

I immediately pushed Endil toward Isana, who nodded. Endil, however, was the one who was surprised. Embraced by Isana, he looked back at me, flustered. His expression showed how bewildered he was. I looked straight into his eyes and said.

“Endil, I think we need to clear up this misunderstanding. I’ll take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry. Just remember one thing during all of this.”

“Uh-huh?”

“No matter what I do from now on, don’t say a word.”

My last words were whispered almost exclusively to him. Endil looked at me with an uncomprehending expression. Then, as if a realization dawned on him, he gasped and mouthed something in a small voice.

“Yo, you’re not going to summon a spirit, are you?”

*I told you not to say a word.* Frowning, he shook his head desperately.

“Hey, stop it. The people here already have a bad impression of spiritists because of me. Revealing that won’t make them believe you. It might just fuel the suspicion that you’re on the same side.”

*I guess it’s a relief that he knows it’s because of him.* When I didn’t react, he bit his lip with an even more anxious expression. He seemed to think that the reason I wasn’t answering was because I couldn’t hear him.

“Hey, can you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit, if you can hear me, you should answer. What are you thinking? It’s no use saying you’re a spiritist. That kind of method won’t work…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll use a different method. Just keep the promise I told you.”

“What is that…”

“I told you not to say a word from now on.”

At the same time as my reply, I pushed the hood that I had been wearing so tiresomely back behind my head. With a flutter, the blue hair that had been trapped inside the cloak fell down.

“…Huh?”

Ignoring Endil’s widening eyes, I turned to the sailors. But what was this? The surroundings, which had been filled with jeers and laughter just a moment ago, were suddenly strangely quiet. The main event hadn’t even started yet, but I already felt like the other side’s momentum was waning.

I looked straight at the sailor who had been mocking me the most severely. He had definitely been smiling mockingly, but now he had a terrified look on his face, as if he had watched a horror movie. As our eyes met, he stiffly assumed a posture as if he were in the military. I wondered what he was doing for a moment, but since it didn’t seem like the atmosphere was unfavorable to me, I shook off my doubts and asked confidently.

“You told me to reveal my identity, right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, th-that’s right…”

*That’s right? What’s with the honorifics?!*

He had been threatening me with a tone close to intimidation just a moment ago, but suddenly I don’t know what kind of change of heart he had. *Did he sense some unusual spirit from me?* Well, if that’s the case, I can understand it a bit. Because I’m planning to do something huge from now on.

“Everyone, look closely.”

Gulp. I thought I heard someone swallowing hard somewhere. I gave a meaningful smile (for some reason, people’s faces turned even paler) and slowly raised both hands to remove the circlet I had been wearing on my forehead. The people who had been watching my actions with bewildered expressions froze when they saw my forehead completely revealed in the next moment.

“…”

“…”

For a long time, I couldn’t hear any breathing, as if their breath had stopped. I swept back my flowing hair and leisurely looked around at the frozen surroundings. I felt like the air was becoming more rigid every time our eyes met.

It was when my slowly turning gaze finally turned back to the sailor in front of me. *Thud,* with a dull sound, he collapsed to the floor. His gaze, filled with horror, was fixed straight on my forehead.

“A, a mark of God…?”

“The mark of God is on his forehead…”

I glanced at Endil. Since he knows me as a spiritist, he was the biggest variable in this plan. It would be troublesome if he started ranting about something ridiculous. But fortunately, Endil kept his mouth shut as promised (though it was a unilateral instruction). He seemed strangely dazed, though.

The reaction started from then on. As soon as the word ‘mark’ appeared, murmurs began to spread quickly among the people, like a levee breaking and releasing water. Most people were aware of the situation, but they were silently holding their breath, perhaps because it was hard to accept. It was Kaitain who drove a wedge into that chaotic space.

“Your Holiness.”

“…!”

The people’s shoulders flinched greatly at the low-pitched voice. As attention reflexively focused on him, Kaitain raised one arm and coughed slightly. Thanks to that, Eluien’s mark [a symbol of divine authority], stamped on his wrist outside the slightly flowing sleeve, was revealed. It was a deliberately intentional act to anyone who saw it.

Even if there is only one piece of evidence, it may feel suspicious, but if there is another piece of evidence to support it, that evidence is considered genuine. As expected, the people who saw the mark he had swallowed their breath even more.

“Oh my god. There’s a mark on his wrist? That person is also a high-ranking priest…”

“Did you hear? That person just called that boy ‘Your Holiness’…”

“…”

Once again, silence flowed in the hall due to surprise. I gave Kaitain a grateful look and then turned back to the sailors. They began to tremble like aspen trees when their eyes met mine. Especially the sailor who had collapsed at the beginning was lying prostrate on the ground.

In a world where the intervention of gods is active, the Pope has more than just a religious leader. Even the Pope of a small order is in a position equivalent to a king in terms of a country. Rather, in that he reveals the power of God, he could be a more fearsome being than the king of an ordinary kingdom in some ways.

“P, please forgive me. I dared to not recognize Your Holiness…”

I watched the trembling sailor for a moment and then put on the circlet again. Life is unpredictable, and I never thought that the symbol of the Pope, which I thought was useless, would be used so usefully. I felt a little sorry for resenting Eluien when I first received this.

“Does my testimony have any effect now?”

“Yes? Ah, th-that’s right! O-of course. S-surely you don’t doubt the words of a priest called the representative of God! Th-that’s also Your Holiness…”

“Then you admit Endil’s innocence, right?”

“Yes? Th-that’s a bit…”

*What, why can’t you answer that?* I thought you would definitely say yes, but I frowned at the unexpected reaction.

“You believe my testimony but you can’t believe Endil’s innocence?”

“Th-that’s… Y-Your Holiness may trust even a guy like that because you are a priest, but we don’t. S-since the accident actually happened, and it was true that he had the money bag… Also…”

He kept muttering without giving in, even while sweating profusely. He seemed determined to paint Endil as a criminal to the end. Honestly, I hadn’t thought this far, so I was inwardly confused. I thought everything would be fine if I just revealed my identity, but I never expected them to stubbornly cling to it in this way.

*Hmm, what should I do now? I can’t exactly say that I watched everything from beginning to end.*

It was when I was quietly troubled alone.

“There is a good way, Your Holiness.”

Kaitain, who had approached me, said quietly. *A good way, you say?* When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, he smiled softly, curving his eyes.

“It’s a method that only Your Holiness can use.”

* * *

*Squeak―*

When the tightly closed wooden door opened, a dim space was revealed below the stairs leading to the basement. Just by looking at the old furniture, cleaning tools, and the supplies piled haphazardly on the floor, one could easily guess the purpose of this room. In the middle of that dirty space, a man was tied to a pillar. The man’s name, who had become dirty and disheveled, was Moose. He was the one who had been caught by the people and imprisoned in the warehouse a few days ago for trying to kill the noble young man who was with our group.

“…What, what’s going on?”

He, who had been bowing his head, raised his head with a frown at the light pouring in. He seemed wary of the sudden appearance of many people, and his expression was stiff. But he soon discovered Endil standing among us and burst into a sneer.

“Oh, isn’t this Mr. Endil, my accomplice?”

“…”

Endil’s body trembled at the welcoming tone. His fiercely raised gaze was directed at him for a moment, then subsided again as if conscious of me. Perhaps thinking that it was out of fear, Moose laughed even more gleefully.

“Oh my, you look quite terrible. You seem to have been beaten quite a bit. I’m so sorry. My mouth is a bit light. I couldn’t keep my loyalty and ended up telling everything about you, you see?”

Hahahaha, cheerful laughter spread in all directions. He seemed very pleased with the fact that his plan had succeeded. Of course, he was the only one laughing. His vile laughter echoed for a long time in the quiet space. The sailors who came with me looked at me with awkward faces. I knew what they wanted, but I deliberately watched silently. Thanks to that, the atmosphere became even more awkward and uncomfortable. As time passed, Moose seemed to sense the strange air on this side. He stopped laughing and slowly frowned.