Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 270

270

“Alright, then.”

Huesen moved his arm lightly. The old priest thought he felt a breeze, but there was no wind. It was just that Huesen, who had been far away, appeared right in front of him in an instant. The old priest’s eyes widened, and his body stiffened involuntarily at the suddenness. He didn’t properly see Huesen draw his sword and stab the soldier right next to him.

“Kuh!”

With a final scream, the soldier collapsed. His surprised comrades scattered without realizing what had happened. The old priest was so surprised he could only gape. Huesen smiled again.

“Try to kill us now. Oh, by the way, it’ll be hard to kill us before my comrades arrive. And of course, you’ll all be dead when they get here.”

* * *

Several soldiers nearby were quickly taken down. The soldiers falling like leaves couldn’t even follow Huesen’s movements. He was a swordsman who used a quick, decisive strike and retreat, and he was as strong as he was fast. His swordsmanship was even more valuable when dealing with multiple opponents. The Grand Duke’s soldiers were too busy anticipating attacks from all directions to even attack Huesen. They couldn’t even approach Harold, who was leaving himself open.

‘Not a big deal.’

Harold, who had been watching the situation, soon felt relieved. He was worried because of the large number of opponents, but their skills weren’t even at the level of ordinary knights. At this rate, Huesen could hold out on his own without Harold having to step in. If he didn’t have the children to protect, he could have dealt with them quickly and finished it.

“T, this is ridiculous…!”

As the armed soldiers were being toyed with by just one person, the old priest’s face hardened. Seeing him openly showing his embarrassment, Harold chuckled. He probably never imagined that the people who came to save the children would be so skilled.

‘It’ll be over soon.’

Harold muttered leisurely. But the situation, which seemed to be going smoothly, suddenly changed rapidly. The old priest, gritting his teeth, took something out of his pocket: a small bottle that looked like it contained ointment. It contained a liquid sloshing around in opaque glass. Sensing an inexplicable sense of foreboding, Harold immediately tried to warn Huesen. Huesen also sensed something strange and was looking at the old priest. But this time, the old priest moved faster. He muttered something like a spell and pulled the stopper off the bottle. Harold and Huesen were taken aback by what followed. A black mist began to rise from the bottle.

“What… Kuh!”

The moment he felt the mist envelop him, Huesen grabbed his neck. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Reflexively, his movements faltered, and the soldiers in front of him rushed in and stabbed Huesen’s body with spears.

“Captain!”

Harold, horrified, called out to him. Fortunately, Huesen barely managed to block the next attack, but he was still holding his neck, unable to breathe. The situation was reversed in an instant, and he was barely able to block the incoming attacks. Harold was going crazy. He wanted to rush over, but the children he was protecting held him back. As Huesen faltered, the soldiers who had been watching for an opening rushed at Harold as well. He quickly twisted his body to avoid them, but there was a limit to what he could do while holding the children.

“It’s okay if one or two of the children die! Kill that guy right now!”

As the old priest shouted, the soldiers’ attacks became more violent. Harold had no choice but to struggle, unable to do anything about the spear tips flying in from all directions. He didn’t want to die like a dog in a place like this, but he couldn’t abandon the children either. The success or failure of the mission was secondary. If the children died because he let go, he would live with a nagging feeling for the rest of his life, even if he survived.

“Damn it!”

In the end, he gave up and curled up, covering the children. He was going to use his back as a shield, trusting in his body, which was stronger than that of an ordinary person. Huesen had sent a signal, so his group would be coming soon. He could only hope that he could hold out until they arrived.

“Kuh, cough!”

As Harold sensed his end, Huesen also noticed the choice he had made. Only intermittent groans escaped from his mouth, unable to even scream because his voice wouldn’t come out. He could clearly see the soldiers’ sharp spears pouring down on Harold’s body. It was then that Huesen’s eyes widened in horror.

“So, this is where it was.”

Suddenly, it was as if his eyes lit up, and all the soldiers rushing at Harold fell away. Or rather, it seemed like they were thrown away. At the same time, a very cool air circulated around them. Huesen realized that something that had been blocking his breath had disappeared.

“Huk! Haa! Huk!”

Even as he gasped for breath while lying face down, Huesen couldn’t figure out what was going on. He thought he heard something muttering, but he wasn’t sure if he had heard it correctly. However, it was clear that something had attacked the soldiers. That attack had saved Harold and him.

‘Sheri? Did everyone come?’

Huesen, who could only think that, raised his head. Harold was also getting up with a bewildered but happy expression. But what they found was a completely unfamiliar presence: a man standing in front of them. He was a beautiful man with honey-colored blond hair and clear blue eyes. Although the torches had lost their function and it was dark all around, his appearance was strangely clear, as if he was emitting light himself.

“Uh…”

The two blinked blankly. The man who suddenly appeared looked around lightly and walked towards Harold. Seeing him approaching, Harold swallowed hard. He couldn’t figure out what was going on either.

His confusion reached its peak when the man bent down in front of him, sat down, and reached out his hand. The opponent was definitely a man. He was definitely a man, but his heart was beating like crazy, making him feel very immoral. But the man’s hand reached towards the children Harold was holding. Realizing that, his face flushed with embarrassment. However, the sight that followed quickly made him forget that embarrassing feeling. White light burst from the man’s hand. Then, warmth began to return to the bodies of the children, who had been as stiff as corpses. The moment they became completely warm, the children coughed weakly and exhaled. Harold’s eyes widened.

“Divine power…?”

“This will never end at this rate.”

As he opened his mouth in surprise, the man muttered like a sigh. Wow, this guy’s voice is amazing too, Harold thought, forgetting the situation.

“Y, you! Who are you!”

The priests of the Evil God were also embarrassed by the sudden appearance of the stranger. They hadn’t even sensed his presence, let alone an attack, but in an instant, the soldiers all collapsed. Most of them were unable to get up again.

At the old priest’s shout, the blond man stopped caressing the children and stood up. Annoyance settled in his coolly gazing blue eyes. It was just that, but the priests felt a strange fear. As he began to approach, their whole bodies seemed to tremble.

“Hic! G, get away!”

In the end, the terrified old priest took out a bottle from his pocket and chanted a spell. Black mist began to spread from the uncorked bottle. Huesen, who had already been badly hurt by it, was surprised and reached out to the man.

“Danger…!”

But this time, things went in a completely different direction. The mist enveloped the man, but surprisingly, nothing happened. Or rather, the man waved his hand as if he was annoyed, and it flew away. Huesen, who was trying to jump in to save him, was even more embarrassed because he defeated it so easily. The priests of the Evil God were so shocked that they collapsed. The old priest who had sprayed the mist was the same.

“H, how… .”

The Grand Duke, who had given him this glass bottle, had said that human power could never break this spell. In fact, he had overcome many crises through this bottle until now. But the man in front of him got rid of it without any effort. It meant that he was either strong enough to transcend human power, or he was not a human being. The man was staring at the old priest, who was beginning to tremble, with an indifferent gaze. The moment the priests received that gaze, they felt as if they were on trial. It was as if the man, the judge, was sitting on a high platform, looking down at them with a cold expression.

“It seems to be under Kraze’s jurisdiction already [Kraze is likely the Evil God]. Living will only increase the sins you have to repay. You’d better die here.”

The verdict fell from the judge’s mouth. He reached out his hand, and then a pure white light enveloped the surroundings. Then, all the priests and soldiers there lost their strength and collapsed like straw. Huesen sensed that they were all dead. His heart was filled with a sense of awe rather than fear. Harold was also staring blankly with a dazed expression. After gaping for a while, he finally came to his senses when he saw Huesen sitting down.

“Captain, are you okay?”

He rushed over and busily checked Huesen’s condition. Huesen frowned as he was about to ask what was okay. He felt the pain he had forgotten because of the series of shocking events. Blood was constantly pouring from his pierced stomach. Huesen clicked his tongue as he looked down at his red-stained abdomen. He had expected it since he had been pierced by a spear, but it was a relief that his intestines hadn’t popped out. It was such a big wound.

“Wait a minute. Holy water… .”

After simply stopping the bleeding, Harold hurriedly rummaged through his bag, but someone was moving faster than him. The blond man had come up to them. While Harold froze in embarrassment, the man indifferently reached out and covered Huesen’s wound. Then, white light burst out again, and his skin healed in an instant.

“Ah, th, thank you.”

As Huesen greeted him in a flustered manner, the man nodded lightly and stood up. He turned around without regret, as if he was about to leave. Huesen and Harold were restless, not knowing what to do. They were sad to part ways like this, but they were cautious about whether it was okay to hold him back.

“Th, that! Excuse me, may I ask who you are?”

In the end, Huesen, who had become desperate, shouted without realizing it. Fortunately, his courage paid off. The man, who glanced back, readily answered.

“Eluien.”

“Eluien? Eluien, the God of Punishment? Ah, do you mean you are a priest of Eluien?”

“… .”

Huesen, who had never thought that the man in front of him would be a god, naturally thought that he was a priest. The blond man, Eluien, frowned for a moment, but just kept quiet. He had no intention of hiding it, so he answered, but he had no intention of forcibly correcting the misunderstanding. That judgment went in an unexpected direction. He heard a familiar name in the conversation between the two.

“Priest of Eluien? I’ve heard that name a lot.”

“You idiot. Of course, you’ve heard of it. El was a priest of Eluien.”

“Ah, that’s right! He was, wasn’t he?”

“…El?”

Among the people with that name, there was only one who could be called his priest. Eluien looked back at them with a strange expression.

“You, do you know El?”

“Ah, I knew it! You’re a priest from the same order as El!”

Huesen and Harold’s faces brightened at the same time. Eluien hesitated for a moment about what to do, then pulled his hair back to show his neck. The two, who were bewildered, soon exclaimed. The symbol of God was imprinted there. Of course, Eluien had just created it.

‘Oh my god, he was a real priest of punishment. But why do those priests all look like that? Shouldn’t he be a priest of beauty instead of a priest of punishment? People who look ordinary can’t even become priests because they’re scared,’ etc. All the small whispers that they were trying to keep from being heard reached Eluien’s ears clearly.

In any case, once his identity was clear, the two completely trusted Eluien. Having a mark on his neck meant that he was a high-ranking priest. Realizing that, all of his amazing abilities were understood. Recently, amazing and powerful powers have been unfolding in Eluien’s order, such as angels descending and popes being born. It was said that the priests of the Evil God’s order were also incredibly powerful during their heyday. At that time, even a low-ranking priest could take on an army. Wasn’t it the first emperor who was fascinated by that powerful force and voluntarily offered the Swalt Empire to the Evil God?

“Um, how did you know to come here… . Ah, are the priests of punishment the ones who have been interfering with the work of the Evil God’s temple lately?”

“…Let’s just say it’s similar.”

Huesen’s heart was filled with emotion at the answer that came out slowly after a pause. He knew that the Temple of Punishment had not been on good terms with the Temple of the Evil God recently. There were predictions that a holy war would break out soon, and perhaps it was part of that. In any case, they were lucky to have their lives saved thanks to him.

Of course, in reality, it was Eluien who was doing it alone, regardless of the order. Eluien sighed for a moment, turning away from the two men who were sending him sparkling eyes. He hadn’t intended to do this from the beginning either. Originally, his plan was to find and destroy the Demon King who was hiding somewhere in Arkadon. But when he came down, an unexpected problem arose. It was because of the necklace he was wearing.

The seal of the Main God that he had taken from Kanos [likely another god] just before coming down to the Middle Realm [the mortal realm]. Eluien looked down at the red stone under his neck with a displeased gaze. It was just a simple form hanging on a leather strap, but it was a precious thing called a sacred object, and its value was incomparable to that of an ordinary jewel.

The beings of the Middle Realm are very weak, so they are quickly taken over by the energy of God. The place where God stays becomes a holy place; it is purified just by touching it, and it becomes overflowing with holy power if you even touch it. Those with weak energy can die just by making eye contact. So when gods come down to the Middle Realm, they suppress their power, but the time they can maintain that is very short. This necklace and other sacred objects were created to solve this inconvenience.

While wearing a sacred object, energy is automatically suppressed, allowing you to endure for a longer time than if you were controlling it yourself. However, sacred objects are difficult to obtain, most have a short expiration date, and there are many rules to follow. The only sacred object in the God Realm that is permanent and has almost no usage rules is the ‘Seal of the Main God’ held by the Evil God. So it wasn’t bad to bring it, but since it was made to match the Evil God’s wavelength, it was more difficult to handle than he thought. All of his power was consumed just controlling the necklace, so he couldn’t properly use his original abilities.

In this state, it was obvious that he would be the one to suffer if he went to find the Demon King as Kanos had said. It was impossible to release it even after finding it, because if you release a sacred object after wearing it, a large reaction will occur and you will be forcibly repatriated to the God Realm. So he had no choice but to change his route to delaying the awakening of the Evil God. The most efficient way was to prevent them from gathering sacrifices, so he focused on interfering with the Evil God’s temples for a while. He listened to the prayers of the children towards the gods, and searched for those that were desperate, and it matched to some extent. Of course, there were many areas that were limited, so he missed many things.

“Damn Kanos.”

He gave me the necklace so easily. That damn Evil God must have known this would happen from the beginning. He probably thought that he would give up and return after going around the Evil God’s temple and venting his anger. The passage to El was also cut off, so he couldn’t convey his words or pinpoint his location. Thanks to that, he hasn’t even been able to contact her properly since coming to Arkadon. Just thinking about that made his teeth grind automatically. Harold and Huesen, who had no way of knowing such detailed circumstances, widened their eyes at the blasphemous remarks that came out of his mouth.

“More than that, can you contact El?”

“Yes? Ah, it’s been quite a while since we parted ways. I haven’t contacted her in the meantime, so I don’t know exactly where she is. I think she’s probably where His Majesty the Emperor is.”

“Where is that?”

“The main unit itself has probably crossed the Cadella Plains by now. But I don’t know exactly where His Majesty’s unit is.”

Eluien widened his field of vision and estimated the approximate distance. Although he doesn’t have much experience with games, he has been watching the continent for quite a long time, so he knew the geography of Arkadon as well as he knew the palm of his hand. The Cadella Plains were not that far away from here.

In any case, there was a limit to continuing to waste time in this state. El would have been embarrassed if he suddenly lost contact, so it seemed like a good idea to meet him once.

The only problem was that the necklace that was interfering with his power was also dulling his senses. Even today, he teleported, but he fell in a completely wrong place. Thanks to that, he arrived later than he had originally planned. If he went to find El, there was a high possibility that he would go the wrong way or put him in a difficult situation.

Huesen judged that Eluien was worried because he didn’t know how to find a way to go, so he carefully suggested.

“Um, Priest, I know the point where we decided to join the main unit. We’re planning to move there as soon as we finish things here. Would you like to go with us if you’re okay with it?”

“…Go to the main unit?”

“Yes, if you go there, you’ll be able to find out where His Majesty is.”

The time to make a decision was short. Since they were people who were close to El, it wouldn’t be bad to go with them to protect them from losing their lives. Eluien nodded in agreement.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”