Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 443

Chapter 443

“Huh? No? But? Someone was taken…….”

-It’s already too late. They’re not in that sea.

I was about to make excuses without expecting an answer, but Ellyuen’s voice returned. It seemed he was going beyond just conveying his intentions through সিকুএল [likely a typo, needs context for accurate translation, possibly a magical connection or communication method] and was now directly confronting me by dominating his consciousness. Wow, I didn’t know you could handle a lower spirit like this. I feel like I’m learning so much here.

“Uh, but, they’re not there?”

-You’re stating the obvious. What were you thinking, going in there? Merfolk can use teleportation in the water. Unless they expose themselves to hunt, you, as a human, can’t catch up once they’re in the water.

Huh, I didn’t know they had that ability. I clicked my tongue in dismay, and the gaze I received became stern.

-Return immediately.

Reluctantly, I obediently returned to the ship. The deck was still shrouded in thick fog. Inside, the crew was struggling to get the passengers inside, while the passengers resisted.

“Everyone, please go to your cabins! It’s dangerous on deck! There may be more merfolk around!”

“Is it safe inside the cabins? Where is this place that merfolk are appearing? You should have warned us if something this dangerous was going to happen!”

“I haven’t seen my child since earlier! Please, just tell me if anyone has fallen overboard!”

“Please calm down and wait! We’re currently identifying everyone!”

“How can I calm down? I can’t find my child!”

The enraged people wouldn’t budge no matter how much they were persuaded. It was hard on the crew trying to stop them, but it was fortunate for me. After 시큐엘 [likely a typo, needs context for accurate translation, possibly a magical connection or communication method] helped me dry off completely, I slipped into the crowd, and no one noticed I had been in the sea.

Soon, the thick fog lifted, and a bright blue sky appeared. As the weather cleared up as if nothing had happened, the arguing people gradually fell silent. The drenched crew members climbed onto the deck with gloomy faces, and the surroundings became even quieter. Everyone had realized the same thing. The missing people would never return.

* * *

The victims were confirmed to be three men in their twenties and thirties. According to the testimonies of those who shared a cabin with them, they all seemed to be hunters belonging to the same guild. The general consensus was that they were all unusually taciturn and quiet, and they avoided interacting with people. They had been hiding inside as if they were in hiding, and it was the first time in five days that they had come out on deck, only to meet with disaster that day.

Regarding that strange period, people suspected that they might have been hunting merfolk. The reason they hadn’t come out of the cabin was to avoid the merfolk’s revenge, and now that they thought it was safe, they came out, but the merfolk had been pursuing them to the end. Whether that was true or not, there was no way to confirm, but in any case, there were no more merfolk attacks until we arrived in the Empire.

Regardless of the unexpected accident, the ship arrived at its destination as scheduled. As soon as I arrived at the port, I looked into transportation to the capital. Learning from my previous experience, I felt the need to find out the departure times in advance and plan my route.

As expected, the intervals here were also very wide. Even to go to the midway point, not directly to the capital, the intervals were at least one or two days, and up to ten days. But this time, luck seemed to be on my side, as there was a train leaving tonight. Moreover, there was even a two-person compartment available, as if it had been prepared.

“You’re lucky, sir. We only have one two-person compartment left.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Can three people ride in a two-person compartment?”

“Yes, that’s fine, but you’ll have to pay extra for the additional person. And you’ll have to share the bed.”

“That’s okay. How much is it in total, including the extra charge?”

The kind station attendant told me the cost of the compartment for three people. I was about to pay with a happy heart when.

“Are there no tickets available?”

A desperate voice rang out right next to me. I turned around without thinking and saw a tall woman wearing a long cloak. The other station attendant, who was dealing with her, glanced at me with a troubled expression.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. All the other compartments, including the general ones, are sold out, and this two-person compartment that this gentleman is buying is the last one.”

“That can’t be…….”

The woman, letting out a heavy groan, stared at me, following the direction the station attendant pointed. I also met her gaze in a daze. Thanks to that, I got a closer look at the woman, who, though not as much as 트로웰 [Name of a character], had dark skin and black eyes. She was wearing a hood, so I couldn’t see her hair, but judging by her eyebrow color, it seemed to be gray.

As much as I was examining her, the woman seemed to be looking at me as well. Her slightly embarrassed gaze was fixed on my face for a while. Then, as if reminded of her original business, she spoke to me with a worried face.

“Ah, excuse me. I know it’s an impudent request, but would you be willing to give me your ticket?”

“Um, when is the next train?”

“Four days from now.”

The station attendant, who had been watching the situation, kindly answered. Four days from now, it was farther than I thought, but not so far that I couldn’t wait. Actually, I had been on the ship the whole time and had just barely set foot on land, so I was a little reluctant to take the train right away. The cabins were at least spacious, but the train compartments were cramped, no matter how good the seats were. If I had to ride that for days, there would come a moment when I seriously wondered if walking wouldn’t be better. To be honest, I wanted to postpone it a bit. But I also thought it would be better to get all the suffering over with at once and rest when I arrived in the capital. As I hesitated about what to do, the woman said with a determined face.

“I’m in a very urgent situation. If you give me your ticket, I’ll compensate you with double the fare.”

“Ah, no, you don’t have to go that far. I’ll just take the next train, I guess.”

“Really? Thank you, thank you so much!”

The woman’s face lit up, and she bowed repeatedly, thanking me. The station attendant, with a pleased expression, handed the ticket I had given up to the woman. When asked if he should revise the cost for the additional person, the woman shook her head, saying she would keep it as is. She must have been a group of three, like me. I also bought a ticket for the next train in advance. As I was about to turn around after receiving my ticket, the woman, who had met my eyes again, bowed again.

“Thank you so much. You saved my life.”

“It’s nothing. I hope you have a pleasant trip.”

“Yes, may God’s mercy be with you, kind sir.”

Her face, which had been pale until a moment ago, was much brighter, perhaps because she had obtained the ticket. As I parted ways feeling good, the woman turned around and began to mutter to herself.

“Yes, I was just about to contact you. Yes, I just got off the ship. Fortunately, there was a train leaving today, so I got a ticket. Yes, I think I’ll be able to arrive on schedule.”

Looking closely, she was holding something like a rocket in her hand. It seemed to be a portable communication device. In the kingdom, there were public telephones, but no one carried them around. But here, in addition to the woman, I could easily find people holding similar objects and talking. Surely the Empire was richer than the kingdom.

More than that, if she had just gotten off the ship, could she have been on the same ship as me? Considering that I hadn’t encountered her once during that long time, she must have been in a different cabin. It’s possible that we just missed each other since I didn’t go outside much.

“Yes, it’s just me and 미엘 [Name of a character]. The other three were attacked. I’m sorry. No, it’s not your fault. 에디스 [Name of a character] is holding up well. Yes, yes, I understand.”

I paused for a moment at what I heard. When I glanced back, the woman, who had met my eyes again, nodded awkwardly. I nodded back and turned away as naturally as possible.

I felt like I had heard something I shouldn’t have. Three people were attacked, could it be just a coincidence that it was the same number as the people who had been taken by the merfolk?

Surely there’s no connection. I hadn’t heard that the victims had any companions. If there were any survivors, they would have tried to recover their belongings. But all of their luggage left in the cabin had been collected by the crew, and I heard that it would be handed over to the government office since there was no one to take it. If they were a group, I didn’t know why they would have handled it that way.

‘Hmm, there must be some reason.’

I couldn’t just follow her and ask out of curiosity, and I forced myself to suppress the uneasy feeling, thinking it wasn’t my business. In the meantime, the woman had completely disappeared from sight. As she disappeared from my view, I felt relieved and took a long breath.

“It’s like you’re getting involved but not, like you know something but also know nothing.”

I was startled by the voice and looked up. 트로웰 [Name of a character] and 엘뤼엔 [Name of a character] were standing there, I wondered when they had appeared. I told them to let me go alone, but it seemed they had been watching nearby.

“Ah, sorry. There was a ticket leaving today, but I gave it to someone else. They seemed to be in a very urgent situation.”

“I know, I saw it.”

“But what are you talking about just now? Are you talking to me?”

“See, this is what’s interesting.”

트로웰 [Name of a character] chuckled, and 엘뤼엔 [Name of a character] also made a strange expression. They seemed to know what they were talking about, but I didn’t know. As I stared at them in bewilderment, 트로웰 [Name of a character] smiled brightly. It was a meaningful smile that made me tense up.

“First of all, I’ll give a special prophecy to the kind person who has received God’s grace. You will regret today’s events very much.”

“Huh?”

“The next train you’ll be taking is scheduled to stop on the way due to an unknown breakdown.”

“……Huh?”

“The train will stop in the middle of nowhere, and the rescue team will arrive in five days. If you walk along the railroad tracks, it will take four days to get to the station. If you go through the mountains, it will take two days. For your information, you have to go through the mountains. There’s no other option. That’s because you can take another train on a different line that arrives at that station at that time. The next train won’t come. There will be a monster swarm attack in that area, and all the railroads will be closed for a while.”

I could feel the blood draining from my face. 트로웰 [Name of a character] smiled again at me, who was in a daze.

“Are you regretting it already?”

As expected of the Spirit King of Prophecy, he was spot on.

* * *

Only after ending the call did the woman let out a long sigh. Confirming that the communication device, which was only active in the 세이크 [Name of a place] Empire, was working properly, she finally realized that she had really arrived. She looked up and saw the intense sunlight pouring down. The sky was blue and the breeze was cool. The autumn weather was so mild that it was almost embarrassing. Even the bushes that should have withered were still green here. The faces of the people coming and going were all full of energy. Even their natural appearance seemed gentle.

As she took in the scene one by one, the persistent fatigue she had forgotten weighed heavily on her shoulders. The woman rubbed her wrinkled brow with her fingers. The past few months had been a nightmare for everyone. She was helplessly caught up in a chaotic situation, unable to understand why this was happening, and had no time to collect herself. Even now, it was just an extension of that process. No one could predict where the end of this chaos would be.

“아이라 [Name of a character], it’s here.”

The woman, walking along the street, turned her head at the sound of someone calling her. Her wandering gaze found two people standing in front of the flower bed in the square. Their appearance was almost completely hidden by their long hooded cloaks, but just as the two people recognized her at once, the woman also recognized them well enough. The expression of the woman, 아이라 [Name of a character], who had been hardening her face, softened slightly.

“미엘 [Name of a character], 에디스 [Name of a character].”

But that face quickly hardened again. 아이라 [Name of a character], who had rushed up to them, asked, wary of her surroundings.

“Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be resting in the tea room?”

“I’m sorry. But the weather is so nice that I wanted to walk.”

The woman called 에디스 [Name of a character] replied with a clear face. The light green eyes hidden inside the hood sparkled with life after a long time.

Seeing that, 아이라 [Name of a character] couldn’t bring herself to blame her and instead glared at the other woman, 미엘 [Name of a character]. 미엘 [Name of a character], who naturally avoided her gaze, subtly looked away. 아이라 [Name of a character] had no choice but to sigh.

“You checked the tail properly, right?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that. I’m sensitive, you know. There was no tailing at all.”

“You’re really…….”

“Give me a break. I’ve been stuck in that stuffy cabin for over ten days. I missed the sunlight so much. I felt like I was going to die if I had to go back inside. Right, 에디스 [Name of a character]?”

“That’s right, 아이라 [Name of a character]. I was the one who wanted to go out first, so don’t blame 미엘 [Name of a character].”

When even 에디스 [Name of a character] took 미엘’s [Name of a character] side, 아이라 [Name of a character] had nothing more to say. In fact, she was in a similar state, so she knew how they felt. 미엘 [Name of a character], who was convinced that she wouldn’t be serious anymore when she saw her quietly closing her mouth, began to smile brightly.