Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 217

The group, having learned the situation, all felt sorry for Cecil’s plight. They were disheartened, as if it were their own problem, knowing the cause but being unable to fix it.

“How bad is Cecil’s condition right now?”

“Her stamina has already exceeded its limits. Kai’s holy power is hardly effective anymore. At best, using my healing power can help her endure a little longer, but as she grows, the conflict will intensify, so I don’t know how long she can last. Even with good luck, it will be hard to make it past a few years.”

“There’s not much time left.”

As I nodded with a bitter expression, the atmosphere among the group also became serious.

“To be sick because she’s a mixed-blood. That’s so unfortunate.”

“Is there really no way to cure her? It would be great if she could be fully changed into either a human or an elf.”

“If that were possible in the first place, mixed-bloods wouldn’t be discriminated against.”

Sibelius firmly cut off Alisa and Isana’s murmuring. He was burying himself in the sofa, hugging a cushion, and seemed quite displeased. In fact, he wanted to rush into the High Elf village right away. He was furious at the reality that an innocent child was suffering due to the mistakes of adults, yet they weren’t taking care of her. It was Kaitain who stopped him, reasoning that even if they took revenge, the haughty High Elves wouldn’t reflect and would likely shift the blame to Endil. More than anything, Endil didn’t want to be involved with his clan at all. It seemed he wanted to deny even the fact that he was a High Elf, if he could. Isana felt even more sorry about that.

“It must have been so hard for him to protect his younger sibling alone all this time, to be banished from their society for opposing the clan’s will. I heard High Elves were of noble status, but I didn’t know they harbored such evils.”

“Hmph, what nobility are you talking about when they’re too busy filling their own selfish desires? They’re a rotten bunch to the core.”

Sibelius’s voice became even colder. It wasn’t the first time he had witnessed an absurd situation, but he was reacting particularly harshly to this matter. The others seemed to feel the same way, as they all looked at Sibelius with strange expressions.

“Sibyl, you seem really angry.”

“Huh? Does it show?”

“Yes. Is there any particular reason?”

“…Nothing much. It’s just that some guys I used to know were just like that. It just brought back bad memories.”

He seemed reluctant to mention anything further, so the conversation ended there naturally. I didn’t know the details, but I had a feeling it was related to why he didn’t want to return to his own clan.

“What are you going to do now, El?”

Perhaps to change the atmosphere, Isana naturally changed the subject. It was a question that didn’t need much thought, so I shrugged and replied.

“I need to go back to Clamor first. Your work can’t be put off either, right?”

“But, what about Cecil…?”

“Of course, I’ll look for a way to help her too. But since all I can do right now is restore her stamina, there doesn’t seem to be any need to stay here. If I’m alone, I can use spatial movement to check on her condition from time to time.”

I deliberately spoke more cheerfully because I didn’t want to make the atmosphere gloomy. Then, Isana, who had been pondering something, carefully brought up a topic.

“Hey, about that treatment method. Wouldn’t Lapis know something about it?”

“Huh? Lapis?”

“Lapis is an excellent magician. I heard that the basic principle of magic is to reconstruct existing materials. If that’s applied to the human body, wouldn’t it be possible to change races?”

“That’s alchemy theory.”

Someone responded to his words as I was getting interested in the unexpected story. It was Deron, who had been listening silently.

“Reconstructing the human body is a tricky field, but it is theoretically possible. Magic like Polymorph is also based on that principle.”

“Polymorph? Oh! Come to think of it, Polymorph was a magic that changes appearances, right? Couldn’t you change races with that too?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“… !”

What, it really works? I was so surprised that I took a deep breath because I didn’t expect him to actually affirm it. It was like finding out that a stone I picked up without thinking was a gold nugget. However, Deron’s words didn’t end there.

“But that’s just the appearance.”

“Yes? Just the appearance?”

“It’s just made to look like the external appearance is changing. You can’t really say that the race has changed. Just because a dragon becomes a human with Polymorph doesn’t mean it’s a real human. It won’t be able to solve the problem that Cecil is experiencing.”

“Ah…”

“The human body has a more complex and profound structure than you think. Moreover, the innate species is not only a physical problem but also affected by God’s jurisdiction. You won’t be able to change that easily.”

“… Hmm, I see. I guess so.”

The atmosphere became heavy again before hope could even be seen. Rather, it felt like I had been declared impossible now, when I had thought that somehow it would work out until now. Isana’s face, who had brought up the idea, also became gloomy.

“I’m sorry, El. I think I brought up something unnecessary.”

“No, you’re trying to find any possibility, even a small one. Tell me if you have any good ideas in the future.”

Isana looked even more apologetic at my words to ease his burden. I patted him on the shoulder to mean it was okay.

“Let’s all rest today since it’s late. Let’s talk about the rest tomorrow.”

The twilight sky was already bringing in the dark. Since the house was too cramped for so many people to stay, Sibelius decided to prepare a separate bedroom, as he had done so far. In fact, these days, I had become so accustomed to the bedroom he made that I found it more uncomfortable to use other accommodations. It couldn’t be helped since the environment was much more comfortable than most mansions.

“You don’t have to make my bedding. I’m going to stay up all night next to Cecil today.”

“To take care of her?”

“Yeah, Endil and Kai seem to be very tired from taking turns nursing her. I want to give them time to rest. I’m thinking of restoring Cecil’s stamina while I’m at it. If I pour healing power into her all night, she’ll be able to live comfortably for about a week.”

“Won’t you be tired?”

“I don’t get exhausted by things like this. I’m a Spirit King, you know.”

Since I’m just a mere illusion, and I don’t actually have a body, my stamina won’t drop even if I stay up all night or use my abilities. In particular, healing power utilizes the power of nature itself, so it’s not a concept that is consumed. Sibelius seemed to recall that fact belatedly and made an awkward expression. I tried to wrap up the conversation appropriately and leave, but Deron got up following me and said.

“Um, I have something to say, El. If it’s okay with you, may I take care of the Lord?”

“Yes? Lord?”

“Yes, I know that it’s up to El to decide about the Lord, but I would like to serve him and provide him with magic power until he hatches.”

I wondered what he was talking about, but it seemed he was talking about the Demon King’s egg that I was keeping. To call an egg that hasn’t even hatched yet his lord already. I was dumbfounded, but Deron’s expression was so serious that I couldn’t laugh.

“Wouldn’t that be possible?”

“Ah, no. I’ll take it out right now. But why magic power…?”

“If you supply magic power steadily, you can advance the hatching time a little more. Since you don’t know how the situation will change, I think it would be better to grow him as quickly as possible.”

“Hmm, that’s true too.”

In the egg state, it’s easy to handle, but it’s difficult to expect him to deal with unexpected situations on his own. Only we know about the existence of the egg right now, but we don’t know when the Demon Realm will notice the egg’s existence. It was better to grow him as quickly as possible before someone came after him. Since he’s going to be the Demon King in the future, it would be good for Kanos’s position if he hatched quickly.

When I took the egg out of my bag, Deron received it with an extremely nervous face. He agreed with my words that it wouldn’t break, so I could handle it roughly, but his actions were very far from it. He was so careful even touching it with his bare hands, as if he were dealing with a precious jewel, that I felt a little sorry for keeping it in my bag.

“Then, I’ll leave it in your care until it hatches.”

“Yes, I will do my best.”

After watching him hold the egg preciously with a smile, I turned my gaze back to close the bag. But I saw something sparkling inside. It was such a strong light that it was hard to ignore, rather than just being reflected by the light.

‘What is it?’

I flinched as I tried to take a closer look without thinking. That’s because the identity of the thing emitting light was a sculpture with a round bead embedded in it. The familiar object at a glance was the communication stone that Lapis had given me. The bead flashing meant that a call was coming in. As I thought of the face that would be blazing beyond that, I felt a cold sweat running down my spine.

“El, is that perhaps…?”

Isana, who had grasped the situation from behind, swallowed hard. When I looked at him with the opinion of ‘Should I ignore it?’, his face quickly stiffened. At the gaze that seemed to be asking ‘Wouldn’t there be any repercussions?’, I obediently lowered my head.

“…It feels like there’s going to be a lot of noise, so I’ll go out and talk.”

“G-Good luck, El.”

Isana looked at me with pitiful eyes as I kept sighing. The other members, who didn’t know the reason, just wore bewildered expressions.

As I went outside, a thick humidity rushed in. It looked like it was going to rain. More water spirits than usual were milling around, and when they found me, they hurriedly bowed their heads. Thanks to that, my heart became more peaceful. It was similar to the psychology of not being very scared even if you go into a haunted house with several people.

Until I left the vicinity of the house and reached a deserted forest, the communication tool persistently emitted light. I was going to turn back with the excuse that it would fade in the middle, but as if running away from reality, it all ended in vain hope. You persistent bastard! I finally put my hand on the communication tool, hesitating until the very end whether to receive it or not.

“Ahem, hello?”

『…Finally answering.』

My spine tingled at the eerie voice that came as soon as I received the signal. It was the first time that a voice muttering like a soliloquy felt so chilling.

“Ahaha, hello.”

『…Hello?』

The voice got lower. I hurriedly put down the communication tool and covered my ears with both hands.

『Hello, my ass! Do you think I’m in the mood to say hello to you casually right now!』

Fluttering!

A flock of birds nearby flew up all at once, startled by the sudden loud noise. I’m glad I got far away from the house. All the people in the house would have rushed out. I let out a sigh of relief at the excellent foresight.

It’s really Lapis. I think it was a vague feeling until I actually received it, even though I knew that he was the only one who would contact me in this way. After hearing this fussy and irritable tone, I finally felt a sense of reality. I expected it, but as expected. He was incredibly angry.

“Why are you yelling? I was just saying hello because it’s been a while.”

『Do you even know it’s been a while?』

“Well… how have you been?”

『Ha, do you think I’ve been doing well? You dumped a bunch of troublemakers on me and didn’t even answer my calls, and now you’re going silent for a month without a word? Do you think I’m that easy?』

“…I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”

『Oh, really? Of course, it would be. Then what was your intention?』

“I, I was going to contact you! Really.”

『Who would believe that? Even if you say that now that I’ve already contacted you first, it’s as unreliable as someone with bread crumbs on their face saying they didn’t eat anything. Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt a hundred times and say you really were going to do that. That thought must have been recent, right? No matter how much it’s you, you wouldn’t have just thought about it and not contacted me for that long, would you? Right?』

“Huh? Uh, uhm…”

『Do you know why I’m angry now?』

…Why is this guy so unnecessarily good with words? Besides, he’s only hitting the nail on the head, so there’s no room for excuses.

“I’m really sorry. But I really didn’t intend to go silent for the last month. I didn’t know it would turn out like this either.”

『Why didn’t you know it would turn out like this? Did you close your eyes and open them to find that a month had passed?』

“Lapis, you should set up a mat [become a fortune teller].”

『What nonsense are you talking about?』

“No, just. I thought you could tell fortunes since you’re so good at guessing.”

『…Weren’t you going to find the sword? What are you doing wandering around?』

That’s what I’m saying.

Even I was dumbfounded, so I just let out an awkward laugh. Perhaps because of that, Lapis’s momentum, which had been fierce, subsided a little.

『Damn it, I shouldn’t have said anything. But why does your voice sound like that?』

“Why, what’s wrong with my voice?”

『You don’t have as much energy as usual, like someone’s about to die.』

“You should set… !”

『If you say anything unnecessary about setting up a mat again, you’re dead.』

Wow, can this guy read my mind? Is the reason he became Troel’s godfather because he actually has the same ability as him? I know it’s absurd, but I had all sorts of thoughts in my head because I was so surprised.

『Your behavior pattern is obvious. You specialize in worrying about other people’s problems, except for things about me.』

Lapis openly sneered, as if he found it funny that I couldn’t speak easily. I was about to cut off the communication, but I endured with difficulty, engraving patience in my mind. If I provoked the guy who was already upset, a disaster that I couldn’t handle would happen. More than anything, there was something I wanted to confirm with him right now.

“Hey, Lapis. There’s something I’m curious about.”

『What is it.』

“You’ve lived a long time, so you know a lot, right? Do you know anything about how to change your innate race?”

『Well, you can die once and be reborn.』

“…Is that all?”

My energy drained away at the lukewarm answer that came back, contrary to my expectations. I already knew it was impossible, but I still hoped, but it seems it’s not possible after all.

“Then, what about fixing a person born as a mixed-blood to one of the two races?”

『What’s the difference between that and changing races?』

“…I guess. That’s right.”

The hope that I challenged without giving up crumbled on the spot again before it could even bloom. It seemed that the depression only grew bigger because of the series of disappointments. From Lapis’s point of view, I must have seemed strange, just asking random questions and sighing. Perhaps he was upset, his voice lowered.

『If you want to get a proper answer, explain it properly from the beginning. What exactly is the situation?』

“Um, well. What happened was…”