Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 284

284.

“The Founder… they said their appearance wasn’t much different from humans.”

At the dry voice, Sibelius glanced at Asel. It was a disjointed statement, but it wasn’t hard to understand what it meant. He was pointing out Sibelius’s elven appearance by comparing him to a unicorn [implying Sibelius was rare and different].

“So?”

He thought he would ignore it, but unexpectedly, Sibelius responded. Asel flinched, then seemed to gather courage and opened his mouth again.

“According to the records, they didn’t have silver hair either.”

“Really?”

“Nor blue eyes.”

“I see.”

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t believe you’re a descendant of the Founder.”

The tone was so cold it seemed frozen. But Sibelius’s reaction was just as cold.

“I didn’t particularly ask you to believe me. Didn’t I tell you to think as you please?”

“But…!”

“Look, I don’t particularly enjoy having this conversation with you. I wish you’d realize that on your own.”

At the cold gaze, Asel flinched and bit his lip. He clenched his fist tightly, then turned away powerlessly. His shoulders were so slumped that I felt sorry for him. I almost said something about whether he had been too harsh, but I just kept my mouth shut. Sibelius’s face was terribly distorted. Even if he pretended not to care, it was clear that he was very concerned.

“Why don’t you arrange a proper meeting?”

I asked casually, and Sibelius looked puzzled, then smiled faintly. He understood what kind of meeting I was suggesting, but his face showed that he couldn’t accept it.

“I told you, El. I have almost no memories of my brother. And he’s a descendant from several generations ago. He’s practically a stranger.”

“But you’re still concerned, aren’t you?”

“I’m interested in the fact that he has the unicorn’s power. But that’s all. I don’t want to get involved with someone I don’t know.”

“Hmm. Then is it okay to talk to me?”

“Huh?”

“After hearing what Asel said, I’ve become a little curious too. You don’t look much like your brother?”

Sibelius’s shoulders twitched slightly as if he had been unexpectedly attacked. He looked at me with a complicated expression for a while, and then hesitated before answering.

“…I don’t really know if we look alike. As I said, I hardly remember anything about my brother. But when he was born, my brother must have had silver hair and blue eyes too.”

“When he was born, you say?”

“The Rune lineage… that is, our family is all born with silver hair and blue eyes. But I heard that my brother abandoned the power of the Rune when he left the village. Maybe that’s why the color changed.”

“Hmm. Come to think of it, what exactly is this Rune lineage? When I first heard about it, I thought it was like a noble concept. But seeing that there’s a separate power of the Rune, it doesn’t seem to be just a class?”

I first encountered that term from Canos, right after Sibelius was released from the seal. To be exact, it was from him when he was disguised as Lucarim.

‘I never thought I would see the Rune lineage, which I thought had been severed, in a place like this. It is truly an honor to meet you like this.’

I remember the curious expression and admiring look that Lucarim had at that time. I also remember Sibelius glaring at him with a sharp gaze. At that moment, I thought he was just wary because he was a demon, but looking back, it seems that he was uncomfortable with what he was saying itself.

According to what I heard at the time, the unicorn clan had lost the Rune lineage, so they were only equipped with the appearance. Thanks to that, I knew that Sibelius was quite an important existence to their clan, but I couldn’t ask him more details after that. There was no opportunity to do so, and Sibelius seemed reluctant to mention his clan. So, to be honest, I was still careful about asking him now. Fortunately, there was no sign of displeasure on Sibelius’s face. Instead, he looked a little embarrassed.

“Um, how should I explain it? The essence is the same unicorn, but the Rune lineage has a slightly different disposition. You could say they possess slightly more unique qualities.”

“Like high elves?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s like that.”

Sibelius’s face brightened as if he was happy that I understood right away. They are the same elf clan, but high elves with slightly different blood. Similarly, among the unicorn clans, there seemed to be separate beings with a more special concept.

“Unicorns originally don’t have wings. Only the Rune lineage possesses wings. In the past, they were said to have carried the god of justice, Lusef, and the commanders of the heavenly army. That’s why they were also called celestial demons. Demons call them blood demons in a sarcastic way, though.”

“Ah. I think Asga called you that.”

“That’s right, that damn brat. As if he wasn’t a demon, he was born with only bad things, even though he’s young.”

Muttering for a moment, Sibelius sighed lightly and scratched his head.

“Anyway. Not only the appearance, but the Rune lineage also has some unique abilities.”

“You mean something else besides the spiritual eye and the ability to use magic?”

“Yes. To put it simply, it’s the ability to bring in the power of God.”

“Like divine power?”

“It’s a little different. It’s not just borrowing power… it’s accepting God into the body.”

“…!”

Accepting God into the body. It seemed to be an ability like spiritism [channeling spirits]. I was very surprised because Sibelius had never shown such an ability before.

To my embarrassment, he calmly continued his explanation. The Rune lineage, simply called ‘Rune’, was said to be like a vessel that could contain God. At this time, the god and time limit that could be accepted were determined according to the innate qualities, but only ‘Lusef, the god of justice’ who created them could be accepted without limitation. In other words, to the unicorn clan, the Rune was a passage and medium connected to their creator god. The more I heard, the more I couldn’t help but think that they were special beings.

“I heard that my brother was a very talented Rune. He was even able to accept a higher god and stay for several days. That’s why everyone was so shocked when he abandoned that power and disappeared.”

“You can throw it away.”

“Yes, it’s not very easy, though. I know it damages the body a lot. You can never use your wings again.”

“Don’t you know why he did that?”

“I don’t know exactly. I think he fell in love with a human woman. He was going to marry that woman, but the opposition from the clan was so great that he just chose to leave the clan himself.”

“Ah.”

“But I don’t think that guy from earlier is a descendant that started with that human woman. The human he loved died without leaving any children. Since the human race was once destroyed after that, it seems he found another relationship later.”

Sibelius, who was guessing the situation, had a dissatisfied look on his face for some reason. It didn’t seem to be pity for his brother who had left the clan and wandered alone in the human world.

“How could he do that?”

“Sibelius?”

“Unicorns are a clan that only has one partner in their lifetime. But it seems my brother wasn’t exactly like that.”

The voice muttering in a self-deprecating way was terribly hollow. “Is that also because he abandoned the clan?” His gaze swept through the air with emptiness. I thought he would fall into terrible silence if I left him alone, so I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Ah, th-that’s right! Sibelius, you’re a Rune, right? Then you can do spiritism too?”

It was a question I threw out to get through the situation, but I was curious when I asked. If possible, it meant that Ellyuen or Canos could possess his body. Maybe we could contact them in a different way. As I looked at him with anticipation, Sibelius avoided my gaze with an embarrassed face. I was embarrassed again because the answer that followed was unexpected.

“I can’t.”

“Oh… is that so? I guess not everyone can do it.”

“No. It’s something that all Runes can do. Generally.”

“Huh? But why…”

“That’s what I’m saying. …I strangely can’t do it.”

A dark shadow fell on his face as he muttered bitterly. I instinctively realized that I had touched his old wound. I quietly swallowed my breath.

“That’s why I really hated my brother.”

* * *

The march began again. Days continued with clear weather with no wind and not a single cloud. However, as the ripening winter encroached on the season, the temperature was dropping rapidly day by day. As the weather got colder, the soldiers’ clothes became thicker. They were wrapped in blankets and made to bask in the fire from time to time. Still, frostbite was rampant. Now, camping was out of the question. If the temperature dropped any further, we might really have to suspend the war for a while.

The Crown Prince, who had confidently chosen to stay, was not a very demanding companion. He endured the long march well and adapted smoothly to the simple meals during the move. The only fundamental difference was that when he did all these things, someone was always there to attend to him. He didn’t even pour himself a glass of water, let alone take care of miscellaneous items such as gloves. He took it for granted that someone would take care of him, and he didn’t doubt that he would receive such treatment. He was the epitome of a noble, elegant aristocrat.

In fact, that was the normal appearance. He was a member of the imperial family, born into a precious status from birth, and raised in a greenhouse-like palace, receiving only beautiful treatment throughout his life. It was enough to say that it was a great thing that he was following us on a barren march without complaint.

Rather, Isana, who had adapted to a life without attendants without any problems, was excessively easygoing. When I think about it, Isana had never needed an attendant since she started traveling with me. At that time, she had just been separated from the Imperial Guard and everything was unfamiliar, but she seemed to have adapted to the surrounding atmosphere on her own. Until now, I just thought that was the way it was, but after seeing the Crown Prince’s appearance these days, I couldn’t help but realize how little Isana needed my attention (although there were times when it became a problem because she didn’t have enough requests).

In any case, no matter how aristocratic the Crown Prince acted, it was not in a form that harmed us. So, that appearance was not so uncomfortable. Rather, it was a little refreshing because it was a type that I had never had around me before. Even the Imperial Guards right in front of me, and there were a few nobles in the advance party, but they were closer to soldiers, so they didn’t have as much flair as the Crown Prince possessed.

To put it a bit exaggeratedly, the Crown Prince seemed to have been born to live as a noble. Dignity overflowed from his gaze, gestures, gait, and even the slightest movements, so anyone could see that he was of high status. In fact, even people who didn’t know the Crown Prince’s status clearly felt nervous when dealing with him. It was quite fun to watch those scenes.

When the Crown Prince needed assistance, Asel was the one who took on that role most of the time. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him again since the first day, but I gradually learned about his identity through information I heard from others. Contrary to my expectations that he would be a noble, he was a commoner. He had a relationship with the Crown Prince at the academy, and he accepted the Crown Prince’s repeated recommendations to become his aide because the Crown Prince liked him. He was still a temporary employee because he hadn’t graduated yet, but it seemed that he was scheduled to be officially appointed after graduation if there were no problems.

“But now it’s all over. If the imperial family finds out that His Highness the Crown Prince secretly left the academy and is here, I’ll be fired that day. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get my head cut off.”

Asel’s voice flowed out with lamentation. The Crown Prince’s party was placed right next to Isana, and that point was also where Alisa’s unit was located. Since it wasn’t a great distance, the conversation could be heard clearly without paying attention.

“You’re still young, but you must be having a hard time serving His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“It’s not just having a hard time. His Highness uses people so much. I’m grateful that he thinks highly of my abilities, but he’s trying to take everything from me, so I don’t know how much hardship I’m going through. Anyway, I’m going to defect as soon as my life is in danger. In that sense, brothers, please take care of me in advance.”

“Hahaha.”

For the past few days since the march began. The most unexpected thing I learned about Asel was that he was quite sociable. He easily became friends with Isana’s Imperial Knights. He had already developed a relationship with several people, calling each other brothers. This was in contrast to the other members of the Crown Prince’s party, who drew a clear line and only hung out with each other.

He mainly hung out at drinking parties. As the weather got colder, the knights tended to drink lightly to warm up their body temperature, and Asel always joined in and got a drink. He seemed to be quite a heavy drinker, which was not appropriate for his young age. Information about his identity mainly came out from such gatherings.

“You have quite a tolerance for alcohol? This alcohol is quite strong.”

“I was exposed to alcohol quite early. I don’t get drunk easily.”

“How old were you when you started drinking?”

“Did I start around nine years old? I think I started drinking properly around twelve.”

“Nine years old? Wow, that’s really early. Did you know the taste of alcohol since then? I couldn’t even put it in my mouth at that age because it was too bitter.”

“Haha, I didn’t eat it for the taste either.”

“If not for the taste, then?”

“Um, how should I put it? When I drank this, I became a little less annoying.”

A fleeting bitter expression crossed Asel’s face as he looked down at the leather pouch containing alcohol.