Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 504

504

“What is this? Why are you writing this down?”

“Wow, you recognized it right away? Do you know what it is?”

“It’s black magic.”

What I had written in the notebook was the very spell from the ritual. I was going to ask Sibelius, thinking he might know more since he was skilled in magic, but he recognized it as black magic at a glance before I could even explain. It seemed I had come to the right person.

“I was curious about this spell, and I thought you might know.”

“Black magic is an act that corrupts the soul. Stop being interested in things like this.”

“I’m not trying to do black magic. I think someone is plotting something with this spell, so I’m trying to find out exactly what it is.”

At those words, Sibelius frowned and quietly scanned the spell in the notebook.

“It doesn’t seem to be a complete formula.”

“That’s right, I only copied part of it. Is it difficult to figure out with just this?”

“Tracking is possible, but not perfect.”

“Even a rough idea is fine. I’m just trying to confirm if it’s the spell I suspect.”

“…Write down everything you know, for now.”

Glad to hear that, I quickly transferred everything I remembered. Sibelius took the completed notebook and examined the spell carefully for a moment. Then, he made an unknown hand sign with his fingers. Light began to rise from the letters written in the notebook, and the letters floated up into the air as if they were being lifted.

“Wow…”

As I watched in admiration, the blue glowing letters scattered in the air. Sibelius watched the letters quietly, touching and connecting some places, or dropping them. It seemed he was connecting the scattered letters to form sentences. The process was so smooth that it was amazing.

“Do you know all the characters? I heard there are some ancient words from a minority tribe mixed in.”

“Knowing them makes it easier, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t. This is basically a spell, so the letters themselves don’t have much meaning.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, so I decided to stay quiet. Anyway, Sibelius didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining further. It wasn’t long before he opened his mouth again after arranging the letters.

“I’ve roughly figured it out. It’s a black magic that steals the life force of others, combined with an attack spell from a priest.”

I quietly swallowed at the following words. Sibelius’s gaze was still fixed on the shining letters.

“The implied incantations are: child of God, curse, pain, corruption, tears. It’s incomplete with just this… but it seems like they were trying to forcibly steal the divine power of a priest.”

“…”

My heart was beating fast. I had a hunch, but it seemed my guess was right. “I’ve found the core sentence of this spell.” Soon, I heard a low voice that had reached a conclusion. I blankly turned to look, and Sibelius, who met my gaze, slowly opened his mouth.

“‘Swallow the blood of the fallen angel to bloom darkness.'”

A phrase I had heard once before echoed in my ears again. I couldn’t help but laugh humorlessly. It felt as dirty as the misery I felt back then.

‘The one who joined hands wasn’t the Demon God’s Church, but the merfolk [a mythical race of aquatic humanoids].’

Then, did Kanos take over the temple because the crown prince was staying here? There had been enough instances of the merfolk targeting the Demon God’s Church, so maybe it had intensified. Kanos is a god who gives plenty of opportunities, so he must have decided to protect the priests first before annihilating them.

More than that, what are the goals of the Epen Kingdom in joining hands with them? Even if they want a war of conquest, touching the Demon God’s Church is too risky, isn’t it? My head was getting complicated, and I felt a gaze from somewhere. I raised my head and saw Sibelius staring at me quietly. Only then did I realize that I had been lost in thought in front of him, and I quickly pulled myself together.

“Ah, thank you, Sibelius. You’ve been a great help.”

“…It’s a very cruel spell. It’s best not to get involved in things like this.”

“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”

I answered with a smile, and he looked at me with an unreadable expression. He sighed lightly and took something out and handed it to me. When I took it, it was a paper that looked like an amulet.

“What is this?”

“It’s called a guardian charm. If you carry it on your body, it will block a black magic attack once.”

“Wow, there was something like this. Thank you.”

“…It’s just a temporary measure. It can’t completely block something too strong.”

“Still, it’s good. I really hate being attacked by black magic. Those who use such things should experience the same thing. That’s how they’ll know how disgusting it feels.”

“Them? Have you been attacked other than that time?”

“Ah, well, somehow.”

I smiled awkwardly, and Sibelius silently took out another guardian charm and handed it to me. It seemed like I was marked as a troublemaker, but it must be just my imagination. It’s not like I wanted to get involved with those guys.

‘More than that, he’s still kind.’

In my time, there was a connection from the past, but here, we haven’t known each other for long, yet he’s worried and takes care of me first. Even if his expression and tone are different, his innate nature is inevitably kind. Still, he seems awkward, and when I looked at him with a smile, his face stiffened slightly.

“If you’re done, I’ll be on my way. I can’t leave the kitchen for too long.”

“Yeah, thank you so much today. See you next time.”

“…Are…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…Aren’t you going to have a meal before you leave?”

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment in his tone. I almost laughed without realizing it, so I held it back.

“I wish I could, but I can’t since I’m not back yet. No one knows I came here today. I want to go back quietly if possible.”

“…I see.”

“Ah, it’s a shame. Your cooking is the best in the world. You don’t know how depressed and sad I am because I can’t eat delicious food these days. I’ve been craving your cooking all day, and I’m even having withdrawal symptoms.”

As I exaggerated and lamented, his eyes, which had been slightly gloomy, regained their vitality. He immediately put on a straight face when he met my eyes, but it was a futile attempt since I had already seen the joy on his face. He cleared his throat a few times, perhaps embarrassed to look at my grinning face.

“Oh, by the way, about what you said earlier about the ancient language of a minority tribe.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“It’s not essential, but since spells are based on incantations, I basically review all languages. That letter was familiar to me.”

“Oh, really? Which tribe’s language is it?”

I think the queen of the Epen Kingdom was from that minority tribe. I wondered if I could figure out the kingdom’s purpose a little more if I knew.

“Originally, they were priests.”

“Priests?”

“To talk about them, it’s connected to mythology. It would be more helpful to read related books than for me to tell you. Look for information about the Siren.”

The moment I heard that word, my body stopped on its own.

“…Siren?”

I sent a gaze with a hardened face, and Sibelius nodded, sending a puzzled expression.

“It’s also a term that refers to merfolk now, but originally it was the name of the god who created them.”

“Why are you using the past tense?”

“Because they don’t exist anymore. They challenged the authority of the main god, were punished, and erased from the divine rank.”

“…!”

“It’s also why merfolk are called barbarians.”

I thought there was nothing more to be surprised about, but I shouldn’t have been so sure. I must have shown my shock too openly. I felt Sibelius examining my expression, so I smiled to mean that I was okay, and then took a deep breath. At least the reason why the Epen Kingdom joined hands with the merfolk became clear.

‘Definitely fortunate.’

It seems like everything else is unfortunate.

* * *

The good thing about this era is that transportation is convenient, but the biggest thing is that bookstores are common. Even if there are no public libraries, large bookstores exist, so even ordinary people can obtain simple materials if they want to. Thanks to this, the process of finding out about the story Sibelius told me wasn’t that difficult.

“The title is depressing.”

I checked the cover of the book I bought after receiving a recommendation from the employee and sighed. The content I started reading calmly while sitting at a table in a corner of the bookstore was indeed as the title suggested. Originally, Siren was a lower-level god. In fact, the beginning was an ordinary human spirit, but they rose to the divine rank after a long period of training and perseverance.

Once a god’s rank is determined, it cannot be changed, but Siren, who became a god through effort, was not satisfied with being a lower-level god and dreamed of a higher level. After a long period of research and testing, they finally completed a spell to increase their power. It was a dark magic that absorbed the spiritual power of other beings and made it their own.

Siren, who had smoothly increased their power, greatly expanded their power, and created the merfolk based on that power. However, it was absurd for someone who was not originally a higher-level god to exercise the power of a true higher-level god. They created them, but it was only at the level of piecing together things taken from various places, not pure qualities, and most importantly, they could not bestow the blessing of the creator god. The incompletely completed merfolk tribe naturally did not receive a complete spirit.

The only path left for a tribe not recognized as a spirit was to be classified as monsters or demons. Enraged by this, Siren decided to look higher. If the world’s standards were the problem, they would change those standards. If the main god did not recognize them, they would become the main god.

“…Was this god the first to create the spell to become an evil god?”

I didn’t even wonder, but after confirming the origin of that word, which was so disgusting just to hear, my mouth felt bitter. Anyway, thanks to this, I felt like I knew how the merfolk tribe could create such a spell. It was a case where both the god and the creation took turns causing harm and nuisance. Even the fact that all those processes would be repeated in the same way 4,000 years later.

However, Siren’s end was a little different from Karian’s. Since it was the first attempt to become an evil god, it was clumsy in many ways, and they did not reach proper awakening. Moreover, the main god was awake at the time, so they directly took action to punish them. In many ways, the situation ended simply.

Instead of destroying Siren, the main god only cursed them, removed them from the divine rank, and dropped them from the divine realm. Thus, the cursed Siren became a monster and lived hidden in the middle realm until a human hero came out to defeat them and met their death. This last part was not clearly specified and was described like a passing folktale. Perhaps the fallen middle realm was not Arkadon.

The main god turned Siren into a monster to purify their soul. Anyway, since it was not a complete annihilation, the priests who followed them still did not forget and remembered Siren. Even after losing their divine power, they formed a small tribe and continued to maintain their lineage.

‘…And the queen of the Epen Kingdom is a descendant of them.’

I sighed and buried my head on the desk. I thought that understanding the cause and effect would make me feel a little better, but instead, I felt more troubled.

The reason why Karian could use the merfolk’s magic in the future must have been learned from here. Perhaps even the clue to becoming an evil god was provided by this era. I don’t know why Karian was in charge of protecting the Demon God’s Church, but it was like entrusting a fish to a cat.

‘Lapis, why did you have to fall here?’

I resented that guy for the first time in a while. I don’t know why I keep finding out things I don’t want to know. I’m a person who’s already overwhelmed just thinking about my own work.

I was sighing again when a hand wearing a black glove suddenly appeared in front of me and snatched the book I was holding. I was so taken aback that my face froze as soon as I raised my head. A person I never expected to see here was standing there.

“I’m sorry, but I’d like you to give me this book.”

The first thing that caught my eye was the silver-gray hair that was slicked back with oil. The amber eyes were different from Troel’s. The black uniform he was wearing reeked of strong perfume. The man, who was full of a slick feeling from head to toe, was Crown Prince Luciel.

Damn it, why do I keep running into this guy here? It’s a good thing I’m wearing a hood. I don’t think I’ve ever benefited from a habit I unconsciously kept like today.

“I already bought it.”

“I’ll give you back the price of the book.”

The crown prince chuckled and answered, and the attendant next to him quickly placed a gold coin in front of me. It was three times the price of the book. I wondered if he was throwing money away, but there was no reason to refuse to take the loss, so I exchanged it quietly. Anyway, I had already read all the necessary content.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible because I didn’t want to be in the same space even for a little bit. But the moment I stood up, my wrist was grabbed. I frowned and turned around, and the crown prince, who grabbed me, was sending a strange gaze.

“What is it?”

“Take off your hood for a moment.”

“…What?”

“I feel like you’re someone I know.”

Ah, damn it. Did he notice? I barely swallowed the curse that I almost said without realizing it. I tried to twist my wrist to pull it out, but the grip became stronger. Of course, I could shake it off as much as I wanted, but I held back for now because I thought it would confirm his suspicion.

“I don’t know you. What makes you think you know me?”

“Your voice sounds familiar.”

“Hahaha. It seems like you’re a noble. If you’re done with your business, don’t oppress innocent citizens and go your way.”

“That’s not how you treat a noble. Even that is similar.”

At this point, he already knows and is doing this. No doubt. Seeing his face smiling as if he was in a superior position made my stomach twist. No, but when I think about it, it’s unfair. Why do I have to avoid this guy? Shouldn’t this guy be pricked if he meets me? I was annoyed, so I was about to shake off his hand first.

“…P-Prince Luciel!”

Thump!

Suddenly, a vibration rang out, and the crown prince’s body was pushed back. The flustered attendant quickly ran to support him. I was bewildered, wondering what was going on, but one sight that caught my eye captivated me. A piece of paper was fluttering in the air. The letters written on it were emitting a subtle blue light. It was the guardian charm that Sibelius gave me. In a flustered mind, I quickly groped around my chest. One of the guardian charms I had put inside my top was gone.

‘Wait a minute. The fact that this reacted means…’

That crazy bastard just used black magic?