Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 476

Chapter 476

“Wow, four siblings? Their parents must have really worked hard to have that many kids. Well, a family with a lineage like yours has to put in some effort.”

Ifrit cut in again. His grinning face sparkled 부담스럽게 [with a burdensome or overwhelming feeling] with an emotion I couldn’t quite grasp.

“Which parent do you take after?”

“Well, I guess my father…….”

“Oh, your father must be handsome. Are your talents from your father’s side too?”

“Mostly. But why are you asking all this?”

“Just trying to get to know you. We’ll be seeing each other often, so it’s good to know more about each other.”

“Seeing each other often?”

Does that mean he’ll be visiting frequently? Just the thought of it is 부담스러운데 [burdensome], but Ellyuen and Trowell, who I thought would hate this even more than I do, didn’t react much.

Come to think of it, why is Ifrit even here? Considering Ellyuen’s feelings back then, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had been sealed away immediately, but there’s no sign of that now. No matter how much time heals, he wouldn’t have forgiven him in just two days. I wonder what kind of agreement they reached in the meantime. Trowell smiled when he saw the thought on my face.

“Originally, Elquines was going to submerge the Fire Realm and seal Ifrit. But we thought of a better way and decided to change course.”

“A better way?”

I turned my head and met Ellyuen’s eyes. He looked uncomfortable. He often does, but he seemed particularly upset today. It’s probably not my imagination that his gaze feels like it’s glaring at me. Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but flinch when he reached out his finger. But that finger wasn’t pointing at me, but at Ifrit. The words that followed were a bolt from the blue in a different way.

“From now on, that one is your 종이다 [servant/property].”

“……Huh?”

“Use him as you please.”

“……Huh?”

Use him as I please? Surely 종이다 [servant/property] doesn’t mean what I think it means?

I turned back, dumbfounded, and Ifrit smiled calmly. His face of resignation, having let go of much, was filled with deep detachment.

“That’s how it is, young master. Please take care of me.”

“…….”

Whatever else, one thing was certain.

The Spirit Realm of my time was really, really harmonious.

* * *

The place I was moved to in the past two days was a village called Arnon. It was the closest village to the forest, a small village with so few people that it was surprising there was even an inn. Perhaps because of that, the building facilities weren’t very good. It was made of wood, and even that was so old that it creaked every time I walked. There were cobwebs that hadn’t been cleaned and boards that were only partially patched up. Traces of hasty cleaning and repairs remained haphazardly everywhere.

I stopped in front of a door marked Room 3. It was still early in the morning, so even after knocking several times, it took a while for a response from inside. Finally, with a rough creaking sound, the door opened and a man with a haggard face peeked out. It was Chris, his eyes swollen as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet. He scratched his hair, which was sticking up like a bird’s nest, and frowned in every way possible. Then, he recognized me and rubbed his eyes wildly.

“Huh? El? Is that you, El?”

“Did you sleep well, Chris?”

I smiled at his shocked face. “What?”, “El?” At that moment, a commotion was heard from inside, and familiar faces appeared in a rush. They all looked disheveled, having just woken up.

“Oh my god, El!”

“You’re awake?”

“Are you alright?”

I nodded to the shocked people and calmly looked at everyone. I knew they were safe, but seeing them all in good shape with my own eyes put me at ease. As I smiled again, Chris grabbed me and sobbed.

“You reckless, incredible guy! How could you do this! I was so worried! What on earth are you……!”

“Um, I get it, so let go.”

“No! I’m going to stick to you! You wonderful guy! You awesome guy!”

I don’t know if he wants to curse or praise me. Was it because the situation when we parted was so bad? It seems that my being unconscious for two days was quite a shock. I looked back at the others, meaning for them to stop him, but it was no use. Rather, they all rushed to cling to me.

Thanks to that, it was a long time before I could have a proper conversation. Only after receiving complaints about the noise and coming into the room did they calm down. They excitedly chattered about what had happened, without me even having to ask.

They said that the slave caravan covered in white ice was completely annihilated. The only survivors at the scene were the kidnapped people inside the tent and a few lucky ones who happened to be resting inside. They were all unconscious, so there was no need to subdue them.

After being released, Chris immediately went to the village and sent a message to the lord’s castle to report the situation. The lord was skeptical but sent an investigator, and when all of this was confirmed to be true, soldiers were immediately dispatched. After that, all the kidnapped people were moved for treatment, and the surviving caravan members were captured and dragged away. And all of that was thanks to my contribution.

“……Who did what?”

“It was you, wasn’t it? Little brother said you froze everything and collapsed. Isn’t that right?”

“Oh, um, I guess so.”

Well, I can’t exactly say that the Spirit King descended and wiped them all out. Besides, I’m his contractor, so the result is the same as if I did it. I awkwardly agreed, and everyone’s eyes became 부담스럽게 [burdensome] sparkling.

“I was so surprised when I came outside. All those soldiers were ice statues. I knew high-level spirit masters were amazing, but I didn’t know they were that great.”

‘That’s because it’s not the skill of a high-level spirit master.’

I swallowed the words I couldn’t honestly answer and smiled awkwardly. If there was even one spirit master here, they would know how ridiculous this is. At times like this, I don’t know if it’s fortunate or unfortunate that it’s such a rare ability.

“More importantly, can the people who were 세공된 [worked/crafted upon, referring to the magical manipulation] be fixed?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a bit tricky, but fortunately, they can be fixed. It seems that removing the magic circle engraved on their heads will do the trick. There will be aftereffects for a while, though.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

Chris smiled bitterly. His gaze was fixed on a man sitting in a chair in the back. The black-haired man sitting blankly like a doll was Davian. He wasn’t inside the tent, but he was the only one who avoided the disaster. Chris found him collapsed in a corner and secretly took him out.

Chris thought he was lucky, but it couldn’t have been just luck. Sure enough, I glanced to the side, and the blonde man leaning against the door winked. I know full well who’s responsible.

“Um, El…… I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier, but who is that?”

Just then, Della cautiously asked. At the same time, everyone focused on me as if they had been waiting for it. It seems they had been holding back what they wanted to ask. Before I could answer, the blonde man, Ifrit, smiled.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just like his shadow.”

“A shadow?”

“I’m also a servant, a caretaker, and a guardian. You can think of me in whatever way is convenient.”

“What on earth…….”

“I’ll be seeing you often, so please take care of me.”

Bewildered by the cheerful greeting, gazes once again focused on me. As I tried to figure out how to explain, everything became a hassle. In the end, the simplest answer was all that came to mind.

“……Just ignore him.”

Ifrit caused the accident, but why do I have to suffer?

Forcing a Spirit King to become a human’s 종이 [servant/property] was too much to ask, no matter how I thought about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what Ellyuen intended, but I had no intention of following that enormous instruction. I made excuses, saying that it was too much to do this to another Spirit King, that it wasn’t right, and that I didn’t like it because it was 부담스러운데 [burdensome]. Ellyuen accepted my opinion. So he decided to create another alternative: to change the title from 종이 [servant/property] to 보부 [errand boy].

“What’s the difference?”

It was absurd, but by that time, I couldn’t protest anymore. He said that now that I was awake, he would take care of the rest of the aftermath and disappeared with Trowell. It was a roundabout way of saying that no matter what I refused, he had no intention of withdrawing.

“Young master, you don’t seem to know your contractor yet. He’s merciless when it comes to revenge, and he doesn’t change his mind once he’s made up his mind. It’s faster for us to just give up.”

Unlike me, who was 망연자실 [in a daze/stupefied] looking at the place where they had disappeared, Ifrit, the culprit of all this, was just calm. I wondered what he was thinking, and my gaze naturally intensified.

“Why do you keep fighting with Elquines when you know so well?”

“Well, I’m fire and he’s water. Opposing elements are just like that.”

“Don’t you think you’re the only one getting worked up about it?”

“Don’t poke at sore spots.”

Seeing him become serious right away, it seems he knows it himself. Well, there are things you can’t help even if you know. As I looked at him with a pitiful heart, he lightly cleared his throat.

“Anyway, just give up. Let’s get along well with each other this time.”

“You’ve ended up doing errands for humans, but why are you so calm?”

“Well, I prefer this to having my territory submerged? This situation itself is kind of fun.”

“This is fun?”

He shrugged at me, who was frowning. The words that followed were extremely 장황하기 [verbose/long-winded].

“Elquines is a really 냉정한 [cold-hearted/callous] guy. Once he decides on something, he’ll definitely carry it through no matter what. You can tell just by looking at him that the angrier he gets, the colder he becomes, right? I’m not just saying this. He’s just naturally closer to ice than water. I wonder if he even has emotions.”

“Are you talking behind his back in front of his contractor?”

“What do you mean talking behind his back? I’m just stating the facts. Trowell is the same. He may look cute, but he’s not the type to take care of anyone. When it comes to being heartless, Elquines is second to none. So I thought I was really in danger this time. I was quite prepared.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“But it went by more peacefully than usual. You collapsed and everything stopped.”

I don’t know what the conclusion of this is. So are you saying it’s a shame you didn’t get hit more? I was 황당해서 [dumbfounded/flabbergasted] looking at him when Ifrit chuckled.

“I think I’ll get to see a lot of interesting things if I stick around you.”

It wasn’t just my imagination that I felt a chill when I heard those words. Judging by the atmosphere, I had a feeling that he would have followed us even if Ellyuen hadn’t ordered him to. It meant that my future had become more tiring.

Anyway, he decided to appear in front of people as ‘Lil’. It’s not only because it’s less noticeable, but also because it would reduce the burden on the guild members he would have to associate with often. But the effect was better than expected.

“Puhaha! Is that real?”

“I’m telling you, it is. Do you know how 황당했는지 [dumbfounded/flabbergasted] I was at that time? They’re all out of their minds.”

“Euhaha, my stomach hurts. Lil, you seem to be very funny.”

“I hear that a lot.”

The guild members quickly became close to him. It was completely out of the orbit of my guess that they would just ignore him even if they saw him, like Ellyuen or Trowell, or at best, exchange awkward greetings. The way they spoke freely and got along harmoniously was as if they had known each other from the beginning. Come to think of it, he seemed quite close to them when he was undercover in the slave caravan. That’s why I didn’t think of him as an outsider. He was a Spirit King with an unexpected talent.

Ifrit wasn’t unnecessarily 까다롭지도 [picky/fussy] or demanding. He mingled well with people without hesitation even during meal times. This was something I learned for the first time, but unlike other Spirit Kings who take some time to decompose food, he can burn it right away, so there’s not much burden. Honestly, I was a little envious of that. But what made me feel genuinely favorable towards him was when I discovered an unexpected 섬세한 [thoughtful/considerate] point.

“Oh, young master. Take this.”

I took what he threw without thinking and widened my eyes. It was the lost Fire Buster.

“Ah, my sword!”

“It’s yours, right, young master? I didn’t think you’d be able to stop by the warehouse, so I took good care of it.”

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it, so a sigh of relief naturally flowed out. Fortunately, even if he recognized that Fire Buster was an Ego Sword, he didn’t seem to care much about the power it contained. He just said, “This sword has fire properties,” as if it were interesting.

“And take this too.”

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw what he handed me next. It was the 조개 화석 [seashell fossil] necklace that Langshi had given me before. Wait, why does Ifrit have that? Only then did I hurriedly grope around my chest, but I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t even know it had been confiscated.

“I thought you wouldn’t even know it was gone. All accessories are confiscated because they might be magical tools. The bracelets and gloves couldn’t be taken off, so I left them as they were and only took the necklace.”

“Oh, I see.”

I thought they had only confiscated the sword because everything visible was still there. But it was because they couldn’t take it off that they just left it. It was a great relief that I had fixed the gloves with the bracelet. I broke out in a cold sweat when I thought I almost had the 마신 [Demon God]’s mark exposed.

‘I did something I’m sorry for to Langshi.’

Even if I was out of my mind, it was a mistake that I only realized it was gone now. If I had lost it like that, she would have been really heartbroken. I saw Ifrit in a new light for noticing it first and finding it for me without me even saying anything.

But that wasn’t all. The shape of the necklace was slightly different from what I remembered. The necklace string that Langshi gave me was too short, so I had arbitrarily attached a leather strap, but that had been changed to a thin chain. Thanks to that, it looked much more sophisticated than before. Sensing my confusion, Ifrit explained the reason.

“It seems they forcibly cut the string because they were too lazy to take it off nicely. So I put on something that would suit it. It’s enchanted with 강화마법 [enhancement magic] and a locking spell, so it won’t fall off even if someone tries to take it off by force now.”

“Th, thank you.”