Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 307

307

Gulp. Asel swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously. Isana, with a gentle smile, raised her arm and released something.

‘Huh? That’s…’

I recognized it instantly. It was a protective magic bracelet I had bought by chance in a village we passed through with the Champagne Mercenaries. I had bought it and put it on Isana’s wrist, and now Isana was putting it on Asel’s wrist in the same way. As Asel’s eyes widened in surprise, Isana continued.

“This is the most precious thing I own, a gift from someone dear to me.”

“Y-Your Majesty.”

“You are welcome to come whenever you have made up your mind. Until then, I will entrust the bracelet to you. Having something to return will make it easier for you to set a goal.”

“Your generosity is overwhelming, Your Majesty!”

Asel quickly knelt on one knee and bowed deeply. Kneeling on one knee was a gesture reserved for emperors or lords in this world. While it was a natural courtesy to Isana as the emperor, it couldn’t help but feel like the latter in this moment. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as the atmosphere became quite strange.

“Please wait a moment.”

Immediately, an icy voice descended, extinguishing the excited air. It was Crown Prince Laon Hwizen, who had been watching the entire situation with a rigid gaze. Everyone anxiously glanced at the Crown Prince. The only one not looking at him was Asel, kneeling before Isana. The Crown Prince’s eyes, filled with shock and betrayal as he glared at the scene, soon turned to Isana with a cold glint.

“Asel is my aide. To take my man in front of me, even as the Emperor, your joke goes too far. I understand that Your Majesty looks down on me.”

“Your Highness, watch your words. What disrespectful language is this before His Imperial Majesty?”

Kay, the commander of the Imperial Guard standing behind Isana, retorted in a fierce voice. The other Imperial Knights also began to exude a sharp aura. In response, the atmosphere on the Crown Prince’s side changed rapidly. As a tense atmosphere filled the air, Isana raised her hand first.

“Continue, Crown Prince.”

Everyone was somewhat agitated, their fighting spirit ignited. However, Isana remained aloof, seemingly unaffected by her surroundings. The Crown Prince’s eyebrows twitched greatly, seemingly more angered by her calm demeanor. He bit his lip hard, but managed not to grind his teeth, perhaps out of respect for his superior.

“I didn’t know Your Majesty had a hobby of tricking innocent people.”

“I’m tricking him?”

“You deceived me so perfectly that I almost mistook it for sincerity. Why didn’t you refuse the last condition? Then I would have truly believed you were sincere.”

“I, for one, am curious as to why that would be the case.”

“…If you certify it in the Emperor’s name, at least in this Swalt Empire, the existence of unicorns will be formally recognized. But the entire continent will laugh at Your Majesty. Are you saying you would endure such humiliation just to win the favor of one person?”

“Humiliation…”

“You can just be honest. You can simply say that you have many grievances against me and just wanted to cause trouble.”

It was a tone as if scolding a naive child. The Imperial Guard’s demeanor turned fierce at the disrespectful attitude that could not be used when addressing the Emperor of the Empire. But then, the Crown Prince’s expression twisted. It was because Isana smirked. As if he was greatly amused.

Wow, I didn’t know Isana could laugh like that. Seeing him so openly provoke the other party was more amusing than surprising. Of course, the Crown Prince, who was on the receiving end, was not amused at all.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding, you say?”

“I understand that the Crown Prince may find this situation unpleasant. But let me make my position clear. First, I have no particular grievances against the Crown Prince. I judged Asel to be valuable to me, and I simply want to provide him with a place where he can unleash his abilities more freely because I value them highly. Second, I am not acknowledging unicorns to win Asel’s favor. I judged that there is no problem in certifying them because they are an actual existing race.”

“What does that…”

“I think the Crown Prince needs to see the world more broadly. In the first place, there are countless races in this world. Among them, the lifespan of humans is only about a hundred years. Don’t you think it’s human arrogance to judge that the records we have engraved cover everything in the world?”

“…Ha, so Your Majesty really acknowledges unicorns, is that it?”

“Of course, I acknowledge them.”

“Now that I see it, it seems Your Majesty has been engrossed in some strange literature. I wonder what those who are assisting you are doing. Blindly following what is right is not true loyalty. Your Majesty should look around you more. It seems that you are surrounded by sycophants [flatterers].”

“You impudent!”

Kay and the Imperial Knights, unable to bear it any longer, gripped their sword hilts. The Crown Prince’s entourage stepped forward to protect him. It was a touch-and-go moment as their auras clashed.

“Ugh, I can’t stand watching this anymore.”

Sibilius, who had been silently observing the unfolding situation, let out a long sigh and scratched his head vigorously. His voice was somewhat loud, so everyone’s attention was focused on him.

“This will never end. I’m getting tired of just listening to such stupid things. Hey, pink hair. I’ll just show you the proof of why Isana is so sure. Will that be okay?”

“Proof… you say?”

The Crown Prince, who had been glaring at his rude address and title, looked bewildered at the next words. But that expression soon froze. A pure white light began to emanate from Sibilius’s entire body, and his body slowly floated into the air.

“What… !”

The burst of light instantly engulfed Sibilius’s body. It happened in a time as short as a blink of an eye, before anyone could even move their eyelids. It felt like the surroundings had become brighter, and something of white light fell from the sky. The fluttering silver was strangely shaped like wings.

Everyone blankly raised their hands to catch the falling wings of light. And the next moment, the long-awaited curtain rose. A dazzling white horse descended before everyone’s eyes. The silver-white mane, as if holding moonlight, rippled between the huge wings that fluttered lightly. The long golden horn protruding from its forehead shone brilliantly even in the darkened space.

“…”

“…”

A deep silence flowed through the surroundings. Not only the Crown Prince’s side, but also the Imperial Knights were dumbfounded, their mouths agape, unable to say anything. In fact, even Isana had never seen his true form.

“It’s a real unicorn…”

Someone muttered in a daze. The unicorn’s piercingly blue eyes turned towards the Crown Prince. A curt voice was conveyed to him, who was frozen, unable to even breathe.

—Here, a real unicorn. Are you satisfied now?

“…Magic, it’s not.”

The Crown Prince’s muttering breath trembled roughly. He was quite a talented magician, so he seemed to have recognized that Sibilius’s appearance was not a form created by magic. But even as he said it himself, his expression was full of disbelief. If it wasn’t magic, he would have to admit that he was a real unicorn, so it was understandable.

—Of course not. Can’t you tell by looking?

“How…”

—What do you mean how? I’m a unicorn, so I’m a unicorn.

“So… unicorns really exist…”

—That’s what Isana said earlier. Don’t try to judge everything in the world with human’s short knowledge.

After replying leisurely, he stared at one side. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to that side. Asel was standing there. He was standing with a blank face, shedding tears. Even though he had repeatedly confirmed it several times, he seemed unable to control the shock when he actually saw the unicorn’s true form. Sibilius chuckled as if he couldn’t help it (he looked quite handsome for a horse).

—Asel, get on.

“Yes?”

Asel, surprised by the unexpected suggestion, widened his eyes. Sibilius made a light snort as if he was in a good mood.

—I should take a walk since I’ve returned to my original form after a long time. I’ll take you with me too.

“C-Can I really?”

—I wouldn’t tell you to get on if you couldn’t. You should be honored. I don’t let just anyone ride on my back.

With a light shake of his mane, he gave a sly smile. The pure white wings, after a couple of light warm-up exercises, spread wide to both sides. Standing against the wind, he seemed to emit light from his whole body.

—Come on. I’ll show you a scenery you’ve never seen before.

Even while still crying, Asel couldn’t help but suppress the laughter that burst out on his lips. He ran towards Sibilius without properly wiping away the flowing tears.

Through the darkness, into the light.

Like a newly winged bird flying towards the sky for the first time.

“Yes, Sibilius-nim!”

* * *

There is no clearer proof than seeing with one’s own eyes. By revealing his true form, Sibilius finally had Asel’s claims, which had long been treated as silent cries, recognized as fact. His face also brightened as if he had shed years of grime. Was that why? Asel, who had been on a walk with Sibilius all night, seemed like a completely different person from before. It was just that his expression was a little brighter, but his eyes and atmosphere began to exude a presence that could not be felt before.

To make an analogy, it was as if a plain tree suddenly bloomed with colorful flowers, adding color. The tree itself remained the same, but it was clear that no one could look at the tree and call it ordinary anymore. Asel went straight to the Crown Prince and had a long conversation. I deliberately didn’t eavesdrop out of consideration for their positions, but the result was quite unexpected.

“That Crown Prince apologized?”

“Yes, he admitted his mistakes and apologized for the misunderstandings and rash remarks he had made so far.”

“Hmm. I didn’t expect him to admit it so easily. That’s surprising.”

Receiving an apology from a royal would be more difficult than hearing words of gratitude. I saw the Crown Prince, whom I had only thought of as old-fashioned, in a new light for the first time. Of course, that judgment didn’t last long either.

“But, what’s with all that luggage?”

Feeling a sudden sense of incongruity, I slowly scanned Asel’s appearance. He was carrying a backpack on his back. He had neatly packed everything from water bottles to emergency rations, a common outfit when marching. The only problem was that the army had been stationed in one place for days, so there were no plans to march. When our eyes met, he smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, apart from that, I was dismissed from my position as His Highness’s aide.”

“…Huh.”

“It’s really shameless, but would you allow me to stay here for a while? I don’t think I can return home alone like this.”

“…”

My companions and I were speechless for a while.

That’s what happened this morning.

“Seriously, this is ridiculous. He still has more than a year left to graduate from the academy. He didn’t even say he was going to live here right away, but why fire someone overnight? He even said he was sorry! That Crown Prince, he’s so narrow-minded.”

I never thought he would dismiss Asel. I expected things to be awkward for a while after those events. At most, it would be a little more awkward than before, but not to the point of severing ties and sending him away like this. Asel was the one who had been willing to drop out of school (maybe even face execution) for the Crown Prince and had accompanied him on this long journey. No matter how upset he was, I couldn’t understand why he would easily cast him aside like this. At least he wasn’t kicked out empty-handed, so it seemed he had received enough travel expenses. But that wouldn’t compensate for his past dedication.

While I was grumbling for a while, Asel, who was sitting in front of me, was awkwardly rolling his eyes. He was still not used to the tent’s interior environment, which was very different from the outside, and his gaze was full of tension as he looked around. Still, it was a much better reaction than at first. When he first came in here, he was so surprised that he couldn’t even breathe properly. It was no wonder he was shocked, as a palace-like comfortable space unfolded inside the crude tent.

“Ah, it’s really amazing. A house made with magic. You always show me more than I imagined.”

“…Isn’t this not the time to be saying that?”

Meaning to stop talking nonsense and focus on the conversation, I stared intently at Asel (the other companions were all watching us from a distance). He, who had been trying hard to escape reality, let out a sigh of resignation.

“Well, after seeing these things, I have nothing to say. But Rajen-nim is not as cruel and bad as you think.”

“What are you talking about when you suddenly lost your job? Do you feel like taking the Crown Prince’s side in this situation? Asel, you shouldn’t just live so kindly. It’s okay to get angry at unfair things.”