Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 295

295

Lapis seemed to grasp the situation after hearing only that much. He clicked his tongue lightly and waved his hand as if to say no more needed to be said. Sibelius’s face was also stiff. Aselman still looked bewildered but quietly watched, seemingly not wanting to interrupt. After scratching his head nervously, Lapis opened his mouth with a sigh.

“「Swallowing the blood of a fallen angel, blooming darkness.」 It’s one of the black magic spells used by the ancient barbarian tribe, the Siren.”

“Siren? A tribe with the appearance of mermaids…….”

“That’s right, mermaids. They’re gone now, though. That tribe lived by stealing the bodies and energy of others. They were an unblessed tribe, so they were particularly obsessed with the divine power of priests, especially craving the power of demon priests. It was the power that was most compatible with their tribe. Since saints were difficult to capture, they mainly targeted young priests, but when it became difficult to obtain as much divine power as they wanted, they created that spell. Eventually, they incurred the wrath of the Demon God, and the entire tribe was destroyed.”

Come to think of it, I think I’ve heard that there were mermaids. I thought it was just a creation myth of the Blue Elf race, but it seems they were an actual tribe. How ironic. The person who told me that story was the priest, Kaitain. ‘If he were here, he would have found this quite interesting,’ I thought. Even in moments like this, such absurdly carefree thoughts passed through my mind. Perhaps it was a form of escapism.

“The Demon God’s divine power is a force that causes destruction and curses, so it basically belongs to darkness. That spell is a method of maliciously amplifying that darkness. And the psychological state of the owner, the priest, has the greatest influence on that process.”

“Psychological state?”

“Betrayal and despair. They must die consumed by these two emotions. They must writhe in pain, shedding blood, until they resent and hate their god in despair of losing everything. They literally become fallen angels.”

“……!”

“So, that spell usually involves using someone close. In the past, the Sirens promised wealth and youth, luring acquaintances of the demon priests to participate in the ritual.”

“Participate, you say…….”

“Because that way, they would feel greater betrayal and despair.”

“Then it’s not just about concealing the situation…….”

“They also participate in the murder process.”

It was so painful to listen that I slowly closed my eyes. The feeling I had when I first came to this mansion came back to me. I thought it was terrible and miserable to see those red masses of thoughts clinging like leeches. Whoever died here must have been murdered in a very cruel way.

Why am I so shocked when I’m just reconfirming something I already knew? I exhaled the breath I had swallowed for a long time. It was an unconscious action, but it helped calm my mind more than I thought. The vision that had turned completely white slowly cleared, and the senses that had become distant returned. Once I calmed down to some extent, my mind became cold.

“I have to find the murderer.”

At the low words I uttered, Sibelius nodded with a stiff face. Lapis simply shrugged as if to say, do as you please.

“Why do you think the people in the mansion don’t remember the dead child?”

“Wouldn’t it be because they’re under a spell to erase memories, or under suggestion [a form of mind control]?”

“Do you really think the Demon King is behind this?”

“Who knows.”

“Hey, if you don’t know, can I answer?”

“……!”

Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around. On the dresser next to me, a boy was sitting. A boy with long, jet-black hair and striking red eyes.

“Oh…….”

“If it’s suggestion, it’s likely to be that guy. I heard Karyuan is good at hypnotism.”

The boy was calmly accepting the gazes pouring towards him. His voice was a little lower than I remembered, and he used much smoother speech, but his flawlessly clear eyes were the same. I slowly blinked.

“……As?”

“Godfather, hello.”

Asmodeus, the boy, smiled brightly at me, who had gone blank. When I turned my gaze slightly, I saw Deron standing a little distance away. He gave a light nod when our eyes met. Only then did I begin to understand the situation. I was so focused on the situation in front of me that I had completely forgotten that other presences had been added to the room. The two demons who had been missing for a while had finally returned. I gaped like a goldfish.

“Oh my god…….”

The boy, who used to have chubby cheeks, had grown taller and more handsome in the short time I hadn’t seen him. Perhaps it was the result of training, but I couldn’t feel the magic power overflowing from his body at all. However, even though it had become as still as a mountain, his presence seemed even more intense.

My heart swelled and grew hot. When I held out my arms, As jumped down and hugged me as if he had been waiting. The lovely warmth of my only godson was fully conveyed in my arms. It was a tender feeling that instantly made me forget the complicated thoughts in my head.

“I missed you.”

* * *

The sky past midnight was submerged in thick ink. Even though the scattered remnants of light tried to squeeze through the gaps and emitted a glow, it was not enough to shake off the darkness that covered like a waterfall. Moreover, the clouds were thick tonight. In the space dyed jet black, even the moon, which dominates the night, couldn’t muster its strength and disappeared. It was complete darkness.

Instead of light, a quiet air settled on the lost land. People had long entrusted themselves to the encroaching sleepiness. The sound of insects chirping from time to time seemed to reproach those who were not yet asleep. But none of us were paying attention to that sound.

“Do I draw it here like this?”

“Yeah. But that line over there is crooked.”

“Ugh, I have to redraw it.”

The midnight operation was proceeding secretly and swiftly. We chose a secluded warehouse far from the mansion as the place to carry out the operation. Lapis, Sibelius, As, and Deron were the only four accompanying us.

As written on the paper I was holding, I drew various shapes and letters on the floor. I had already placed candlesticks at each point, according to the directions, on the completed circular border. Under the candlesticks, I had placed square pieces of muslin [a type of cotton fabric] with lightly burned ends.

“Okay, that’s all done. Next is…… ‘Place a bowl filled with water in the center.’ Okay, that’s done too.”

After placing the prepared bowl inside the circle, I filled it with water. After doing that, I had almost fulfilled all the necessary conditions. Now it was perfect if I just completed the last step. Meanwhile, the darkness had settled even more deeply. It was the right time to carry out the plan.

“Now it’s that turn…… Are you really okay with this, As?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Trust me, Godfather.”

As, who had come close to me, smiled brightly. I watched with a nervous feeling as he sat down in front of the completed circle. As he bent down, his long, fine black hair flowed down his shoulder line. The yellow lights of the four candles flickering precariously cast deep shadows on As’s face.

After scanning the drawings on the floor for a while, As slowly raised his hand to his lips. The moment I heard something being crushed, red blood flowed down his fingers. He had bitten his skin to make a wound.

The smell of blood began to mix in the air. As put his hand, dripping with blood, directly into the bowl. The clear water inside swallowed his blood and instantly turned dark red. It was a painful sight to see, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop. All of this process was for this moment.

「The witch who grants wishes.」

To complete that ritual.

“The witch is probably Serpis.”

Deron’s voice, as expressionless as his face, came to mind. It was at the place where we sat facing each other and seriously asking about each other’s well-being after a touching reunion with the two demons who had appeared like surprise gifts.

As, who had become more handsome in the meantime, no longer looked like a child no matter how you looked at him. As I had already guessed, he seemed to have caught up with Alisa’s height. He was more curious about our situation than telling his own story, and Deron was the same. Our atmosphere was very serious, and the existence of the Demon King was mentioned, so it was more important to prioritize our situation than to catch up. I explained as much detail as possible, and Deron concluded without needing to see it that it was the work of the Demon King. Furthermore, based on that premise, he easily guessed the identity of the ‘witch,’ the subject of the wandering superstition.

“Serpis. I think I know who that is. Are you talking about that woman who was with Deron?”

“Yes, that’s right. Countess Serpianes of the West. A high-ranking noble of the same rank as me.”

It wasn’t difficult to recall her appearance. When I first met Deron, he had one companion. A woman with a very captivating atmosphere, with gorgeous, fluttering black hair that stretched to her toes. Unlike Deron, who was an enemy but somehow quirky and calm, giving a good impression, the woman couldn’t hide her hostility towards us, so it was impossible to see her comfortably. She even left her companion Deron behind and ran away alone, which made me quite embarrassed. I heard that the name of the heartless demon woman who had left at that time was Serpis. Deron frowned slightly, perhaps thinking of what had happened at the time.

“The position of the Western Duke is held by the most skilled in magic. Serpis has the lowest ability among the past Western Dukes, but her theory was second to none. In particular, she knew a lot of extinct black magic. The spell of the falling angel is also knowledge that she passed on.”

“The Demon King was sealed by the Demon God and then escaped. He’s still under a ban [a magical restriction]. Is she helping him knowing that?”

“I don’t know the details. The last time I saw Serpis, she was completely infatuated with Karyuan. There is every possibility that she abandoned the Demon God and chose Karyuan.”

“I see.”

The scales that had already been tilted completely touched one side of the floor. All the revealed parts suggested a relationship with the Demon King. Now, it would be more embarrassing to say that it wasn’t the Demon King’s doing.

So, he finally started moving in earnest. A bitter sigh flowed out at the reality that I didn’t want to admit. I felt like I had been nicely fooled while only keeping the Grand Duke in check. Does the divine realm know this fact? How much are they preparing? It would be nice if I could at least tell Eluen about this situation. I felt the blocked communication channel was frustrating.

“First, we have to stop what Serpis is doing.”

“I agree. And if we catch her, we’ll probably find out who the accomplice is.”

I was startled by the next words. Come to think of it, the ‘witch’ was also a witness who knew all the inside stories of the murder that took place in this mansion. It might be faster to interrogate her than to pick out the suspects myself.

“Will she confess willingly?”

“There’s no need to get a confession. We can find her with her blood.”

“……! Really?”

“Because they would have made a contract with each other. Suspicion comes first in a task with great risk. Even to get the other party’s cooperation, Serpis would have proposed a contract to that person first. I can find that trace.”

Deron’s dry voice sounded like the song of an angel at this moment. It seemed like the journey that had only been vague was finally coming to an end. I took a slow, deep breath to calm my excited heart. I only knew the fruit of the ending, but nothing had actually been resolved yet. It wasn’t easy to find Serpis right away. Deron suggested to me as I pondered the method.

“Why don’t you use that superstition?”

“Superstition?”

“The ritual to call the witch who grants wishes. It’s probably a summoning spell. Instead of us looking for her, we induce her to come to us.”

“Ah! There was such a way!”

But the happy feeling didn’t last long. After a moment of relief, I soon realized one important fact and became disturbed.

“But to do that, we need the blood of a demon priest…….”

That’s right. There was a premise that had to be established in this plan. That is to complete the ritual. To do that, we had to have a demon priest. A ‘real’ demon priest with the insignia of God. That spell would only react to blood containing the divine power of the Demon God.

I don’t even know how many real demon priests there are, but where am I going to get that blood? This was as difficult as chasing Serpis directly. I have the insignia of the Demon God, but this body was originally temporarily constructed, so it’s close to deception. Even if it’s touched, it’s not real human skin, and even if blood flows, it’s not real blood. Of course, it wouldn’t have the same effect.

“It’s okay, Godfather. You can use mine.”

As’s cheerful voice reached me as I was discouraged. I turned around in embarrassment.

“Use yours? As, are you talking about your blood?”

“Yeah. The young body of a demon receives the blessing of the Demon God. So, it also has divine power. It’s similar to a demon priest.”

“……!”

That was another part I didn’t know. As’s face, which I already thought was so pretty, looked even more like an angel. I was so moved that I hugged him tightly, and As laughed in my arms. Even though he had grown taller and his atmosphere had changed, his lovely personality remained the same.

“Then the next thing to do is decided.”

Lapis, who had been watching all the process as if it was pathetic, got up from his seat and said. His eyes were lively today. He had been bored with the daily life of rolling around in the mansion, but he seemed to be enjoying the current situation. Sibelius, who followed him, also had a face firmly determined.

“Let’s start the witch hunt in earnest.”