Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 452

452.

“Anyway, I know he’s got it in for me. That’s why everyone’s watching him.”

“Is Jinhon also one of the top 7 guilds?”

“Yeah, in terms of infamy, they’re easily in the top three. Like guild master, like guild members, it’s a real trash heap.”

That was enough to make everyone cautious. Even with an Axis-level hunter like Chris, he wouldn’t be reliable enough on his own. If only I had made a name for myself during this Kwanzaa subjugation, maybe someone would have shown interest because of that, but it was a shame in many ways.

“Damn it, I only need three people. How come those three aren’t gathering? I thought there would be a lot of clueless rookies in about two years, so it would be fine.”

Was I included in that clueless rookie category? As I stared blankly, he muttered as if he was upset, then smiled with a noticeably embarrassed face. No matter how much he tried to hide it, I clearly saw the unease in his pupils. I was beyond clueless, even trying to establish a guild under his name, so he wasn’t wrong.

“Hey, El. What about those two people in your group? They’re not interested in hunter work? Just looking at them, they don’t seem ordinary; they seem like considerable experts. If they just get the license and fill the quota……”

“I know, right? It seems like a pretty good idea. I asked them, but I didn’t even get my investment back.”

All I got back was a cold look that told me to know my place. Even I was a little scared then, so I gave up on asking them again early on. Chris looked disappointed but also understanding. He seemed to sympathize with the fact that he couldn’t dare to ask them for anything either.

“Those older brothers are all scary, unlike the youngest. Well, I guess I’d be strict if I had a younger sibling like you. You’re just too fearless.”

“Older brothers?”

“Aren’t they your older brothers? That black-haired one looks a bit young, but judging by his aura and attitude, he’s obviously older than you.”

“……We look like family?”

“Huh? I just assumed. Aren’t you?”

I felt something bubbling up inside my chest. My cheeks were about to ache from holding back a smile. I coughed involuntarily as I tried to suppress my laughter.

“Ahem, no, we’re family. We’re family. But not many people recognize it at first glance.”

“Is that so? I could tell just by looking. At least cousins. Something about the innate atmosphere. It feels like you’re in the same category?”

“You said I was different from you earlier.”

“That’s talking about personality. Honestly, if you keep your mouth shut and stay still, the feeling is exactly the same. The unapproachable pressure is even greater, if anything.”

So, it means I ruin it as soon as I open my mouth.

Anyway, I felt good to hear that we looked alike. I had heard it before, but this time, he recognized it before I even said we were family, so it meant even more.

“But what have you been doing since earlier?”

“I’m training.”

With a strained answer, I stopped the movement of lying down and lifting my legs up and down. I had finally completed the instructed number of repetitions. I was so out of breath that I couldn’t think straight.

“You’re diligently learning swordsmanship. Is it lower body training? How many times do you do it?”

“Thirty times, five sets.”

“One hundred and fifty times? Not as many as I thought.”

Yeah, it doesn’t seem like much to you. I smiled brightly, and Chris smiled back with a puzzled look. I told him to hold out his hands, then I placed my hands completely on top of his. He held out his hands without thinking, but as soon as my hands were placed on them, he gasped loudly.

“Wh-what? What are you wearing right now?”

“Weight training equipment. I have the same thing on my legs. I recently switched to heavier ones, so I reduced the number of repetitions to adjust.”

Chris’s face turned dark in an instant. His pale gaze darted around my arms and ankles.

“……Is your older brother’s personality okay?”

When he told me to tell him anytime if I needed help, I could only smile again. I unintentionally made him misunderstand Trowel.

* * *

The Kwanzaa passed quietly until the last day. By that time, the already ineffective monster subjugation team had completely disbanded and scattered. In fact, it was all but a foregone conclusion since the Demon God Temple didn’t even open its doors during the Dark Moon Festival. Even the sky was normal during this Dark Moon Festival. It meant that the Demon God’s influence didn’t reach at all.

‘Did they do that on purpose? If not…….’

I slipped off my glove and checked the back of my hand. I felt relieved to see the clearly visible mark. Having this meant that Kanos was still alive and well. I knew that future events couldn’t affect this era, but I couldn’t help but worry since the Dark Moon Festival passed by without incident. Well, if a real problem had occurred, the Demon God Temple itself would have disappeared. After all, it wasn’t my area of concern.

‘What I need to worry about is myself.’

It’s already been half a year since I came here, but I haven’t found any clues about Lapis or the Soul Stone. I haven’t even established a guild yet, so I don’t know when I’ll make a name for myself and try to contact Lamias. Even if I meet him, I don’t know if he’ll have the Soul Stone. I sighed involuntarily when I thought about having to create such cumbersome situations every time I met a dragon.

“Did your glove break?”

I raised my head at Trowel’s voice. I had been spacing out while keeping it off to check the mark, so he seemed to have misunderstood that there was a problem with the glove. No, but now that I look at it again, it’s quite worn out. I haven’t had it for long, but it seems to be wearing out quickly because I keep wearing it even during training. The situation is similar with clothes and shoes, and there are no intact parts. No wonder Chris has been checking on me every time he sees me lately; it must be because I’ve been looking more and more shabby.

“Even if you don’t care about other things, isn’t it better for gloves to not break easily? When you buy them this time, go to a workshop and get a preservation magic cast on them. Human magicians won’t be able to make it perfect, but they can at least slow down the rate of wear.”

“Wow, there was such a method.”

Come to think of it, why didn’t I think of that? This place not only has a lot of magical items, but also places that specialize in crafting and imbuing magic. Even though I knew, I never thought of going to one. I should go soon on a day when I’m taking a break from training. As I nodded with anticipation, Trowel, who had been quietly watching me, muttered briefly.

“Well, does it matter? I’m also curious about what will happen when we meet.”

“Huh?”

“Just talking to myself. Solve that glove issue right away today.”

“Today? What about the afternoon training?”

“I’ll rest.”

With an indifferent reply, he disappeared right away. He gave me a break to go buy gloves, right? It seems like he thought my condition was very serious. Judging by what he muttered, it seems like he has another purpose as well. More than that, I wonder if magic crafting is expensive? How much money do I have right now?

“Father, I…….”

Before I could turn my head and say anything, a heavy sack dropped in front of me with a thud. When I opened it, I saw it was filled with gold coins.

“Um, thank you.”

At this point, I’m honestly a bit embarrassed. I’m probably the first contractor to use this much of the Spirit King’s money. As I greeted him with an embarrassed heart, he only chuckled. He seems to have adapted to me to the point where he’s no longer surprised.

Anyway, now that I’m all prepared, I headed straight to the shopping district. I chose something as similar as possible to the gloves I bought before, then went to a workshop that does magic crafting. After listening to the explanation, the workshop owner recommended preservation magic and even enhancement magic, and showed me other items as well. The crafting itself didn’t take long, but as I was mindlessly looking at the items they recommended, I realized that quite a bit of time had passed when I came out of the workshop. Besides the gloves, which were my original purpose, I had picked out a few more magical tools: a clock from this era that I had been interested in, a brooch that was said to soften your impression if you wore it, a ring that changed your hair color, and so on.

‘I’m weak against sales…….’

The only consolation was that I didn’t buy all the items they recommended without thinking. Since I can’t take them back anyway, I tried hard to endure my materialistic desires, but I couldn’t help but want them. Besides, I only bought what I needed, right? Honestly, it’s okay to have this much.

“Ugh!”

“Gasp!”

It was the moment I was about to turn the corner around the alley. Suddenly, someone jumped out in front of me. I wasn’t flustered because I had sensed the signs in advance, but since the other person was about to fall, I deliberately didn’t avoid them and caught them. Along with the sensation of my arms catching someone, pink hair spilled out from inside the deeply pressed hood. Green eyes filled with moisture looked up at me with surprised eyes.

“Are you okay?”

The girl, who was almost leaning on me, only let out rough breaths without any answer. Tears streamed down her wide eyes. Her trembling face was filled with fear. I was embarrassed because her gaze didn’t leave me. What is it? I only caught her from falling. What did I do?

“Excuse me?”

“Hng, eugh…… Ayra!”

Soon, the girl, who had tightly closed her eyes, shouted like a scream.

“Lady Edith!”

Then, a responding voice echoed, and a shadow fell on the sky. Someone was jumping down from the roof. As I tried to step back while avoiding the descending sword, the girl who had fallen away from me quickly ran towards that side.

“Ayra!”

“Lady Edith, are you alright!”

The person who landed on the ground embraced the rushing girl as if to protect her. I was just as embarrassed because I felt like I had been caught by a guardian while doing something bad. No, what did I even do? I watched with a dumbfounded and absurd heart, but somehow the appearance of the person who appeared later was quite familiar. A tall woman with dark skin and black eyes. It was the same person I had met at the train station in the harbor before.

“You…….”

The woman also seemed to recognize me, and she had a flustered expression. I didn’t understand the situation, but I was glad to see someone I didn’t expect to meet again in such a place.

“We’ve met before, right?”

But the next moment, the woman’s face hardened to a frightening degree. The following action was so sudden that I couldn’t even prepare for it. She suddenly threw something, and I unconsciously blocked it with my hand, but it burst and a shower of water poured down.

“…….”

I was instantly soaked. A myriad of thoughts ran through my mind in a short time. What did she throw that made water pour out? Is this also a magical tool? Oh, amazing…… No, that’s not it! Why are you suddenly throwing something like this? Is there a festival like throwing water balloons or tomatoes here? It’s not even summer yet?

What’s even more incomprehensible is that those who gave me the water shower were even more embarrassed. To be exact, they seemed confident at first, but as I stood still, their expressions became more and more confused. It was clear that they were embarrassed because they didn’t get the desired reaction. Maybe they mistook me for someone else. As I watched silently, the woman’s mouth opened and closed. Seeing that, I didn’t even have the energy to get angry, so I sighed.

“……Can I ask why you did this, first of all?”

“……Um, I’m really sorry. We made a mistake.”

The woman’s face, which had been fine until a moment ago, was as pale as if she had indigestion. The girl with green eyes also had an anxious face.

I guess they mistook me for someone else. As I sighed and tried to squeeze the water out of my hair, the two people who had come running up to me handed me a towel and didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“No, I don’t know what it is, but next time, it would be better to check properly before throwing.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

It was then.

I felt a cold shiver down my spine for some reason. When I hardened my face and turned around, I saw someone standing there. It was a woman who was dressed too thinly considering that it was spring, but still chilly. Perhaps that’s why, despite her rather bright appearance, she gave off an unusually eerie feeling. The group that was wiping my body also flinched and stopped moving when they found the woman.

“Ah, Ayra.”

“Lady Edith.”

The two people who had hardened their faces clung to each other as if to protect each other.

‘What is it? The atmosphere is somehow…….’

As I became wary of the strange feeling, the woman who had been standing like a ghost smiled and moved her lips.

‘Found you.’

She didn’t make a sound, but the words she was trying to convey through her lip shape were clearly visible. Then, suddenly, the number of people around me began to increase. From the alleys on all sides to the roofs, people with similar appearances to the woman were increasing at a rapid pace.

“What is this…….”

“Master, grant us your protection!”

At that moment, the woman who was called Ayra made something like a formula [a gesture or sequence believed to have magical power] with one hand. Then, a black aura began to rise from the sword the woman was holding.

‘Sword energy? No, that’s…….’

“Run!”

At that moment, the girl called Edith grabbed my arm and ran. I didn’t have time to ask what was going on, so I ran with her for now.

“Keep going straight to the plaza without looking back!”

The sound of Ayra shouting echoed from behind, followed by the sound of weapons clashing. It seemed like we ran for quite a while after that. After running for a while, we finally came out into a street full of people.

Then, the signs of pursuit disappeared right away.

“I don’t think they’re chasing us anymore.”

After looking around and saying that, Edith, who was out of breath, collapsed to the ground.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Edith was shedding tears. Her face, which had barely gotten better, was pale again. It was natural since she had left her friend in such a scary scene.

“No, I’m sorry, but what’s going on? Who are you being chased by right now?”

“Hng, sob, I’m sorry.”

Edith couldn’t answer properly because she was crying. As I was wondering how to comfort her, someone approached. It was an old man with a gentle impression.

“Young lady, why are you crying so much? What’s wrong?”

Then, Edith, who had widened her eyes, stepped back as if she was having a seizure. It was almost the same reaction she had shown when she first saw me. Edith, who had a pale face and clenched her lips, clung to me tightly as if grabbing a lifeline.

“Go away, go away.”

“No, I’m worried about why you’re crying.”

“I told you to go away!”

As Edith shouted and pushed him away, the old man’s eyes turned fierce. I had a bad feeling for some reason, so I stepped forward. The old man, with a flustered expression, looked at me as if he was exploring. Does an ordinary person usually look at someone like that? Something was wrong after all.

Edith, who was trembling, took something out of her arms. It was a small whistle, but I felt a strange energy from it. I had a feeling that I shouldn’t let her blow that, so I covered it with my hand, and Edith looked at me with shaking eyes. I shook my head, then turned to the old man.

“It would be better if you didn’t interfere with my group and just left.”

The old man, who flinched, glared at me again. I didn’t avoid his gaze either. As I started to look at him openly, an undisguised sense of unease was revealed on his face.

“Oh, anyway, young people these days don’t know how to be grateful even if you show them kindness.”

The old man, who was panting, hurriedly turned his body. I didn’t take my eyes off him until he was completely gone.

“I think he’s gone now.”

Even then, Edith was still trembling. She was still holding the whistle that she couldn’t blow because of me. I don’t know if it’s okay to ask what that is. As I was hesitating, Edith suddenly looked around quickly, wondering what she was thinking.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to find water. A well…… No, no, not a well. They might come out from there. So, something like a spring that isn’t too deep.”

“Water?”

“Ayra, what should I do? What should I do? I need water, I need water……. That was the last one.”

I stopped looking at her with a bewildered expression and swallowed my breath. It was probably some kind of premonition.

The appearance of being chased by someone.

The black aura.

Water.

“Sicuel.”

Following my call, a splash of water rose and a blue water wolf appeared from the sky. Edith, who flinched, opened her mouth blankly.

―What’s wrong, contractor?

“Can you sprinkle some rain in this area? Enough to get everyone soaked.”

―It’s not a difficult task.

Sicuel, who had risen high, circled greatly above the sky. Then, dark clouds quickly rose and a downpour began to pour down.

I could see people screaming and running away from the sudden rain.

“Is this enough?”

When I turned around and asked, Edith swallowed her breath greatly. In her agitated face, there was a clear expression that she couldn’t understand what was going on.

Then, I heard a splashing sound from behind. Edith’s face brightened in an instant when she turned around with a start. The person coming out of the alley was Ayra, who was soaking wet. She was a little hurt, but fortunately, she seemed to have escaped safely.

“Ayra!”

“Lady Edith, you’re safe. That’s a relief. Thanks to the sudden rain…….”

Just in time, Sicuel, who had completed his mission, landed lightly next to me. His actions of rubbing his head as if wanting praise, despite having a dignified expression, were just cute. As I gently stroked his translucent mane with a blue light, Ayra, who had widened her eyes, stared blankly at me.

“A water spiritist……?”

“That’s right.”

As I smiled and nodded, the two people took a deep breath.

“I’ll ask this time.”

The surrounding air became tense at the words that followed right away. It was such a wary atmosphere that I felt sorry for bringing it up. Still, I had to check what I had to check since I had come this far.

“Are you guys Mashinkwan [followers of a demon god]?”

No, the answer was clear without even needing to hear it. The black aura that lingered on Ayra’s sword was something I knew well. A darkness that was similar to demonic energy, but a little deeper and closer to the essence. A chilling energy that contained a distant divinity. It was definitely the power of Kanos.

A story I had heard a long time ago came to mind. The story of a certain race that had disappeared in my era, but still existed in this era. Beings who coveted the power of the Mashinkwan and took their blood, incurring the wrath of the Demon God and leading to their destruction.

Their race cannot be distinguished from humans when they come out on land. But it was said that they return to their original form when they get wet.

With the lower half of a fish, in the form of a mermaid.