Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 326

“Isn’t it funny? That was decided on the spot, you know? He seemed to be communicating with someone, and then he suddenly announced he would hold a banquet?”

“Why is that funny?”

“The Archduke is in a situation where the civil war is unfolding unfavorably for him. He needs something to boost public sentiment. It’s understandable that he might exaggerate a good deed to raise morale. But do you know how quickly an imperial banquet can be arranged? There’s so much to do in the preparation process. Even if it’s a simple affair, it usually takes several days. But tomorrow? That’s just nonsense.”

“……What does it mean?”

“What else? It means the Archduke is desperate to meet us.”

“……Huh?”

“We must have seemed like suitable sacrifices. Young, beautiful, and skilled enough to catch a murderer in an instant. Wouldn’t we seem like high-quality goods? Both me and this kid.”

“……!”

“I’ve had similar experiences before. I told you, I was captured as a sacrifice once.”

I could feel my expression hardening. I stood up from my seat without realizing it. Conversely, Lapis sank more comfortably into the sofa.

“One, two, three… Hmm, about six people, I guess. They’ve even placed guards around to prevent us from escaping. At this point, I can definitely feel their determination to capture us. They must be burning with impatience.”

At his amused muttering, I finally looked around. There really were presences lurking nearby. Judging from the fact that they weren’t much different from the aura of the security forces that had left earlier, it seemed that some of them had secretly returned.

“We need to catch the Archduke immediately.”

The reality I had temporarily buried resurfaced vividly. It seemed like the time had finally come to start the work I had been putting off in my haste to deal with the Ray and Blaster issues. However, Lapis shook his head.

“Go to the banquet first.”

“Why bother?”

“Why do you think I’ve been playing along with those guys until now? Because I’m bored?”

“Well, you wouldn’t care about what others think, would you.”

“You know me well.”

I was speechless as I looked at him nodding shamelessly. Come to think of it, Lapis wasn’t the type to cooperate even if it was the Royal Knights, not just the security forces. He wasn’t the type to worry about the aftermath or cleanup, he had the strength to shake off most force, and he could use teleportation magic. If he wanted to, escaping from that spot wouldn’t have been difficult. But this time, for some reason, he not only obediently cooperated with the investigation but even returned with an escort. His attitude towards them was also uncharacteristically polite and elegant. As if he were a real noble lady.

“I was curious to see how the Archduke would react. I thought he might even hold a banquet to lure us into the palace. And it really went as expected.”

“……Lapis. Did you want to go to the banquet that badly?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Just kidding, just kidding. Anyway, so what? I understand you wanted to see the Archduke’s reaction. But what are you going to do by following his lead?”

“I need to use him to draw out the real culprit hiding behind the scenes.”

“The real culprit?”

“The Demon King, I mean. No, should I call him the former Demon King now?”

“……!”

I felt a jolt of realization and my face hardened. Asu and Deron, who had been sitting on either side, listening with interest, also had changed expressions. Lapis, looking back at our stiffened figures, didn’t hide his look of exasperation.

“You seem to have forgotten, but the mastermind behind all of this isn’t the Archduke, it’s that guy. The Archduke is just a puppet controlled by him. What’s the point of catching small fry? If we’re going to do it, we should aim for the head.”

Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t know that. It’s just that there was no way to find the Demon King. I didn’t want to admit it, but his concealment was perfect. I couldn’t even pinpoint his approximate location or aura, so he must have set up a barrier. In any case, it was impossible for the lower-level spirits to find him. So I thought I should catch the accomplice Archduke first. Lapis must know this too, so I didn’t understand why he was bringing up idealism. I narrowed my eyes and stared at him, and he shrugged.

“There’s one method we can try. And this might only work now.”

“……What is it?”

“That ritual is ultimately a spell that steals and absorbs the life force of others. No matter how grand it looks, that kind of spell has the same basic principle. You have to lay a magic circle on a fixed surface. If we use that, we might be able to lure him here. Even if it fails, we have nothing to lose.”

“In other words, we need to find the ritual site.”

“Right. But he’ll be protecting it. Just like we can’t find him now, he’ll probably have set up a barrier to hide it. So we’re going to use the Archduke. He’ll be able to enter it. Wouldn’t he go straight there if he gets the necessary sacrifices?”

“You mean……”

“We’re going to be the bait.”

In other words, we were going to pretend to be captured by the Archduke. My clouded mind seemed to clear up. It was definitely not a bad idea. The chances of success were uncertain, but it would be a waste not to use it if there was something we could try. It wouldn’t be too late to catch the Archduke after that. I nodded and stared intently at Lapis. Feeling my gaze, he tilted his head.

“What.”

“I’m a little surprised. It’s rare for you to actively come up with a plan first. No, isn’t this almost the first time?”

“It’s an evil god, of all things. I don’t want one of those being born either.”

Well, an evil god was a being that was hard to dismiss as a personal matter. Even Lapis, who lived his life alone, couldn’t ignore a disaster that threatened the existence of the dimension.

The God Realm is still quiet. But we couldn’t just wait patiently for them to contact us forever. If this failed, we might have to inform all races of the situation and start seriously looking for countermeasures. But before that, we need to gather the scattered Spirit Kings in one place.

‘But somehow, I have a strange feeling……’

I frowned at the sudden sense of unease. It felt like something had suddenly disappeared, a strange emptiness. Without realizing it, I looked around to check the faces of my companions. Lapis, Asu, and Deron. Only after confirming that everyone was there did I suddenly realize what it was.

“Ah……”

“What’s wrong, El?”

Deron asked, seeing me groan. Instead of answering, I got up from my seat and started walking. I could feel the gazes of my companions following me, but confirming the truth was more urgent now.

I went past the back of the wall and headed to the bedroom. Unfortunately, the scene that unfolded was not unexpected. The man who should have been lying there was nowhere to be found. I didn’t wonder how it happened. The wide-open window right next to the bed told me the reason.

“He escaped.”

Asu, who had followed, grasped the situation and muttered. His expression of bewilderment mirrored my current feelings exactly. When did he wake up and disappear? It was so absurd that I could only let out a hollow laugh. He was a Sword Master, so he was skilled at controlling his aura, but I didn’t know he could suppress his presence so perfectly. Maybe Blaster’s help wasn’t the only reason he was able to escape my gaze.

Fortunately, he doesn’t have the power of wind or a protective barrier now. Expanding my vision, I was soon able to find Duke Caribdis walking in a dark alley. As a master of escape, he had gone quite far in the meantime. Judging from the fact that he was heading in the opposite direction from the Duke’s residence, he didn’t seem to be planning to return home. Rather, he was heading towards the Imperial Palace. After confirming that, I felt my head cool down.

“……I thought he had a falling out with the Archduke. I guess that’s not the case.”

I thought Blaster’s rampage was due to the shock of Ray’s death. But thinking about it now, even in his unconscious state, his feelings for the Archduke were still there. He just thought Isana had to die to end it, but he didn’t harbor feelings of anger towards the Archduke. Should I go and catch him again now? But I was also curious about what plans he had. As I swallowed my complicated feelings, Deron, who had grasped the situation, approached and said.

“I’ll keep an eye on him for now.”

“Will you, Deron?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

With a concise answer, Deron disappeared from the spot. Even after confirming that he had taken a position near the Duke and started monitoring him, I couldn’t take my eyes off the situation there.

If the Duke is still the Archduke’s sword, it’s difficult to entrust Ray to him. I wanted to confirm that first thing when he woke up, but my plan was derailed from the start, and I felt empty. If I were Trowel at times like this, things would be much easier. His ability to read unspoken thoughts was something I envied greatly at this moment.

* * *

Swaaa―

A sweet wind blew across the vast meadow. Dancing branches and young blades of grass. A spectacle of snowflakes-like petals flying freely among them. The clear laughter of spirits echoing in the bright blue sky. The Golden Age, when everything alive was beautiful, had already become a distant memory.

‘He’ was there, in that very place.

At his question, he widened his eyes and smiled with a troubled expression. His golden hair, scattered by the wind, sparkled like broken shards of glass. I thought it was dazzling. I felt like I was going to cry for some reason, so I avoided his gaze. I had never thought of a human as beautiful before, but only he was different.

To be honest, it wasn’t a new feeling now. From the beginning, many things had been different. Everyone easily shed their shells in front of me, but I couldn’t read anything about him. I realized for the first time through him how frustrating it was to not see and hear. But even without that, he was a special being. It was probably an instinctive attraction. I thought the feeling of being bewitched might be similar to this.

He brings a finger to his lips like a child playing a secret prank. The lips that uttered a short ‘Shh!’ whispered cautiously, as if hesitant.