Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 153

153

“Hey, don’t get so worked up. Just calm down a little…”

“Calm down? How can I calm down? I was suddenly ambushed and trapped in a sealing formation, and when I opened my eyes, it was 4,000 years later! They say El is no longer in this world! I can’t even process that, and I’m already a mess, but now you’re arguing that El didn’t do what he did! Who are you to act like El never existed?”

“…Look. When did I ever act like he never existed…?”

“You’re acting like that right now! El’s face, El’s voice, even El’s name—you’re using them all! Tell me honestly! Did you steal it from him?”

“Huh?”

I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded by what he was saying. Then, Sibelius’s lips twisted dramatically.

“Why? Did I hit a nerve?”

“What nonsense are you spouting…?”

“It’s no use pretending you don’t know. Surely another Spirit King or someone must have told you about him. So, you’re imitating his appearance because you’re jealous? Because everyone loved El, and you want to be like that too! In that respect, you’re definitely a Spirit King—greedy and shameless, just like your predecessor!”

“Don’t speak carelessly. I don’t need to hear that from you.”

“Hmph, if you don’t want to be criticized, then behave yourself. Listen carefully. No matter how much you try to hide it, it’s no use. I’ll prove El’s existence. You thought no one would know if you imitated someone from 4,000 years ago…!”

This was the limit. My head was ringing so loudly I felt like it would explode, and I roared.

“Ah, damn it! Shut up! Just stop it already! What kind of crazy talk is that?”

“…!”

The reaction seemed unexpected to everyone. Lucarim, and even Isana, widened their eyes and held their breath. And Sibelius began to tremble, his face pale.

“You, what did you just say…?”

“I said shut up, why! Do you think only you can shout? I was just staying quiet because I thought you’d be confused, but are you taking me for a pushover! What did I ever do to you? Did I trap you in a sealing formation? Is it my fault that 4,000 years have disappeared! Why are you making such ridiculous claims and causing a fuss?”

“I’m making ridiculous claims?”

“Then what else is it? What? Stealing El’s things? How would I know if my voice or face is the same as his! I don’t even know who that person is or where he lives! It’s one thing to get slapped in Dongdaemun [a major shopping district in Seoul] and take it out on the Han River [a common Korean idiom meaning to misdirect anger], but I’ve had enough, you know? Please, just stop it!”

It was at that moment. Sibelius’s face, which had been contorted with anger, suddenly went blank. He looked as if he had been hit by something.

“…Han River?”

“Yes! Han River! Why? Is the Han River El’s too now? Then Seoul must be El’s too, right? Why not just say the whole Earth belongs to El? That El must be super rich, huh? Fine, whatever! I’m so jealous I could die! Are you happy now?”

“You…”

“Why! What! I’m giving it all to El! What else do you want me to give you to be satisfied? That El guy is so greedy!”

To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was babbling about. I was just angry and blurting out whatever came to mind, but I felt like Sibelius was getting quieter each time. It was a little strange, but I didn’t think too deeply about it and continued to speak.

“But, even if you’re going to take everything, do it in the right order. If you’re going to monopolize the name El, start by renaming all the Els in the country before you come after me. Don’t just come at me. Got it? Until then, I absolutely won’t give in! No, I won’t!”

“El.”

“Yes, El! You don’t seriously think that there’s only one person in this world named El, do you? If you do, then you’re either a complete idiot or…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Because at that moment, Sibelius strongly embraced me with both arms.

“Wh-what! What are you doing!”

It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t resist and was pulled into his arms. I struggled in confusion, but his tight grip wouldn’t easily loosen. Of course, I had no intention of quietly accepting his embrace, so I kept trying to wriggle free—if I hadn’t heard the words that followed right after.

“Hey! You…!”

“It’s El…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“It’s El. It’s definitely El. That’s right. There’s no way I could have mistaken him. There’s no way it couldn’t be El.”

“…”

A voice filled with deep relief quietly landed on my shoulder. The gently resonating tone was full of emotion. I realized a little later that the shoulder he was hugging was trembling slightly. The moment I became aware of it, my head cooled down in an instant, as if I had been splashed with cold water. Then, belated regret began to creep in.

‘…Was I too harsh?’

I knew that Sibelius wasn’t in a state where he could think rationally. How many people could maintain their sanity after losing everything in an instant and being dropped into an unfamiliar era? Moreover, what if the person you thought you knew turned out to be a complete stranger? Perhaps no one here could perfectly understand the feelings he was experiencing right now. Even though I knew that, I couldn’t control my momentary anger and spewed out harsh words. I couldn’t help but sigh at how thin my patience was.

Reluctantly, I patted his back until he calmed down. After a long time, Sibelius, who had been hugging me, slowly pulled away. His face was covered in tears. He was looking at me with eyes that seemed to be searching for something. Soon, our eyes met, and unable to bear the guilt, I quickly tried to apologize. But Sibelius’s words cut off my excuse.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I was too excited earlier…”

“Say it again.”

“Huh?”

“You said something strange to me a little while ago. What was it? Dongdae? Han River…?”

It didn’t take long to understand the question. However, I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly asking this. I blinked for a moment and answered with a puzzled expression.

“…That I got slapped in Dongdaemun and took it out on the Han River…?”

“Yes, that’s it, that!”

In an instant, Sibelius’s face brightened. At the same time, he grabbed my hand tightly.

“El used to do that too. When he was angry, he would sometimes use incomprehensible terms or metaphors. He lived much longer than humans, but they were all unfamiliar words that I had never heard in this place. There’s no way there’s another person in the world who speaks like that. Yes, so it’s definitely El. Yeah, that’s right. My eyes weren’t wrong.”

“What? W-wait a minute. That’s…”

“More than anything, how can it be so similar? It’s just that you’ve forgotten me for a moment. Do you remember what you told me, El? You said that even if a very long time passed and we met in a completely different situation, even if we didn’t recognize each other, we would still be friends. I didn’t understand what that meant back then, but I think I understand now. That promise is still valid, right? Isn’t it?”

“…”

Clear tears dripped onto the tightly clasped hands. He was smiling while crying. Was that why? I should have clearly told him that I wasn’t the one who made that promise, that he was mistaking me for someone else, but the words wouldn’t come out easily. Then, as if he understood how I was hesitating, he nodded as if he understood everything.

“It’s okay. Someday you’ll remember me too. Even if you don’t recognize me until the end, it doesn’t matter. If you’ve become a blank slate, we can start over from the beginning. I’ll try hard. So…”

“S-so?”

“Take responsibility for me.”

…What?

My mind went blank for a moment at the resolute demand. From behind my frozen form, I heard Isana gasp and Lucarim whistle in succession.

It had already been about two months since we left Clamore. It was one day when we gained an unexpected companion.

* * *

After arbitrarily recognizing me as ‘El,’ Sibelius became very kind to me and Isana. Not only did his expression and tone soften, but he also tried to be considerate of our positions and actively accommodate us. However, as if to prove that this wasn’t his original personality, he was still blunt with Lucarim. Even though he was also an uninvited guest, he strongly insisted that he couldn’t travel with a demon, so Lucarim had to stay even further away than before. It seemed that he was the type to only show kindness to those he liked (or judged to be worth being nice to).

Therefore, even after accepting him as a member of the group, I was very uncomfortable dealing with him. He was being nice to me now because he mistook me for someone else, but I was very anxious about how he might act if the situation changed again.

There was no way Sibelius wouldn’t notice my wariness. That’s why he tried even more actively to build a friendship with Isana. He must have calculated that if Isana became fond of him, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to kick him out. The innocent Isana quickly opened her heart to Sibelius, who was expressing his affection for her, and the two became close rapidly.

“Hmm, you’re the emperor of this empire?”

“No, not here, but of the empire called Swalt across the sea. I’m temporarily away from the imperial palace due to unavoidable circumstances. That’s when I met El.”

“Hee, if an emperor leaves the empire, it can only be something like a civil war. So, you went from being a fugitive to becoming a contractor of the Spirit King overnight? You’re very lucky.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Isana, who lightly revealed her identity from the beginning, told him roughly about the things she had experienced so far: that she had run away from the imperial palace and separated from the knights to meet her cousin; that she had received the help of a dragon to change her appearance with magic to avoid the Grand Duke’s pursuit; and the laughable anecdote of becoming the Pope in the process of me disguising myself as a priest. Most of them were matters that shouldn’t be known to the world. She also revealed, without hiding, the most decisive reason for coming here—that her cousin was cursed by a demon god. She was usually very cautious and wouldn’t easily divulge even personal matters to others, but it seemed that her guard was easily lowered because the other party was a different race. Well, there was no point in hiding it since I had already revealed my identity.

“You’re having a very hectic schedule. So, you came here to find the magic sword?”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard that it’s necessary to lift the curse on my brother.”

“Hmm, there’s a demon following you around. Doesn’t that guy have a magic sword?”

“Ah…?”

Oh, right, Lucarim was a demon, wasn’t he? I groaned inwardly at the fact that I had just remembered. He was even a duke, one of only four in the Demon World, not just any demon. If that was the case, he would naturally have one or two magic swords. Isana seemed to have the same thought, and her expression began to show anticipation. But at that moment, Sibelius shook his head and said.

“No, no. It’s better not to be indebted to that guy. Never even think about asking him for a favor.”

“Yes? Why?”

Isana’s eyes widened at the unexpected warning. She looked like a child who had been given candy and then had it taken away. Sibelius clicked his tongue and said.

“Why else? There are people you can trust, but how can you trust a demon, of all things? Since ancient times, nothing good has ever come of demons getting involved. Those guys never make deals for free. They might demand something in return, and if you’re not careful, it could lead to the worst possible outcome.”

“Umm…”

“I’m giving you sincere advice. It’s no use regretting it after something happens. People who know that gambling is dangerous don’t even think about touching it in the first place. And dealing with demons is more dangerous than gambling. Can you really guarantee that it will be okay?”

Well, he was right. Just looking at their well-known notoriety, demons are definitely not docile creatures. Especially since Lucarim wasn’t a good person, as evidenced by what we had experienced this time. He knowingly gave the seed of the Mana Tree to humans, and even though innocent victims were created because of it, he didn’t even feel remorse. No one could evaluate such an existence as safe. Moreover, I still couldn’t fully trust Lucarim’s claim that he had betrayed the Demon King. Even if that was the case now, it seemed like he might change his mind later.

‘…Still, he just gave me the subspace in the backpack for free.’

I fiddled with the backpack strap I was carrying with a troubled feeling. When he cast the magic, I didn’t feel any signs that Lucarim was hiding anything. He was also keeping his promise not to hide his presence. Come to think of it, he said that he had warned about the dangers in advance when he gave the seed of the Mana Tree, so wouldn’t it be okay to trust him to that extent?

To lift the curse on Duke Clamore, we had to find the magic sword and return as soon as possible. Because of the tight schedule, worries naturally arose in my heart. But that moment didn’t last long. Before I could say anything, Sibelius drove a wedge with resolute words.