Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 526

Unlike me, who felt relieved inside, the Crown Prince barely showed any composure. His gaze, quite fierce, was different from before.

“Why do you think the Demon God’s curse is a lie?”

“Because it is a lie.”

“……”

“The Demon God doesn’t do petty acts of revenge. If he were to do something, he would end it for good. A lenient punishment like a curse is only given when there’s affection, but there’s no way he would feel that way about merfolk.”

The Crown Prince’s lips, which had been feigning a forced smile, twisted strangely.

“I didn’t realize you knew so much about the Demon God.”

“I know more than you do.”

Frankly speaking, even this expression feels like a waste. The Crown Prince knows nothing about the Demon God. Because he knows nothing, he dares to oppose and try to use him. The Crown Prince glared at me for a while. Yet, not wanting to lose the upper hand, he leaned back against the chair as if relaxed and crossed his arms.

“Are you sure? If I acknowledge this now, the only way for you to return safely is to become my person. I don’t share high-level information with just anyone.”

“Then don’t answer. It wasn’t that important anyway.”

“That’s not important… I’m curious what’s more important to you.”

“The belongings you took.”

I didn’t want to drag things out, so I got straight to the point. The Crown Prince paused, looking bewildered. He seemed to think it was a joke, even wearing an amused expression.

“What did I take?”

“I’m talking about the belongings you collected when you kidnapped the Demon God’s follower. There should be a horn among those items. I need that.”

“……I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t waste time when we both know what’s going on.”

You already know that I was the one who took the Demon God’s follower at the banquet. Why are you pretending not to know? I smiled, and the Crown Prince, understanding the meaning, smiled back wryly.

“Alright. Let’s say that’s true. Why do you need it?”

“That horn is a tool to summon a demon. You know very well which demon it is, so I’ll skip the explanation.”

“……So?”

“I’m going to deal with that demon.”

I didn’t want to spend time like this with the Crown Prince. But if I wanted to draw out Karian, who was hiding somewhere, this was the easiest way. According to what I heard from Ediss and Ayra, Karian faithfully responded to the horn’s call. He appeared and acted as he pleased, but at least he came when summoned. Right now, I needed even that fleeting moment. The Crown Prince, caught off guard, clearly hadn’t anticipated this answer. The guarded look on his face quickly crumbled.

“Does that mean you’ll become my person?”

“No. I just have personal matters to settle with that demon.”

Sending him a ‘dream on’ look, the Crown Prince fell silent for a moment. He rubbed his face with his palm and stared at me intently. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, so I just shrugged.

“It’s not a bad offer for you either. That demon will be a hindrance to your plans.”

“If everything you’ve said is true, then yes. But you’re also hindering my plans. How can I believe you when you say you’ll deal with the demon?”

“If you don’t want to believe me, you don’t have to. Just decide whether you’ll hand over the horn or not. I don’t want to waste time either.”

“……It seems like a fruit but might be poison, and seems like poison but acts like a fruit. I can’t figure you out at all.”

‘It’s poison to everyone.’ I rolled the words I wanted to retort on the tip of my tongue. I know that self-deprecation is a bad habit, but the situation I’m in doesn’t help, so I can’t help it. I guess this is my fate.

“If it’s on the condition that you deal with the demon in my presence…”

“Do so if you’re confident you can survive at the scene. Keep in mind that I won’t have the capacity to protect you as well.”

Of course, I wouldn’t do it even if I had the capacity. The Crown Prince, looking speechless, fell silent again. It seemed like he didn’t think it was a good idea either.

“Is your only goal really to deal with the demon?”

“Yes.”

I can’t say I don’t have other plans, but the only reason I came here today was for that. The Crown Prince, unaware of the omitted words, looked deeply troubled.

“……I’ll think about it for now.”

That’s where the conversation ended that day. The Crown Prince, feeling uneasy, left immediately as if he had nothing more to say. Since this wasn’t the only option for me anyway, I turned back without any regrets.

Still, it seemed the Crown Prince was more flexible than I thought. Or was he trying to test me? A few days later, a paper bag with an unknown sender was delivered to the inn where I was staying. Inside was a small horn made of metal. There was no particular message, but the identity of the horn was obvious.

I carefully examined the surface, which had no patterns engraved on it, and lightly held it in my hand. Seeing that things were going smoothly from the start, it felt like I was being confirmed that this path was the right one. I took a deep breath to strengthen my resolve. This was the beginning.

* * *

“Young Master, where are you going?”

Ifrit asked me as I was preparing to go out early in the morning. I stopped packing my simple bag and turned to look at him.

“I have some business to take care of.”

“Ah, is it that? You said you were going to fight a demon before.”

“……Yeah.”

“Should I come with you?”

“No, it’s something I need to handle alone.”

“Really? Well, that demon is still a rookie. With your skills, you can easily win. But if it seems dangerous, don’t do anything reckless and call Elquines [likely a powerful spirit or entity]. What’s the point of having a reliable Spirit King father? Are you going to boil him into soup later?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

After nodding at his playful words, I stared at Ifrit. He met my gaze and gave me a puzzled look with a smile.

“Why?”

“……Just.”

“How bland.”

I forced a smile as he ruffled my hair. My Ifrit isn’t him. If I carry out today’s plan, I’ll be parting ways with him here. This will be the last of him that I remember. I felt a little sentimental for no reason, so I didn’t spend any special farewell time with Chris or the others. I think I’ll regret this for a long time. No, actually, I don’t even know what will happen to me afterward. If everything is undone, will my current self and my memories without a past life mix together? Maybe all my current memories will disappear.

“Ifrit, thank you.”

I opened my mouth because I thought I had to say at least this. Ifrit looked a little flustered, perhaps because the uncharacteristic words of gratitude were unexpected.

“What’s with you all of a sudden? It sounds like a final farewell.”

“I know. It’s like a line they say before a final battle in a play. Did you get a little nervous just now?”

“Ugh, don’t do that when you know. I’m a sensitive spirit, you know?”

Ifrit, who wrapped his arms around his shoulders, shivered. I burst out laughing at his deliberately exaggerated response, and Ifrit, who was quietly watching me, stroked my hair again.

“I won’t ask because it seems like you don’t want to talk about it. But you seem to have a lot on your mind these days. Elquines doesn’t say much, but he’s been worried about you, you know?”

“……I know.”

“Okay, if you know, that’s fine. I don’t know what you’re dealing with, but you can stop if it’s too hard. Don’t try too hard on your own, Young Master.”

The expression I had been trying to maintain almost crumbled. Always kind Ifrit. His words, which used to be sunshine and sugar, are a little painful today. If I break down even a little, he’ll definitely find it suspicious, so I smiled even brighter on purpose.

“Then I’ll go.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I’ll be back.

Even though the civilization of this era has developed a lot, not all regions have been developed. Just a little outside the city, there were plenty of natural areas untouched by human hands. What I found was a plain in the most remote forest among them. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, it would be better to be in a place where there were no people.

‘This should be enough.’

After finding a suitable location, I took the horn out of my bag. I put the opening to my mouth and blew as hard as I could. I expected a fairly loud noise, but surprisingly, there was no sound at all. Instead, I felt a strange air spreading.

The worry that the horn might be defective or that the target of the summons might notice and avoid it didn’t last long. Soon, subtle currents began to ripple. Soon, a black crack was drawn in the air, and as the space split open, a figure appeared. It was Karian, who seemed to be made of black from head to toe.

“Huh?”

Finding me, he slowly blinked his eyes and looked around with a puzzled face. And after confirming that it was an empty plain, he looked at me again.

“I really didn’t expect this. I came because I received a rescue signal, but why are you here?”

His sweeping gaze reached the horn I was holding. Unless he was an idiot, there was no way he couldn’t figure out this situation.

“Did you deliberately get that? To meet me?”

“I do have something to discuss with you.”

I drew my sword from its sheath. The clear metallic sound rang out, and the body of Fire Buster appeared after a long time. Come to think of it, what will happen to Fire Buster when I disappear? Will it be left here alone until someone accidentally finds it? I regretted it a little late, wondering if I should have avoided such a remote place.

“What, are you trying to fight? Are you trying to kill me?”

Karian’s expression changed as he realized my intention. A look of bewilderment returned as I remained silent in affirmation.

“Are you really going to kill me?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I don’t understand. Well, you’ve had hostility towards me from the beginning, right? It doesn’t seem like you’re doing this just because I’m a demon. I may have tricked you a little, but I didn’t do anything particularly bad, did I? Why do you hate me so much?”

“Your face doesn’t look good. You have the face of someone I’ll meet as an enemy later, so I’m trying to eliminate the seed in advance.”

“Puhah! What is that? Turns out you’re not a water spiritist but an earth spiritist? You’re not a prophet, are you?”

I’m not a prophet, but I came from the future. I told the truth, but since you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. Karian, who was laughing without any tension, seemed to be enjoying this situation itself. Still, I didn’t think he would avoid this place. Demons are a race that likes to fight. Even though he said he didn’t want to fight me, there was no way he could ignore the provocation I was throwing at him. As expected, Karian nodded readily.

“Well, okay. This isn’t bad either. To be honest, I wanted to see how strong you were. I refrained from it because I thought I wouldn’t be able to stop until I killed you once we started, but if you’re giving me the opportunity, then sure.”

Black currents flowed from his hand, and a black longsword appeared. It was the same sword he had given the Crown Prince when he was playing around with him. The red eyes staring straight at me gleamed with intense light.

“Don’t blame me if you die here.”

Who are you to say that?

“You either.”

I released the power I had prepared. Waves rose around me, and the water wolves that appeared all at once landed gracefully. Karian, who flinched for a moment, let out a hollow laugh.

“……Wow, this is cheating.”

He looked at the Secuels [likely summoned water spirits] surrounding me as if protecting me with a dumbfounded expression. I wondered why he was acting like that when he knew I was a spiritist, but an unexpected question came back.

“Were you the contractor of the Spirit King?”

“What?”

“Huh, this is really ridiculous. Then, by any chance, was that incredibly handsome man with blue hair who was traveling with you the Spirit King? Elquines?”

It was even stranger that he didn’t know that until now. Even if he didn’t have the eyes to recognize the Spirit King at a glance due to lack of experience, didn’t Ellyuen openly save me from the slave traders? He turned the whole place into winter, how could he not know even after seeing that? I was so dumbfounded that Karian retorted as if making an excuse.

“No, I thought you did it. You don’t look like a human either, do you? That person also looked unusual, but since you said he was a relative, I thought he had some special bloodline. No wonder I was quickly blocked even when I tried to spy on you a little!”

“Now you know the truth.”

“Wow, this is really cheating. How can I beat the Spirit King? It’s too unfair. This match is invalid……”

“I won’t call Father.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

As I nodded lightly, the composure returned to his face, which had been looking suspicious. Seeing his ever-changing expressions, I even felt sorry for him. But it wouldn’t be much different anyway. Actually, I’m also a Spirit King.

“And you can’t escape anyway.”

“What……”

Karian’s expression, which had been puzzled, hardened. He looked down at his two legs, which were already trapped in a block of ice, and laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“Look at this. Do I look like a human like this?”

Crack! At the same time as the ice restraints shattered, Karian, who had been freed, shot towards me quickly. The red eyes became close in an instant, and my sword was also filled with sword energy. Clash! Kwaang! The expanding air between the two swords that met spread out, and the whole place vibrated. The face confronting me right in front of me grinned.

“Let’s have some fun.”

After that, it was a full-fledged battle. As Ifrit said it would be easy, the demon who had just become an adult was no match for me. As time passed, Karian’s condition became increasingly worse. First, he bled from his arm, then from his leg, and then from his abdomen. Karian seemed to be enjoying himself even as his wounds increased. Even though he realized that he was at a disadvantage, his face, which was smiling with his teeth bared, was filled with heightened excitement. He seemed to enjoy the pain so much that it was fortunate that I didn’t feel sorry for him.

The tedious back-and-forth finally reached its final moment. Karian, who had been captured by Secuel and dragged away, crashed violently to the ground. Before he could get up again, I plunged my sword straight down and pierced his chest. Karian, who twitched greatly, coughed up dark red blood and slumped down.

“……Ha, even without summoning the Spirit King, you’re this strong? I’m really speechless.”

He gasped for breath with a rattling sound as he lay sprawled out. Even at this moment, the gaze staring at me was still clear. This would be a fatal wound for a demon as well, but his vitality was tenacious.

“I’m sorry it turned out like this.”

“Stop talking nonsense and kill me if you’re going to kill me.”

Seeing his face smiling weakly even while impaled on the sword, I thought of his last moments. Karian writhing in pain while impaled on the judge. Karian, who eventually ended up in complete annihilation. If he had known when to stop, he wouldn’t have ended up like that either. It would be better for this guy’s soul to die here before he accumulated countless lives as sins.

“Goodbye.”

Let’s end our bad relationship with this. I hoped that we wouldn’t be entangled in the slightest in the next life. After pulling out the sword, I brought it down on his neck without hesitation. No matter how great a demon’s regenerative power is, they can’t help but die if their neck is cut off. Now it was really the end. Kwa-jik, the sensation of the sword digging into something hard reached my hand clearly. But the sensation that should have reached me before that was not felt.

‘……What?’

I checked the sword that had scraped the bare ground and blinked my eyes quickly. Karian, who had been right in front of me, was nowhere to be seen. If it weren’t for the pool of blood, I would have wondered if it was a delusion that I had stabbed Karian’s heart in the first place. Feeling a chill run down my spine, I immediately looked around. One scene that hadn’t been there before caught my eye. Someone was standing not far away, holding Karian in their arms.

“……”

“……”

Am I dreaming with my eyes open right now? I barely muttered into my fading mind. Karian seemed to have lost consciousness. The wounds that had been a mess were gone without a trace, but right now, I was filled with only one thought. Why is that person here? It was an existence that I had never even thought I would encounter in this place, in this situation. No, I just couldn’t believe I was seeing him.

“I didn’t think you would try to kill him.”

The man who had been standing like a phantom opened his mouth. Even that humming voice was so familiar that I sighed without realizing it. The dark eyes that seemed to swallow all light stared at me. The black hair, as if it would rub off even if you touched it, swayed in the wind. It was like this even in the last moment I saw him.

Kanos.

“Ugh.”

In an instant, my vision spun and my mind faded. I think I lost my balance for a moment. A dizzying sensation rushed in as if I was falling as my legs gave way. I faintly heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue somewhere, whether it was an illusion or reality. When I came to my senses, someone was already supporting me as my posture had collapsed. I gasped at the face I saw right in front of me. Kanos, who had met my gaze, smiled. It’s real. It was really Kanos.