Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 333

Chapter 333

“Yes, really. You’re the fastest learner I know among humans. It’s thanks to El being with you, but you wouldn’t have achieved this result if you hadn’t put in the effort yourself. Good job, Alisa. You did really well.”

Alisa’s eyes welled up at the kind praise. The tears she had barely been holding back finally escaped, clinging to her eyes like shimmering beads. Perhaps she had wanted to hear these words all along: that she had done well, that the results were from her own efforts, that she had worked hard, and that she was a valuable person because of her own achievements. She usually received a lot of encouragement and praise from her companions, but because they were so worried about her, it was hard to completely shake off the suspicion that they were just being considerate. Comfort from people who didn’t know the situation didn’t feel like comfort at all, so she always felt empty and thirsty, as if there was a hole in her heart. But now, that lack seemed to be filled all at once. She wondered how he could give her the answer she wanted so accurately, as if he had looked into her heart.

“Ah, don’t worry. I didn’t look into it. I meant everything I said.”

“……!”

At the voice, Alisa reflexively looked up. The emotion that had been filling her heart vanished in an instant, replaced by bewilderment. *Had* she spoken her thoughts out loud? She wondered, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu [a feeling of having already experienced the present situation]. If she wasn’t mistaken, she felt like she had experienced something similar just a moment ago. No, she actually had. Alisa blinked blankly. Trowel smiled as their eyes met. Seeing his meaningful smile, something suddenly came to her mind.

It was something Isana had told her when she was studying the basics of spirit magic theory. The color drained from Alisa’s face in an instant. Why hadn’t she thought of it until now? Trowel’s unique ability was ‘Insight,’ which transcended the past and future. He could look into other people’s thoughts without any effort if he wanted to. And the boy in front of her *was* Trowel.

“Could it be…….”

“For the record, I didn’t intentionally read your mind just now either. When you’re as emotionally charged as you are, it’s like shouting right next to me. I can’t help it.”

Again, Trowel’s reaction was faster. Alisa swallowed a sigh of frustration at the explanation that followed before she could even ask. She couldn’t get angry or protest, since he hadn’t intentionally read her mind. She knew better than anyone that it was a natural ability and couldn’t be helped. Still, not wanting to give in, she muttered in a sulky voice.

“Y, you could have pretended not to know.”

“I will if you want me to. But is there really a need? Everyone knows I’m Trowel, and they already know what my ability is.”

“……That’s…….”

He wasn’t wrong. Unable to argue, Alisa chose to surrender. As he said, since everyone knew anyway, pretending not to know would only make her more anxious. It was better to be aware of what couldn’t be avoided. That way, she could reduce mistakes and have a chance to correct them. Alisa took a deep breath and stared straight at Trowel.

“I want to confirm one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“What you said earlier, was it really sincere? You didn’t just say what I wanted to hear, did you?”

“I don’t lie about things like that. There’s no reason to.”

Her heart felt much lighter at the firm answer. The color returned to her face, which had been stiff. She still had a natural aversion to having her thoughts read, but the other party was a Spirit King. He wasn’t human, didn’t belong to this society, and was an existence rooted in another dimension. Moreover, it didn’t seem likely that he, who had lived for countless years, would care about the thoughts of a young girl like her. Once she thought about it that way, it became very easy to shift her perspective. She just had to accept that she would be overly honest in front of him. Rather than suffering in silence trying to hide things, it might be easier since there would be no misunderstandings.

“It seems like you’ve sorted out your thoughts.”

“Ah, yes! Thanks to you. Um, Trowel-nim [a respectful suffix in Korean]? Is it okay to call you that? Ah, should I not be talking like this either?”

“I don’t care about that, so do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

His lightly smiling face was so kind that Alisa felt a flutter in her heart. Come to think of it, he was her first love. The beautiful and kind boy looked like a prince in a fairy tale to her young eyes. It was more than enough to capture the heart of a girl with many dreams. Although her feelings were immature and clumsy, she had cherished them for quite a long time. As time passed, the excitement had faded, but she never gave up the hope of meeting him again. Until she knew he was Trowel, she had hoped to see him even if it was just a fleeting glimpse from afar.

Although it was very different from what she had imagined, she had reunited with him, whom she had dreamed of. Aside from the disappointment that his appearance hadn’t changed at all compared to her grown-up self, it wasn’t bad to feel like she had returned to those days. She couldn’t help but feel excited, even knowing that Isana was watching. But the conversation that followed began to change the affectionate atmosphere.

“More than that, Alisa, you should be more concerned about what you need to take care of first. There’s still something unfinished, isn’t there?”

“Huh? What unfinished business?”

“I’m talking about formally introducing yourself.”

Why? Wasn’t the introduction over? Alisa tilted her head, not readily understanding the meaning. Trowel shrugged as if he couldn’t help it.

“Think about it. I shook your hand and told you my name. That’s kind of like introducing myself, right?”

“Oh, it is, but…….”

“Okay, so here’s a question. What do you think is the next reaction you should have in this situation? What should you say next?”

“……I’m Alisa……?”

“Yes, that’s right. You know it well.”

The bright golden eyes narrowed languidly. His expression was clearly gentle, but she couldn’t bring herself to look him straight in the eye. Alisa unconsciously stepped back.

“S, sorry.”

“It’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes. Just don’t make them again.”

In other words, it could be interpreted as forgiving her because it was her first time. Realizing the meaning hidden in the kind reply, cold sweat ran down her back. Because he had been so kind and friendly in the past and even now, she had carelessly thought of him as having a gentle personality. She also had a preconceived notion because she saw El, who was a Spirit King but only simple and unaffected. But now she saw that he might be a much more frightening being than she had thought.

“Because I often hear other people’s thoughts, I often forget that the other person can’t read my thoughts. That’s why unfortunate things often happen.”

“Ahaha, I see.”

“Yes, I hope Alisa understands what I’m saying.”

“…….”

A flower-like smile bloomed on his angelic face, but she was no longer fooled. The new impression was painted over the memories of her innocent childhood in an instant. The being she had thought was a prince was actually a very strict ruler. It felt like a sweet romance novel had suddenly turned into a bloody horror novel. But this was the more accurate reality, and once she had realized it, it was impossible to think the same way as before.

The girl who had opened her eyes to a new world quickly said goodbye to the traces of her childhood. It was a fragment of the countless growing pains she would experience in the future.

* * *

“Um, but why is Trowel-nim here? Was it Trowel-nim who helped us?”

After taking a deep breath, Alisa cautiously changed the subject. It was the question she should have asked first, but she had been so distracted by the whirlwind of events that she had only just thought of it. Of course, it was clear to anyone that he had helped, but she still felt she had to confirm it. However, the answer that came back was different from what she had expected.

“Ah, I didn’t do much. I just followed him.”

“Huh? Him, you say?”

“The one who helped you. I’m directionally challenged, so I couldn’t leave him to go alone.”

“……Huh?”

“Do you really want to die, Trowel?”

“……!”

Before she could understand what he meant, a strange voice was heard. Startled, Alisa reflexively turned around and gasped. A shadow covered in darkness where no light reached. Someone was standing in it, leaning against the wall. She hadn’t felt any presence until just now, but once she recognized it, she could see him clearly.

He was a tall man with a porcelain-like, refined aura. Even in the deep darkness that covered his entire body, his long hair held a subtle light as if it emitted it itself. Anyone who saw him even once would find it impossible to forget him on their own. Alisa also knew at a glance where she had seen him. And what his identity was.

“T, the God of Punishment, Ellyuen-nim?”

She couldn’t believe it even as she said it, and her breath caught in her throat. She thought she had used up all the surprise she would experience in her life meeting Trowel, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Ellyuen simply nodded once at her, who couldn’t hide her shock. It was clearly a perfunctory attitude, but it was more than enough as an answer to be heard.

A Spirit King, then a god, what on earth is going on?

Alisa turned to Isana with a pale face. Isana, who had already guessed that would happen, explained with an awkward expression.

“He was on his way to meet El when he sensed our presence nearby.”

“S, so he came to help us directly?”

Alisa swallowed again at the nod that followed instead of an answer. She didn’t even bother to hide her shocked expression. Isana could only laugh as he watched her blatant reaction. He couldn’t comfort her to calm down because he understood her feelings. He had experienced the same feeling just a little while ago. No, he had been even more shocked. Even now, his heart felt like it was sinking when he thought about that moment.

“……Ellyuen……nim?”

When he first met him, he couldn’t accept the information he had received with his eyes. No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for him to be here. He wondered if he was seeing hallucinations because of the hypnotic incense. In fact, that was a more realistic judgment, since it was much more likely than a god descending.

“Your Majesty? Ellyuen, what are you talking about?”

Raonhuizen’s question, which followed from behind, also sounded like evidence that the person in front of him was a hallucination. He thought that he was asking such a question because he couldn’t see him. But the moment Ellyuen (he really thought it was a realistic hallucination), who frowned slightly, stared at Raonhuizen, the situation changed in an instant.

“P, Prince?”

Raonhuizen, who had been bewildered, flinched and suddenly collapsed. Isana was flustered and hurriedly supported him, shaking his shoulders, but he was already unconscious.

“I put that guy to sleep because he seemed to be in the way. He won’t remember me even when he wakes up. There’s no need to unnecessarily increase the number of witnesses.”

“……!”

Isana barely came to his senses at the calm voice falling from above. He blankly raised his head and Ellyuen looked back at him as if he was wondering.

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“Get out of there. It doesn’t matter if you prefer to be trapped. You have bad taste.”

“Ah, no! I’ll get out!”

Only after receiving the icy gaze did he finally begin to realize it. After answering hastily, Isana hurriedly got out of the carriage. The cold night air stung his cheeks as his feet touched the ground. The cold sensation that seemed to fill him to the bone made his body shrink involuntarily. It didn’t seem like a hallucination after all. However, he still couldn’t understand how this situation was going. What greeted him was another familiar figure.

“Hello. Long time no see.”

“……Trowel-nim.”

He couldn’t even think of considering it a hallucination this time. Trowel gave a crooked smile to him, who was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

“You’re living too loosely without El by your side, aren’t you, young Emperor? To think that the contractor of the Spirit King would be captured by these guys, I’m more than disappointed.”

Following the gesture he pointed to, he began to see the unseen scenery. Isana’s face hardened. The shapes of people were scattered haphazardly on the floor where broken torches were rolling around. They were clearly the people who had been transporting the carriage. There was no smell of blood or wounds, but he knew that they were all dead. Not a single one of them was alive.

“Excuse me, but may I ask what happened?”

“You were really lucky. I happened to be passing by and saw your future.”

“My future, you say?”

“Yes. You were going to die the next morning. Including all the companions who were captured with you.”

“……!”

“When I told Ellyuen, he readily offered to save you. I just came along with him.”

“Ellyuen-nim…… Why…….”

“Because El would be sad if you died.”

His expression seemed to be asking why he was asking such an obvious question. After being stunned for a moment, Isana couldn’t help but laugh. He was convinced by the reason himself. In fact, he couldn’t think of any other reason besides that. In the end, El, who wasn’t here, had saved everyone.