Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 310

310.

A heavy thud accompanied the dramatic flapping of a cloak. Summoned before dawn, the black steed showed barely contained excitement at bearing its master. Being such a massive warhorse, even its snorts sounded considerably threatening. Carivdis, after soothing his beloved horse, raised his head in response to the gazes fixed upon him. He calmly surveyed the butler and household members who had come to see him off, and finally, his gaze settled on the young child standing before him.

“Then, Rei, take care.”

From the moment Carivdis stepped out of the entrance and into the saddle, Rei, who had been staring blankly, slowly nodded at those words. He felt a lump in his throat, but he knew that crying would only worry everyone. So, he held back his tears.

“Hyah!”

With a sharp pull of the reins, a spirited shout echoed. The horse carrying Carivdis shifted its weight and immediately bolted forward. The figure, which had seemed as massive as a mountain when it was right before his eyes, shrank to the size of a fingernail in an instant.

“Young Master, please don’t worry so much. The Duke will return safely.”

Butler Ruben spoke to Rei, who remained rooted to the spot even after the dust had settled. The boy was now, in name and reality, the designated heir. The butler, always kind, was now attending to the child with even more devoted care. Still, Rei’s expression remained somber.

“Shall I have some delicious snacks brought out? I’ll have them prepare a whipped cream cake with apples and strawberries, and chocolate cookies studded with almonds. How does that sound?”

Ruben, a skilled butler, knew well how to cheer up the gloomy child. As his favorite snacks were listed, Rei’s eyes immediately began to sparkle. Seeing the child’s expression regain its vitality, Ruben wore a relieved smile.

“Is there anything else you would like?”

“……Cocoa…… Milk, too.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll have warm cocoa milk prepared as well. I’ll tell the chef right away. Would you like to wait inside your room?”

It was an offer to keep him company. Rei hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“I want to be in the garden.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll come to get you when the snacks are ready. Please don’t wander off too far.”

The butler, knowing that Rei enjoyed the garden, didn’t find it strange and readily agreed. After acknowledging him, Rei headed to the garden alone. Or, strictly speaking, he wasn’t alone. There was always a presence that accompanied him. It was also the being Rei wanted to talk to most right now.

Once the initial regret and sorrow had subsided, the forgotten voice echoed in his heart again. His pace began to quicken. Only when he was running so hard that he was gasping for breath did Rei finally manage to stop.

“Rin.”

After confirming that no one was around, he called out the name, and a beautiful fairy in the form of a mermaid materialized out of thin air. Cold water droplets splashed on his cheek, but Rei didn’t care and thrust his face in front of the fairy.

“Rin, I think I’m going to have a father.”

The fairy, who had been welcoming him, widened her eyes. Her face was so cute that Rei burst into silent laughter.

“You know, that mister is going to give me his last name. Then that mister and I will become family. Now that mister will be my father. Isn’t that amazing?”

At the breathless words, Rin’s eyes grew even wider. He couldn’t expect an answer anyway, but Rei was half-excited and didn’t wait for a response. Right now, he felt like talking to anyone, even if it was just one-sided.

“……Father.”

It felt strangely unfamiliar. Even when he was younger than now, Rei had no memory of a father. He had always only had his mother. He had never wondered about his father’s existence, nor had he ever found it strange that he wasn’t around. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t in an environment where he could compare himself to his peers, but that was why the word ‘father’ felt even more foreign to Rei.

“Father.”

He repeated the unfamiliar word. His heart tingled. It felt as if a giant bubble had risen and was inflated to its limit. He was even afraid that it would burst.

“What should I do, Rin? I’m so happy.”

The child’s cheeks, unable to hide his excitement, were flushed red. The child’s joy was soon Rin’s joy. Rin, who had been dancing around as if in response to her young friend’s excited emotions, smiled brightly and hugged Rei’s cheeks with both arms. Rei also rubbed his cheek against Rin’s small face.

But a moment later, the touching sensation suddenly disappeared. Feeling the emptiness, Rei opened his eyes and wore a puzzled expression. Rin was glaring fiercely at something. The friendly atmosphere had vanished, and she looked as sharp as a wary cat.

“Rin?”

A pure white hem of a garment appeared before his eyes. Rei blinked. Someone was standing in front of him. He was quite tall, but his face was obscured by the sunlight. Unlike Rei, who couldn’t open his eyes properly due to the bright backlight, the other person seemed to see him relatively well. Only after raising his hand to shield his eyes did he barely make eye contact.

“Oh…….”

Rei blinked again. He thought he recognized the person in front of him. It was someone he had seen once before. Beneath the bright blonde hair, the man’s languidly narrowed blue eyes curved into a smile.

“Hello, Rei. Long time no see.”

* * *

Compared to what I had feared, Isana handled her shock surprisingly well. Perhaps because she had already processed similar information once before, she seemed to accept the unknown stories of her father’s generation quite calmly. Perhaps she treated Asel’s story as just another rumor. Her lack of anger or offense suggested a level of acceptance, a composed demeanor.

“Haa, of all moments, for His Majesty the Emperor to appear. I really thought my heart would stop.”

Asel, who had been caught at a bad moment and forced to endure an awkward encounter, sighed in relief as Isana left without saying anything further. He had only conveyed the facts as he had heard them, but in this world, even mentioning the imperial family could be construed as a serious offense. From Asel’s perspective, it must have felt like a narrow escape.

Of course, considering that, he recovered quickly, as if nothing had happened. Being surprised was one thing, but he was still alive, so he seemed to think that was enough. Come to think of it, his attitude toward the Crown Prince was also strangely casual. Even in that tense situation, he had diligently taken care of all the requirements. Perhaps because he had been indulging in such unrealistic fantasies, he seemed to have nerves of steel when it came to dealing with people.

I realized that fact anew the next day. In the morning, everyone was leaving the barracks together when we happened to run into Crown Prince Laonhizen’s party walking from the opposite direction. The Crown Prince, sensing our presence, turned to look this way, and Asel’s eyes met his. It was the first time since he had been dismissed from his position as aide. I wondered if there would be some awkward exchange, but my expectations were quickly dashed. The Crown Prince simply turned his head as if he hadn’t seen anything. I felt more hurt by that cold attitude, but Asel, who was watching, remained calm.

“Are you okay?”

When I asked cautiously, he just shrugged.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Anyway, His Highness the Crown Prince is so timid that it’s a big problem. He needs to fix that personality before he becomes Emperor.”

“……Timid?”

“He’s avoiding me because he’s distressed to see my face, so he’s timid. If he was okay, why would he avoid me?”

After listening, I had nothing to say because he had a point. Besides, if you considered those words in reverse, Asel, who didn’t avoid his gaze, meant that he was fine. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he actually answered confidently. Since human relationships are not something where you can only stick to your own position, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded to maintain confidence even if you didn’t do anything wrong. This is especially true in cases where there is a clear difference in status, such as the relationship between Asel and the Crown Prince. Still, Asel didn’t seem to be fazed at all. I wanted to emulate that attitude.

“More than that, El. I think I finally know El’s identity.”

“My identity?”

Puzzled, I turned around, and he nodded with a solemn face.

“I’ve always been wondering. That unrealistically gorgeous appearance, excellent hearing and eyesight, tremendous power that shakes the ground, and healing abilities that resemble a priest! You even teleported. No matter how I think about it, this combination isn’t ordinary, is it? But the people with you turned out to be demons and a unicorn. Now that I know the truth, all the answers become simple. I’ve come to the conclusion that El isn’t human either.”

“So, what do you think I am?”

I thought he would be curious, but I didn’t expect him to try a direct breakthrough. It wasn’t bad to approach so openly, so I waited for his answer with a pleasant feeling. As and Sibelius, as well as the other members, were all watching us with great interest.

“……You’re not going to kill me for finding out your identity, are you?”

“Do you think I’m a psychopath? I wouldn’t kill someone over something like that.”

“Psychopath? What’s that?”

“Anyway, tell me. I won’t say anything at all.”

“Then I’ll tell you! El’s identity is……!”

“Is?”

“Is a dragon!”

“Pfft!”

A loud noise erupted. Rapis ― the dragon ― who was drinking water next to me, spat out what he was drinking. As and Alisa, who were nearby, were horrified and busy shaking their heads. After clicking my tongue at the chaotic scene, I turned back to Asel. He was standing confidently, his eyes shining brightly. In cartoons or movies, the great detective who has revealed the truth always had that expression.

“A dragon…….”

Well, to be sure, dragons can do all those things. It was also a combination that would naturally come to mind after demons and unicorns. Especially since there was a real dragon mixed in. Thinking that far, I realized anew that we weren’t an ordinary group. A combination that has gathered rare races that others would have a hard time meeting in their lifetime. I don’t think it would be easy to gather them like this on purpose. Thanks to that, there’s no day without wind [a day without incident], so I can’t just think it’s good.

“Do you think I’m a dragon?”

“Hehe, that’s right. Judging from El’s hair and eye color being blue, I believe you are a Blue Dragon. In addition, I think I know why you are by Her Majesty Isana’s side.”

“Hmm. Keep talking.”

“Actually, as soon as I came here, I heard a rumor that was spreading widely.”

“Rumor?”

“Duke Carivdis, a knight of the Yukarte Grand Duchy and a Sword Master, defeated a dragon. There were so many people praising him as ‘Carivdis, the hero who defeated the evil dragon!’ El also heard that news! So, in order to avenge your fellow dragons, you decided to help his enemy, Emperor Isana!”

“……Damn Mete.”

I heard Rapis, his face crumpled, snorting. Ah, so that brother’s name is Mete. I couldn’t help but chuckle because I couldn’t *not* know who the dragon involved in the rumor was. Asel, who had been excitedly talking, became sullen when he saw me like that. He seemed to realize that I was just humoring him.

“……Isn’t it?”

“Well, it could be, or it could not be?”

“Ah, really, aren’t you being too harsh? I won’t be able to sleep because I’m so curious.”

“Haha, I’m sorry. It’s not that I particularly mind telling you, but it’s not a problem that can be solved with just me. I know that Asel isn’t someone who will spread the word, but it’s better to ask Isana about this than me.”

“Yes? Why ask Her Majesty the Emperor…… Huh! So you have a contract with her!? Could it be that El is also a demon?”

“I’m telling you to go ask Isana.”

At the repeated refusals, Asel couldn’t push any further and seemed to give up on clinging. “Then I’m really going to go ask Her Majesty! That’s okay, right?” Instead, he sought confirmation for another intention, so I told him to do so, and he seemed satisfied with that.

Immediately after, Asel disappeared, saying that he would really go and ask Isana. Alisa and Sibelius quickly followed behind him. They seemed to want to observe him, who would be in a complicated situation regardless of whether Isana answered honestly or not. As some people left his side, the noisy surroundings became quiet in an instant. Is that why? I thought it was a pleasant time, but it felt like a sense of emptiness was rushing in all at once. Rapis sent me a strange look.

“You don’t look good.”

“Who?”

“You.”

“Me? Not really, I’m fine.”

“But why are you frowning?”

“Oh? Was I?”

Only after being conscious of it did I realize that my face was stiff. It didn’t seem to be an emotional problem caused by someone, but just overall, my physical condition was low and I felt like my vitality had dropped. But do spirit kings ever lose vitality? That couldn’t be, so I felt something was wrong.

“Great Father, are you not feeling well?”

I chuckled and shook my head at As, who was worried. As I was stroking his soft hair, the drooping sensation seemed to get a little better. Seeing that, I must be feeling bad now.

“Hmm, more than that, I don’t know how long we have to stay here. Don’t you think we’ve been stuck in one place for too long? I feel like there’s another intention.”

“You have the answer now, so what are you curious about?”

“The answer came out?”

“The purpose itself is to block our advance.”

Rapis answered casually.