Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 322

322.

I guess this is what I look like with blonde hair. I fiddled with my hair a bit, feeling a ticklish sensation in my chest. Eventually, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hehe.”

“What are you laughing about so creepily?”

“Don’t I look a bit like Ellyuen when I do this?”

Rapis, who had been staring blankly, frowned deeply at my words.

“Just because you have the same hair and eye color doesn’t mean you look alike. Why, do you also say Isana looks like him? If that’s the case, then I look like him too right now.”

“……Tch.”

I guess it’s not that much.

To hide my embarrassment, I focused my gaze on my reflection in the mirror. Honestly, even I thought Ellyuen and I had completely different features. It felt like I’d be lying if I said we looked alike, even as a compliment.

‘But why does it feel so strangely familiar…….’

What is it? Why do I feel like this? As I tilted my head, Deron said with a strange expression.

“Seeing you like that reminds me of ‘that person’ from back then.”

“Yes? Ah…….”

I quickly understood what he meant. I smiled bitterly and stroked my reflection in the mirror with my hand.

“That’s right. I was wondering where I’d seen it before. I look like ‘El’.”

Even though it was a fake that Kanos played, they said the appearance was copied exactly from Sibelius’s memories. The slightly excited feeling slowly subsided. I had forcibly buried it because I was lost in the labyrinth, but I hadn’t completely forgotten about that existence. Whenever I had the chance to revisit those memories, I was still curious about him. Was ‘El’ really just a figment of Sibelius’s imagination? Or…….

‘No, let’s not think about it anymore. What does it matter? I’m El now anyway.’

I muttered to myself, looking at my reflection in the mirror. Ellyuen said that you are my only son. I believed those words. I think Sibelius and El have built as much bond as possible. Even if the real El appears, I was confident that he wouldn’t push me away like before.

……Still, I’m glad he’s not here right now. If Sibelius saw me like this, he would have been very disturbed. And I would have been hurt again seeing him like that. I didn’t want to experience that anymore.

I shouldn’t worry about things that haven’t even happened yet. Let’s think about that when the time comes. I always resolve to do that in my head, but I firmly reminded myself of the parts that I don’t put into practice well.

To change the mood, I raised the corners of my lips into a smile. The me in the mirror was giving a strange smile, as if relieved and not relieved at the same time. It felt like a different person, which made me a little bitter.

* * *

The operation to lure Blaster in earnest began. In fact, the operation was nothing more than aimlessly wandering around the streets, so it wasn’t really an operation at all. Considering that the capital was quite large, it was practically a measureless endeavor. However, based on the judgment that the power of the demons could further strengthen the bait, we decided to split into teams of two.

As a result, I teamed up with Deron, and Rapis teamed up with As. It was a decision that only considered the balance of power, regardless of their wishes. As a Spirit King, I could subdue Blaster with the authority of the king if necessary, but in the case of Rapis, that wasn’t the case, so it was right to concentrate more power on that side. Considering that, it was more appropriate for As to be with them. It was already an undeniable fact that As was stronger than Deron. Of course, As was dissatisfied, though.

“I wanted to go with Godfather. But if it’s more efficient to do it this way, I’ll do it.”

Even while grumbling, As didn’t insist. The godson, who had been adorable since birth, was still admirable even after growing up, so I couldn’t help but be moved. I was smiling to myself, feeling pleased again, when Deron sighed heavily next to me.

“I wonder how much you’ll torment me later.”

“Yes? What is it, Deron?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just meant that I’m very moved that my lord is becoming more and more like a demon.”

I was bewildered by the incomprehensible reply, but Deron refrained from saying anything more. His expression was full of pride, but for some reason, his complexion wasn’t good. More than that, can the words ‘becoming more like a demon’ be considered a compliment……or not? Since a demon is becoming more like a demon, should it be seen as a compliment? Somehow, the more I thought about it, the stranger it felt, and I couldn’t laugh anymore.

“By the way, it’s already been quite a while since we’ve been walking around like this. I hope we get a response soon.”

At Deron’s words, I nodded in agreement.

He and I had been deliberately wandering around crowded downtown areas for hours. The idea was to expose my appearance as much as possible to attract attention. The wind is sensitive to rumors, so it must be hiding somewhere and gathering information. If a person with blonde hair and blue eyes walks around the streets during this time, it will easily become a topic of conversation, and there is a high possibility that the news will reach Blaster.

As expected, people were busy whispering every time I passed by. That’s how I found out that the atmosphere outside was much more serious than I had felt at the Duke’s residence. If the people inside the mansion felt uncertain about the rumors they heard, this place was already consumed by realistic fear. I didn’t know when my hair was its original color, but when I became blonde, it became clear.

My appearance, which usually easily gains favor, received more uncomfortable glances today. There were even people who were horrified and stepped back as if I had a plague. Since the crime is a method of annihilating everything around it, it seemed that everyone was being overly cautious.

No one was comfortably showing off their blonde hair on the street or at home. Everyone was busy wearing hats or glasses to hide their appearance. It was a good thing for me. It meant that Blaster’s target was narrowed down even more. It’s just that there hasn’t been a response for too long.

“What are you doing somewhere? You should show up quickly.”

“We may have to be prepared for a few days. He just faced the king, so wouldn’t he be hiding for a while? He’ll know that he’ll be caught if he moves carelessly.”

“No. If it were normal, that would be the case, but now he won’t be able to make such rational judgments. Rather, he’ll become impatient and try to achieve his goal faster, right?”

“Ah, that could be the case.”

It was when Deron, who had a greatly enlightened expression, was silently nodding.

“Hey, you there.”

I turned around at the sound of someone calling me, and a person was standing there. It was a man wearing a hood so deeply that he had almost completely covered his face. Reflexively, I felt like I knew that he had blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

I guessed what he wanted, but I pretended not to know and asked. The man swallowed a groan. He seemed to want to get angry, but he couldn’t easily open his mouth because of the atmosphere between me and Deron. The people around him stared at him as if cheering him on. Gaining courage from their gazes, the man said in a stiff tone.

“I was going to try not to interfere, but it seems like you’ve been wandering around this neighborhood since earlier, so I can’t help it. Why are you walking around without covering your hair in times like these? Everyone is being considerate of each other, but if you do this, it’s useless! Everyone is harmed because of you!”

“What about my hair?”

“You have blonde hair and blue eyes. Haven’t you heard any rumors?”

“Ah, I know what you mean. Some crazy guy is going around killing people with blonde hair and blue eyes, right?”

“You know that and you’re doing this?”

“Of course I know. Rather, I’m doing this because I know.”

“What does that…….”

“I want to meet the guy who’s targeting people with blonde hair and blue eyes.”

The man gaped, as if he had lost his words. The reactions of the other people watching were the same. Instead of looking back at their reactions, I stared at Deron. Seeing him nod, I became certain of the feeling that had been bothering me since a while ago. The man, who didn’t recognize the signal passing between us, burst into anger.

“You want to meet a murderer! There’s a limit to how much you can be reckless! Looking at you, it seems like you’re trying to do something out of youthful bravado, but catching that guy is the job of the guards! That murderer said he would kill not only the target but also everyone around him! What if this causes harm to this place because of you? If that guy really appears……!”

“Hmm. You must have blonde hair and blue eyes too. Seeing you covering your face like that.”

“Y-yes! So please cover up your appearance quickly too!”

“Um, let me check a little more before that.”

“Wh-what?”

“What are your hair and eye colors?”

“I said I have blonde hair and blue eyes too! I’ve been having a hard time covering up these days because they said it’s the color that a crazy murderer is targeting……!”

That’s it.

I barely suppressed the smile that was about to form. Even I knew that laughing in this atmosphere would seem tactless. Instead, I raised my index finger to my lips. The man, who was about to argue, looked flustered at the gesture. I tilted my head slightly, and the man also turned his gaze in the direction I was looking, and his shoulders twitched. He had finally discovered the person standing there. A man who had everything from head to toe in pure white. A man who looked more like a spirit than a person.

“Wh-what is that.”

The onlookers, who were also late in realizing, began to stir. Judging by their pale faces, it seemed that they had recognized at a glance that he was an unusual being.

“……Blonde. Blue eyes.”

A low murmur flowed from the mouth of the pure white man—Duke Charybdis. His hair was fluttering even though the wind wasn’t blowing. In fact, he himself was already like the wind.

“Right. That was the keyword.”

A bitter smile came out at the belated realization. I had felt the surrounding atmosphere subtly changing every time that word was mentioned since a while ago. So I deliberately tried to induce it to be mentioned more, and my guess was correct. It seemed that he mainly looked for places where the words ‘blonde hair’ and ‘blue eyes’ were mentioned. Come to think of it, when he appeared at the Duke’s residence, it was when they were talking about the characteristics that the serial killer was targeting. I don’t think there was any reaction when I was talking with my party at the inn. Maybe he only senses the voices of beings weaker than himself. It was a fluke, but I’m glad I found out now.

The Duke’s empty eyes scanned the surroundings eerily, and then found me and took on a sharp light. A piercing gaze stared at my hair and eyes in turn. A clear murderous intent that seemed to cut me at any moment reached me. I expected it, but it seemed that he still couldn’t recognize my identity. Deron was strongly releasing his magic power next to me, so the energies must be mixed up. He was already in a state where his senses were blurred, so it was understandable that he couldn’t recognize me.

“He’ll be here soon. Deron, please provide some defense so that the damage doesn’t spread to the surroundings.”

“Yes, I understand.”

No sooner had the words fallen than the Duke’s figure disappeared from before my eyes. To be exact, it was only a moment that I felt like he had disappeared. Because he reappeared right in front of my eyes immediately.

“……!”

A fierce wind poured down from above. He narrowed the distance in an instant, and struck down the sword he had raised high towards me. There was not enough distance or time to avoid it, so I chose to confront it. I created a sword out of water on the spot, and blocked the heavy attack as it was.

Clang! Koo-oong!

Two sword blades barely crossed each other right in front of my nose. Maybe it was because both were not metal, but the sound of the blades colliding rang strangely. It was like the sound of lightning striking.

In reality, intense light flashed for a moment from the colliding part. A strong wind spread out in both directions due to the burst pressure. Judging by the changed sensation on the floor, it seemed that the ground was also dug up. Fortunately, thanks to Deron’s good handling, he prevented the spreading momentum from causing damage to all sides. If not, the entire area would have been destroyed and all the objects would have been blown away. Thanks to this, the people who were late in grasping the situation stirred a step later.

“Wh-what!”

“What on earth is going on?”

Everyone stared at this side with wide eyes. They couldn’t understand that the white man, who had been far away until just now, was now holding a sword in front of me, and that the place where we were confronting each other was sunken.

“Blonde……. Kills blue eyes.”

However, the Duke’s next words seemed to be heard relatively clearly. The faces of the people who were already agitated turned pale in an instant. “Hiiiik! It’s a murderer!” Starting with someone screaming, they began to scatter in confusion. At this point, I felt relieved that they were running away, so I felt relieved. It’s just that the task of quickly resolving the situation before the guards were notified and rushed over had fallen on me.

The pressure on the sword dropped. The Duke, who had stepped back slightly, resumed his attack again. Crackle, crackle! Electricity continued to spark each time the forces collided. It wasn’t just Blaster’s main body that was attacking me. Even the wind that was already brushing against my cheeks had become as sharp as a weapon. It seemed that this was why the victims looked like they had been hacked to death all over their bodies. I narrowly blocked the attacks while gradually narrowing the distance with the Duke. I had no intention of repeating the same mistake this time, so I wasn’t going to give him any room to run away.

After focusing only on blocking for a while, I suddenly charged forward when he got used to this pattern. The Duke, who was flustered by my sudden approach, lost his balance for a moment. I didn’t miss the gap, grabbed him by the collar, and bent his leg to slam him to the ground.

Koo-oong!

The Duke, who was lying on the floor, seemed to not understand what had happened to him for a moment. I looked down at him, who was blinking blankly, and smiled brightly.

“Hello, Jin. We meet again.”