Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 168

168.

Contrary to my worries, Alisa was a very easygoing companion. She wasn’t picky about food or lodging, didn’t complain, and kept up easily, so there wasn’t much to worry about or take care of. Although it hadn’t been long since we left the village, she seemed naturally adaptable to new environments.

I had anticipated someone might follow us to cause trouble, but even after several days, nothing happened. Alisa’s family didn’t seem to be looking for their missing daughter either. Perhaps they thought it was for the best that she had left.

“There’s an oasis. Shall we camp here tonight?”

“Yeah, sure.”

After nodding, Sibelius pulled a piece of paper from his pocket with a familiar motion. Setting up camp had become a daily routine. Alisa watched the house being completed in an instant, her expression impressed.

“It’s really amazing every time I see it. This is sorcery, right? Can all Blue Elves do this?”

“No, probably almost none of them can. I might be the only one?”

“How did you learn sorcery, Sibyl?”

“There’s a reason. I’m a bit special.”

Sibelius answered playfully to her question, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. We had agreed not to reveal our true identities to Alisa. Since she was a temporary companion and someone we would eventually part ways with, we thought it best not to get too deeply involved. Besides, it would be burdensome to explain our entire story to an ordinary (though remarkably talented) human.

Fortunately, Alisa’s precognitive abilities didn’t seem to detect much. So, she only knew us as adventurers: a Spirit Master, a priest, and an Elven sorcerer.

“If you’re the only one who can do sorcery, are you the strongest among the Blue Elves?”

“Of course. I could win even if I fought 100 to 1.”

“Phee, I read in a book that men who exaggerate are not attractive.”

Sibelius chuckled at her sharp retort. He was kind to women and had been noticeably doting on Alisa since she joined us. He even made special dishes just for her during meal times. Perhaps that’s why the two of them had become quite close in just a few days.

I watched them bickering with a smile, then took off the hood I had been wearing all day to block the sandstorm. Isana also took off his hood and lightly shook it out in front of the door, careful not to let any sand fall inside the house.

“The wind was especially strong today, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it seems to be getting stronger. That’s why my clothes seem to be wearing out quickly too.”

“Hmm, shall we stop by a village tomorrow? We need to buy some supplies for Alisa too.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Alisa had left without any belongings, so she was penniless and had nothing with her. It wouldn’t be a financial burden, but since we were a group of only men, we didn’t have any women’s supplies prepared. Even if we let her get by with the one set of clothes she was wearing for now, it would be impossible to continue living like that, especially since we would soon have to cross the desert in earnest. We wouldn’t have the chance to encounter any settlements for a while, so we had to prepare the necessary supplies beforehand.

While we were chatting, I turned my head when I suddenly felt a gaze. Alisa had been staring at us intently for some time, with a sulky look on her face.

“What’s wrong, Alisa?”

“This is really unfair.”

“Huh? What is?”

“What else could it be! It’s your faces!”

Isana and I blinked in bewilderment at the shout, accompanied by finger-pointing.

“Faces?”

“Yes! Faces! I still can’t get used to it! How can men be so pretty? I can’t accept it! This is a challenge to all the women in the world!”

“Ahaha…….”

Not that again.

I shook my head with a hollow laugh, reminded of her reaction when we first took off our hoods. She had looked betrayed.

I hadn’t had the chance to show my face when I was in the village or participating in the subjugation because I had been wearing a hood the whole time. In the end, we only properly saw each other’s faces when we formally greeted each other, and that seemed to have made a deep impression on Alisa. It had already been several days, but I shrugged lightly as I watched Alisa still feeling wronged(?).

“You’re pretty too, Alisa.”

“This is a completely different issue. It feels like my identity is being tested.”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes! Imagine if El saw a girl who was much more manly and handsome than El! Wouldn’t you feel humiliated and competitive? Do you know what I mean?”

……No, I don’t.

Alisa sighed deeply with a deflated face when I reacted awkwardly.

“Well, it’s true that pretty men are more popular than handsome women. Anyway, it must be nice to be pretty.”

“It’s not nice when I’m constantly mistaken for a woman. Especially when I’m with a handsome friend like Sibyl, women glare at me like they’re going to eat me alive. It’s so miserable.”

“You don’t understand. That’s because Sibyl is already an adult, and El is still young. Don’t you know that a man’s true worth is revealed as he gets older? When you become an adult, women will be all over you too, El.”

“Re, really?”

“Really. There’s a baron writer named Dabasol in the capital. The second son of that family was famous for being very pretty when he was young. Now he’s over twenty and has grown into a very handsome face, so he’s very popular with girls. There are even girls who say they wouldn’t mind dying after seeing his face just once. My stepsister even ran away from home to see that young master. She was eventually caught and brought back, though.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. So, El, don’t think about anything else and just eat diligently and grow up quickly. You have a promising appearance.”

It was hopeful news in its own way. ……If only there wasn’t the problem that I couldn’t grow up.

I could force a transformation, but I couldn’t maintain that state for long. In the end, I would have to live my whole life in this ambiguous age range, being mistaken for a woman. The more I thought about it, the more I sighed. Alisa’s eyes immediately sharpened, misunderstanding my gloomy expression.

“What, you don’t believe me? It’s true. El is prettier than that famous young master was when he was a child. So, you’ll be even more amazing when you grow up! Have confidence!”

“……Well, it’s a nice thing to say, but you’re talking like you’ve seen him in person?”

“I told you my stepsister liked that man. She collected all of his portraits by age. Thanks to that, I saw them too. He was definitely handsome. But he wasn’t my type.”

“What’s your type?”

Should I be having this kind of conversation with a child? I hesitated a little, though I thought it was already too late. Alisa answered without hesitation, as if mocking my worries.

“Me? I like someone who is plainly handsome.”

“……Doesn’t that contradict itself?”

Plain is plain, and handsome is handsome. What’s plain and handsome? I muttered in disbelief, and Alisa shook her head firmly, saying it wasn’t like that.

“I mean a neatly handsome face. Not an impression that stands out too much like the men here. Someone who looks a little gentle but also decent.”

“……In other words, they have to be handsome.”

“Well, so what? It’s just my ideal type anyway. It’s not bad to be just neat, but it’s better to be handsome if possible, right?”

I smiled awkwardly because she wasn’t exactly wrong. She was surprisingly mature for a child, and I even felt like I was talking to an adult woman.

“Are you getting used to Spiritism?”

Isana asked another question, perhaps thinking it was time to change the subject. He had been teaching Alisa Spiritism little by little since she joined the group. He was the only Spirit Master to the outside world, so he was the only one who could play that role. Alisa immediately made a pouty face at his question.

“You’re doing that again, Isana. I told you to just speak casually.”

“Ah, uh, how’s Spiritism going?”

Alisa immediately unfurled her frowning face and smiled brightly when Isana corrected his tone.

“Good, you did well.”

Isana’s face turned shy at the compliment. ……I felt like I could already see the relationship between these two.

‘Ah, come to think of it, there was a neat and decent face, wasn’t there?’

The fact suddenly popped into my head, and I stared intently at Isana. Yes, why didn’t I think of it right away? His original face before the magical transformation, though now he had an excessively flashy impression, had a neat and calm feel. That would be enough to meet Alisa’s ideal type. Although he doesn’t seem to be aware of it at all.

‘Besides, Isana is the Emperor. Alisa is the Emperor’s consort. Heh, this is somewhat plausible?’

Thinking that way, their appearance suddenly seemed unusual. The two of them, unaware of my thoughts, were having a friendly conversation.

“I’m working hard as Isana taught me. I’m definitely getting stronger as I start summoning lower spirits more often. It’s not too hard to summon a Muldeun [mid-level earth spirit] now. My heart used to throb just from summoning it.”

“That’s good.”

“You said you were a high-level Spirit Master, Isana? Was the name of the water high spirit Cyciel?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Do you know the name of the earth high spirit?”

“Of course. I’ve memorized all the spirit lineages. The lower spirit is Gnome, Muldeun is a mid-level spirit, and the high spirit is Clay, right? The wind spirits are Sylph, Shuriel, and Jin in that order, the fire spirits are Casa, Salamander, and Ignis, and the water spirits are Naias, Undine, and Cyciel. Right?”

“Yeah, you’re smart. You got them all right.”

Alisa wore a proud expression at the light admiration.

“Will I be able to become a high-level Spirit Master if I train steadily?”

“Yeah, you’ll be able to. Alisa is growing fast.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“Really. It was said that talent like Alisa’s is rare among humans.”

“Said? Who said that?”

Isana’s gaze briefly touched mine and then fell away. Fortunately, Alisa didn’t seem too curious and quickly turned her attention elsewhere.

“Well, good. Anyway, you’re saying I’m overflowing with Spirit Master talent? I’ll grow even more and definitely make a contract with Clay within a few years!”

“Huhu, you’re full of enthusiasm, Alisa.”

“Of course! After I make a contract with Clay, I’ll challenge the final gate!”

“The final gate?”

“I’m talking about the Earth Spirit King, Trowell. They say there are hardly any humans who make a contract with a Spirit King, right? I’ll be one of them!”

Alisa revealed her ambitious aspirations with a dreamy face, as if she was intoxicated with the plan she had set. It was something that any Spirit Master would vaguely hope for, but in Alisa’s case, it couldn’t be seen as reckless because of the high possibility of it happening. However, unlike me and Isana, who were smiling silently, Sibelius muttered with a sullen face.

“What are you going to do making a contract with a guy like that? He won’t be of much help.”

“What, Sibyl? You’re talking like you’ve seen Trowell before?”

“……Elves are a race that is close to spirits. I saw him briefly a long time ago. A very long time ago, before you were even born.”

“Hee, come to think of it, they say elves live a long time, right? How old are you, Sibyl? You look like you’re in your twenties.”

“A thousand…… no, about a hundred and fifty.”

Sibelius quickly corrected himself to match the lifespan of an elf. Fifteen hundred was young for a unicorn, but if he went by the lifespan of an elf, he would have been in the grave a long time ago, so it was natural. But Alisa, who didn’t know that fact, couldn’t help but be shocked even at the age that had been reduced by a lot.

“A hundred and fifty? Wow, Sibyl, you’re a complete grandpa?”

“Ah, no. It’s only old by human standards, it’s a young age among elves.”

“But I’m human, so it’s natural to think by human standards, right? A hundred and fifty is almost ancestor level! It’s amazing that we can communicate. I thought all old people were old-fashioned.”

“……I’m not old. How are you going to make a contract with Trowell while thinking like that? That guy is over 4,000 years old.”

“Gasp! Really?”

“Besides, he has a bad personality.”

“Oh, how much?”

“Don’t even mention it. If he doesn’t like you, he’ll cut off your breath on the spot……!”

“……Sibyl.”

Sibelius flinched and shut his mouth when I called his name softly. He was so caught up in the thought of slandering that he had forgotten that I was watching. *Don’t say unnecessary things.* He smiled awkwardly as if reading the warning in my gaze.

“Well, anyway, he wasn’t an easy personality to get close to. It was quite a while ago, so maybe it’s different now.”

“Well, if it was before I was born, it would have been a long time ago. What does Trowell look like? They say all the Spirit Kings have human forms, is that true? Are they all very beautiful? Have you ever seen other Spirit Kings?”

“Wait, ask one question at a time, one at a time.”

Sibelius wore a troubled expression at the barrage of questions. Alisa lowered her head with an embarrassed face, realizing that she had gotten too excited.

“Sorry.”

“Haha, it’s okay. But you know a lot of details, surprisingly? How did you know all that?”

“I saw it in a book. I read a storybook about the Spirit Kings.”

“A storybook?”

“It’s a book that reconstructs legends and folktales circulating among people in the form of fairy tales. The stories about the four Spirit Kings were written separately. Among them, my favorite was the story of the Water Spirit King.”

“Hoo, the Water Spirit King, huh.”

Sibelius smiled and cast a meaningful glance at me. ……Wouldn’t it be better to reveal the truth now? I sighed quietly inwardly, thinking that my heart wouldn’t be able to take it (though I didn’t even have one in the first place). But the moment I heard the next words, I soon couldn’t think of anything.

“A long time ago, there was a human boy who summoned the Water Spirit King. The boy had lost his parents early and was lonely. Then, the Water Spirit King, feeling sorry for the boy’s situation, became his father and promised to protect him for the rest of his life until the day the boy died. Isn’t that so wonderful?”

“……!”

At the same time that Sibelius widened his eyes, I quietly swallowed my breath. I never imagined that I would hear this story, which sounded so familiar, here. It felt like I had been attacked out of the blue. Sibelius also couldn’t hide his excitement.