Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 214

214

“Pardon? Ah, right. I need to go see Kaitain and Endil. You even remember things like that.”

“That elf was memorable to me too, you know.”

Come to think of it, I first met Kanos where I met Endil. Well, technically it was Lucarim. I remember it being quite an impressive encounter. Kanos seemed to be reminiscing about that time as well, wearing a pleasant expression.

“Nyahaha, great. I’m feeling generous. I’ll make up for a month’s worth before we go.”

“Excuse me? What does that mean…”

It wasn’t hard to understand the meaning of those words. The moment he said that, my vision turned white, and in an instant, the surrounding scenery changed.

“……Huh?”

When I came to my senses, I was standing in a clearing inside a forest.

The piercingly high cliffs, the entrance to the cave gaping from within the bushes, and the gradually ominous aura had all disappeared. Instead, I saw a fenced garden and well-tended vegetable patches. Beyond the flower-filled yard, a small house with an old roof stood. The scenery, clearly marked by human presence, was far from a monster-infested forest. All this happened in the blink of an eye.

I wasn’t the only one in a daze. The other members of the party were also looking around with blank expressions.

The sky, which had been clear just a moment ago, was now filled with dark clouds. It looked like it was about to rain any minute. The distribution of spirits around us and even the smell of the air were different. I soon grasped the situation. In fact, at this point, it was impossible not to know. We had all been moved to a different location at once.

“What on earth……”

“Thank you for using the Kanos Express Rapid Train, promising fast service. The arrival location is Endil’s house, right in front of Endil’s house.”

“……!”

An announcement, as if echoing from a train station, was made towards us, who were in a state of bewilderment. Perhaps I was the only one who understood the meaning. As expected, the others were just confused by the unfamiliar terms.

I took a deep breath and looked up at Kanos. In front of Endil’s house, you say. If I remember correctly, his house was located on the border of the Swalt Empire. In that instant, we had leaped across the continent. I think I now know why he bothered to reconfirm the place he had to stop by.

“……This isn’t just about shortening it by a month, is it?”

“Wasn’t it better to shorten the period as much as possible?”

“W, well, yes, but still.”

“I thought I’d be a little generous since I was doing it anyway. I told you, I’m kind.”

Even his smug face didn’t seem annoying this time. Anyway, he was someone who was skilled at surprising others. I chuckled in vain and nodded, and his hand lightly stroked my head (at this moment, Deron wore an envious expression).

“I should get going now. I sneaked out, so if I waste any more time, they’ll find out I’m gone.”

“Yes, thank you for your consideration in many ways. Please go quickly.”

“Yeah, if anything happens… Ah, right. El, give me your hand.”

“My hand?”

The moment I unconsciously reached out my hand, I immediately regretted it. I could see a meaningful smile appearing on his face. When I belatedly realized the situation and tried to pull my hand back, it was already too late. He bent down and kissed the back of my hand!

“Gasp!”

“Hiss!”

I heard gasps from all around. Eyes that looked like they were staring at someone who had touched a sore spot were pouring down on Kanos. Of course, he didn’t care at all.

“……What on earth are you doing?”

“A farewell gift.”

“Huh?”

A farewell gift is a kiss on the back of the hand. Is this a declaration of his intention to mock me until the very end? I thought we were going to have a heartwarming farewell, but as expected, he is a god you can’t let your guard down around until the very end. As I frowned, Kanos chuckled.

“Don’t glare at me like that. I just engraved a seal.”

“Excuse me? A seal……?”

“Situations change from moment to moment, so there may be times when you need to contact me. And in times like these, it’ll be more useful to be in the Swalt Empire than that unnecessarily conspicuous seal your father gave you.”

When I lowered my gaze, there really was a white pattern engraved on the back of my hand. It was a pair of bat wings spread out inside a circular border. It was my first time seeing the symbol of a demon god, but it felt familiar for some reason. Of course, this one was much more ornate and delicate, but the basic structure reminded me of something familiar…….

“……Batman?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

At the questioning gaze, I quickly smiled awkwardly and shook my head. Only then did I realize the reality of this situation. To think I would get the seal of a demon god.

As he said, it was much more convenient to be an apostle of a demon god in the Swalt Empire at this time. I wouldn’t be chased unnecessarily, and above all, it would be very useful for monitoring the movements of the Demon God’s Temple. I guess he took all of that into account when he gave it to me.

“Do you believe I’m kind now?”

“……Yes. Thank you very much. I’m grateful, but… why did it have to be this way? Eluien just put his hand on it. Do gods have different ways of engraving seals?”

“No, the method doesn’t matter. I just thought this style would suit you somehow. Girls like this kind of thing, nyahahaha!”

“……I’m a man, though.”

I never thought I would say these words in front of this man. Moreover, it’s not like we just met, and he has repeatedly referred to me as ‘son’ until now, so it felt like a betrayal that he was acting like this. When I glared at him sullenly, he waved his hand and laughed.

“Hey~ don’t worry about things like that. After all, spirits are genderless. You can just use both genders. You can be a man and a woman, how great is that? Why limit such a big advantage?”

“I don’t really like it……”

“That’s because you haven’t experienced it yet. Once you live it, you might find that you like being a woman more than you think. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become a goddess later on.”

“Does that even make sense?”

“Why not? I was originally a female entity and became a male god, you know?”

……What did you say?

Before I knew it, my mouth was wide open. I was confident that I wouldn’t be surprised no matter how amazing the words I heard, but it seems I underestimated the world too much.

That tall, handsome man was a female entity when he was a spirit king? Does that mean that his subtly girlish way of speaking wasn’t intentional? Is that it?

Before I knew it, the surroundings had become excessively quiet.

The fact that I wasn’t the only one shocked by his words was somehow reassuring. Kanos looked at us, who were unable to move like stone statues, with a puzzled expression.

“Is that really that surprising?”

“……I think it would be less shocking if Eluien was a female entity.”

“Ah, that definitely suits him better.”

Kanos chuckled and nodded nonchalantly. He didn’t seem serious at all, so I couldn’t help but wonder if he was joking again.

“But I’ve been wondering since before. Why do you call Eluien ‘Eluien’ [his given name]?”

“Excuse me? Because he’s Eluien?”

“No, not that. In your case, there’s a more intimate title, isn’t there? Why don’t you call him Father?”

Ah, is that what he meant? It was an unexpected question, so my mind didn’t immediately process it.

Why, you ask? Why was it? At first, I wasn’t used to it, so I called him by his name, and since that became fixed, I’ve missed the opportunity to call him Father now. When I didn’t continue my answer, Kanos smiled as if he understood everything.

“Call him Father when we meet next time. Even if he doesn’t say anything, that guy is secretly feeling left out, you know?”

“N, no way. I don’t think he’s the type of person who cares about such titles.”

“Do you really think so? Or is that just what you want to believe?”

I couldn’t answer that question right away. Certainly, that was just my own judgment. In fact, judging from the way he had emphasized the fact that he was my father several times so far, there was a high possibility that he was concerned about the title. The reason he wasn’t forcing me was probably because he was waiting for me to feel like it. Even though he had forcibly established a father-son relationship, it felt like him to handle these parts delicately.

“Or is it that you don’t want to call him Father?”

“No! That’s not it!”

I immediately shook my head at the mischievous question. Of course, I would feel very embarrassed if I were told to call him that! It’s a matter of shyness, not dislike. But overcoming that wall was surprisingly difficult. Kanos smiled subtly as he looked at me standing there with complicated feelings.

“……Well, you were already calling him comfortably back then. Was it a meaningless test from the start? Although it’s hard to say that you had completely finished your self-awareness. I don’t think it’ll change much.”

He muttered in a small voice, lost in thought. Although the subject was omitted, I somehow instinctively knew that he was talking to me.

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm~ I’m saying Eluien was all right.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, I’m glad to have a cute junior.”

“What on earth does that……”

It’s another incomprehensible way of speaking. I frowned because I couldn’t understand what he was saying with a bright smile. But Kanos didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining it kindly.

Suddenly, he stretched out languidly and said,

“Ah, I really have to go now. Then goodbye! See you next time!”

“Huh? Wait a minute, Kanos! Explain what you mean……! Kanos?”

At the sudden farewell, I hurriedly tried to call him back. But Kanos’s figure had already scattered like mist and disappeared. He really went back just like that. It was a farewell that ended in an instant, without even leaving any lingering feelings.

“……”

“……”

Not only me, but also the party members who were watching couldn’t say anything. After standing there with blank faces for a while, they soon staggered and sat down one by one. They looked as exhausted as if they had been drifting in a rough sea. I checked on Deron, who seemed to have been hit the hardest.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, no. No, yes. ……Ugh. I’m sorry. I don’t even know how I am right now.”

After answering in a rambling tone, Deron grabbed his head with both hands.

“I definitely thought I had accepted it, but seeing him disappear after taking my soul away like that is too similar to Lucarim. It feels like I’ve been hit. ……So Lucarim really was a demon god. I don’t know why that’s so shocking.”

“Ahaha, I can see why. Even I, who haven’t known him for that long, get flustered when I remember that fact. Deron has known Lucarim for much longer than I have, so the aftereffects will inevitably last longer.”

“We’ve known each other for thousands of years. He’s such a selfish man that we often clashed. I even complained to him to live properly because the Demon God was watching… Keugh! I feel like crawling into a rat hole.”

I looked at him pitifully as he trembled all over with shame. The other members of the party had similar gazes.

Even Sibelius, who didn’t have a good impression of demons, was looking at him with a face that couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Deron will probably suffer from long-term aftereffects for a while. I realized once again how vicious (?) Kanos had been.

“Is anyone there?”

“……!”

At that moment, I heard someone asking from a short distance away. A man who seemed to be on his way home was walking towards us with baskets in both hands. The baskets were full of dried grass that looked like herbs.

“Who are you people doing here…… Elquines-nim [respectful title]?”

The man, who had been looking at us with wary eyes, found me standing among the party members and widened his eyes. I smiled brightly at the confused man.

“It’s been a while, Kai-ssi [Mr. Kai].”