Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 143

143.

“That’s something a demon would say. It’s just one empire in a small dimension. Its disappearance won’t diminish the authority of the Demon God.”

“Still, we can’t have a war. It’ll put Ellyuen in a difficult position. If things go wrong, we could end up on bad terms with the Demon God.”

“Oh?”

“It’s not something to laugh about. I’m just here for fun, and I can hide my identity, but Ellyuen can’t. He already has a bad temper; what if he makes enemies?”

“Bad temper, you say… Are you sure you can say that?”

“It’s true, though. Ellyuen probably expects this anyway. He doesn’t care about what others think, so he might not mind.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”

“No. Just because Ellyuen doesn’t care doesn’t mean what I do is okay. I don’t want to cause him trouble. It feels weird to say this when I’m already getting so much help. Come to think of it, is he really okay? He’s not fighting the Demon God already, is he?”

Lucarém was looking at me with a very subtle expression. How should I put it? It might sound strange, but it was like a serious expression and an urge to burst into laughter were fighting for dominance, only to end up failing to reach a conclusion and just fading away. Even I don’t know what that means, but that’s the only way I can describe it.

“Why, what is it?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve felt it from the start, but you’re quite adorable.”

“……What?”

“Haha, it’s a compliment, a compliment. Let me give you my opinion. As for the relationship between the Demon God and the God of Punishment, you don’t need to worry too much. It would be faster to ask if they were ever on good terms in the first place.”

“What does that mean……”

“There’s a saying in the divine realm: ‘Never sit between the Demon God and the God of Punishment. Whoever is in the middle is bound to face disaster.’”

“……Are they that bad?”

“The more shy someone is, the more intense their process of confirming affection.”

What on earth is that supposed to mean?

I frowned at the incomprehensible words, and Lucarém smiled meaningfully.

“Anyway, this matter won’t have much impact on the two gods. They’ve already reached a point where things can’t get any worse. ……Unless something special happens.”

“Something special? Like what?”

“If I knew that, I’d be a god, not a demon.”

I was momentarily speechless at the smooth reply. He’s right, but I can’t shake the feeling that he has some other motive. I stared at him suspiciously, and Lucarém’s smile deepened. It was an unpleasantly bright smile.

“But if something like that happens, it would be interesting. The God of Punishment, Ellyuen, is so cold and aloof that he’s always like ice, but he’s never been known to be greatly angered. Wouldn’t it be exciting to see him lose his temper and get angry?”

“……Please, refrain from doing that. I don’t want to see that.”

“Oh, you don’t appreciate romance.”

I don’t want to know that kind of romance!

I gritted my teeth inwardly as I watched the demon click his tongue as if he felt sorry for me. As expected of a child of darkness, his tastes are just as gloomy. Perhaps it was because my gaze had become fierce, but he soon raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Well, fine. Let’s stop here for today. There will be plenty of time to enjoy ourselves in the future.”

“Who said anything about……”

But I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t even sense any magic, but before I knew it, he had vanished from sight. All that remained in the empty space was his voice, laced with laughter.

“I look forward to your future endeavors, Elquines-nim. Please continue to entertain me.”

……He really was a detestable demon to the very end.

* * *

Two days later, land finally came into view ahead, where only the vast sea had been visible. It was Ritten Port, the intermediate stop for this ship and Endil’s destination. With a heavy blast of the horn announcing the port of entry, the massive hull slowly began to enter the pier. The deck was bustling with preparations to drop anchor.

“Look, El. We’ve finally arrived.”

“Yeah.”

I smiled slightly at Isana’s excited words. Seeing the scenery of the port town unfolding outside the window made me feel refreshed. It was finally time to escape from the stuffy ship.

In the meantime, I had been unintentionally confined to the cabin. This was because people’s attention followed me everywhere after I revealed that I was the Pope. Some passengers even sent me gifts to try to get on my good side (of course, I didn’t accept them and sent them all back).

In the process, our schedule underwent several major and minor changes. First, we modified our plan to go all the way to the final destination of this ship and decided to disembark here as well. Now that we had crossed the border, we were thinking of traveling overland to the next direct route from here. As a result, it would take a few days longer, but it seemed better than being uncomfortable among people for the rest of the trip. Besides, I was tired of traveling by ship.

And Kaitel decided to part ways with our group. Endil’s influence was a big factor in that decision. Or rather, it was because of his sister’s illness. As a healer in training, he showed a strong interest in the rare disease that could not be cured with divine power.

“A curse?”

The incident started when Endil was called to a meeting to discuss the schedule. Treating the patient was important, but finding the cursed sword was also an urgent matter, so we decided to visit his sister after returning from the dungeon. We thought it would be much more efficient to stop by on the way back than to take time out in the middle of the schedule.

Endil was satisfied with the decision, and all the meetings were coming to an end. Then, we were all taken aback by a story we happened to hear. Among the elves, there were rumors that Endil’s sister’s illness was due to a curse.

“A curse, what curse?”

“I don’t know the details either. But it’s just made up. They hate Cecil, so they always say bad things about her.”

“They hate her?”

Was she hated from the beginning, not because she was sick? As I stared in bewilderment, Endil hesitated a little and then confessed with a slight sigh.

“Actually… Cecil isn’t a pure elf.”

“What do you mean?”

“She has the blood of another race mixed in. She was born between an elf mother and a human man. A being called a half-elf among humans.”

“Ah……”

Now I seemed to understand the situation. Even among humans of the same race, the perception of mixed blood is not very good. Moreover, the elves were so exclusive that they did not allow outsiders to enter their territory at all. There was no way they would have looked kindly on a child with human blood mixed in. The disease was just a means, and they might have been planning to exile her from the beginning.

“I didn’t understand that. Cecil is such a kind and lovely child. Just because she has human blood mixed in, no one likes her. Even when she got sick, they reacted as if it was natural. No one cared or tried to treat her. They said she was destined to die before she became an adult anyway? That Crea-nim [Crea is a title of respect], was angry because of the dirty blood……”

“Crea?”

“The name of the god who created the elves.”

Kaitel quietly answered next to me, who was puzzled. He had a more thoughtful look on his face than usual. Soon, he asked Endil.

“I have a question. From what I’ve heard, it seems that the clan already knew that your sister would get sick. Is there any reason for that?”

“That’s……”

“Tell us everything you know. That way, we can specifically look for ways to help.”

At those words, Endil clenched his fist on his knee and bit his lip. Then, as if he thought he couldn’t help it, he took a deep breath and said.

“It’s not certain, but… all half-elves with our clan get that disease. The timing varies, but most develop it before they become adults, and once they develop it, they always die within a few years.”

“So, a curse……”

“But it’s not a curse! There’s no way that kind of nonsense is true! Cecil has been sick for over five years already. But she’s still alive!”

Perhaps because he was furious, Endil shouted in his usual tone. As if shouting to himself, he was staring only at the floor without making eye contact with anyone.

“She’s alive. It’s a disease that can be cured. It’s just that the treatment is a little tricky. We’ve been doing well so far, haven’t we? A god’s curse, there’s no way that’s true.”

“Yes, I certainly think so too.”

“Re, really?”

The person who answered was Kaitel. Surprised by the unexpected agreement, Endil raised his head with a surprised expression. Kaitel smiled and nodded as he met his confused gaze.

“Theology has a doctrine called the Creation Theory of the Gods. If you look at the contents, you’ll see the creation stories of each race.”

“Creation stories?”

“Did you know that humans were the first race to be created? In the beginning, the Chief God created the human race and established the Middle Realm for them. Then, he ordered the god Crea, who assists the Chief God, to watch over them for a while. While carrying out her mission, the god Crea became fond of humans and created the elves by taking only their noble and beautiful parts. That’s how friendly she is to humans. I don’t think that the god Crea would have cursed them just because they had human blood mixed in.”

“I, I see. I’ve never heard of that story before……”

“Come to think of it, the elves don’t teach this part. Perhaps it’s because they don’t like the fact that the origin of the race started with humans. In fact, not only elves but also other alien races dislike the human origin theory. They think they are superior to humans.”

“Hmm, doesn’t that make you feel bad?”

“Why would it? Everyone has pride in their lineage. Humans also ignore and belittle other alien races, don’t they? Of course, this behavior is never right.”

“You… you’re a good person.”

“Am I? Thank you. But you should hear that compliment first.”

“Me, me?”

“You’ve been working hard alone for a long time to protect your sister. The world calls such a person wonderful. You’ve really been through a lot.”

With those words, Endil seemed to have completely opened his heart to Kaitel. Watching his face brighten like a flower blooming in an instant, I smiled inwardly. The daily life of nursing a sick sister alone must have been exhausting. It made my heart ache to think about how much he had wanted to hear those words.

“So, it’s definitely not a curse, right?”

“Yes, it’s not.”

Kaitel shook his head firmly at the question I asked to confirm. It was the most confident tone he had used so far.

“If it was a curse, they would have already diagnosed it when they showed it to the temple. It would have reacted to their divine power. The fact that it temporarily improves with the power of healing means that it has nothing to do with a curse. But the fact that it’s a disease that only appears in half-elves is bothering me. It’s definitely worth studying.”

“Hmm, I see. Is it a problem with their constitution?”

“Well, that’s the easiest interpretation for now. But we can’t jump to conclusions. Half-elves with alien races are very rare, so there aren’t many cases. It could just be a coincidence, so it’s difficult to use that as a basis. In fact, this is the first time I’ve heard of this disease. Rather, I know that half-elves live longer than pure humans.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes, they live at least three hundred years longer.”

That meant that not all half-elves get sick and die young. I frowned at the reasoning that became more difficult as I delved deeper. Everyone else had complicated expressions as well. Kaitel’s face was even frowning, which was rare. Lost in thought, he asked Endil after a while.

“Come to think of it, you said you buy herbs every two months. Is there a reason why you stick to that period?”

“Um, the maximum quantity you can buy at one time is limited. The habitat of the herbs is not very large, so they can’t increase the quantity beyond that.”

“Hmm, so that means El-nim has to come within that period.”

To put it bluntly, that was impossible in the first place. It would take a considerable amount of time just to reach the destination, and considering the schedule that would be spent there, it was clear that it would exceed two months. Then, as if noticing my troubled expression, Endil quickly shook his head and said.

“It’s, it’s okay. I can just get the herbs again if they run out. I’ve been doing it all along. I can wait a few years.”

“Are you sure the condition is not getting worse?”

“……It’s okay so far.”

“That means you don’t know what will happen in the future.”

“…….”

Endil only made an uneasy expression at the blunt words that hit the nail on the head, but he couldn’t deny it. Well, it’s already been over five years since she started suffering from the disease. No matter how much she’s been managing it with medicine, there will definitely be a limit to that alone. Even healthy people can suddenly collapse and die one day. There was no way to expect that the patient’s tomorrow would still be the same as today.