Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 302

The man, Karian, clicked his tongue, his voice tinged with regret. Yucarte recalled a recent incident where Karian had been furiously enraged. It was the first time he had ever seen him lose his composure and become so angry. Even when he had escaped after being sealed by the Demon God, he hadn’t been in such an agitated state.

That day was the day Serpis died. She was a useful pawn, but her death shouldn’t have elicited such a strong reaction. He had found it strange that Karian was so emotional. As it turned out, there was another reason: a new Demon King had been appointed. The Demon God Kanos had abandoned him and chosen another to take his place.

Since all his plans had been exposed, it was a predictable development. Karian wasn’t particularly attached to the position of Demon King. If he were content with that level, he wouldn’t have started this whole scheme in the first place. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide his displeasure at the fact that a new Demon King had been appointed. Yucarte thought he seemed strangely fixated on that aspect. Of course, he couldn’t openly point that out.

“I wasn’t planning to rush, but it’s taking longer than I expected, which is unwelcome. I need to improve the quality of the materials. From now on, only bring me blood with high purity—only blood imbued with high-quality power.”

“Hmm, are you saying I should only collect the blood of those with special abilities?”

“Yes, but nothing impure.”

“…So, I need to find those with abilities who meet certain conditions. I believe I just mentioned that the number of watchers has increased, making it difficult. I understand very well that you have no interest in my troubles. Aren’t you being too harsh on me?”

Karian simply chuckled at Yucarte’s grumbling. He knew that Yucarte would somehow manage to do it, as he always had. Yucarte sighed deeply, seeing Karian’s relaxed smile despite his open complaints.

“I’m not joking. Whether it’s magic or swordsmanship, abilities often don’t manifest until people are older, making them hard to find. Even if they do manifest early, they’re under the protection of their organizations, making it difficult to extract them.”

“But you’re not saying it’s impossible.”

“Well, there’s always a gap somewhere. How could I dare to dream of great achievements if I couldn’t exploit even that much?”

“Haha, I like you after all.”

“That’s very kind of you to say. I would have nothing more to ask for if you could improve my treatment as much as you like me.”

“Of course. I’m well aware of your hard work. As much as you’re suffering now, or even more, a sweet reward awaits you.”

“Rewards are nice, but…”

“Your Highness, it’s Karibdis. I’m coming in.”

At that moment, a low voice cut through the silent space. Yucarte stopped speaking and closed his mouth, turning his calm gaze to the slowly opening door. Karibdis, who seemed to think he would be asleep, cautiously entered and looked surprised when he met Yucarte’s eyes.

“You were awake at this hour.”

“Ah, I couldn’t sleep very well. What’s the matter?”

Yucarte’s expression was nonchalant as he asked the question. Karian’s presence had already vanished. Not a trace remained that he had been with someone, not even the scent or the temperature of the air. There was no need to worry about being discovered, as even Yucarte himself could have believed it was a dream.

“I apologize. I was just patrolling the palace and stopped by to check on you. Tonight…”

“You have a bad feeling?”

Karibdis looked embarrassed at the smiling question. Yucarte clicked his tongue inwardly. In fact, this wasn’t the first time this had happened. As befitting a Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman], he had an uncanny sense. The secret meetings always took place in the dead of night when everyone was asleep, yet Karibdis visited as if on cue, citing a sudden strange feeling. He was only worried about enemy attacks, but from Yucarte’s perspective, who knew all the facts, it felt like he was deliberately interfering, which was not welcome.

“You’re too diligent.”

“I’m just doing what I have to do.”

“Yes, I’m saying that includes even how you answer.”

The stoic man looked like he didn’t understand what the problem was. Yucarte sighed lightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He felt a surge of irritation, but it soon turned into resignation. In this era filled with chaos and destruction, he was still a steadfast subordinate who had sworn loyalty to him. Being human, he couldn’t help but feel generous towards those who cared for him. Some sneered at him, saying he was merely fond of the dogs that followed him, but he didn’t think that was a problem. What was wrong with cherishing a being who followed him faithfully? Besides, those who sneered would probably be no different if they were in his position.

“Are you getting enough rest? Sleep? Don’t tell me you’re still living carelessly in the barracks.”

“No, I’ve been returning home whenever possible unless there’s a special reason.”

“Really? That’s a good change. What made you change your mind? I’ve always encouraged you to do that, but you never did.”

“…Because someone is waiting.”

“What? Ah.”

There was no need to ask what he meant. Yucarte immediately understood who was being omitted from the answer. It must be about the boy Karibdis had adopted some time ago.

‘The child is waiting, so he’s returning to the mansion?’

Yucarte looked at Karibdis with a strange gaze. He had been watching him since he was a child, so he thought he knew everything about him. In fact, he had rarely deviated from the image he knew. But only regarding that boy did he always show unexpected sides. Adopting him was sudden, and he seemed to be more attached to him than he had thought. He had never paid attention to anything else in his life, but perhaps he was getting old. Maybe he longed for a normal life that he had never had. He had been running non-stop until now, so it was about time.

He had only met the child once, but he still remembered his face clearly. His name was Ray, wasn’t it? His face, with his big, blinking eyes, was quite cute… And the small spirit that danced around him. He was quite an interesting child in many ways.

“Right. Come to think of it, there was one nearby.”

“Yes?”

“No, nothing.”

A bright smile bloomed on his face as he turned around. Karibdis flinched at Yucarte’s suddenly cheerful demeanor.

“Pai, you’re on my side, right? You said you could give everything for me. Do you still feel the same way?”

“…? Yes, of course.”

“Good. I’m very pleased. But don’t worry. If you lose anything because of me now, I’ll repay you a hundredfold in the future.”

“That’s… not necessary. I don’t wish for such a thing.”

“Your lack of greed hasn’t changed.”

Yucarte smiled and gently patted Karibdis’s cheek, as if praising a commendable child. Karibdis flinched again but didn’t show it. His heart began to beat rapidly. It wasn’t due to joy or excitement. Rather, it was similar to the dizzying feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff, anticipating the impending fall.

Why? He had always felt warm and cozy when he touched him. But now, all his nerves were on edge at the sensation of his skin touching him. It felt like cold ice had unexpectedly pierced through his body.

It was winter, but the indoor temperature was always the same. Judging from his complexion and breathing, which were no different from usual, his body temperature hadn’t actually dropped. It was probably just because he was startled by the sudden contact. Or perhaps it was because he had become too accustomed to the warm body temperature of a young child. Recently, he had been spending more time with Ray than with him. Karibdis tried to think of various plausible reasons in his head. He didn’t even realize that trying to find reasons to convince himself in this way was unlike him.

So he continued to make excuses. It must be because he had become overly sensitive lately due to the war. So it was just a simple misunderstanding. A momentary sensory misalignment had caused his brain to make an abnormal judgment. Just like when he first opened the door and felt like he smelled blood somewhere.

“…”

He strained his neck to resist the urge to look around. Karibdis looked down at his clenched fist, hiding his complicated feelings inside.

It just had to be his imagination.

* * *

Battles had been raging for days.

The first contact occurred just hours after the Imperial Army left the Stealth Territory and began to advance again. It was also in a rather unexpected manner. A small unit consisting only of cavalry suddenly appeared and charged in, striking the rear. Then, as soon as the bewildered Imperial Army reorganized its ranks, they retreated and fled as if they had been waiting for it. The entire process took only a few minutes. The Imperial Army, stunned by the enemy’s swift hit-and-run tactics, could only stare blankly at their disappearing backs, unable to even think about pursuing them.

That was the beginning. At first, it seemed like a single unit’s impulsive action, but they soon realized that wasn’t the case. A few hours later, another unit appeared and attacked in the same way. This time, they targeted the vanguard, and it was an attack by a ranged unit including mages and archers. That unit also disappeared without a trace as soon as they began to respond properly.

The same pattern of attacks that began that day had been continuing countless times until now. Even though it was a surprise attack, the engagement time itself was so short, and they were responding adequately after recognizing it, so there were hardly any casualties. Nevertheless, the enemy didn’t stop and continued this meaningless act. It seemed that their purpose was to make them nervous and disrupt the atmosphere.

In some ways, it was a quite effective tactic. Ordinary humans have limitations in their reconnaissance range, and even those with special abilities can’t use their abilities to survey their surroundings every hour. Eventually, there will be a gap, and if these mistakes accumulate and cause a surge in damage, the morale of the entire army will be greatly reduced.

The only mistake they made was not calculating that there were several beings in this unit who were beyond human. Especially in my case, I don’t feel any fatigue even if I survey my surroundings every hour. This is like breathing, a natural ability that is part of me, so I don’t particularly need the contractor’s help. Moreover, there was a suitable excuse to openly use this ability. They could say that Alisa had read it with her precognition [ability to see the future].

Even if they were doubtful at first, they would believe and feel relieved if they repeatedly guessed correctly. Even more so if they guessed the direction of the attack, as well as the unit’s formation, number, and size. So, despite the numerous engagements, the atmosphere in the Imperial Army remained calm throughout. After adapting to the situation to some extent, they even used their attacks in reverse. They placed an ambushed unit in the direction the enemies were coming from and attacked from both directions, or they launched a surprise attack before they attacked. Thanks to this, their side suffered minimal damage, while the enemy’s damage was increasing. From any point of view, it was a situation where only the opponent was making futile efforts.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

The enemies, feeling the unfavorable war situation, quickly began to retreat. This engagement was followed by two consecutive attacks. As soon as they blocked the first attack, a second attack occurred from another direction. It seemed that they were trying to catch them off guard by narrowing the attack interval, but unfortunately, this was also already understood, so there was not much damage. The enemies were only being hit as they were, with the same momentum as when they had rushed in with great fanfare.

“Don’t pursue! Just let them run away!”

The voices of the commanders calming the soldiers who were trying to chase after them echoed from all directions. Amid the chaos, I felt Alisa turning to look at me. I shook my head slightly in response to the question in her gaze. She received our secret signal and conveyed something to Count Marcus, who was next to her. It must have been the story that there would be no more attacks. As expected, Count Marcus shouted to everyone.

“The enemies have completely retreated! You can release the alert!”

“Waaaaa!”

The soldiers, who were completely relieved, cheered. The tension was released at once, and the sharp air became much calmer. It was already commonplace for chants to Alisa to echo from all directions, so it was not even new.

“Daughter of Sphere!”

“Lady Alisa!”

Every time she met their eyes, the cheers grew louder, making it feel like watching a concert by a famous idol. I still can’t forget Isana’s bewildered face when she first witnessed this scene. She had received reports in writing, so she knew the atmosphere here to some extent, but the feeling of actually confirming it seemed quite different.

So, there was no need to explain the shock that the Raon Hwizen Crown Prince’s party, who had joined in by chance, received. The Crown Prince, who approached Alisa at every opportunity and recommended a safe place, became more reserved after realizing her popularity among the soldiers. He wasn’t completely withdrawn, but he seemed to have a sense of the atmosphere.