Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 200

Episode 200

“Ugh…”

The first one to open his eyes was Sibelius. I quickly approached and helped him up.

“Sibel! Are you okay? Are you back to normal?”

“Huh? El? Is that you?”

Just like when I woke up from my nightmare, Sibelius didn’t immediately regain his senses. He blinked a few times, and his blurry eyes gradually focused. Soon, his gaze wavered as he recognized me.

“…It was Jihun. Sorry.”

A faint, bitter smile appeared on my face at the clear line he drew. I should be used to it by now, but seeing him like this still made me feel a little sad. Still, perhaps because he had opened up a bit, his gaze towards me was softer than before. That alone was a significant improvement.

“Does anything hurt?”

“No, I’m fine except for a little dizziness. Oh? Come to think of it, everyone’s in one place? Weren’t we all scattered? What happened?”

Sibelius looked bewildered as he discovered the others lying nearby. As Ellyuen said, he didn’t seem to remember anything from when he was under the spell. Meanwhile, the others began to regain consciousness one by one. Deron, with a deeply furrowed face, followed by Isana looking bewildered, and then Alisa opening her eyes, made me breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, everyone seemed to be fine, except for being a bit dazed.

“Is everyone okay?”

The group nodded with stiff faces. They were conscious but didn’t seem able to move their bodies yet. Deron, who had regained some strength, asked in a hoarse voice.

“What… what happened?”

“We were under a spell. It’s okay now.”

“Did the Water King lift the spell?”

“Not exactly, but we received help.”

“Help?”

Deron’s face showed a questioning expression. Sibelius and he didn’t seem to realize the presence of anyone other than us yet.

“But where’s El?”

Then, Sibelius’s face hardened as he looked around at the group. He realized that El was not among them. I hesitated about what to say, but then something unexpected happened. Someone suddenly rushed over and threw Sibelius against the wall!

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Wh-what!”

The earth-shaking noise startled the still-dazed group, and they jumped to their feet. I, too, was taken aback and couldn’t help but stiffen. The sudden situation was bewildering, but more than anything, the identity of the person who had committed this outrageous act was most surprising. A handsome man with radiant golden hair. It was Ellyuen.

“Ellyuen?!”

“Cough, cough! Wh-what!”

Sibelius, who had been thrown almost as if he were buried, didn’t lose consciousness but coughed up a mouthful of blood. I had seen a similar scene once before. Lapis had experienced something like this in the past. Sibelius, like Lapis back then, was confused and unable to understand the situation. In contrast, Ellyuen’s face remained as calm as ever.

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. You’ve been playing with my son quite well.”

“What are you talking about…”

Sibelius, seemingly angered by the sudden attack, raised his head with a distorted face. But his face froze as soon as he met Ellyuen’s gaze.

“……!”

Quite a long silence followed. A gasp of astonishment escaped from his lips, which were opened in a daze. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. I understood the shock he must be feeling. To him, Ellyuen was the spirit king of the past who he thought had already disappeared. It was shocking enough to see a dead person appear before his eyes.

“Wh-what. You… Could it be… Elquines?”

His widened gaze remained fixed on Ellyuen. After a long while, he finally asked, and Ellyuen narrowed his eyes. Sibelius gasped as if he had already heard the answer.

“N-no way. You’re Elquines, right? Right! It’s unmistakable! That face is definitely…!”

“Have you ever seen me before?”

“Have I seen you? You’re Elquines, aren’t you?”

“I am Ellyuen.”

“…Wh-what?”

“I said I am Ellyuen.”

The reaction to those words came from elsewhere. Deron exclaimed in surprise.

“Ellyuen? C-could it be the God of Punishment, Ellyuen?”

Perhaps unaware of what he was doing, Deron immediately covered his mouth with his hand after shouting. Of course, it was already after the resounding shout had echoed. When Ellyuen glanced at him, Deron trembled as if paralyzed. Ah, come to think of it, the demons were said to fear Ellyuen. In any case, the impact of his words was immense. It was literally a situation where a god had descended before their eyes. Isana and Alisa, as well as Sibelius, were staring at Ellyuen with blank faces.

“A g-god? The God of Punishment, Ellyuen? But that face is…”

“I was once Elquines.”

“…Y-yes, indeed! Then!”

“But what does that have to do with you?”

“What?”

Seeing Sibelius falter, Ellyuen smirked.

“Anyway, this one and that one. You all have so much attachment to the predecessors who have already disappeared. It’s not easy to meet such fools one after another.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! Who do you think is happy to see you? I just… El…”

“El what?”

“Ugh! There’s a limit to how shameless you can be! You didn’t just disappear after vanishing, but you became a god? You were alive and well all this time, so what have you been doing! You didn’t even think about finding El while he was trapped for 4,000 years! That’s too much!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. When was my son ever trapped?”

“What? Ah, son?”

“Yes, my son. Who else is El here besides my son?”

With a face full of sarcasm, he pointed at me. Why is Ellyuen doing this? There’s no way he doesn’t know what Sibelius is talking about. I was a little flustered and looked back and forth between him and Sibelius. I was already watching with a nervous feeling, and Ellyuen’s unexpected behavior made my mouth feel even drier. Sibelius also couldn’t react and had a blank expression on his face. Then, as if he soon understood the situation, his face contorted.

“Ha, what. I see now. So… you’ve adopted the current Elquines as your son? So now you don’t care about the real El anymore?”

“The real El…”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! You created a fake that looks like El! In the end, that’s what you were planning from the beginning, right? To adopt him as your son instead of El! Do you know how many people have been hurt because of your selfish thoughts…!”

“…Yes, I heard that you foolishly fell for that and tormented my son.”

“What?”

At that moment, Sibelius gasped, clutching his neck. Startled, I watched as his body slowly floated into the air. It was as if someone was grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up.

“Who’s the fake? Who’s replacing whom? Say it one more time in front of me.”

“Ugh! Cough! You…! You!”

His bulging eyes were filled with blood vessels. His feet, not touching the ground, struggled desperately, but his breath only became weaker. It seemed that the more he resisted, the stronger the pressure he felt. Afraid that he might kill him, I quickly stopped Ellyuen.

“Ellyuen! What are you doing! Stop it!”

“Don’t interfere, El. I’m already being lenient enough.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Sibelius’s body fell to the ground. It seemed he didn’t really intend to kill him. Of course, the person being attacked wouldn’t feel grateful for such consideration. Sibelius, who had collapsed and was catching his breath for a while, glared at Ellyuen with fierce eyes. Ellyuen, completely unfazed, indifferently looked down at him. His gaze, devoid of any emotion as if staring at an inanimate object, felt even more frightening. But all of that was nothing compared to the question that followed.

“First, I’ll ask, who the hell are you?”

“…What?”

I was taken aback and swallowed my breath at Ellyuen’s question, which was thrown out as if spitting. I had anticipated many developments, but this was something I had never expected. Sibelius also had a face as if he had been hit.

“You don’t know me?”

“I don’t usually keep those I’m not interested in in my memory. But I really don’t know you. Neither you nor that human you’re talking about, El.”

The added words were even more perplexing. He doesn’t know who El is? Is that what he just said? As much as I was stunned, Sibelius was in a state of confusion. He shouted with a tearful face.

“Wh-what are you talking about! I’m one thing, but El was your contractor, wasn’t he? How can you forget your contractor?”

“Forget? I think you’re mistaken. My past memories are only buried, not forgotten. Moreover, if it’s a human contractor, it’s an unforgettable memory even if I wanted to forget it.”

“But you said you don’t know!”

“Yes, I don’t know. Because there was no such contractor.”

“……!”

A short breath escaped. Ellyuen smiled coldly as he looked at Sibelius, who had widened his eyes.

“Why are you surprised? Didn’t my son tell you? The human who summoned Elquines was the first little boy he contracted with. Surely you haven’t heard that.”

“Th-that… He certainly said that… But that’s not true, is it? In my memory, clearly…!”

“I’m not very interested in your memories. But I’ll make it clear that everyone except you knows the truth. I have never been summoned by a human, nor have I made a contract.”

A resolute voice rang out like a judge delivering a verdict. In an instant, all the surrounding noise disappeared and a heavy silence settled. Sibelius and I couldn’t say anything for a long time.

He was never summoned by El, nor did he make a contract… Then what is El? What about the words he has said to me so far?

I slowly exhaled for a long time. Ellyuen, seeing my blank expression, sighed deeply. He looked at me with a reproachful gaze.

“If something like this happened, you should have checked with me first. Why were you being swayed like a fool?”

“B-but… I was afraid it might be true…”

“You were afraid of that, so you didn’t ask from the beginning? It seems I’m not a very trustworthy father to you.”

“It’s not that… No, but it was strange, wasn’t it? Suddenly saying he would adopt me, whom he had only met for the first time that day. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like there was another reason…”

“I said I liked you. Wasn’t that a reason?”

“M-maybe he liked me because I looked like El.”

“Ha?”

“My appearance, my personality… were formed by the wishes of the predecessor…”

“Are you believing that too? So I made you look like him?”

When I mumbled and nodded, Ellyuen covered his head with his hand, his eyes closed. I thought he was going to get angry any minute, but the answer that followed was surprisingly calm.

“…It’s not wrong to say that the nature of the successor is influenced by the predecessor. But it’s just a matter of being influenced.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“It doesn’t mean that everything you wish for will come true exactly the same. It’s reflected, but it’s not enough to change your innate nature. Especially when it comes to appearance, there’s no authority to decide. Your appearance is unique to you. It’s impossible to resemble someone else.”

“S-so you’re saying you didn’t deliberately make me look like this?”

“You’re stating the obvious. Spirit kings have an appearance that is closest to their innate form. It’s an appearance that must be maintained forever unless the soul is completely extinguished. To think that such a thing is decided by someone else’s will, aren’t you overestimating the authority of the predecessor? Besides, what I wanted from the successor wasn’t that grand.”

“What was it?”

At the question I asked reflexively, Ellyuen frowned slightly. He seemed reluctant to answer. Still, when I didn’t take my eyes off him, he soon opened his mouth as if he couldn’t help it.

“It’s really nothing much. I just wanted my next generation to be someone who could get along with those around him a little better. That’s all.”

“Huh? Get along with those around him?”

“Because I couldn’t.”

I quietly swallowed my breath at the words he answered like a sigh. I was relieved because it was different from what I knew, but I was also embarrassed because Ellyuen’s wish was unexpected. He wanted me to be able to get along with those around me. I never knew that he had such a kind wish with that indifferent expression.

But when I think about it, Ellyuen has never been unkind to me from the moment we first met. He recognized the loneliness I had at a glance, and instead of laughing at it, he embraced me. Becoming a father was also a gift for me. He said it was because I needed it.

Unexplainable, indescribable emotions surged up. It felt like relief and shame, joy and guilt were taking turns changing places. To hide the expression that was sure to be ridiculous, I lowered my head deeply, and Ellyuen, who sighed lightly, covered my head with one hand.

“Is the misunderstanding resolved now?”

“S-sorry. I didn’t even look into it properly…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. But from now on, always keep one thing in mind. My only son is you.”

“……!”

“Someday, you’ll grow up and no longer need a parent’s place. But I’ll still be your father.”

I raised my eyes without realizing it. Perhaps it was to grasp his truth. Anyway, it felt like I had to at that moment. I had to lift my head straight and confirm the face that was delivering dreamlike words. I wanted to leave the memory of this moment as clear evidence. It seemed that Ellyuen had read my thoughts. He didn’t avoid it but rather met my gaze as if to show me properly.

“You know best that I’m not a god who’s idle enough to talk nonsense.”

“……Yeah.”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

A smile slowly spread across his expressionless face. What emerged in the softly curved water-colored eyes was clear relief. Seeing that, I realized that he had been watching my reaction. The cruel God of Punishment, who had nothing to fear in the world, was elated and disheartened by my small reaction. I couldn’t believe that fact, so I closed and opened my eyes several times. I wondered if I was still in a fantasy, but Ellyuen didn’t disappear and was still there.

“Don’t listen to other people’s stories. Believe my words. Claim and take your rights as much as you want. You can do that. I, your father, allow it.”

Words like spells poured into my ears. The hand stroking my head was so warm that I felt like crying.

I quickly nodded. I never knew I could feel so saved by someone’s words. It was a feeling that I had been holding on to and struggling to protect until now, but suddenly everything felt lighter.