Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 274

274.

“Ugh!”

Even without Trowel [a magical artifact or skill], creating a passage by piercing through a section of the earth’s crust isn’t particularly difficult. The floor caved in, instantly creating a massive hole. Soldiers who couldn’t escape in time were dragged straight into the ground without even a chance to resist. Their screams echoed faintly from underground before fading into silence.

Immediately, the people nearby rushed to the edge and peered into the pit. But the soldiers were nowhere to be seen. They would have been dragged straight into the waterway. The water spirits waiting below were going to toss them around, giving them an experience they would never forget. They would probably float to the surface of the lake after a few hours. They wouldn’t die, though, since I made sure they had air pockets.

“Heh, suffer all you want.”

I untied the rope and muttered to myself, feeling relieved, when I felt a piercing gaze from somewhere. I looked over and paused. I thought they had all fallen into the pit, but one of the Grand Ducal Army soldiers was staring at me with a blank expression. I soon recognized him. It was the guy who I hit with a rock and knocked out, the one who started this whole mess. In a way, he was the root of all evil, but he was left unattended because he was unconscious, so he was the only one who escaped the chaos. He must have just regained consciousness and witnessed his comrades getting wrecked, because he kept hiccuping.

“Do you want to go down there too?”

I asked kindly, and he shook his head frantically with a pale face. I didn’t feel the need to be that persistent either. I waved my hand dismissively, and the soldier awkwardly got up and scurried away. I’m just guessing, but I don’t think he’ll be returning to the army.

‘But I wonder if it’s okay to have caused such a ruckus.’

Around that time, the surrounding scenery slowly started to come into view. The situation was over, but the atmosphere around here was far from festive. Despite my best efforts to control it, I couldn’t completely avoid the effects of the earthquake, and there were quite a few decorations and stalls that were in a mess. I felt even worse because I had punched a hole in the otherwise intact floor. Even though the Grand Ducal Army was at fault, I had revealed that I was part of the Imperial Army, which meant I had engaged in combat in a civilian area. Maybe some people would resent Isana because of this.

Could I fix things by offering compensation? I was seriously pondering this, conscious of the gazes on my face, when suddenly, clapping sounds came from somewhere. A man in the crowd was clapping his hands towards me. It was the merchant I had helped, the one who almost got hurt trying to help me. Then, inspired by him, everyone else around him started clapping too.

“Oh, uh, well…?”

The surroundings were filled with enthusiastic applause and cheers. It felt like I had become a hero who had returned after defeating a monster. I had never received attention like this before, and my face was burning up. I was at a loss for what to do, when the merchant smiled and offered me a handshake.

“That was an amazing performance. So you’re the famous Sphere’s daughter! I’ve heard rumors, but I never imagined you’d be this incredible! You have no idea how touched I am.”

“Yes? Ahaha… Y-yes, thank you.”

Come to think of it, the Grand Ducal Army wasn’t the only one who mistook me for Alisa. Now that I had deliberately stirred things up, even people who didn’t know would think so. I couldn’t exactly say I was someone else now, so I just gave an awkward smile. So this is how Alisa must have felt. I had been brushing it off as no big deal, but this is more embarrassing than I thought. As a result, I ended up making her name even more well-known, which made me feel a little sorry.

“I’m sorry for causing a commotion. I ruined the festival.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, no one was hurt. Actually, the Grand Ducal Army has been harassing us with supply issues for more than just today. There’s a limit to how much they can demand, especially in the winter. Everyone has been very unhappy, so you really made us feel relieved.”

The merchant replied cheerfully. The others around him nodded in agreement. Thankfully, it seemed I wouldn’t lose the people’s favor because of this. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief as the biggest worry was resolved. The merchant watched me with a pleased expression and continued.

“Honestly, I used to think the Grand Ducal Army and the Imperial Army were all the same. This morning, when the Imperial Army came to buy food, I was secretly wondering what kind of trouble they would cause. But the Imperial soldiers were all polite and paid the proper price for the goods. I never expected there to be such a difference.”

“Oh, that’s right. And not only that, they even paid extra for my grain, saying it was hard to come by.”

“I was going to give them a discount because they weren’t trying to haggle, but they were so grateful. It made me want to give them even more.”

The other residents nearby chimed in, agreeing. They were all merchants who had dealt with the Imperial Army’s supply soldiers that morning.

The method of replenishing supplies during wartime varies greatly depending on the commander’s policy. Generally, it’s not a problem to just requisition them, but to appease the people, most commanders pay a reasonable price. However, even in the latter case, it’s rare to pay the full price, so the residents always end up losing out, whether it’s a lot or a little. Isana took note of this and decided that all Imperial soldiers should buy supplies at the regular price during this civil war. She believed that they shouldn’t inflict further damage on the people, who had barely recovered from the severe drought. It wasn’t a policy she expected to be recognized for, but her consideration seemed to have left a good impression on the people.

“We ignorant people may not know much, but we can roughly guess what kind of person the higher-ups are based on the actions of their subordinates. Even if we don’t know anything else, we know that His Majesty the Emperor is a good person.”

“Ah…”

I was deeply moved by those words. Especially because I knew how difficult a time Isana had been through. What could be more reassuring to a ruler than the support of their people? I deeply regretted that Isana wasn’t here with me.

“Thank you for seeing us in a positive light.”

“No, we should be the ones thanking you. We’re so fortunate to have the Daughter of the Goddess by His Majesty’s side. Please take good care of the Emperor. With the star of victory you possess, please safely escort him back to the Imperial City.”

The residents bowed to me in unison with a respectful request. It was appreciated, but the embarrassment of being mistaken for Alisa was just as great. I felt more guilty because I felt like I was deceiving them as much as I was being treated well. I was filled with the thought that I should really treat Alisa well when I got back. To hide my awkwardness, I took out a jewel flower from my pocket. I thought a large one would be too much, so I chose the violet, which was relatively small, and made a bouquet of three because one seemed too plain.

“Here, please accept this.”

“Yes? W-what is this?”

The merchant in the front had his eyes wide open as I handed him the jewel flower.

“This area was damaged because of me. Please use it for the repair costs.”

“No! I can’t accept something like this…”

“I won’t feel comfortable otherwise. I want to compensate you in some way.”

“But…!”

“It’s okay. It’s small, so it’s not very expensive. Please accept it without hesitation.”

Only after practically forcing the jewels on the people who were adamantly refusing could I finally leave. I could hear the residents shouting their thanks as I ran away. Some of them even sang praises to Sphere. It seemed like I would never be able to visit this village again.

Fortunately, the village was quite large, and the festival was still going on in other parts, with people completely unaware of what had happened. I pulled my hood down low and blended into the bustling crowd, and finally felt at ease. The battle-ready instincts that had been on edge had calmed down again, and I was back to my usual state. I didn’t know when they would resurface, but I felt like I had overcome the biggest hurdle.

‘I wonder if Alisa and Sibelius are having a good time sightseeing?’

I had clashed with the Grand Ducal Army once, so we might run into them again. I felt sorry for the two who were probably having fun, but I thought it was time to tell them to go back.

Just as I was about to focus my senses to find Alisa and Sibelius, I suddenly felt a presence watching me nearby. It was a cautious and subtle presence that I wouldn’t have noticed if I were an ordinary person. And it wasn’t just one person, but about three or four.

At first, I thought the Grand Ducal Army was following me, but it didn’t feel like they were approaching with hostility. I wondered what to do, but I decided to just wait and see. I started walking casually as if I hadn’t noticed, and the approaching presence became faster and faster. The distance was closing in too much for it to be a simple tail.

‘This feels like the prelude to a kidnapping.’

Sure enough, the moment I passed through a secluded alley, they began to take action. They quickly approached, covered my mouth, and dragged me into the alley.

“Quiet. We don’t want to hurt you.”

“…”

Before I could react, a low voice spoke first. It was a younger voice than I expected.

“We apologize for using such a rough method. We just want to talk to you for a moment. It’s a very important story. If you promise not to scream, we’ll let you go right away.”

The owner of the voice seemed quite anxious. I could feel a strong tremor in the arm holding me. It was my first time being kidnapped (who would have this experience often?), but I could tell that the other party wasn’t used to this kind of thing. I wondered for a moment what they would do if I resisted, but I decided not to take any unnecessary risks. It would be like stirring up trouble, potentially complicating something that could end smoothly.

I slowly nodded, and with a sigh of relief (which they seemed to have unconsciously let out), the hand covering my mouth fell away. I turned around and saw men standing there, looking stiff and hesitant. As I had guessed, there were three of them. The one in the front looked like he was still in his teens, and the other two didn’t seem to be older than their mid-twenties at most. It goes without saying that I didn’t recognize any of them.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

The men flinched at my calm question. They were being overly shy for people who had attempted a kidnapping. I was the one who had been threatened, but I felt like I was the one pressuring them. Since no one seemed willing to speak, I stared intently at the teenager in the front. He was probably the one who had covered my mouth earlier.

He had clear, green eyes that seemed to prove that he was not usually involved in this kind of thing. His hair color was a common brown, but it was curled in such a flamboyant way, as if it had been styled on purpose, that it was not an easily forgettable impression. He seemed to notice my gaze and swallowed hard. After hesitating for a long time, he opened his mouth with a resigned expression as my gaze became more and more persistent.

“Um, I apologize again. My name is Asel. You are Lady Alisa, aren’t you? We saw everything that happened earlier.”

“…I would appreciate it if you could state your business clearly.”

“Ah, I’m really sorry. We didn’t expect to meet you like this, so we were too flustered… We’re not suspicious people. Really.”

“You look suspicious enough…”

“Ahaha, yes, you’re right. I guess we do look suspicious. I understand why you would think so in this situation. Um, but I hope you’ll believe us. I don’t know what you’ll think if I say this, but… we’re actually here to help Lady Alisa.”

…Here to help Alisa?

I stared at them blankly, wondering what this was all about. At first, I thought they were just people who had heard of Alisa’s reputation and were curious, but it seemed like there was something else going on. Maybe it’s because the situation was flowing so strangely. I had a bad feeling for some reason. I frowned unconsciously, and the man who introduced himself as Asel smiled gently.

“Have you ever heard of the Star’s Destiny?”

* * *

Do you know the way?

I had once heard this question while walking down the street. The person who asked the sudden question was a stranger I had happened to meet in front of the station. He persistently followed me, rambling on about strange things for a long time. He said my soul was very pure, that my ancestors had accumulated a lot of good fortune in the heavens, and that I must be curious about how to receive that fortune. He was so persistent that I could only escape after sprinting away. That was when I was on my way to meet Taejin for an appointment. Taejin, who looked at me strangely as I ran up, panting, burst out laughing as soon as he heard the story.

“That’s a religious solicitation.”

They even said they only targeted people who looked innocent. I was so shocked by the truth that Taejin told me that I was speechless for a while.

‘No. Get a grip, El. Now is not the time to escape reality.’

I barely managed to regain my wandering mind. This wasn’t Korea, nor was it a world where people were soliciting religion, nor was it even a situation or atmosphere where that would happen. The situation in front of me wouldn’t disappear just because I ignored it.

Above all, the words “Star’s Destiny” were too familiar to pretend not to know. It was the first thing I had heard when I first met Alisa. In addition, it was also a part that I had been constantly concerned about recently.

“Companion Star…”

As if he had managed to understand the words I muttered like a groan, the man—Asel—reacted immediately. His face lit up brightly.

“You know about it! Yes, that’s right! The very star of destiny that Lady Alisa was born with!”