Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 367

Seeing Alisa’s surprise, Asel nodded firmly. He could almost still hear the Emperor’s voice echoing from his tent just moments ago.

“El aided Alisa to the fullest extent possible with her power. If her spirit magic hadn’t been the foundation from the start, this narrative couldn’t have been created. Alisa’s contribution to this war will forever be significant.”

The resolute tone made it clear that he would not tolerate any further debate on the matter.

“I see… Isana-ssi [referring to Isana, using the honorific suffix ‘-ssi’ to show respect] did…”

Alisa blushed shyly, prompting Raon Hwizen to glare at Asel. Asel returned a look that plainly stated, ‘If you’re upset, you should try harder too,’ clearly implying that Raon was being outperformed. In the past, Asel would have unconditionally sided with Raon, but the situation had changed, and he couldn’t do that anymore. His friend was precious, but the one who would become his respected lord was just as important. He also honestly preferred to support the one who was steadily gaining recognition rather than the one who kept stumbling.

“So, surely El’s identity isn’t the main topic. What’s the real reason you’re here?”

Sibelius’s words reminded Asel of his original purpose. He straightened his posture and spoke in a more composed tone.

“His Majesty also informed me about the Grand Duke. Beyond what is publicly known, his true purpose, that is.”

“Ah…”

“He mentioned to His Highness that his influence seems to extend to the Carters Empire as well. There’s a theological society called Ilya in the academy I attend, and circumstantial evidence has emerged suggesting they were under the Grand Duke’s control. Whether that’s true, who is involved, and how many there are—that needs to be properly investigated.”

“Does that mean…”

“I’m going back to the academy now.”

Doo-woong—

Something shook violently within Sibelius’s chest. He briefly stopped breathing and was soon embarrassed by his reaction. Fortunately for him, no one seemed to notice because he kept his face impassive.

“Come to think of it, you said you were going to graduate.”

“Yes. There are quite a few privileges that only graduates can enjoy, so I’d like to avoid dropping out if possible. If my return is delayed any further, I’ll be expelled, so now seems like a good time to go back. Thank you for everything in the meantime.”

“…But your defense skill isn’t perfect yet.”

“Of course, I’ll continue to train in the way you taught me. I hardly experience hallucinations these days anyway. I’ll be careful so you don’t have to worry.”

It was a well-articulated answer, but Sibelius’s expression grew increasingly displeased. Asel, belatedly noticing his furrowed brow, looked puzzled.

“Sibelius-nim [a respectful title, similar to ‘Sir’ or ‘Master’]?”

“You’re going to investigate those guys related to the Grand Duke, right? Those associated with him might be complete lunatics. If you follow their trail, you’ll encounter a lot of lingering psychic impressions. Can you withstand all that with your defense skill that isn’t even perfect yet?”

“Ah, that’s…”

“Besides, there’s a shaman there. It’s clear just from the traces of shamanism we found when you guys were kidnapped. Shamans can amplify or detonate lingering thoughts. Do you think you can handle that just by being careful?”

Asel couldn’t refute any of the points he was making and hesitated. What Sibelius was saying was all correct, and Asel was also cautious because he seemed to have angered him. Sibelius’s expression became even sterner at his troubled appearance.

“I won’t stop you from returning to the academy since graduation is on the line. But don’t even think about meddling in that matter. Leave it all to that Crown Prince, the school president, or someone else, and just stay out of it.”

“That’s… I can’t do that.”

“Didn’t you understand what I’ve been saying?”

“No, I understand perfectly. But if Ilya really is under the Grand Duke, I can’t just ignore it.”

“Why you? If it’s because of your sense of justice…”

“Actually, I used to… associate with Ilya.”

Sibelius’s eyes widened at the sudden confession. Alisa also looked at him with a surprised expression. Asel wore an ambiguously distorted expression, neither frowning nor smiling. Seeing him struggle to recall his thoughts, Raon Hwizen coughed slightly beside him. Only after seeing Raon’s concerned gaze did Asel manage a smile.

The moment of first meeting someone is one of the easiest memories to forget. But Asel had never forgotten the day he first met Ilya. They came suddenly one day. Asel, who was studying alone in the library, was bewildered to see them standing before him with friendly faces. They introduced themselves as a society called ‘Ilya’ and explained the purpose of their visit. They were interested in a paper Asel had published.

“A paper?”

“It was a paper I wrote while studying astrology. While searching for data related to guardian stars, I happened to discover that children born in a specific month were more likely to have special abilities. I wrote about that casually, and Ilya showed interest in the content.”

Ilya was a theological research society. Asel, who vaguely remembered hearing that astrology was included in the theological curriculum, was not very wary of their visit. He answered a few questions, and they continued to visit him from time to time, becoming their advisory consultant for a while. They were very kind to Asel, and Asel had no reason to dislike people who treated him well, so he couldn’t help but become close to them. It was a peaceful relationship without any particular problems.

Things started to go wrong about a semester later. During the vacation, several students who had returned home went missing. However, it wasn’t a major topic because it didn’t happen on campus and the victims were commoners. Asel, feeling a sense of solidarity as a commoner himself, paid a little more attention, but he didn’t dwell on it for long since he wasn’t particularly close to them. It was early in the semester, so he had a lot of assignments and was too busy to worry about others. As he went about his busy life, the memory of the incident was completely erased. Until he accidentally saw the missing persons’ records.

“Those records were…”

“It was an academic record that compiled and organized their personal information. I went to the professor’s office to get some data and accidentally knocked over a pile of books, and it was mixed in with them. I accidentally saw the contents while organizing.”

“And?”

“They were all born in the same month. The very month that I claimed in my paper… that they were born with special energy.”

“…!”

The students’ birthplaces were all different, and the circumstances before and after their disappearance varied. It must have been just a coincidence that they were born in the same month. But Asel was too uneasy, so he started to distance himself from Ilya. Then, those who had been kind to him until then suddenly became aggressive. They visited him several times a day, threatening and scolding him as if he were a traitor.

Their attitude only increased the ominous feeling for Asel, who already had a bad premonition. Unable to stay still, he tried to publicize his suspicions. But Ilya was faster than Asel’s movements. By the time he came to his senses, they had spread rumors that he was mentally ill based on his pre-existing condition. As a result, no one would believe what he said. Rather, Asel was branded as a despicable person trying to spread low-quality rumors about the missing persons. As the perception that he was acting strangely to get attention grew, he was ridiculed from all sides.

From then on, Asel became completely isolated on campus. Later, after Raon Hwizen, who had noticed his talent, kept him by his side, the vicious rumors subsided a little, but the wary gazes remained. Ilya did not stop slandering him and sometimes publicly humiliated him. So, those who cared about Asel were furious at the mere mention of Ilya.

“It was difficult to find evidence that they were involved in the missing persons’ cases, and I couldn’t even guess their purpose, so I was trying to deny the connection. But if Ilya is under the Grand Duke, and if they were really gathering sacrifices, then everything makes sense.”

“Have there been any missing persons since then?”

“No, so I thought I was being too sensitive. But now that I think about it again, I think they may have chosen a different method. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of students who give up their studies and drop out of school.”

“If they left school, then what happened after that wouldn’t have received attention. Even if they disappeared.”

Sibelius muttered in a low voice, guessing the meaning Asel was trying to convey. Asel nodded with a stiff face.

“I don’t know the exact conditions for the sacrifices, but it’s clear that innate qualities are one of those conditions. …They probably selected the sacrifices based on the data I gave them. I have a responsibility to find out more about that.”

The last words were resolute. Seeing the intense will in his puppy-like, innocent eyes, Sibelius inwardly groaned. He couldn’t stop him any longer after hearing this story, and he didn’t seem like he would back down even if he did. But he also felt sick at the thought of sending him knowing it would be dangerous. He suddenly wondered why he had to care about this, but it bothered him nonetheless.

Unpleasantness smoldered within him, and he felt frustrated because he couldn’t think of a way to resolve it. That feeling was fully expressed on his face, and without realizing it, his face became quite distorted. Alisa, who had been staring at him, smiled and opened her mouth.

“Sibel-ssi [another way to say Sibelius with honorific suffix], shall we go with him? To the Carters Empire.”

“…What?”

Everyone looked at her with surprised expressions at the unexpected suggestion. And at that moment, Sibelius felt a strange sense of relief. It was as if a long-standing indigestion had been relieved all at once, and he felt instantly relieved. He instinctively realized that this was the answer he had been looking for. At the same time, he felt embarrassed by his reaction to it.

“What on earth are you talking about, Alisa?”

He lowered his voice to hide his confused feelings, and his tone naturally became stiff. Asel, thinking that he was angry, was restless. But Alisa just laughed nonchalantly.

“If the problem is that Asel’s studies are lacking, we can go with him and help him. I don’t have anything to do here anyway. Isana-ssi told me to stay out of the final siege battle because it will be a free-for-all. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait, and I’d rather go to Carters with Asel than waste time doing nothing.”

“But…”

“Wouldn’t it be okay? If the Grand Duke is really involved, we need to check it out. Isana-ssi would probably send someone to investigate anyway, so we could just take on that role, right?”

“That’s…”

“Oh my~ I came up with it, but it’s a really great idea! Okay, I’ve decided! We’re going to Carters too! If I go, Sibel-ssi will definitely go, right? Yeah, I knew it. I’ll talk to Isana-ssi.”

“…”

Sibelius could do nothing while the unilateral decision was being made. Alisa just smiled at him, who was gaping in disbelief. That expression was quite meaningful.

Only after reading the deep emotion hidden in her playful expression did Sibelius realize her true intention. Why she made this decision, and who it was for. It was clear that the girl, who was much younger than him, had recognized his feelings before he himself had. That he had begun to care for Asel.

‘Really…’

Sibelius smiled weakly and looked back at Asel with a slightly bitter heart. He was a descendant of the same race, whom he had thought he would never like. Even the bloodline of his brother, whom he hated to even think about. He thought he was just teaching him out of pity, and that he would never become attached to him. But he had already been changing since then. The feeling had spread slowly like fog, so he was late to realize it, but the event that triggered it was clearly remembered. It was probably when he saw Asel desperately trying to be recognized for his unicorn bloodline. At that very moment when he returned to his true form to help him.

“Sibelius-nim?”

Asel’s face flushed, perhaps because he felt burdened by the staring gaze. It wasn’t good to see a grown man stammering, but it wasn’t bad when Asel did it. Sibelius unconsciously reached out and patted his head.

“How many were in your group? Bring them all over here. We have pretty much everything, so you won’t need to pack separate luggage.”

“Yes? Are you really going with us then?”

Asel, who had been frozen by the sudden touch, quickly raised his head when he understood the meaning of those words. Sibelius chuckled at his rabbit-like, round eyes.

“You heard what Alisa said.”

“B-But… are you really okay with it?”

“Who’s worrying about whom right now? Don’t think about useless things and just mind your own business. I’m going to increase the intensity of the training while we’re going, so be prepared.”

Asel’s face brightened instantly. Sibelius stared blankly at that face anew. They didn’t look alike at all, but perhaps because they shared the same blood, the scent and atmosphere seemed similar to his own.

If Asel, a distant descendant, was like this, then his brother must have resembled him even more. He was a little curious about what that would have been like. He thought that far and then was startled. He was thinking about his brother without any emotion, something he would never have imagined in the past.