Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 173

173

Deron and Zak were still waiting in front of the door for Lucarim to come out. Quite a long time passed, and not a single word was exchanged between the two. Then, suddenly, Deron noticed something strange and looked at Zak with narrowed eyes.

“Come to think of it, Zak, how did you get here?”

“I walked.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… I heard you were placed under house arrest for failing to properly manage Karten during the breeding season.”

“You know it well. So, seeing me here is a secret from the Demon King.”

“…This is in front of the audience chamber, though.”

“It’s okay. I’ll hide in the back when the door opens.”

That’s not the point!

Deron resisted the urge to shout and rubbed his throbbing head. He didn’t think this hopeless demon would defy the Demon King’s orders just to see Lucarim. If he were caught, it wouldn’t end with just a slap on the wrist. The thought alone was terrifying, and Deron quickly tried to appease Zak.

“For now, just return to your territory. I’ll meet with Lucarim and deliver any news…”

“You’re going to see Lucarim-nim alone?”

Damn it, I’m trying to be considerate, and this is how you react? Deron swallowed a curse as he faced Zak’s suddenly cold gaze.

“You could be executed for disobeying the Demon King’s orders. What kind of guts do you have?”

“If I were afraid of death, I couldn’t live as a demon.”

“Of course, I’m not denying that, but isn’t risking death just to see a face a bit too much?”

“Just a face? Are you calling Lucarim-nim’s face ‘just’ in front of me right now?”

“…Haa, fine. Do as you please.”

In the end, Deron gave up and threw up his hands. Why did he even try to persuade this demon in the first place? He was once again reminded that it’s best not to engage with someone who’s fanatically obsessed with something.

“Anyway, I won’t be responsible for whatever happens to you. I won’t help you.”

“So, you were thinking of helping me?”

“That’s just a figure of speech. Would it even work if I tried to help you anyway?”

“Hmph, you have too much unnecessary sentiment for a demon. How about coming over to Karten and taking care of the hatchlings? I think you’re more suited to being a butler or a nanny than a duke.”

“Who’s a nanny…!

“Shh.”

Deron shut his mouth at the sound that followed his outburst. There was no need to ask why he was being interrupted. The office door, which had been firmly closed, was opening.

As soon as he recognized the familiar figure walking out, Deron’s face brightened. It was definitely Lucarim. He also recognized those in front of the door and smiled.

“Oh? Who do we have here? Isn’t it Deron? And Zak is here too.”

“Luc…”

Deron, who was about to approach with a happy expression, stopped and hardened his face. He had noticed that Lucarim’s sleeve was cut off and missing.

“Luca…”

“Yes? Ah.”

Lucarim, noticing where his gaze was directed, smiled apologetically.

“Oh dear, I’ve been caught. I thought it was more important to have an audience before getting treatment, so I came as I was, but it seems I’ve shown you all an unsightly sight.”

“Which bastard did this?”

The chilling voice belonged to Zak. He was cursing! Before Deron could even process his confused thoughts, he was shocked again.

Dezak Rune was known from his days as a hatchling for never losing his composure and only using elegant language. He believed that using vulgar language to belittle someone was something only the lower class would do. Although he might turn someone inside out with his sarcastic tone, he would never openly use crude words.

Unable to believe it, Deron thought he might have misheard. But Zak didn’t help him escape reality.

“The Water Spirit King? Did that bastard do this? What does his face look like? That damn bastard…!”

This time, there was no way he could ignore it. Every word he spat out was a curse. Unlike the shocked Deron, Lucarim took it in stride.

“Oh, it’s nothing. We just played around a bit.”

“What do you mean…”

“I was starting to miss the Demon World and had to return, but I couldn’t come empty-handed. I had to do something like this to excuse my failure.”

“…So, it’s because of the Demon King.”

The sound of teeth grinding echoed from Zak’s mouth. It was like a beast growling.

“There’s no need to be so angry. It’s a cheap price to pay for failing a mission. It doesn’t hurt much either.”

“But…”

“More importantly, I feel sorry for Deron.”

“Yes? Me?”

Deron couldn’t hide his bewilderment at being suddenly mentioned. A long scroll was suddenly unfurled before his eyes.

“His Majesty the Demon King has ordered this to be delivered.”

“What is this… It’s an order.”

Deron, who had been flustered, soon recognized the contents of the scroll and hardened his face. It contained an order, written in the Demon King’s handwriting, assigning Deron to monitor Elquines.

“Are you just monitoring him?”

“I couldn’t possibly issue a reckless order after I failed. He said it’s okay to go and carry out the order right away. That’s all I received.”

“Hmm, I understand. I will obey the Demon King’s order.”

At the same time as his words of acceptance, the scroll emitted light and disappeared on the spot. Deron stared at the slowly scattering light with a complicated expression.

“You don’t seem too keen on it.”

“…To be honest, I’m not. I can grant the contractor’s wish, but isn’t it just a game anyway? I don’t see the point in doing this while going against the Spirit King’s wishes.”

“I understand. His Majesty doesn’t explain anything. You must have a lot of thoughts when you’re just blindly following orders.”

“Luca…”

“But there’s nothing we can do. We’re like vassals of His Majesty the Demon King. We have to do what we’re told. It’s just a headache to worry about it. Just do it moderately, moderately.”

“…”

That’s right, this person was also such a demon. Deron’s heart became even more troubled by the response that lacked any sense of tension. Then Zak carefully opened his mouth.

“Um, Lucarim-nim. I have something to report. Actually, all the eggs from this breeding season have been destroyed.”

“Ah, I heard. It happened when I wasn’t there. Or rather, should I say it happened because I wasn’t there?”

“I’m sorry. There was even an egg that you were particularly interested in this breeding season…”

“Well, don’t worry about it. If they’re meant to be born, they’ll be born somehow.”

Did he mean to wait for the next breeding season? But strong eggs weren’t born every breeding season. Rather, once a strong egg was born, only significantly weaker eggs were born in the next breeding season. All the dukes, knowing that it was a nearly resigned statement, wore gloomy expressions. Zak’s face, in particular, was distorted with anger.

“I can never forgive this. I will definitely find out the truth about this…!”

“No. It’s good to be diligent, but there’s no need to do that. After all, the eggs have been destroyed, and the fact that they can’t be recovered doesn’t change.”

“But…”

“Spare your life, Zak. I don’t want to lose someone I cherish in vain.”

“Lu, Lucarim-nim.”

After smiling gently at Zak, who was teary-eyed with emotion (Deron was appalled by the incongruity), Lucarim looked at Deron. When their eyes met, Deron instinctively tensed up as always. But he couldn’t help but be stunned by the words that followed.

“Deron, I cherish you very much too.”

“Ye, y-yes? E-excuse me, but is this some kind of punishment?”

“That’s what’s so cute about you.”

Zak’s murderous gaze reached him as he fidgeted, unsure of how to react. Deron couldn’t help but make a face that was neither crying nor laughing at the face that seemed to be shouting, ‘How dare you…’. Lucarim, the culprit who had caused the commotion with a single word and the cause of all this, was just smiling peacefully.

“Well, I should be going now. I need to get treatment.”

“I, I’ll help with the treatment!”.

“Would you, Zak?”

“Leave it to me!”.

“Oh my, how kind.”

The two demons chatted amiably and turned around. They had completely forgotten about Deron, who was standing there blankly. It was when Deron, who had been dazedly watching the backs of the two demons walking away, let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, that’s right. Deron.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Please take care of the aftermath.”

Lucarim suddenly turned around and said from a considerable distance away. Deron couldn’t answer properly and barely nodded at his playful wink. When he came to his senses, he was left alone in the empty hallway. It was like being released after being swept up in a storm.

‘Anyway, I don’t need to worry.’

Deron chuckled and clenched his fist slightly. He didn’t feel comfortable, but his anxiety had disappeared. It was thanks to meeting Lucarim.

He was relieved that he was the same as usual. If Lucarim was okay, then the Demon World was okay too. It was like a belief that had been engraved in his heart since a long time ago. Even if he died, this world would continue safely. Deron moved his steps with a lighter heart. Now that he had relieved some of his worries, it was time to follow the given order.

“Please take care of the aftermath.”

“…”

The voice that suddenly came to mind made him stop in his tracks. Deron stared at the hallway where Lucarim had disappeared with a hardened expression. Since he had been appointed as his successor, it was a statement that could be made out of courtesy. But the fact that that ordinary statement came from Lucarim’s mouth bothered him.

‘He’s really an unknowable person.’

Deron muttered a fact that was no longer new and let out a long sigh. It seemed that this trip to the Interworld would be very troublesome.

* * *

As they entered the desert in earnest, the route became drastically rougher. The road itself was steep and dangerous, but since the route was set completely ignoring the habitats of monsters, they had no choice but to encounter monsters frequently. In particular, monster groups were stationed in any environment where trees were even slightly lush or where they could rest, almost without exception. Thanks to this, they had been fighting almost every other day recently. They were more often ambushed than facing monsters head-on.

Fortunately, the monsters in the vicinity were all low-level, so there was no major danger. In addition, Alisa’s foresight often detected attacks one step ahead, making it relatively easy to respond.

Once a battle broke out, Sibelius and Isana stepped forward to deal with the monsters. I helped from time to time, but it was literally just helping. Since I had introduced myself as a priest, I couldn’t show my true abilities in front of Alisa.

Swish!

“Kieeeek!”.

With a sharp tearing sound, the monster screamed and fell. The monster that had appeared this time was a strange form of plant with long tentacles. As the convulsing stem spat out yellow fluid and drooped, the seething air calmed down. It was a signal that the battle was over.

“Was that the last one? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Sibelius smiled gently and nodded as I approached to check on him. He didn’t even seem out of breath, unlike someone who had just finished a fierce battle.

“I’m sorry. I should be fighting with you, but I’m just leaving it all to you.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that hard.”

The light patting lingered on my head for a moment before disappearing. I watched his retreating figure and sighed softly.

Even after that day, Sibelius acted as usual. He talked to me normally as before, told me fun stories, and laughed with me. …But it wasn’t exactly the same as before either.

First of all, he no longer mentioned the past. Even when he was smiling, his expression wasn’t as bright as before, and the good atmosphere didn’t last as long as it used to.

Among other things, the most changed thing was the look in his eyes. It was less so when he was with us, but when he was alone, his eyes were always shadowed. At first, he tried not to show it, but recently he couldn’t hide it, and he would sometimes make a hollow face even when he was smiling casually. Like someone who had lost something precious.

Every time, I was overcome with unbearable guilt. I wish I could have a proper conversation and get everything off my chest, but it wasn’t easy to even arrange a meeting because Sibelius was reluctant to even mention that day. In the end, all I could do was wait for him to open his heart on his own.

“By the way, why is this road so rough? Are we going the right way?”

Alisa, who had been enduring well with a composure that didn’t seem like someone traveling for the first time, clearly showed signs of fatigue from the harsh journey that had been going on for several months. I was healing her every day, so she didn’t seem to feel much physical fatigue, but mental fatigue was unavoidable.

“I’m sorry, Alisa. I’m speeding up the schedule, so we’re taking a shortcut. Don’t worry, I’m checking the direction properly. Once we get past this part, towns will start to appear again.”

“Where’s the final destination?”

“Huh? Didn’t I tell you?”

“You didn’t. You just said you were traveling.”

I smiled sheepishly at her reproachful grumbling. Come to think of it, I had hardly explained anything properly to Alisa so far. If it were me, I would have said something suspicious, but she had been following me without saying a word until now.

“Our destination is the Baron Desert.”

“The Baron Desert?”

At the same time as my answer, Alisa’s eyes, which had been so calm until just now, widened.

“You don’t mean that infamous Baron Desert? The place where no one has ever entered and returned safely?”

“You know about it.”

“Of course! Everyone in this empire knows about it! Why are you going to such a dangerous place?”

“There’s something I need to find.”

“What could you possibly find in such a place… Don’t tell me you’re going to explore a dungeon?”

As if to prove that she had foresight, she was remarkably perceptive. When I smiled awkwardly, Alisa’s face immediately hardened.

“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not crazy, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“…Was the world you were going to take me to the afterlife?”

Now Alisa’s face was pale, even white. Even she, who had been as brave as a man, seemed to be afraid of the Baron Desert’s reputation. I shook my head with a smile before her imagination deepened further.

“Haha, don’t worry. I have no intention of taking you that far.”

“Oh, r-really?”

“As you said, it’s a very dangerous place. I’m going to look for a place where you can settle down before that.”