Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 436

Chapter 436

“They found another body earlier. And the state of the body is almost identical to the one found a few days ago. Two fatal wounds piercing the chest and abdomen, and even the comb-like pattern engraved on the forehead.”

“Comb-like pattern?”

“They say it was carved directly with a sword, as if leaving a mark.”

Huh, that means…

“Is it a serial killing?”

My voice lowered without me realizing it, and the employee nodded, looking extremely cautious.

“The guards seem to think so. They say the guy is incredibly cruel. The direct cause of death is two stab wounds, but there are many other injuries on the body. It seems they tortured him cruelly right before killing him. Customers should be careful too. There have been many missing person cases lately, and the world is getting more dangerous.”

“Any suspects?”

“They’re investigating, but it doesn’t seem to be going well. The estimated time of death for the victim found today is in the morning. Apparently, someone saw him with someone else at that time, but they say the other person was a boy.”

“A boy?”

“Yes, maybe they were mistaken. Both of the dead men were adults. Especially the one who died a few days ago was a giant, close to 7 *Lao* [a unit of measurement]. It doesn’t make sense for a child to be the culprit.”

The employee, who had been talking in disbelief, repeatedly warned us again. The reason he was so enthusiastic about giving advice was that both of the murdered men were nobles. Perhaps because of Ellyuen’s generous spending yesterday, the employees thought we were nobles. They were obviously trying to get on Ellyuen’s good side to get a tip, glancing at us every now and then. But Ellyuen, who was only staring out the window, didn’t even turn his head in that direction.

In the end, the employee couldn’t achieve what he wanted. As I watched him dejectedly walk away, I suddenly became curious and asked.

“How big is 7 *Lao*?”

“…Is that where we’re starting? We have a long way to go.”

“So how much is it?”

“1 *Lao* is about the length of your forearm.”

‘An forearm, that’s about thirty centimeters. It’s probably close to the Earth’s foot unit. That means it’s well over 2 meters. It certainly didn’t seem like a boy could harm such a giant. Even if he were an ability user, it would be difficult to exert aggressive power from a young age. Before that, it would be even rarer for a child to think about torturing and killing someone.’

“More scary than that, there’s a serial killer here too.”

“You sound like you’re not from around here.”

“Ahaha, well, I’m not from this area. I thought this place would be more affluent, relaxed, and peaceful. But still, where people live isn’t much different.”

“Is that so? But what that guy just said must be Trowel.”

“Ah, really? It was Trowel… what?”

Why is that name coming up here?

I reflexively nodded first, then belatedly realized what he meant and my head went blank. It’s definitely a welcome name, but it’s not a name that should be coming up in this context, so I’m not even sure if I heard correctly. Ellyuen seemed to think I was just blinking because I didn’t know who he was. He met my gaze and offered a kindness he didn’t need to offer.

“Trowel, I mean. Don’t you know the name of the Earth Spirit King?”

“…No, I know. But Trowel is the culprit?”

“That guy has been hanging around this area lately.”

“Why does Trowel being near here lead to the conclusion that he’s the culprit?”

“Because he has a record. He seems to have developed a taste for hunting humans these days.”

“…Are you lying?”

Human hunting, he says.

Trowel is hunting humans? The Trowel I know?

I don’t know what I’m hearing right now. My head feels like it’s tangled in a mess, so I took a deep breath first. The thought that it might be a different Trowel flashed through my mind for a moment, but it didn’t last long. In this era, it was definitely the Trowel I knew. The victim was said to have been with a boy, wasn’t he? That’s why this situation was even more unbelievable. It felt like something absurd was happening. But it wasn’t like I had no idea what was going on.

I remembered what Sibelius had said once. He had described Trowel in this period as a very scary being. He hated humans so much. He even had a plan to kill them all and wipe them out.

At the time, I dismissed it because I didn’t think it was possible. Even when Trowel later admitted his past himself, I didn’t take it seriously. The Trowel I knew was always kind and gentle. He was strict at times, but only when there was a good reason, and he had never shown a side that deviated from principles or norms. So I guess I thought his way of expressing anger wouldn’t be much different either. Even if he rarely harbored cruel thoughts, I thought he wouldn’t reveal them.

‘But this is what it was like…’

I couldn’t hide my agitation and bit my lip. My heart was beating so fast it hurt. I felt like I was being forced to realize how naive I had been. In fact, I still didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to think that the current incident had nothing to do with Trowel. But the words I had just heard kept ringing in my ears. The murderer leaves a mark on the victim’s forehead, he said. Why does it have to be a comb-like pattern? A comb-like pattern with symmetrical diagonal lines converging downwards was the mark of the Earth Spirit.

“I don’t know why he suddenly crossed over here, leaving the place where he was rampaging… ah, I see. Is this the purpose?”

Ellyuen, who had been muttering to himself, looked straight at me. I couldn’t not know what that gaze meant, so I blankly opened my mouth.

“Me? I’m the purpose?”

“He seems to be trying to confirm if you’ll become an anomaly.”

“Anomaly?”

“A new king’s contractor has appeared at this point, so his sensitive nature couldn’t resist his curiosity.”

He’s answering, but it’s all words I can’t understand. I couldn’t tell if he had no intention of teaching me or if he was just lost in his own thoughts. I was about to ask him to explain in more detail when Ellyuen suddenly paused and smiled coldly.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“…I have to go back to the main world.”

“What?”

I was flustered by the sudden words, but he immediately got up from his seat. Then he threw a heavy pouch at me. There were gold coins inside, clinking.

“I won’t be able to come for a while. Use it as you need it in the meantime.”

“No, why so suddenly…”

Did something happen in the Spirit World? More than that, I don’t know how long ‘for a while’ is. Do I have to take the train alone too? My head was working hard with the complicated thoughts, and Ellyuen looked at me for a moment and said.

“Just in case, I’ll give you a warning. If you run into Trowel while I’m gone, don’t provoke him as much as possible and behave yourself. Stop thinking and empty your head as much as possible. Especially, lying is forbidden.”

“Huh? Trowel?”

“Unlike me, that guy doesn’t have any leeway. He’s different from Minerva, who is naturally laid-back, and Ifrit, who pretends to be foolish on purpose. He’s still a novice who only knows the easy way.”

“…I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m telling you how to survive. If you don’t provoke him, he won’t kill you. He won’t want to incur my wrath.”

I don’t know what he means anymore.

But whether I was making a tearful face or not, Ellyuen disappeared from that spot.

“Where did your companion go?”

The employee who brought the food I ordered belatedly looked puzzled at the empty seat. He looked at me for a moment with a face that asked if it was okay to eat both servings by myself. I could only shrug awkwardly. It seemed like I didn’t need to say that I was going to eat alone from the beginning.

* * *

Ellyuen didn’t return until the day before departure. As expected, it seemed like I would have to take the train alone. To prepare for the long journey ahead, I decided to take a light stroll through the shopping district. Since it was a four-day journey, I could buy food on the train, but I had to prepare everything else myself. I had already prepared a blanket on the way, so I decided to focus on preparing a cloak and spare clothes. I tend to wash them as I go, so I didn’t necessarily need to change, but you never know. In the same sense, it wouldn’t be bad to prepare some emergency rations.

“Wow, magical items are scattered everywhere.”

The Golden Age’s shopping district was another world. A subspace backpack that I couldn’t even buy in my era was just lying around on a stall here. And the price wasn’t that expensive either. There were so many different kinds of magic tools that I felt like I would lose my mind and spend all my money if I let my guard down even a little. I barely pulled myself together and bought a few things that seemed useful along with the backpack. There happened to be a bookstore, so I stopped by and bought a monster encyclopedia. I can’t give up on becoming a hunter just because I failed once. I was planning to memorize everything in preparation for the next exam. Up to this point, it was a perfectly peaceful time.

“Hey, you. There, blonde!”

The anomaly started to happen right after that. I had just left the bookstore when someone called out to me. I raised my head without thinking and saw a man with a sturdy build. He was dressed in light armor, whether he was a mercenary or a soldier. When I met his gaze, I heard him swallow slightly. It was clear that I was meeting him for the first time, but he had an unusually welcoming face.

“Are you calling me?”

“Ahem. Yes, you. I’ve been watching you since earlier, and you’re traveling alone. Do you not have a company [group of adventurers]?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“I was wondering if you came to the city to find a job. I’m someone who arranges jobs. I was wondering if I could introduce you to a good job.”

“Ah, I see. You’ve mistaken me. I’m just a traveler.”

“Ah, is that so? Are you traveling alone?”

“Yes, well, for now.”

When I nodded roughly, the man’s face lit up.

“I see. It seems like you’re planning to meet your company at an intermediate point? Where are you from? Have you done enough sightseeing here? This city of Aldin is a really beautiful city. There are so many places to see. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to guide you.”

“No, I’m fine. I can travel alone.”

“Don’t say that. I’ll introduce you to a good restaurant too. I know a place where the barley wine is incredibly delicious.”

No, I said I’m fine, why are you clinging to me like this?

I felt like something was wrong, so I was about to distance myself from the man. That’s when I heard a clear sound from somewhere. I turned my head and saw a wide square. The square, with its densely tiled floor, looked well-decorated at a glance. There were garden trees shaped into round shapes, and a fountain with an angel statue in the middle.

Right in front of it, a man was sitting and playing the flute. Lightly closed eyes, a smooth touch that flowed like water over a straight body. Every time the lips that bit the entrance breathed in, a clear wind sound seemed to resonate with the world. Even I, who doesn’t know much about music, could tell that he was good; it was a performance that seemed to captivate people.

Everyone seemed to have similar impressions, stopping and turning around. Some people had already gone up to him and taken their seats. I also moved my steps towards him. The man who had been bothering me suspiciously was no longer in my sight. It wasn’t just because the performance was good. It was because the performer’s appearance in the crowd looked so much like someone I knew.

“…No way.”

Dark brown skin and hair as black as the night sky. Delicate features as if carved from a sculpture. Lush, long eyelashes. Underneath them, the abyss of eyes shining brilliantly with gold.

‘Trowel…?’

It was an appearance that I could never mistake or not recognize. There couldn’t be anyone else with this kind of atmosphere and appearance. But something was a little strange. The one I know should be a boy, but the man playing now looked like an adult no matter how I looked at him. He was much taller, and his hair was longer. The mature, beautiful face had a more solid feeling of being a man, and even had a dangerous atmosphere that made it difficult to approach him easily. If you were to embody an adult Trowel, it would look exactly like this.

Still, if you asked me if it was Trowel, I wouldn’t be confident in answering. You can change your appearance little by little if you set your mind to it, but could you even change your age group? I carefully watched his appearance from the crowd, being careful not to get caught. In the meantime, the performance that had been soaking the surroundings came to an end. As applause erupted from all directions, he put down the flute he was holding. At that moment, he raised his head and met my gaze head-on.

‘Ah.’

It was a very brief glance, as short as a moment. But the moment I saw those eyes, I couldn’t help but know. It’s Trowel after all. Even if the appearance is a little different, it was definitely him. While I was hesitating, his appearance was buried in the crowd of people. Was it a mistake? He seemed to be smiling faintly as he started playing the flute again.

“Wow, that’s a really great performance. Looking at his appearance, is he a dark elf mixed-blood? He’s incredibly beautiful as I’ve heard.”

I came to my senses because of the rough voice I heard nearby. I raised my head and saw a large figure. The man who had been bothering me so strangely was still there. He must have been watching the performance next to me while I was watching Trowel. The man looked at the direction where Trowel was with a face that seemed to covet him, and kept licking his lips.

“Too bad. It would have been nice if he was a little younger. Even if he’s mixed-blood, if he’s an adult, it won’t work…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Huh? Ah, I was talking about a job, a job. Dark elves become more fierce as they get older, and they’re very wary of other races. If you get close to them, they’ll definitely hate it. With such a beautiful appearance and good playing skills, if I introduce him to a noble family, they’ll welcome him with open arms.”

It sounds plausible at first glance, but I felt something strange. So I didn’t bother to tell the man, who was expressing his regret so clearly, that he might not be a dark elf. Fortunately, he seemed to give up his lingering feelings quickly. Instead, his strange interest turned towards me again.

“But your appearance is actually more excellent.”

“…Pardon?”

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen such beautiful blonde hair. And what about the emerald-like eye color? Your skin color is so white that it’s almost transparent, like porcelain. Honestly, I thought you were an elf at first? No, even an average elf isn’t as beautiful as you.”

“Ah, is that so…”

What is this person? I’m so uncomfortable. It’s also uncomfortable that he keeps approaching me in a friendly way when we’re meeting for the first time, and the sudden compliments about my appearance are also unpleasant. He has an attitude of appraising an object rather than a person, but he doesn’t seem to be aware of that fact. Besides, he must have seen my expression harden, but he didn’t care at all.

“Haha, well, we’ve heard a good performance, so with this feeling, shall we go eat something delicious together? I’ll guide you to the house where the barley wine is delicious that I mentioned earlier.”

“No, I’m…”

“Come on, don’t refuse.”

I frowned slightly at the uncomfortable feeling, and I caught sight of the man’s hand. There was a small container held between his fingers, wriggling as if he was about to take it out.

“What is that right now…”

I was about to point it out because I felt like I shouldn’t just let it go, when suddenly the surroundings became quiet. I realized a little late that the music I had been hearing had stopped. The people who had reacted a step late as much as I did began to stir. After a while, the crowd split to both sides and gradually a path opened. Someone was walking out through the gap. It was Trowel.