Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 334

334.

“So that’s what happened. I understand a bit better now.”

Alisa nodded, the explanation having cleared the jumble in her mind, leaving her feeling much better. Isana, who had been tense on Alisa’s behalf, was also regaining her composure.

“But where are all the bodies? I don’t see any.”

“We moved them to a safer place afterward.”

“Why didn’t we go straight back to the camp? Everyone must be worried by now.”

“We were going to, but we were told we might miss those who came looking for us. So, we decided to wait quietly. The two of them agreed to protect us until then.”

“Hmm.”

In the stillness, where not even a breeze stirred, only the murmur of their conversation echoed. Ellyuen and Trowel didn’t seem inclined to join in, and the two captured men hadn’t woken up yet—or rather, wouldn’t wake up until everything was resolved. Alisa cast a pitiful glance at the sleeping men before looking back at Ellyuen and Trowel, who were leaning against separate spots with their eyes closed. They couldn’t be asleep; they were clearly just passing the time.

“When do you think the people looking for us will arrive?”

“Well, they said it wouldn’t be long….”

“Before morning, right?”

“Probably, don’t you think?”

How much longer had they been whispering like that? Alisa suddenly felt the air tickling her cheek. Something was fluttering around her. At first, she thought it was just a bug drawn to the light, but when she caught it, it felt strange. It was rustling and stiff, a texture unlike any living creature. After carefully examining it, Alisa’s eyes widened as she identified it.

“…Paper?”

The reaction came from a completely different direction. Ellyuen, who had opened his eyes, was staring intently at something. Trowel was the same. Their gazes were fixed on the space between the densely packed trees, specifically the upper part where the branches drooped. Then Isana and Alisa looked there too.

“Alisa!”

Almost simultaneously, someone appeared from between the branches. Disheveled silver hair fluttered splendidly under the moonlight. It was Sibelius, gripping a long spear. Alisa, recognizing him instantly, was delighted.

“Mr. Sibelius!”

Isana also tried to wave in greeting. However, Sibelius, blinded by anger, didn’t see her. Without a moment for judgment, his eyes quickly distinguished between allies and enemies during his descent. The direction of his attack was immediately decided.

“You bastards!”

A sharp whistling sound echoed from the spear he raised with both hands. The attack, combined with the force of gravity, was unstoppable.

“Huh? W-wait a minute…!”

Alisa and Isana, belatedly grasping the situation, wore panicked expressions, but it was too late to stop him. As they gasped in horror, the spear of retribution fell.

At that moment, Trowel, who had been standing still, moved.

Clang! Clash!

A loud noise echoed where the confrontation occurred. The wind surged like a tidal wave, but that was all. Only the figures of the two people with their weapons locked remained after the vibrations subsided. It was a peaceful ending where no one was hurt.

Isana and Alisa were relieved, but for Sibelius, it was an unexpected development. He hardened his face and heightened his vigilance. He had confirmed that his opponent had no weapon until just before, but now a sword was in his hand. He thought he would easily knock him down, but he had even managed to withstand the attack with composure. Moreover, the force with which he received it was stronger than he had expected. The heavy pressure on his palm was not something an ordinary human could produce. If he had been careless, he would have been the one to fall. Considering that the opponent’s physique was as slender as a boy’s, it was even more incomprehensible.

“Swinging a spear without warning. That’s bad manners, you know.”

“What?”

The thought of retorting, ‘How dare you, you kidnapper,’ vanished as soon as he recognized the person in front of him. Facing the soft-looking black hair and the golden eyes carved beneath it, Sibelius’s mind went blank.

“…You…!”

Trowel also examined him with interest as he stood frozen, unable to breathe. He wondered who the fool was who charged straight in without assessing the situation, but his identity was quite unexpected.

“A Blue Elf? No. Where have I felt this energy before? Ah, a unicorn? I didn’t know there was still sacred power left.”

“What?”

“Am I wrong? Unicorn.”

“……”

The eyes that had been fluctuating with confusion calmed down. Sibelius lowered the spear he had been holding and slowly stepped back. Trowel also willingly lowered his sword at the action that signaled the end of the attack. Sibelius silently scanned Trowel’s figure, who shrugged lightly. He had to confirm, even though he couldn’t have misseen it unless his eyes were failing.

“You’re Trowel, aren’t you?”

“Not bad? You got it right. How did you know? It’s hard to recognize me at a glance.”

The answer came readily. His face, with a smile, was full of amusement at the situation. The fact that his attitude revealed was clear. Sibelius, who had been watching his every move with tense eyes, eventually distorted his expression.

“…What.”

A hollow breath flowed from his open mouth. It was the sound of the faint hope that had remained scattering.

“You don’t know me either?”

He clenched his fist tightly to steady his fading mind. He felt as if he was being swallowed little by little by the despair that made his feet sink.

Perhaps everything was just his delusion and fantasy. He believed that Trowel, at least, would definitely know him, even if no one else did. But even in him, there was no trace of himself left. Whether it had been erased, or whether it had never been engraved in the first place, nothing was clear. Now, he didn’t even know how much he should trust his own memories.

“Hmm…?”

Trowel looked at him questioningly as he stood blankly with a vacant look. It was strange that a unicorn who had left for the divine realm long ago was still here, but his attitude toward him was even stranger. Recognizing him at a glance, and the unreserved tone, were like treating someone he knew. But no matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t remember him.

In situations that he didn’t understand, he would habitually unleash his power, so he immediately opened it up. His golden eyes, which had become darker, penetrated the other person’s thoughts and delved into his past in an instant. But the ability that had always given him clear answers was not very useful this time. Rather, it was closer to the opposite.

“…What a strange guy.”

Trowel slowly erased the smile he had been holding on his lips. The gaze that stared at the person in front of him cooled down.

“I thought it was just excessive delusion, but that’s not it? You really know me.”

“…!”

The eyes that had been lifeless like dead fish reacted to the words and filled with light. Trowel, who slowly examined him as he looked up in a hurry, asked in an exploratory tone.

“We met 4,000 years ago. Quite a few times, too. Right?”

“Y-yes! Do you remember?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Ah……”

“But you’re right that I was there at the places and times you remember. It would have been strange if we hadn’t run into each other.”

“…!”

The face that had been gloomy brightened up again rapidly. Seeing the expression overflowing with hope made him feel even worse. Trowel gave a twisted smile. Yes, he was close enough that it would have been strange if they hadn’t run into each other. But unlike the other person who remembered him, he didn’t exist in his memory. No, to be precise, it seemed like he had seen him briefly. But he had never talked to him like he remembered. …Or had he exchanged a few words? But he couldn’t remember why. Trowel frowned without realizing it and shook his head. There were parts where the connection of memories was not smooth, like a seam had burst. It was something that couldn’t happen to him, a spirit king. But until he realized it, he didn’t even know it was wrong.

Discovering familiar traces from someone he didn’t know at all was a very unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation. It felt like something out of control was arbitrarily grabbing and rummaging through him. It was as if he was possessed by an unknown spirit and his consciousness was being forcibly dominated. It would have been unpleasant even if it was the first time it had happened, but coincidentally, he had had a similar experience not long ago.

“…I see, so that’s it. You’re related to that back then.”

“What?”

“「El」.”

“…!”

Sibelius gasped greatly at the unexpected word. Trowel slowly examined his stiffened reaction. Only after enough time had passed to make Sibelius impatient did the next words follow.

“You know who the one with that name is.”

“You…!”

The moment he heard those words, Sibelius felt goosebumps and a shiver all over his body. He moved his lips, but no words came out. Alisa and Isana looked at each other, unable to understand the situation. They felt like the atmosphere was flowing strangely, but they couldn’t intervene.

<……Rowell.>

Trowel hardened his face at the voice that suddenly brushed past his ears. His consciousness was instantly sucked into the past, and unfamiliar yet familiar remnants began to emerge.

The person with a familiar face smiled at him. Every time their eyes met, he would show his joy with his whole body, like a puppy welcoming its owner. He was about to smile along at the nostalgic sight, but Trowel was startled and bit his lip.

What is it? What is this memory? I didn’t have this memory. I didn’t have this memory…….

Time skipped in an instant, leading his consciousness to another scene. This time, it was him crying in front of him. Words of entreaty poured out endlessly from the person who had bent his body as if kneeling. But he didn’t even blink an eye while watching that scene. That’s how it was back then. No matter how desperately he clung and begged, his emotions were irrelevant to him. There was no way he could empathize with his pain, and his sadness would never become his. He also remembered the callous answer he had given him.

He deliberately hurt him more because he was annoyed by the fact that he kept lingering in front of him even though he ignored him and ignored him again. He recited only cruel words, pretending to be an obvious prophecy. He smiled sadly as he looked at him with a pale face.

<……What?>

“……”

Just a few minutes felt like years. After letting out a long sigh, Trowel slowly swept up his hair. The distorted expression had regained its peace. Sibelius became anxious at the indifferent expression that made it difficult to guess whether he was in a good mood or not. However, Trowel’s interest had already left him and was directed elsewhere. As the golden eyes with a strong light glared at a slightly distant place, the man standing there felt the gaze and turned around with an indifferent expression. Sibelius, who finally noticed his existence, hardened his face.

“Elqu… No, Ellyuen, the God of Punishment?”

Why was he, a high-ranking god, on the ground? Sibelius, who couldn’t understand the situation at all, wore a confused expression. He suddenly remembered that they had often encountered each other in this way in the past. It was a very strange feeling that those who could be said to be the subjects in his memory were standing in the same composition with different appearances from the past. Thanks to this, he was lost in thought on the spot, but neither Trowel nor Ellyuen paid any attention to his reaction.

“Ellyuen, you knew everything.”

“Knew what?”

“The rift. You mentioned it first.”

“I only guessed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If you had seen that guy’s memories, you would have noticed it right away, wouldn’t you? You’re a god now, so you can do that much, right?”

The incomplete memories had holes here and there. He had overlooked it because he didn’t know it when he didn’t know it, but it was a sense of incongruity that he could fully realize if he tried to retrace it. There was no way that he, a god, wouldn’t have noticed the fact that he had realized. But an answer different from what he expected came out.

“I didn’t see it.”

“…You didn’t see the memories?”

“I’m not interested.”

Trowel’s eyes flickered complexly at the firm answer. It was absurd and ridiculous, but it was such a typical answer that he didn’t even get angry. He had already expected to some extent that he would say this. Trowel was about to say something, but he just let out a sigh.

“Let’s go. I think it’s better to hurry up the schedule.”

“Looks like you’ve finally given up on trying to stop me?”

“…I need to see El.”

Their eyes met only for a moment. After a brief silence, Ellyuen soon nodded.