Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 164

164

“Move forward three steps!”

“Halt!”

The marching feet moved busily in response to the resounding shout. The group, composed of numerous soldiers and ordinary men, was the subjugation force gathered today to defeat the Earth Tunnel Goblin. It was past noon, but perhaps because the monster was nocturnal, everyone seemed relatively relaxed. Unlike the fairly organized front ranks, the rear was a mess, with poorly arranged lines scattered haphazardly. My companions and I were mixed in among them, tucked away in a corner. We had decided to participate in the subjugation to help the girl.

Shielding my face from the scorching sunlight with one hand, I gazed ahead. Not far from the village entrance lay a rocky canyon, and deeper inside, the entrance to a massive cave was visible. Originally, it was said to be just an ordinary rocky mountain, but the cave appeared two years ago when the Earth Tunnel Goblin took up residence. In other words, it was the Earth Tunnel Goblin’s lair.

“Is that the monster’s nest? It’s really close to the village.”

Sibelius, who had joined me in confirming the nest’s location, muttered with a hint of awe. Today, he wasn’t wearing the cloth he usually wrapped around his head for protection. As a result, his blue skin and long, pointed ears were fully exposed to the gazes of the people.

Standing out amidst the countless humans, his unique features made him conspicuous. I could clearly feel the sharp stares following his every move. Sibelius, however, didn’t seem to mind at all.

“If it’s this close, it wouldn’t be easy to deal with if it decided to attack. There would be limits to blocking it with defenses if it’s a large monster.”

“That wouldn’t work anyway, would it? It travels underground, after all.”

“Ah, right. It was a subterranean monster, wasn’t it?”

He nodded lightly, as if recalling the story he had heard the day before.

“By the way, what about the blacksmith who gave us the information? Isn’t he participating in the subjugation?”

“He wanted to come, but his wife was strongly opposed, so he couldn’t make it.”

“He was married?”

“Yeah, apparently.”

I was honestly a little surprised when I found out. I couldn’t deny that he was old enough to have a family, but I hadn’t imagined him being married. At the same time, I felt a little bitter. No matter how much he worried about the girl, in the end, he would choose his family.

While I was lost in thought, Sibelius hummed a tune, his eyes scanning his surroundings with excitement. He was usually cheerful, but he seemed particularly happy today. Or rather, it seemed to have started when he decided to help the girl.

“Well, it’s about helping a girl.”

When I asked him why, he gave me this absurd answer.

“Just that?”

“What else do you need? Helping a woman in distress is a man’s pride. I was taught that a man who hasn’t saved a woman at least three times isn’t a real man.”

“…What are you learning as you grow up?”

“Our clan’s men are naturally kind to women.”

“Hmm~ Not just unmarried virgins?”

I said that because the legend of unicorns liking pure virgins came to mind. Of course, it was just a story known on Earth, so I wasn’t specifically thinking about Sibelius in front of me. But to my surprise, Sibelius started to panic at my casual joke.

“Huh? No, it’s not like I do it on purpose… But how did you know that? Are you starting to remember things from the past?”

“…Seriously, is that true?”

When I stared at him in shock, Sibelius quickly started to make excuses.

“No, no! Um, how should I put it? Human virgins have a unique scent. It’s just that our clan finds it very attractive. It’s just a, a primal attraction, but I don’t treat them any differently. Really.”

“I heard they stab non-virgins to death with their horns…”

“What? That’s ridiculous! Who would do that?”

The loud voice echoed, and I felt several people nearby turn to look. I quickly shushed him, and he immediately shut his mouth.

“Anyway, that’s definitely not true.”

Only after the attention had faded did Sibelius mutter in a disgruntled voice. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to perfectly match the legend I knew. But even thinking that it was partially similar made me feel uneasy.

“If you do anything to that girl…”

“…Please stop saying scary things. I’m not that terrible. I told you, I just feel like she has a nice scent. If I caused problems with just that, I wouldn’t even be able to walk around the village, would I?”

“Hmm, I guess.”

“And to be honest, only the naive ones who have never been exposed to humans are affected by that scent. I’m already used to strong scents, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

“Because you’ve traveled a lot?”

“That too, but it’s also thanks to being with you.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You have a nice scent too. That’s why I mistook you for a girl when we first met… Sorry.”

He was happily talking, but when he saw my fierce gaze, he became dejected and apologized. I stared at him for a moment before remembering something and sighing.

“Here I was wondering what it was. You’re talking about the old El, right? I thought you were talking to me.”

“Huh? No, it’s not that different now? You have the same scent now.”

“What? Even now?”

As soon as I asked in bewilderment, I suddenly remembered when I first met him. Come to think of it, he smelled me right away. And he was convinced that I was the same person as ‘El.’

Is it possible to have the same scent even if the face is different? I raised my wrist and brought it to my nose for a moment. But I couldn’t smell anything, let alone a good scent.

“…I don’t smell anything?”

“Ah, that’s probably because it’s something only our clan can sense. It’s like a kind of wavelength? It just feels like a scent to us.”

“Hmm. Is that related to the spirit sight?”

“Similar. And just in case you misunderstand, I only mistook you for a girl for a very short time. It’s definitely nice, but it’s a completely different scent. The scent I smell from you is the scent of a spirit.”

“A spirit?”

At the unexpected story, I raised my head, and Sibelius smiled brightly with a radiant face. He seemed happy that I was paying attention to his story.

“Embodied spirits each have their own unique scent. It’s barely noticeable in the lower ranks, but it gradually gets stronger as you go higher. Especially with a Spirit King, the scent permeates even their contractors.”

“I see. Come to think of it, ‘El’ was also a contractor of Elquines.”

If it was a unique scent of a spirit, then the scent El had back then must have been the influence from Elquines. It was only natural that I, the current Elquines, would have the same scent. Realizing the obvious fact, I slowly nodded.

“Rather, back then, it had a more unique feel because it was mixed with the unique scent of humans. Now it’s too much like that guy.”

“That guy?”

“I mean the previous Elquines. You’re Elquines now, so it can’t be helped.”

“Then what about Isana?”

“Huh? Isana?”

“Isana is also a contractor of Elquines, and also a human. Based on the conditions alone, she’s more like the El from back then than I am now. So wouldn’t she have the same scent?”

I asked this question with a bit of mischief. I might have wanted to confuse him, who still firmly believed that I was ‘El,’ even a little. I wanted to show him that the similarities between El and me that he claimed could be found in other people as well.

Since he never compromised when it came to El, I expected him to get angry again this time. But contrary to my expectations, Sibelius surprisingly stared at Isana seriously. Isana also looked nervous under his intense gaze.

“…Hmm, certainly. If you only consider the scent itself, that’s true.”

“Is that so?”

Isana smelled herself with a curious expression. She had heard that it was a scent only unicorns could sense, but she couldn’t help but be curious.

“Yeah, but the scent is so weak compared to El that I don’t really notice any similarities. Maybe this is the normal case. El’s scent was quite strong, not just a permeation. Almost no different from being a Spirit King.”

“…Was that really a human?”

It was called a scent, but in other words, it meant that she had the same wavelength as the Spirit King. I knew she wasn’t an ordinary human, but was it possible for her to be that unique? Unlike me, who was frowning, Sibelius was overjoyed and started chattering.

“Right? Right? I always thought that whenever I saw El. I wondered if she might not be human. Maybe she was already destined to be the next generation of Elquines from then on? That’s why she had a strong spirit scent even though she was human! What do you think, El?”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh, don’t just say that, think about it carefully. You might suddenly remember something from the past, you know?”

I’m telling you, that El isn’t me. In the end, it’s the same conclusion every time. Even though I was prepared, I couldn’t help but feel drained every time this happened. When will this guy ever admit that I’m a different person? I ignored the fruitless conversation and rubbed my throbbing head. It felt like I hadn’t had a day without a headache since I met Sibelius.

“Line up! Everyone line up!”

Thanks to the timely shout, the uncomfortable topic was immediately dropped. As dusk approached, the subjugation force began to align in earnest. As the people gathered, my companions and I also stood in line. In one corner, hands were busy preparing torches.

“Did they say it only appears after the sun has completely set?”

I nodded at Sibelius’s question.

“Yeah, and it’s supposed to be very fast. Once it catches its prey, it goes straight into the ground, so if you miss it, that’s the end of it.”

“Then we need to block its movements first.”

As we reached the obvious conclusion, we heard giggling nearby. It was the soldiers standing next to us. They were talking as if they wanted us to hear.

“Did you all hear? Block its movements. Do they think this is like hunting deer in a hunting ground? If it’s that easy to catch, would it be a monster?”

“Leave them alone. They’re foreigners who don’t know anything. Have they ever even seen an Earth Tunnel Goblin in person?”

“I guess. They seem to be participating in the subjugation out of curiosity, but it’s a good thing if they don’t get in the way.”

The mocking tone was full of contempt for us. Perhaps because we were foreigners and young, they didn’t seem to consider us a real asset. We simply shrugged at their reaction. There was no need to confront their one-sided hostility, and it was too bothersome to get upset about everything.

What bothered me more was Isana. While Sibelius was more excited than usual, Isana was unusually listless. He was still talking and responding as usual, but he couldn’t hide the heavy atmosphere. I thought I knew why. He was probably overlapping the girl’s situation with his deceased father’s. To him, his father would be an indelible mark for the rest of his life. I was about to leave him alone, but I couldn’t resist the urge to talk to him.

“Isana.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s okay. Everything will be alright.”

As I whispered softly, Isana looked at me with a surprised expression and then smiled faintly.

The air that seemed to be weighing down on his shoulders lightened a little. Even I felt embarrassed giving such an obvious consolation, but fortunately, he seemed to feel a little better.

Meanwhile, the chaotic procession was nearing completion. As the sun visibly set, a murmur spread among the people. Puzzled, I turned around and soon understood the reason. The commander of the subjugation force was walking with a small girl. It was Alisa.

Unlike her lively appearance yesterday, Alisa was walking with a blank expression, staring only at the ground. Her frail body wasn’t even wearing the slightest piece of armor.

“Tch, she’s here. That unlucky girl.”

A harsh curse was heard nearby, and I flinched without realizing it. It was one person who cursed, but the expressions of the others weren’t good either. The soldiers were all glaring at the girl with cold eyes.

“She obediently followed without running away.”

“Hmph, where could she go with that cursed body? It’s only because the people in this village are kind that they’ve been putting up with her until now. In other villages, she would have had a hard time staying alive. She might have even been burned at the stake.”

“I’m tired of seeing that face. I wish she would just die quickly. Then we wouldn’t have to go through this trouble.”

“She’s aware, so she must know what it means to stand at the front. If she has any conscience, wouldn’t she fight the monster and die with it?”

“I really wish she would.”

Every murmur was like a curse. It was a terrible malice that was hard to believe was directed at a young girl.

‘What kind of people are they…!’

I was about to step forward in anger when someone grabbed my arm. I thought it was Sibelius, but unexpectedly, it was Isana. When our eyes met, he shook his head with a calm expression.

“It’s no use saying anything to people who already have such deeply ingrained thoughts, El. If you step in here, you’ll only draw unnecessary criticism.”

“But…”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to provoke those people right now. They’re already wary of foreigners, and they might kick us out of the subjugation operation.”

It was a very possible scenario, so I had no choice but to swallow the complaints that were rising in my throat. Then I noticed Isana’s appearance again. He had already been in a bad mood since yesterday. In the current situation, he would be even angrier than I was. As expected, unlike his calm expression, Isana’s eyes were coldly sunken. It was the first time I had ever felt his eyes, which always seemed as warm as sweet honey, felt like ice.