Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 511

The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed. I couldn’t tell if it was Sibelius or the guy who had been flapping his mouth off until just now. I looked at Sibelius, signaling him to answer, but he hesitated and shook his head.

“I won’t get into any more trouble here.”

“Oh? That’s a relief.”

To be honest, I was planning to kill him even if he did get into trouble. But it’s better if he doesn’t, if possible. Turning back with a lighter heart, I saw the man stumbling to his feet and quickly adopting a defensive stance. It was almost admirable how he tried to appear calm despite being filled with agitation.

“Haha, you don’t really think you can kill me, do you? You’re underestimating the situation. I’m one of the most skilled warriors in the clan. I was just caught off guard a moment ago.”

“Okay, then don’t let your guard down now.”

I lightly snapped my fingers, and surging streams of water began to surround and swirl around me. “A, a spirit caster?” The man gasped and quickly tried to chant some kind of spell. But Sikel, who had fully revealed himself, was faster, and he pounced on him.

“Cough!”

The man, trapped in the swirling water, floated into the air and struggled wildly. I chuckled at the horrified man.

“I told you not to let your guard down.”

Even with a preemptive defense, it’s hard to stop a spirit, but once you’re caught, it’s pretty much over. Especially with a high-level spirit. He was holding out better than a human would, but he was still a creature that breathed with lungs. His movements inevitably became sluggish.

“Finish him.”

Sikel leaped lightly and spun high in the sky. A chill ran through the air as the water spray turned into ice. The man’s body, bound in the air, also began to freeze. The stiffening man stared in disbelief at his body, which was gradually solidifying. His eyes, watching the frost creep up at a terrifying speed, gradually filled with terror. Of course, those eyes were soon covered in white as well.

Now, only a giant block of ice remained before me. I barely managed to suppress the urge to shatter it.

“I haven’t heard such bullshit in ages. I’m already annoyed about so many things, and he’s just making me angry.”

―Rising blood pressure is not good for your health.

Sikel, who had landed next to me, said calmly. Who doesn’t know that? I pouted, and his sharp eyes curved as if smiling.

―What do you want me to do with the rest?

“Hmm, it’s different from monsters, so I don’t think we can just leave the body like this. Can you dispose of it cleanly?”

―There’s nothing I can’t do.

Sikel, looking smug even in his wolf form, headed back toward the ice block. Then the ground suddenly sank, and the ice block was swallowed whole. Water filled the large pit that remained. It seemed he had connected it to the waterway and let it flow away. I ended up exploring the waterway sooner than the master of the Requiem Guild I had booked, unintentionally.

―I’ve set up the framework, so it will flow straight to the sea.

“Good job. Thanks.”

―You’re welcome.

Hearing his triumphant reply, I felt my head cooling down a bit. But what should I do with this pit? As I was pondering after sending Sikel back, I felt a gaze. Turning around, I saw Sibelius, frozen in a daze. I couldn’t tell if he was even breathing; he looked like he had seen a ghost.

Just then, a sizzling sound echoed, and the letters engraved on his neck disappeared as if evaporating. Even though it was a spell made with his blood, it seemed to disappear when the caster died, thankfully. The intangible barrier surrounding us also vanished, and the atmosphere returned to normal. Only then was Sibelius able to move, and he hurriedly got up.

“Are you okay?”

I approached him and checked his condition. He nodded slowly. He seemed a bit confused, but he didn’t seem to be hurt. His trembling gaze stared intently at me.

“You…….”

“I know. I overreacted a bit. I’m sorry, and you can blame me if you want. But he tried to kill me first. I don’t have any reason to spare someone who’s trying to kill me.”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say. It’s just… unexpected.”

“That I’m stronger than you thought?”

I chuckled, and he nodded with an embarrassed look. I was worried he might be concerned about his dead kin, but thankfully, they didn’t seem to have a close relationship. Just from the way that guy treated him, there was no respect, let alone any sympathy. Seeing how Sibelius had been treated all along made my stomach churn again.

“I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. It’s my fault for not telling you the situation beforehand.”

His face was full of self-reproach.

“I didn’t expect to be found out so quickly. And I didn’t expect him to be so reckless. I thought they would just let me go if I revealed my gender, but I was too naive.”

“I think it’s more of a problem that there’s such a ridiculous rule in the first place.”

“All the previous Runes ended badly because of romantic entanglements. So everyone is very sensitive about that. But this time, it was probably because it was Edwin. He’s never liked me.”

“Why? Did you do something wrong to him?”

“……There’s a duty that a Rune must fulfill. But I couldn’t awaken my power properly, so I couldn’t fulfill it.”

“And?”

I waited for his next words, but Sibelius blinked in confusion. I wondered if that was all there was to it, but his reaction seemed to confirm my guess.

“He hates you just because you couldn’t awaken your power?”

“Well, it’s quite important to the clan…….”

“But it’s not your fault that you couldn’t awaken your power.”

His expression became even stranger at those words. He looked like he had heard something he shouldn’t have, his face somewhat broken.

“……Huh?”

“You would have awakened it if you could have. What are you supposed to do if you can’t? Honestly, wouldn’t you be the most frustrated? No, before that, let me ask. Has the clan suffered any damage because you couldn’t fulfill that duty properly? Has there been an epidemic or have people been dying? Have there been natural disasters like droughts or pest infestations?”

“Ah, no, not really. Simply put, it’s become difficult to communicate with Lusef [likely a deity]. A Rune is also a priest, so they’re like a channel for communicating with the gods. But that channel is blocked.”

“And?”

“…….”

“What, is that all there is to it again?”

“……Runes exist for that purpose.”

Despite Sikel’s warning, I could hear my blood pressure rising again. I rubbed the back of my stiff neck and let out a deep sigh. I felt like a flood of problems I didn’t know where to begin addressing had just been dumped in front of me.

“Does the god Lusef say that? That Runes exist only for that purpose? That you’re useless if you don’t fulfill that duty?”

“Huh? No, nothing like that…….”

“Then who decided that?”

Again, Sibelius quietly closed his mouth. His eyes showed clear signs of agitation, as if he had never even considered that. I wondered how long they had been tormenting him to make him so surprised by such obvious facts.

I believe that everyone has a dark side. Just as not all demons are troublemakers, elves also have their irrational aspects, which is why I’ve never been prejudiced against entire races. But from now on, I think I’m really, really going to hate unicorns.

“Sibelius.”

My voice trembled as I tried to suppress my rising anger. Sibelius’s gaze, as he looked up, was also trembling.

“It’s not your fault.”

His mouth slowly opened and then closed again. His eyes, which had been trembling even more than before, could no longer meet my gaze and dropped downward. It was a while before he spoke again.

“Thank you for helping me. I’ll remember you as the kindest person I’ve ever met. I’ll take care of this myself. You don’t know anything. You didn’t even meet me here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There will be pursuers coming after me. Now that Edwin is gone, the search will focus on his whereabouts, and the scale will only increase. Innocent people might get hurt because of me.”

“So, you’re not thinking of going back to the village, are you?”

There was no reply, but in this situation, silence was as good as a yes. I swallowed a deep sigh that welled up from within and tried to speak calmly.

“It was a good decision for you to leave the village. To exaggerate a bit, I think it was the best decision you’ve ever made in your life. I was actually planning to object even if you said you were going to leave the estate as it is, you know? But the village? You’re going to go back there on your own two feet?”

“……You saw it, didn’t you? I can’t hold them off if I’m discovered. I won’t be able to last long anyway.”

“That’s when you’re alone.”

It was an obvious point, but Sibelius stiffened as if he had been stabbed in a weak spot. His face already anticipated the next words, so I didn’t delay and opened my mouth.

“I’ll help you.”

“……You can’t.”

The tone of his reply was very gloomy. He anxiously ran his hands over his face.

“What, do you actually want to go back?”

“It’s not that, but…….”

“Then don’t refuse. What kind of nerve do you have to refuse when you should be begging for help?”

“It’s too reckless and dangerous.”

“It’s okay. I’m only saying this because I can handle it.”

“I know you’re strong enough. But this is not something to decide lightly. There’s only one person now, but later, dozens or hundreds of people might come at once. They won’t kill me no matter what. But it’s not the same for you. No matter how high-level a spirit caster you are, you can’t handle that many people.”

“Who said I was a high-level spirit caster?”

I asked back with a smile, and Sibelius blinked for a moment, not understanding.

“Oh, and you’re also strong with swordsmanship.”

“Besides that.”

“……?”

“Why do you think I give off a stronger scent of spirits than other spirit casters?”

At those words, Sibelius, who had been puzzled, soon gasped. A look of horror slowly filled his blue eyes. He seemed to finally realize what I was trying to say.

“Don’t tell me you’re…… a Spirit King……?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at how he couldn’t even finish his sentence. I nodded, and the sound of him swallowing hard was clearly audible.

“I wasn’t planning on revealing it publicly because it would be troublesome in many ways. But what’s the point of hiding it from you?”

The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed again. Sibelius stared at me as if he couldn’t understand.

“……Why are you trying to help me so much?”

“Because we’re friends.”

This time, he made a strange expression. A bizarrely distorted face, as if he was crying or laughing. It was as if he was expressing emotions for the first time, and the confusion of not knowing what to do was clearly conveyed. It seemed to be the most dynamic expression I had seen on his face since coming here.

“Is that such a surprising answer?”

“……No one has ever called me a friend before.”

“Then you have one now. Your first friend ever.”

Should we shake hands or something? As I smiled and held out my hand, Sibelius’s eyes followed blankly. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly took my hand. His hand was very cold at first, but it gradually warmed up as we held it. A sense of warmth welled up, filled with longing. It was the warmth I knew of him.

* * *

“The first priority is not to get caught.”

The first thing I started thinking about after the situation was settled was where Sibelius should stay. As he said, the pursuers would come again at any time, and if anyone started searching for Edwin’s whereabouts, he would be exposed even faster. I was prepared to face the entire unicorn clan, but that was only in the worst-case scenario. To avoid making things worse, it was easier for both of us to avoid getting caught as much as possible. Sibelius agreed with a matter-of-fact expression.

“Should we put up an illusion barrier and hide inside?”

“The pursuit will continue, so how long will we do that? Then how is that different from being trapped in the village?”

“Hmm.”

“Do what you originally wanted to do. You wanted to be a chef, right? Just avoid places that are too conspicuous and easily accessible to anyone, like bakeries or restaurants in shopping districts.”

I wanted to suggest that we live together, but I was already relying on Eluen, so I couldn’t readily make the offer. Sibelius was still sorry for dragging me into this, so I was trying to find a place where he could stay safe for the time being.

“Would it be better to go back to the kitchen of the security force?”

“Didn’t you say it was monotonous there?”

“It is, but it’s not exactly bad either.”

Sibelius didn’t seem to mind, but I didn’t really want him to do the job he had quit. We needed a more special place. Ideally, a place where he could have room and board, have the opportunity to make a variety of dishes to his heart’s content, and even if they suspected he was there, it wouldn’t be easily accessible to anyone. A place where a strong military force was stationed, and where I could honestly tell them everything so that they could protect him for a while in my place if something happened, and even send me news immediately would be even better.

“Where is there such a place?”

Sibelius asked, looking dumbfounded. It was a difficult condition even for me to think of. Especially the latter conditions were almost absurd. But it was quite coincidental. There was one place I knew that fit the bill.

“You suddenly come here and ask if I’m thinking of hiring a chef?”

And now, we were in that very place. Lamias, who was sitting cross-legged on a large leather sofa in a room with a luxurious carpet, smoking a cigarette, scoffed haughtily. His gaze blatantly scanned Sibelius next to me.

“A unicorn chef, that’s kind of interesting.”

As expected of a seasoned dragon, he was quick to recognize his identity. Sibelius, who didn’t know anything because I had just dragged him along, stiffened, but I calmly met his gaze with a smile.