Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 385

Chapter 385

“So, what happened to Sibel now?”

“He’s in here. He’s hearing everything we’re saying. He’s furious that I took over his body. If it weren’t for me, Karian would have taken over. No, it would have been worse than that. His soul would have been completely destroyed, and he would have lost his body entirely. I stopped that from happening. He’s treating his benefactor terribly.”

So, if Karian had taken over back then, Sibelius’s soul would have been destroyed. Confirming that my judgment was correct made me feel dizzy. Kanos’s arrival in that situation was truly a stroke of luck. Come to think of it, I was so flustered that I forgot to thank him. “Thank you,” I said cautiously. Kanos widened his eyes slightly and reached out to stroke my head. It was a playful gesture, but I didn’t dislike the warm sensation, so I let him do as he pleased.

“But how did you know to come?”

“Lucef sensed the awakening of the Rune.”

“But why didn’t he come himself…?”

“It’s a kind of settlement.”

“Settlement?”

“I always make sure to collect my debts.”

Kanos’s eyes sparkled strangely when he said that, so I closed my mouth. I had a feeling that I shouldn’t ask for more details.

“And if possible, I wanted to catch that child.”

At that moment, the wings that had been fluttering behind him seemed to become transparent and disappeared in an instant. The horns on his forehead also disappeared. Surprised, I widened my eyes, and Kanos smiled lightly.

“I’ve taken care of his power for him. I’ve also reinforced the ‘door’ more strongly, so Karian won’t be able to open it easily even if he appears.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s a natural measure to take. If Karian takes over this guy’s body, everyone will be in trouble. Actually, it would be safest to take him to the God Realm as he is—but his refusal is too strong, so that won’t work.”

He frowned slightly as he spoke, so Sibelius must have been protesting fiercely inside. Kanos tilted his head slightly at what he said. His eyes narrowed slowly, and I felt a dangerous sensation.

“…He’s a spirited kid. He doesn’t seem to realize who’s using his body right now. Should I make sure he knows for sure?”

I felt chills at the warning that followed. It was definitely a gentle tone, but I didn’t know why it felt so scary. Only then did Sibelius become quiet, and a satisfied expression appeared on Kanos’s face. What was he trying to do? He was a god, after all, and I shouldn’t underestimate him. I didn’t realize it, but I must have been staring at him intently. Kanos met my gaze.

“Why? What else are you curious about?”

Well, there were many things I was curious about. In fact, there were many things I wanted to confirm if I met him. Like the real reason he gave me the Demon God’s mark. Was it an attempt to prevent me from contacting Eluien, or was it just a simple misunderstanding on my part? I also wanted to know the meaning of the short message he left for Eluien. But what bothered me most right now was his opinion of Karian. He was once a Demon King. And now he has become a fallen being who is a common enemy. Eluien called him a ‘sinner.’ But Kanos had never called him anything else. He always called him by the name ‘Karian.’ He had never expressed contempt or unpleasant feelings. I realized that now. It was thanks to what Kanos had said a little while ago. He definitely said, ‘that child.’ It was a voice that felt somewhat compassionate.

Does Kanos still have affection for him? But I didn’t have the courage to ask. I didn’t know what kind of expression I should make if he said yes. So the question that came out was completely different.

“Ah, um, do you happen to know why Sibel was able to awaken the power of the Rune?”

“Ah, that. He probably awakened it a long time ago. It’s just that the power has been bound all this time.”

“I think Sibel said something like that too. Who bound it?”

“He did it himself.”

“Sibel did it himself?”

“I hate bloodlines and clans. I don’t protect anyone. I won’t become like my brother. I have no intention of keeping the Rune’s mission. Please, just leave me alone. I don’t want to do anything.”

“??”

What is all this all of a sudden? I was bewildered by the unexpected words, and Kanos shrugged.

“These are the words he usually utters. They became a spell and sealed his power. Unicorns are born sorcerers, and the language a sorcerer utters is easily turned into a spell.”

“…Ah.”

“A spell created by the unconscious mind will be broken when the concept changes. Before the seal was broken, he must have said something that contradicted his previous beliefs. Right?”

Yes, now that I think about it, he did. Sibelius himself said that it was his mission to protect his clan. And he also said that it wasn’t bad. I see. So that’s why the seal was broken. Now I understood what happened. I nodded, and Kanos scratched his ear with a very annoyed expression.

“Geez, it’s noisy.”

“Yes? Is Sibelius saying something again?”

“No, this time it’s someone else. The God Realm is looking for me. As you know, I’m very busy these days. Nothing works properly without me.”

“Oh, then you should go.”

“Oh my, it’s so difficult to be too competent. Are you sad that our meeting was too short? Do you already miss me so much that you’re going to die? Oh, I know that feeling. Next time, I’ll come in my true form. Even if you miss me, please be patient.”

“No, it’s not really to that extent.”

“You’re shy. You don’t have to be like Eluien in these things.”

“It’s not that I’m shy…”

I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that I was making a sullen face. Kanos didn’t care at all, even though he would have seen it head-on.

“Oh, right, El. The purification circle will be completed soon.”

“Yes? When?”

“In a week at the longest? Three or four days at the shortest?”

“Wow, it’s really not long. But shouldn’t we find Karian before that? It’s useless to use the purification circle if there’s no target.”

“Ah, that’s okay. There’s a way to track his traces. And it seems like there’s a suitable medium.”

“Medium?”

I didn’t understand what he meant and was puzzled when Kanos’s hand touched my chest. I flinched, and I saw black liquid flowing out along his touch. Then I felt refreshed inside. It seemed that he had just extracted Karian’s magic that was still left inside me. Kanos gathered it into a lump and lightly clenched his fist to take care of it. It seemed that he had sent it somewhere instead of simply destroying it. As I blankly watched him, I suddenly realized.

“Is that going to be the medium?”

“That’s right. Anything connected to Karian is needed. Originally, I was going to catch the contractor, but this should be enough. When the purification circle is activated, Karian can be forcibly summoned into it.”

“Really? Wow, that’s great!”

It was a blessing in disguise. When that magic was acting as a poison, I thought I had been hit in the back of the head, but this time it was going to be a tool to track Karian. It wasn’t intentional, but it was worth being hit. I was delighted when I felt an intense gaze from somewhere. Kanos was staring at me intently. It would have been burdensome even if Kanos had done it in his own form, but it was even more burdensome because it was in Sibelius’s appearance.

“Why, why?”

“You were holding that magic in well. It must have hurt quite a bit.”

“Ah, it hurt a little at first, but it was almost purified, so it was okay.”

In fact, after Kanos appeared, I was so surprised that I hardly felt any pain. I said that to mean that there was no need to worry, but Kanos’s expression became even stranger.

“You’re used to pain. You shouldn’t be.”

“…”

“Come to think of it, El, what’s your answer?”

“Yes? What answer?”

“About blocking him. I told you never to do that again, right?”

Did that need an answer?

I just thought it was a casual request. I was embarrassed that he was trying to confirm it, so I hesitated for a moment and nodded.

“Ah, um. I’ll be careful.”

“No. That’s not enough. Always think of yourself as the top priority. It would be even better if you were determined to survive, even if you had to use others as shields.”

“Isn’t that a sociopath…?”

“That would be better for you? And for those around you, of course.”

“What does that mean?”

It’s better for the people around me if I become a sociopath? Am I understanding this correctly? I asked in disbelief, but Kanos didn’t answer. Instead, he stroked my head again.

“It’s a big problem that you’re such a nice kid.”

“Well, I’m not really.”

“Really? Still, it seems like something big has happened.”

“Yes?”

As I was about to wonder what this meant, Kanos smiled and pointed to a certain place. As soon as I looked in that direction, I unconsciously groaned. A sense of despair washed over me, and my mind went blank for a moment.

“…This is really bad.”

“Right?”

A refreshing reply followed, but I wasn’t in the mood to agree at all. Before my eyes, a golden magic circle was flashing brilliantly. It was a very familiar pattern, so I couldn’t help but recognize its identity at a glance.

It was a summoning magic circle sent by Lapis.

* * *

I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but spirit summoning circles are very pretty. They are in the form of letters and figures arranged regularly like patterns inside a huge circular border, and each one is translucent and sparkles with gold, making it look like stained glass with jewels. When viewed in the dark night, it reflects a subtle light, making it almost fantastic. What’s even more amazing is that not everyone can see this summoning circle. To be exact, they all look the same, but the huge size, which is much taller than me, only appears to the Spirit King. It’s truly a privilege that only the Spirit King can enjoy.

…The reason why I’m having these useless thoughts is because I think I need to have these random thoughts to get rid of my anxiety. Of course, it’s only a short escape, and I couldn’t avoid facing the reality that had come upon me. The moment I came to my senses, I felt the sensation of leaving the air barrier, and the white light that had been filling my surroundings disappeared in an instant. The glare faded and my vision cleared, and I began to see my surroundings. In fact, there was nothing to look at. A pair of red eyes were right in front of me. Lapis, sitting on a rock with his arms crossed, was staring at me.

“…You’ve come?”

Even though he summoned me himself, he acted as if he was surprised that I had appeared. I couldn’t get angry at his behavior because Lapis’s atmosphere was unusual. His eyes were colder than usual, and his face had no expression. No, he doesn’t usually have much of an expression, so maybe it’s just my imagination. The reason why I flinched at his gaze was probably because I had a lot of guilty consciences. That’s why people shouldn’t live with sin.

It was something that was going to happen someday, but it happened too early. Lapis thought I had gone to create the Water Formation. It takes an average of three days to complete one formation, and that period hasn’t passed yet. Originally, he shouldn’t have tried to summon me at this time. But I think I knew why he created the summoning circle. I had overcome several dangerous moments while facing Karian. So much mana had leaked out so openly that there was no way that perceptive guy wouldn’t have noticed something strange!

“Um… Lapis…”

I was hesitating about how to start the conversation when Lapis, who had been staring at me, suddenly jumped up from his seat. I was startled by his approaching steps and tried to step back. But Lapis was faster than that to stand in front of me. I felt cold sweat running down my face at his gaze staring down at me from right in front of me. He stared at me strangely as I smiled vaguely, and then he grabbed my chin with one hand and turned it from side to side. I stiffened at the unexpected action.

“What, what is it? What are you doing?”

“You’re fine.”

“What?”

“Well, you’re a spirit, so you can’t have scars. It’s a relief, but seeing you looking so nonchalant makes me a little angry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you ask because you don’t know?”

No, I know, of course, I know.

I closed my mouth tightly at the eyes that were shining eerily. A look of ridicule flashed across Lapis’s face. *But you still have a conscience?* It was as if his thoughts were clearly audible in my ear without him saying anything.

“Suddenly, your mana was draining away? Several times.”

“Um, that’s…”

“At first, I thought you were ambushed while setting up the formation. But the Water Formation was being built so smoothly.”

“H, how do you know that?”

“Because I’m one of the cornerstones. The formations are connected to each other. I can feel the state of the other formations.”

I didn’t know that either. I wondered why he let me go so easily. Was it because he could figure out when the formations would be completed?

“The Water Formation is being built perfectly, and you don’t need to take my mana while you’re building it. Unless you summoned a spirit because you wanted to screw me over while making the formation.”

“There’s no way I would do that.”

“Yeah. So tell me honestly. What did you do somewhere? You didn’t go to make the purification circle, did you?”

“Ahaha…”

“Seeing you smile foolishly, I hit the nail on the head.”

“That’s… somehow…”

“In other words, you lied to me and went somewhere else?”

Lapis smiled brightly. It was a smile as beautiful as a flower that made my mind dizzy. I couldn’t look him straight in the eye, so I quickly rolled my eyes. When beauty is at that level, smiling is more powerful than getting angry outright. And he knew that very well. Emergency alarms started ringing in my head. He was definitely very angry.