Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 561

561.

“Um, excuse me! You can trust what El is saying!”

Suddenly, Ransi shouted loudly.

“Because El is… !”

Seeing her face full of unwavering trust, I was reminded of something I had done as soon as I came to this world. Knowing what she was about to say, I hurriedly stepped forward.

“That’s right! I actually have something like this!”

I turned my back so that Weldi and Karian couldn’t see and took off my glove. When I showed them the mark on the back of my hand, their eyes widened. Only then did the atmosphere quickly stabilize, and this time, a wave of emotion washed over them. It seemed they believed that the priest dispatched from the Demon God’s Temple before the punishment had saved everyone. “It’s top secret, so please pretend you didn’t see anything.” The added remark, just in case, further amplified the effect. Thinking about it, it wasn’t too far from the truth, so I felt very strange. Especially since the demon god priests who sent me here didn’t even know that I had the demon god’s mark.

“What did you show them?”

Weldi asked cautiously, seemingly embarrassed by the sudden change in atmosphere. If I told him, there would be no point in hiding it, so I laughed it off.

“It’s something. Anyway, everyone should go into the village. You two go together too.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to find Sibelius. I’m a little worried that he might be caught up in it if he’s inside.”

If lightning strikes like that, even those who aren’t involved will get hurt. Weldi’s face turned pale as he realized what I was about to say. “Please bring him back safely.” After nodding at his earnest request, I rushed into the forest. It would be great if the crisis ended there, but in reality, it was just the beginning.

—You’re using that mark to good effect.

Ellyen muttered, following silently, and my heart sank. I turned stiffly, like a broken machine, and my indifferent gaze met his.

—Still not ready to talk?

“Uh, well, that’s…”

—You’re not still going to insist that the mark is fake, are you?

Of course, I have some shame, so I had no intention of repeating such obvious lies after coming this far. But the answer Ellyen was waiting for wasn’t just about the authenticity of the mark. He was asking who I was. My true identity, the one with a body that can contain both divine power and the power of spirits.

“I am…”

How futile was that delusion, that Ellyen seemed to have already given up. I swallowed hard, feeling a burning tension. But it should be okay to say this much, right? Up to this point.

“Sorry, Father. Actually, I shouldn’t say this.”

As I struggled to open my mouth, a strange light flickered in the gaze looking down at me.

—A spell, I see.

As expected, unlike me, he immediately noticed the background behind my words. Even the fact that not answering meant affirmation. His expression turned strange, and suddenly my vision began to sway. It wasn’t dizziness, but a sensation of the entire space undulating. It was a phenomenon I had experienced before, so I immediately realized it. Ellyen had noticed my true identity. Should I not have even mentioned it? Just realizing there was a spell was enough to cause this? I clenched my lips tightly to prepare for the shock that would come without even having time to catch my breath.

—I can’t let my guard down.

A cheerful voice with a hint of laughter brushed past me from somewhere. At that moment, a pure white flash struck my eyes. In a fleeting moment, my eyes met Ellyen’s. The sight of his face distorting continued like a very slow-motion screen.

콰아아앙! [Sound of a massive explosion]

“El!”

I don’t know if the voice calling me was Ellyen’s or Lapis’s.

And then, it was blackout.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I saw eyes staring down at me. Pretty pink eyes like hydrangeas in bloom. The fluffy hair also felt like the same shade of pink.

Even in Arkhadon, where all sorts of hair colors exist, pink is not a very common color. Especially such a vivid pink; I think I’ve only seen it on Crown Prince Laon Hwizen. Even then, it wasn’t exactly the same color. Anyway, the being with that rare hair color had a youthful face. Is this a dream? As I stared blankly, the child, who could be either a girl or a boy, smiled brightly. I reflexively smiled back, but then I suddenly snapped to my senses.

“Huh, what is it?”

I instinctively raised my upper body, and the being in front of me quickly moved away. After moving a little further away, I could see the figure more clearly. It wasn’t a dream; it was really a child. Who is this kid? What’s going on here? I looked around and saw a dim stone wall. Seeing that everything was blocked up to the ceiling, it seemed like I was in a cave. I had no idea what was going on, but it was certain that Ellyen wasn’t by my side.

“Ugh, my head…”

After confirming that, my head ached as if it were breaking. As I groaned, holding my head, the child who had been far away came closer and peered at me. Are they worried? Feeling the headache subside, I examined the child’s appearance. Even though it was still a cold season, they were wearing short clothes and didn’t even have shoes on. Thanks to that, I could see it clearly. A clear mark was engraved on their legs, from their shins to the tops of their feet. That was definitely a scale.

“…Mermaid?”

“El, you’re awake! Are you feeling better?”

Before I could feel bewildered, I heard a familiar voice. A blue elf I knew well was entering from the passage. Why is he here?

“Sibelius, is that you?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s me, Sibelius. How’s your body? Are you okay? I was worried because you didn’t wake up for a long time.”

I have no idea what’s going on. How did things turn out while I was unconscious? I frowned in confusion, and the child quickly went behind Sibelius and hid. That was absurd, but what was even more absurd was Sibelius’s reaction. The guy smiled contentedly and gently stroked the head of the little mermaid, who was clearly a mermaid.

“It’s okay. El is my friend.”

…I think I’m getting another headache. I gave up thinking any further and held my head again.

“What’s wrong? Does your head hurt?”

Sibelius, who had rushed over, touched my forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.” While he was muttering, the sensation of my head ringing slowly subsided.

“I gave you some recovery potion just in case. Do you want to drink another bottle?”

“No, I’m okay. More than that, what’s going on? How did we meet? Where is this?”

“First, calm down, El. Do you remember the situation before you lost consciousness?”

Of course, I remember. I was about to have my spell broken after Ellyen found out my identity. I thought it was over, but at that moment, a flash suddenly struck. I think I heard Kanos’s voice through the white spreading light. But I couldn’t explain this, so I just slowly shook my head. Sibelius sighed in disappointment.

“You were lying unconscious alone in the forest. I happened to find you while I was escaping…”

“Escaping?”

“It’s a mess outside right now.”

I felt like I knew what he meant even without an explanation. It must mean that lightning is striking everywhere. As if to prove my guess, I could still hear rumbling sounds. Judging from the fact that there was no break in the noise, it was clear that it was striking non-stop.

“I almost got into danger too, but this kid saved me.”

Sibelius was pointing at the pink little mermaid. He said that he had been wandering in the fog and barely found the place with the tent, but suddenly the sky darkened and lightning struck in front of him. At that time, the little mermaid pulled Sibelius from behind and helped him.

“I wouldn’t have been able to avoid it otherwise.”

Sibelius, who was explaining that he had survived by a hair’s breadth, unhesitatingly called the little mermaid his benefactor. It seemed that she had helped him several times not only by helping him avoid the lightning but also in the process of escaping the burning forest. This cave, which they were now using as a shelter, was also guided by the little mermaid.

As I watched intently, the little mermaid also faced me directly. Is it because she’s still young? The mermaids I saw in the lake looked like beasts, but this little mermaid looked more like a person. She helped Sibelius, and maybe not all mermaids are dangerous. But since the lightning itself was falling because of the mermaids, I didn’t know how to react.

“Um, well, let’s put that aside for now. More than that, where is this place? If it’s where you found me, is it the edge of the forest? Almost the part where you’re getting out.”

“Oh, no? I think it’s inside the forest. Anyway, the place where I found El was near the lake.”

“…I was near the lake?”

“Yeah.”

“Why was I there?”

“Well, I don’t know?”

Sibelius, who couldn’t possibly know what the person involved didn’t know, smiled awkwardly. Fortunately, there was someone who explained it for him before he fell into a maze.

“I think the demon god moved you.”

‘Lapis!’

Is it just my imagination, or does his voice sound more subdued than usual?

‘You watched everything? What happened? The demon god moved me? What about Ellyen? What happened to Ellyen?’

“Ah, I don’t know. My head is ringing. Shut up for a second.”

No, how can your head ring when you’re a spirit! I couldn’t help but feel absurd, and I heard a light click of the tongue. “It’s true.” Just listening to his deeply sunken voice, it didn’t seem like he was joking. Well, he wasn’t the type to make such jokes in the first place.

‘Are you okay?’

“I’m not okay. Damn it, I thought I was going to disappear like that.”

‘What exactly happened?’

“I’m not sure either…”

Lapis sighed and began to explain roughly as he knew it. The flash that I thought had fallen on me was actually aimed at Ellyen. To be exact, it was an attack that was carried out in anticipation that he would protect me. In that fleeting moment of glancing at me, the trajectory was instantly changed and Ellyen was covered.

“Wow…”

“El, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I quickly shook my head at the puzzled Sibelius and continued to listen to the story. Anyway, I had fainted from just the aftermath. Lapis’s vision also closed because I lost consciousness immediately, but he definitely felt a very powerful divine power taking over. Needless to say, it was Kanos’s power.

‘Then Ellyen is…’

“I lost consciousness after that, so I don’t know that far. If he’s not next to you now, wasn’t he sent back to the spirit world?”

‘No way. It’s Ellyen?’

“So what. That guy is a high-ranking god later on, but the demon god is much stronger now? No, even if he’s a god, the demon god is stronger. Don’t you know that the demon god is the supreme god?”

‘Well, that’s true, but…’

I don’t know why, but I can’t imagine Ellyen losing. He’s been seriously injured once, but that was because of me. Even if it was Kanos, he wouldn’t have been so easily defeated if it hadn’t been for me. Come to think of it, Ellyen is always hurt because of me? My heart suddenly became heavy.

“Anyway, if you’re curious about that guy’s well-being, you can check it yourself without asking me. Try summoning him once.”

Ah, that’s right. Yes, I had a way to summon him. Of course, the Spirit King can refuse the summons, but even if he doesn’t respond, I can still communicate with him for a while. I can’t believe I didn’t think of the simplest method; I must still be out of it. After taking a light breath, I tried to concentrate my consciousness. But maybe it was because I felt the change in the atmosphere. The little mermaid, who had been inseparable from Sibelius, suddenly strode up to me. She sat on my lap without permission, peered around, and then reached out and began to touch my hair. I couldn’t concentrate at all, so I postponed what I was going to do.

“Why? Is there something on my hair?”

I made eye contact and asked, but there was no answer. When I looked at Sibelius, he also tilted his head and smiled.

“Maybe it’s because of your hair color? Mermaids don’t have black hair, so maybe she’s curious.”

“Oh, really? You don’t have black hair. But little one, I dyed this hair. There’s nothing to be curious about.”

I said with an awkward smile, but I don’t know if she understood or not; there was no reaction at all. Then, as if she had an idea, she lightly grabbed my hair with both hands and stroked it down. It was an ordinary prank that children would play. If only my hair hadn’t stretched out like taffy along with that touch.

“…Wait, hold on!”

It was already too late when I pushed her away in embarrassment. In the blink of an eye, the stretched hair was as long as it had been before I cut it. Even the hair color had returned to its original blonde state. Sibelius was as surprised as I was, with his mouth open in shock. The little mermaid, who made eye contact with me, smiled brightly.

“This is better.”

“…”

I couldn’t react for a moment to the casually continued words. What, she could talk? Her voice is really pretty because she’s a mermaid. The sound of jade beads rolling on a silver plate seems to be exactly what this is. I already felt like she was captivating people with just her tone, so if she became a singer in the future, she could make a living for the rest of her life…

‘No, that’s not the point.’

I barely grabbed the spirit that was trying to stray off the path. I admit it. I was unknowingly trying to escape reality. The shock was too great. To be honest, I still couldn’t believe it. I lifted my hair with trembling hands. I wanted to think it was a dream, but no matter how many times I looked at it, it was still blonde. Rather, it was as if the time when I had black hair was a dream; it was too similar to the way it used to be. Did mermaids have this kind of ability? The ability to make hair grow longer in an instant and return it to its original color; I’ve never heard of anything like this. Why is this happening? I couldn’t understand even if I forced my uncooperative head to work.

It’s not easy to get hair dye in this world. Black is the most difficult color to get among them. It’s so toxic that I had to endure the pain of burning my skin every time I dyed it. My hair doesn’t dye well, so I have to do it at least four or five times each time. I had maintained that black hair, enduring all that effort.

“My hair…”