Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Unbeknownst to the Emperor’s knights, these events were unfolding as they confronted the checkpoint at the gate. Their journey, which began with a simple letter from April, was nearing its end. They had successfully disguised themselves as mercenaries with the aid of the Cliff Merchant Guild, but being stalled just before reaching their destination made them more anxious than ever.

“It seems the Merchant Guild can’t help us any further. At this rate, we’ll be handed over to the guards soon.”

While the Merchant Guild representatives argued with the soldiers, Ferris eavesdropped on the situation using the wind spirit, Sylph. The grim news he delivered cast a shadow over Kay’s face, the Emperor’s chief bodyguard.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy from the start, but…”

“What should we do, Captain? We can’t let them drag us away like this, can we?”

Hearing the anxious voice, Kay clenched his fist. If they were handed over to the guards, a full-scale identity verification process would commence. Clamore was a strategically important location in the Empire, and many officials there had been dispatched from the central government or had prior experience working there. If they were unlucky, someone might recognize the Imperial Knights.

With Duke Cwell, the lord of the Duchy, incapacitated, Clamore was practically under the Grand Duke’s surveillance, evidenced by the soldiers stationed at the gate. Even though the search had been officially suspended, it didn’t mean they had completely abandoned the pursuit. They had to avoid capture at all costs, no matter how dire the situation became.

“Everyone, prepare yourselves. If necessary, we’ll break through.”

At the quiet order, the knights’ eyes hardened. They were ready to fight if necessary. Ferris, knowing their capabilities better than anyone, voiced his concerns.

“Are you sure that’s okay? It’ll cause a major commotion.”

“It’s better than being caught. Ferris, I’m counting on your support.”

“Ugh, understood.”

The soldiers at the gate seemed determined to arrest them. They approached with weapons in hand, carrying ropes to bind them. Ferris, lacking a better solution, prepared to summon a spirit. If he had to do it anyway, he intended to make a grand spectacle.

“Rhys, what are you doing here?”

“……!”

That plan was interrupted by an unexpected arrival. Ferris, startled by the hand that suddenly grabbed his arm, ceased manipulating his energy. He stared, wide-eyed, at the boy before him, whose appearance was strikingly beautiful. Beneath hair as black as the night sky were eyes of vivid gold, like the sun. His attractively tanned brown skin was reminiscent of the lush greenery of midsummer.

Lost in admiration of the boy’s beauty, it took Ferris a moment to realize he had been addressed. He also realized the boy had used a nickname only used among close acquaintances.

He instinctively tried to recall if he knew him, but immediately shook his head. While some relationships faded with time, this was different. He would never forget someone with such a striking appearance. He was certain he had never seen the boy before.

“Everyone’s here. I was worried because you were so late.”

The boy’s gaze shifted past Ferris to the knights behind him. He spoke as if they were old friends. The knights were equally clueless, ceasing their preparations to charge and exchanging bewildered glances. No one had an explanation.

“Hey, who are you? Are you with these guys?”

The soldiers at the gate were also clearly flustered by the unexpected intervention. The boy nodded nonchalantly.

“They’re with me. Is there a problem with that?”

At this response, the knights were even more bewildered. They had never seen the boy before. They wondered if he was someone the Merchant Guild had arranged, but the merchants looked just as confused. Nevertheless, they held back, sensing a strange power emanating from the boy. As a result, the soldiers began to regard the boy with suspicion, as if he were an accomplice.

“We’re investigating these individuals because their identities are unclear. If you’re with them, you’ll have to be investigated as well.”

“Is it the wooden tags that are the problem? If it’s the mercenary group’s identity, the employment contract with the Merchant Guild should be sufficient proof.”

“The policy has changed. The order is to process everything according to the rules.”

So, that wouldn’t work. The knights tensed again at the soldiers’ hostile attitude. They doubted the frail-looking boy could resolve the situation. It would be better to seize the opportunity and escape while everyone was distracted.

At that moment, as if reading their minds, the boy’s gaze fell upon them. The knights, startled and stiffened, were slowly scanned by the boy’s golden eyes. It was a silent warning not to do anything rash.

‘What kind of eyes does a kid have…’

The knights, who had unknowingly held their breath, soon hardened their faces in shock. They couldn’t believe they had been intimidated by a boy a head shorter than them with just a look. The boy ignored their agitation and smiled brightly.

“I see. You should have contacted me right away if something like this happened, Rhys. What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”

“Yes? Ah, um, well, um…”

Ferris, addressed by his nickname again, was sweating profusely. He couldn’t even answer properly due to the unfamiliar and embarrassing situation, but to others, it looked like he was apologizing for being late in reporting.

“I’ll vouch for their identities.”

“You’ll vouch?”

The soldiers’ suspicious gazes blatantly scanned the boy, their faces full of bewilderment. To them, the boy didn’t look like a proper mercenary, but judging from his striking beauty, they wondered if he was the son of some noble family. The way he spoke respectfully but naturally treated them like subordinates suggested as much.

However, the boy’s identity far exceeded their expectations. The moment they saw the round medal fall in front of them with a light metallic sound, the soldiers’ eyes widened. The sword and axe crossed on the surface of the medal were the symbol of the Mercenary Guild, so it was nothing new. But its color shone with an unusually clear silver light.

“Ugh… a silver badge?”

The soldiers, belatedly realizing the meaning, gasped. Ferris and the Emperor’s knights were equally shocked. In the Mercenary Guild, a silver badge was a rank only given to warriors who could wield sword energy [a technique to imbue swords with magical energy]. They couldn’t believe this small boy was as skilled as an Imperial Knight. The boy, who had plunged everyone into shock in an instant, was just smiling brightly.

“According to the rules, a formal mercenary belonging to the guild has verified their identity. Is that enough now?”

“Th, that… how could a kid like you…”

“If you want to question my identity, please formally inquire with the Mercenary Guild. If you mention Matthew of the Champagne Mercenary Group, they’ll kindly guide you through the process.”

“Ch, Champagne Mercenary Group?”

The composure the soldiers had been trying to maintain completely disappeared from their faces. The Champagne Mercenary Group, led by the gold-badged mercenary Hussen, was a famous name known to anyone who walked the path of a warrior. It was a particularly familiar name at the gate, where they had no choice but to hear a lot of news.

‘Come to think of it, I heard there was a teenager in the Champagne Mercenary Group. I thought it was an exaggerated rumor, but it was true…’

As soon as they finished assessing the situation, the soldiers swallowed regretful sighs. If it was a silver-badged mercenary, especially one belonging to a famous group like the Champagne Mercenary Group, they had no choice but to create credibility even if it didn’t exist. They had planned to make things difficult for the Cliff Merchant Guild by finding fault with them, but that plan had been thwarted.

“Get out of here.”

After snapping at them in a blunt tone, the soldiers turned away with reluctant faces. The Emperor’s knights stared at each other in a daze. They couldn’t believe the soldiers were really leaving. It felt unreal that the moment of dire crisis had ended so anticlimactically.

“Follow me.”

The boy, who had resolved the incident like a hero, spoke to them as they stood there blankly, unsure of what to do. The knights and the Merchant Guild people hesitated and followed the boy. Until they were out of the gate, the boy walked ahead without saying a word.

“Th, that…”

When they were some distance away from the gate, Ferris plucked up the courage to speak to the boy. He knew he should thank him for his help first, but the questions he wanted to ask filled his head. But the boy didn’t even turn around as he replied.

“Wait. Someone will be here soon.”

“Yes?”

There was no time to understand the incomprehensible words. At that moment, someone’s voice burst out from the other side.

“Ah, damn it! What is it!”

The voice sounded quite angry and resentful. Ferris and the knights turned their heads toward the shout and widened their eyes again. There stood a man with hair as red as blood. More flamboyant than the boy in front of him—so flamboyant, in fact, that it was hard to believe he was human.

“Ah, that person is…”

Someone seemed to recognize him, and a murmur rippled through the Merchant Guild people. The boy smiled lightly at the man.

“You’re late, Lapis.”

Just as they were wondering if they knew each other, the red-haired man stomped over. His face, seen up close, was so threateningly flamboyant that the knights kept swallowing hard.

Of course, the man, on the verge of exploding with anger, didn’t notice their condition at all. He had braced himself and come all the way here, only to have someone steal his thunder and then be teased about it. Moreover, the other party was one of the few beings he couldn’t treat as he pleased. The red-haired man, Lapis, glared at the boy, bringing his face close to his.

“Why are you still loitering around here? Didn’t you collect all the security fees to leave?”

“I got a request to escort the Merchant Guild, and I accepted it because it was on the way. I was waiting because the departure schedule was awkwardly left.”

“Then why don’t you just sleep at the inn? Why are you interfering with other people’s business?”

“You should say it right. I didn’t interfere; I helped.”

The boy, Trowel, replied with a grin. Lapis barely managed to hold back from cursing at his brazen attitude. He had planned to vent his anger to his heart’s content under the pretext of saving them, but it seemed that was all ruined because of that annoying godfather.

“What are you thinking?”

“I just thought they looked like they were in trouble.”

“Are you kidding me? Since when have you been so interested in other people’s troubles?”

“They’re people related to El.”

Lapis rubbed his head again at the face that seemed to ask what the problem was. He helped because they were related to El? At this point, it wasn’t just a change in personality; it was a change in the person himself. Can a new Spirit King be born and change this much? Maybe this godfather ate something strange. Or maybe El fed him something strange.

“E, El? Are you perhaps acquainted with El…?”

Ferris, who had managed to recognize the familiar name in the conversation, asked in horror. Trowel turned around, and Ferris gasped.

The moment he met the indifferent, still golden eyes, an illusion as if a vast land was unfolding before him washed over him. A clear sky and the movement of a huge land that continued endlessly beneath it. The ceaseless cycle of the great laws of nature! In that place, Ferris was just one insignificant little creature.

“Heok!”

“Hey, Ferris? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Hey!”

When he came to his senses, he was already feeling so much pressure that it was hard to breathe. The knights were flustered and supported him as he suddenly grabbed his chest and staggered.

Ferris couldn’t regain his composure due to the energy that pressed down on him more severely the more he tried to endure it. Even just standing still, cold sweat poured out of his body like rain. Even in that urgent situation, Ferris clearly saw the boy’s expression as he sighed as if he couldn’t help it, along with a chillingly low voice.

-You’re too sensitive. Is it a side effect of El’s help? Your affinity has increased to an excessive degree. I didn’t intend to get caught.

“……!”

At that moment, the unknown, intangible energy that had been suppressing his whole body disappeared as if washed away. As the suppressed breath burst out in an instant, he began to cough urgently.

“Heeup! Cough, cough!”

“Hey, Ferris! Are you okay? Are you sick or something?”

“Cough! Haa, I’m, I’m okay. I think I just hyperventilated because I was too nervous.”

Ferris, who calmly replied to the worried words, looked back at Trowel. The endless, distant feeling that had been conveyed to him a moment ago was no longer there, but he still couldn’t look at him comfortably. The illusion of deep blue greenery unfolding. A suffocatingly strong presence continued to pound his heart as if warning him. He clearly remembered the voice that seemed to be digging directly into his head. The voice that mumbled as if he was in trouble clearly said that he didn’t intend to get caught. What on earth?

Come to think of it, how did he know my name?

The question he had forgotten for a moment resurfaced. Judging from the situation, it didn’t seem like helping them was planned. Yet, he seemed to know everything from the beginning.

‘Yes, as if he was reading my mind…’

At that moment, a passage from a book he had read long ago while studying spiritism began to come to his mind.

When you meet the King of Earth, be careful of your thoughts. From the moment you face him, your mind is already under his control. Those who hide the truth will suffer.

That was the part that mentioned Trowel, the Earth Spirit King. The King of the Earth who reads the future and sees through the emotions and thoughts of others. The symbol of abundance and intelligence among the four Spirit Kings, and the parent of countless prophets and sages.

‘Could it be…’

An overwhelming shock swept through his body again. Ferris quickly held his breath and widened his eyes. Trowel, who was quietly watching his twitching eyes, smiled.

That was enough of an answer. Leaving Ferris, who had started hiccuping, behind, Trowel turned back to Lapis.

“Now that I’ve come out, don’t do anything stupid and guide them quietly. That’s your role.”

“…I have a lot to say, but I’ll just let it go for now. I’ll talk to you again later.”

Lapis didn’t bother to hide his annoyed expression. The wink he sent lightly before turning around contained the meaning of don’t go and wait. Trowel chuckled and nodded.