Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 453

Heavy raindrops battered against the window.

The unexpected rain, which had started so suddenly, showed no signs of stopping. The dark clouds filling the sky seemed determined not to retreat today. There was no telling when this rain would cease. Perhaps only the one who summoned it knew when it would end.

Standing on the terrace, gazing at the scenery with serene eyes, a figure suddenly reached out an arm. The hand, exposed beyond the roof, was quickly drenched by the pouring rain. It didn’t take long for the rainwater pooling in the palm to overflow.

But instead of falling downwards, the water droplets splashed upwards. Bead-like droplets rolled smoothly over the chillingly white skin. Even without wind, the hem of the clothes fluttered. Riding that surge, silvery hair as pure as the skin danced and swayed. It was a dreamlike scene, as if adorned with invisible wings, ready to float away at any moment. Knowing that it was not merely an unrealistic fantasy, or rather, precisely because of it, the expressions of those watching turned blank.

Though in human form, no one here was unaware of her true identity. A miracle in the form of a woman, a materialized divine blessing. The most powerful weapon in the world, and a living sacred artifact.

As if sculpted from moonlight from head to toe, even that excessive beauty was proof of sublime power. Standing on the boundary between reality and unreality, it was only natural that this being would captivate attention. The unique, precarious atmosphere, as if about to vanish at any moment, was enough to enchant everyone.

Whenever they saw her, people felt both overwhelming emotion and unease. Especially when seeing her in such a fleeting state, they couldn’t help but be reminded that she was a being who could leave at any time. But they quickly composed themselves. They also knew well that there was someone who held her in this world.

“You were here, Minerva.”

The voice that rang out at that moment belonged to the protagonist enjoying that special grace. As he appeared, the otherworldly air quickly dissipated. It was the moment the precarious feeling surrounding the silver-haired woman vanished. Only then did people finally relax their faces and smile. All eyes turned to the black-haired man standing beyond the glass door of the terrace. Minerva, the silver-haired woman who turned to look at him, also wore a smile.

“Ain.”

At the affectionate voice calling his name, the man’s eyes softened. He strode over, embraced Minerva from behind, and lightly kissed her forehead. The space where tender expressions of affection were exchanged was filled with an even warmer hue.

Minerva, the Wind Spirit King, and Ain Idris, her contractor. The protagonists of the rumors that had stirred the world were also the happiest of lovers.

The man, Ain, gestured with his eyes, dismissing the people around them. Those who had no intention of disturbing the lovers’ time quickly left, and the terrace soon became a space for just the two of them. As the watching eyes completely disappeared, he hugged Minerva tightly and whined without reservation.

“I feel best when I’m with you. I missed you so much all day.”

“You’ve worked hard. Have all the guests left?”

“Yes, today’s schedule is over. Finally, we can be alone. Now, no one will disturb us anymore.”

Minerva’s laughter deepened at the petulant tone. Ain loosened his expression even more, though he pouted as if being coddled like a child.

“The raindrops are quite heavy. Were you looking at the scenery?”

“Yes, it’s quite an interesting rain.”

“Interesting rain? Now that I think about it, why is it suddenly raining like this? Until a little while ago, it didn’t seem like it would rain.”

“You’re right. It’s not the rain we arranged.”

It was a vague answer, but Ain, who had been with Minerva for a long time, easily understood the meaning behind those words. A strange light flickered in his blue eyes.

“A spirit master did this.”

And a rare, high-ranking spirit master at that. Not just anyone, even among spirit masters, could change the weather on such a large scale. Ain himself was a spirit master, so he couldn’t fail to recognize its significance.

“I think I know who it is. I heard a rumor that a hunter who recently passed the Axis rank [a high rank for hunters] is a spirit master. It must be him.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, if someone passes Axis in the capital, that means they’re a high-level spirit master. I thought it might be a false rumor, but it was true. Other than being a spirit master, nothing else is known about him, but he must be a water spirit master.”

Bringing in dark clouds to make it rain was something a wind spirit master could also do. But the rain falling now didn’t have strong winds mixed in. The heavy rain pouring down quietly without any warning was a work only a water spirit could create. Minerva gazed silently at Ain, who couldn’t hide his admiration.

“Are you curious about him?”

“Of course. It’s rare to meet a spirit master. And high-level water spirit masters are especially precious.”

“That expression is not lacking.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

She already knew who had brought this rain. He was not just a high-level spirit master, but a king’s contractor. Following Ain, who had summoned the Wind Spirit King, he was the second miracle to occur in a generation. As the first human to summon the Water King, he was perhaps even more special than her contractor.

However, Minerva swallowed her words instead of telling the truth. There was no need to mention a fact that the person himself had not yet revealed to the world. Or perhaps it was because she was reminded of another Spirit King who was with that boy.

—Human vows are fleeting, Minerva.

The words she had heard from him long ago lingered in her ears. His young companion, who had suddenly visited one day, had a tired face. The golden eyes that always shone brightly had lost their usual light and held a gloomy color.

Since when had she not seen him smile comfortably? Minerva vaguely guessed that it was probably since she had been summoned by a human. She also knew the reason to some extent. He, the Earth Spirit King Trowell, hated humans. So he was displeased that his companion had become lovers with a human. Moreover, he must have felt even worse that day, having just witnessed something unpleasant.

“Minerva? Why are you looking at me like that?”

As Ain asked awkwardly, Minerva raised her hand and gently stroked his face.

“Minerva?”

“Looking at you like this, you’ve grown up a lot.”

Ain, who had been flustered, smiled softly at those words. He covered the hand stroking his face with his own and turned his head to kiss her palm.

“There’s hardly any trace of my childhood face left, right? It would be troubling if there were. I want to be seen as a proper lover with you.”

“You worry about everything.”

“But even now, it feels like I’m dreaming. I never thought that the person I’ve held in my heart since the first moment I saw you would really become my lover. You know, Minerva, your existence is a miracle to me from beginning to end.”

“The end…”

“Yes, just as my beginning was, you are the only one with whom I will share the end.”

—I saw the end of your contract.

Once again, the past voice whispered. Every beginning has an end. It was even more obvious in the case of a relationship with a mortal human. It wasn’t painless, but she didn’t take the fact that she had already prepared for and accepted it as something new. However, the end that Trowell spoke of was a little different from that.

—His heart will leave you.

A warning that the severance of emotions would occur before the time given to them was up. The unbelievable prophecy was confusing and cruel. It was a future she had never imagined since their special relationship began.

—The feelings he has for you now will not last forever. They will fade quickly, as if nothing had happened, and scatter like ashes. The extinguished embers will ignite anew for a new lover. You will be as hurt as you love and cherish him.

—So don’t allow yourself to have too deep a heart for him.

Since then, he had repeatedly warned her of the same thing. After expressing his discomfort, he stopped visiting in person, but she still knew that he wanted them to break up.

She had no resentment towards him. Rather, Trowell was the one who hoped that his prophecy would not come true. The reason he prophesied was to prepare her for the future. If he had only intended to be spiteful, he wouldn’t have bothered to tell her. That was clearly his own kindness. However, the problem was that the two of them had different opinions on how to prepare. Trowell thought that breaking the contract and breaking up immediately was the best option, while Minerva believed that there was another way to solve it. It was already too late to stop easily, and there were too many memories they had shared. If she hadn’t known from the beginning, it might have been different. Now that she had already learned the emotion of love, she felt that she could not go back to before she knew it.

Minerva looked at her lover’s face again. Three years from now. Even while she was turning a blind eye, the time that Trowell had foreseen was steadily approaching. He had not yet retracted his warning.

‘This affectionate and loving heart, is it really going to change in just that time?’

No matter how she thought about it, it was unbelievable. But she couldn’t not believe it either. Trowell would not lie, even if he was venting cruelly. He was only suggesting the most peaceful solution without any personal feelings. But that was only someone else’s opinion, not the opinion of the person involved.

“What are you thinking about now, Minerva?”

“…Ain, I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

His smiling gaze was full of undisguised affection. While carefully examining that affectionate face as if engraving it in her eyes, Minerva slowly opened her mouth.

“A merchant gave you a precious flower. If you plant it in the flower bed, it may bloom every year, but there is also a high possibility that it will wither and die. But if you cut the stem now and put a preservation spell on it, you can continue to enjoy the beautiful flower shape. What would you do with that flower?”

“Hmm, I think I would plant it in the flower bed.”

Ain didn’t think too deeply about it. Minerva’s eyes wavered at the answer that came so readily.

“Plant it?”

“Because I can’t know whether the flower will die or not. I think it would be a waste to give up the future of being able to bloom every year because of that worry. No matter how good the preservation magic is, it’s not as beautiful as something alive. Instead, I should take good care of it so that it doesn’t die, right?”

The surging heart slowly calmed down. The ripples in her eyes also gradually stopped and soon became calm. Ain carefully examined Minerva’s expression.

“Was my answer perhaps insufficient?”

“…No, I like it.”

“That’s a relief.”

Seeing Ain relieved, Minerva smiled bitterly. Her pure lover did not know what had been decided by her answer just now. She had no intention of telling him in the future either. She didn’t want to make her tender lover, who already had many worries, feel uneasy.

‘The fact that his feelings change means that there will be a bad trigger in his relationship with me. So I just need to be careful.’

Minerva calmly organized her thoughts. In the meantime, the warning that had been constantly tickling her ears became completely blurred and no longer came to mind. Just in time, the butler approached and informed them of the mealtime, and the atmosphere naturally changed.

“Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you, Minerva. I’ve made up my mind.”

While leaving the terrace and going inside, Ain said with a bright face. She didn’t need to ask what he had decided on. Since coming to the Empire, Ain had been looking for a place to settle down. As the contractor of the Spirit King, he was famous, and many places coveted his abilities. Until now, he had only been contributing his strength little by little to the places that needed it through short-term contracts, but he couldn’t wander around like that forever. He had been contemplating the proposals pouring in from various places, and it seemed that he had finally made up his mind.

“Is it the place we went to today?”

“Yes, I’ve reviewed several places, but I think that’s the one. The conditions are good, but the efficiency when I worked there was also the best. I think I can get along well there.”

“I see.”

“Actually, what I like most are the people. Wherever I go, unnecessary attention is focused on me and Minerva, but it’s not like that there. What do you think, Minerva?”

“If you like it, I don’t care where we go.”

As a spirit, it was all the same to her anyway. So she valued Ain’s thoughts the most and had no complaints about the decisions he made. But this time, Ain, who would normally be happy, just smiled briefly.

“Aren’t you just letting me do whatever I want too much?”

“It’s because I trust you.”

“Hmm, I get a lot of comfort from that part of Minerva, but I’d like to hear a dissenting opinion at least once.”

“Have I made a mistake?”

“No, it’s not like that. Rather, I’m too grateful. I feel like I’m too inadequate for you, who are so grateful. Minerva, you know how much I adore you, right?”

“Of course, Ain. I know it better than anyone.”

“That’s enough. I adore you, Minerva. So deeply that I can’t even imagine a life without you. I love you that much.”

The heartfelt confession filled her heart every time she heard it. Minerva embraced the warm embrace that held her. As Ain said, the flower had to be planted in the flower bed. Nothing could be more beautiful than a living moment.

How attractive is the word uncertainty? There was still hope in a future that could be avoided. That’s why Minerva couldn’t let go of this precious moment with her own hands. Even if it saddened those who were worried about her.