Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 246

Now, Lapis’s eyes were noticeably more complex. After staring at me silently for a while, he seemed conscious of the onlookers around us and grabbed my arm, pulling me along. He was heading in a completely different direction from the mansion, so I asked, bewildered,

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we won’t be disturbed. Did you come straight to me as soon as you arrived? Didn’t you meet anyone in between?”

“No. Trowell told me to see you first. He said to meet the others in about three hours?”

“Damn it, that bastard…! I guess I’m the easiest to deal with.”

I could hear Lapis grinding his teeth as he walked ahead. He headed into the dense forest connected to the outside of the plaza. When we reached a place where no one was around, he stopped and stared at me again.

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. Why don’t you tell me the reason before you glare?”

“Tell me. Have you noticed anything different about yourself lately? Like your senses being dulled, or your head feeling foggy.”

“Senses? No, quite the opposite. I feel very refreshed. Like I drank coffee.”

“Coffee?”

“It’s a drink that has a stimulating effect. When you’re sleepy, it makes you feel clear-headed.”

“…I see, I think I know what’s going on. It seems your true nature has awakened for a moment, influenced by the birth of the new Spirit King. Well, this is interesting.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means the environment is more important than your innate nature. You were very lucky to be born in the wrong place and come here. I guarantee, if you had been born as you were, you would have been more annoying than the previous Elquines.”

“I don’t mind? I’m disappointed. It means I missed the chance to annoy you.”

“…I’m going crazy. I have to endure this for three hours.”

I could see the stubbornness rising in his blazing eyes. I wondered why he was acting like this, and then something suddenly occurred to me.

“Lapis, now that I think about it. I think it’s fun when you’re in trouble.”

“I know, so shut up. Don’t mess with me.”

“I don’t want to. I told you it’s fun when you’re in trouble. And don’t order me around. It’s annoying.”

“I’m more annoyed!”

After that, Lapis and I continued our meaningless bickering for a long time. The sky was clear, without a single cloud. It was a shame to be stuck with Lapis on such a nice day, but it made me feel a little better to think that he probably felt the same way.

‘…Was I originally this twisted?’

Muttering to myself, I frowned slightly. Trowell and Lapis, both of them, seemed to be overreacting today, but now I wasn’t so sure. I felt better than usual, but I didn’t know why this lingering feeling remained. It felt like it was going to be a very long three hours.

* * *

“I’m sorry. I think I was a bit harsh.”

It might be obvious, but Trowell’s insight is always right. What I mean is, as time passed, I started to regret what I had said. Where did that confidence come from? I had been spouting out words that I would normally only grumble to myself when I was feeling emotional. Until a little while ago, I hadn’t thought about the consequences at all, but now that I realized how bad it was, I felt at a loss for how to fix it. It felt like I had been possessed by something and then suddenly came to my senses.

Lapis didn’t say anything to my careful apology. He just looked up at the sky with a face that seemed to have aged a hundred years at once, and then let out a long sigh.

“Exactly three hours. Are you starting to feel like fixing things now?”

“…Sorry.”

I must have been temporarily insane. What was I thinking, saying such awful things? I was so ashamed that I couldn’t even lift my head. I was just glad that the other person was Lapis. I felt sorry for him, but I felt less guilty than if I had been rude to someone else. I was glad I had decided to follow Trowell’s advice. I was relieved, and Lapis glared at me with an unpleasant look.

“Don’t be relieved that it went smoothly. It’s just the beginning.”

“What, what is?”

“The fact that your true nature has awakened means that you are more emotionally stable. It’s a good thing in a way, but it also means that your terrible personality will manifest again.”

“Hmm, when will that be?”

“Whenever you get emotional. You’ll be acting more impulsively than before. If you don’t want to worry about the aftermath like you do now, you’ll have to control your emotions.”

“Ugh, why is this happening all of a sudden? I didn’t eat anything wrong.”

“I told you, your true nature has awakened. Elquineses are naturally fierce, so everyone has had a terrible personality. You were an Elquines after all.”

“Are you going to keep calling me terrible?”

“Why, are you going to retort with harsh words again? You were doing so well a moment ago.”

“Don’t you hear that you hold grudges a lot!”

While we were bickering again, the sky became much darker. Before we knew it, the afternoon had passed and it was almost evening. I looked at the stars that had begun to appear one by one, and then turned my gaze back to Lapis.

“What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“I’m asking if you’re going to stay here or not. I was serious about what I said earlier, even if the way I expressed it was bad. I don’t want you to force yourself to be with me if you don’t want to.”

“So you’re telling me to get lost?”

“Don’t twist my words like that. I’m saying this because I’m thinking of you. It’s hard to be dragged around against your will.”

Saying that made me feel depressed, and I frowned slightly. Familiarity breeds contempt. I said that, but I would feel quite empty if Lapis really left. Lapis chuckled as if he had read my gloomy mood.

“It’s quite admirable that you’re thinking of me. I’m not being dragged around against my will, and I never said I didn’t like it. I came here expecting this much trouble from the beginning. Just don’t force any annoying relationships like camaraderie on me.”

“Don’t you want to get along with the others?”

“I’m cooperating when necessary. How much better do I have to get along here?”

“Still…”

“I like it just the way it is now. If you really care about me, respect my way of doing things. Not everyone is comfortable with being friendly like you.”

His face, as he spoke calmly, didn’t show any intention of scolding or sneering as usual. Thanks to that, I was able to sort out my thoughts quite calmly.

“Okay. Then I won’t interfere anymore either. But you have to do everything I tell you to do. You don’t have any complaints about that, right? You said you would cooperate.”

“…Hey.”

“Yeah, I know. As you said, everyone has different tendencies, and I can’t insist that my way is always right. I’m not that stubborn. But I’m only going to put up with your wayward personality to the extent that I can control it. I want you to think about that when you act. Let’s not make things complicated for each other. You’re not stupid, so you understand what I’m saying, right?”

I smiled and patted him lightly on the shoulder. I thought I had soothed him gently in my own way, but it didn’t seem that way to Lapis. I looked at him with a puzzled expression as he frowned deeply, and then I felt a slight sense of dismay.

“Ah, sorry. Was my way of speaking a bit off just now…?”

At the same time, Lapis sighed briefly, holding his forehead.

“One more hour of stay extended.”

* * *

When I returned after sorting things out, it was already close to midnight. Even at that late hour, the mansion was still bright. Numerous carts and boxes filled the front gate, and the shadows of people busily moving about could be seen on each floor. Armed soldiers guarded the area with more vigilance than ever before.

I thought about using spatial movement to enter, but I decided to follow the rules here. They were already on edge, and I didn’t want to give them any unnecessary stimulation with my actions. Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the entrance recognized us and readily opened the gate, so there was no problem passing through.

“El! You’re back!”

The first person I encountered as soon as I entered was Sibelius. He rushed towards me, expressing his joy with his whole body, and I smiled and waved at him.

“Sibyl, hello. You’re still awake?”

“Oh, come on. This is not the time to greet me so calmly. What happened? We were so worried when you suddenly disappeared.”

“I’m sorry. I had some unavoidable circumstances. Has anything happened in the meantime? Where are the others?”

“I put Alisa to bed because it was late, and the demon is probably in his room. And Isana… is in the training grounds.”

“Training grounds? At this hour?”

Even though Isana was diligent, he always made time to train. It wasn’t strange for him to be in the training grounds, but it was rare for him to go there so late, so I was puzzled.

“Was he that busy today?”

“There’s a lot of work, but I don’t think that’s the reason. He’s been coming back every day at dawn lately. Or rather, being carried back.”

“What?”

Sibelius looked a little embarrassed at my surprised question. I hardened my face at his explanation. For the past few days, once Isana entered the training grounds, he wouldn’t stop training until he was exhausted. When he collapsed as if he had fainted from overwork, the knights would carry him back to his room.

“I’m glad you came back, El. I was worried that something bad would happen. I tried to stop him a few times, but he wouldn’t listen to anyone…”

“…Did something happen to Isana?”

“That’s… I don’t know. He seems to have suddenly changed his attitude lately. But when I ask him, he just says nothing’s wrong.”

I immediately turned to look at Lapis. When our eyes met, he immediately made a nonchalant expression.

“I don’t know either.”

“…”

I didn’t expect anything, but as expected, his answer was of no help at all. I calmly calmed myself down to avoid venting my anger. I felt a strange tingling in my fingertips. He said it would be easy to act impulsively, and I was definitely becoming more daring than before. It was a good thing I was completely calm now, but if I had been myself a few tens of minutes ago, I might have slapped the back of that guy’s head.

‘Anyway, I should meet Isana first.’

Isana doesn’t tend to do rash things. The fact that he’s been training so hard for days, to the point of exhaustion, was a sign that couldn’t be ignored.

I headed straight to the training grounds. As I crossed the garden and headed towards the outskirts, I saw a building with a faint light seeping out. A group of people were standing outside the building. Some of them were familiar to me. Isana’s knights, including the commander of the Royal Guard, Kay. They were all staring at the door with anxious faces.

“Isn’t there too much security for inside the mansion?”

“…!”

I spoke lightly to ease the stiff atmosphere. The startled knights hurriedly turned around, and their eyes widened when they saw me.

“Lord El!”

“Oh, Lord El! You’re back!”

“Welcome back, Lord El!”

The sounds that cut through the silent space like waves poured in from all directions. It wasn’t that I had been away for that long, but they had desperate expressions as if they hadn’t seen me in years. Only the soldiers from the Duke’s side, who couldn’t keep up with the atmosphere, were looking around as if they thought the situation was strange, but no one paid attention to them.

I nodded lightly and looked inside the door. Inside the spacious room, I could see a boy swinging his sword repeatedly by himself. He was frighteningly focused, as if he couldn’t hear the commotion outside. It was Isana. He was already soaked in sweat from head to toe. His complexion was also so pale that it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed at any moment. Feeling my expression darken, the knights clung to me and complained as if they had been waiting for me.

“Lord El, we’re so glad you’re back. Please stop His Majesty. He’s been swinging his sword every night until he’s exhausted. We’ve tried to stop him so many times because we thought something bad would happen, but he doesn’t listen at all. He just kicks us out for getting in the way.”

“He said he would severely punish anyone who came in, so we have no way to stop him. It seems he doesn’t listen to his colleagues either. Please, Lord El, we beg you. If Lord El steps in, His Majesty will stop.”

I didn’t want to see grown men with tearful faces, but I understood their feelings. Isana wasn’t training right now. He was just hurting himself. His whole body was screaming in agony instead of his silent mouth. No vassal who risked his life to serve his lord would be able to calmly endure this sight. It was just as painful for me to watch.

“Did something happen to Isana?”

“We were frustrated because we didn’t know the reason either. Duke Cahlwell seemed to have something he suspected…”

“I see…”

If it was something that only Duke Cahlwell knew, then it might have been something that happened to him personally. I didn’t know what it was, but it was something I could find out from now on. I came to a comfortable conclusion and said to the knights.

“I’ll take care of this, so can you give me some space for a while?”

“We can’t leave His Majesty’s side…!”

The objection came from the Duke’s soldiers. Then the Royal Knights immediately stood in front of them. There were more soldiers, but the opponents were nobles and knights belonging to the Imperial Family. The soldiers, frozen by their oppressive atmosphere, closed their mouths. Royal Guard Captain Kay took them away and distanced himself. After moving some distance away, he bowed politely to me.

“Then Lord El, we’re counting on you.”

His eyes, shining with an overwhelming burden, contained a firm belief that I would resolve this whole situation. I nodded awkwardly and turned to look at Lapis and Sibelius, who were standing blankly behind me.

“You guys stay here too.”

“Are you going to meet him alone?”

“Yeah, I think it’s better to meet him alone right now. And Lapis, can you put some magic around the area so that the conversation inside doesn’t leak out?”

Lapis, who had been asked, nodded, and soon I felt mana spreading around the training grounds like a thin film. A silencing spell that blocked sound was activated.

“I can do this much too.”

Lapis chuckled at Sibelius, who was grumbling lightly. It was a face that anyone could see was mocking. Leaving behind the intense sparks that were erupting from the eyes of the two people glaring at each other, I immediately entered the building. Even then, Isana was still swinging his sword in a trance. He must have been very tired, but his face, which didn’t even show pain, looked somehow empty.