Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 225

Chapter 225

I glanced at Lapis, noticing the subtle twitching of his cheeks. It was clear he was sulking, not in outright anger, but with a definite pout of protest directed at me. I racked my brain, trying to recall anything that might have caused this, but nothing immediately came to mind. I’d teleported directly from Endil’s house to this mansion, and that was it. Before that, Lapis hadn’t even properly introduced himself to the others. It seemed something must have transpired during a conversation while I was briefly away, but without knowing the context, I couldn’t begin to guess what it was.

“I only said hello,” Alisa offered cautiously when I turned to her. She explained that she and Sibelius had initiated the conversation because Lapis hadn’t shown any initial interest. Try as I might, I couldn’t discern anything that would warrant such a reaction.

“Seriously, what’s wrong? What are you unhappy about?”

This wasn’t something I could solve by endlessly worrying, so I decided to ask him directly. True to his straightforward nature, Lapis answered without hesitation.

“That elf guy said he’s your friend?”

“So?”

“Do you have multiple lives?”

I was momentarily dumbfounded, unsure where this was going, but Lapis’s frown deepened.

“I’m your *only* friend.”

“Wow, what are you talking about? *That’s* what you’re upset about?”

I stared at him in disbelief, but he simply raised his chin as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He seemed completely oblivious to the bewildered looks he was receiving.

“So, what’s the truth?”

“Of course you’re a friend! And Sibelius is a friend too! Do you think I can only have one friend in the world?”

“I don’t have anyone *but* you.”

He delivered this terrifying statement so casually that my thoughts stalled. My stunned expression must have been obvious, because he met my gaze with a “what’s-the-problem” look.

“…Didn’t you say you were over 3,000 years old?”

“I’ve been over it for a long time.”

“But you only have one friend?”

“So?”

Wow, honestly, this was a little unsettling. I instinctively took a step back. I could feel Lapis’s glare, but this time I didn’t feel like indulging him.

“Sibelius, please understand. He’s just like that.”

“Um, but I only have one friend, El.”

“…….”

Right, now that I thought about it, Sibelius’s social life wasn’t exactly thriving either. A sudden headache bloomed, and I found myself staring at the plain, undecorated ceiling. I must have looked up without realizing it. I wished someone had taught these guys about healthy social development. What were they doing while everyone else was forming peer groups!

I’d never considered them alike before, but now I saw it: they were two peas in a pod, just different varieties. Even their true forms, being close to beasts, were similar. Acting on impulse, I grabbed Lapis’s and Sibelius’s hands, forcing them to hold each other. They both frowned, giving me puzzled looks. Ignoring their silent demands for an explanation, I plastered on a bright smile.

“Okay, now you two are friends too. Now I’m not the only one, right?”

“Huh? Uh?”

“…Hey.”

Following Sibelius’s embarrassed and confused response, Lapis spoke in a low, dumbfounded voice. I turned to see Alisa clutching her stomach and stomping her feet, overcome with laughter. She’d claimed she didn’t want to get involved between the two because she valued her life, but apparently, she wasn’t afraid of their resentment.

“So, is there no bloody battle?”

I simply ignored Deron’s earnest question. I didn’t know what kind of spectacle he wanted to show the soon-to-be-born baby, but I knew it was a sight no ordinary child should witness. They say prenatal education is important, but I was seriously reconsidering leaving the egg with him.

“Anyway, though it’s very late, let me formally introduce you. This is Lapis Lazuli, and as you all guessed, he’s the Red Dragon I contracted with.”

The belated introductions continued in Isana’s absence. I pointed to each of the group members, who were making awkward expressions, and told Lapis their names.

“Sibelius, Alisa, and Deron. …Deron, you’ve met him before, right?”

He couldn’t have forgotten the opponent he’d openly competed with in the past. Lapis stared at Deron silently, then shifted his gaze to the golden egg in his arms. I could feel a silent pressure in his gaze as he looked back at me, demanding a proper explanation.

“…Okay. I’ll explain.”

To explain Deron and the egg, I had to reveal everything. Since I was going to tell him eventually, I launched into the story without hesitation. I told him about the demon who kept following us, that the demon was actually the demon god Kanos, and even the information about the awakening of the evil god that I’d learned from him. After finishing the explanation, I felt like the messy relationship diagram was finally somewhat organized. Lapis glared at me with unkind eyes as I felt a strange sense of liberation.

“You left me in this backwater and you were having fun.”

“…What part are you distorting to make it sound like I had fun?”

“Making other friends.”

“You’re the one who’s weird for only having one friend in 3,000 years! And let me tell you, Sibelius is the same as you sent him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He was sealed in the circlet you gave me.”

“What? Damn it, what? I’ve never heard of that. I’ll give you something else, so give it back. Hey, you go back in.”

Lapis pointed a finger at Sibelius and ordered him in an arrogant tone. But that wasn’t going to happen, and even if it were possible, Sibelius wouldn’t obey. He simply avoided Lapis’s gaze, and Lapis’s face twitched as if in convulsions. Seeing the tense dynamic between blue and red, as vibrant as the colors they each embodied, I couldn’t help but sigh. For some reason, I had a bad feeling that I would suffer a lot between those two in the future. I especially urged Lapis, who was the more likely to cause trouble.

“Anyway, whether you like it or not, they’re colleagues who will be living with you in the future, so get along with everyone. Don’t act like an adult and be picky about who you associate with. You especially have no right to say that.”

“Why don’t I have the right?”

“Where do you look like an adult when you’re picking on my friends and your friends? Even elementary school students don’t engage in such childish competition these days.”

“Elementary school student?”

“You can say it’s a stage just out of infancy.”

“Are you saying I’m an infant now?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to get along well. If you want to be treated like an adult, stop acting like a child.”

When I answered firmly, Lapis looked dumbfounded but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t seem convinced, but he seemed to realize that I would ignore him if he kept nagging.

“Damn it.”

Seeing him swallow his anger, I felt a pang of guilt for being so harsh. I softened my tone.

“But you’re very calm. You don’t care that an evil god might be born?”

“If it’s born, it’s born. Why wouldn’t I be calm?”

“But… the end might come.”

“That’s something to think about when it happens. Why worry about something that hasn’t happened yet? Besides, the God Realm has already started investigating the truth. The probability of failure is much higher.”

“Um, that’s true, but…”

“Well, the fact that the demon god moved directly is surprising. But what pisses me off more is that you disappeared for a month because of that. The high-level god’s barrier even touched space-time. I wondered why I couldn’t pinpoint your location at all.”

He grumbled and glanced down at me.

“That thing on your hand kept bothering me too. Now I know what happened.”

“Huh? My hand?”

Unconsciously, I lowered my gaze and saw a white pattern like a brand. It was the demon god’s mark that Kanos had given me. Ah, now that I thought about it, I had this. I’d been worried about it when I first received it, but I’d forgotten about its existence because I’d gotten used to it. Lapis would have recognized it a long time ago, but it seemed he was waiting for me to say something first. In the end, he couldn’t resist mentioning it.

“You met the demon god, but why did you receive the mark? Are you planning to cover your whole body with the marks of God?”

“…Kanos gave it to me without permission, so I couldn’t stop it.”

I tried to make excuses, but his pathetic look didn’t fade. Anyone who saw it would think I was collecting marks as souvenirs. If he found out how I received the mark, he’d laugh out loud. I firmly resolved to silence the witnesses before that happened. Only at times like this was I glad that Lapis wasn’t the type to exchange information harmoniously with the group.

“Still, I don’t think it’s bad to receive the mark. The more identities you can disguise, the better.”

“Hmm, I don’t care. But it’s better to cover it up properly, right? Well, that’s if you have any intention of maintaining a peaceful life.”

“Isn’t it okay to show this much? It’s not on my face.”

“If it’s on the back of your hand, you can aim for the high priest level. Don’t you know that there are almost no high-level priests in the Demon God Church these days?”

“…Ah, that’s true.”

I shouldn’t have been relieved that it wasn’t on my face. Only then did I realize the seriousness of the situation. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be dragged to the Demon God Church and promoted to high priest. The Pope’s position was already troublesome enough; I didn’t want to make things worse.

“I can’t help it. I have to cover it.”

Quickly reaching a conclusion, I thought of a sleeve that covered the back of my hand, planning to modify my clothes. Until now, the clothes had transformed into the desired shape simply by concentrating, so I was going to do it that way this time as well. But the sleeves, which should have lengthened, didn’t move.

“Huh? Why? It’s not covered.”

“Of course. The demon god’s power is stronger than yours,” Lapis explained as I panicked. I hadn’t realized there would be such a problem with clothes created by my will and power. If the opponent was just an ordinary god, I could have forcibly covered it. Suppressing the power of a high-level god seemed impossible.

Reluctantly, I took out a piece of unused clothing from my backpack and cut off an appropriate amount. Lapis, who was watching with a puzzled look, contorted his face at my question.

“How is it? Is this length enough?”

“…I don’t understand the intention of the question. What, is that a rag?”

“It’s not a rag! You saw me cutting it out of my clothes.”

“Ha! If a piece of cloth can’t be used for its original purpose, it’s a rag. What else is a rag? Do you see that as a glove? You’re not going to wrap that around your hand, are you?”

“Why? It just needs to cover the mark.”

When I wrapped it around my hand, it covered the mark perfectly, and I was quite satisfied. I looked back at the others, intending to ask for their opinions, but everyone was making embarrassed expressions and avoiding eye contact. Only Deron was nodding as if it were okay.

“…I feel a considerable sense of déjà vu. Are you never going to develop an aesthetic sense?”

Lapis spoke with a face as if he’d found a bug. I didn’t know if it was my imagination, but even his voice seemed colder. He wasn’t just annoyed; he was genuinely angry, and I instinctively shrank.

“Is it that weird?”

“Are you even asking that? How did you make that dress in the first place? If you’re just going to focus on the covering function, why not just wear a cloth and not bother with shapes? Do you think the development of civilization is a joke? Do you think people create accessories for no reason and design costumes because they’re bored?”

“…Okay. Don’t be angry. I can do something else.”

It must be really awful if he hated it that much. I felt dejected (at this time, Deron also had a sullen face) and was untying the cloth when I heard someone muttering next to me.

“Ah, right. So that’s why.”

“Huh?”

The person muttering incomprehensible words was Sibelius. When I looked at him in bewilderment, he stared at me silently for a moment. An expression that I couldn’t decipher—whether he wanted to laugh or cry—flitted across his face. I wanted to ask him why, but his mouth opened before mine. Besides, his words were so unexpected that I could only react with surprise.

“Hey, El. Shall I make you gloves?”

“Huh? Gloves? Do you know how to do that?”

“Complex shapes are difficult, but in this case, you just need to cover the back of your hand. Wait a minute. I have a good material. It’ll suit you.”

Sibelius took out something. He measured my hand with something like a tape measure, then cut the cloth he’d taken out without hesitation and started sewing. That’s all I saw, but when I came to my senses, a glove that covered only the back of my hand was already completed. It was like magic.

“How is it?”

“Amazing, Sibelius! It’s like something you’d buy in a store. How did you do this?”

“It’s nothing. I just cut and sewed it according to the shape. It just looks plausible because the material is good.”

He said modestly, but even I could tell he had extraordinary skills. To what extent? Lapis’s face, which had been horribly distorted, regained its composure. Even though he hated Sibelius.

Of course, it wasn’t wrong to say that the material was good. The fabric was a light blue color, and a silver-white pattern spread across it like scales, making it very pretty. Besides, it was so light and elastic that I couldn’t feel it at all. It was almost transparent, but it perfectly covered the demon god’s mark without showing the inside.