Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 242

242. Episode 242

“Anyway, the conclusion is this. In short, you want to confirm the facts. You got a definite answer from Ellyuen, but you still don’t know what Trowell thinks.”

While I was muttering nonsense to myself, Ifrit continued to speak. I hesitated and slowly nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Hmm, well, I guess so. It’s definitely unsettling to just let it go. You need to know for sure.”

I thought he would start by scolding me for being obsessed with absurd things, but unexpectedly, Ifrit seemed to sympathize with my situation. He seemed quite serious about it. I was a little puzzled by the hesitation on his face as he glanced at me. Ifrit repeated this action several times before opening his mouth with a determined look.

“About that Saint, Cybellius, Ellyuen said he didn’t know him, right? That there was no such past?”

“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”

“But that’s just saying he doesn’t remember that Saint. As far as I know, it’s true that Trowell tried to eliminate humans during the time that Saint mentioned.”

“……Huh?”

“Of course, I heard the story too. It was a time when the previous Ifrit, not me, existed. But it’s such a famous story that everyone knows about it.”

That was really true? I was stunned, not knowing how to react for a moment. Trowell was the part of Cybellius’s story that I trusted the least. As his memory was considered unstable, I naturally assumed that what he said about it wasn’t true either. But it was a famous story that many people knew. I felt like I had been hit in the back of the head from an unexpected place.

“But that fact doesn’t necessarily support the Saint’s claim. He may have suffered a mental breakdown from being sealed for so long. Maybe he’s mistaking rumors he’s heard for things he’s experienced?”

“Kanos said his memory was too clear for that.”

“That guy might just be subtly crazy. He’s not an ordinary human, but a Saint, and a noble one at that. He’s been sealed for more time than he’s lived, so he could have plausibly filled in the gaps in his unstable memory, couldn’t he? It’s possible he’s pieced together fragments of information to create a false narrative.”

“I, I guess so.”

“The problem is the content of the fairy tale that Trowell gave you… It was a story about a human boy who summoned Elquines and a white horse? Really?”

“Uh-huh, that’s what he said.”

“Hmm, that’s really strange. If only one person was making that claim, we could dismiss it as nonsense, but if there are records, the story is completely different. You know that, too.”

Yes, I thought so too. So, I was more inclined to believe Cybellius’s claim than my own instincts. Even if the fake El hadn’t appeared, I’m sure I would have faced this problem someday. I wouldn’t have been able to actively demand an explanation, so it would have proceeded in a more gloomy and frustrating manner. Maybe it was thanks to Kanos deliberately bringing it up that it was resolved more smoothly.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Well, the person involved knows the truth best, no matter what we say. Don’t you think so, Trowell?”

Only after hearing him ask as he turned around did I realize that Trowell was looking this way. He had a strange expression on his face, as if he was a little embarrassed. I flinched a little at the embarrassment that he couldn’t hide on his face.

“Hmm, this is a very difficult situation.”

“……!”

“What, did you really know everything and plan it?”

A more violent reaction than mine erupted from Ifrit, who widened his eyes. As for me, I couldn’t do anything but swallow my breath. Seeing my nervous appearance, Trowell made an embarrassed expression again. It seemed that thinking that it didn’t matter what the outcome was was just my arrogance. Just as I was feeling like I wanted to cry as my thoughts turned more and more negative.

“Ah, this is so frustrating! Trowell! Don’t be ambiguous and answer straight!”

“No, wait. Don’t push me too hard, Ifrit. I’m choosing my words carefully right now.”

“Does that mean you admit the allegations?”

“Oh, come on. There’s no way. No.”

“……!”

No? I raised my head sharply at the immediate answer that followed a sigh. Trowell had a slightly resigned expression on his face.

“Then you should have said so earlier, why were you hesitating so much?”

“Well, of course, it’s embarrassing. I never thought that the old days would be mentioned again.”

The tone of his answer was blunt, as if he was annoyed by the repeated questioning. It seemed that he wasn’t just feigning embarrassment, as his cheeks were also slightly red, which was rare. Come to think of it, even though he looked troubled, it was a slightly different atmosphere from being caught off guard. When he met my eyes, he sighed again as if the ground was about to collapse.

“I can’t believe El found out about it. El has experience living as a human, so I didn’t want to tell him about that time if possible. I just wanted to show him the good side of me. But I failed miserably. I’m sorry, El. Are you disappointed in me?”

“Ah, no. Not really…”

“Even if you say that, I know you were very surprised. Hmm, Cybellius, was it? How dare he tell El about that without permission? I’ll have to go see what he looks like sometime.”

Trowell’s eyes, which were smiling brightly, were eerie, unlike his expression, so I swallowed hard. And Ifrit sensitively recognized the meaning of those words.

“Does that mean you don’t know who that Saint is either?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve heard that a unicorn with Rune’s bloodline had that name back then. But I’ve never met him in person. I don’t know anything about the human who’s the same as El either.”

“What about the book you gave to that girl, Alisa? What’s inside it?”

“Hmm, I’m very embarrassed right now. First of all, to explain, I just went into any bookstore and bought it. The purpose was to get her to experience spirits naturally, but she was still a child, so I chose a fairy tale format. I just wanted to arouse her interest, so I really just picked anything. I didn’t even know that there was such content in it until now.”

“So, it’s just a coincidence?”

“I swear on my honor.”

“He says so?”

With those words, the eyes of the two Spirit Kings turned to me at the same time. As I was being showered with attention all at once, I finally realized the situation. In the end, everything about Trowell was a misunderstanding.

It’s really embarrassing to realize that I was wrong, just like with Ellyuen. I can’t help but feel embarrassed even though I wanted it to be true. I wanted to crawl into a rat hole if there was one in front of me.

“I, I’m sorry. I misunderstood.”

I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes and lowered my head, but I felt a warm touch on my head. It was Trowell who was stroking my hair. When our eyes met, he smiled playfully and hugged me tightly. I just showed my embarrassment without knowing what to do.

“T, Trowell?”

“Our El, you’ve been through a lot. You were very anxious alone, weren’t you? It’s okay now.”

“……”

It’s okay now.

The gentle voice permeated my heart like a spring rain announcing spring. The lingering afterglow caused small ripples even within it, and instantly bloomed into fluffy flowers.

-The place where you were originally supposed to be.

The meaning of those words, which I had lightly dismissed, struck me deeply at this moment. Ah, yes. This was really the place I was supposed to return to.

I raised my arms, which I had been awkwardly dropping, and hugged Trowell tightly. Along with a light laugh, I felt his hand on my back gently patting me. The scent of the deep meadow that I felt from him made my eyes water. I’m so happy, but that’s why I’m even more scared. I’m afraid that one day I’ll open my eyes and it will all be a dream. I’m afraid that I’ll go back to being Kang Ji-hoon, who wasn’t given anything again.

I didn’t know that losing something was so scary before I had it. There was a time when I wished that every day I opened my eyes would be a dream. But now I dream of the opposite wish. I hope that this time, the people around me, are not a dream. It’s okay if I’m scared for the rest of my life. It was better than this beautiful world not being real.

And I hope that one day I can repay this feeling to my people. I hope that I can be a strong support for them to lean on when they are having a hard time. In the warm embrace of my brothers, I quietly prayed in my heart. It was a day that I would never forget for the rest of my life.

* * *

The signs of change began to appear in the realm of wind around the end of dawn. Suddenly, a soft breeze began to circulate in the space where nothing had been felt, as if it were in a vacuum. At first, it was just a rapid flow of air, but as time passed, it gradually appeared in a visible form. A small whirlwind of wind was created in the center of the area.

“T, Trowell!”

When I turned around in embarrassment, he nodded with a leisurely smile.

“A new wind is coming. It’s faster than I thought. It seems that the Underworld has prepared thoroughly this time.”

“Of course, it has to come out like that.”

Even on Ifrit’s face, who was speaking in a nonchalant manner, there was a look of joy. Seeing the faces of the two Spirit Kings, who couldn’t hide their joy, I really felt that a new Minerva was being born.

The vortex gradually increased in size while remaining in a fixed state. It was only a moment before the size of a child grew to the size of an adult, and then swelled into a huge tornado. When I felt the strong wind swirling around me, the threatening whirlwind seemed to tear the whole world apart filled the surroundings. No, it felt like the space itself had become a whirlwind.

Because the furniture and even the floor, which had been decorated with clouds, were all swept away and scattered inside, we were in a state as if we were floating in the air. However, even in such a strong wind, not even a strand of hair was shaken, let alone the hem of our clothes. It was a strange sight, as if the background and the production were playing separately. It seemed to be the same phenomenon as not getting wet even when entering the water area.

No matter how strong the wind here is, it has no effect on us. Of course, this only applies to spirits. It was clear that if another being entered this moment, they would suffer great hardship.

“Look there, El. She’s being born.”

“……!”

At Trowell’s words, which I heard as if whispering, I reflexively held my breath. As he said, a hazy shape was appearing inside the vortex. It was still close to a transparent mass, so I could only barely confirm the overall silhouette, but I could tell at a glance that it was a slender figure and that she was short. If she was born like this, she would be the smallest of us.

“She’s small. Is this Minerva a young appearance?”

“Doesn’t it feel like she’s getting smaller and smaller? At that size, she looks like she’s only in her early teens at best.”

Trowell and Ifrit, who were watching together, took turns expressing their impressions. After a while, a group of pure white lights rose from the top of the silhouette and gradually began to pour down. Each time the group of lights went down, the shape of Minerva became clearer. First, pure white hair was revealed, and then a smooth face line followed below. From the tightly closed eyes and the straight nose to the sculpturally beautiful lips. Each time the delicate features were revealed one by one in the sparkling light, an indescribable emotion filled my heart. It felt like I was watching the most amazing and brilliant sight in the world.

“Isn’t she beautiful?”

Trowell smiled lightly at me, who was dazedly stunned. I nodded immediately.

“She’s really pretty. It’s like sculpting a pottery made of wind with light.”

“Sculpting with light, that’s a great expression.”

“But that’s really how it looks. Ugh, it’s a waste that I have to keep such a beautiful sight only in my eyes. If I were in Korea, I would have taken a video.”

“Video? You can do that now, too?”

“Huh? You can?”

Surprised by the unexpected words, I turned around and Trowell shrugged his shoulders and took something out of his pocket. It was a bead made of black stone.

“It’s a video stone. It’s made by processing magic stones, and it can store the scene as it is. Is this what you’re talking about?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You have something like this here too. Can I use this?”

“As much as you want. But do you really need to save the birth scene? You can always remember it clearly just by reminiscing.”

“That’s true, but I just thought it would be more meaningful to leave a record. Wouldn’t it be nice to show it to Minerva later as a souvenir?”

“Ah, that would be fun.”

“Right?”

“Yeah, let’s film it quickly.”

Thus, we began to commit the unprecedented act of recording the birth of the Spirit King on a video stone for the first time in the Spirit Realm. Ifrit looked at us with a pathetic gaze.

“What are you doing? I can understand El, but what are you thinking by participating, Trowell?”

“Why? Doesn’t it sound fun? No Spirit King has ever seen what they looked like when they were born. When this is completed, Minerva will be the first one. It’s really amazing. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

“……Anyway, El has ruined the normal Spirit Realm. How are you going to take responsibility for this? Huh?”

Pretending not to feel the glaring gaze, I steadfastly did not take my eyes off the front. Even during that time, Minerva’s appearance was becoming clearer and clearer. Slender arms and fingers were created, followed by two legs. Just as a pure white dress covered her seemingly transparent body, the wind that had been raging so widely as to swallow everything stopped. Finally, the process of birth was completed.