Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 30

The 30th Story

“Dragons are strongly governed by power. Even young dragons must submit to those stronger than them. The only exceptions are ‘hatchlings,’ who receive unconditional protection. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single water element hatchling. Other hatchlings lack the power to summon Elquines, and adult dragons who could summon him are too intimidated by Lapis Lazuli’s threats to even consider it… That situation has persisted until now.”

“…I, I’m not Ellyuen?”

“Well, Lapis Lazuli is unaware of the change in Spirit King generation. I tried to inform him, but I haven’t heard from him since he left for his game, and his current whereabouts are unknown. Even I struggle to find him when he’s determined to hide.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if he wasn’t around? We could make a contract while he’s gone.”

However, that hope was quickly dashed by Trowell’s next words.

“I don’t think it’ll work. The dragons are too afraid of him. I’ve explained the situation to them repeatedly, but they all refuse. It seems Lapis Lazuli needs to return from his game before they’ll listen.”

“…When will that be?”

Trowell offered an awkward, apologetic smile as I asked blankly.

“Well… it’s a game that started before this ten-year drought, so it’s only been about seventeen years? Dragon games typically last from a short hundred years to a long few hundred years, so you might have to wait a few hundred more…”

“…”

Hundreds of years?

Not just a few years, not even a few decades… but hundreds of years?

‘Damn dragons! Just you wait until I get my hands on you!’

That day, for the first time in my life, I felt murderous intent towards someone.

It was the beginning of my ill-fated relationship with the bad-tempered Red Dragon, Lapis Lazuli.

* * *

Ebas Eden is a great place to pass the time. Watching the spirits dance and listening to their chatter is enjoyable, and collecting gem petals one by one is also fun.

The other Spirit Kings, who have no interest in monetary matters, didn’t understand my mindset, but I couldn’t bring myself to ignore a pile of money. No matter how precious a piece of pottery is, it only shines when it’s in the hands of someone who appreciates its value! So, I’m going to pick them all and keep them, my lovely flowers!

What’s amazing is that the flowers of Ebas Eden bloom again quickly and return to their original form, no matter how broken or trampled on they are. In other words, this place is an infinite treasure trove.

“Hehehe… I’m rich, I’m rich. If I have just one of these, I can live off it for decades…”

I stroked a ruby rose petal and smiled grimly. Then, I heard a sharp voice clicking its tongue from behind.

“Tsk, tsk, you’re in this state because you’re thinking such mundane [human-like] things. You should be out looking for that Lapis Lazuli dragon instead of wasting time here. Everyone else is enjoying their games, but you’re pathetically playing around in a place like this. Your future is so predictable, so very predictable.”

It was none other than Ifrit, looking at me with a pitiful expression, clicking his tongue as if I were pathetic. He’s been nagging me like this for days, picking on me because I’ve been so focused on collecting gem petals. But even so, he sometimes sits next to me and helps me pick gems. I pouted as I received a diamond bellflower from Ifrit.

“Where am I supposed to find someone who’s hiding? And I refuse to lower myself to that.”

“Oh, so you still have pride as a Spirit King?”

“Of course! Do you think I’m just nice to anyone? And who knows? Maybe another race besides dragons will be able to summon me.”

“That’s just wishful thinking. Didn’t you hear it from Trowell? Summoning Elquines is much more difficult than summoning an ordinary Spirit King. No human can contain that much natural affinity and mana in their body. You’ll probably dry up and die the moment you summon him.”

“…Aren’t there other races besides humans in Arkadon’s world?”

“Are you going to rely on the elves? Don’t even think about it. What do you think summoning a Spirit King is? It’s a ‘miracle.’ The elves are a race of harmony, so they can’t perform ‘miracles’ that disrupt the balance of the world. They are the most familiar beings with spirits, but there are things they can’t do.”

“Ugh. Then, I’ll just wait for a water-type dragon to be born…”

Tired of my resigned tone, Ifrit shook his head, his face conveying that he wouldn’t care anymore. Then, he stretched and stood up, saying,

“Do whatever you want. I’m going back to my game. The work I’ve been putting in for the past few years is finally paying off. I won’t be back for a while either.”

“What are you doing?”

“That’s a secret. Don’t you know it’s rude to ask about someone else’s game? Anyway, if I happen to meet a dragon named Lapis Lazuli while I’m wandering around, I’ll talk to him. If he has any conscience, he won’t just leave you alone after hearing that there’s been a change of generation of the Spirit King, right? Maybe he’ll try to summon you again.”

“…I don’t want to be summoned by him.”

“Are you in a position to be picky? If you keep going like this, you might end up being the first Spirit King to die without ever playing a game.”

Che! He always has to say something that makes sense. If I was born three thousand years ago, that dragon would be ancient now, so there’s no way my lifespan, which is only two months old, would be the same as his.

I heard that the average lifespan of a dragon is a little less than ten thousand years. In other words, if I just wait seven thousand years until he dies, I can enjoy my game as much as I want for the rest of my life!

…But even so, I’m not happy about it at all. Seven thousand years! Am I supposed to stay here like this for that long just to play a game? It might be better to just run to that Lapis Lazuli guy and ask him to make a contract.

“By the way, Ifrit, you said you’re two thousand years old, right? What about the others?”

“Trowell and Minerva? Trowell is four thousand, and Minerva is a little over sixteen thousand?”

“Gasp! S-Sixteen thousand?”

I couldn’t close my gaping mouth at the more enormous number than I had expected. Ifrit shrugged his shoulders and said,

“Since there wasn’t much age difference between her and Ellyuen before her disappearance, it’s probably right. Oh, now that I think about it, Minerva has already exceeded her average lifespan. She might disappear soon.”

“Gasp…”

Is it because she’s a Spirit King? Anyone who heard it would think that disappearing was as casual as visiting a neighbor. I was so surprised that I immediately hardened my face.

“Ifrit, even if you’re close, can you talk about such things so casually?”

“What’s wrong with that? If she disappears, she disappears.”

“But… it’s sad.”

“What’s sad about passing on after living out her lifespan? Rather, Minerva will probably feel relieved when she faces her disappearance. Besides, we don’t even know what happens after disappearing anymore.”

“That’s true, but…”

“But what? Stop being afraid of things that haven’t even happened yet. It’s not like the things that will happen will disappear because of that.”

“…”

I quietly closed my mouth at Ifrit’s advice. As he said, the future wouldn’t change just because I was like this now.

Even after he left, I stood there blankly for a while with a sense of emptiness and fear for some reason. Even though no one had left yet, I was already afraid of the farewell that was scheduled for the future. Even if it was a farewell that promised a future meeting.

“My mind is troubled. What are you doing here alone?”

“…!”

It was thanks to an unexpected visitor that my troubled mind was distracted. I was surprised by the familiar face I saw when I raised my head. It was Ellyuen.

“Oh, welcome, Ellyuen. It’s been a while.”

The number of times he visited the Spirit World had noticeably decreased recently. It had only been a few days since I had seen him, but I couldn’t help but feel happy to see him, no matter who he was. But my joy was short-lived, and I soon felt disappointed by what Ellyuen said.

“I came to tell you that I won’t be able to visit for a while because I’ll be busy.”

“Oh? R-Really? How long?”

“I’ll try to finish it as soon as possible, but I think it’ll take a little longer than I thought. It seems like the others have all left for their games. You shouldn’t just stay in the Spirit World; you should go out.”

“Hmm. No, I want to go to the game, but…”

“You can just go.”

I sighed slightly and asked him as he looked at me as if wondering what the problem was.

“Ellyuen, do you remember a dragon named Lapis Lazuli?”

“…Who is that?”

“Oh? Ah, well, he’s a Red Dragon… There’s a dragon who summoned Ellyuen several times to make a contract, right? That’s his name.”

“A dragon who tried to make a contract with me?”

I was even more embarrassed by his appearance of asking back as if he didn’t know anything. What, what’s with that expression that he doesn’t know anything? He doesn’t remember, does he?

I carefully explained, as I had heard from Trowell, just in case.

“So, about three thousand years ago. I heard that a hatchling Red Dragon summoned Elquines at that time, and it became quite an issue… Wasn’t it?”

“Three thousand years ago? Hmm, did that happen? Now that I think about it, I think I remember.”

Gasp! He really doesn’t remember!

What is this! I can’t even go to the game now because of an incident that happened before I was born. The person involved doesn’t even remember it; isn’t that too much? I couldn’t speak because I felt more dumbfounded than wronged, and Ellyuen looked at me strangely.

“But why are you asking that?”

“Ahaha… W-Well… I heard that the Red Dragon is interfering with my contract with the dragons.”

“What a useless guy. Why is he doing that?”

Why else! He’s taking out his anger on you for being rejected!

I held back what I wanted to say and answered in a sullen voice.

“Well, I don’t know either… Maybe it’s the psychology that he can’t give what he can’t have to others. To be exact, it seems like he’s taking revenge for being rejected by Ellyuen.”

“Revenge psychology?”

“So, three thousand years ago, Ellyuen rejected the contract, and he was so angry about it. He seems to have threatened those around him that no dragon can make a contract with Elquines until he makes a contract with him. But the person in question has disappeared somewhere these days. Thanks to that, no one summons me, so I’m stuck here alone.”

“So it’s because of me.”

Fortunately, he easily understood what I said.

Ellyuen frowned for a moment and soon nodded as if he understood.

“Lapis Lazuli? Wait a minute, son. I’ll go kill him.”

“Gasp! Why is the story going that way?!”

“It’s best to get rid of troublesome guys quickly. If we mobilize the angels, we can easily find out where he is now, so if we pretend it’s a coincidence and get rid of him…”

“Please bear with me…”

In the end, it took me a considerable amount of time to dissuade and persuade Ellyuen, who was about to carry out the plan immediately. To be honest, I wanted to punish him, but I couldn’t kill a perfectly fine dragon just because I wanted to play a little more comfortably, could I? He’s a bit annoying, but it’s not too late to meet him later and take revenge with my own hands.

Now that I think about it, I don’t need to leave for the game now with a life of over ten thousand years, right? Even if I don’t rush, I’ll be able to go out so much that I’ll get tired of it later. So, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to spend time in the Spirit World for a while.

Of course, Ellyuen clicked his tongue, saying that my thoughts were too naive.

* * *

When I returned to the Water Territory after a psychologically tiring day, a bleak darkness had already settled in.

I must have been lying on the bed for a while. I had fallen asleep before I knew it. It was a voice that I heard from somewhere that made me aware of it.

『Elquines.』

“Ugh… what…”

I rubbed my blurry eyes at the voice I heard while I was sleeping soundly. It certainly seemed like a human voice, but the strange thing was that it didn’t sound like it was coming from my ears, but rather like it was ringing directly in my head. The spirits’ conversations were also similar, so it felt like it was ringing in my head, but it had never come so intensely.

I shook my head to clear my mind, thinking that it was because I hadn’t woken up yet. Then, the voice, which couldn’t stand the wait, urged me again.

『Elquines!』

“Ugh, I know. I’m getting up, so stop calling me…”

Who on earth is looking for me at this hour? Because of my habits as a human, I tend to sleep soundly at night. The Spirit Kings, who know me well, would postpone their business with me until the next day, even if they had something to say to me. But the fact that they’re calling me like this today means that it must be something very important.

But unlike what I thought in my head, getting out of bed wasn’t as easy as I thought. Because of that, I kept dragging my feet, and this time, the voice that couldn’t wait resounded again.

『Please, Elquines!』

“Haaa, I know, I know! I know, so… Ugh, I’ll get up. I’ll get up.”

Oh, but the title is a bit strange now. Why are they calling me Elquines?

After Trowell gave me a nickname, all the Spirit Kings were calling me ‘El.’ That was because it was simpler and easier to call. Besides, now that I think about it, the voice sounds a bit unfamiliar. Compared to Minerva or Ifrit, who have distinctly feminine tones, it was quite low, and it was similar to Trowell, but it felt a bit thicker.

Has there been a voice like this around me?

The voice that woke me up rang out with a more desperate feeling the moment I had a little doubt about it.

『Come to me, Elquines! Answer my call! Please!』

…Come to me? What is this?

Annoyed, I shook off the sleep demons that were still holding onto my eyelids at once and jumped up. But miraculously, there was no one around me when I opened my eyes and looked around.

“W-What…? Is it a ghost?”

I muttered in a bewildered mood and slowly looked around the Water Territory, which was still sunk in a bleak darkness. And after a while, I was able to find something quite strange near me when I turned around without thinking.

“Huh?”

A huge circular ring, shaped like a donut, was floating like a hologram and emitting a golden light in front of my eyes. The golden border was full of complex patterns and shapes. It felt like a huge mirror was set up.

“What is this…?”

It’s definitely a phenomenon that I’ve never seen before, not even before I fell asleep. In a flustered mood, I couldn’t even think of moving and stood silently in place. Then, the voice that woke me up a little while ago resounded again from inside the round hologram.

『Please help me, Elquines! Answer my call! Please!』

“…!”

At that moment, I instinctively realized the identity of the circle.

I barely swallowed the breath that was about to burst out and covered my mouth with my trembling hands. I couldn’t believe it even when I thought about it myself.

“A summoning… magic circle?”