Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 376

“Your Majesty is using quite an innovative method.”

Crown Prince Raonhwihen read the report with a composed expression, then crumpled the paper and tossed it away. Chancellor Justian was too taken aback by his sudden appearance to say anything. He couldn’t bring himself to ask about the pressing issue of the rebellion, to warn him to take shelter, or even to inquire about when he had returned. Everyone else was the same, barely managing to breathe.

“I will handle the Royal Guards. Just in case, please take the students and evacuate.”

They simply nodded blankly at his words, which flowed as naturally as water.

Soon, the Crown Prince brushed past them and walked forward. Immediately following him was a procession. Only then did Justian realize that the Crown Prince was not alone. Along with his usual familiar companions, there were about three people he had never seen before. All of them were wearing hoods, so their faces were hidden, but two of them looked quite young. Judging by their small frames, they might have been women.

‘Should I stop him?’

The number of them was far too small to face an army. Judging by the Emperor’s bold actions, he had clearly decided to strike at the Crown Prince. Regardless of the truth of the treason, the Crown Prince would be dragged away. It would take more time for the army to arrive, and in that time, everyone could escape the academy. It might be better for everyone to evacuate together and seek their own safety.

Just as Justian was about to reach out to the group, one of them inadvertently raised their head, and their eyes flashed for a moment. Even in the dim surroundings, their bright blue eyes were clearly visible. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and the person, who could not be identified as a boy or girl, raised the corner of their lips in a slight smile. In that instant, Justian forgot all his thoughts. He was overwhelmed in that short moment.

While he was dazed, the guards hesitated and cleared a path for them. Until their dignified figures were swallowed by the dark shadows and completely disappeared into the darkness, everyone there watched blankly, unable to take their eyes off them.

A feeling came over him that many things would change this night.

It felt like it would be the longest night in the world.

* * *

At a time when the curtain of darkness was deeply drawn, the path walked by relying on starlight was quiet. The night sky was like scattered grains of light, the faint cries of frogs and insects with puffed cheeks, and the rustling sound of the lush vegetation underfoot. If it weren’t for the situation waiting ahead, it would have been quite a scenic view. I took a deep breath. A faint impurity was mixed in the refreshing air. It was the smell of burning oil and wood.

“Treason, huh……”

At my unintentional mutter, Raonhwihen, who was walking ahead, flinched. The figures of the Chancellor and the others were already out of sight. Their pale faces flashed through my mind. They were all highly educated professors, but they were unable to come to their senses in the face of the sudden situation. The most prestigious academy in the country, with a long history, was facing the crisis of destruction overnight, so it must have been shocking for them.

“The Emperor must be a very suspicious person.”

“……”

After hesitating for a moment, he continued to walk silently. He didn’t say anything, but the situation was obvious. Slander and schemes were common in political strife. To take it at face value and raise an army was clearly a problem with the Emperor’s character. It was unpleasant that a father was trying to kill his son, and the place to suppress it was a school. There would be students from foreign countries among them. I wondered what he was going to do about the aftermath of such a reckless act, and I figured that the Crown Prince, who grew up under such an Emperor, wouldn’t have had a smooth life either.

As I swallowed my bitter feelings, something poked my arm from the side, oblivious to my mood. I glanced over and saw Serium looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“……What are you doing?”

“No, well…… the texture is the same as a human’s?”

“What if it wasn’t?”

“I mean, you don’t pass through my body, or get wet, or anything like that?”

“……What are you trying to say?”

“You’re really the Water Spirit King, right? Really?”

“How many times do I have to say it?”

I was so tired of the question that my answer became naturally curt. Only Serium, who didn’t care, was exclaiming for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Oh my god, the real Water Spirit King! Asel, Dai, did you hear? It’s the real Spirit King.”

“Oh, please. Serium, please stop. I’m too embarrassed to watch anymore.”

“No, but it’s the Spirit King. It’s the Spirit King?”

……Should I just abandon him?

I suddenly wished this area was a rice paddy instead of a flat field. Then I could have pushed him in without anyone noticing.

“Um, really a spirit…….”

“I am a spirit. I may look like a human, but I’m still the Spirit King. As I’ve said many times, I’m the Water Spirit King. If you ask me one more time, you’ll get to explore the waterways. If you want to flow from the underground to the river and drift to the sea, just say one more word.”

“……I’ll keep my mouth shut now.”

Only after hearing my quiet warning did Serium calm down and become quiet. As expected, the world was closer to fists than words. Still, this was better than being stiff like before.

“Aren’t you totally happy to see me?”

The room was as silent as a graveyard, making the cheerful greeting seem out of place. The silence was so heavy that it felt like even the air was stiff. I slowly looked around at the people who were just gaping like goldfish. The knights had drawn their swords, and Asel and Serium were sitting on the floor. I wondered if they had to react so strongly, but honestly, if someone suddenly popped out without a sound, I would be terrified too. I felt sorry for startling them so much, but I was secretly proud of my success. Seeing this, I might have a slightly bad personality.

“Are you going to keep standing there with that blank look on your face?”

I spoke once more to tell them to come to their senses, and those who had been dazed gasped again. Among those who were flustered, Sibelius was the first to regain his composure.

“El. Is that really you, El?”

“Then am I a fake El? Is it that surprising?”

“Ah, no, I never imagined I’d meet you here…….”

“Hehehe, even I think my appearance was a bit dramatic.”

“Drama……?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t have that expression here. It means very dramatic…….”

“El!”

I was about to explain the appropriate expression when Alisa suddenly rushed at me. It was a wild charge like a wild boar that didn’t consider the burden on the receiver at all. It was no different from a surprise attack, but the only reason I didn’t fall over was because I was the Spirit King. I was a little embarrassed, then smiled and gently stroked her head as she clung to me.

“You’re still energetic, Alisa. How have you been?”

“Good! It feels like it’s been so long! What happened? How did you get here, El?”

“Of course, I came because I missed Alisa.”

“Ugh, me too! I really missed you too!”

Her face was bright with a smile, but her voice was mixed with sobs. Come to think of it, this was the longest we had been apart since we met. I suddenly left without any contact, so she must have been very upset. Even though she was mature, she was still a child, and I felt sorry for not being considerate.

“How did you know we were here? Did you hear it from Isana?”

“No, Isana doesn’t know. She’d be surprised if she knew we met.”

“Then?”

“Of course, I found you because I knew. If I set my mind to it, there’s no way I couldn’t find out where you are.”

“That’s true! Because you’re El!”

Alisa’s eyes sparkled even more as she looked up. It was a boast that I was prepared to be criticized for, but I felt embarrassed when I received pure affirmation in return. As I was stroking her head again, Sibelius, who had been hesitating, spoke awkwardly.

“Did you come because you were worried after seeing us scattered while surveying the situation?”

“Um, well, something like that.”

“I knew it. Sorry for changing the plan without permission.”

“No, don’t worry about that. You had your reasons. Seeing the knights with you, it seems like Isana agreed to it.”

As I smiled and looked back, Alex met my gaze as if he had been waiting for it. He had taken off the mask he was wearing, and his face was flushed like someone filled with excitement.

“El.”

“It’s been a while, Alex.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time. I feel like I’m dreaming to see you here. I guess I’m not destined to die easily.”

However, unlike him, who was grinning, the other knights standing behind him still looked awkward. They had put away the swords they had drawn, but I could feel their wariness at a glance. No, to be exact, they seemed very nervous. Even though they had met me a few times on the battlefield, they couldn’t have forgotten my face, but it felt like they were treating me like a stranger.

The atmosphere was similar on the Crown Prince’s side, and everyone was frozen like statues, and their attitude toward me was not the same as before. At first, I thought it was because my appearance was too intense, but after seeing Asel, I changed my mind. More than anyone else, he already knew that I had various abilities. It wasn’t the first time I had suddenly appeared in front of him. However, even he, who was looking at me now, couldn’t hide his nervousness like the others. It was a sign that I couldn’t just ignore.

“Hmm?”

When I deliberately stared at them, I could see their faces turning white. I could read the agitation of countless emotions in their desperately avoiding gazes. Fear and discomfort, yet unable to hide their intense excitement and curiosity. It was like dealing with something unknown, not a person…… Ah, is that so?

“Did you know who I was?”

“……!”

The sound of gasping filled the stiff space simultaneously. It was a reaction that I couldn’t help but know the answer to without even hearing it.

Yes, they knew I was the Spirit King. Now I understood their strange reactions. Come to think of it, Isana summoned Sicuehl a while ago. Since she summoned two high-level spirits at once, someone must have recognized them, and it seemed that everything was exposed at that time.

No wonder they mentioned Kanos so comfortably, did they decide to reveal everything while they were at it? Now I didn’t have to be careful about my actions, so it wasn’t bad for me.

It’s just that I needed to do something about this overly frozen atmosphere. I just said one word, but now people were barely breathing. It’s not like the existence of the Spirit King is a synonym for terror, so I don’t know why they’re so scared. Maybe there’s some kind of superstition among humans that I don’t know about? If you recognize the Spirit King, you die, or you’re dragged to hell, or your three generations are cursed? All of them are ridiculous ideas, but everyone was so scared that I couldn’t help but worry. Besides, not only Alex but even Alisa seemed to be frozen (Sibelius wasn’t that bad, but his expression was strange). I couldn’t just ignore this, so I glanced at Alisa.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. El’s atmosphere…… it’s that feeling again…….”

“That feeling?”

“A kind of heart-pounding feeling?”

What is that? I frowned at the incomprehensible expression, and Alisa avoided my gaze. It seemed like she didn’t want to answer properly. Well, I’ll have a chance to ask again later. For the purpose of changing the subject, I turned my gaze away. I focused on the place where the torches were flickering beyond the window, and the scenery there came into view as if a camera screen was being pulled in.

“Let’s see. It’s an army. The number is about three hundred knights? They’re wearing uniforms, so are they the Royal Guards? There are also mages and regular soldiers. It seems like a pretty full-scale operation?”

“……?”

The people in the room didn’t seem to understand what I was saying for a while. As if they had heard a spell, they just blinked their eyes blankly. I pointed to the window at them.

“That situation over there. Weren’t you curious?”

“Ah!”

Only then did the startled people start to react properly. Their stiff postures were released in an instant, and their actions differed. In particular, Raonhwihen’s reaction was the fastest.

“Did you just say there are mages too?”

Perhaps because he was a mage himself, that was the part he was paying attention to. At his urgent question, I nodded and explained the scene I saw.

“There are people wearing black cloaks and robes with thick belts around their waists. In Swartz, this kind of attire is mainly worn by mages, is it different in Carterus?”

“No, it’s the same.”

“Then they must be mages. But not all of them seem to be real mages. Some have magic power, and some don’t. Ah, but the person in the front is definitely a mage. He must be the strongest mage among them.”

“What does he look like?”

“He looks like he’s in his 60s, and he’s in good shape for an old man. He has gray hair, a slightly receding hairline, and brown eyes.”

“……Daniel.”

Suddenly, Raonhwihen’s eyes seemed to sharpen, and he turned around and went outside. “Your Highness!” The surprised guard followed him out, and the place was forcibly dismissed. It happened so quickly that no one had time to stop him. I exchanged bewildered glances with the awkwardly remaining people.