Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 215

Chapter 215

Thud.

Each step left a deep footprint in the dirt. The village, thick with swirling dust, was desolate. Neglected barricades and weaponry lay scattered. Every visible plant, from trees to roadside weeds, was withered and dried out. It was like a ghost town devoid of life. The only evidence that people had lived here until recently were the relatively intact buildings and maintained roads.

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Yes, it is.”

The man who asked the question frowned at the response from behind. The other man standing next to him mirrored the expression.

“There’s no sign of life at all. It seems like an abandoned village.”

“You can see that just by looking.”

“It feels eerie.”

“Should we search the area more thoroughly?”

The group of five, all men, appeared to be travelers from afar. After exchanging a few words, the gazes of the four men turned to the one standing at the front. The leader wore a hood pulled low, obscuring his face. However, the slightly exposed jawline and skin suggested he wasn’t very old.

Despite the expectant looks, the man remained silent, simply staring ahead. With the decision-maker silent, the rest of the group hesitated to offer any plans.

“Who are you people?”

A man appeared behind them. A large man who seemed to be a native of the area. He eyed the motionless group warily and spoke gruffly.

“You look like travelers, but as you can see, no one lives in this village anymore. If you’re looking for a place to stay, follow me. I’ll show you somewhere else.”

The men’s eyes darted around at those words. Again, their gazes turned to the leader. When he nodded as if granting permission, the most energetic-looking member of the group stepped forward and asked,

“Are you a resident of this place?”

“I was, until recently.”

“This seems like a fairly large village. How did it end up like this?”

The reasons why residents leave an area are usually limited to a few possibilities. Most often, it’s due to invasions by other tribes, leading to the loss of their homes, or the outbreak of a major epidemic. But this village showed no signs of battle, so invasion seemed unlikely. If there had been an epidemic, there should have been corpses, but not even graves were visible. There were plenty of withered plant corpses, though.

Of course, the fact that all the plants were dead was strange. The fallen crops even had grains still attached. It meant they had died suddenly, just before harvest.

‘Did someone poison the waterways?’

It was the only explanation that seemed to fit. The large man twisted his lips as if sneering.

“The Guardian Star has left.”

“Guardian Star?”

“We lived in abundance with what we received until the one who gave it disappeared. What else could happen? We had to lose everything.”

The men exchanged puzzled glances at the cryptic explanation.

“Are you… saying it’s cursed?”

“It’s not a curse. We simply returned what we had received. When I was young, this village wasn’t this big. Even before the droughts, the land was barren and crops didn’t grow well. We’ve just returned to that state.”

“Then why are the people gone?”

“Human psychology is fickle. Once they’ve enjoyed something, they can’t go back to living as they did before. So they all left. Well, they were probably scared to keep living here. Watching the lush forests and crops wither day by day must have felt like dying along with them. Hmph, I knew this would happen all along. They ignored my advice. Serves them right.”

His grumbling face showed more satisfaction than sorrow over the ruined village. The men still looked bewildered, not understanding his words. Just then, the leader spoke for the first time.

“The Guardian Star has left?”

“……!”

His companions’ eyes widened at the curt tone. But it was nothing compared to the reaction of the large man. He choked as if he were about to lose his breath.

“Are you here to find the Guardian Star?”

Surprise filled his voice, and the men’s faces lit up. They hadn’t expected a seemingly ordinary villager to know about the Guardian Star.

“So we weren’t mistaken.”

“I told you this was the right place.”

“What’s the point? She’s already gone.”

The person who had been arguing immediately became dejected at the retort. Their gazes returned to the large man.

“What is your name?”

“I… I am Fallon. I was the blacksmith of this village.”

“How long has the Guardian Star been gone?”

“A few months.”

At Fallon’s answer, they frowned and muttered among themselves.

“Only a few months. That’s quite surprising. The Guardian Star is the star of protection. They say she has the power to make the land fertile. Because she left, they no longer receive her blessing.”

“Hmm, but something’s strange. I heard that once a blessing is given, it lasts for several generations even after the Guardian Star passes away. I’ve never heard of a homeland becoming desolate simply because she left.”

“She probably didn’t just leave.”

Again, it was the leader who spoke. The murmuring stopped at his words. Fallon swallowed hard, feeling his gaze on him.

“Did you drive her out?”

“……!”

A gasp echoed among his companions. They looked as if they couldn’t believe it, but the answer was enough to betray their expectations.

“We tried to stop them, but it was no use.”

“…Good heavens, they really drove her out.”

“How could they do such a thing?”

“Are they out of their minds?”

Sighs escaped from the men’s lips one after another. The only one who remained silent was the leader. However, it was clear that his expression, hidden beneath the hood, was also not good. Fallon wanted to close his eyes, feeling as if he were being looked at like an uncivilized person. He knew instinctively. These people were different from the ordinary people who had come seeking rumors of the Guardian Star. These people were the real deal.

“Wh-where are you from?”

The question trembled as his heart pounded. When the men stared at him without answering, Fallon rephrased the question.

“May I ask why you are looking for the Guardian Star?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I-I was just curious if you came to escort the lady. There were many who came out of mere curiosity….”

“Hmph, do you think we are on the same level as those idle fellows? We have come to formally escort the Guardian Star. She will become the consort of a noble born under the star of the Emperor.”

“……!”

His heart sank at the confident answer. Fallon felt tears welling up in his eyes out of injustice. Why did these people only come now? If only they had come a little, just a little earlier. Then all the terrible misunderstandings that had tormented the lady would have ended. Perhaps she could have left amidst everyone’s blessings!

As much as he felt wronged, the men also couldn’t help but feel sorry. The precious Guardian Star they had sought out, sacrificing sleep for days. If she had been born in their country, she would have grown up cherished from birth, receiving the care of the people amidst blessings. But here, she had left as if being driven out. The disappointment was immense.

“Honestly, I was worried from the moment they said the Guardian Star was in the Alponf Empire. Anyway, those uncivilized people.”

“Serium, please watch your words.”

“How could I not say this? They drove out the Guardian Star! They deserve to hear these words!”

“Serium!”

A flurry of bickering quickly passed among the men. Fallon nervously watched them, still unsure of their identities. However, it was clear that they were not citizens of the Alponf Empire.

“Do you know where the Guardian Star went?”

“W-well, I don’t know. She left so suddenly that we couldn’t even say goodbye.”

“Did she leave alone?”

“No. As far as I know, there were people who left with her.”

“Left with her?”

“They were the ones who saved the lady’s life. If it weren’t for them, the lady would already be dead.”

The group’s expressions turned strange at those words.

“Were they perhaps people who came looking for the Guardian Star?”

“No, they weren’t. They weren’t even interested in such legends.”

“Is that so?”

It was when a sense of relief appeared on the men’s faces.

“Ah, but they recognized the lady’s abilities at a glance. They were the first to tell her that her powers weren’t strange.”

“R-really?”

“They said the lady was a very talented earth elementalist [a person who can control earth]. They even knew that she could see the future before I told them. They were a very mysterious group.”

Fallon spoke with a slightly excited tone, as he still felt overwhelmed when he thought about that moment. The more he spoke, the darker the men’s expressions became.

“…People who can recognize supernatural powers at a glance happened to visit this village. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Could it be that we’re already one step behind?”

“Don’t say such ominous things!”

With a sharp rebuke, they hurriedly looked at the leader. He wasn’t saying anything, but that made it even scarier. It had been a journey that could not be called smooth, even as a figure of speech, to push aside earnest opposition and step forward directly. But no one had expected that the ending would be so twisted.

“First, we find the Guardian Star.”

After a long silence, a resolute voice fell from the man’s lips. The group was startled and looked at him.

“A-are we going to continue chasing her like this?”

“The schedule is getting too delayed compared to what we planned. We don’t even know where she went. At this rate, it might take years…!”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Amidst the dissuading atmosphere, the man’s indifferent reply continued. His sunken eyes gleamed with a cold light from within the hood.

“This journey will not end until we find her.”

After muttering coldly, he turned and began to walk away. The men followed him in confusion. The man at the very back also sighed as he took a step.

“Well, I’ll have to cast a divination again.”

* * *

“I’ve felt an itch in my ear for some reason.”

Alisa, who had been sitting idly, mumbled blankly. Unlike her sloth-like posture, her eyes were intently staring at the air as if they were fighting. Isana and Sibelius were looking at Alisa with affectionate expressions. I also smiled lightly and said,

“Isn’t someone talking about you, Alisa?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“There’s a saying in a country I know. If your ear itches for no reason, it means someone is talking about you.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“Isn’t it just because you’ve been neglecting to clean your ears?”

A cynical remark followed from next to Alisa, who was tilting her head with a curious expression. The owner of the insensitive remark was Deron. I sighed as I watched Alisa’s face turn red in an instant.

“…Deron, you lack subtlety.”

“Is that so? But when it comes to filleting the flesh of enemies, I’m known to be more delicate than anyone….”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

I interrupted him in horror, and Deron shrugged lightly. It was clear that he still didn’t know what the problem was. What kind of education does one have to receive to live with that kind of mindset? Every time he made me gasp, even when he seemed normal, I realized that he was a demon. I couldn’t help but be aware of the egg in my bag once again.

‘I hope the child that is born is normal.’

I had taken on the role with great enthusiasm, but I wasn’t sure if I could really be a good godfather. The problem of me adapting was one thing, but I was worried about whether the child would follow me. After all, Deron would be in charge of most of the childcare, and I would likely just be a godfather in name only. It would be easier to think that I didn’t have to worry about it, but somehow I couldn’t. Now that I had decided to take responsibility, I wanted to get along well if possible.

“El.”

The thoughts that filled my head quickly scattered at the voice calling me a moment later. When I looked up, I saw Kaitain coming out with a tray. As he entered, the group, who had been sitting comfortably, straightened their posture again. Kaitain handed each of the group members a teacup that he had brought according to the number of people.

“This is herbal tea that I just brewed. I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

“Ah, thank you. I will enjoy it.”

After placing a teacup in front of himself last, Kaitain carefully sat down in the seat opposite me. He was still a person who exuded a refined feeling like an orchid.

We were currently in the reception room inside Endil’s house. It was a somewhat small space for several people to stay, but the house itself was small, so we had to put up with the inconvenience. Other than that, it was a fairly cozy house. Compared to the overall oldness, it was clear that he had taken care to manage it neatly in every corner.

“I was surprised that you suddenly came back. I thought there was still a long time left before you were supposed to return. And you have new companions. They are as unique as Lapis.”

Kaitain’s gaze swept over the awkwardly seated group members one by one. It lingered a little longer when it reached Sibelius and Deron in particular. A Blue Elf (actually a Unicorn, which is even rarer) and a being who exuded the aura of a demon at a glance, were noticeable to anyone. Moreover, in Deron’s case, he had once confronted him before, so he couldn’t help but recognize his identity.

“Ahaha, it just happened that way. I’m sorry that they suddenly came along like this.”

“No, it’s alright. Does this mean that you have finished your business?”

“Yes!”

When I nodded proudly, Kaitain also smiled with a happy face.

“That’s really great. Now the Duke’s illness can be cured. Congratulations, El. Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Perhaps because he knew her original appearance from the beginning, he was not flustered even after seeing Isana, whose appearance had changed. Isana responded to his congratulations with a soft smile.