Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 244

244.

“Can’t I ask again?”

“……No. What’s the question?”

“It’s about the way you’ve been calling Elquines. Why do you call him El? Shouldn’t it be Elquines?”

“Huh? It’s just a nickname.”

“Hmm. A nickname? Then why aren’t Ifrit or Trowell called by nicknames? All Spirit Kings are equal, but not everyone is called by a nickname. Isn’t that a kind of discrimination?”

The tone of the question was serious, even somewhat solemn. Perhaps that’s why Trowell and Ifrit slowly stopped laughing and returned to their usual composure.

“I don’t think it’s that serious, Minerva. ‘El’ is a nickname, but it’s also a playful name. We have playful names too. There’s a difference in who gave them, but I don’t think it’s discriminatory.”

“Then, are you not thinking of having separate nicknames?”

“I’m more comfortable as I am, so not really. What about you, Ifrit?”

“I don’t want to add any more names here either. I wouldn’t like it even if someone gave me one.”

“Is that so? That’s a pity…….”

For some reason, Minerva’s expression clouded over. She seemed genuinely sorry, which made watching her even more nerve-wracking. Trowell, who had been quietly watching her, asked.

“Do you perhaps want to have a nickname too, Minerva?”

“……”

At that moment, we saw it. The face of the expressionless girl, who had been tightly shutting her mouth, slightly contorted.

‘So that’s it!’

Based on our experience so far, that face was definitely a shy smile. We became busy in an instant.

“Ahaha! Well, now that you mention it, it would be nice for Minerva to have a nickname too. Don’t you think? Hahaha!”

“Yeah, I agree. That’s a really good idea.”

“Yeah, I’m in favor too. Let’s give our Minerva a pretty nickname.”

Glancing back, Minerva’s eyes were sparkling. This time, the reaction was so obvious that anyone could tell. I coughed to suppress my laughter. Trowell and Ifrit were also trembling, trying to clench their lips.

“What would be good? Since she’s female, a cute name would be better, right?”

“Since Elquines is called ‘El,’ how about calling Minerva ‘Mine’?”

“Ah, that’s good!”

“Yeah, I like it too.”

Ifrit suggested, and we quickly nodded. It seemed like a decent name for something made up on the spot.

“What do you think, Minerva?”

“……Mine? Is that my nickname?”

“Yeah. Even though it’s a nickname, we can’t ignore your opinion, so we’ll reconsider if you don’t like it.”

“No. I like it.”

Minerva answered immediately. Her expression was very strange, but no one was surprised by that face anymore. Compared to her aloof first impression, she had a surprisingly easy-to-understand personality. It felt like we had already grasped a lot about her.

Thus began our meeting with Minerva, the Spirit King of Wind, who was full of unique charm.

* * *

A loud noise of something breaking echoed. It was the sound of ornaments collapsing all at once from the desk that had just been struck. Papers and books scattered in all directions. Among them, an ink bottle rolling around couldn’t withstand the lingering vibrations and finally fell to the floor. The black ink that poured out of the opening instantly stained the carpet.

“A crushing defeat. A crushing defeat, you say.”

The voice, lowered as if grinding teeth, and the deep rage within it silenced everyone. Especially the face of the person reporting directly in front of him had turned completely pale. What he conveyed was the result of the battle of Lassen Castle that had taken place a few days ago. Just two days. Duke Yukarte gnashed his teeth again at the miserable numbers written before his eyes.

It was a battle where the outcome had already been decided since Duke Cavel, a Sword Master [a master of swordsmanship], had entered the war. Still, he had expected it to buy some time, but it collapsed much faster than expected. Without much of a fight, the majority surrendered, so they didn’t inflict much damage. From Duke Claymore’s side, it was as if tens of thousands of soldiers had rolled in all at once while he was just sitting there.

“The collapse of the castle walls was the biggest cause of the defeat. I never imagined that Lassen Castle, known as an impregnable fortress, would fall so easily…….”

“You said a spirit mage was active?”

“Yes, it seems that an earth spirit mage named Alisa used a method of causing a large earthquake to collapse the foundation.”

“An earth spirit mage? ……Not water?”

“Yes. It was definitely an earth spirit mage. There’s even talk that she’s a girl who’s not even twenty yet.”

Not water, but earth.

Yukarte narrowed his brows and stroked his chin. He had naturally assumed that the Water Spirit King had stepped in, but his expectations were off. Well, if the Spirit King had stepped in, there would have been no need to bother collapsing the castle walls. His cheeky nephew didn’t seem to have any intention of letting the world know that he had a contract with the Spirit King. Remaining silent even though it was such a huge thing that could change the landscape in an instant meant that he wasn’t at rock bottom yet. That fact was unbearably irritating. Moreover, another force was helping him. As much as he didn’t know his whereabouts after losing track of him, Yukarte became even more anxious.

“Did you find out about that earth spirit mage?”

“So far, we’ve only revealed that she’s from the Alfonp Empire.”

“Alfonp?”

At that moment, Yukarte recalled the unpleasant report he had received a while ago. It was about a certain plan that was underway in the Alfonp Empire. He had been steadily gathering children in their early teens who were looking for the Academy. He had never failed for several years, but just recently, one branch was discovered, ruining everything. A stranger broke into the secret passage and took all the kidnapped children away.

Among the children who had escaped at that time was a girl who was an earth spirit mage. Because it was a rare ability, he regretted it even more, so there was no way he would misremember. A girl from the Alfonp Empire who was not yet twenty. What were the chances that someone with the condition of being an earth spirit mage would be involved in his work twice? The answer became surprisingly clear.

“……Isana, was it you who intervened?”

“Yes? What did you say?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Yukarte laughed in vain. At the time, the secret passage was hidden under strict security and guarded by armed soldiers. But the stranger broke in so easily, used an unknown method to put all the soldiers to sleep, and then leisurely took the children away. He hadn’t been able to figure out the reason until now, but to think he would find the answer here.

‘So you were in the Alfonp Empire. No wonder I couldn’t find you no matter how much I searched the country.’

Moreover, she was ruining his work even after going there. She really was a nephew who had a knack for surprising him in many ways. There was no way she would have known that fact in advance and gone there, so she probably got involved by chance. At this point, it was no different from a bad relationship destined by the heavens.

No, not the heavens. Yukarte smiled bitterly. He had created this bad relationship himself. It was a shackle he couldn’t escape, and a curse that had already been foretold. Yes, from when she said that.

The clear voice that still couldn’t be erased shouted at him. He still remembered the image of the beautiful woman who had said that. She was a woman who had once filled his heart just by looking at her, his only soul. She was a sister who shared blood thicker than blood relatives, and his most beloved friend. Her face did not waver, even as it was filled with painful emotions. And he, too, must have been looking at her with the same face.

He shook off her hand that was grabbing him. He didn’t feel anything even as he saw her eyes shaking as if she couldn’t believe it. A scream-like sound echoed behind him as he turned and walked away.

‘It happened as she said, Roa. Yes, you were always right.’

Yukarte looked down at his hand. The hand that had shaken her off at that time was always as cold as ice. Every time he became aware of that chill, a cruel impulse to twist someone’s neck boiled up. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen blood in a long time recently. It was because he hadn’t heard from the place where he was supposed to receive blood.

Originally, contact wasn’t regular, but it was the first time that there had been no news for more than half a month. As it was a work in progress with many risks, the possibility that something had gone wrong in the middle could not be ruled out. In fact, his premonition hadn’t been good since the drought ended. The Water Spirit King was born too early than he thought. If it had gone as expected, the drought should have lasted a few more years. If that had happened, everything would have been perfect.

Even though he knew that it was meaningless to make assumptions about the past, Yukarte couldn’t help but feel sorry. He was clearly aware that he was losing his composure as time went on. But not yet. He couldn’t collapse here now. If it was going to end like this, he wouldn’t have started it.

“Double the number of Imperial troops stationed on the outskirts of the capital and gather troops in each region.”

He immediately gave the next order. Duke Cavel would soon lead his troops and advance to the Imperial City. Since he had failed to eliminate the source of the problem in advance, he would have to trample on it in earnest from now on. But the movements of the nobles, who should have moved in an orderly manner the moment the order was given, were slow. It was when Yukarte narrowed his eyes when he saw that.

“Your Grace, I have something to say.”

Young nobles with hardened faces stepped forward in front of him. Yukarte immediately recognized who they were. They were people who admired Duke Cavel’s valor and usually took a neutral stance.

“What is it?”

“As the battle of Lassen Castle came to an end, a rumor has recently been circulating among the people. Duke Claymore is protecting His Majesty the Emperor. He said this: The Regent is falsely accusing His Majesty the Emperor of being mentally ill, forcibly confining him, and trying to usurp the throne…….”

“……Hoo, is that so?”

“We believed Your Grace’s words that His Majesty the Emperor had been kidnapped by thugs. But after hearing that the opposite is true, we are just confused as to which is the truth. You must explain this.”

“An explanation……What if it’s not true?”

“Then that rumor is…….”

“Isn’t it obvious? Duke Cavel is lying.”

“Th, that can’t be! Duke Cavel is not the kind of person who would…….”

“Haha, you guys are quite naive. Duke Cavel is not the kind of person who would do that? Then you wouldn’t believe even more that he’s aiming for the throne?”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

“It’s as it sounds. He’s trying to put the blame on me for his own charges. You guys were almost fooled by his words. I understand. Even His Majesty seems to have been swayed by his sweet words and is doing whatever he tells him to do. It’s a very unfortunate thing.”

“Lies! That can’t be! We can’t believe Your Grace’s words!”

The surroundings quickly became quiet. In the tense silence, Yukarte let out a light sigh and slowly swept his hair up. The chill in his hand seemed to have become stronger than before. He needed something hot. Something wet and hot that felt like it would burn him at any moment.

“……Is that so. It’s a pity that you can’t believe it. Then my god will show you the truth.”

“What…….”

The young nobles who were protesting at the incomprehensible words were bewildered. But that moment didn’t last long. “Cough!” One of them suddenly gasped and staggered. His colleagues, surprised by the situation suddenly unfolding next to him, turned to look at him.

“Baron Raschel? What’s wrong all of a sudden……Cough!”

“Baron Bielt! Aagh!”

The misfortune soon continued for the rest of them. Pain that felt like their whole body was distorted along with tremendous pressure assailed them. Their limbs were bent at will, and red blood flowed down from their bodies even though they weren’t injured. It was as if they were pouring out blood from every hole in their body. It was a sight so terrible that they couldn’t bear to look at it. The people around them couldn’t even scream and froze on the spot. After struggling for a long time, the young nobles soon fell to the floor one by one. There was no longer any warmth of a living person left in their blood-soaked bodies.

“Oh my, my god says I was right.”

Yukarte said, looking down at the pile of corpses piled up on the floor with cold eyes. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the space where a chilling silence had settled. Yukarte leisurely raised his gaze and slowly looked around. Every time his eyes met, the people who had turned pale trembled with faces that looked like they were about to suffocate. After watching that with satisfaction, he ordered the chamberlain nearby.

“Clean those up and bring Duke Caribdis.”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness!”

The chamberlain, who quickly bowed, gestured around. Only then did the other people come to their senses and start moving in a hurry. In the space that had become busy in an instant, only Yukarte was standing quietly alone. He looked down at his hand again. It was covered in red blood, probably from the ones who had fallen down a while ago. It was a very satisfying sensation.

‘It’s okay. I can use my strength. My god is still healthy. Nothing has gone wrong yet.’

He repeated the thought he had had a while ago in his mind. He also recalled his last conversation with his friend. The words he couldn’t answer and had to swallow inside as well.

“You’re going to stand in my way? Of course, you can, Roa. Because you’re always right. But that’s it. I’m going to be the one who survives.”

He wanted to tell her in her ear, as if whispering the sweetest secret in the world.

He was still regretting that he couldn’t tell her because she had already died a long time ago.

“I’ll step on anything and climb up. Even if it’s your son’s blood.”

You shouldn’t have wished for anything in the first place.

Yukarte smiled languidly. He couldn’t help it even if he was crazy. The end had already been decided, and he was just moving forward. It was just that.