Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 497

497.

“No, I, that’s… I didn’t mean to pick a fight on purpose… I was trying to get along in my own way, you know? But I got a little worked up without realizing it…”

“Haha, why are you so flustered? You did great, really! It was so refreshing and wonderful!”

As I babbled excuses, Ifrit laughed and ruffled my hair. Trowell and Ellyuen just stared at me with unreadable expressions. They seemed wary and curious at the same time, but I couldn’t tell what emotions drove them, which made me uneasy.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

Ellyuen spoke, and we soon moved to the lodgings. Stepping into the cramped room made me even more nervous than being outside. I felt thirsty and was about to get some water when I noticed a glass of water on the table. I picked it up and drank it without thinking.

“Gasp! El, that’s…!”

At the same time as I heard Ifrit’s horrified voice, the smell of alcohol hit my nose. It was a smell that could never come from water. Huh, this was alcohol? Why is there alcohol here? I blinked in confusion, and I saw everyone staring at me in disbelief.

“Oh, I…”

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and my sight shifted rapidly. I realized I was losing my balance a little too late.

“El!”

I felt someone grab my body tightly.

After that, I didn’t remember much.

* * *

Recently, Trowell had been having two recurring dreams. The same time, the same place, but the situations that unfolded were different in each dream.

The first dream was a future he knew all too well: Minerva betrayed by her devoted lover and falling into terrible despair. The emptied wind was walking towards its own demise. No matter how much he tried to hold on, it scattered futilely and could never be stopped. And the other dream was exactly the opposite. In that dream, Minerva was still happy, without anything having happened. His human lover did not fall or become twisted, but constantly loved and respected Minerva.

“See, Trowell. I told you there’s nothing to worry about.”

Minerva said that with a smile, and that was the last scene of the dream. The future is not fixed but intertwined in many ways. What he could see with his insight was the clearest of those branches. If he tried too hard to delve deeper, he could see a few more branches. But as far as Minerva was concerned, he had never seen any other branches.

A dream is just a dream. It was from the unconscious, so it was unclear whether it was even connected to his insight. But he knew exactly when these dreams had started. It was after meeting El. It was from when he agreed to his proposal to change the situation.

That was why he was watching even though he knew it wouldn’t work. Because he loved the smiling face of Minerva he saw in that last scene so much. As long as El was by his side, that dream would continue, and he could have hope. That’s why El couldn’t give up or say weak things. But the unpleasant feeling he had this time was for a slightly different reason.

The way he seemed frightened and couldn’t meet his eyes was strangely unsettling. It was natural for him to be insecure and to be aware of others, and even if that wasn’t the case, it was right for humans to fear the Spirit King.

To trace the reason, Trowell had been keeping his distance from El for a while. But after seeing him advise Ain Idris, he suddenly felt that everything was futile. He felt like he wanted to hear what he was thinking through El’s mouth, even if only a little. He had no idea that it would be interrupted in such an unexpected way.

“El!”

El, who had been looking around nervously, suddenly swallowed alcohol and collapsed. The momentary look of panic on his face made it clear that he didn’t know it was alcohol either. Elquines barely caught him as he fell backward, then sat him down and checked his condition.

“Ugh, sorry. Why did I sit down?”

Fortunately, he wasn’t unconscious, and he was still aware. His voice was fine, but his expression was somehow relaxed, and his eyes were a little blank.

“El. El?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay.”

“How many is this?”

“Four!”

The confident answer followed without a moment’s hesitation. Trowell looked back at the two fingers he had spread out in front of him. *This is wrong,* all the Spirit Kings in that place thought at the same time.

“Who put the alcohol here?”

Ifrit, who smiled awkwardly, raised his hand obediently and confessed. He couldn’t hide his embarrassed expression at the pouring contempt [intense disapproval] he received.

“It smelled so good, so I poured it out, but the young master must have mistaken it for water.”

“What kind of alcohol makes a kid pass out after one sip?”

Those with the qualities of water were usually born with the ability to purify themselves, so they were usually strong against poison. And Trowell had never seen a human with as much water quality as El. He was the first human to contract with Elquines, who no one had ever summoned before. With that much, it was normal not to get drunk easily.

“Thousand Year Brew. Lamias asked me for something this time, and I got it as a reward.”

But if it wasn’t ordinary alcohol, the story was different. Trowell clicked his tongue lightly. The Thousand Year Brew, created with the secrets of the Blue Dragon clan, is made only with special water that collects deep in the sea. Only one bottle is made every thousand years, so it is called Thousand Year Brew, and its unique aroma and flavor make it one of the most valuable liquors. However, since it is tailored to dragons, the undiluted concentrate is like poison to humans. Of course, the alcohol that Ifrit left out for himself to drink could not have been diluted. If the person who drank it had been another human instead of El, he might have died on the spot.

“No, I never thought this would happen. Sorry. I was too careless in a space with a child.”

Ifrit silently endured the pouring contempt once again. Meanwhile, El, who had gotten up, was constantly looking around. He seemed to be looking for something, opening and closing drawers here and there.

“Young master, what are you looking for?”

“…Nothing.”

“What’s not there?”

“A mask pack.”

“Huh? A mas… what?”

The Spirit Kings looked puzzled at the unfamiliar term. El began to explain incoherently.

“It’s something you put on your face. There are holes for your eyes and mouth. It’s a thin, cloth-like, damp mask. I have to put it on my face.”

“Why do you put it on?”

“Because. My cheeks are on fire. I have to put them out quickly.”

The Spirit Kings’ gazes reached El’s face. Sure enough, his cheeks were flushed, as if he was hot from the alcohol. Ifrit held back the laughter that was about to escape and said.

“Are you trying to cool it down with something cold? There’s no need to look for something separate. You can just ask Elquines to cool it down for you.”

“Ah, that’s right!”

The green eyes that had gained enlightenment sparkled. Then, before anyone could stop him, he approached Elquines, grabbed his hand, and placed it on his cheeks.

“Hehe, it’s cool.”

“……”

Ifrit, who couldn’t hold back any longer, burst into laughter. Elquines, who clicked his tongue, tried to detoxify his contractor, who couldn’t come to his senses. Ifrit quickly stopped him when he realized this.

“No, Elquines. Let’s just leave him alone.”

“What?”

“It’s a rare sight, and it’s cute. Let’s take this opportunity to find out about his drinking habits. Thousand Year Brew doesn’t have as great an effect as Shinju [divine tree liquor] or Special Brew, but it’s still a medicinal liquor, so it will be helpful to humans. If you heal him now, all the medicinal effects will disappear, wouldn’t that be a waste?”

The eyes that had been narrowing mercilessly softened at the last words. Trowell, who had guessed the situation that would obviously return, got up.

“Do as you please. I’m not interested in other people’s drinking habits.”

“Are you leaving?”

“What kind of conversation can I have in this state?”

However, Trowell could not achieve his goal. “No!” El, who screamed, threw himself and clung to his leg. Ifrit whistled. It seemed like it was the first time he had seen Trowell with such a flustered expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t go!”

“……”

“You’re going to leave again and not come back! I don’t like that! You can’t go, Trowell. Don’t go, huh?”

“He says not to go?”

Trowell, who sighed, glared at Ifrit, who was smiling. El stretched out his other arm and hugged Elquines’ leg as well.

“Father, don’t go either!”

“…Let go.”

“No!”

“I won’t go, so let go.”

“Really? You’re really not going?”

“Yes.”

“Liar! You’re going to go! I won’t let go!”

“……”

Elquines’ face became fierce. If he could kill with his eyes alone, El would have been dead long ago. But Ifrit thought it was amazing that he didn’t kick him away and just stayed still. Neither Trowell nor Elquines were the type to be lenient with drunks. If anything, they would be even more ruthless. The world’s worst personality destroyers were acting like unknown spirits today. In the end, it was Ifrit’s role to coax and appease the snorting El.

“You become very brave when you’re drunk, young master.”

“Yeah!”

“But young master, why do you call Elquines father?”

“Because he’s my father!”

Ifrit turned to Elquines with a shocked face. Elquines, who frowned, kicked him down.

“Ouch! The father of a child is assaulting others! People of the town!”

“Shut up.”

A fierce gaze fell. But the sensation of something touching the end of his clothes soon disrupted that gaze.

“Father.”

El was touching his sleeve with a blank expression.

“Didn’t you stop calling me that?”

“I didn’t stop.”

“But you, in the meantime…”

“You told me not to call you that.”

“What?”

“Before, you told me not to call you father.”

Elquines easily understood what he meant. He had definitely said that before. It was a situation where El was in danger while his hands and feet were tied, a situation that was unpleasant even to think about now. Just seeing him in distress made him nervous, and he thought he wouldn’t be able to control his anger if he thought of him as his son, so he stopped him from calling him that. He kicked Ifrit again, who was jeering at him for how he could do that, and clicked his tongue lowly.

“I don’t know when you started listening to me so well.”

His human contractor had a personality that was not only bold but also lost his fear. He didn’t fear the Spirit King at all with whatever kind of heart he had, and he also had a hobby of interpreting his intentions as he pleased. He thought that he would naturally ignore him even if he told him to stop because it was a stubborn title that he insisted on without permission. Rather, he didn’t understand why he listened so obediently. Elquines stopped for a moment when he was about to ask the reason. Tears like beads were streaming down El’s eyes.

“You…”

“If Father tells me not to call him that, I can’t call him that.”

“……”

“But you’re my father. Why can’t I call you father?”

Sorrow and resentment were mixed in the face that couldn’t stop crying. Elquines was momentarily taken aback by the expression as if he had taken back what he had given. After sighing slightly, he bent down and met El’s eyes.

“You too. Why are you looking for your biological father in me?”

It was a question that connected to what he had asked before. El had many things he was hiding. Looking at his suspicious behavior, it wasn’t that he wasn’t curious about his past or his upbringing. It was just that he didn’t feel like asking about something he didn’t reveal himself.

But after the last incident, he became suspicious of one thing. The day El, who didn’t regard him as an agent even though he called him father, overlapped that person and himself for the first time. At that time, El’s voice calling him father was clearly filled with fear. Just looking at that part was enough. El had not grown up in a harmonious family. That’s why there were parts that bothered him. Why did he call himself father when he feared his father so much?

“Biological father?”

“You said your dead biological father looked like me.”

“Dead biological father? Dead biological father…”

“I’m talking about your flesh and blood.”

El, who blinked as if he didn’t know what he was talking about, exclaimed, “Ah,” at those words. Then he soon laughed in vain.

“He doesn’t look like him at all.”

“He doesn’t look like him?”

“He doesn’t look like him. He really doesn’t look like him at all. There’s not even a little bit of resemblance. Not in appearance or personality.”

Elquines frowned again. He already knew that the claim that they resembled each other in appearance was a ridiculous lie. However, he thought he might have felt similarities in his personality or *maltu* [manner of speaking]. But even that wasn’t the case.

“Then why did you call me father?”

Again, the question returned to square one, and an incomprehensible answer followed. A cold shadow fell on Elquines’ eyes, who judged it to be a pun. El, who was staring blankly with a face that couldn’t understand why he was angry, pointed at him with his finger.

“Father.”

The next thing he pointed at was Trowell.

“Brother.”

Trowell made a strange expression at the following title. Ifrit, who had been watching with an interesting face, quickly intervened.

“Elquines is the father and Trowell is the brother? Then what am I?”

“Ifrit should be… a sister. But you’re a male body?”

“Yeah, I’m a male body.”

“Then… uncle?”

“Puhaha! I’m an uncle?”

Ifrit, who liked it very much, laughed loudly. Elquines clicked his tongue lowly as he watched him nodding diligently with a proud face. It was wrong to try to have a serious conversation with a drunk person from the beginning.

“Haven’t we passed the age to play family?”

The words he spat out were also cold because he was uncomfortable with the situation becoming ridiculous. El grabbed his arm as soon as he tried to get up again. A angry expression looked up at him.

“It’s not a game. You’re really my family.”

“Is father and brother a concept that you can attach to yourself as you please?”

“That’s not true! You’re the only ones I have!”

“What about the brothers you mentioned before?”

“Of course, that’s what I meant by you! Trowell, Ifrit, and Minerva!”

Elquines paused when the words he had given to hit the nail on the head came back as an unexpected answer. Trowell and Ifrit also blinked with embarrassed faces.