Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 402

402

“……Huh? ……El?”

“Yeah, it’s me, El! Are you okay? Are you safe? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Um? Uh, no, I’m not hurt. I’m fine……?”

I grabbed him, who looked dazed, and quickly checked him over. Of course, I knew in my head that he wouldn’t be able to answer so clearly if there was a problem. But confirming his safety with my own eyes was another matter. Only after repeatedly confirming that he was okay did a sigh of relief escape me.

“Haa, I’m just glad nothing happened.”

“What……what’s going on, El? You suddenly appearing like that really surprised me.”

“Ah, well, the situation has become a bit complicated…….”

I raised my head to explain properly, but I paused slightly, noticing a fleeting sense of incongruity. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve seen him in person, but Isana’s appearance seemed a bit different. Perhaps because he was in the Imperial Palace, his attire was much more luxurious. Aside from making his complexion look better, it seemed like his frame had become larger and sturdier while I wasn’t looking. Did he get taller too? No, he definitely got taller. Once I recognized that, different words came out before I could say what I needed to.

“……Our Isana, you’ve grown so much?”

“Ah, really? You can tell?”

“Of course. The difference is obvious. Before, our eye level was similar, but now I definitely have to look up at you. Truly the growing season. You’re growing up so fast. Wow, at this rate, you’ll catch up to Lapis’s height soon.”

Isana’s cheeks flushed as I admired him to my heart’s content. He seemed pleased that I said he had grown taller.

“Ahem.”

Just then, a coughing sound came from somewhere. I turned my gaze toward the sound and flinched. Duke Cäwhell, Isana’s cousin, was sitting right next to him. No, now that I looked, he wasn’t the only one. Tables were connected in a circle on both sides, and people who appeared to be officials filled every seat. There were over twenty people, by my estimate. Piles of papers that looked like documents were placed in front of them. I couldn’t see the contents, but it was clear that they were the same kind of papers that Isana had dropped a little while ago. An uncomfortable silence descended on the space, and Isana’s hesitant voice was heard.

“That’s……because we were in a meeting.”

Ah, right. It certainly looks like it.

I was so rushed that I didn’t even notice the surrounding situation. Feeling embarrassed, I turned my gaze and finally noticed the Imperial Guards standing behind Isana. They couldn’t openly acknowledge me because they were on duty, but they kept sending me welcoming glances, so I could only give them an awkward smile.

What was a bit unexpected was the officials’ reaction. If it was a meeting attended by the Emperor, it would have been held in the most heavily guarded place in the Imperial Palace. It was as if a stranger had suddenly invaded such a place, so it would have been chaos, but everyone was just quietly frozen. At first, I thought it was because they were too surprised, but enough time had passed for them to regain their senses, yet no one opened their mouths. They were just constantly swallowing hard.

“……There should be a barrier enchantment in the Imperial Palace that blocks mana manipulation……. It doesn’t work on you?”

Only after hearing Duke Cäwhell’s question did I realize why the atmosphere was so strange. Rumor had it that various rumors had been circulating since the fact that Isana was a Spirit Master was revealed, so everyone seemed to have guessed my identity to some extent. I glanced at Isana, and he smiled awkwardly for a moment before nodding. He seemed to have decided that it was pointless to hide it any further, now that we had come this far.

“Well, usually you can ignore barriers that are weaker than yourself. There aren’t many barriers stronger than a Spirit King.”

Hushed gasps were heard from all around. The officials’ eyes were twitching in earnest, as if they were shocked even though they had already guessed. Even Duke Cäwhell, who clearly knew my identity (it was obvious from the way his tone had become more polite), looked surprised. They probably couldn’t even imagine that what was about to happen would be even more terrible than this. I left the people who were just gaping and turned back to Isana.

“Isana, take everyone and evacuate immediately.”

“Huh? Evacuate?”

“This place is going to become dangerous soon. You need to get as far away from the Imperial Palace as possible.”

However, the explanation didn’t continue. It was as if those words were a signal, because the surroundings began to darken rapidly. It wasn’t even dusk, but the sky outside the window was turning black. Dark clouds that I hadn’t planned for were rising in an instant, swallowing the sun. I should have moved sooner, I was too relaxed. While I was clicking my tongue in dismay, a commotion spread among the surprised people.

“Everyone, look over there!”

At that moment, one of the people who was looking out the window shouted in surprise. What he pointed to was the sky full of dark clouds. Something was floating there. It was quite high, but it was close enough for the human eye to distinguish its shape.

“A, a person? Is that a person?”

It was the back of someone facing away from us. Amidst the confused people, I recognized the figure at a glance. White skin that seemed to be surrounded by light, silver hair even brighter than that, and a bow larger than himself slung over his shoulder. It was Luseph, the Creator God of the Unicorns and the God of Justice and Discernment. He, who had left to find the demons before me, was entrusting his whole body to the wind. It seemed that he was the one who had created the dark clouds. With only the white figure standing alone in the dark space, it looked like a light was floating there. Like a signpost in a chaotic world.

Soon, he unslung the huge bow from his shoulder. Then, an arrow made of light began to appear in his empty hand. By the time I realized that he was aiming it, the arrow had already been shot.

Whoosh! Kwaaaang!

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Your Majesty!”

The arrow flew in the opposite direction, but an enormous amount of light poured into the place where we were. It felt like a planet was falling nearby. While the people screamed in a mixed panic, I created a barrier of water and spread it out as wide as possible. This was to prevent any possible aftereffects, and as expected, a heavy and intense pressure soon crashed down like a wave. Even though I was protecting them, the entire building shook violently. After a short time, the vibrations stopped, and the people who had been crouching down began to raise their heads one by one.

“Are you okay, Isana?”

“Ah, uh-huh!”

Isana, who was already surrounded by the Imperial Guards, answered hastily. By that time, I had withdrawn the power that had been covering the Imperial Palace. The recovered barrier became a stream of water, circled around me, and then slowly disappeared. Suddenly, I felt a gaze and turned around to see people staring at me with blank expressions. They seemed amazed by the sight of me openly using my abilities as a Spirit King.

“Is anyone hurt?”

They nodded as if possessed in response to my question. The situation, which could have been a disaster, had been safely resolved without any damage, but I was not in the mood to laugh at all. If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I heard something breaking at the moment the pressure hit. The scene outside the window was proving that it wasn’t just my imagination.

Something was slowly crumbling in the opposite sky. It looked like a layer of skin was being peeled off. The appearance that had not been visible until just now was being revealed from within. I had already sensed it from the beginning when I couldn’t find anything, but there was indeed a barrier. However, that was the extent of my resentment. Soon, I stopped breathing, and after a while, I couldn’t think at all.

“Oh my god, good heavens…….”

“Wh, what on earth is that……?”

Soon, a heavy groan flowed from among the people who began to recognize the same thing as me. I blinked my eyes several times. I couldn’t tell for a while if I was seeing properly or if I was standing with my legs properly supported. It was that shocking of a sight.

‘Karyuan!’

The surging curse filled my throat. My wide eyes ached as if they were burning.

Demons were bound in the sky. There were easily hundreds of them. All of them were pierced by thick thorns in a bizarrely twisted state. The blood pouring from the affected area was falling like rain. The foul smell of blood, which could not have been detected before, vibrated to the point of numbing the sense of smell. Everyone covered their noses, and some people couldn’t stand it and knelt down to vomit.

“What, the spell has already been cast. This is the worst. Isn’t it all over at this point?”

I heard someone muttering. Lapis was already standing right next to me.

“Lord Lapis!”

The people in the room, including Isana, all widened their eyes at the appearance of the person who had suddenly appeared. Lapis waved his hand dismissively at Isana, who couldn’t hide his happy expression. It was quite an unusual treatment to be acknowledged at all. I wondered why he was alone, but Ellyuen and Trowel could be seen outside the window. Both of them were watching the situation with their arms crossed.

“What do we need to do to break that spell?”

“The easiest way is to kill the beneficiary of the spell or get rid of the sacrifice, one of the two. Since it’s difficult to kill the Evil God right away because he’s the beneficiary, in this case, we have to get rid of the sacrifice.”

“Getting rid of it means…….”

“What are you asking? Killing them, of course.”

About that time, Luseph created an arrow of light again. I had a strange feeling, and then he aimed his bow at the demons this time. I couldn’t understand his purpose when he first picked up the bow, but now his intention was clear. He was going to kill all the demons. The arrow that left the bowstring was shot quickly. Just as the process of breaking the barrier had progressed in an instant, this time it was also instantaneous. However, the result was very different from what I expected. The arrow that seemed to be flying disappeared at some point. It didn’t have any effect, not even the intense light or pressure as before. It was as if the arrow had evaporated on the spot. Luseph seemed flustered and shot the arrow again, but the result was the same even after trying several times in a row. Even I, who didn’t know much, could tell that something was wrong.

“I have to go! Isana, you get out of here quickly! Lapis, please take care of Isana!”

“What? Why me……!”

Lapis’s bewildered voice continued, but I didn’t have time to hear it properly and teleported first. When I arrived, Ellyuen and Trowel were also there with him.

“Ugh, my Bow of Justice isn’t working! How can this be? What kind of bastard is this that I could chew up and spit out a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough!”

Luseph seemed very anxious, probably because he had already failed several times. I couldn’t even think of offering a cliché consolation and asked what I was curious about first.

“What happened? Why is the arrow disappearing?”

“That’s because it’s the Bow of Justice.”

It was Ellyuen who answered. He was looking at Luseph with a slightly pathetic expression.

“Because it’s the Bow of Justice?”

“The justice of this world follows the flow set by the Main God. But when an Evil God is born, that standard begins to blur. That’s why the Bow of Justice is losing its power.”

Trowel chimed in with an explanation from the side. Justice collapses when an Evil God is born. I wondered if it was a similar principle to how ethics and norms are shaken when the world is in chaos. Luseph tore at his hair.

“That’s not something you can talk about so calmly! The fact that my bow isn’t working means that he’s almost become an Evil God, and that means that Kanos’s restrictions are almost completely lifted!”

“I see.”

“I see?! Is that all you have to say?”

“What’s the problem? Can’t we just stop it?”

“I’m saying that we can’t do that right now! How can we……when we can’t even stop that spell right now!”

At that moment, Ellyuen raised one hand. Then, a pure white light flashed, and something began to appear in his hand. I doubted my eyes for a moment at the sight that soon became clear. The shape that was revealing its long body, no matter how I looked at it…….

“……A gun?”

That’s right. No matter how I looked at it, it was a gun. A sniper rifle, at that.

Why is something like that coming out of here? It was the first time I had ever seen Ellyuen use a weapon, and it was even a modern weapon from Earth. I was just dumbfounded, but Ellyuen nonchalantly loaded the gun and pulled the trigger. Click, bang! The bullet that flew out burst with a tremendous roar, and an intense light that seemed to blind the eyes filled the surroundings. When I looked back at the place where the glare had disappeared, some of the places where the demons had been were cleanly gone.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence descended on the space where everyone had closed their mouths. Ellyuen, who had sent a look asking if this was okay, casually slung the gun (yes, it was definitely a gun, even when I looked at it again) over one shoulder. Luseph, who was blinking in disbelief, soon turned to Ellyuen with a hollow look.

“……Guns aren’t supplied to Arkadon, are they?”

“I can use whatever I want.”

“Well, that’s true, but…… what’s with that tremendous power? Besides, why do I feel the power of the Main God from it? The only divine artifact I know that contains the power of the Main God is the Judge?”

“Because that’s exactly what it is.”

“Huh…… is that really the Judge? Isn’t that something only Kanos can handle?”

“I guess you know now that that’s not the case.”

“Hoo-ooh…….”

The Judge?

I was tilting my head at the unknown word when Trowel told me from the side. 「The Judge」 is a divine artifact containing the power of the Main God, and it seemed to be a summoned weapon that any god could summon when needed. However, it was so difficult to handle that it had been known as a weapon that only the Evil God could use until now.

“I heard that Kanos mainly uses it in the form of a scythe or a spear when he uses it. This is the first time I’ve seen it in the form of a gun. El seemed to recognize it right away?”

“Ah, yeah. It was a weapon I used on Earth.”

“Ah, you mean the place El went to for a while.”

I paused for a moment at Trowel’s answer and then smiled. Not a place where I was born wrong, but a place where I went for a while. Somehow, that one word made me feel very refreshed.

“It looks fast and concise, which is good. It looks like it has a high kill rate, so I like it.”

……Although the words that followed were not refreshing at all.