Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 380

Chapter 380

I once fell into the water when I was very young. It wasn’t a grand place, just an ordinary bathhouse. When I stood up, the water only came up to my thighs, and even when I sat down, it barely reached my neck. But for a toddler, it was deep enough to completely submerge their head.

I was sitting on the stepping stone when my brother playfully pulled me, causing me to slip. That was the beginning of it all. I was helplessly swallowed by the water, but no one realized I had fallen in. They probably thought I was just playing a game of diving with the other kids. Fortunately, an adult noticed something was wrong and pulled me out quickly, but that brief moment felt incredibly long to me. I felt suffocated on all sides, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape that state on my own. I think that’s when I first experienced the terror of not being able to breathe. After realizing I was alive, every part of me, from my eyes to my nose, ached. It hurt so much that I couldn’t stop crying, no matter how much my father scolded me.

Perhaps it’s because I have a dull personality, or maybe it’s because I was Elquines, but I never really avoided water after that experience. Anyway, thanks to that day, I realized one thing for sure: the human body is so weak that it feels pain even if it’s deprived of air for a short time.

“Uwaaaak!”

I stared blankly at the twenty or so people who were sprawled out, vomiting water. They had been gleefully speeding through the underground with the guidance of the Undines [water spirits] just moments ago, but now they were all drenched and looked like drowned rats. The pit they had created was now filled with water, forming a huge spring. We could bury it again, but I decided to leave it as it was. Actually, I hadn’t decided whether to bury it or not.

“Heeuhh.”

None of them seemed to be fully conscious, as they were vomiting water from every orifice. The sight of them writhing and groaning at my feet felt strangely surreal. And so did the sight of me, watching them indifferently without any emotion.

Originally, I was going to let them drift all the way to the sea, leaving no trace of their corpses. I was going to let them taste the pain of having their lungs filled with water, and then face a miserable death in fear and helplessness. It wasn’t because my heart softened that I saved them. I was just suddenly scared. Was it okay for me to cross the line like this?

I was at a crossroads. A crossroads where I had to decide whether to completely break away from the norms I had learned and followed. If I took just one more step, I would never be able to go back to the way I was before.

Even I could tell that the me whose true nature had awakened was very different from the original me. The Water Spirit King was said to have a naturally cold personality. I remember the cautious looks the Spirit Kings gave me when we first met. Everyone’s eyes widened at a simple greeting, and they were all openly embarrassed by my actions. If I hadn’t been born as a human, I probably would have had the same personality from the start. And if that were the case, my relationships with everyone would have been different as well.

The reason Ellyuen accepted me as his son, and the reason the people around me liked me, was because I was a clumsy guy who wasn’t like a Water Spirit King. Lapis had said that once, that he preferred my old personality. Whenever my true nature unconsciously surfaced, I could feel everyone tensing up, even if they didn’t show it. It meant that this state of mine aroused their wariness. So I was always walking a tightrope between my innate self and my learned self. But would they accept me if I changed completely? Could those relationships continue to be the same as before?

No, it wasn’t just the others’ reactions that mattered. What about me? What if I changed even more from here? What if I no longer cherished everyone? What would happen then? Since I couldn’t see an inch ahead, I couldn’t guarantee that such a thing wouldn’t happen. I had a feeling that might be why Lapis often disparaged my personality as being awful, because he’s perceptive. He would have noticed the problems I hadn’t even realized yet.

“…Really awful.”

The limp figures twitched at my quiet sigh. It didn’t seem like they had regained consciousness, just an unconscious reaction. I looked back at the fallen men with a queasy feeling. In fact, they were no longer the same as before. Because I didn’t give them proper air pockets and kept rolling them around in the water, they had been without breath for a long time. They were alive, but their brains were damaged. I had no intention of healing them, so even if they woke up, they would have a hard time living a normal life. I thought this was enough, even if it wasn’t satisfying. At least they wouldn’t be able to do bad things anymore. Since they were destined for hell anyway, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give them a temporary reprieve.

After making my decision, I gathered them together and tied them to a nearby tree trunk. As I searched the person who seemed to be the leader, I found a rolled-up magic scroll and a bag in his inner pocket. I threw away the bag, which had a suspicious purpose, and unfolded the scroll. It was a teleportation magic scroll, so it must be connected to a place for performing rituals. Maybe I could find out where Duke and Karian were.

However, when I looked inside, the coordinates weren’t immediately readable, like with Daniel. It seemed that the scroll wasn’t made in the usual way. When I rubbed the part with the magic circle with my finger, I felt a cold sensation. I felt an energy similar to that of the demons and divine power. The divine power had a strong smell of blood, which made it feel even more unpleasant.

‘Karian, is that his power?’

Turning around, I could see the torches of the army still retreating in the distance near the hill. It would take them a little longer to reach the Imperial Palace.

What should I do? Feeling the texture of the paper crumpling in my hand, I hesitated for a moment. If I tore the scroll like this, the magic would be activated. If I couldn’t check the coordinates, I could just go there myself. Checking for a moment wouldn’t take too long. But…

“Uhm.”

After all, it would be better to stick to the original purpose for now. That was Trowel’s request, even to the point of being reverse summoned. The fact that he emphasized what to do first meant that I should prioritize it in any situation. It might be better not to act alone in this case. Everything always happens the moment you let your guard down. Even if the plan was just to take a quick look, no one knew what would happen after I teleported. If something happened to Sibelius while I was stuck there, I would regret this moment for the rest of my life.

In the end, I chose to roll the scroll back up instead of tearing it. I was about to put it away in my pocket so I could use it at any time.

Kugung!

“……!”

Suddenly, a bright light burst out, followed by a loud noise. Surprised, I looked up and saw an unexpected sight. I reflexively widened my eyes. A bright red light was rising from the Imperial Palace. It looked like a big fire had broken out.

What, what’s going on now? They tried to set fire to the academy, so was there a fire planned for the Imperial Palace as well? Come to think of it, it seemed like they had something planned after deliberately sending the captain of the guard out, so maybe it’s related to that.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have gotten the information out of them before washing them away with water.’

Anyway, it was clear that this wasn’t a good sign. I thought that I should stay by Sibelius’ side in times like these, so I moved to where the group was. It wouldn’t be too late to check the situation at the Imperial Palace after that. When I arrived, the army had also discovered the fire at the Imperial Palace and were all in a panic.

“Your Highness, hold on tight to the reins!”

The captain of the guard, who was carrying Raon Hwizen in front of him, shouted loudly. At the same time, the horse carrying them began to gallop forward. The other guard knights also increased their speed and quickly followed behind him. Only the soldiers on foot were at a loss, not knowing what to do. I slipped into the group’s side in the meantime.

“I’m back.”

“El!”

“Sir El!”

The group, who had been panicking, visibly relaxed when they saw me. I had never thought of myself as a particularly reliable type, but it felt a little strange to be welcomed so warmly just by showing up, as if I had become a great being.

“El, it looks like there’s a fire at the Imperial Palace.”

“Yeah, I saw it and came here in a hurry.”

After nodding, I expanded my vision towards the Imperial Palace. The fire was in the main palace, the largest in the Imperial City. Amidst the thick smoke pouring out, I could see people busily trying to put out the fire. Daniel and the person presumed to be the Emperor were not visible among them. I was wondering how far I should look when I heard Alisa’s worried voice from the side.

“The fire seems really big. I wonder if the people there are okay?”

“Um, should I put it out for now?”

“Huh? How?”

“…Like this?”

With a light gesture, I created dark clouds and caused torrential rain to pour down on the Imperial Palace. The people who were putting out the fire and the people who were running to the Imperial Palace all stopped in their tracks with dumbfounded faces. It was understandable that they were confused, since it was only raining heavily in that area while the rest of the area was fine. But I didn’t understand why Alisa and the others were looking at me with surprised expressions.

“Why?”

“…No, it’s just that there are times when I really think, ‘El is really the Water Spirit King.'”

“Is it that amazing that I made it rain? Well, I haven’t really shown you the weather changes much.”

“Ugh, no, it’s not just because of that…”

“If not?”

Alisa, who was slowly scanning me, had a slightly complicated expression. It was similar to her reaction when my true nature was revealed, so I was a little nervous. Is something wrong? I wasn’t coldly standing by while people were getting hurt, I was actually helping, so why was she like this this time? I was about to check my actions to see if there was something I was unknowingly insensitive to.

“El is so cool!”

“…Huh?”

“Like I said before, the *dokidoki* [heart-pounding] level is getting stronger every day! Being pretty and cool, that’s cheating!”

“……”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I guess it doesn’t mean anything bad, right…? I glanced back and saw everyone else nodding enthusiastically, which made me feel even more awkward. I felt like my cheeks were tingling for no reason.

“Well, I’m grateful that you think I’m cool. But I have something to tell you. I put out the fire to reduce unnecessary damage, but it might not have been a good choice.”

“Huh? Why?”

“The Emperor here was helping the Duke. I just stopped some of the soldiers from trying to take the academy students as sacrifices. I haven’t found out where the Duke is yet, but if he’s in this area, he would have noticed me just now. I think we should be on our guard.”

“……!”

The group, who had been listening with puzzled expressions, all held their breath at those words. The first to react among those who were frozen was Asel.

“Do you know who they were? Was Ilya among them? They would have had Kraze’s tattoo on their bodies.”

“Um, I didn’t check that far, but I think they were shouting something like that. For Ilya, or something.”

“…So they really were handing over the academy students as sacrifices.”

Asel’s face turned pale. Come to think of it, the name Ilya was familiar. Serium had interrogated me, asking if I was Ilya when he first misunderstood me. I had first encountered the name as the name of the Goddess of Mercy, but it didn’t feel like he was asking about that. That must be the name of the group that the people I turned into cripples today use. But the tattoo they had on their bodies was Kraze’s. They took the name from the Goddess of Mercy and carved the god of hell on their bodies. It was clear that they were a rootless cult.

I wondered how they knew each other, but Asel explained that they were a theological society that had been active in the academy for a long time. They had been trying to search for something all the way here, so they must have had some idea of their connection to the Duke. I think I know for sure now why Isana sent the knights with me.

“They were mixed in with the soldiers. So the Emperor and the Duke really joined hands. Then, could the fire in the Imperial Palace now be related to the Duke?”

“I don’t know about that. There’s a limit to what I can see through the eyes of the spirits. But it’s true that something is happening in the Imperial Palace. I took a quick look inside, but I can’t find the person who seems to be the Emperor. If he’s not really there, it means he’s hidden so I can’t see him.”

“……!”

“I can find out exactly if I go there myself, but I don’t want to leave your side as much as possible. I hope you don’t leave my side either. Especially, Sibyl. You need to be extra careful.”

“Huh? Me?”

Sibelius looked surprised that he was mentioned. He might have thought that it wasn’t appropriate to tell him to be careful, since he was the strongest among the group besides me. I thought about it for a moment and decided to just be honest.

“Actually, Trowel had something to ask of me regarding you.”

“What…”

“He said it’s dangerous because you’re in an ambiguously awakened state. The situation wasn’t good, so I couldn’t hear exactly, but it felt like Karian shouldn’t recognize you.”

“……!”

“In that sense, I’ll ask you, have you noticed anything strange lately?”

Sibelius’ expression became serious at my question. Judging by the fact that he didn’t look like he had no idea what I was talking about, it seemed like there was something he could guess.

“Maybe you’ve been able to channel?”

“No. Not yet, El.”

“Not yet? So there’s something?”

“Um, I think I know why I can’t channel. But it’s not resolved. The ability hasn’t been unlocked. Actually, I don’t even know how to solve it.”

“Hmm, I see. Anyway, tell me right away if anything changes. I think it’s related to that ability.”

“Okay, I will.”

After nodding to Sibelius, I turned to the other members of the group. Everyone had a tense expression, perhaps because the conversation had been serious. Asel said urgently.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has already gone up to the Imperial Palace. We must chase after him quickly.”

“Of course we will. We need to find out the situation at the Imperial Palace properly. Let’s catch up right away.”