Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 417

417.

“What are you doing?”

“Just looking around. So, he was the Grand Duke of this country, right? Karian aside, this guy is a bit of a pity. He didn’t have that much bad karma, so how did his life get so twisted that he ended up destroying himself?”

“No matter what excuse you make, the fact that he committed an unspeakable act doesn’t change.”

“Of course not. In the first place, the hatred in his heart must have summoned Karian.”

His expression as he muttered was indifferent. Seeing that, I blurted out a question.

“Doesn’t Kanos hate Karian?”

It was a rather impulsive question. Regret washed over me as soon as I said it. I thought the atmosphere would become awkward since I had touched on a sensitive topic. But he just tilted his head lightly.

“Hmm, well, if I had to say, I’d lean more towards feeling sorry for him.”

“…Sorry for him.”

“He’s a really hopeless kid. I don’t know why he’s trying so hard to become a god. It’s not like being a god is particularly great. He naively thinks that everything will be resolved once he ascends. El, you should also keep in mind that you can’t properly gain anything by destroying yourself. If your heart is in hell, no matter what you obtain, it will only open the path to that place.”

“I think I understand.”

“Oh, did you realize the truth in my words?”

“No, I understand why Kanos’s attitude seems so detached. Kanos sees everyone with the same perspective. To you, there’s not much difference between us and Karian.”

“Ah, um. That might certainly be the case.”

Kanos readily agreed. He hadn’t particularly tried to hide it until now, and I knew he wouldn’t suddenly deny or evade it now. But seeing him actually nod, I felt strange. I seemed a little shocked.

“Are you disappointed in me?”

“…No. Whoever you think of, that’s your business, Kanos.”

“How kind. Even when your true nature revives, your personality doesn’t go anywhere. Is it learning rather than what you’re born with, after all?”

My body flinched at his smiling words. As’s expression when I last saw him before coming here flashed through my mind. I closed my mouth, and he gave me a questioning look.

“What’s wrong? You suddenly seem depressed?”

“I’m not very kind.”

“Oh, why do you think that?”

“I think I hurt the children. Lapis pointed it out, and I didn’t even properly realize that my true nature had revived. I felt a little strange for some reason.”

“How do you feel?”

“Just bitter and dry. I feel numb to other people’s emotions. The saturation of the world feels like it’s been turned down a notch. I don’t know why my true nature is like this.”

“Hmm, I feel a little sorry.”

“Why is Kanos sorry?”

“About that ‘true nature’ of the Spirit King. The first Spirit Kings passed it down.”

What?

Surprised by the first time I’d heard this, I stared at him, and Kanos shrugged.

“The emotions completed in their lives solidified into instincts for each lineage. That’s why similar situations are always repeated. Minerva seeks strong stimuli. Trowel has unrequited love. Ifrit tends to miss what’s precious while adhering to the correct theory. Elquines, as you know, is always alone.”

I had no idea. I didn’t know what to say, so as I tried to find the words, Kanos smiled and turned to me.

“That’s why I was interested in you, who had lost your true nature. I was curious about what kind of life you would live. It was better than I expected.”

“Kanos…”

“The other Elquines would have lived different lives if they hadn’t had that true nature. When you look at Eluen, he has surprisingly kind aspects, right? I think that’s his real nature. I don’t think he really acknowledges it himself, though.”

After finishing his words, he paused for a moment and stared at me.

“Why are you crying?”

“…Am I crying now?”

“Yeah, you’re shedding tears like beads.”

I raised my hand and wiped my cheek, and a damp sensation touched my fingers. I wasn’t exactly doubting it, but I was embarrassed to actually confirm the evidence with my own eyes.

“I am. I really am crying.”

“Was there anything sad in what I said?”

“Well. I don’t know if it’s sad. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“I just thought Kanos must have been very lonely.”

He didn’t say anything. I was clearly looking at his face, but I couldn’t read his expression.

“I have a hard time even when this happens to me sometimes. I feel like I’m alone in the world. But Kanos has felt this way his whole life. How did you endure it?”

“Are you worried about me now? Not resenting me?”

“It’s not like Kanos did it on purpose.”

He smiled lightly, as if amused, and reached out to stroke my hair.

“I don’t know if you remember what I said before. You’re the second person I’ve acknowledged as beautiful.”

I remember. I think it was when I was in Lukarhem. When I didn’t even think he was Kanos. Of course, I thought he was just saying it casually, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. I tilted my head, wondering why he was suddenly saying that, and he gave me a soft look.

“You’re also the second person to express that feeling as loneliness.”

“Ah…”

“Father and son are so alike. You’re a really interesting father and son.”

It wasn’t difficult to understand the meaning of the following words. There was only one being he could refer to as my father. As I quietly tried to swallow my breath, Kanos clicked his tongue softly.

“Oh, geez, I don’t usually tell you this so honestly. You’re such a kind child that even I’m letting my guard down. You’re a scary kid in many ways. So, El. Don’t be afraid that you won’t be able to escape that feeling. You’re different.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Think about when your true nature revives. When does it usually happen?”

At that question, I slowly looked back on the past. The first realization was when Mine was born. I remember resting in the main world and changing without any particular trigger. After that, it was mostly when I was angry or sensitive. After I answered that, Kanos nodded as if it was obvious.

“What made you angry and why did you become sensitive?”

“Huh? That’s…”

I couldn’t finish my words as the thought suddenly occurred to me. Come to think of it, I had never just been angry. When I was more sensitive than usual, it usually involved the group. Yes, when I had to protect them. As the realization slowly took over my mind, Kanos laughed as if to say, ‘Did you finally realize it?’

“It’s natural to get angry when you’re angry. Being more wary to protect someone else is proof that you’re still a kind child. Avoiding the situation because you were afraid of hurting them is the same. You’ll be fine in the future too.”

I couldn’t bear it and lowered my head. I could clearly feel the tears that welled up again dripping down.

“Kanos is kind too.”

“I treat the evil gods and you the same, though?”

“That’s right. Treating everyone the same also means cherishing everyone.”

“That’s an interesting interpretation. Don’t people usually take it as meaning you don’t care about anyone?”

“That’s… That can’t be the case. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t care if anyone died or got hurt. You wouldn’t try to stop the evil gods either.”

“What if I’m just fulfilling my duty?”

“Still. Still, I think Kanos is kind.”

The tears that had been falling since earlier didn’t stop. Kanos, who was looking at me as if he couldn’t help it, stroked my hair again.

“Eluen is really lucky. It’s not too late, so why don’t you abandon Eluen and become my son?”

“I don’t want to.”

“How heartless.”

At that moment, I felt the surroundings suddenly brighten. Surprised, I raised my head and saw light pouring out of the purification circle. The magic circle was activating in earnest, as if it had been completed. Then, as if in response, the red energy surrounding the Grand Duke completely covered him. As they became one, the noise the Grand Duke had been making was buried and silenced. Kanos, who had been quietly watching the scene, chuckled.

“Well, is this finally the finale? It’s time for everything to end.”

* * *

Eluen slowly opened his eyes at the feeling of something tickling his cheek. The hazy vision gradually cleared, revealing a ceiling covered with branches and lush vines in between. The temperature was as cozy and warm as if he were in a blanket, and clear sunlight poured through the dense branches just enough to make him feel good. The wind, carrying the scent of flowers, brought the chirping of birds every time it brushed past.

It was an atmosphere perfect for a nap, one that would make even a healthy person fall asleep. But conversely, the more Eluen recognized his surroundings, the clearer his mind became. The first thought that came to mind was, ‘When did I lose consciousness?’ He clearly remembered Rusef, who had forcibly taken him over, teleporting. He also vividly remembered Rusef’s flustered appearance as he stared silently at him. But at some point, he came to his senses and opened his eyes in an unfamiliar place.

As he thought that far, he felt the tickling sensation on his cheek again. It was the very sensation that had awakened him from his deep sleep a moment ago. Eluen turned his head and found what was poking his face. A creature with round eyes and a round face was startled when it met his eyes and quickly ran away.

“…What is that?”

“A cat.”

Eluen paused at the voice he heard. A girl came into his view as he turned his head. She was holding the same creature that had touched him earlier and ran away.

“Are you awake?”

Eluen frowned at the friendly tone. It wasn’t because he didn’t know the girl. Rather, the girl was one of the few gods he knew, one could say that he had the most limited personal connections in the divine realm. It was just that the atmosphere was different from what he knew.

“The Goddess of Fate?”

“That’s right.”

The answer was as expected, but Eluen frowned even more. The Goddess of Fate, Radeka, whom he remembered, had silver hair that shone subtly like moonlight. But now, her hair was a deep black. Her skin tone was also a deep dark brown, making her look dark overall. It wasn’t strange, but it was true that she felt different from her usual self. As if she noticed that he was looking at her hair, Radeka gave a bitter smile.

“There was an accident, and I temporarily lost my powers. So, I’ve ended up having to recuperate here for a while.”

“…Here?”

“Don’t you know? This is Sanasid’s healing room.”

With her answer, Radeka held the white cat she was holding in front of his eyes. She chuckled at Eluen’s gaze, which seemed to ask what she was doing.

“Isn’t it very cute? Sanasid’s healing room has a lot of these cute children. It’s for the emotional stability of the patients. You have a face that needs emotional stability right now.”

“…Get that away from me.”

“Are you serious? You don’t even flinch when you see a cat. As expected of the God of Punishment, you’re a cold guy. You should take an example from Rusef over there.”

Eluen turned his gaze to where Radeka was pointing and found Rusef sitting in the corner. He looked somehow gaunt, with a face as if his soul had left his body, and was endlessly stroking a cat. Eluen, dumbfounded, got up. Originally, he was going to get up completely, but the pain that seemed to cut through his body made it only possible to sit up.

“It’s not good to move around too much yet.”

“Don’t mind me. Why is he acting like that?”

“It’s because Iowen went down to Arkadon in front of him a little while ago.”

Radeka’s answer didn’t help him understand the situation at all. He couldn’t even guess the causal relationship between the fact that the celestial god Iowen had descended to Arkadon and the fact that Rusef was spacing out. In the first place, the task Kanos had entrusted to him was only to take Eluen to the God of Healing. If the problem was that he and Iowen had gone separate ways, he should have followed her back down. Instead of squatting in the corner and feeling sorry for himself. Radeka added an explanation, reading his question.

“To be exact, she possessed the body that was calling him.”

“Possessed?”

“Rusef’s vessel, I mean. It seems that Rusef’s child, whom he had been looking for, has awakened his abilities.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Eluen sigh, feeling like he roughly understood what was going on. It was thanks to the unicorn that was next to El that he remembered. He didn’t care, so he didn’t know, but it seemed that the unicorn was a being that could be possessed. For some reason, he had summoned another god instead of his creator god, Rusef.

“Sibel didn’t call me and called Iowen. He didn’t call me… I’m here too. I’m also of the celestial attribute… I’m a little weaker than Iowen, but I’m still useful… I’m the closest god…”

If you’re like that, I wouldn’t call you either. Eluen muttered lightly to himself. Although he didn’t like the unicorn, he supported his decision this time. Eluen decided to ignore Rusef, who was endlessly muttering while shedding tears, and turned back to Radeka.

“How’s the situation in Arkadon? What about the evil god?”

“Well, as I said, I’ve lost my powers, so I can’t see anything for the time being. But I heard that the celestial army has bound him. Since then, it’s been quiet, so wouldn’t it be proceeding smoothly?”

“Is that so.”

“Of course. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t even feel relieved if I caught that detestable seed of mine and ground him to the bone.”

Radeka’s golden eyes, hugging the cat, gleamed ominously. Eluen easily guessed the past situation. There was only one being that Radeka, who was generally generous, was particularly grinding her teeth at. It seemed that Kanos was the cause of that night’s hair.

“Oh, you shouldn’t move already!”

At that moment, the person who was opening the door and entering saw Eluen sitting and shouted in surprise. A strong smell of medicinal herbs wafted from the woman who had tied her transparent jade-colored hair on both sides.

“That’s Sanasid, the God of Healing.”

Eluen had already recognized the woman’s identity even without Radeka’s explanation. Sanasid, who had rushed over, immediately checked Eluen’s affected area. Her orange eyes stared at Eluen with reproach.