Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 323

323

“…….”

The Duke, who had been frowning, blinked blankly at those words. A light dawned in his eyes, and I could feel his demeanor changing instantly. He had recognized who I was.

That also meant that Jin’s hold on his consciousness was stronger than the Duke’s. The Duke, or rather, Jin, looked embarrassed and quickly tried to get up, but I pressed down again on the spot I was holding. “Kugh!” With a low groan, his body was slammed back to the floor. It would have been better if he had quietly surrendered, but his opponent was not so easygoing. Even though he was practically caught, he didn’t give up on escaping. The wind seemed to intensify, and the Duke’s body became blurred. He was trying to use the King’s power again.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

A Spirit King has pride; I had no intention of being fooled by the same trick twice. More than anything, if I missed him again, I felt like I would never be able to face Mine again. I immediately summoned water to bind the Duke’s body. The body, which had been briefly blurred, was caught by my energy and became clear again. Of course, I had no intention of stopping there, so I created ice chains to bind his neck, arms, legs, and ankles, and firmly fixed them to the floor.

“Heeugh!”

He gasped for breath, overwhelmed by the pressure on his entire body. The resisting force was stronger than I had expected, but I, who was suppressing him, was stronger still. As time passed, he seemed to realize that resistance was futile. The strength gradually drained from his struggling body. The wind was still blowing like a storm, but it didn’t feel as sharp as before. After confirming that his spirit had subsided, I smiled again.

“It’s admirable that you didn’t try to attack me with that power. Why don’t you just stop now? Every time you try to use that power, it really grosses me out. I get goosebumps all over my body, and it feels terrible. Do you want to make me that angry?”

“Kugh……. Le…… Leave…… Me…….”

“No. You’re the one who needs to let go. Release your hold on that body, Jin. Let the Duke go now.”

Jin’s eyes trembled. Even though I had given him a chance, he didn’t seem to want to listen. Ignoring the desperate look in his eyes, I sighed lightly.

“If you won’t do it, I’ll have to do it by force.”

Jin, as a spirit, would have been a bit more difficult, but now Jin was moving with the Duke’s body, so he was closer to a human. There were many methods that could be used on humans. As soon as I slowed the flow of blood, Jin’s face turned pale and he convulsed.

“Keo, keoheuk! Keoheoeok!”

His pupils dilated, and groans poured from his open mouth. I took the opportunity to force his hands open, to remove Jin’s true form, Bluster, which he was holding onto. As I forcibly separated the energies intertwined as if glued together, a sporadic breath burst out. Soon, the body that had been trembling limply drooped. The original color gradually began to return to the transparently white body. He was freed from Jin’s control as Bluster was separated.

“Is it over?”

I nodded at Deron’s question. After briefly examining the Duke, who had completely lost consciousness, I looked down at Bluster, which I held. It should have been a sword as white as ivory, but the long blade was covered with black soot as if stained with filth. The energy I felt was also closer to a blood-smelling aura than a clear wind. However, the overall energy was so weakened that it didn’t feel very threatening. The blade was so dull that it was missing teeth here and there, making it look pathetic. It seemed fine just before we fought. Perhaps it was damaged by the shock of being forcibly separated.

“You were already ugly, but now you’re even uglier. I told you to release your control willingly. It would have been better if you had listened when I told you, so we wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

I clicked my tongue, and the blade trembled. I found it amusing that he was still reacting even in this situation, so I poured energy into it. Chi-ee-eek, a sound like oil boiling spread, and steam rose from his form. At the same time, frost began to quickly descend from the part I was holding to the tip of the sword. The agitated guy became docile again only after being frozen white.

“Don’t you really have any learning ability? I think I told you not to make me angry. Don’t make me warn you several times. You don’t want to be hurt either, do you?”

Fortunately, he seemed to understand this time, and no backlash came. His spirit also seemed to have subsided even more than before. He should have done this sooner. I was satisfied and looked away, but I felt a piercing gaze. Deron was looking at me with a strange expression.

“Why?”

“Um, no. It’s just that I feel like El is becoming more and more charismatic these days. Especially today’s appearance is just admirable. I feel like you truly are the godfather of As [a region or group] appointed by the Demon God.”

“……You don’t have to say ‘bad personality’ so grandly.”

“Bad? I just thought it was worthy of being a role model for the demons.”

So that’s exactly what ‘bad’ means!

I suppressed the urge to get angry and took a deep breath. I was aware that my mood had become rough, but I didn’t know that other people could recognize my condition. Looking back, I think I did a lot of things that I don’t usually do. I thought it was because I was angry, but maybe I was more angry because I was in this state. In fact, it was as meaningless an order as which came first, the chicken or the egg.

“By the way, this is Bluster, which I’ve only heard about. I heard that the rampage was in progress, and as expected, the bloodlust is so great that I can’t believe it’s a spirit sword. At this rate, it must have devoured thousands.”

Deron, who was full of curiosity, peered at the sword, leaning next to me. I smiled bitterly and looked down at the damaged sword again.

“It was made 4,000 years ago. It may have shed more blood than that. It’s a miracle that it’s been holding out until now without going on a rampage.”

“Can I touch it once?”

“It’s better not to. He’s in a state where his instinct to take blood is stronger. He’s become docile in my hands, but if another person touches him, he’ll try to take over the body again.”

“Hmm, but I’m a demon. Wouldn’t I win?”

“He’s Jin, okay? The man lying there is also a Sword Master with strong mental strength. You’ll get hurt if you underestimate the power of a high-level spirit.”

“That’s quite a challenge.”

The eyes that had only contained a little interest began to sparkle in earnest. My advice to be careful seemed to have stimulated his unnecessary competitive spirit.

“Well, I won’t stop you if you want to experience it. We can just separate you again if you get possessed.”

“Really? Then…….”

“However, it will be more difficult to subdue you if it’s Deron’s body, so understand even if I treat you a little rough. We can just treat you if you get hurt. You know my healing skills, right? I can save you as long as you’re still breathing. I heard that you can still breathe for a while even if your head falls off, so should I test it out on this occasion…….”

“……I won’t touch it.”

The hand that had come closer slowly went down. It was very like him to avoid a reckless battle where the outcome was obvious. After chuckling, I stared at Bluster. To be exact, at the soul of Jin that made up his body.

“Jin, you must have a lot to say too. Shall we have a conversation for a while? If I help you, you can return to your original form temporarily. I’ll allow you to manifest your form.”

I stretched out my hand holding Bluster and infused it with my energy. Then, wind rose from the blade, and it slowly began to blur as if the color was fading. Leaving only an almost transparent form, the energies that had escaped were gathered before my eyes to create a single form: hair of moonlight that scattered richly below the shoulders, eyes containing a brilliant color. Below the beautiful face, the long, straight male figure was completed. It looked much blurrier than I remembered, but it was definitely Jin’s appearance.

—I greet the Water King.

Jin assumed a posture of raising one arm to his chest and saluting. It was a polite greeting, but I couldn’t just smile and welcome him. Like a storm raging wildly, the Jinn [a type of spirit] were generally cheerful and energetic beings. But the Jin in front of me was just quiet. His expression was dry, and his eyes were empty. The vibrant vitality felt from other Jinn was hardly felt from him. He was an unmoving wind, like a withered and withering fallen leaf; it wouldn’t be strange if he disappeared as he was.

—I never thought that I would be able to take this form again. I never thought this day would come. I am grateful for the grace of the water that gave me the opportunity. Furthermore, I would like to ask for forgiveness for the rudeness I have committed.

“……No. It must have been hard until now, right? You’ve worked hard.”

—I have only fulfilled my given duty.

There was no sign of resentment for the past years on his calmly answering face. That felt even sadder, so my expression didn’t look good. I tried to force myself not to show the face that kept hardening, so it seemed like I was becoming more sullen. Jin quietly watched me like that and tilted his head slightly to the side.

—I have not been able to feel many things well since some time ago. I know it is impolite, but may I ask a question?

“As much as you want.”

—The appearance that the Water King possesses seems different from the person I know. Am I mistaken?

“No, you’re not mistaken. I had a generation change a while ago.”

—Ah, I see.

“Yeah. And it’s not just me who’s changed. The wind has also changed generations.”

—……!

At those words, Jin’s calm expression revealed agitation. Instead of asking what he meant, he slowly raised his head and quietly closed his eyes. It seemed like he was trying to feel the surrounding air as the fastest way to realize the information.

—I can feel it. The wind…… has changed. I can tell it’s the energy of another king.

Before long, he accepted the fact that I had stated. Jin, who opened his eyes again, had a slightly sad face.

—She has finally…… found peace.

Nevertheless, the low murmuring voice was sincerely relieved. I couldn’t help but know who he was referring to when he said ‘she’. This kind-hearted spirit seemed to be full of thoughts only for Minerva until the end. Seeing Jin silently enduring without showing any expression, my heart welled up again. I brought up the words I had been preparing for this moment.

“That Minerva asked me to take care of you as she left.”

—The King…… me?

“She was very worried about you. She asked me to tell you she was sorry.”

—…….

Was the delivered word unexpected? Jin couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. He seemed more surprised by the message left by Minerva than by the fact that the king had changed without him knowing.

—I don’t know why the King conveyed such words. I am not worthy of hearing such words. Rather, I was her flaw and disgrace, threatening the honor of the wind…… I was no different from a traitor…….

“I understand enough. I know why you made that decision. You wanted to help Minerva, right?”

—But…….

“You just played the hardest role for the person you love. That’s an undeniable fact. You’ve been tormented and had a hard time enough for the past time. So now you can be comfortable. You deserve it.”

Those were the words I wanted to say to him when I met him: that he had really suffered a lot from walking the path of being hurt and blamed alone, so now he could be free from all responsibilities and be comfortable. As much as he had been ignored and hurt, it seemed like at least one person should say those words. I hoped that only happy things would happen in his life that would follow. Seeing the spirit full of exhaustion and hardship standing before my eyes, that feeling became more urgent.

—The current Water King is a very kind person.

A faint smile appeared on Jin’s expressionless face. Light seemed to fall from his eyes, and tears flowed down. He seemed a little surprised, as if he hadn’t even realized it, and hurriedly wiped away the tears.

—How was…… Minerva?

The following voice was even more subdued. As I sent a questioning gaze, he hesitated and continued.

—The King…… suffered a lot from the shock of being betrayed by the lover she trusted. That’s all I know. I have always been worried and curious about how she has been since then. Was she at peace? Was she not lonely?

“……I don’t know the previous Minerva well, but the one I saw seemed peaceful. She didn’t laugh often, but she smiled sometimes, and she got along well with everyone. At least I don’t think she was lonely.”

—I see. ……That’s enough. Thank you for letting me know.

When he raised his head again, Jin had a relieved face after shaking off all his worries. From his much better expression, the vitality of the wind spirit was now felt. I liked that look, so I smiled along with him.

“Are all the questions over?”

—Yes. I sincerely thank the Water King. I am now able to end the mission I was assigned. I think I can leave with a light heart. However, if the King is okay with it, I would like to ask for permission to leave a message before leaving.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

—Yes? Ah, I mean…… to the underworld?

“Who’s going to the underworld as they please?”

—……Am I not disappearing now?

Jin rather had a bewildered expression. He must have thought that I had caught him to destroy him because the resistance was so severe. In fact, if I release the seal of the sword as it is, he will walk the path of annihilation without me touching him separately. That was also what the former Minerva had asked for in the first place. The situation has changed a lot since then, though.