Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 508

Chapter 508

“Hello, I heard you calling and came. I am Undine. Did you call me?”

A girl made of water spoke in a cheerful voice. It was an important moment to proceed with the contract, but Davian, who actually saw the results he had achieved with his own eyes, was simply stunned.

“Good heavens… really?”

I nudged his arm to tell him to answer quickly, but that was all he could say. At this point, his lack of confidence was a bigger problem than his aptitude. Even without the curse, I sighed, realizing it would have been difficult for him to become a spiritist in his lifetime if it weren’t for me. Fortunately, Undine was the most gentle of the water spirits. Undine stared at him and smiled, extending her hand.

“This is a very interesting situation. I like this. Okay, I’ll help you. Will you make a contract with me?”

Only then did he come to his senses a little, and Davian swallowed hard, blankly looking back at me. I gestured with my eyes to hurry up and agree, and he reached out his free hand and grasped Undine’s hand.

“Our contract is established! Please take good care of me!”

Huhuhu, Undine burst into a light laugh and spun around in place. The girl’s form quickly crumbled, leaving only a stream of clear water. The stream of water finished by seeping into Davian’s forehead.

Davian trembled and then collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness. He couldn’t withstand the changes that began to occur simultaneously with the contract. It was a big shock since a mid-level spirit suddenly rushed into a body that could hardly handle even a low-level spirit. He would suffer for a while, but Undine was necessary to block the curse, so there was no choice.

‘I didn’t originally come for this. I’ll have to postpone it until next time.’

It was when I supported him and laid him down in a comfortable place. Bubbles appeared in front of me, and Undine, who had disappeared a moment ago, peeked her face in again. This time, she was in her natural form, not summoned. Feeling uneasy, I quickly tried to cover her mouth, but Undine’s words came faster than that.

“Hey, King’s Contractor. Elquines wants you right away.”

“…….”

“He said it would be better to come back quietly without trying to use your head.”

I knew this would happen.

I smiled awkwardly and sighed deeply. Even I thought I had caused a major incident. It seemed that the habit of twisting my fate myself was impossible to fix for the rest of my life.

* * *

“Welcome, Young Master.”

The first to greet me when I arrived at the accommodation was Ifrit. I couldn’t bring myself to grab the doorknob outside and was trying to mentally prepare myself, but as if waiting, the door opened and he peeked out, grinning. His sun-like, bright red hair was especially dazzling today.

“I’m back.”

I glanced at him and answered, and his eyes, smiling again, landed on Davian, whom I was carrying on my back.

“I don’t know why our Young Master is so fearless. That’s what makes it fun, though.”

“…Hey, is Elquines very angry?”

“Well, which do you want to hear, the realistic answer or the ideal answer?”

“What’s the ideal and what’s the realistic?”

“The ideal is to beg for forgiveness unconditionally.”

“…The realistic?”

“I’ll try to stop him if he tries to kill you.”

The whispered words were, of course, not comforting at all. I entered with the feeling of being dragged into a slaughterhouse, and I saw Ellyuen sitting in a chair. He, who always had a posture so upright that it was admirable, was now in a rather poor posture, crossing his legs and burying himself deeply in the backrest. With his arms on the armrests and his eyes closed, he looked like the final boss appearing in a movie. I quickly put Davian down on the bed and quickly stood in front of him. Only then did his closed eyes open. I swallowed hard at the chilly gaze.

“What do you have to say?”

“I was wrong….”

I barely answered in a subdued voice, and his gaze deepened. I smiled awkwardly, but only a face so serious that it was embarrassing returned.

“Was the advice I gave you last time not enough?”

“It’s not that….”

“So you ignored it.”

“Um, well….”

“There’s a complete difference between doing something unknowingly and doing it on purpose. You should know that difference, of course. How should I think of you, ignoring my authority and invading the King’s territory?”

Even if I put myself in his shoes, this was my fault a hundred times over. It was a situation where I had nothing to say even if the contract was cut off on the spot and I died. Just calling me in like this and questioning me first was already showing considerable leniency. It was probably the moment of calm before the storm of wrath.

“I’m sorry. My desire to help was too much. I never intended to ignore or infringe on the King’s authority.”

“There was also a way to ask me for help.”

“But… I didn’t think you’d do it….”

“So you committed it knowing that.”

“…….”

As expected, Ellyuen doesn’t say yes even as a formality. I knew he wouldn’t. He doesn’t get involved in human affairs if he can help it. It’s not my job as a contractor, and it’s not a life-threatening situation, so there’s no way he would help. As I quickly rolled my eyes, his gaze became even colder.

“No, you committed it knowingly. But you didn’t ignore my authority?”

“Ahaha….”

“Have you finished making excuses?”

Ellyuen slowly got up from his seat. His presence, like a mountain, seemed to weigh down on me more fiercely than ever. In a fit of ‘I don’t care,’ I grabbed his waist and clung to him.

“I was wrong, Father!”

Ifrit, who was watching from behind, gasped. Ellyuen, who was about to say something, closed his mouth. I thought he would push me away right away, but perhaps because he was embarrassed, there was no sign of it. After a moment of silence, a light sigh escaped his lips.

“…I didn’t mean for you to awaken to the meaning of living as my son in this way.”

Huh, what? Did it work a little?

I feel like I’m having a sense of déjà vu, but I don’t know why. Anyway, I think I saw hope, so I put more strength into my arms.

“I won’t do it again, Father! Please forgive me just once, Father!”

“Get off.”

“I’ll get off if you say you’re not angry, Father!”

“Why can’t you think of not creating a situation to be angry in the first place?”

“I really won’t do it again! I’ll really engrave it in my heart, Father!”

“You avoided calling me when I allowed it, but you call me well when you’re cornered.”

I felt a pang in my heart at the low muttering. Quite some time has passed since I was recognized as his son. When he didn’t allow me to call him Father, I was so sad, but now that I think it’s okay to call him, I feel somehow embarrassed. So I was refraining from the situation itself as much as possible, but it seems he had already noticed everything.

“Ah! You crazy bastard!”

Ifrit screamed from behind. It was because he was clutching his stomach and bursting into laughter, and then got hit by a splash of water. Ahaha, I smiled awkwardly while clinging on, and he looked down at me and sighed again.

“Why did you bring that?”

I wondered what he was talking about, but he was referring to Davian, who was lying on the bed. No, he’s human, first of all. I swallowed the words I couldn’t bring myself to say and began to explain.

“I couldn’t just leave him alone without consciousness….”

“Is volunteer work your hobby?”

“That neighborhood was a very unsafe area. I broke the doorknob, so what if a robber breaks into the house?”

“It would be beneficial to each other if you used that useless consideration to take care of yourself.”

“Yeah. I know, Father. I know you’re dumbfounded, frustrated, and resentful that a kid like me became your son. But it can’t be helped now. You can’t take back what you’ve said.”

I deliberately acted more brazenly, and Ellyuen looked dumbfounded. But I don’t know why I seemed to feel better.

“…Well, raising someone requires patience. It’s not like I didn’t know you were this kind of guy.”

Oh, is he really forgiving me? My eyes must have sparkled with the rising expectation. He clicked his tongue and lightly tapped my forehead with his fingertip.

“Of course, I don’t intend to just let it go. You have to receive a punishment for that.”

“W-what is it?”

“Write a letter of repentance.”

“Huh? A letter of repentance?”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No! I’ll write it! A letter of repentance! I’ll write it right away!”

A letter of repentance, that’s just writing that you were wrong. The tension in my body was released. It was a punishment that couldn’t be compared to getting hit, so there was no way I could be dissatisfied. But here, there was a fact that I had overlooked. The purpose of a letter of repentance is usually for repentance, repentance is not easily achieved, and Ellyuen will become the god of punishment in the future.

“A hundred pages.”

“……Wow.”

“The deadline is tomorrow morning.”

The window I looked at in a hurry was already reflecting the darkening sky. To fill a hundred pages by morning, it was clear that I wouldn’t have enough time even if I stayed up all night.

“If you don’t finish it, don’t even dream of snacks for a month starting tomorrow.”

“…….”

No snacks. For a whole month!

The relief disappeared in an instant. I collapsed into my seat with a despair that felt like the ground was sinking. Should I really call him Father? It was a declaration worthy of someone who knew what would hit me the hardest.

* * *

Davian regained consciousness around the time when it was deep into the night. A loud breath echoed from his silent body, and his body began to move little by little. Soon, the tightly closed eyelids fluttered, and clear eyes were revealed between them.

“Are you awake?”

He was dazed for a while even after opening his eyes, but he was startled by my words. He quickly turned his head and swallowed his breath when he found me.

“El?”

I nodded to mean yes, and he jumped up. His expression, looking around, was full of embarrassment.

“Where is this….”

“It’s the inn where I’m staying. I couldn’t leave you alone in that house, so I moved you here. I hope you understand that I couldn’t ask for your understanding in advance.”

The face of the listener was still blank as I explained the situation. It was an expression that showed that he didn’t understand a word I said. Looking at his unfocused gaze, I wondered if he had recognized me correctly.

“How do you feel?”

“Yes? How I feel?”

“You made a contract by overdoing it, so it must have been a lot of burden on your body. If it’s hard to bear, don’t hold back and tell me. If you drink a recovery potion, you’ll feel better.”

The best thing would be for Ellyuen to see him directly, but he went back to the spirit world without looking back, saying he didn’t want to be in the same space as a strange human. For him, not taking back the contract and leaving it as it was was already a generous act. This was probably respecting Undine’s will to choose Davian. He didn’t deliberately take it back even during the Langshi incident, so he wasn’t too worried about that point. Maybe Ellyuen was even more angry because he knew I had calculated this far. No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn’t erase the thought that I had gone too far. I really shouldn’t do this again.

Ifrit also left, saying that his energy would be a burden to the newly contracted water spiritist. Thanks to that, the only people in the accommodation now were me and Davian.

“Contract…?”

I was looking for where I had put the emergency recovery potion, but Davian blinked blankly. Oh no, is he starting from there? It was clear that he didn’t remember the situation before he lost consciousness at all.

“Try to remember calmly. You made a contract with a spirit. Don’t you remember summoning Undine?”

“Yes? What….”

Davian, who had asked back blankly again, swallowed his breath the next moment. He quickly scanned his surroundings and looked back at me. His face, with his eyes wide open, looked like he was just recognizing me now.

“Good heavens, El….”

It seems that’s really the case, seeing him panic anew. He let out a trembling breath, whether it was a sigh or an exclamation, and stroked his forehead. He seemed to remember the feeling of the stream of water piercing his forehead at the last moment of completing the contract.

“How does it feel to be a spiritist?”

When I asked with a smile, Davian swallowed his breath again. Tears gradually began to well up in his eyes, which revealed his agitation.

“That… wasn’t it a dream?”

“Don’t say such a terrible thing. Who’s going to let someone else’s hard work go to waste?”

“But… it doesn’t feel real….”

“Well, you lost consciousness right away, so it’s understandable. If you don’t believe it that much, summon the spirit. It’s the most definite proof you can see with your own eyes.”

“M-me?”

“Shall I do it then?”

I wondered why he was acting so dazed since earlier, and when I looked at him, Davian hurriedly straightened his posture. Still, he seemed to know what he had to do, as someone who was usually interested in spiritism. He soon began to chant the summoning spell seriously.

“Oh, most pure spirit dwelling in water, answer my call! Summon Naias!”

I don’t know where he studied it, but it was quite a grand spell. Anyway, the method wasn’t wrong, so there was an immediate reaction. When a small mermaid appeared among the popping water droplets, Davian’s breathing became rapid. I was worried that he would lose his breath soon, so I wondered if I should have given him a recovery potion in advance.

“E, El! I, it really appeared! It’s Naias! I, I really am a spirit!”

“Yes, congratulations. But next time, you can call it a little more simply.”

Even I thought it was a perfunctory congratulatory remark, but Davian didn’t care much. To be exact, he was so excited that he couldn’t hear what I was saying properly. His eyes, staring intently at Naias, were filled with tears. He bit his lip to keep from crying, and suddenly jumped up the next moment. Then he knelt down and prostrated himself before me.

“What are you doing?”

A muffled voice flowed from his deeply bowed head. It was a short word, but it conveyed all the numerous emotions that he had been suppressing inside until now. I couldn’t be indifferent anymore, so I stopped what I was doing and approached him, forcibly raising his body. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw his face, which was already covered in tears.

“Do you believe now that it’s not a dream?”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry for doubting you. I had never imagined that such a thing was possible. So I naturally thought it was a dream.”

“If it were a dream, there would be no reason for me to be doing this now.”

When I sighed and answered, Davian blinked and made a puzzled expression. Only then did the numerous piles of paper scattered around him come into view.