Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 220

220.

“Is that true? There’s a way to save Cecil…”

Learning that Lapis had a way to heal Cecil, Kaitain’s face brightened. However, Endil, who I thought would be happy too, was frozen stiff. Seeing him pale and unresponsive to the good news, it was clear he had recognized Lapis as a dragon. I had been openly talking about contracts and dragons, so it would have been strange if he hadn’t noticed.

“Is this the hybrid [referring to Lapis, a dragon-human hybrid]?”

Endil meekly nodded, even to a remark that would normally have made him bristle. Seeing the fear on his face, like someone facing a murderer, I could tell how elves usually viewed dragons. Of course, Lapis didn’t care at all.

“Ah…”

Endil’s eyes wavered as he tried to touch Cecil. Even if he was scared of Lapis, his will to protect his sister hadn’t wavered.

“Si, Sicuel…!”

In moments of crisis, people tend to seek the person they rely on most. It seemed Sicuel was that person for Endil, as he immediately tried to summon him. Perhaps because he was out of his mind, it wasn’t a good choice. The moment a spirit is summoned is when they are most sensitive to their contractor’s emotions. If summoned in such an agitated state, Sicuel would attack as soon as he was summoned without even checking who the opponent was. In this confined space, that would be nothing short of a terrorist act. Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble, I quickly spoke to calm him down.

“It’s okay, Endil. I’m just going to check her condition.”

“…!”

Then, Endil’s rapidly erupting energy stopped. He took a deep breath and blinked at me in surprise. It seemed he had finally recognized my presence. Perhaps he realized that I would stop anything from happening. His face, which had been distorted as if he was about to cry, gradually relaxed, and his pale complexion began to regain color. It was blatant relief. I was glad that someone trusted me so completely. I smiled to reassure him, and Endil looked even more relieved.

Immediately after, he hurriedly retreated to the corner, looking embarrassed. As his reason, which had been paralyzed by fear, returned, he realized that he had overreacted. Still, when Lapis touched Cecil’s forehead, he couldn’t hide the hardening of his face. They say there are a lot of overprotective parents these days, and Endil didn’t seem to be any different in terms of intensity.

In the tense atmosphere, Lapis silently examined Cecil. While the mana flowing from his fingertips slowly covered the sleeping girl’s body, Lapis never opened his closed eyes even once. His uncharacteristic seriousness made me feel even more anxious.

“Ho, how is it?”

After confirming that he had opened his eyes, I asked cautiously. Lapis crossed his arms and tapped his cheek with his finger as if calculating something. He finally spoke when impatience began to settle in the watching eyes.

“Not bad. There may be variables since she’s not an adult yet, but it’s actually advantageous because it’s a flexible period, so it’s easy to change the framework. It’s worth trying at this level.”

“Really?”

“Are you saying she can be healed?”

Next to me, who was delighted, Kaitain asked with an excited face. He didn’t know the method of treatment, but he seemed excited by the fact that he had received a positive response.

Endil was also wearing the same expression.

“Should I say healed? If you see it as a concept of healing, then yes. Anyway, she won’t be in pain.”

“Re, really? Is Cecil getting healthy?”

Endil, who had been holding his breath, looked touched. He was so happy that he was staring at Lapis, whom he had been afraid of just a moment ago, as if he was in love. Lapis stared at Endil’s appearance with strange eyes. I thought he would scold him, given his surly personality, but he just stared silently, wondering what he was thinking. But because his appearance was so outstanding, keeping his mouth shut was even more charismatic. Even I was nervous at the silent gaze. Endil, who was facing him head-on, trembled uncontrollably.

“Wh, why are you doing this…?”

“You said you’re that girl’s brother? Do you want to heal your sister?”

“O, of course! I’ll do anything if it means Cecil can live.”

Lapis’s gaze deepened at the resolute answer. His face was that of someone with an interesting test subject in front of him, and the urge to interfere grew stronger. But his words came faster than I could intervene.

“You know that the problem your sister is experiencing is quite troublesome, right? There are two ways to solve this situation.”

“Two ways?”

“Yes, but neither is a perfect method. Maybe you won’t like either of them. But I’m telling you in advance, you won’t be able to find any other way to heal your sister besides the methods I mentioned. Just keep that in mind.”

Endil’s face hardened at the indifferent warning. Still, perhaps because he had found hope that Cecil could be saved, his eyes were shining more clearly than ever.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. One is to use my blood to strengthen your sister’s body. The problem is that her body can’t handle it, so if her body becomes stronger than it is now, it will be solved. However, in this case, we have to seal her body so that it doesn’t grow anymore.”

“Seal…?”

Endil’s face, which was already hardened, became even more distorted. Lapis explained, even though he looked annoyed.

“The symptoms have been getting worse, right? That’s because the blood of the high elf gets stronger as she grows. Fortunately, it’s not severe now, so she can withstand it if her body becomes strong enough. But if she grows any more, it’s impossible. That’s why we have to seal her growth. Of course, not growing doesn’t mean she won’t die. She’ll only live to her given lifespan.”

“Th, then… Does that mean Cecil has to live as a child forever?”

“That’s right. But she won’t be in pain anymore. She’ll just look young, and there won’t be any major problems in her life. It might be better than getting old.”

Would it really be? Of course, it might be better than dying. She might even be happy for a while. I and the other Spirit Kings live our whole lives looking the same, so if you look at it as a similar concept, there’s nothing particularly wrong with it. But Cecil wasn’t a spirit, she was a race with a physical body. The way she thinks and the weight of her thoughts will change as she lives, and because she belongs to a group society, she will be affected by the gazes of those around her. Someday, she might want to meet someone she loves and start a family. I didn’t know if she would think it was okay to have a body that didn’t grow at that time. Endil seemed to be thinking the same thing, as his face was full of hesitation.

“…What’s the other way?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Eliminate one of the two types of blood flowing in your sister’s body.”

“…! Is that possible?”

Kaitain, who had been standing with an anxious face, couldn’t stand it and intervened with a desperate look.

“Completely remove one type of component from the body. I can supplement the emptied part with my blood. Dragon blood is just nourishment even when mixed with other species. It doesn’t threaten the identity of the species, so it’s okay. She’ll be healthier than before. I’ve researched this intensively before, so it’s not difficult. I’ve succeeded in experiments before. Well, I’ve never done it on humans, but the method is similar, so it’ll work somehow.”

“Th, then…!”

Endil and Kaitain’s faces brightened at once. If this was true, it was a much more effective method than the former.

“However, this method has a fatal flaw.”

Of course, Lapis added a disadvantage this time as well. He said from the beginning that neither method was perfect, so it was a natural moment. Besides, the fact that he was telling the better method later meant that there was more to be endured. Perhaps that’s why Lapis was speaking a little more seriously this time.

“Everything else is fine, but there’s a part where the component cannot be removed no matter what. If you can’t solve this, this method can’t be done from the beginning. It’s meaningless even if you try.”

“What is it?”

“The heart.”

The heart?

I reflexively put my hand on my chest. Endil and Kaitain were also rubbing their chests with bewildered faces. Lapis scanned our appearance with a pathetic gaze.

“The heart is also the source of life. That’s why it’s so tricky. I’ve tried proceeding with it as it is, but eventually, the blood of the hybrid is regenerated according to the flow of the heart. Then, the removed components start to be refilled. Ten out of ten, everything went back to normal within a few years. In other words, Cecil’s current heart can’t be used. There must be a pure blood heart that can be filled in, whether it’s human or elf.”

“Wa, wait a minute… Lapis. Does that mean…”

As I gasped in embarrassment, Lapis nodded. Then, his gaze turned to Endil.

“Choose. Are you going to get someone’s heart, or are you going to share your heart?”

“…!”

In short, he was telling them to commit murder or make a sacrifice. The surrounding air cooled down at once as if cold water had been poured on it. Endil didn’t even seem to be breathing.

“Of course, you can do it the first way. In fact, that’s the easiest way to solve this situation. I don’t care, so decide for yourself.”

Lapis’s calm voice fell in the tense atmosphere. It was literally a time of choice. Endil couldn’t say anything for a long time. The first method was better than the latter, but it wasn’t good to think about Cecil’s future. A ‘life of maintaining the status quo’ obtained by giving up the future, or a ‘future’ obtained through the sacrifice of another. Either way, it was bound to be a harsh decision for the two siblings. Endil couldn’t take his eyes off Cecil for a long time. It was pitiful to see him clenching and unclenching his clothes several times as if cold sweat was forming on his palms.

“Before I decide, there are a few things I want to confirm.”

“Speak.”

“If I just have a new heart. Will Cecil live?”

“Of course. Not only will she simply live, but she won’t be called a hybrid anymore. The race will be determined depending on which heart it is.”

“So, if I give my heart, Cecil will become a pure high elf, right?”

“Because I’m going to completely eliminate the human side.”

“Then I’ll give it to you.”

“Endil!?”

I was embarrassed by the decision that fell without even being able to stop him. Kaitain seemed too surprised to even make a sound. No matter how much he cherished his younger sister, I never thought he would so readily give up his life. Endil smiled instead.

“I want Cecil to be completely happy. I’m okay with dying for that.”

“Wa, wait a minute, Endil! What are you saying now? There’s no way that’s okay!”

“That’s right, Endil! You say you’re okay with dying! Cecil wouldn’t be happy about that either!”

Next to me, who was horrified, Kaitain shouted with a pale face. Even in the midst of the stinging sounds of shock, Endil was stubbornly looking only at Lapis. A firm determination that he would not change his decision was revealed on his grim face. Lapis smiled leisurely as if he liked that appearance.

“Hmm, you’re quite something for a kid? You’re more determined than I thought.”

‘That bastard, really!’

I was furious to see the guy who caused the commotion, but was still calm on his own without noticing. I grabbed Lapis’s collar and pulled him towards me in an instant. Even the most brazen lizard seems to be weak to surprise attacks. I could see his pupils widening a little in surprise, and even in this situation, it felt like a decade of indigestion was going away.

“So what! Are you really going to kill Endil? Just try it, you! I’m going to break the contract right now! I’ll never deal with you again! Got it?”

“…Why are you angry? Who said I was going to kill that kid?”

“If you give your heart, you’ll die! What’s the difference between that and killing him?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. I said share. I didn’t say I was going to use one all up.”

“Are you even saying that? How can you share a heart that you only have one of? Are you going to cut it in half?”

“I will?”

“You crazy! Do you think the heart is a liver? It’s not like it regenerates, so how can you transplant it by cutting it in half!”

“Why can’t it regenerate? You’re here.”

“No matter how great the blood of the dragon is, it’s not enough to regenerate a heart that’s been cut in half… Huh?”

I stopped protesting for a while at the nonchalant reply and asked back stupidly.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Elquines, the Spirit King with stronger healing power and regeneration power than most gods. I’m talking about you.”

“…”

I felt like I had been ambushed from an unexpected place, and I was speechless. In the meantime, Lapis secretly released the collar I was holding. Even as I watched him slip away like a loach, I couldn’t take any special action.

“I can make the time to remove and suture the heart with my magic. When I finish the suture, you can heal it right away. With Elquines’s healing power, you can regenerate it into a complete form even if only a part of the tissue is there. And very quickly.”

“Oh… Um, th, that’s right?”

“See? There’s no problem.”

Ah, no, wait a minute. Was my healing power so great that it could make one heart into two? Is this really no problem?

“Of course, this is not perfect either. I said from the beginning that there is no perfect method. In this case, there are also side effects.”

When I asked, I got an unwelcome answer as expected. I knew it would be, but when I heard that there were side effects, my face hardened on its own.