Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 34

Chapter 34

“What, what are you doing? That’s dangerous.”

*To think there would be another human in these mountains.*

It’s not like getting stabbed will kill me, but I was a little taken aback by the real sword I was seeing for the first time, so I said that. Then, the man (because the voice was male) who was presumably threatening me from behind retorted in a cold tone.

“I asked the question first. Who are you? Who ordered you to be here? What did you do to the person you’re holding?”

“What did I do… They’re just asleep?”

“Asleep, you say?”

“If you’re suspicious, you can check it yourself. But, before that, could you put that sword away before we talk?”

Then the man sheathed his sword and approached me with quick steps. Thanks to that, I got a good look at him. He was wearing a vest-like top, baggy pants, and a mask that covered up to his nose, revealing his shoulders and arms. It was difficult to recognize his face because of it, but seeing his considerable presence, he didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Without asking for permission, he snatched Isana away as if he was taking her and began to examine her here and there in a hurry. He must have been quite worried while searching for her.

*Heh, what’s this? There was a group.*

Now that I see it, his presence wasn’t the only one. I could feel the presence of people not only in a slightly distant place but also right nearby. As if to prove my expectations, another man appeared from the bushes.

“Alec! Did you find Isana-nim [term of respect, similar to ‘Lady’ or ‘Lord’]?”

“Ah, Ferris. Can you come and take a look? She seems to be unconscious.”

The man called Ferris was a tall, thin man with an overall fragile impression. He looked too neat and tidy to fit in with these rough mountains. He seemed like he would be more suited to leisurely reading a thick book and drinking tea in a room.

*So, Isana-nim… Judging by how everyone calls her that, she must be quite high in status, huh?*

Perhaps my gaze as I examined her didn’t please him, as the unknown man’s face contorted even more fiercely. But strangely, as I looked at that expression, I only thought, *’This is fun,’* and didn’t feel scared or troubled at all.

*’Well, I’ve been experiencing the presence of Ellyuen and the Spirit Kings every day, so there’s no way I’d be intimidated by the pressure a human emits, right?’*

I guess I’ve already become a Spirit King.

I smiled brightly and opened my mouth.

“If it’s Isana, you don’t have to worry. She’s just in shock because her body is exhausted.”

“You bastard! How dare you call her name so carelessly!”

“Alec! Just a moment! Isana-nim’s condition is strange.”

What silenced the excited Alec was Ferris’s following words. He seemed unaware of my existence as he examined Isana. I could see his face gradually turning pale as he busily examined her.

“Such exhaustion, could it be… !”

“What is it, Ferris? Did you find something out?”

“This is terrible, Alec. It seems Isana-nim has attempted a Spirit Summoning.”

“Spirit Summoning?”

Ferris lowered his head with a guilty expression, and this time, Alec’s eyes widened.

“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t mentioned the Spirit Contract…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Actually… Isana-nim showed interest in Spirit Summoning, so I told her the summoning incantation. It seems she executed it just now.”

“And it failed?”

At Alec’s question, Ferris nodded with a tearful expression.

“Right now, Isana-nim is in a state of extreme exhaustion, and the mana [magical energy] in her body is almost depleted. This is a common phenomenon when a Spirit Summoning fails.”

“Th, then… Why would she do such a reckless thing…”

“…”

As someone who was successfully summoned and even contracted, I was just dumbfounded. *Hey, why are you guys assuming that Isana failed the summoning on your own? What do you think I am, standing right in front of you?*

Ferris’s diagnosis wasn’t wrong. If a Spirit Summoning fails, the mana in the body is rapidly consumed as a reaction, leading to exhaustion.

But this was the same even if it succeeded. Especially if the caster’s mana is below the minimum level required for the ritual, the mana that sustains life is also consumed, so the caster will inevitably be in a state of extreme exhaustion even if the contract is successful. Isana was exactly in this case.

However, the fact that Ferris didn’t even suggest that possibility means that he must have thought from the beginning that Spirit Summoning was impossible for Isana.

*’Just what is this guy that he’s my contractor… Huh?’*

After examining Ferris with dissatisfaction for a moment, my eyes widened. I could feel a faint aura of wind from him.

“What? You’re a spiritist?”

As expected. I could see the swirling pattern transparently engraved on his forehead. It was the seal symbolizing the Wind Spirit.

“H, how did you know that? More importantly, who are you? What were you doing here?”

Surprised that his identity was recognized at a glance, he asked with a stiff face. Then, Alec, who had laid Isana down on the ground, approached me and said,

“She was with the unconscious Isana-nim. She’s a suspicious person.”

“Yes, with Isana-nim?”

“Ferris, take Isana-nim and retreat to the back.”

He said that while glaring at me, then drew his sword again.

Swish.

The sight of moonlight shattering on the pure white blade was so beautiful that I couldn’t help but admire it. Of course, this wasn’t the kind of situation to feel that way.

He pointed the drawn sword at me at a right angle and said,

“You wouldn’t try to excuse yourself by saying you just happened to run into us in these deep mountains, would you? Confess the name of the person who sent you here.”

“…No one sent me?”

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know?”

“No, really, no one sent me. If you really don’t believe me, wake up that sleeping person over there and ask. Everything I’m saying will be the truth.”

“That person… You’re not talking about Isana-nim, are you?”

“Yes, Isana. Who else is sleeping here besides that person?”

“…How dare you!”

―Wahahahaha!

Swoosh―!

“… !”

At that moment, a strong gust of wind swept past me along with cheerful laughter. In that instant, I was able to spot a semi-transparent young man. It was ‘Jin,’ a high-level Wind Spirit.

Unlike their king, Minerva, Wind Spirits are generally violent and rough in nature. To put it nicely, they’re bold and energetic. In any case, Jin was a being with a particularly roguish temperament. Even though humans can’t see him, Jin is probably the only spirit who can pass in front of the Spirit King like that without a care.

“Whoa! What, what was that?”

“Suddenly, what’s with the wind…”

The wind that he stirred up as he passed shook the branches covering the sky greatly. Because of the gap that opened, dazzling moonlight began to pour in.

Thanks to the surroundings becoming brighter, Alec and Ferris seemed to finally recognize my appearance properly. I gave the two men, who had somehow stiffened, an awkward smile.

“Looks like there was an unexpected intruder. Um, so… Where were we?”

“Y, you, are you perhaps an elf?”

“Huh? No?”

“Not? Ah, well, looking at the shape of your ears, you don’t seem to be an elf. Then, perhaps a forest fairy…? Or maybe an angel of God who descended on the moonlight…?”

“Huh?”

“Alec, what on earth are you saying…”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing! Pretend you didn’t hear what I just said. It was just nonsense.”

Alec coughed repeatedly, his ears flushed, as if he was embarrassed by what he had said himself. *Heh, what’s this? So he’s someone who believes in that kind of thing.* I thought he was just a rigid and cold person, but he’s actually quite sentimental. His colleague, Ferris, seemed to think the same, as he stared at him in disbelief and was now holding back laughter.

Then, Alec, who coughed even louder, shouted with a reddened face.

“A, anyway, even if your identity is something other than human, the fact that you’re suspicious doesn’t change! But we can’t just dispose of someone whose exact identity is still unknown. In that sense, you’ll have to come with us from this moment on.”

“Huh? With you guys?”

“Wasn’t it you who said to ask Isana-nim directly about you? We’re just going to do exactly that. Your fate will be decided after Isana-nim wakes up.”

*Hmm, is this okay?*

I hesitated a little because even though I made a contract, I didn’t decide to follow him around like this. There was no rule that a spirit had to be with their contractor. In fact, I was dying to go back to the Spirit Realm and get some more sleep. Then, as if reading the dissatisfaction on my face, Alec’s expression immediately turned fierce.

“If you’re thinking of resisting… !”

“Ah, no. Okay. Sigh. I can’t help it, can I? I didn’t have anything to do anyway, so I’ll just follow you. Is that okay?”

“…You don’t seem to understand very well, but we’re saying we’re going to take you into custody?”

“Yes, so I’m saying I’ll follow you.”

At my answer, the two men wore satisfied yet somewhat complicated expressions. They seemed uncomfortable that I didn’t resist or get scared more.

In any case, they took me and entered the dark forest. Perhaps worried that I would run away halfway, they took off their coats, rolled them up, and tied my arms behind my back to bind me.

*This is complete treatment as a criminal.*

I wondered if I should reveal that I was a spirit now, but I tried hard to hold back. It felt like cheating to reveal that fact before my contractor, Isana, woke up.

*’Besides, I’m Elquines’s first human contractor, right? They should treat me more like the main character. Yes, that’s right.’*

After a while, they arrived at a small cave with a narrow entrance that wasn’t easily noticeable. Inside, there was a crowd of men with builds similar to Alec, all with sharp and fierce eyes.

After hearing the general situation from Alec, they immediately brought thick ropes, wrapped me up, and threw me into a corner of the cave. Then, they assigned two guards to take turns watching me. Each time, a gruesome threat followed without fail.

“If you do anything unnecessary, we won’t let you off, kid. If you do anything even slightly suspicious, this sword will permanently separate your neck from your body. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…Ahahaha, y-yes.”

Hmm, should I have just revealed that I was a spirit, regardless of the rules? It doesn’t seem like they would believe me even if I did, but I was already regretting it without any principles.

*’By the way, what on earth is this Isana that she has those guys following her around? Is she perhaps the daughter of a bandit?’*

Looking at their shabby clothes that barely covered them, the possibility wasn’t entirely nonexistent. But even so, their actions and speech were quite polite. Their bodies felt uniformly trained, and their every move felt disciplined. It felt more like trained soldiers.

They treated the fainted Isana with utmost care and laid her down on a spot. But all they did was lay a single dry cloth on the cold floor. As if proving that was luxurious enough, most people were lying on the bare ground.

Judging by the traces of a dying bonfire here and there, they must have been staying inside all along, but why haven’t they prepared a proper blanket? Is there a reason why they can’t go down to the village, as Cyciel said?

I was full of questions, but I quietly watched the situation. It seemed to provoke people’s suspicion even more, but perhaps because they had checked several times that the rope was tied tightly, no one picked a fight with me.

The first day of the contract was passing by so futilely.