Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 370

For some reason, the more I listened, the more I felt like I was uncovering something significant. Why hadn’t Trowell told me this story beforehand? If he had, I might have considered contracting with Lapis more seriously. When he explained why the dragons were avoiding a contract with me, and even when Lapis summoned me, he never even hinted at this backstory. But Diagon answered without much hesitation.

“Well, after listening to what Lapis said earlier, I think I know why.”

“Huh?”

“If you knew about this situation, you would have just tried to contract with Lapis because of your personality. Even if you didn’t like him, you would have wanted to help everyone regardless of your true feelings.”

“That’s…”

“Trowell wouldn’t have wanted that either. He would have felt like he was taking advantage of your tendencies. Basically, he thinks the same way as Lapis. He was worried about you.”

“Ugh. Do I seem that unreliable?”

“Well, isn’t worrying a sign of affection? I don’t think it’s just a matter of trust.”

His gentle words didn’t ease my mind. I glanced back and saw Lapis standing in the middle of the magic circle. He had already taken off his top, and even in this chaotic situation, his eyes were fixed on me. He seemed quite displeased with the sight of me having a friendly(?) conversation with Diagon. Diagon seemed to sense it too, as he stuck his tongue out at him. Naturally, Lapis’s face became even more furious.

Watching that childish scene, I couldn’t help but laugh. But when he started to climb onto a dolmen-like [a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright ones] structure and lie down, I suddenly felt nervous. It was just inscribing a magic circle, but that scene overlapped with a sight I had witnessed before: the moment the Archduke laid a sacrifice on the altar and raised his sword high. Only then did I realize that just as he had become worried about me, I was the same.

Diagon was right when he said that worrying about someone wasn’t just about trust. It felt a bit scary. That inexplicable anxiety stemmed from the possibility of suddenly losing this ordinary time. If Lapis and Trowell were looking at me with these feelings, maybe I should reflect on my past actions, because that means they see unstable aspects in me.

Soon, as the magic circle activated, light began to spread out from the part where he was lying. What initially rippled and shimmered quickly surged up and swallowed Lapis’s body, covering it entirely. It was a light as intense as blood.

* * *

The Fire Seal was completed four days later. The one who had to absorb the magic circle without moving for days suffered, but the ones who participated in the creation had to supply energy without rest, which was an extremely arduous journey. With Lapis lying in the center, Ellyuen and Ifrit stood on either side, and the dragons, spaced around them, maintained a barrier of magic for days. The only one who didn’t participate in the process was me, as my opposing attribute wouldn’t help the Fire Seal at all. I guarded the surroundings under the pretext of preparing for any possible interference, but in reality, I had nothing to do, so I was just a spectator.

At dawn, Ellyuen opened his eyes, and the barrier of light that had been surrounding them disappeared in an instant. It was proof that the magic was complete. At the same time, the dragons who had been maintaining the barrier collapsed to the ground as if they had crumbled. Surprised, I rushed over to see that they were all completely exhausted, with no energy left in their bodies.

“Diagon, wake up! Diagon?”

“Ugh… Save me.”

I supported Diagon, who was reaching out as if grabbing a lifeline, and quickly poured healing power into him. He closed his eyes as soon as his body felt better from the restored energy. The other dragons’ conditions weren’t much different, so after healing them, they all looked like dried fish. This was by no means an exaggeration, as I could tell from Ifrit’s appearance. The Spirit King, who was usually never tired, looked very exhausted.

“I’ll go to the Spirit Realm for a while.”

He left those words as soon as he made eye contact with me and disappeared. It seemed he had judged that rapid recovery was impossible in Arkadon. I didn’t know whether to think Ellyuen, who seemed fine even in this situation, was amazing or scary.

“Ellyuen, are you okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

Still, a calm answer came back to my polite question. I peeked at him examining Lapis, and he smiled and turned to me. The gesture of reaching out and brushing back the hair that had fallen down was so tender that my heart fluttered. But the words that followed made my heart flutter in a slightly different way.

“But the thought of doing this three more times makes me want to kill Kanos a little.”

“…”

Come to think of it, we had to set up four seals. Since the Fire Seal we just made is the first, that means there are three more to go. Since it took four days to make one, it also meant that we would have to invest nearly fifteen more days. Fortunately, the dragons and the Spirit King could take turns according to their attributes, but Ellyuen, who was unaffected by such influences, would have to participate in all the processes. No matter how high-ranking a god he was, he would definitely be exhausted by then.

“Um… would you be okay? Could you try requesting additional cooperation from the Divine Realm…?”

“Well, they probably don’t have any spare labor either. If it takes this much effort just to set up a pillar that only supports, then the main base will need even more energy.”

“Does that mean…?”

“They’re using all the high-ranking gods in the Purification Seal.”

“…That’s really amazing.”

I thought this was a tough road, but it seems the situation in the Divine Realm is even more dire. At this rate, I don’t think I can blame the gods. To think they have to mobilize all the high-ranking gods, I realized how huge the final battle we’re facing is.

Even then, Lapis was still lying quietly on the dolmen. He seemed to have lost consciousness at some point since the magic circle production began, and it would take more time for him to regain consciousness. Perhaps because the seal was complete, the dense drawings that had been drawn on his body before starting were no longer visible.

“So, Lapis has become the Fire Seal?”

“Yes.”

Having received confirmation, I examined Lapis’s condition with peace of mind. There were no visible physical changes, but I could feel an energy inside his body that hadn’t been there before. It felt like the sun was dwelling within him, like a pool of fire. It was actually quite hot, so it seemed dangerous for an ordinary person to touch.

“This is almost like lava. It feels like a miniaturized Ifrit.”

“…Who’s Ifrit?”

As if he had been waiting for that moment, Lapis opened his eyes. As expected of a guy who’s quick-witted, he woke up at the perfect timing even in times like this. I clicked my tongue at the sharp gaze directed at me, then paused for a moment. I thought there were no physical changes, but there was a difference in an unexpected place. The color of his eyes was different from before. It was still in the red spectrum, but before it was like a pure ruby without impurities; now it was the color of crimson flames mixed with vermilion and yellow. It was probably a temporary phenomenon that only appeared while he was in the Fire Seal. Still, as I said jokingly, he definitely felt closer to Ifrit. Of course, if you compared him to the real Ifrit, it would be completely different. That’s just how it felt.

“How’s your body?”

“Damn it, it’s stuffy.”

Lapis, who had risen, rubbed his chest repeatedly with an unpleasant expression. He seemed to feel a foreign sensation because a different energy had taken root inside his body. In fact, it was more amazing that he only felt a little uncomfortable even after harboring so much fire. They said he had a strong natural affinity for fire, and indeed, it was the kind of performance(?) that Diagon would beg for.

“But you can’t go to the village in that state. You’ll become a walking natural disaster.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t leave this area in this state anyway. Did you forget that the seals are set up with fixed locations?”

“Huh? Is the location forcibly fixed, not left to our free will?”

“Yes. You don’t seem to feel it?”

“Huh? What do I feel?”

“I feel like I’m blocked on all sides right now. They said they’re setting up mana pillars, and it seems I’ve become the core inside.”

Oh, so that’s the structure.

As Lapis said, I couldn’t feel any of that, so it was interesting. A transparent wall that couldn’t be seen had appeared. It reminded me of when Lapis had trapped me in a similar environment, which was a little funny. Wait, so even if I left alone, Lapis wouldn’t be able to move from here?

“You…”

I had only thought about it, but Lapis’s eyes immediately turned fierce. I’m realizing once again that he’s incredibly quick-witted.

Around that time, the dragons who had collapsed also began to regain consciousness one by one. Diagon, who was dazed even after getting up and looked around for a while, found Lapis putting on his top and smiled brightly.

“Wow, the Fire Seal was made properly! I’m so glad.”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Actually, I almost didn’t remember anything at the end. I only knew that I had collapsed. Ah, but I clearly remember El using her healing power. Thank you so much! You saved me!”

He laughed heartily and shook my hand vigorously.

“I’m glad I was helpful.”

“You were more than helpful! I had only heard about Elquines’s healing power, but I had never actually experienced it. It’s definitely different from magic or divine power! It was like a stream of grace in a parched flowerpot. That refreshing feeling, it felt really good. I think I understand a little why Lapis is obsessed with Elquines.”

Diagon probably had no idea that Lapis’s eyes were flashing dangerously behind him as he said those words. Unaware of the danger level of his words, he continued to speak.

“That’s how close I felt to dying. How long did it take? My senses were fading from the middle, so I can’t calculate it well.”

“It was the fourth day today.”

“Four days!”

It wasn’t just Diagon who was surprised, but the other dragons as well. They were all showing bewildered reactions, as their sense of time had become vague as well. It wasn’t because it took too long, but for the opposite reason.

“It ended much faster than I thought. It felt like it took more than 10 years. It must have ended so quickly thanks to Ellyuen’s help. But it was still this hard; it was my misjudgment. I almost killed several dragons. I’ll have to bring more reinforcements when I make the other seals. Six is too much. Hmm, how many Green and Silver guys can I contact right now…”

“Green and Silver are both wind attribute dragons, right?”

“That’s right, because the next seal we’re making is the Wind Seal.”

“Huh? Is there an order to making these too?”

“Of course?”

I smiled awkwardly at the bewildered gaze, as if asking how I didn’t know that. It had been a while since I had been around people who knew my circumstances well, so this reaction was quite rare. It was nothing new now, but I was a little embarrassed to reveal that I was an inexperienced Spirit King. I was hesitating about what to answer when a warm temperature covered my head. When I looked up, Ellyuen was looking down with a gentle gaze.

“When creating spells that utilize the four elements, there is a rule of circulation.”

“Rule of circulation?”

“‘Flames rise and carry themselves on the wind, burning the vegetation and covering it with water’.”

“What does that mean?”

“It doesn’t really have any special meaning. It’s just the order of extinction of the first Spirit Kings.”

“…!”

My eyes widened involuntarily because it was an unexpected statement. Come to think of it, I remembered hearing that the Water Spirit King was the last of the first Spirit Kings to disappear, and that Elquines was also the current Kanos.

“The first creates the standard. The first Spirit Kings created many invisible rules in this world. In particular, their extinction period also affected the average lifespan of future Spirit Kings.”

“Average lifespan?”

“The Fire Spirit King generally has an earlier extinction period than average. Conversely, the Water Spirit King tends to be longer than average.”

“Gasp. Is that because the first Ifrit disappeared first and the Water disappeared last?”

“Yes. There are exceptions, but everyone generally follows that flow. It’s that strong of a cycle. It doesn’t matter if you don’t follow it, but it’s said that matching it will draw better efficiency.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s kind of amazing.”

I felt like the more I learned about this world, the more I had to learn. I was still reeling from the shock and chewing it over when I felt a gaze staring at me. Diagon and the dragons were looking at us with strange expressions.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, you two… look good together.”

“Huh?”

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask for a while: what’s the relationship between Ellyuen and El?”