Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 421

Chapter 421

“Lapis……?”

A small voice came from behind. I stopped and turned to see Diagon and Messeterius, two black-haired men, standing there. They arrived with staggering steps, stared blankly at Lapis, and then placed their hands on his body. They couldn’t say anything for a long time, then finally turned to me with difficulty.

“Lapis… is he dead?”

I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t say anything. But they already looked like they had heard the whole explanation. Diagon swallowed a groan and slowly nodded.

“……I see, so that’s it.”

“I’m sorry.”

The words came out reflexively. The eyes of the two men looking at me trembled.

“I’m really sorry.”

Even though I was his contractor, I couldn’t protect him. I didn’t even realize he was dying right next to me. And to make matters worse, he left without even a word, caring for me until the very end. It was all my fault. I didn’t know what face to make to them. I didn’t even have the courage to meet their eyes, so I just bit my lip, but someone grabbed my hand tightly. Surprised, I looked up and saw Diagon smiling gently.

“Don’t apologize. Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But…….”

“Death is like a journey. Lapis has just left on a journey from which he won’t return. He’ll settle down somewhere else and start a new life there. We just have to hope he’s doing well.”

Yes, death is not the end. This life is also one of many afterlives. I knew that his life would continue again. But Lapis, the dragon, would never return. Seeing that my expression was still stiff, Diagon said with a troubled face.

“Um, would it ease your mind a little if I told you this? Actually, we’ve been preparing for this day for a long time. We were mentally prepared.”

“What…….”

“Lapis was originally destined to not live long.”

I stiffened at the unexpected story. Seeing me unable to hide my surprise, Diagon smiled bitterly.

“I told you that this guy was born with a stronger fire energy than anyone else, right? That fire energy was so strong that it was slowly eating away at his own life. He wouldn’t have lived past his youth, even if he lived long. His mother, Lantasha, was so distressed that she started suffering from mental illness, and had to be forcibly put to sleep to stabilize before she became a mad dragon. That’s why Trowell became his godfather.”

“Did Lapis perhaps know that too…….”

“No one ever told him. But he had a rough idea.”

Trowell answered. Diagon was surprised and widened his eyes.

“What? He did?”

“Lapis isn’t stupid. He’s been aware for a long time that his power isn’t normal. He knew there would be a limit to what his body could handle.”

“……That’s right. There’s no way that sharp guy wouldn’t know. Really, I don’t know how such a guy came from me, even though he’s my own son.”

Diagon shook his head and let out a long sigh. His face was filled with many thoughts. Messeterius, who was silently guarding his side, also had a very complicated face. Then, when he met my eyes, he made a determined expression.

“Water King, excuse me, but may I say one thing?”

“……Yes, speak.”

“As Lapis’s brother, I can say this much. My brother was so talented from birth that he didn’t have much desire. The only thing he was obsessed with was the Water Spirit King. It’s no exaggeration to say that he yearned for Elquines his whole life. He became his contractor as he wished, and he died by his side, so he must have been satisfied with that.”

“…….”

“We are grateful that you contracted with Lapis. So I hope you don’t blame yourself for anything. Lapis wouldn’t want you to be sad either.”

But I’m not ready to let him go yet.

I swallowed the words that rose to my throat. I shouldn’t say these things in front of them. Who would be ready? No matter how great my sadness is, it’s nothing compared to the sadness of losing a family member. No matter how much you prepare, the pain that comes like a storm will not be lessened. But still, it was painful. I had never even thought about the situation of parting with him. We have different lifespans, so it was something that would have to be experienced someday, but not now.

Tears fell again. Diagon and Messeterius didn’t know what to do when I started crying again. I knew in my head that I had to stop for their sake, but I couldn’t stop.

“I’ll let you meet him.”

Then I heard an unexpected voice. I raised my head sharply and saw Ellyuen looking down at me.

“Let me meet him? Lapis?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

At those words, Ellyuen looked to the side. Shannon was standing there, having regained consciousness at some point. Come to think of it, I remembered that he was the god of the underworld. Everyone’s eyes turned to him, and he hesitated and sighed.

“Originally, it’s not allowed, but since it’s such a special case, I can’t help it. It’s right after the soul has been recovered, so he hasn’t gone through the reincarnation process yet. I’ll give you time to say goodbye before you go in.”

“Did you hear that?”

“Father…….”

“So stop crying now. Your tears are too precious to shed for a guy who died as he pleased. If you cry more, you’ll ruin his afterlife.”

“What, that’s…….”

“If you think this is a joke, you can cry more.”

The voice became even lower. Diagon and Messeterius, whose faces had turned pale, looked at me desperately. I hurriedly wiped away my tears and laughed in vain. It was the kindest threat in the world.

* * *

Lapis’s funeral was held simply in a place where his acquaintances and family watched. It was after all the gods had returned and the situation had been somewhat resolved. Diagon, the Dragon Lord, the head of the Black Clan, and Lapis’s father, personally presided over his son’s funeral.

“Creator of the Dragons, Kraze, God of Hell. Great Shannon, who governs the underworld.”

Diagon brought a bouquet of unknown flowers and scattered them around Lapis’s body. It was a flower with white petals that bloomed like butterfly wings, and it symbolized the afterlife. This was because Shannon’s symbolic emblem was in the form of a white butterfly.

“Now that our child has ended his young life on this earth, please accept his body. Let him return to his original form and become part of this world.”

Then, as if responding to those words, Lapis’s body was engulfed in a brilliant flame. It was a fire that ignited from his body itself, not something that someone deliberately set on fire. When a dragon dies and a memorial service is held, its body returns to the attribute it possessed. In other words, those with the fire attribute become fire, those with the earth attribute become earth, and those with the wind and water attributes each become wind and water, becoming part of this world. Just like the last words Diagon recited.

“Lapis is really dead. I can’t believe it even when I see it.”

As Sibelius muttered with a choked face, Asga, who was standing next to him, looked gloomy. They had only belatedly regained consciousness just before the funeral, and they were stunned by the fact that everything had ended in the meantime. In particular, Asga was greatly shocked to learn that he had lost the Creator God.

“Are you okay?”

Sibelius asked, worried about Asga, who had been pale and stiff throughout the funeral. Asga, who had been staring blankly, slowly nodded at those words, but he didn’t look okay at all.

“Actually, I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t remember anything, but everything is over. Kano’s disappeared, and my benefactor is dead…….”

As Kano had told him in advance, Asga, who had regained consciousness, only remembered up to the point where he had met him. I don’t know how he accepts it, but I was glad that his memory had disappeared. If he had known about his past life in a situation where Kano had disappeared, he would not have been able to bear the guilt. Fortunately, he did not notice Sibelius and I exchanging silent glances.

“What do I say when Deron wakes up?”

Asga looked at the side where Deron was sleeping with a depressed face. Covered in a cocoon, he was still sleeping in that place. The wound had already been healed, and his energy had completely calmed down, but it seemed that it would take time to control his new power. I felt heavy-hearted as well, as I was at a loss for words to explain to him when he woke up later. Of course, it wouldn’t have been that light even if that wasn’t the case.

“Isana, your face is a mess.”

Isana, the only human who participated in the funeral, had swollen eyes from crying too much. As I infused healing power to reduce the swelling in her eyes and prevent dehydration, her pale complexion improved. Only then did Isana seem to have calmed down a little, and she looked at me with a barely stable face.

“I’m sorry, El. El must be having a harder time…….”

“Sorry for what? Who’s having a harder time when their heart hurts?”

After everything was over, Isana was waiting alone in that forest until I went to pick him up, after collecting my confused mind. I had to wander around the whole forest because his appearance was hidden, but it wasn’t difficult to find him thanks to him coming out of the barrier himself when he heard my voice. However, it was difficult to inform him, who was making a welcome face without knowing anything, that Lapis had died.

Lapis was a special being to Isana as much as he had been with him since the beginning of the journey. I thought it would be difficult for him to accept the sudden death of such a being, as it was clear that he usually relied on and followed him. As expected, he was greatly shocked, and he hasn’t stopped crying since then. That’s still the case now, and just when I thought he was barely stopping, he started shedding tears like beads again.

“Are you crying again?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Cry as much as you want. Cry all of my share for me, Isana. I can’t cry for Lapis’s peaceful afterlife.”

Isana smiled faintly, thinking that the words were a clumsy joke. I was about to lightly stroke his head, intending to let him think comfortably, when.

“Um…….”

I raised my head at the voice I suddenly heard, and my face hardened. A group of people were standing there in an awkward posture. They were other dragon clans. Among them, one face in particular stood out among the blue clans. A boy with calmly subdued short blue hair and water-like blue eyes.

“You are…….”

I wasn’t mistaken. It was definitely Ocal. The Blue Dragon who was in charge of the water barrier in the purification zone. I thought he was dead, of course, but he was alive. My mood dropped sharply and my chest turned cold.

“What are you doing here?”

“W-Water King…….”

At the words I uttered lowly, the blue dragons stiffened and cowered. Whether they did or not, I didn’t take my eyes off Ocal. He was pale and bowing his head.

“Lapis is dead…… Why are you alive?”

“……I’m sorry.”

“Why are you alive!”

“E, El.”

It was because of Isana’s voice, who seemed frightened, that I suddenly came to my senses. While I paused, the blue dragons bowed their heads and began to apologize.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“Please forgive us. Please forgive us.”

Ocal was completely prostrate and trembling. Seeing that, the anger that had soared to the top of my head subsided at once, and everything felt empty. In fact, what does all this mean now? Lapis is already dead. Whether that guy lives or dies, he can’t come back, and that fact doesn’t change. I stared at Ocal, who was lying prostrate and quietly holding his breath. All the other blue dragons were also tense and holding their breath.

“For as long as you live, the Water Spirit will not interact with the Blue Dragons.”

“W-Water King.”

“Go back. Don’t ever appear before my eyes again.”

Ocal, who had been gaping at my firm words, looked at me with pleading eyes. Of course, I had no intention of giving him the answer he wanted.

“Didn’t you hear me? I told you to go back.”

He closed his eyes with a look of grief and barely managed to stagger to his feet. Then, he turned to look at me, his face full of lingering attachment, before slowly turning away. The other blue dragons also became dejected, their shoulders drooping as they followed behind him.

My insides were in turmoil beyond description. I turned away from the gazes directed at me and walked aimlessly. When I was far enough away, I sat down and covered my face with both hands. Someone touched my shoulder. It was Trowel.

“El, are you okay?”

“……Yes. No.”

Contradictory words tumbled out. I was okay, but I wasn’t okay. I didn’t even know how to express this feeling. Trowel, who seemed to understand, gently patted my shoulder. I sighed deeply. I knew that Ocal was also a victim. He wouldn’t have wanted to break the purification barrier. It would have been better if he had been more careful, but if we could know everything that would happen, the Evil God would never have been born in the first place. Perhaps I should have been grateful that at least one more person survived that terrible situation. But understanding it intellectually and accepting it emotionally were completely different things.

“I vented my anger.”

“Oh dear, if that’s all the venting you did, you were too lenient. If you really wanted to vent, you should have completely wiped out the Blue Dragon clan from the dragon world. Or at least put a curse on their descendants.”

“……Was that a joke?”

“If that’s what El thinks.”

I wondered if it was just my imagination that his smiling face felt scary…? I awkwardly met his gaze, and he laughed playfully. So it was a joke after all. Sometimes, Trowel seemed to have the ability to make it impossible to tell what was serious and what was a joke. But thanks to him, my troubled heart was relieved. I laughed along with him and slowly released the tension in my body.

“I feel so strange. Everyone says it’s over, but it doesn’t feel like it’s over at all.”

“So many things happened. It was too eventful for your first game [referring to the events that transpired]. It wasn’t smooth from the start, was it?”

“……Yeah.”

“And maybe this isn’t the end.”

The following words were almost a whisper, so I wasn’t sure if I heard them correctly. I looked at him questioningly, but he just smiled silently.

“It’s okay, El. You’re stronger than you think.”

“You mean strength?”

“Either way. I’ve never seen anyone stronger than you in my life.”

“Ahaha. That’s too much of an exaggeration.”

“No, I’m serious. So, El. Can I ask, please take care of me in the future?”

For some reason, Trowel held out his hand to me in a cautious tone. His eyes, looking straight at me, seemed to tremble slightly, so I was bewildered but grasped his hand. Then, Trowel made a strange expression, as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Thank you, El.”

* * *

A week had passed since Lapis’s funeral. During that time, the world was changing moment by moment. First, changes began to occur in the memories of humans. The memories of witnessing the heavenly army and gods appearing in the sky were completely erased, and they simply remembered that the weather had been very bad, and that the imperial palace had been destroyed by a monster horde attack. It seemed that the Divine Realm had taken care of the situation and massively modified the memories of humans. In fact, it seemed that a horde of monsters had really appeared. Thanks to this, Isana’s popularity unexpectedly soared. In the process of chasing away the monster horde, Lapis transformed into his true form and carried Isana around, and those who witnessed the scene mistakenly believed that Isana was controlling the dragon.

In any case, the only human who was free from this widespread phenomenon was my contractor, Isana. He clearly remembered the appearance of the heavenly army, the descent of the gods, and that all of this was a situation caused by the Evil God. But even he had lost some memories.

“Canos, you don’t know who he is……?”

“Yeah, I don’t remember. Who is that person?”

Looking at his clear blue eyes, I swallowed my breath. After Canos disappeared, all the temples of the Demon God throughout the continent disappeared. And all humans, including Isana, could not remember Canos. They forgot not only the fact that the Demon God existed, but also that the Swart Empire was his Holy Empire. All humans remembered that the Swart Empire had been an autocratic monarchy from the beginning. They still remembered that the Grand Duke was a priest, but they could not recall whose priest he was.

“He’s a Demon God. The Demon God Canos. You don’t remember, but originally the Swart Empire was the Holy Empire of the Demon God.”

“Oh, was it?”

Every time I explained the facts, Isana nodded, but he didn’t seem easily convinced. It pained me to see him constantly tilting his head with a puzzled look.

—It’s only humans now, but the scope will widen as time goes on.

In the communication I connected with a frustrated heart, Ellyuen’s calm voice rang out. It was not a hopeful answer at all, so my heart grew heavy.

“Is this also something the Divine Realm did?”

—No, the Divine Realm didn’t touch anything related to that. It’s something that happens automatically because he was entangled with the Evil God and disappeared.

“If the scope widens, will I eventually forget him too?”

—Probably so. But it will take quite a while longer than others.

“What about the demons?”

—Demons too.

Even after disconnecting, I couldn’t shake off the heavy feeling for a while. He sacrificed himself for everyone, but the result was that he was forgotten in everyone’s memories. Not only by acquaintances, but also by the races he created. That’s too cruel. How could this happen?

“Godfather.”

The voice I heard at that moment made me flinch. I turned my head and saw As standing at the door. Seeing his innocent face, unaware of anything, I suddenly felt suffocated. As was greatly shocked when Canos was forgotten in the memories of humans. I remembered that he had been depressed for a while, and I didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

Hey, As. Canos will be forgotten more and more in everyone’s memories. You too, you might forget Canos someday.

“Godfather?”

“Ah, yeah. Sorry. What’s wrong?”

“Deron has awakened.”

“……!”

It was news that Deron, who had been unresponsive for days and had made everyone anxious, had finally awakened from his long sleep. I hurried to the place where he had been sleeping and saw something like a husk lying on the floor. It was the shell that had been surrounding Deron. The navy-haired man standing in front of it sensed my presence and turned around.

“Deron.”

“I see the Water King again.”

“I’m glad you woke up safely. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m ashamed to have caused you concern.”

He was stronger than ever before. His height and build seemed to have grown, and his short hair had grown long and reached his waist. “It’s too cumbersome, so I’ll have to cut it,” he said, smiling bitterly as he looked back at his hair.

As had already told him about the situation. He seemed to have accepted everything surprisingly calmly. The fact that he was injured and almost died, that Canos gave him strength to save him, and that he disappeared.

“I couldn’t even say a final goodbye to my god.”

Deron’s face, muttering, was expressionless, but to me, he looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“Are you okay, Deron?”

“Actually, I’m not okay. But I’ll be okay. My mission is to protect As.”

His red eyes, answering in a slightly hoarse voice, soon shone resolutely.

“It’s what Canos entrusted to me, and what I swore to willingly follow. One mistake is enough. I will never leave my king alone again and collapse first.”

Ah, he’s really changed a lot.

I remembered his aimless wandering from some time ago. It must have been when his hair color changed from black to navy blue after returning from the Demon Realm. At that time, he couldn’t get along with anyone and was just breathing with dark, dead eyes. He seemed to be alive, but he was as good as dead. But now, he was revealing his vitality with eyes that shone brighter than anyone else. That’s because As was there. And perhaps As could endure because he was there too. I smiled faintly and nodded. I thought the two of them would be okay in the future.

“Godfather, we’re going to return to the Demon Realm now.”

So I wasn’t too shocked by As’s words that followed. In fact, it was something I had expected to some extent. As is the Demon King. To calm the world, which had become more chaotic than ever with the disappearance of the Creator God, he had a lot to do there. Already, the survivors among the demons who had been used by Karyuan, who was called Mors, had all been sent back to the Demon Realm as soon as they had finished their treatment. Until now, they couldn’t go because Deron was asleep, but now that he had awakened, they had to return.

The fact that the two demons were returning was soon known to everyone. Isana and Sibelius accompanied them on their farewell journey.

“Take care, Godfather. I’ll come visit often.”

After a light hug, I carefully took in the sight of As smiling brightly. He says he’ll come visit often, but as a king, he’ll be very busy and won’t be able to move around easily, so I won’t be able to see him as often as I think. I can’t even go to the Demon Realm, so I didn’t know when I would see him next.

“You take care of yourself too. Eat well and don’t get sick.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. Godfather, you’re going to the Underworld soon, right? If you meet Eunin, please give him my regards too. Thank you for everything.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Tell him to be born as a demon next time too. I’ll treat him well.”

Wouldn’t Lapis get angry and say he couldn’t do that as he pleased? Still, thinking about Lapis being born as a demon made me feel pretty good. It seemed like a race that suited his personality well. Could I ask the Underworld about this and see if it works out somehow? A small hope bloomed in my heart. I’ve been feeling depressed whenever I think about Lapis these days, but just being able to think about the future makes me feel a little better.

“Yeah, I will.”

Soon, the figures of the two disappeared as if fading away while everyone watched. I couldn’t bring myself to tell the two demons, who were waving their hands until the end, that they would gradually forget Canos. It seemed better not to know.

That’s how As and Deron returned to the Demon Realm. After that, I spent a lot of free time. Sibelius went into personal training to fully master his awakened powers, and Isana was busy with state affairs. He had to restore the collapsed imperial palace and take care of the areas and people affected by the civil war. It seemed that the Grand Duke’s death was treated as a suicide. Originally, even a traitor would have to go through funeral procedures out of courtesy if a member of the imperial family died, but Isana boldly omitted it. The Grand Duke’s body was abandoned in an unknown ruin. Of course, he couldn’t leave a tomb either.

Alisa was still staying in the Carters Empire. While living there, she was attracted to the culture and decided to enter the academy that Asel attends. I tentatively asked Isana if it would be okay, and he nodded with a troubled face.

“I have no right to oppose what Alisa wants to do. It’ll be okay for now. Fire Buster is protecting her.”

“……That sword, it’s been with Alisa all this time?”

“The world is so dangerous. Alisa is a strong spiritist, but she can’t always summon spirits, so I thought it would be good to have a weapon to protect herself. Fire Buster will defend even the parts that Alisa is careless about.”

That’s definitely true. ……In addition, that talkative sword will definitely be wary of everyone who approaches Alisa with affection. It was needless to say that Raonhizen would be the one who would suffer the most.

The fact that Fire Buster has been quiet even though he’s been with Alisa for such a long time means that he also agreed. It’s not easy for an ego sword [a sword with its own will or consciousness] with a self to follow someone who isn’t its owner. He often entrusted Fire Buster to Alisa, maybe he made them adapt to each other in advance to prepare for this kind of thing. Perhaps Isana is the most unpredictable type of person.

Anyway, everyone was smoothly finding their own way. Among them, I felt like I was the only one who was alienated. I felt strangely empty in my heart. I don’t know if this emptiness is because I finished a long journey, because the people who had been with me are finding their places one by one, or if all of that is the cause.

“El.”

Ellyuen and Perdes came to find me when I was suffering from that emptiness at its peak. I was blankly looking around the imperial palace garden alone when I heard a familiar voice. I got up with a delighted expression at the sudden appearance of the two. I had been communicating with them from time to time, but it was the first time Ellyuen had come to visit me directly since returning to the Divine Realm. Moreover, the only thing I could think of that he would come with Perdes, who belongs to the Underworld, was one thing. He had finally finished preparing to meet Lapis. But for some reason, they both had serious expressions.

“It seems like something went wrong.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“We can’t find his soul.”

“……What?”