Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 186

186

“……Father?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I meant the former Elquines. I didn’t realize I was using the nickname I always used.”

“…….”

Ah, right. Come to think of it, he did call him that.

A forgotten reality resurfaced. It felt like scattered pieces were finding their place one by one, drawn to his existence.

“El, you called the Spirit King ‘Father’?”

“It’s just a nickname. I’m actually an orphan and didn’t have any friends. So I thought of Elquines as a father figure.”

“Wow, that’s just like something from a fairy tale! Are you saying that was your story, El?”

“Haha, there was a book like that?”

Alisa’s excited chatter and El’s responses felt distant, like sounds in a dream. I stared at El’s embarrassed face. Sensing my gaze, El looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“……Jihoon?”

I could feel the others starting to pay attention to me. I didn’t take my eyes off El for a long time. He waited patiently for me to speak. His tilted head made him look innocent. It was probably just something he had to go through because of my situation. But after ‘name,’ now ‘father’…….

“I’m probably being too sensitive, but am I wrong to feel like you’re deliberately provoking me?”

“Huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

As confusion clouded El’s eyes, Sibelius snapped with a stiff expression. “Sibyl!” El stopped him with a light call and looked at me apologetically.

“Um, sorry. Did I upset you by thinking of the Spirit King as a father figure? I just meant it in a friendly way…….”

“……No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it, I was just saying whatever.”

Continuing the conversation would only complicate things, so I turned around and left. My stuffy chest finally cleared after being hit with the cold night air.

I was aware that I was taking out my anger on someone who knew nothing. No matter how many times I replayed the situation, it wasn’t his fault. Objectively speaking, El was actually a pretty good person. But I didn’t regret bringing it up.

Even though others were the ones who created the situation, I felt the most animosity toward El. I didn’t even understand why I felt this way. Did I think everything would be okay if he was gone? I was angry at how pathetic and petty I was being.

Maybe this was also a form of escapism. I let out a long sigh. There were so many things I needed to do, but my head kept filling with useless thoughts.

* * *

About a week later, the scenery that seemed like it would stay the same forever began to change. The barren land gradually absorbed moisture, becoming darker and glossier. Patches of thick bushes appeared here and there.

The bushes gradually grew from small flowering trees to garden trees, and then, at some point, they towered over us. The trees, which had been increasing by one each day, eventually formed a complete forest, and the surroundings were no longer a desert.

The grass-covered ground was soft, and the trees, laden with high-quality fruit, emitted a pleasant fragrance. Unknown insects and small animals roamed through the bushes, and flocks of birds flew vigorously in the sky. Except for the slightly higher temperature, it was comparable to the comfortable climate of the Swart Empire. It was a more livable environment than the jungle near the border.

“I can’t believe there was a place like this in our empire…….”

Alisa was the most surprised by the greenhouse-like scenery. Her hometown was also a very fertile environment for a desert, but it was nothing compared to this place. It was as if this place had been cut off from the Alponf Empire.

“The people who live here must be happy. But why can’t I see any villages?”

“Maybe it’s a place where people don’t live?”

“That’s impossible. How can there be such a big forest?”

“It’s possible if no one knows about it.”

“What do you mean, Sibelius?”

When Alisa asked back, Sibelius tapped the map he was looking at with one hand and said,

“According to the map, this is already inside the Barren Desert boundary.”

“What?”

“We’re about to reach our destination soon. We’ve been taking shortcuts that aren’t on the route, so the sense of distance is ambiguous, but I think that’s right. There’s no indication that there’s a forest like this anywhere in the area. The only area not marked on this map is the Barren Desert.”

Alisa, who had been puzzled, widened her eyes as if she realized the meaning after a while.

“……Are you saying the Barren Desert was a paradise like this?”

“Well, we’ll have to see if it’s a paradise or not.”

Sibelius chuckled and put the map in his arms. Alisa made another incomprehensible expression at his answer, but I felt like I knew what he meant. It was definitely a beautiful sight to see, but my heart was strangely restless. It was like walking on the edge of a cliff. Isana was also clenching his sword with a stiff face.

“It’s an amazing bloodlust. It’s like the forest itself is alive. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been eaten as soon as they entered.”

El looked around with a purely admiring face and muttered. Unlike his words, he didn’t seem tense at all. Only after hearing his words did I realize the identity of this strange energy that was pervading the area. It was murderous intent sent to us by someone. To be exact, it wasn’t just one, but quite a few. Even if you add up all the monsters we’ve passed so far, it wouldn’t compare.

Come to think of it, I heard that this is the habitat of the Hell Ground Spider. I think it was the most notorious monster in the Alponf Empire. I was reminded of the fact that no one who entered this place had ever survived. With this much bloodlust, even an army would be helpless.

“Are we going to get eaten?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. They seem pretty smart. They won’t attack recklessly.”

El smiled and reassured Alisa, who was terrified.

“And even if they do attack, we’ll be fine with the people here.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Above all, there’s the Spirit King here, right?”

He turned to me and winked. I didn’t like being highlighted like this. But I couldn’t show that I didn’t like it because Alisa was openly relieved, so I had no choice but to smile awkwardly.

“Well, should I give them a little warning?”

El stretched to his full height and then separated the scabbard from his belt. There hadn’t been any notable battles lately, so this was the first time he was showing something. Isana’s eyes flashed when he saw El drawing his sword. True to his nature, he couldn’t stand being curious about another swordsman’s skills, and his expression showed it.

El took a step forward and lightly grabbed the sword handle with both hands. Then, he closed his eyes slowly, taking a stance as if he were about to strike forward. That was all, but suddenly the surrounding air began to stir. It couldn’t be dismissed as a simple illusion because El’s hair actually began to flutter. It was as if all the air around him was being sucked into his sword. Or, conversely, it felt like the sword itself was emitting wind.

“Sword Wind…….”

I heard Isana mutter as if groaning. His face was shocked and dazed.

“Hap!”

El shouted vigorously, and the aura that had been swirling around him exploded outward. Kuuuk, swaaa! I could feel the fiercely spreading wind shaking all the branches of the trees in the area. Then, the murderous intent that had been suffocating us disappeared without a trace. It must have been frightened by the energy he released and hid itself.

“Yeah, that’s it. Now they really won’t even think about attacking for a while.”

El patted his shoulder with the back of his sword and turned to us with a bright smile. Nowhere in that figure could I find the warrior who had just displayed such tremendous power. But Alisa and Isana were already completely stunned.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you use a sword.”

Sibelius said with a nostalgic expression. El responded with a smile and put the sword back in its sheath. Even that simple movement was so graceful that it was hard to take my eyes off him. Only then did Alisa come to her senses and run to El.

“W-What did you just do, El? Magic?”

“No, I just gave them a little scare.”

“What do you have to do to make wind come out of a sword without summoning spirits?”

“El, you were a Sword Master [a master swordsman].”

The answer to the question came from Isana. It was a calm tone, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he was just as shaken as Alisa. Come to think of it, Isana only knew El as the contractor of the former Spirit King and didn’t know about his other abilities. He wasn’t there when I told them about him because he was training. “Sword Master?” Alisa exclaimed in shock, and El tilted his head at the same time.

“What’s that?”

“It means Sword Saint, El.”

“Ah, I see. Yeah, then I’m a Sword Master.”

Isana swallowed again at the light affirmation. Even I, who was still unfamiliar with the standards of this world, knew that it was quite an amazing thing. It was an achievement that was difficult to achieve at El’s age.

“W-Would you teach me swordsmanship?”

“Hmm, I don’t think I can.”

“…I see. I’m sorry for asking such a rude request.”

“No, it’s not that……I want to teach you, but it’s impossible.”

“Yes?”

Isana, whose face had clouded over at the immediate refusal, raised his head at the following words. El scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

“I’ve been watching you train, and you already have a swordsmanship that you’re familiar with, right? The swordsmanship I use is honestly something I just learned roughly, and it’s not orthodox, so it won’t suit you. You might even go down the wrong path and ruin your body even more.”

“I-Is that so.”

“Well, I can show you something simple. If that’s okay with you.”

“……! I’d be grateful!”

Isana shouted with a face that brightened up in an instant. It was the first time I had seen him smile so brightly. He always wanted to improve his swordsmanship, so he must be really happy about the opportunity he had now. It made me feel happy and bitter at the same time.

El’s existence, the abilities he possesses, are a great help to everyone. He was like a gift that suddenly appeared. It seemed like I was the only one in this group who was negatively affected by El. The stronger his presence became, the more I felt like my place was disappearing.

……In other words, doesn’t that mean that my existence is only worth that much? That I’m just one of those people who can be replaced by someone else at any time?

‘Ah, more negative thoughts.’

I quickly shook my head. Recently, I’ve been having more bad thoughts than usual. I don’t think I’ve ever been this depressed even in my previous life. It seems like I’m just tired from the relentless journey.

“But you said there’s no indication on the map, right? Will you be able to find the location of the destination?”

Just in time, the topic changed naturally, and I was able to escape from my complicated thoughts. At El’s question, Sibelius unfolded the map again and frowned.

“Hmm, that’s the problem. The dungeon itself is marked, but I can’t tell where this is, so I have no sense of distance at all.”

“Hmm, that’s troublesome. It would take too long to search everything one by one with the Spirit King’s ‘eyes’.”

I flinched inwardly because that was what I was planning to do. Sibelius also had the same thought, and he looked a little embarrassed.

“But isn’t that the only way right now?”

“No, I feel like there’s another solution.”

“Another solution?”

“The reason we’re going to the dungeon is to find the Demon Sword, right?”

El suddenly looked at me and asked. When I nodded, he made a meaningful face and drew his sword. His eyes curved playfully.

“Actually, I just came up with a good idea.”

At the same time as he spoke, he swung his sword greatly somewhere. Swaeeeek! I could see a wind that was fiercer and stronger than the sword wind from before shooting out in the direction he swung. The trees in the distance were hit by the blow and collapsed with a crash. The amazing thing happened at that moment. Just before the attack reached, someone jumped into the air from among the branches. It was a tall man wrapped in a black cloak.

‘Ambush?’

While I was staring in confusion, El swung his sword again. It was a follow-up attack before he could even get into position, but the opponent quickly turned his body to avoid it. It was a calm reaction, unlike someone who had been suddenly attacked. He must have been watching us all along.

“That’s good. I was wondering how to deal with him.”

El muttered leisurely while facing each other. How long has he known? I always had the feeling that he was someone whose thoughts were hard to know, but it was the hardest to read his intentions now. Besides, the man’s energy felt somehow familiar. It was mixed with various other things and was quite blurred, but the essence was not completely hidden. Just as I felt that, the man quickly moved away without looking back. He was trying to escape.

“Haha, he’s got some guts, doesn’t he?”

El laughed as if he was amused and put strength into the hand holding the sword. He looked like a cat chasing its prey.

“Okay, so that’s how you’re going to play it.”

The energy that spread through his hand began to form a blue light on the sword. It was Sword Energy [a technique to enhance a sword’s power]. The Champagne Mercenaries also used Sword Energy, but what he possessed was far superior.

“Jihoon, can I ask you to clean up?”

“Huh?”

“He can’t die, okay?”

“What does that…….”

It didn’t take long for me to realize the meaning of what he said. At that moment, El, who had quickly jumped out, immediately followed the fleeing man. Even with my eyesight as the Spirit King, I couldn’t follow his movements, where he stepped and how he leaped.