Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 319

Chapter 319

“Grandpa Ruben!”

Ray’s face, which had been stiff the entire time, lit up completely the moment he saw him. It was a sense of relief from finally finding someone he knew. Ray, who had rushed out, jumped into his arms, and the man readily embraced him. His face, as he looked at the child, was filled with disbelief.

“Oh, my God! Praise be to God! You’re really Master Ray! How on earth did this happen? Where have you been all this time? Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you?”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re safe. I’m really glad.”

A faint tremor ran through the man’s body as he hugged the small shoulders tightly. As if his search had been relentless, the area under his eyes was dark, like someone who hadn’t slept in a long time. Just looking at his rough, sunken skin and disheveled appearance, I could tell how much he had suffered. The others weren’t much different, looking pale and sickly, but their expressions were bright. Each of their appearances seemed to speak volumes about Ray’s position in this mansion: he was a precious young master who was truly loved.

“Young Master!”

“Master Ray!”

The emotional people burst into tears. Ray also began to cry, as if releasing all the sorrow he had been holding back. For a while, they hugged each other and wept. Seeing that, the heavy feeling that had been weighing on me seemed to lighten a little. At least for this moment, Ray was happy, feeling loved. I hoped it would lead the child’s future to be a little smoother.

* * *

“This is black tea imported from Marun Island in the southern part of the Alponf Empire. I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

A sweet fragrance wafted from the teacup placed in front of me. Out of curiosity, I took a sip, and the feeling that swept through my mouth was surprisingly smooth. Even I, who didn’t know much about tea, could tell that they used very good tea leaves. *Do nobles only drink things like this?* The teas I had come across so far were mostly ready-made products easily found on the market. Since I couldn’t taste it anyway, I had never really thought about which one was better or worse, but I didn’t know the difference in the quality of the ingredients would be this great. I guess that’s why Lapis was so insistent on only using luxury goods. It was the first time I had faced his psychology head-on, which I hadn’t properly understood. Maybe I would have been just as picky if I had a proper body. Seeing as I’m thinking of getting these tea leaves as soon as I get back, maybe I would have been even more so.

“It tastes good. Thank you.”

When I thanked him politely, the butler, Ruben, who had been watching my reaction, looked relieved. I wish he would just sit across from me. It was burdensome to have him standing next to me, just watching me drink my tea. A little while ago, I asked him why he didn’t sit down, but his expression was very subtle. He looked at me as if I was the one being strange for asking such a thing. Nevertheless, I asked him to sit down, but he stubbornly refused, saying that he was more comfortable this way, so I couldn’t persuade him any further.

‘He must think I’m a noble.’

I was well aware that my slender and flamboyant appearance could be mistaken for that of a noble. That’s why I introduced myself as a mercenary, but it seemed they had decided not to believe me. If I had known this would happen, I would have prepared a plausible mercenary pass in advance. Knowing it was too late, my mouth tasted bitter. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about what kind of identity to make up. In the first place, I had no intention of even entering the mansion.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

I took a deep breath and looked around. The mansion, which looked fancy from the outside, was even more magnificent inside. The floor was made of marble, the large carpets were woven with gold thread, and the curtains were made of silk. The glass windows filled the walls, and colorful stained glass decorated them. Everything looked expensive. It was a mansion that seemed to cost a lot to maintain, and it was quite fun to look around.

But as I said, I really had no intention of coming inside. Originally, my role was supposed to end with bringing the child back. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t met him, but Ray had already returned to his family. Now that the child they had been desperately searching for had returned, they would protect him thoroughly, and I thought it would be better for me, an outsider, to step aside at this point. But the butler stubbornly invited me into the mansion as I was about to turn around. He said he wanted to hear more details about how I found the child.

“So, you’re saying you found him at the slave market.”

“Yes. To be exact, it wasn’t me, but a mercenary group I know found him. They were looking for a missing child under a request, and they found out that an illegal auction was being held, so they raided the site. They brought him back, saying that he was a child they had rescued together.”

Ray, exhausted from crying, had fallen into a deep sleep and was taken to his room. Thanks to that, I was able to make up a suitable story without worrying about being overheard. The butler, Ruben, diligently wrote down what I was saying in a thick book. He was so engrossed in it that I felt sorry for lying, but I couldn’t tell the truth, so I gritted my teeth and pretended not to know.

“Ray doesn’t remember the situation before and after the kidnapping very well because he was so shocked. But he did say the name of his guardian for sure. It just so happened that I was on my way, so I brought him back. So you don’t have to thank me.”

“No, you’ve done more than enough just by bringing the young master back safely. If the Duke were here, he would have rewarded you handsomely, but he’s out on business right now…”

“No! It’s okay. As I said, I really didn’t do anything, so this cup of tea is reward enough. I wouldn’t even think of accepting anything else, even if you offered it. So don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm. In that case, may I ask where the mercenary group that rescued the young master is from? I would like to visit them and thank them separately.”

“Yes? Uh, hmm. That’s no use. It’ll probably be hard to meet them. They left to do another request as soon as they finished this one. It seemed like they were going somewhere quite far away.”

“Oh dear, that’s very unfortunate. But please tell me the name of the group, at least. I think we should know who our benefactors are.”

“Ahaha, they’re the type of people who don’t like to show off their achievements… Besides, the request related to the auction raid was being carried out secretly and confidentially. So I don’t know if it’s okay for me to reveal it without permission…”

Unlike my forced smile, cold sweat was running down my back. As expected, there was bound to be a limit to a story made up on the spur of the moment. The regret that I should have just left, no matter how much they asked me to stay, hit my chest again. But the deed had already been done, and my attempts to somehow fix it didn’t work at all for the butler Ruben. The more I tried, the more determined his expression became.

“I understand what you’re saying, but I hope you’ll understand our feelings as well. The Duke’s family has a reputation to uphold, and we can’t just let this go after receiving such great help.”

“Ummm. But…”

“I’m begging you. We will never do anything to trouble you or them. Please tell me.”

“…Haa, I can’t help it. Then I’ll tell you. … It’s the Champagne Mercenary Group.”

“Yes?”

“Champagne. The Champagne Mercenary Group.”

I’m sorry, Hussen.

In the end, I decided to sell the name of someone I knew (?) in order to avoid the crisis before my eyes. It was a somewhat carefree decision based on the idea that since I was passing on the credit, there wouldn’t be any trouble. Even if there was a problem, I believed that everyone was talented enough to handle it. Especially since Trowel was there. If it was him, who was quick-witted, he would quickly grasp the situation and take care of it. Probably.

The butler, who had no idea what I was thinking, was busy writing down the name I had given him. Judging by his more cautious face, he was about to start searching for them right away. Mercenaries are people who appear and disappear in the east and west, so they wouldn’t think it was strange even if there was a big difference in distance. But because my conscience was pricked, the seat that was already uncomfortable felt even more like a bed of thorns. I didn’t think I could stay any longer, so I quickly got up.

“I’ll be going now. Thank you for the tea.”

“Yes? Are you leaving already? Please stay for dinner…”

“I’m sorry. I have something urgent to do. As I said, I just stopped by on the way, so I can’t delay any longer.”

“I see. I can’t hold on to someone who’s busy… It’s a pity that I can’t treat you any better. The young master will be very disappointed too.”

“I’ve been treated well enough. Oh, can I see Ray for a moment before I go? I just want to see his sleeping face.”

In fact, I could have gone to see him secretly if I wanted to, but I deliberately created this situation to avoid giving the impression that I was running away in a hurry. The butler nodded happily, as if he liked that very much. He led me to the room at the very end of the second floor. There were many rooms on both sides of the hallway, but the one we arrived at had the largest door. It was clear to anyone that it was a room where a special person stayed. The butler only allowed me to enter the room, worried that the sleeping child might wake up if there were too many people moving around. The interior, which I entered alone, was generally dark because the curtains were drawn. In the open space, there was a reception room, a dressing room, and even a tea table area. It might be natural in a mansion of this size, but it felt too big for a child to use. The size of the bed placed inside was also so huge that several large adults could roll around on it without any problem. A small shadow was cast right in the middle of it.

“…Ray?”

What I didn’t expect was that the child, who I thought would be asleep, was sitting up blankly. Tears were dripping from his eyes. I was flustered and quickly approached Ray.

“What’s wrong, Ray? Why are you crying?”

When I asked, looking at his face, Ray’s eyes shook. From his lips, which had been gaping several times as if hesitating, a familiar word finally came out.

“…Rinny.”

“Huh? Rin?”

“Rinny… won’t come out.”

“…”

I carefully swallowed my breath at the unexpected words. Before I could even grasp what this meant, the next words followed.

“I always called Rinny when I was alone. So I thought she would come out this time too if I was alone. But she won’t come out. No matter how much I call her.”

“…Ray.”

A sigh escaped my lips. I thought that might be the case, but it seemed he hadn’t really realized Rin’s death. He must have thought that if he went back to a familiar place and looked for her in the way he always did, he would be able to meet her again like before. But now that belief had been shattered. It must have been the first time he had really felt Rin’s death. Bitter tears streamed down Ray’s tightly closed eyes again.

“Is Rinny really dead? Can’t I ever see her again? Why? I… I didn’t even say goodbye to Rin…”

“…”

“No, it can’t be. Rinny can’t die. I… I have so many things I haven’t done for Rinny. The mister told me to hide Rinny. So I couldn’t even call her where there were people. Rinny was stuffy just being in the necklace. I always called her in a place where there was no one, in a quiet place… I couldn’t even let her roam around as much as she wanted. I didn’t even show her the pretty garden.”

The more he muttered, the thicker his sobs became. I couldn’t bear to watch the child crying as if he was about to suffocate, so I hugged Ray tightly.

“No. No, Ray. She’s not dead. Rin is still with you.”

“…Liar.”

“Really. It’s just that you can’t see Rin anymore.”

“Me…?”

Agitation arose in his tearful green eyes. I nodded my head emphatically.

“Rin is a water spirit. Spirits aren’t originally beings who live here. So people can’t see them.”

“But I could see her…?”

“Yeah. That’s because Rin ate a special medicine. But now the medicine has worn off. So she’s become invisible.”

“Really? Then she’s really next to me?”

“Yes. She’s with you. In the place closest to you than anyone else.”

“How do you know that?”

“I told you. I’m Rin’s family. I can see spirits.”

I only spoke the truth, but it wasn’t the real answer. The innocent child didn’t recognize the hidden meaning of those words. I could see his hardened face slowly brightening. The tears that had been falling like beads had already stopped.

“T, then what do I have to do to see Rin again? I’ll do anything! I can do anything!”

“…Um, maybe when Ray grows up a lot more. Then you’ll realize it on your own.”

“Realize it?”

“Yeah. That Rin is always by your side.”

Perhaps as he grows up, he will gradually come to know his own appearance, which is becoming more and more different from humans. Then he will have no choice but to realize it even if he doesn’t want to. Why Rin had to disappear. Why I had to keep telling him that she was always with him.

Will Ray cry again then? Or will he accept it indifferently because it’s already a past memory? No, maybe even the longing he has now will turn into resentment. That was a little heartbreaking.

“So… will you just remember one thing from now on, Ray? Rin really liked you a lot.”

“I like Rinny too.”

“…Yeah. Thank you.”

But even this unwavering answer may become a regret. I didn’t want to be pessimistic, but right now my thoughts were only leaning in that direction. I smiled bitterly and lightly stroked Ray’s head.

“I have to go now. See you next time, Ray.”

“Can I see you again?”

“Of course.”