Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 455

455.

“Huh? Am I going too?”

“Of course. You’re the de facto leader of the Guild. Besides, they’re going to be our colleagues, so it wouldn’t make sense if you weren’t there to greet them, would it?”

“I guess so. What time is it?”

Chris threw me a time rocket instead of answering. Time rockets, which use color to indicate the time, were the most common magical clocks in the Empire.

One ‘shi’ [an ancient Chinese unit of time] here is equivalent to three hours in modern time. This era divided 24 hours into eight time slots of three hours each. The colors displayed by the rocket also consisted of eight shades, a rainbow sequence starting with black for 0 ‘shi’ and progressing through purple, indigo, and blue in reverse order. The colors also intensified as time passed, with each shade further divided into three segments based on its intensity.

The inside of the rocket was currently green. Green indicated the 5 ‘shi’ segment, and the color was slightly darker, meaning it was in the second segment. So, it was roughly 1-2 PM.

“Hmm, I don’t know if I can make it in one ‘shi’. But I’ll try to be there before the first segment of 7 ‘shi’ passes.”

“Okay, see you later!”

Chris snatched the rocket I threw back and quickly turned around. He seemed afraid of getting scolded again, as his steps were quite nimble as he hurried away. I waved until he completely disappeared. I felt so relieved that the matter that had dragged on for over a month was finally being resolved. That is, until I heard a dry voice next to me.

“Impressive. You still have handstands, duck-walks, five thousand downward strikes, five thousand thrusts, and various other miscellaneous things left. You think you can finish all that in one ‘shi’ segment?”

Of course, I can’t. Just the things he mentioned usually take at least five hours to complete. And what’s with the ‘miscellaneous things’? It seems like he’s planning to torment me on purpose. Or is it just my imagination?

“…Hehe, in that sense, can’t we finish training a little early today, Trowel? I’ll make up for it tomorrow.”

“Training isn’t something that’s effective if you cram it all in at once.”

“Y-yes, that’s true. But…”

The look on Trowel’s face was stern as I glanced at him. Sometimes he skips the afternoon training, so I was hoping he’d consider my situation this time, but it didn’t seem likely. I had no choice but to somehow manage to complete everything within the time limit. Resigned, I sighed and prepared to continue training. Trowel, who had been watching me silently, asked.

“You really want to skip it that badly?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to train. But it’s our first meeting, so I thought I should at least greet everyone…”

“Hmm, fine. If you’re that desperate, I’ll let you finish early. There’s one way.”

“Oh? Really?”

Has he changed his mind? I raised my head, brightening up, and Trowel threw something towards me. I looked down at the object that had fallen to the floor with a thud, feeling a bit puzzled. It was a longsword wrapped in cloth. I couldn’t mistake it for anything else, since I had wrapped it myself. A spirit sword made from a human soul. Fire Buster, who hadn’t uttered a single word since I found him.

“Pick up the sword.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s a duel. If you beat me even once within one ‘shi’, today’s training is over.”

…Isn’t that just saying he won’t let me finish training? I tried to calculate the probability of beating him, but my mind just went blank. No, more than that, one ‘shi’? Does that mean this duel is going to last for three hours?

“W-wait a minute, Trowel? No, Master? Brother!?”

I could hear the blood draining from my head. I swallowed hard and looked up, meeting Trowel’s eyes as he smiled sweetly.

“Here I come.”

It was a devil’s smile.

* * *

“Yanma, what happened? You’re late. It’s almost 8 ‘shi’ already.”

By the time I arrived at the Guild office, it was already dark all around. It was late enough that Chris would burst out the moment I knocked and start scolding me as soon as he confirmed it was me.

“…I know, right? I wonder what happened.”

I muttered in vain, and Chris’s shoulders twitched. I guess my condition looked pretty unusual.

“Um… you’ve been through a lot, huh? I’m just asking out of concern, but do you need a recovery potion?”

“No, I’m fine. I got healed.”

“O-oh, okay. So you did need healing.”

“Dueling can be a bit dangerous, you know. Getting hit with the scabbard really hurts.”

“…Well, I guess so.”

Chris smiled awkwardly, his eyes shaking violently like a candle in the wind. He looked like he wanted to seriously discuss his brother’s personality again. Honestly, it was a bit tough this time. I thought I knew bruises pretty well, but I learned today that there are even more diverse forms they can take. It got to the point where Ellyuen, who was healing me, rarely told Trowel to take it easy. Trowel admitted that he went too far. He said I was improving faster than he expected, so he unconsciously put more strength into it.

So, does that mean I’m actually good? I must have smiled without realizing it, because Chris looked bewildered.

“What? Why are you grinning?”

“Just because.”

In this era, Ellyuen and Trowel are incredibly stingy with praise, so you have to take it well when you get it. This is practically an outright compliment. I know it’s not the time for this, but I can’t help but feel my lips curling up. Chris, who had been dumbfounded, soon smiled as if he couldn’t help it.

“Seriously, you’re late and yet you’re so excited. Anyway, come on in. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”

“Everyone? They haven’t left yet? By the way, how did the contract go?”

“You’re quick to ask. The contracts are all signed. I told them they could go back, but they said they wanted to greet you if possible, so they’re just waiting.”

“…Um, my bad.”

“You’re just realizing that now?”

Chris chuckled and lightly pushed my back. I hurried inside and saw people sitting on the sofa. It was a group of two men and one woman.

“I’m really sorry. Did you have to wait long? I’m so late…”

But the words of apology I was offering politely couldn’t continue to the end. The faces of the two people who turned around, sensing my presence, were very familiar. A groan of dismay escaped me involuntarily. It was Simon and Della, the hunters I had first met when I came to this world.

“Huh?”

“You!”

The two also stood up in surprise. Their eyes were wide with shock. I figured my expression probably wasn’t much different. I thought about turning around and going back the way I came, but I realized it was a pointless attempt and sighed. Why hasn’t anyone developed a magical artifact that can turn back time? I tried to force a smile, but it felt like my lips were twitching.

“Hehe, hello. Long time no see.”

“Why are you here…?”

I wonder why I’m here. And why are you here?

Come to think of it, these people came up to the capital too. I ran into them a while ago, but I didn’t think I’d ever meet them again, so I completely erased them from my mind. Out of all the hunters, these people had to be the ones who came to join our guild. I don’t know why things are getting so twisted.

“Oh? What, you guys know each other?”

Chris, unaware of the situation, looked puzzled. The remaining person in Simon’s group was also looking back and forth between us with a bewildered expression. I pondered how to explain it, then gave a simple answer for now.

“I wouldn’t say we know each other well. We just happened to meet briefly a while ago.”

“Wow, really? To meet people you briefly met here again like this is quite a coincidence. Is this what they call fate?”

Of course, Chris was the only one who laughed at that joke. Simon and Della’s faces only hardened further. The two exchanged glances for a moment. They seemed to be deciding who would step up to resolve this situation. After a brief discussion, Della spoke.

“When I heard the name El, I thought it might be you. But I never thought it would really be you. You’re a hunter? The master of this guild?”

“Um, no. As you saw when you signed the contract, Chris is the master. I’m just a founding member.”

“That’s a little different from what Chris said. Chris made it sound like you had the real power.”

“Well, he just decided to give me a little more decision-making power. But Chris is still the master.”

“…I see. Let’s say that’s the case. Then are you an advisor? But aren’t there only five members in total right now? A guild can’t be established unless all five are hunters, right? Chris clearly said that only three needed to be filled.”

“I’m a hunter. I have a license too.”

When I said I’d show it to them if they didn’t believe me, Della couldn’t hide her embarrassment.

“But… you’re a priest, aren’t you? How can you be a hunter?”

“Huh? A priest?”

Chris blinked in bewilderment. Yeah, I knew it would go this way. I shook my head at Chris and then took another deep breath.

“I’m not a priest.”

“What… you’re not a priest? Were you excommunicated?”

“No, I’ve never been a priest to begin with.”

“That’s a lie! You had the mark of a demon god!”

This time, it was Simon who retorted. He had been fidgeting since earlier, and it seemed he couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Chris’s eyes widened even further.

“The mark of a demon god? El is a demon god?”

“Yes! I clearly saw the mark of a demon god engraved on his hand! But even if you say you’re not, who would believe that…?”

Simon, who had been protesting, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Della also paused. Following their gaze, Chris lowered his head and identified the reason for everyone’s confusion.

“There’s no mark here.”

That’s right. I wasn’t wearing gloves right now, and my bare hand was completely clean without any traces. Looking at the bewildered people, I smiled as naturally as possible.

“Hold out your hand.”

The scene from just a moment ago naturally came to mind.

It was right before I left for here, just as I was about to depart. I opened the door and was about to leave when I noticed that my glove was torn and tattered. Even with preservation magic cast on it, it was only slightly better than before and still couldn’t withstand strenuous training for long. I was about to take out a new glove when Trowel suddenly made an unexpected request. I held out my hand without thinking, and he grabbed it and applied something to the back of my hand. Then, surprisingly, the mark disappeared.

“Huh? What is this?”

“Camouflage cream for priests. It can temporarily hide the marks of gods.”

“Wow, there’s something like this.”

“Dragons sometimes invent things that seem useless but are surprisingly useful. This is one of them. But the marks of high-ranking gods don’t last long. Especially since this is the mark of a demon god, it’ll be even shorter. Maybe three or four hours at most.”

Ah, so that’s why he didn’t bother telling me. If the effect is that short, gloves are much safer. As I swallowed my disappointment, Trowel smiled as if he understood. The golden eyes I met gleamed meaningfully.

“Come back before the cream wears off.”

Until then, I thought he was just giving it to me because I was always late when I met Chris, and Trowel didn’t like that very much.

‘…So he took action knowing this would happen.’

It’s all good, but please explain these things in advance. Still, thanks to him, I got through another big crisis. I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if it weren’t for him.

“What happened? There was definitely a mark…”

Simon and Della, of course, were greatly confused because they didn’t know about these circumstances. The remaining person, who had been sitting like a sack of potatoes, also seemed to know about me and was riding along with the atmosphere. I took a slight deep breath and smiled again. Trowel had set the stage for me, so it was my turn to make good use of it.

“Because I erased it. Actually, it was fake.”

“F-fake?”

“It was a fake mark?”

“Ugh, let me understand too! What is all this about?”

The two had blank faces, and Chris burst out in dissatisfaction. He seemed very frustrated that he was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. From then on, I told them about the past events, adding appropriately fabricated stories. I said that I had to disguise myself as a priest for reasons I couldn’t reveal. But I had an accident and temporarily lost my memory, and I happened to meet Simon’s group in that state.

“Later, when my memory returned, I realized that I wasn’t a real priest. So I ran away.”

“Wow, I would have run away too. Impersonating a priest is at least a one-way ticket to the underground prison.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry for disappearing like that back then. The situation was so bad that I couldn’t help it.”

After I finished explaining everything, the surroundings became quiet for a moment. Simon’s group looked much calmer than before. It was a story I made up on the spot, so I wasn’t sure if it would work, but fortunately, it seemed like my excuse had worked.

“I understand the explanation. I’m curious about what kind of story it was, but since you say you can’t reveal it, I won’t pry. But if you’re not a demon god, then how did you heal Erina back then?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe it was with the help of another power I have.”

“Another power?”

Instead of answering, I summoned Naias. The people who had been doubtful all gasped when the small mermaids appeared in the air.

“As you can see, spirits are the opposite of the things in the Demon World. Maybe it was a weak demon beast, so it was pushed back by my energy.”

“A spiritist…?”

“Isn’t that the most solid proof that I’m not a priest?”

I shrugged, and the three of them just looked defeated. They seemed to have lost all motivation because they had powerful proof that anyone would have to acknowledge right in front of their eyes.