Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 416

416

“Lapis, don’t you feel like you’re avoiding me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I just feel that way. Like you’re reluctant to touch me.”

“Do you usually think you have good intuition?”

“I don’t know. But I know this is an attempt to change the subject.”

“Huh? Not at all?”

“If not, just be quiet. It’s not like I have so much time to waste confirming it.”

At those words, Lapis paused, then looked at me with strange eyes.

“I felt something was off since earlier. Are you in that state again?”

“I don’t know. I’m not interested in that.”

“It seems worse than before?”

“Lapis. Do I have to say the same thing again?”

At my quiet question, Lapis fell silent with a lost expression for a moment. Then he shrugged, as if telling me to do as he pleased, and relaxed his body. I didn’t need to be asked twice, and I immediately reached out and touched his chest. A clear heartbeat was felt in the area that had been quiet a moment ago.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Yeah, I checked. Your heart seems fine for sure. But your blood vessels are a bit unstable.”

“It’s natural since my organs haven’t been in place for long.”

“Your magic power also seems a bit rough.”

“That’s even more natural. I think you keep forgetting because I did it too easily, but the barrier I cast on Isana and that seal formation are definitely not light things, you know? If my magic power were calm after using so much power in a row, that would be even stranger, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s not all, is it? When you returned to your original form earlier, it didn’t go as planned, did it? You didn’t just forget and miss something.”

At those words, Lapis paused for a moment, then turned to me with a dumbfounded look.

“Are you really El? It’s not good to use your head too much all of a sudden.”

“Stop talking nonsense and answer me.”

“I already answered. You’re just not listening.”

“Are you really sure this isn’t because you were hurt earlier?”

“I told you it’s not.”

He sighed and nodded insincerely. His face clearly showed that he was annoyed by my persistent questioning. It was obvious that I wouldn’t get a proper answer even if I asked more, so I sighed and stepped back. Just in case, I used healing magic again, but there was no particular change. It was certain that this was not something I could do anything about. As I was feeling regretful, Lapis chuckled.

“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”

“Of course, we’re friends. You’re the one who always makes a fuss about wanting attention at other times, aren’t you? I don’t know why you hate this so much.”

“It would have been fine if you were just a guy who was worried.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look back on your past actions.”

My face furrowed at his incomprehensible words. Even if I caused some big and small accidents, I had never caused a problem serious enough to hear such words. Or, had I really not? I’ve been a bit harsh on Lapis, so his feelings might be different.

“But how is the evil god situation going? The sky is still like that, so it doesn’t seem like you succeeded in destroying him.”

Lapis’s gaze went to the sky filled with the heavenly army. The clouds spread out like a carpet beneath them, holding light as if they were emitting it themselves. Because of that, it was still as bright as day even though it was usually the time when the sun would have already set. I briefly explained the previous situation to him. Lapis clicked his tongue with a displeased face at the news that I would purify the evil god again, but he didn’t say anything more, as if he didn’t think it was his business. Instead, he pointed his chin towards the Grand Duke.

“What are you going to do with that?”

“I need to take him to Kanos first. I’ll get rid of the fragment and then deal with him right away.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Suit yourself.”

As I nodded, he looked at me with a strange expression.

“Why?”

“Isn’t there a mention that should come out around this point? Like, let’s stop by Isana’s place first, or let’s take that guy with us.”

“Why? There are gods swarming over there right now. It’s not a place for humans.”

“So you’re just going to leave him there?”

“If he was just being neglected, of course, protecting him would be the priority, but Isana is invisible to everyone right now. Isn’t that the safest state? Is there a problem with leaving him alone?”

“He’ll be anxious if he’s alone without knowing what’s going on, won’t he? Don’t you care about that?”

“What will change if he knows the situation? He’ll only become more anxious. Either way, there’s nothing a human like him can do in this situation. He shouldn’t even try to step in. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt in front of me ever again.”

I frowned, wondering why he was asking such a pathetic question, and Lapis’s expression became even stranger. His red eyes, staring intently, seemed somehow meaningful.

“You’re going to eliminate the risk factors from the start. It’s quite a rational decision for you. I like it. Although it seems like you’ve become more extreme.”

“I’m trying to protect Isana.”

“Who said you weren’t?”

Lapis chuckled and shrugged lightly. He didn’t seem to have any particular meaning in mind from the start, as he just brushed it off casually. But I was strangely caught up in an uneasy feeling and couldn’t shake off my frown for a while.

* * *

Moving locations was solved in one go with Lapis’s magic. I roughly estimated the coordinates, and when we arrived, we were dropped right in front of Sibelius. Sibelius, who was surprised by our sudden appearance, widened his eyes. As [Sibelius’s companion], also looked surprised, then hurriedly got up.

“Godfather… and, benefactor?”

“What, you were a kid after all. Why did you grow up so fast?”

Lapis looked at As with an interested expression. Come to think of it, Lapis was somewhere else when As first appeared in that form. He would have recognized who it was from afar, but it seemed new and fascinating to see him up close.

“I’m cool now that I’m bigger, right? I’m as big as Benefactor now, right?”

“Don’t be cheeky. Do you think this is my real height?”

“It’s against the rules to measure with your dragon form. And either way, when you manifest, you reflect the image and proportions of your true form, right?”

“That’s true, but I deliberately made myself shorter, you know?”

“What? Why did you do that?”

“If I were even taller with this face, I’d be too popular and couldn’t handle it.”

“Benefactor, don’t you get tired of showing off like you’re breathing?”

While the two were having a pointless conversation, I looked towards where the evil god was. In the meantime, the form of a square formation had been completed, centered around where he was. Troel and Ifrit stood facing each other, and two groups were divided and stood at angles to them. They were dragons with the energies of fire and earth, respectively. Within that, I could easily find the figures of Diagon and Meseterius. The gods, including Kanos, were busy drawing and connecting magic circles on the floor. As I was checking up to that point, I felt a gaze watching me quietly from the side. When our eyes met, Sibelius smiled brightly.

“El.”

“…What are you doing here?”

“Ah, we were healing Deron.”

I glanced down and saw Deron covered in a black net. Come to think of it, he was badly injured. I even remember giving him first aid, but everything after that, the subsequent situation, was all blurry. Fortunately, he looked quite stable, as if he was in a deep sleep.

“He seems okay.”

“Yeah, it’s going very smoothly. He’ll probably wake up soon. But where have you been, El? Isn’t that human you’re holding?”

At his question, I looked down at the nape of the Grand Duke’s neck that I was holding. The guy, limp and unconscious, was constantly crossing the line between life and death. Alternating between healing magic and freezing him was quite annoying.

“It’s the remaining fragment of the evil god. I brought it to get rid of it.”

“Ah, I see. Can I take a look?”

“Why?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Sorry, but this isn’t a toy. I can’t just let you have it to satisfy your curiosity.”

“Still…”

A sigh escaped at his persistent attitude. The only way to show someone who doesn’t understand words is through actions. I created an ice spear and aimed it at his eyes. Sibelius, who was about to approach, stopped in surprise. As and Lapis also stopped their conversation and looked at me.

“E, El?”

“Why are you calling me that?”

“Why, because…”

“I don’t allow just anyone to use my nickname. Don’t act so familiar.”

“W, what are you talking about?”

“You’re not Sibelius.”

At those words, Sibelius, or rather, the one inside his body, paused and quietly looked at me. Then he smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Ehh, I couldn’t fool you?”

The intonation and tone of his voice changed, and the atmosphere completely changed in an instant. He still looked like Sibelius, but now he definitely seemed like a different person.

“Ummm, why? Wasn’t I pretty convincing?”

“I haven’t been fooled by the same trick once or twice. I’d be an idiot if I fell for it again.”

“Heh, I see. I didn’t know that.”

His face was bright even as he hit his fist into his palm as if he was disappointed. It seemed like he didn’t mind being found out from the start. Rather, As was the one who was flustered.

“You’re not Sibelius? Since when? Then who are you?”

“Ah, it’s been a while. I’m Iowen.”

“Iowen?”

As, who was questioning with a doubtful voice, soon hardened his face.

“…The heavenly god Iowen?”

“Hehe, that’s right. The very Iowen.”

As was speechless at his cheerful affirmation, his mouth just gaping open. Even Lapis had a quite surprised expression. If he was a heavenly god, then he was a god with the opposite attributes of a demon god. He was also one of the supreme gods. I quietly stared at him, who was smiling innocently like a child. It was surprising that he was such a great being, but since he was once a vessel that held a demon god, it wouldn’t be strange if he held a heavenly god this time. What I was more concerned about was something else.

“What did you do to Sibelius?”

“Ah, don’t worry about that. He’s watching from inside me right now. Ah! Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I forcibly descended and took over, but this child called me.”

“Why would Sibelius do that?”

“It was necessary to heal this demon. In order to control his energy from going out of control, it was necessary to suppress it with the opposite energy. This child judged that I was the right person for the job.”

I thought I knew roughly what was going on. Of course, even if I understood, the absurd feeling didn’t disappear. Sibelius’s body was a vessel for holding gods, and the evil god was aiming for it. Even though he was already in a state of awakening, the fact that he was still coveting it didn’t change. Such a person was right nearby. He must have been reluctant to have a divine possession, but he opened the door himself. It seemed like he had proceeded at the risk of danger in order to heal Deron.

I’ll have to say something to him when he comes back. After sighing, I put away the spear I had been aiming. Then Iowen, who had been standing still without any agitation until then, grinned.

“Hmm, that’s different from what I heard from this child? This Elquines was supposed to be kind and gentle, but he seems quite fierce instead.”

“I don’t think I have any reason to act as you expect.”

“Ah, that’s true. I didn’t really mean anything by it. But shouldn’t you reveal your aggressiveness carefully? I’m fine because I don’t get provoked easily, but if someone with a bad personality came in, they might have deliberately gotten stabbed. After all, it’s this kid who gets hurt. You weren’t really going to stab this body, were you?”

I was about to retort with ‘what does it matter to you’ but stopped. I felt a strange sense of unease. It was the same feeling I had when I finished talking with Lapis a little while ago. I felt like I realized why I was so uneasy back then.

Come to think of it, have I always been this reckless? Even if the one inside Sibelius’s body is someone else, the fact that it’s his body doesn’t change. Knowing that, I aimed the spear too casually. As Iowen said, it was fortunate that he stayed still, or I could have caused a big wound. No, in fact, I thought it was okay even if he got hurt. I could just heal it right away. Even if some minor problems occurred, I thought it was more important to find out where the real him was and get him back. I didn’t consider the shock and pain that Sibelius would feel in the process. Something seems off somewhere, but I don’t know what it is. Suddenly, I felt terribly unfamiliar with myself.

“Godfather, what’s wrong?”

At that moment, I felt As trying to grab my sleeve, and I hurriedly stepped back. As looked at me with surprised eyes, as if my reaction was too strong.

“Don’t come near me.”

“G, Godfather?”

His red eyes, filled with bewilderment, trembled. Seeing that, one corner of my heart turned cold.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’m a bit edgy right now. It’s better to stay away for a while.”

“Godfather…”

“I don’t want to talk in this state. I’ll come back later. Continue what you were doing.”

Before As could say anything, I immediately turned my back on everyone and flew away. If I continued to talk any more, I felt like I would make a mistake that I couldn’t fix.

The place I hurriedly escaped to was in front of Kanos. As I threw the Grand Duke I was holding down, Kanos, who was drawing a magic circle, got up with a welcoming face.

“Oh, you didn’t kill him and caught him properly?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then let’s deal with this separately. Shannon, please continue with the rest of the work.”

At those words, the god of the underworld, who was drawing a magic circle on the other side, paused and sighed deeply. The resignation of a working adult who was just going to let things be was conveyed as it was in his silent continuation of the work.

“We’re over here.”

Kanos, who waved his hand cheerfully, took the unconscious Grand Duke under his arm and moved to a place a little away from the purification circle. He said that he would create a separate barrier to separate the fragment of the evil god mixed with the Grand Duke’s soul. I watched him bite his finger to draw blood and use it to draw a magic circle for a while. Then, I suddenly raised my head and saw the black mass in the purification circle wriggling. The faces of those surrounding it with their eyes closed were clearly hardened compared to a little while ago. A commotion was also felt in the sky. As the black mass was gradually removed and the arrows of light began to reappear, the bow was gradually thinning as if it was corroding. It seemed like the divine realm was forcibly enduring it.

“Kanos.”

“Huh? Ah, is he feeling that his fragment is about to be removed and putting up a final resistance? We need to hurry.”

Unlike his clicking of his tongue, Kanos seemed relaxed. “It’s done.” Soon, after drawing the magic circle, he laid the limp Grand Duke on it. Soon, a red energy rose and began to wrap around his body as if engulfing it. Then, the Grand Duke, who should have been frozen and unable to move, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Kuh, Aaaaaagh!”

A rough scream burst from his wide-open mouth. It wasn’t a pleasant sound, so I frowned, but Kanos was poking him without a care.