Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 241

241.

In the serene domain of the wind, now devoid of its master, we spent an entire night. Even with the king gone, the wind spirits under his command remained, so nothing seemed different. Yet, I couldn’t shake off the emptiness and desolation that crept in from time to time, as if something crucial was missing. It wasn’t just the sense of loss from losing an acquaintance; it felt like a fundamental piece of the world’s structure was gone, leaving me feeling empty and unstable. Naturally, this was because one of the main pillars that maintained the balance of the Spirit Realm had vanished.

I suppose everyone felt this way before I was born. They say you never know until you experience it yourself, and only now, standing on the other side, did I realize how awful it must have been. Especially since, back then, even the remaining water spirits had disappeared, making the imbalance even more severe. It must have felt like being pushed to the very edge of a cliff. Now I understand why Trowell reached out to me so eagerly and why Ifrit was so quick to pick a fight.

Of course, no matter how much I empathize, it can’t compare to what they felt back then. Perhaps that’s why, after their grief had subsided somewhat, the two Spirit Kings became extremely sensitive.

“This Minerva will be born properly, right? If something like that happens again, I won’t let it go this time.”

“Haha, surely not. You’re overthinking it, Ifrit. The Underworld isn’t full of idiots; they wouldn’t do something so foolish again, would they?”

Following Ifrit, who was grinding his teeth, even Trowell, with a bright smile, uttered harsh words. If the new Minerva wasn’t born within a few days, they seemed ready to wage war against the Underworld. Of course, that wasn’t realistically possible (they couldn’t even cross over), but I could only offer an awkward smile amidst the menacing aura of the two Spirit Kings. Although I was also a victim of the past disaster, I couldn’t help but feel like a culprit since I was also a direct cause.

Still, this atmosphere was better than being constantly depressed. I was especially relieved that Trowell had returned to his usual self. I glanced at Trowell, who was busy plotting war with Ifrit. He had a clean face now, but just a while ago, he had been struggling to stop crying for a long time. I was afraid he would be consumed by grief and completely collapse. Even after he had calmed down somewhat, the shadow on his face didn’t disappear, so I was worried, but thankfully, he seemed completely fine now. He even looked refreshed, as if he had cried it all out.

Was I being too obvious in trying to gauge his mood? Trowell turned to me as if he sensed my gaze. He smiled nonchalantly at my flustered expression. His smile seemed to say that he was okay, which reassured me once again. He smiled even more deeply at my obvious relief.

“For now, shall we trust the Underworld and wait? If the succession is done properly, the new Minerva will be born in the next two or three days. Until then, let’s pass the time by leisurely sharing stories.”

“Sharing stories?”

“Everyone has been scattered for a while. I’m especially curious about El’s story. I heard you met a Demon God recently? And that you were trapped in his barrier? How was it? Are there any aftereffects?”

He seemed to have already grasped my situation before I even confessed. I quickly shook my head at his worried gaze.

“Ah, no, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Demon Gods are notorious for their pranks. I was worried when the water energy was unstable for a while, but I never imagined he had interfered. I’m sorry, El. I should have been more careful.”

“No, don’t be sorry. …But how did you know that?”

“Ifrit sent a messenger.”

“Huh? Ifrit?”

“I heard the general outline from him. That the Demon King had violated a taboo, and that the Demon God was personally investigating the related incident. I heard that he can’t be contacted right now, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

I glanced at Ifrit, and he turned his head away, feigning ignorance. Seeing that, I roughly understood what had happened. He had acted nonchalantly in front of me, but as soon as he turned around, he had frantically searched for Trowell.

“I told Ifrit too, but I can barely read anything about that matter. But if it’s just to check on the Demon God’s well-being… El, I think you can tell.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You received a mark from him, right? I can feel the Demon God’s energy on you.”

“Ah!”

I quickly lowered my gaze and hurriedly took off my gloves. When I removed the thin cloth (or rather, scales) covering the back of my hand, the Demon God’s mark that was engraved underneath was clearly revealed. Trowell looked slightly relieved when he saw it.

“Yes, it’s okay. You don’t have to worry.”

“Really?”

“A mark is like a passage connected to a god. It’s maintained by the god’s power, so if something happened to him, it would show the first signs.”

Hearing that, I stared intently at the mark. Just like Trowell said, both its color and shape were the same as when I first received it. I see. Nothing’s wrong yet. I let out a big sigh and brushed my chest, and Ifrit said triumphantly.

“See? I told you he’d be fine! You’re just making a fuss.”

“…Are you one to talk? You immediately sought advice from Trowell.”

“W-What! That’s because you were so worried! It wasn’t for my sake, it was for yours!”

“Oh, is that so.”

“Yeah! Do you finally understand how deep my heart is? Haa, I’m just too kind. I guess I’m the only one qualified to be your mom.”

“…”

Anyway, it wouldn’t be so annoying if he just kept his mouth shut. I was so dumbfounded that I didn’t even feel like getting angry. Next to me, who was just making a dry face, at a loss for words, Trowell couldn’t stop laughing.

“Anyway, I’m relieved that the Demon God is safe and sound. The Demon King’s influence is still there, so that means they’re both still alive.”

“I guess so. Why is it still so quiet?”

Ifrit agreed and expressed his doubts at Trowell’s monotonous muttering. The faces of the two Spirit Kings, who were exchanging words, were serious because it was such a serious matter.

“Was the spell not real? Or is there no progress in the investigation?”

“That could be the case, or it could be the worst-case scenario.”

“The worst?”

“That the awakening has progressed too far to do anything about it.”

“…No way. That can’t be. The Demon God himself stepped in, how could he not be able to do anything?”

“Well, you never know. It’s about an evil god, after all. There aren’t many records about evil gods, but it’s certain that they’re the only beings that can surpass the main gods. I think it’s a plausible story.”

Ifrit’s face hardened, and the air around him became heavy. I couldn’t bring myself to intervene and carefully watched the two Spirit Kings.

“Anyway, the Divine Realm will try to conceal this matter as much as possible, so they don’t want to cause a stir. It’s a big gain for us to be able to grasp this much. We should thank El.”

“Huh? Me?”

I was taken aback by the unexpected praise, and Trowell nodded with a matter-of-fact face.

“Actually, we have no way of knowing what’s going on there unless the Divine Realm gives us information. If it weren’t for the mark you have, El, we wouldn’t even have been able to confirm the Demon God’s safety. The only way we could try is to monitor the movements of the temples, but there aren’t even any proper priests in the Demon God’s temple right now.”

“Ah, I guess so…”

“I think that’s why the Demon God gave you the mark. He left the most certain trace. So you can immediately check on his safety and grasp the situation.”

That certainly made sense. I looked down at the back of my hand again with a fresh feeling. I thought he was just being capricious, but it seemed that Kanos had taken all of this into account at the time. He was somewhat unpredictable, but still a person I couldn’t hate.

“I thought the mark of a god was just a sign of a priest. I didn’t know it could also be such a great means of communication. Thank you, El. Thanks to you, I’ve gained a great realization.”

“No, it’s not to the point where I deserve thanks… I just received it on a whim because he gave it to me.”

“Haha, that’s what’s amazing. As I said, the impression that marks are just signs of priests is so strong that people usually refuse or feel unpleasant even if they’re offered one. But El, you accepted it with goodwill. Maybe the Demon God wouldn’t have tried to give you the mark if you weren’t that kind of person.”

“Is, is that so?”

“Yes, the fact that you trust others and don’t readily doubt their intentions. I think that’s really wonderful.”

Trowell’s face as he said that made me feel very proud of myself, which made me very embarrassed. …I knew better than anyone that that wasn’t the case. Throughout the last journey, I had constantly doubted his intentions, was easily swayed, and didn’t trust him until the end. The unexpected praise felt more like a rebuke. I looked at Trowell with a sinking feeling. His golden eyes, which were looking straight at me, were filled with trust and affection. Since the moment we first met, his gaze has always been consistent. Looking back, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who was so kind to me. That’s why my heart felt heavier.

“Hey, Trowell. I have something to apologize to you for. I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

He blinked in surprise at my abrupt words. Ifrit, who was next to him, also had a puzzled look on his face. It was only natural that he didn’t understand since I hadn’t told him about it. The problem was what came next. It was good that I had apologized with such vigor, but when I tried to continue, it wasn’t easy. My lips stuck together like magnets and wouldn’t come apart.

“El?”

The gazes watching me became more intense as I hesitated to speak. I took a deep breath and calmed my trembling insides. I knew why I was hesitating even though I had already made up my mind. I’m scared right now. No matter what truth it reveals, things might never be the same again once all the stories are over. The anxiety that I hadn’t shaken off was still stubbornly biting at my legs.

‘But I still have to say it.’

If I back down here, I won’t be able to escape the thoughts that torment me. It was better to disappoint him than to keep suspecting him like this.

“Actually, I doubted you without even asking. No, maybe I still haven’t completely resolved my doubts.”

“Hmm? What do you doubt?”

“Th-That’s… well, what happened was…”

I squeezed out as much courage as I could and confessed the past events. The process of meeting Sibelius, the story of the distant past I heard from him. The fact that the things I learned while forming a relationship with Alisa felt like they had been pieced together. Kanos took advantage of that weakened psychology and played a mischievous prank, and then the situation was resolved. Trowell, who had been listening with interest at first, lost the expression on his face as the story progressed. I tried to ignore the fear that suddenly struck me and continued to explain steadily.

“…That’s what happened.”

“…”

When I finished explaining everything, I felt relieved and exhausted at the same time. I glanced at Trowell’s expression, but he still had a face that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He seemed to be lost in thought and didn’t even realize that I had finished speaking.

“Wait a minute! So what! You met not only the Demon God but also Ellyuen there?”

It was Ifrit who reacted first. As if he were the King of Fire Spirits, his eyes flashed as if they were burning, and I sighed.

“Hey, that’s not the important thing right now.”

“That’s the most important thing to me! Are you going to keep meeting Ellyuen without me knowing? And you’ve been hiding that fact until now! How could you do that?”

“Ugh, I didn’t hide it on purpose. It just happened…”

“It just happened? Aha, so that’s all I am to you. I’m someone you can tell your deep secrets to or not, it doesn’t matter, is that it?”

“What? N-No! That’s not true.”

I shook my head in surprise, but Ifrit’s hardened face didn’t budge. It seemed like he was really hurt.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Ifrit. I really didn’t mean to…”

“Hmph, why are you so desperately trying to make excuses? I’m just kidding, you idiot.”

“Huh?”

I was flustered by the sudden change in tone and raised my head. Ifrit was looking at me with a slightly complicated face.

“Anyway, you’re really… Aren’t you too considerate of others’ feelings? Don’t be so intimidated by these words. I was just saying it, but now I feel uncomfortable.”

“Huh? So you’re not angry?”

“It was an emergency, and it wasn’t a story to tell in detail. No matter how much it is me, I wouldn’t get angry over something like this. I want to punch you for flaunting your bond with Ellyuen, but that’s a separate feeling.”

“…Are you really not angry?”

“Why? Do you want me to get angry?”

“Ahaha, no.”

As I quickly shook my head, his sharply raised eyes returned to their original position. I’ve been feeling it clearly lately, but the fact that there’s no hierarchy among the Spirit Kings is all a lie. If my position could be quantified, it would probably be rolling somewhere at the very bottom.