Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 472

472.

“How can I be sure you’re not lying? I’ve heard that scammers often make excuses like that when they become slaves.”

“Who are you calling a scammer?”

“You said your hometown was Evas Eden.”

“…….”

I was momentarily speechless, feeling caught off guard. As I closed my mouth, the Crown Prince’s smile deepened.

“No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find such a place anywhere on the continent. Then, I happened to hear some interesting news. There’s a beautiful heavenly garden in the Spirit Realm, and its name is Evas Eden.”

“…….”

“Where did you get the pseudonym ‘Ellyuen’ from?”

*I got it from my father’s name, you bastard.*

I couldn’t bring myself to say that, and instead gritted my teeth inwardly. I couldn’t believe he’d investigated my personal information. Seriously, doesn’t the Crown Prince have anything better to do? I’m just someone he happened to meet on a train. Why is he investigating me so thoroughly? Surely he didn’t investigate every passenger on that train, so was my behavior that suspicious back then? Is being alone in second class really that noteworthy? For a brief moment, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was staring intently at me. His piercing gaze was annoying, so I glared back, only to receive an absurd response.

“You seem perfectly fine.”

“……What?”

“Usually, people blush when they see me, regardless of gender.”

*Crazy.*

I was so dumbfounded that my mouth fell open. I can’t believe there’s someone else who can say such things with a straight face besides Lapis. At least Lapis has a reason, but I don’t know what kind of confidence this man in front of me has. The world is indeed vast and wide, though I definitely didn’t want to realize it this way.

I haven’t lived long enough to say that I’ve experienced all the ups and downs of life, so why do I have to go through something like this? My bewildered feelings must have been written all over my face, but the Crown Prince didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, he seemed even more amused as he watched my reaction.

“Is it because you’re so good-looking that you’re not interested in other people’s appearances?”

“No, it’s just that I’m not interested in *your* appearance.”

“Your tone is disrespectful!”

The head of the guard shouted in a stern voice. I openly mocked him, deliberately trying to provoke him, and his eyes widened.

“Sorry, but as you know, I’m not a citizen of the kingdom, and this is imperial territory. I don’t really feel like being polite to a foreign dignitary who turns a blind eye to illegal businesses.”

“How dare you!”

“Enough. That’s enough, Miol.”

The Crown Prince raised his hand again, and the head of the guard retreated, albeit with a dissatisfied expression. The merchant, who had been watching the whole situation, bowed his head, looking flustered.

“I’m sorry, Luciel-nim. As you can see, he’s a very impudent fellow…….”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll take this child with me for now.”

The words that followed were so natural that I initially thought I had misheard. *Who’s taking who?* Dumbfounded, I raised my head, and the Crown Prince, who met my gaze, gave that characteristic obnoxious smile. The merchant also reacted a beat late, as if surprised.

“Yes? Ah, ah! W-would you? I was going to offer the unicorn as tribute, but…”

“Ah, now that you mention it, there was also a unicorn. I heard you caught three this time?”

The Crown Prince nodded briefly and turned his gaze to the iron cage across from us. The unicorns tensed up at the attention. Arel and Karian hurriedly stepped in front of Weldy to block her view, but they were chained and unable to do so. The Crown Prince, seemingly intrigued by their actions, deliberately scanned Weldy, causing everyone’s faces to pale.

“You caught a precious female.”

“Yes, as you can see, she’s quite beautiful. After all, no matter how great a human’s appearance or physical abilities may be, they’re only temporary. In comparison, unicorns are close to eternal. They’re also more valuable in terms of rarity.”

“No, I’ll just take this child.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze returned to me. His face, already set on his decision, even showed a hint of obsession. The merchant, sensing his resolve, bowed his head without another word.

“Then I’ll have her processed and send her to you, Your Highness.”

“I heard the artisan is away. How long will it take?”

“I’ve already sent an urgent message, so he’ll be arriving soon. If you could wait just two days…”

*Two days.* I thought it would take several days, but it seems they’ve decided to rush the processing because of this incident. However, the Crown Prince frowned. “That’s too long,” he cut off the merchant’s words with a short murmur and came to his own conclusion.

“I’ll take her as she is for now, and you can send the artisan to me later. I want to observe her in this state a little longer. Once she’s processed, she’ll become docile like a doll, and that won’t be fun.”

“Yes? That won’t do, Luciel-nim. That’s too dangerous.”

“She’s wearing a mana-sealing device, so she can’t use spirit magic anyway, right?”

“Actually, she’s also quite skilled in swordsmanship. She used only a sword even when facing fifty soldiers.”

“……Is that so? That’s unexpected.”

The Crown Prince turned back with a look of surprise. I was in the middle of losing my words at the scene of human rights abuse happening in real-time, so I couldn’t even muster the will to react. I could only hope that this ridiculous farce would end before my patience reached its limit.

“Spirit swordsmen are extremely rare. Is that why you’re so relaxed? It seems like you’re confident that you can escape at any time.”

However, the Crown Prince was oblivious. I wanted him to disappear already, but he kept lingering, and it didn’t seem like he had any intention of leaving.

“What’s that?”

I was ignoring him, letting him say whatever he wanted, when the Crown Prince suddenly turned his gaze with an intrigued expression. His gaze was directed towards the clothes that were crumpled messily at my feet. Then, the man who had been arguing with me, who had been waiting nearby and observing the situation, quickly bowed and said.

“Ah, we were going to have her wear that. She was resisting, so we were having trouble.”

“Resistance, huh. It’s clear she doesn’t know her place yet.”

“Yes, she’s a very impudent one.”

“Then we should just give her what she wants.”

The man nodded repeatedly, then smiled awkwardly with a disappointed expression. He seemed deflated by the more bland reaction than he had expected. I, too, looked at him with a queasy feeling. I had a feeling that he wasn’t the type to give in so easily. As expected, the Crown Prince’s words didn’t end there.

“Skin too.”

I felt an ominous feeling the moment something started. As my eyes widened, the Crown Prince, who met my gaze, smiled languidly.

“Delas, Ine, Detestor.”

“……!”

In an instant, a tingling sensation pierced my chest. It felt like a cold hand had pierced through my insides and grabbed my heart. I tried to push it away, but the mana that was stagnant due to the sealing device didn’t follow my will.

“Malum, Interculo, Ine, Altis, Caligo.”

Something sticky clung to my entire body. I couldn’t move because of the spiderweb-like sensation. My vision quickly blurred, and my sight went completely dark. It was so hard to breathe that I couldn’t even make a sound. It felt like I was sinking into deep ink.

“What are you doing now……!”

*Clang!* The sound of chains clashing rang out. It seemed like the unicorns were startled and moved their bodies greatly, judging by Arel’s voice. The sound of them gasping for air clearly pierced my ears. It seemed like they were really surprised, seeing as they usually didn’t show any reaction. I understood. I was just as surprised.

“Lu, Luciel-nim. What have you done?”

The merchant’s voice was also surprised. The Crown Prince replied in a nonchalant tone.

“I bound her body. It’ll be difficult if she moves during the procedure.”

“Procedure?”

“I’ll do the processing myself.”

“……Yes?”

“I’ve never done it before because I didn’t really need to, but I know how to do it. Since she wants to be processed so badly, it wouldn’t be bad to personally step in.”

“Ah, ah! Now that I think about it, Luciel-nim is well-versed in magic and alchemy.”

The merchant’s voice was filled with excitement, as if he finally understood the situation.

‘*……He likes magic.*’

Even in my dazed state, I couldn’t help but laugh at that nonsense. If I hadn’t experienced Lapis and Sibelius together, I might have thought that was the case. But I already knew the difference between the two too well. Even though they look similar on the surface, magic is completely different in how it works. Besides, I’ve felt a similar pain before. It was much weaker than before, but there was no way this nauseating energy that seemed to be contaminating my whole body could be anything else.

‘*This is black magic.*’

If I could open my mouth, I would have cursed him first. For the Crown Prince to use black magic, what kind of country is the Epen Kingdom? I thought they were shameless, but this was beyond that. Black magic is illegal in any era. Especially since it’s based on the will to curse God, it’s also the power that the Divine Realm prohibits most strictly. The problem with this is that it affects not only the body but also the soul. It was impossible to resist under normal circumstances.

“Now, I’ll make you comfortable soon.”

The Crown Prince’s nonchalant voice was heard. It seemed that the meaning of the word *comfortable* had changed without me knowing. Soon, the cold sensation that felt like it was grabbing my heart permeated my head as well. I thought he was going to do the processing in the orthodox way, but it was black magic again. I could feel the malice of trying to ruin me on purpose.

“Peratio, Afflic, Ine. Minister.”

“No! Stop it right now, human! What are you……doing……!”

“……Stop! That’s forbidden……!”

The unintelligible words echoed in my head as if they were being engraved. In the midst of that, the voices of the unicorns desperately shouting were mixed in sporadically. The nausea worsened, and I smelled blood. I seemed to be having a nosebleed. My soul was holding on, but my body couldn’t.

‘*This is a bit dangerous…….*’

It seemed like the time had come to make a decision.

I barely focused my consciousness and moved my fingertips. I knew how to get out of here. Spells based on incantations are basically powers that belong to God, and they can be broken with the power of a stronger god. If I could only summon that power before I was completely captured. Fortunately, I wasn’t weak enough to be easily consumed by spells, and I also had the Demon God’s mark. If I wanted to, I could draw on Canos’s power. Of course, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to stop him from noticing me. But now wasn’t the time to be picky. No matter how twisted things got, it would be better than dying here.

“Hmm.”

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”

“No, is it because she’s a spiritist? It should be over by now, but she’s holding on unusually well. It’s dangerous enough as it is, but I should strengthen it a little more.”

The situation didn’t give me any more room to hesitate. I could endure even if it got stronger, but my body would definitely be severely damaged. I had no choice but to focus my consciousness on the mark. It was the moment I was about to become aware of the name that I had vowed never to call here.

“Keuk!”

“Your Highness!”

Suddenly, something hot brushed my face, and my breath caught in my throat. Shouts of panic erupted from all directions along with a groan. The atmosphere instantly sharpened, and the sound of weapons moving filled the surroundings.

“It’s an attack!”

“Protect His Highness!”

It seemed like something had happened to the Crown Prince. As proof, the spell was cut off, and I could move my body again. The unpleasant sensation disappeared all at once, and I felt nauseous again. Fortunately, I didn’t throw up mud like before, and it ended with just gagging.

I shook my head and struggled to lift it, and the vision that had been blank gradually cleared. As I blinked, I saw the Crown Prince, who was holding one hand and making a painful expression, among the people moving busily. A dark burn was on his hand.

‘*What is it? Did someone help me?*’

In my flustered state, I turned to the unicorns, but they also had bewildered expressions. Now that I looked at it, there was an attack, but the attacker was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t feel any presence anywhere.

“Everyone, don’t let your guard down!”

The knights of conquest, who had drawn their swords, surrounded the Crown Prince and guarded their surroundings. But no matter how much time passed, the next attack didn’t come. It was around the time the surroundings became quiet in the midst of tight tension.

“C, Clan Lord.”

A soldier appeared at the entrance. The merchant looked at him with a stiff face and shouted.

“Did you find anyone suspicious?”

“That’s…….”

The soldier couldn’t finish his words. He opened and closed his mouth, then vomited blood. A sword was sticking out from near his chest.

“Wh, What…….”

While everyone, including the merchant, hesitated, the soldier’s body fell forward. The sound of him falling was heard, but no one paid attention to him. It was because someone was standing in the space revealed as the soldier fell. It was a tall man wearing a hood pulled down deeply.

“Who are you!”

The merchant, who had turned completely pale, trembled his lips. A suspicious person was standing there so openly, but there was no sign of anyone running from outside. It meant that at least all the troops nearby had been taken care of.

The Crown Prince’s knights also had stiff faces and more carefully wrapped their master. The suspicious hooded man looked around at them quietly, then stared at me and the unicorns. The next moment, he lightly blew on something he was holding in his hand. Paper scraps fluttered in all directions.

“Killida.”

My heart thumped at the sound of the voice that fell at that moment.

“Delas, Pullus, Arigo.”

“Traces (迹).”

While the quiet voice continued, the paper scraps turned into a swarm of white butterflies and quickly shot towards the knights. “Ugh!” One of the knights who tried to casually strike them down screamed. It was because the butterflies stuck to him and wrapped his body in white thread. In the blink of an eye, he became a huge cocoon and fell to the floor.

“Wh, What is this!”

“Protect His Highness!”

The horrified knights held up their shields. The Crown Prince’s face was stiff. He was the one among the humans here who couldn’t help but recognize that power more than anyone else. At a glance, he seemed to realize that it was a power that was the opposite of his own.