Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 248

“Don’t worry too much, El. I’ve decided to take on the duty of guarding Alisa.”

It was Sibelius, sitting in the next seat, who rescued me as I clutched my head and sighed deeply. Among this motley crew—a dragon, a unicorn, and a demon—he was the only one who had attended the meeting. He said that even when I was away, he had diligently participated in the work here. In effect, he was the one who covered for my absence.

“Sibyl, you’re guarding Alisa?”

“Yeah, I can’t send a girl out to a dangerous battlefield alone. Believe it or not, everyone gave it plenty of thought before deciding.”

Only after hearing those words did I finally calm down. If Sibelius was by her side, nothing too dangerous would happen. Even if the situation suddenly worsened, he would be able to rescue Alisa and escape.

‘Still, two people feels a bit 불안한데 [uneasy/anxious].’

It’s not that I doubt their skills, but anything can happen on the battlefield, so I can’t completely relax. Following along quietly with this uneasy feeling didn’t suit my personality. Come to think of it, Duke Caribdis will be moving on the Grand Duke’s side. To get news of him quickly, it might be better for me to be in the advance party. After sorting out my thoughts, I took a light breath.

“Okay, then let’s do this. I’ll be in the advance party too.”

“What are you talking about? El-nim [a respectful title, similar to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’] has to protect Isana-ssi [another respectful title, more informal]. You’re the most important person.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Alisa, you’re important to me too.”

As I said with a sigh, Alisa gave me a speechless look this time. She seemed to be constantly dissatisfied with something, but somehow that energy seemed to have subsided a bit.

“It’s okay with you, right, Isana?”

“Yes, I don’t mind. Do as El wishes.”

In response to my request for her opinion, Isana smiled gently and nodded. I’ve gotten permission from her, so there’s nothing more to say. I turned to Alisa with a refreshed feeling. However, what greeted me was the girl’s face, which had turned sullen again. No, it seemed even more sullen than before.

* * *

Even after the meeting ended, Alisa’s hardened expression didn’t ease. As soon as I got up from my seat, I quickly followed after the girl, who disappeared like a rabbit. I deliberately stopped Isana and Sibelius, who were trying to chase after us, from coming.

“Alisa!”

“……”

“Alisa, wait!”

“……”

“Alisa!”

Whether she was tired of the repeated calls or not, Alisa, who had been walking silently, stopped abruptly. Anyone could tell from her turned face that she was very angry. I couldn’t think of a reason no matter how hard I tried, so I sighed.

“Why are you sulking?”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Then why are you making such an angry face?”

At those words, Alisa bit her lip and lowered her gaze. As if realizing that her behavior was harsh, she seemed to be trying to calm down a bit.

“……It’s about Isana-ssi. She’s been in a bad mood every day lately. She was spacing out and suddenly started crying a while ago. But even when I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn’t tell me.”

“Ah, yeah. I heard.”

“Yeah, so I was really upset. But she looks okay today? Sibyl-ssi said that you talked with El-nim for quite a while?”

“Yeah, we did……. Why?”

At that moment, Alisa raised her head with a fierce look. A blue light blazed like fire in her wide eyes. It was like witnessing a rabbit turning into a monster. Startled, I unconsciously stepped back.

“El-nim! Why do you have to be so confusing?”

“……What?”

“If you’re a man, can’t you be a little more manly? There’s no need to be prettier than a woman!”

“What…….”

“Do you know how anxious I get when you and Isana-ssi are together? Isana-ssi only tells you her troubles! I could have listened too! That’s so mean! You’re being unfair!”

After spouting all that, Alisa disappeared quickly. This time, I couldn’t chase after her either. All I could do was stand there dumbfounded. I felt like I had heard a barrage of shocking things, but all I remembered was the word ‘unfair’ she shouted at the end. It seemed like the shock was greater because it was the most unexpected word.

“You.”

The reason I came to my senses was because someone spoke to me from behind. I turned around without thinking and was a little embarrassed. Duke Carrowell was standing there.

“Were you calling me?”

This was the first time he had spoken to me first since I started living here. At my flustered question, he nodded.

“I heard you met His Majesty at dawn? He seemed very 불안정해 보이셨는데 [unstable/anxious] lately because of something I said, but he seems to have gotten better after meeting you. Thank you.”

Of all things, it’s that story again. My face was about to stiffen on its own because it was a topic I didn’t want to hear about right now.

“……It’s nothing.”

The Duke stared at me as I tried to answer calmly. It was a blatant look of scrutiny.

“I heard you’re a man.”

“Yes, I am.”

“……Hmm. I see.”

He’s nodding, but his eyes are not happy. I felt like the pattern from a little while ago was repeating itself, but that must be my imagination. The image of the Duke shouting, “Isana relies on you instead of me, who is her brother! You’re being unfair!” and running away flashed through my mind, and I felt a chill for a moment. Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem to have any intention of doing such a thing and still had a calm gaze. However, he embarrassed me in another way.

“Are you really a spiritist?”

“Pardon?”

“His Majesty had a severe wound on his hand.”

“…….”

“It wasn’t a wound that would heal in a day or two. He couldn’t even hold a pen properly until last night. But when I saw him this morning, he was completely healed.”

Did you heal him? The question that wasn’t spoken was already ringing in my ears. In the moment our eyes met, countless thoughts flashed through my mind. At that moment, something from a long time ago suddenly came to mind. When I was with the Champagne Mercenary Group, they were severely injured in some incident. That day, Mighty took something out of his pocket…….

“Ah, that. It’s holy water!”

“……Holy water?”

“Yes, I’ve been a traveler for a long time, so I had some holy water with me for emergencies.”

“Ah, I see. Come to think of it, there was holy water.”

Fortunately, the Duke seemed to be convinced quickly. It was natural because it was a more realistic method than the fact that I, a spiritist, had healed him.

‘Mighty! Thank you!’

When I meet him next time, I must not forget to thank him for today. I’ll bring him a pile of jewels from Ebas Eden and give them to him. Mighty is a miser, so he’ll definitely be very happy.

Duke Carrowell had a thoughtful look on his face. As I stared at him quietly, he seemed to feel my gaze and raised his head, giving a bitter smile.

“Actually, I have a spiritist among my old friends. He said that the Water Spirit King has healing abilities. I had forgotten about it for a while, but that word suddenly came to mind today.”

“…….”

“Perhaps you…… No, never mind. I’m talking nonsense. I guess I’m still not fully awake, so don’t worry about it.”

No, that perhaps is right.

I watched the Duke’s retreating figure with a slightly awkward feeling. Still, he’s the one who’s most devoted to Isana, so I felt a little sorry for keeping it a secret.

But it would be better for Isana to say this herself. Even if he doesn’t reveal it in the end, it wouldn’t be bad in its own way. In the first place, I wanted to have an ordinary 유희 [diversion/amusement]. ……Now it seems quite far from ordinary.

What kind of day is it today anyway? Following Alisa, even Duke Carrowell, I don’t know why they’re taking turns throwing bombs at me. First of all, I had to catch Alisa and talk to her properly again. I don’t think she used to be like this, but it seems like Alisa is getting more and more grumpy. Did I accept too much of her childishness? Or maybe she’s starting to go through puberty. I was seriously 고민하고 [worrying/pondering], considering the many situations I could think of.

“You’re having a lot of trouble in many ways.”

A low voice suddenly came from the side. When I turned my head, what came into view was a wide-open window. A man was sitting among the thick branches hanging beyond it. Intense red eyes under jet-black hair caught my attention.

“Hello.”

“…….”

I sighed as I looked at the man who greeted me casually. I never thought I would meet someone outside the second-floor window. Why is he there?

“I guess climbing trees is your hobby, Deron.”

“It’s not really like that. It’s comfortable here because it’s not easy to spot. It’s still uncomfortable in places where humans are gathered.”

After answering calmly, he got up and jumped over to where I was. As expected of a demon with superior physical abilities, his movements didn’t feel clumsy at all. I was admiring him inwardly when I saw something in his arms. It was the demon’s egg that Kanos had entrusted to him, with a golden hue.

“Are you still carrying the egg around?”

The surface of the egg was so clean and polished that it was almost glossy, showing how carefully he had been wiping and caressing it. Deron nodded with a proud face.

“Wouldn’t it be 답답하시지 [suffocating/stuffy] if you were only inside? I’m taking you around to see the sights.”

“Even if you say sightseeing…… you’re still in the egg anyway.”

“Still, around this time, you can hear all the sounds outside. It is also affected by external stimuli.”

“Really? Come to think of it, isn’t it almost time to hatch?”

“Yes, it’s almost the end in terms of timing. In that sense, I have a question. When will the full-scale war begin? I wanted to expose you to a lot of fighting spirit and killing intent before you hatched, but life here is too peaceful, which is a shame. Even if I try to let you taste good quality blood, I can only get the blood of livestock or monsters.”

“……What are you teaching the baby!”

A personality disorder might be born like this. I was horrified and snatched the egg away, and Deron looked wronged.

“Demons are originally born in such environments. To be at the top of such people, you have to be like that.”

“You don’t have to raise him like that for him to be strong! He’s the one the Demon God has been watching!”

“But you’re too quiet.”

“Why is that?”

Isn’t an egg supposed to be quiet? I slowly looked at the egg in my arms. The hard shell was still warm, and it was heavier than before. There’s not much difference, but it seems to have gotten a little bigger. It seemed to be growing smoothly in everyone’s eyes. But that didn’t seem to be the case in Deron’s eyes.

“Originally, when the time to hatch comes, the movement of a demon’s egg becomes very strong. You should be able to feel the baby moving inside from time to time. Right now, my lord is overly quiet.”

“R, really?”

I’m not sure if there’s any movement. While I was constantly stroking the egg, Deron continued to explain with a serious face.

“You instinctively 경계하고 있는 겁니다 [being wary/cautious] because you know that this is not the main world. This will also slow down hatching significantly. If even a forest keeper was by your side, it could give you emotional stability, but since I’m the only demon here right now. So, at the very least, make the surrounding environment friendly to reassure you…….”

“Forest keeper?”

“It means the Duke of the North in the Demon World. He is the one who manages the demon’s eggs in the Forest of Birth, Karten. The magic power of the Duke of the North contains a special energy, so he can create the essence of the Demon God. All demon eggs are modified through his magic power and receive the necessary nutrients.”

Modification through magic power. It’s a similar format to external fertilization that can be seen in fish. The more I learned about demons, the more mysterious I thought they were. Of course, nothing was more shocking than the birth of the gods yet.

‘Being born in fruit was really amazing.’

It was also an unforgettable sight to see those huge fruits hanging from every tree. I wonder what it feels like to be trapped inside and born. Angels might taste like fruit if you bite them. I muttered silly thoughts to myself and then returned to the main point.

“Can’t we bring that Duke of the North?”

“Zach…… The forest keeper is not allowed to leave the Demon World without the permission of the king. It is the destiny of the one who handles the essence of the Demon God, and it is impossible to ignore because it is a contract bound by language.”

“Hmm, I see. Then that won’t work.”

Of all things, it’s the permission of the Demon King, who should be most wary of. It’s like handing it over to him to suspect. I handed the egg back to Deron with a 찝찝한 [unpleasant/uneasy] heart.

“Anyway, don’t do anything too noticeable. Your race is already noticeable.”

“It’s a bit 어폐가 [contradictory/inconsistent] for El-nim to say that…….”

“What?”

“I will be more careful.”

If nothing else, that man’s survival skills are truly god-given. I sighed as I watched the demon, who didn’t change his expression at all and answered politely. Yes, I actually know it too. Deron is the most ordinary feeling among our group. When he enters battle and starts emitting magic power, the atmosphere changes drastically, but when he’s not, he has a very 무난한 [unassuming/inoffensive] impression. To make him less noticeable, to be honest, there’s no need for any control or anything, just put Lapis next to him. Most people would probably be so distracted by that face that they wouldn’t even notice Deron was there.