Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 17

17.

“What? H, how?”

Perhaps because he had been half-resigned, Ifrit’s dark expression instantly brightened with anticipation. Before answering, I made sure to create a smokescreen.

“First of all, don’t get your hopes up too much. I’m not even sure if this method I have in mind will work.”

“What method are you talking about?”

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to get angry after hearing it.”

“……Do you want to die right now, perhaps?”

No, I don’t. Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll tell you right away.

Swallowing my pathetic tears, I immediately confessed the idea I had in mind.

“……I’m going to use the Underworld.”

“Use it how?”

“Before that, I want to ask something first. I’m not sure about the specifics, but I heard that when the Spirit Kings reach the time of their extinction, they go to the Underworld to pass on their abilities to their successors. Is what I know correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Elquines before you also moved to the Underworld and disappeared.”

“Then, first of all, you have to move to the Underworld before that, right? How do you do that?”

“Of course, the guides of the Underworld come to pick you up. Just like when humans die, when the time of extinction approaches for the Spirit Kings, guides from the Underworld come to pick them up.”

“Aha! So, those guides can move other beings to different dimensions as much as they want, besides themselves?”

“That’s right……! Don’t tell me?”

Only then did Ifrit’s mouth widen into a circle, as if he had noticed my plan. That’s right. That’s exactly it. If the guides of the Underworld can appear anywhere, maybe we can ask them to move us to the Divine Realm.

Even if that’s impossible, they could at least find out what situation Elquines is in now. But Ifrit looked more skeptical than happy.

“It’s a good method, but it’s probably impossible. The Underworld wouldn’t look kindly on trying to reconnect a past life that has already been severed. Above all, the Underworld is a place where the gods of fate have a great influence…….”

“Hmm, we won’t know that unless we try. Maybe we couldn’t meet because we didn’t make an effort to find them ourselves? If the Spirit Kings are going to become gods later anyway, there’s no reason to stop us now when the connection will be reestablished someday, right?”

“…….”

But this was just my opinion, and it didn’t seem like it would be easy, as Ifrit said. Even if we put aside all the other problems, just meeting the guides of the Underworld was a challenge.

Whether he knew my complicated feelings or not, Ifrit was just sitting there blankly with a shocked expression. Still, seeing that he couldn’t let go of the expectation in his eyes, he must have wanted to meet the previous Elquines quite a bit, even if he didn’t show it.

Because of that, I was burning with a sense of duty to make this plan a success. Who knew that the day would come when I would volunteer to play the role of Cupid in my life, even though I used to be the president of the ‘Let’s Disrupt Chicken Couple Movement Headquarters’ at one time.

“Hmm, anyway, the biggest problem is this. We have to meet the guides to even try something, but right now there’s no way to meet them. I can’t just kill a perfectly good spirit to call the guides. What should I do…….”

“There is.”

“Huh?”

To my muttering, Ifrit answered with a firm face, as if he had come to his senses. His face was full of joy, overflowing with hope that hadn’t been seen before.

“There is a place where the beings of the Underworld visit.”

* * *

What unfolded before my eyes was an endlessly stretching blue meadow and a flower garden as beautiful as a painting. Having been born as a spirit, I was speechless and stood there blankly at the sight of the cloud-filled sky, the wide earth, and the clear stream flowing through the meadow for the first time.

The blue forest beyond the round hill swayed its refreshing leaves, showing off its beauty, and a sweet fragrance subtly filled the surroundings. The flock of fairies flying in the sky must have been low-level wind spirits. I watched with a blissful feeling as the golden sunlight covered all this beautiful scenery.

However, the closer I got, the more spectacular the scene was. Countless beautiful flowers that I couldn’t even name were all… all!

“Jewels!”

An uncountable number of hundreds of thousands of species of flowers were all jewels! They were also made of exquisitely crafted, brilliant jewels.

The moment the petals swaying in the wind sparkled in the sunlight, I couldn’t even open my eyes because of the dazzling light.

Not only that, but the grass on the ground was woven with fine silk, and the pebbles and stones that were rolling around were all gold and silver nuggets. Even the stream tasted exactly like honey.

“What kind of absurd place is this!”

To me, who was frozen in shock rather than admiration, Ifrit kindly told me the identity of this place from the side.

“It’s Evas Eden, the Golden Garden that exists only in this Spirit Realm. Unlike the sanctuaries that only accept spirits of each attribute, this place is where all four major spirits can coexist.”

“What? But why are you telling me now?!”

“Because it’s my will.”

“…….”

I don’t even have the energy to get angry anymore. I decided to be comfortable and think that I was lucky to have found out even now. If this hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have known even after a few years.

Look at this shining positive mind! Ah, I think I’m too nice even when I think about it.

“But why did you suddenly come here, Ifrit?”

I asked again, looking around. In fact, I was just bewildered because I was suddenly dragged here without any explanation (thanks to which I learned that multiple space movements were possible). Ifrit looked at me with a pathetic gaze and replied.

“What did you hear earlier? I said there was a place where the beings of the Underworld visit.”

“Ah, you’re saying this is that place?”

“Yes. Evas Eden is one of the most scenic spots in the four dimensions, so it’s very famous among those from other worlds. In particular, the beings of the Underworld often come here for vacation.”

“Hee, vacation? Do those people also need a break?”

“Of course. Do you think they only work and live in that enormous amount of time?”

“……That’s true.”

Indeed, guiding the souls of the dead to the Underworld, distributing the next place of birth, and reincarnating them into the human world were all part of their work process. In particular, Ifrit added that recently, with the search for me, who had gone missing, and the sudden increase in the number of deaths due to the 10-year drought in Arkadon, they had suffered a lot in many ways.

Come to think of it, Arehis’ complexion seemed quite bad. Was that all because of overwork? A life that is always overwhelmed with work no matter where you go; the afterlife is nothing special.

In comparison, the Spirit King is said to be enough just to exist, so I think I’m really lucky.

Ah, of course, if there wasn’t a witch next to me who habitually scolded me for being stupid.

“Now that I’ve found you, the urgent work has been finished to some extent, so everyone has probably received a vacation for the first time in a long time. That means there will be many Underworld people visiting this place.”

Following the witch Ifrit’s words, I slowly looked around. It was such a wide space that I couldn’t grasp it all at a glance, but I didn’t feel any sense of other presence other than spirits.

“There’s no one here?”

“How would I know if I saw them? There may not be anyone because there aren’t visitors every day.”

“Hmm, is there any way to know the visit date or list of people who visit this place?”

“I don’t know. Evas Eden is an open place, so anyone can come and go at any time.”

“……What. Then do we just have to sit here and wait for someone to visit?”

“W, what do you want me to do! If you have another way, why don’t you tell me!”

No, if you say that… I don’t really have a way either.

After that, Ifrit and I sat in the garden and began to wait for someone to visit. Anyway, there was plenty of time left, and the surroundings were so beautiful that I wouldn’t get tired of seeing them even after a few days, so this time wasn’t boring.

Looking around, I found low-level wind spirits far away. They had been hiding between the grass for a while, glancing at us warily.

“Why are those guys like that?”

“What? You mean Sylphs?”

“Ah, you call those kids Sylphs?”

The Sylphs, with their fine, straight hair and cute faces, were small enough to fit on my palm. As if they were wind spirits, their appearance was generally transparent, and they resembled their king, Minerva, so much that you could think of them as a miniature version.

“The low-level wind spirits are Sylphs, the mid-level are Shuriel, and the high-level are Djinn. Shouldn’t you be able to figure out things like this yourself without me having to teach you?”

“I want to do that too, but I still can’t memorize all my spirit names.”

“Is that something to be proud of, you idiot!”

Tsk tsk, I might not know. I’ve forgotten my instincts, so are those spirit names a big deal! I grumbled inwardly and pointed to the Sylphs again with my chin.

“So, why are those kids so far away?”

“Because they’re scared.”

“Scared? Of us?”

“Low-level spirits are instinctively afraid of the Spirit King’s energy. Still, Sylphs are the most daring among the low-level spirits. The other low-level spirits can’t even come near us, can they?”

“Ah, come to think of it.”

It was said to be a place where all four major spirits gather, but I couldn’t find any other spirits.

It’s said that they usually hide when the Spirit Kings are out.

“If you look closely, there will be Naiads too. They’re your subordinates, so why don’t you say hello?”

“Hee, should I?”

I had only heard the voices of the Naiads so far. They were quite admirable guys who were born on their own without me having to create them directly, so I was filled with anticipation to meet them.

“It’s the king’s order, so they’ll gather if I call them, right? Naiads! Assemble!”

Then, at that moment, a mysterious sight began to unfold before my eyes. Bubble-like water bubbles gathered in front of me in droves. Soon, the arriving bubbles turned into small fairy-like figures like Sylphs.

They were cute girls with curly blue hair that stretched down to their waists. The only difference was that their lower bodies were fish tails.

Similarly, there were fins that looked like gills in the part where the ears should have been. It was as if they had recreated the appearance of the Little Mermaid from a fairy tale.

‘Wow, they’re cute!’

The Naiads were very embarrassed by my sudden call, and they were shrinking their shoulders. A familiar voice flowed from their small, moving lips.

―We meet the ruler of water, our lord, Elquines.

It was the same voice as the chattering chatterboxes I had heard in the water realm before. However, perhaps because they were nervous, they were even more subdued than when I heard them then. I tried to speak kindly so that they wouldn’t be afraid.

“Don’t be too scared, everyone. I just called you because I wanted to see you. Is this our first meeting? Let’s get along well in the future.”

Then, the Naiads, with their eyes wide open, began to whisper among themselves. Why, why are they doing that? Did I do something wrong? As I looked at Ifrit with an uneasy feeling, he explained in a nonchalant tone.

“Low-level spirits are most sensitive to the Spirit King’s mood. They know you’re friendly to them, so they’re not afraid anymore.”

“Ah, really? Then that’s a relief.”

“Hmph, it’s not something to be so happy about.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Low-level spirits are usually huge chatterboxes.”

I didn’t need to dwell on the meaning of what Ifrit said.

At that moment, the Naiads, who had suddenly changed their attitude, began to talk to me noisily.

―Please take care of us, Elquines!

―I’m so glad to meet you!

―Can I touch your hair just once?

―I want to try sliding on it, can’t I?

“…….”

Indeed, that’s what he meant.

Looking at the Naiads, who had become so bold that they were no longer afraid, I sweated inwardly. Ifrit winked at me as if to tell me to do well.

‘Tell me things like this sooner!’

It is often said that women’s chatter is very destructive, but it was no different even if they were little kids. They chattered so much that I wanted to grab them one by one with a fly swatter later.

‘But they’re cute, so I can’t get angry. Ugh…….’

I grabbed my throbbing head and forced a smile. Then, the Naiads suddenly began to stare at me.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

―Elquines! You’re so beautiful!

―I’m so proud that such a beautiful person is our king!

“Ah, really? Th, thank you.”

I felt embarrassed by the praise filled with pure goodwill and expressed my gratitude. Then, red cherry blossoms bloomed on the faces of the Naiads in an instant.

―Kyaa! Elquines said thank you!

―Elquines smiled at us!

―Wow, wow! We got praised!

―Let’s have a festival of joy!

―Waa! I agree!

―Me too, me too!

“Uh, hey, guys?”

I couldn’t close my open mouth at the sight that followed at that moment. Suddenly, the Naiads flew into the air one after another, and then formed a circle above my head. In that state, they each pulled a small water droplet into their arms and began to drop it on my head.

The jewel-like water droplets were reflected in the sunlight the moment they fell, adorning the surroundings like flames. The appearance of the colorful spreading light powder was like a rainbow-colored curtain. In that state, the Naiads began to sing in beautiful voices while spinning around in the air.

O noble and holy our ruler!

O eternal and beautiful king of water!

Blessed Arkadon, land of abundance!

Home of the spirits, golden garden!

Glory to that name! Glory to that name!