Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 484

484. The Wind Spirit King and the Duke

“Are you the Spirit Master Elio?”

I looked up at the voice that came from nearby. A stern-looking, elderly man stood there with a cane. His gaze slowly scanned me up and down, full of scrutiny.

“Yes, I’m El. What can I do for you?”

“Are you the Water Spirit Master? The Advanced Spirit Master who caught the large monster recently?”

“Yes, I am…”

“…Hmm, I see.”

A hint of disappointment flickered across his face as he nodded stiffly. He clicked his tongue briefly, made some perfunctory small talk, and then left. I wondered why he bothered to speak to me at all, but it wasn’t surprising since this had happened several times already.

“Here we go again. Seriously, how rude.”

Chris, who had watched the whole scene from the side, grumbled with a displeased expression.

“Why ask questions out of the blue and then just leave? He could at least control his facial expressions.”

“I know, right?”

I honestly agreed. Even though I was getting used to it, it was still absurd.

The entrance was even more of a spectacle. When I showed my invitation, the gatekeeper loudly announced me at the entrance, and everyone in the hall turned to look, unable to hide their disappointment. The sight of so many people simultaneously expressing the same emotion was quite impressive in many ways.

‘Not as good as I thought…’

‘Just average…’

‘The rumors were exaggerated…’

Even if I hadn’t heard the murmurs, I could guess the reason. Apparently, everyone was let down because the talked-about Spirit Master of the past few days didn’t live up to their expectations. Some even came up to me to confirm my identity and were disappointed again. The man who had spoken to me earlier was one of them.

Fortunately, this seemed to be the last time, as the glances noticeably subsided after the man turned away. I was starting to get annoyed by the constant attention, so it was a relief. And even more fortunate was the abundance of food at the banquet. From various meats cooked in diverse ways, to meals, to snacks including cakes, puddings, cookies, and chocolates. As I tasted the various dishes, the unpleasant feelings didn’t have a chance to linger. I was excitedly contemplating what to eat next when Chris turned to me with a sulky expression.

“El, can’t you just undo it?”

“You know that’s nonsense, right?”

“I’m just so frustrated.”

“You’re frustrated by everything.”

“But! It’s so infuriating when they’re so openly rude, saying my appearance is not good, or that they were scammed. They wouldn’t even dare to approach if they saw your real face! What did you even do? How can you hide that gorgeous appearance so perfectly?”

I shrugged at his dumbfounded gaze. I casually touched something solid inside my clothes. Besides the fossil necklace I always wore, I had another necklace on today—a magical artifact made by the Red Dragon himself to conceal my appearance. Ifrit had readily lent it to me when I said I was going to the banquet. It was to prevent unnecessary attention, but now that it was actually working, it tasted bitter. The fact that interest waned due to my different appearance meant that was all they expected from me.

Thanks to that, my already non-existent interest in the banquet completely disappeared. From the start, my only purpose was to meet Duke Sepion—the dragon Lamias—but judging from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem easy. I thought there might be some significance since he even sent clothes with the invitation, but apparently, Duke Sepion usually sends clothes when inviting commoners (Chris, who attended as my companion, had to prepare his own). It was a consideration in case they couldn’t afford formal attire.

Coming to the banquet made it even clearer. There were too many people in the hall, and their occupations and social classes varied. It seemed like almost everyone who was known to some extent in the capital had been invited.

The biggest problem was that the movement was divided according to social status. It wasn’t explicitly stated, so I didn’t notice it at first, but after watching for a while, I could clearly feel an invisible line drawn between each area. Even though it seemed like everyone was mixed up, only the upper class could enter the central area. Those of lower status couldn’t leave the outskirts. The upper class rarely came to the outskirts, so there was no opportunity to get close to each other.

As a commoner hunter, Chris and I were naturally loitering on the outskirts. In this situation, even if Duke Sepion, the host of the banquet and a great noble, appeared, I had no expectation of meeting him. It would be fortunate if I could even send him a note through a servant.

“The Master of the Jinheon Guild, Teo Ete, and his wife, Anna Ete, are entering!”

My mood sank further when I heard an unwelcome name in the midst of all this. I saw a familiar man entering the hall with a woman, a blatant smile on his face. My brow furrowed involuntarily.

“Damn it, that bastard’s coming too.”

Chris, even more displeased than I was, muttered a curse. Of course, a banquet that invited even newly famous rookie hunters wouldn’t leave out a famous guild master like Jinheon. Even the atmosphere of those welcoming him was noticeably different. People who had only glanced at us when we entered were now rushing to greet him. Some of the high-ranking nobles, who had been reluctant to move, were among them, making Chris’s expression even more sour.

I was about to tell him not to worry about it when I suddenly felt something strange. It was as if the air was spreading out. A certain overflowing presence rushed into the hall, swallowing everything in an instant.

“Ah.”

“What’s wrong, El?”

Chris looked at me with a puzzled expression.

‘Could it be?’

I swallowed hard, feeling the surroundings stir. At the same time, a loud voice echoed from the entrance.

“The Wind Spirit Master, Ain Idris! And… the Spirit King Minerva is entering!”

The surroundings went silent in an instant.

Everyone’s movements froze as if time had stopped. Even though I already knew, I couldn’t move at all.

Among the frozen people, a being slowly revealed himself. Skin so white it seemed transparent, and dazzling silver-white hair draped over it. Eyes that held the stillness of moonlight. From head to toe, he gave off a pure white aura, reminiscent of the lofty, pristine skies of a snowy field. Each time he took a step, the surrounding air vibrated. A clear wind emanated from him, purifying everything it touched. There was no doubt about his identity—he was the King of Wind.

‘Minerva.’

A long silence followed. The people, shocked by the unexpected appearance of the Wind Incarnate, seemed to have forgotten to breathe. Even the constant music had stopped.

“We have a truly honored guest.”

The one who broke the silence was a man’s voice. Turning around, I saw a man walking down the stairs. Tall with dark navy hair and fiercely shining blue eyes, he gave a very intense impression. Dressed in a black uniform buttoned up to the neck and a blue cloak, he looked high-ranking at a glance. I felt like I knew who he was without being told.

“I greet the noble King of Wind.”

Minerva nodded at the man’s polite bow. A strange current flowed between the two as their eyes met briefly. It was such a fleeting moment that it was hard to notice the discomfort. The man quickly continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“I doubted my eyes when I saw the list of attendees. I can’t believe I’m seeing someone who is hard to see even at the Imperial Palace banquet in my house. It is a great honor that the esteemed wind has visited us.”

“I had to attend the banquet hosted by the Duke, who is called the guardian of the Empire. Thank you for inviting me to this precious occasion, Duke Sepion.”

Ain Idris politely responded in place of the silent Minerva. As expected, the man’s identity was Duke Sepion. He smiled at the seemingly nervous Ain Idris.

“Welcome, companion of the wind. Every time I hold a banquet, there are always those who especially illuminate the occasion. I was wondering who would shine the light today, but it seems the protagonist has already been decided.”

Ain Idris looked at Minerva with an excited face. Minerva’s eyes softened as she met his gaze. A sweet energy like spring lingered on the smile at the corner of her lips. I couldn’t take my eyes off that sight. It was a very strange feeling. It was just a smile. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him smile. But it felt like I had crossed a line that I shouldn’t have. Like I had glimpsed something I shouldn’t have seen, realized something I shouldn’t have known.

While I was trying to understand the emotion I couldn’t understand, Duke Sepion lightly looked around the crowd. Reading the still stiff atmosphere, he smiled mischievously.

“Perhaps it’s because the protagonist appeared early, but the atmosphere is already ripe. But the banquet is just beginning. Wouldn’t it be a waste of your precious time to get tired here? We have prepared a lot, so please enjoy yourselves comfortably.”

At the Duke’s signal, the stopped music began to flow again. Then, the stiff air loosened, and the atmosphere quickly became comfortable. People who had been reanimated as if awakened from a spell were now eager to approach with shining eyes. The center, including Minerva, was soon obscured by the surrounding crowd and could not be seen properly.

“Wow, this is crazy. The Wind Spirit King. Am I really seeing the Spirit King in front of me?”

Only then did Chris come to his senses and belatedly make a fuss. I picked up a fruit drink that was nearby and emptied the glass in one gulp. Chris looked at me with surprised eyes, as if my actions were quite rough.

“El, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you not feeling well?”

“Oh, um, no. I’m just a little thirsty.”

“Haha, what is it? Are you surprised to meet the Spirit King? So you do get nervous. But drink slowly. Drinking water too quickly can cause indigestion.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Only after barely organizing my complicated feelings did I realize why I felt this way. Ah, right. Now that I think about it, it was the first time. Not all smiling faces are the same. I had never seen Minerva smile with that kind of expression before.

The Minerva I knew didn’t smile often in the first place. He rarely showed his emotions even in lively places, and I thought that was just his personality. But in fact, he could also make that kind of expression. He could smile so brightly and fully, with a smile so happy it was blinding. That was somehow shocking. What had Minerva lost? It was like I had realized the weight of the scars engraved on him for the first time.

“Speaking of which, I heard an interesting piece of news. I heard rumors that you are looking for a swordsmanship teacher. Is that true?”

At that moment, one voice clearly reached me amidst all the noise. It was the question Duke Sepion asked Ain Idris. I blankly raised my head, and through the crowd of people, I saw Ain Idris’s face awkwardly smiling. He nodded, embarrassed but soon composed.

“Yes, that’s right.”

My heart sank at the readily given affirmation. The image of him at the weapon store flashed before my eyes again, along with a certain premonition I had felt at that time.

“Are you really trying to learn swordsmanship? Speaking as someone who has been there, mastering two abilities is never easy. You are already unmatched in spirit magic, so I don’t know why you would deliberately go through such hardship.”

“I think it’s probably for the same reason as the Duke.”

“Hmm?”

Duke Sepion gave him a mischievous smile as Ain Idris made a puzzled expression.

“There is always a stimulus at the base of enlightenment. I was wondering if you were conscious of the recently talked-about Water Spirit Master. I heard he is a swordsman who has reached the realm of mastery?”

Ain Idris’s face stiffened slightly. My expression was probably the same.

Say no.

I muttered lowly without realizing it. But the bad feeling didn’t seem to want to go away.

“I can’t bring myself to say no.”

The scene in front of me flickered for a moment. Only after feeling a more distant view did I realize that I had stepped back quite a bit. My overly sensitive hearing continued to capture things I didn’t need to hear even at this moment.

“I like that you’re honest. It’s a blessing to be able to continue challenging yourself even after reaching a realm. I’ll cheer you on. I’m really looking forward to seeing how far you can go. If you want, I’d like to give you a useful sword.”

“Thank you. But it’s okay. Minerva said she would prepare the sword I will use.”

“Oh, I didn’t stand a chance from the start. I admit my defeat.”

The crowd around him burst into laughter at the Duke’s jest. Even Minerva seemed to be laughing. But I couldn’t laugh at all.

What is this? What is this?

Why is it turning out like this?

“Ah, speaking of which, I invited that spirit swordsman today.”

“Yes? Are you talking about El? Is he at this banquet?”

“That’s right. He’s probably somewhere.”

At Duke Sepion’s words, Ain quickly raised his head and looked around. He was looking for me. Accordingly, the spacing between the people surrounding them became disorganized, and the space slowly opened up. If I just stepped forward from here, I could naturally receive attention. It was a golden opportunity to formally face Duke Sepion. I knew it clearly in my head. I knew it better than anyone else, but…

“Uh? El, where are you going?”

I heard Chris calling from behind. There was bewilderment in his voice, but I didn’t look back. I hurried and ran even more frantically. In the meantime, the Duke or Ain Idris might have found me. It couldn’t be helped even if I looked like I was running away in their eyes. I was actually running away.