Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 449

449.

Only after returning to the lodgings and sitting on the bed did I realize why Ellyuen had bothered to pick me up (or rather, wrap me in his arms). I thought only my arm was injured, but blood was streaming down my leg as well. It seemed that when the monster’s claws grazed me, it wasn’t just my clothes that were torn. Fortunately, it seemed my bones were intact, but I certainly wasn’t in a state to walk properly.

“Ugh…”

It’s true that people’s minds are fickle. Until a moment ago, I was fine, but after confirming the injury, it started throbbing as if it had been waiting. Perhaps it was because the tension had finally eased.

“So, it does hurt after all. You were so brave, I thought you couldn’t feel pain,” Trowell said, clicking his tongue. I gave an awkward smile. It was clearly a scolding, but it sounded like concern, which must mean my infatuation was severe. Fortunately, the pain didn’t last long. White bubbles began to form on the wound, and soon the injured area was completely healed. My broken arms were also back to normal. Ellyuen had used healing magic.

‘Oh, so this is what it feels like.’

I had only ever been the one doing it, so I didn’t know, but receiving it felt incredibly refreshing. It wasn’t just that the wound healed; my whole body felt lighter, and I felt a surge of strength. It felt like I had taken some kind of stimulant. I was marveling at my restored body when I heard a cracking sound, as if something was breaking. It was the sound of Ellyuen breaking the mana sealing bracelet on my wrist. Wow, he broke it just by grabbing it with his fingers. Seeing something that I couldn’t even budge with all my strength snap in two in an instant made my heart very complicated.

“Ah, thank you, Fathe… Elquines.”

I quickly corrected the slip of the tongue, and Ellyuen’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

“What on earth were you thinking, jumping in like that?”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you realize you couldn’t use spirit magic before jumping in? I’m asking why you jumped in anyway.”

He was watching everything after all. I wish he would just show himself instead of constantly following me around in a transparent state. Is it really okay to leave these Spirit Kings like this? Well, thanks to him, I did receive help at the right time.

“Well, I thought I could stop it to some extent since I’m quite strong.”

“Why would you stop it?”

“What else could I do when someone was about to die in front of me?”

“Isn’t he just a stranger?”

“What does that matter? It’s good to help if you can, no matter who the person is.”

“And if you die? Do you think the person you helped will be grateful?”

“I’m not doing it to hear words of gratitude. I just…”

“Then what about my position, losing a contractor in vain right before my eyes? Does that not matter either?”

I was momentarily speechless at the unexpected words. Ellyuen stared at me coldly as I quietly shut my mouth as if I had swallowed honey.

“When you chased after the merfolk into the sea, and with this incident too, I always thought you were excessively fearless. There was a strange sense of incongruity, beyond mere boldness. Now I see you simply don’t value yourself.”

“Huh? No, it’s not exactly…”

“Do you really think so? When humans face situations where they cannot predict their safety, they show hesitation, even if only slightly. But you don’t have any of that.”

I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu in this situation. I already knew the reason. Lapis had once scolded me similarly. He thought I didn’t cherish my life enough. That’s why he couldn’t trust me… and hid the fact that he was dying until the very last moment.

“If you’re going to commit suicide, do it in another way. You’re only thinking about your own petty satisfaction and ignoring everyone else.”

“Hey, you don’t have to say it like that. It’s not that I…”

“Then let me ask you. Would you be okay if someone sacrificed their life for you?”

My heart sank. Would I be okay with it? No, of course not. Of course, I wouldn’t be. I don’t know why Ellyuen is asking this question. I can’t let him say these words, not him. The past began to overlay his figure as he stared at me. The hand that embraced and shielded me, the blonde hair that poured over my face, the hot, damp sensation on the palm of my hand, the weight that covered one shoulder.

“My reckless son is making me do all sorts of things.”

A voice with a faint smile seems to whisper in my ear even now. The sight of the red blood spreading so frighteningly over his body was probably a memory I would never forget. My heart was beating frighteningly fast. I clenched my fist tightly to shake off the afterimage.

“I don’t like that…”

“It’s a relief that you can at least think that much.”

I felt a surge of anger at the cynical reply. I wondered what kind of expression he would make if I told him that he had also committed that thoughtless act in the future. Of course, I only thought about it in my head, knowing it would be shooting myself in the foot.

I had another thing to argue about when I returned to the original world. But I didn’t feel resentful or heartbroken. No, to be honest, my heart had been fluttering since earlier. Because I knew why Lapis had been angry with me back then. It was because he was worried about me.

“What’s with that attitude?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes are sparkling. Are you even reflecting on what happened?”

Oops, I tried not to show it, but it seems like it was obvious. I scratched my cheek, and Ellyuen frowned and glared at me. It was the expression he often made when he looked at me, as if to say, ‘What is wrong with this guy?’ Trowell, who was listening to our conversation nearby, had a similar look on his face.

“…Anyway, don’t do anything reckless like that again. Your strength is strong for an ordinary human, but not enough to face a Class Two monster.”

So that was a Class Two monster. No wonder it was so strong. I don’t know why something like that came out in the middle of the city. I don’t know what happened to the aftermath, but the entire capital must be turned upside down by now.

“I know. I admit I was reckless. But there’s something you’re really misunderstanding. I wasn’t really risking my life. I was confident I could survive, so I stepped forward.”

“Where does that confidence come from?”

Of course, it’s because I haven’t met Sibelius yet. I was dizzy enough to see my life flashing before my eyes when the monster attacked, but I was still sure I would survive. Seeing that I got through it safely, my expectations weren’t wrong. Of course, I couldn’t answer that directly.

“Where else? From Father and Trowell.”

“…What?”

“We promised to be together for three years, right? So you’ll protect me from dying until then, right? What else do I have to rely on?”

In fact, the two couldn’t ignore me. If they were angry at my reckless actions, they could have just left me to my fate, but they saved me and even healed me. Ellyuen and Trowell looked dumbfounded again at my brazen answer. But seeing that they didn’t say anything else, it seemed they couldn’t find any words to refute. Or maybe they had given up on thinking about me anymore.

‘Oh, come to think of it, I wonder what happened to Fire Buster.’

Only after the situation had completely calmed down did I remember the things I had forgotten. When I realized my arm was broken, I dropped my sword as well. I didn’t know if it would still be there if I went to the scene now. What if someone had picked it up in the meantime? Maybe this is just a fleeting encounter and we won’t actually have a connection. Anyway, I got off the bed, thinking of going to look for it. Then, Ellyuen, who was quick to notice, glared at me immediately.

“Where are you going again?”

“Oh, I have something I lost for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You’re grounded for a while.”

“Huh? Grounded?”

“You only cause trouble when you go out, so just stay put.”

“No, that’s a bit…”

How old am I to be grounded? I would understand if he confiscated all my funds, but I was flustered because I didn’t expect him to come out like this.

“Looking for this?”

But then, something was suddenly held out in front of me. A sword wrapped in an old and dirty scabbard, Fire Buster. It was Trowell who was holding out the sword. It seemed he had kept it for some reason. I nodded in confusion, and he lightly tossed it to me.

“Thank you, Trowell.”

“You’re welcome. More than that, I felt a strange energy. You knew it was an Ego Sword [a sword with a spirit or consciousness], right?”

I flinched and looked at him, and Trowell gave me a puzzled look instead.

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t you try talking to the sword? I thought you were trying to buy it because you knew.”

Ugh, he saw that too. I really shouldn’t act so comfortably when I think no one is around. It’s like a real-time surveillance system. How can my privacy not be guaranteed at all? Isn’t this too harsh of a life?

Surprisingly, Trowell didn’t seem to have much interest in the sword itself. A spirit sword that shouldn’t exist in this era had appeared, so he should be paying attention to it, but he didn’t seem to care about it any more than seeing a slightly decent object. Ellyuen was the same. Both of them only thought of Fire Buster as an ordinary Ego Sword.

Well, the energy was too weak to consider it special. The original Fire Buster could be called a spirit sword even though it possessed a human soul because it contained an intense fire energy comparable to Ignis [a powerful fire spirit]. But now, there was almost no magic power, let alone fire energy. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t even recognize it as an Ego Sword.

“To feel such a faint energy, you truly are amazing. It’s so faint that even a unicorn would have a hard time recognizing it. But too bad. It hasn’t been made for very long. It won’t be much different from an ordinary sword.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“After Ego Swords are made, they are sealed for a while, and their consciousness is dormant. It’s a period for the ego to adapt to the sword. Besides, that sword seems to be in a self-defense state, as if it has been greatly shocked. That dirty and filthy appearance is not actually old, but a kind of camouflage.”

Huh, I see. If it hasn’t been made for very long, it must have arrived in this world not long ago. The reason it went into self-defense mode must be because it fell into a different dimension. I don’t know if disguising itself as dirty and old as a means of protecting itself was a good decision. What if it gets sold as scrap metal? It won’t break or melt, but it’s a perfect setup to be known as a haunted sword in the future. Of course, it’s true since it has a soul. Anyway, it’s a bit difficult to carry it around like this, so I should wrap it in cloth or leather later. Ah, so that’s why Sibelius didn’t recognize it. A belated realization came to me.

“But it is a bit strange. Ego Swords are not made in the ordinary way, but this one especially feels that way. Is it from another world, or did a god directly intervene? No, even considering that, it’s a bit, something is strange…”

Perhaps it’s because he’s starting to pay attention that he’s noticing strange things. I watched the golden eyes that were quietly exploring with a nervous heart. If he finds out that this came from the future, I could get caught for pretending to know the sword. Fortunately, Trowell was suspicious, but he didn’t quite figure it out.

“If this had a little more energy, I might have thought it was made by Ifrit [a powerful fire spirit].”

…He almost got close. I blinked as if I didn’t understand as much as possible, and Trowell shrugged his shoulders as well.

“That just means the creator is special. Anyway, you’ll have to watch it for at least ten more years to awaken it. Until then, it has no value as an Ego Sword. It won’t even protect its owner, let alone provide any assistance.”

“Well, it’s okay. It’s still sturdy, though.”

“Well, yes, but if it doesn’t have the function of an Ego Sword, it won’t be of much use to you, right? If you need something for self-defense, use a dagger instead. If you try to use a long sword without knowing how to handle it, you’ll only get hurt.”

“Then you can teach me how to handle it.”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, Trowell was rarely flustered. He had a look on his face that said he had heard a rather unexpected request. Of course, it wasn’t unexpected at all for me. This was already decided.

The El that Sibelius told me about in the past was taught swordsmanship by Trowell. So I was planning to ask him someday, and a good opportunity had come. In fact, I realized a lot from this incident. I had some confidence because I had innate strength, but I was much more helpless than I thought with my spirit magic sealed. I had been wondering why the past me had learned the sword, but I felt like I had found the answer here.

“Teach me swordsmanship.”

“…Why me? Why don’t you ask your contractor?”

“Denied.”

His sullen words were immediately blocked. Trowell gave him an absurd look, but Ellyuen didn’t even turn around. His resolute attitude clearly showed that he didn’t want to get involved in troublesome things.

He’s my father, but even I think he’s too sly. I thought I saw a hallucination of blood vessels rising on Trowell’s smiling face.