Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 564

564.

“Karian visited the Duke’s mansion.”

“Again today? He never seems to tire.”

Kanos, covering his forehead with his arm, chuckled faintly.

“He was like that even as Asmodel. He never knew when to give up.”

“He wasn’t quite this persistent when he was a god. Becoming a demon seems to have made him more stubborn.”

“Yuvia, are you badmouthing demons in front of me? I’m the creator god of demons, you know?”

“I’m merely stating the facts, but I will accept any punishment you deem fit.”

“Hmm, right. It’s my fault.”

*My* Yuvia is so cold. I should have announced in advance that angels are born according to their master’s personality. I shouldn’t have been careless back then. Yuvia is so boring. Yuvia opened her mouth, watching her master’s pathetic figure as he grumbled again.

“But Kanos, you mustn’t fall asleep right now.”

“…Why?”

Kanos’s fading eyes reopened. An awkward smile revealed his embarrassment at being caught trying to pull a fast one. A pitiful gaze asking her to pretend she didn’t notice reached her, but Yuvia paid it no mind.

“There will be a meeting of the ancient gods shortly. Without your presence, the matter cannot proceed. Iowen has threatened to occupy the hall and stage a protest if you don’t attend this time either.”

“I don’t have the strength to move right now.”

“I see.”

“Seriously, Yuvia. I just had my power sucked dry again.”

“That’s unfortunate. But you must go.”

*Wow*, I really have no one on my side. Kanos muttered in disbelief. Yuvia, how could even you? He even let out a sigh. Of course, Yuvia didn’t even pretend to hear him.

Iowen, staging a protest, is far more troublesome than Kanos whining. Especially since enduring his antics falls entirely on her. Sometimes, a silent, watchful gaze is more threatening than nagging. Unable to withstand the piercing gaze, Kanos finally rose to his feet.

“Alright, I’ll go. I’m going, okay? Ugh, I’m going for Yuvia’s sake, you know.”

“Thank you. You made the right choice.”

“Haa, why am I so competent that I have to live so 힘들게 [himdeulge – laboriously/with difficulty] alone? Can’t a god as capable as me be born? If possible, one who is diligent and responsible, so I can entrust my work to them and they’ll silently take care of it all. I would adore them completely.”

“Yes, yes, I wish that too.”

*But* is receiving the Demon God’s favor really a good thing? What sin could that capable god have committed to have such an unfortunate fate predetermined? The thought was obvious, but Yuvia, fearing her fickle master might change his mind again, simply agreed and hurried to prepare for their departure.

Draping the gown over himself as she handed it to him, Kanos chuckled at the last thing Yuvia prepared: a pink fruit on a silver platter. A Divine Fruit to aid in the recovery of divine power. Strictly managed, the Divine Fruit could only be obtained after submitting a request and receiving approval. It couldn’t be stored for long, as it would disappear if not consumed immediately after harvest. *Yuvia knows me too well*, so Kanos’s muttering was perfectly reasonable.

“Let’s go, Yuvia.”

Tossing the Divine Fruit into the air and lightly catching it, Kanos moved briskly. Yuvia’s face also broke into a smile at his consistent words. In the illusion, and now too. Her prepared response was always the same.

“Yes, Kanos.”

* * *

Dry wind scattered brittle dust. It was hard to believe that spring rain had fallen here all morning, the landscape was so desolate. Spring, when life sprouts, the season of blessings when everything begins. But the faded gray land refused to accept that natural order.

The lush forests, well-tended gardens, and verdant farmlands had all turned into a land of death, filled only with the corpses of withered grass. The residents, who had lived abundantly with the fertile soil as their companion, began to scatter, fleeing the parched rivers and soil. The faces of those who had lost everything overnight were also a murky gray.

“Are you satisfied now?”

The boy, watching the procession of baggage carts stretching out of the village, turned his head at the voice from behind. A man with crimson hair stood with his arms crossed.

“You caused quite a big accident while I took my eyes off you for a moment. If you were going to touch something, you should have just stuck to their place of origin. Why did you have to paint an entire continent? Honestly, your personality…”

“Not the whole thing.”

“Oh, right. You left a third of it. Very well done.”

And a third of that is in other races’ territories. Now, humans will fight fiercely to occupy the remaining land. Just thinking about how much blood will flow on this land makes me sigh. But even this was acceptable. Considering it was the wrath of a Spirit King, he thought this much was inevitable. Yes, if it only stopped here.

“Let’s end it with this, Trowell. This is enough, right?”

The problem was that the remaining plans weren’t all of this. Trowell chuckled at Ifrit’s earnest request.

“I don’t know why you get to decide what’s enough for me.”

“You! If you go any further, it’s not retribution or anything! It’s just slaughter!”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“That’s why I’m saying this!”

Ifrit usually thought that none of the Spirit Kings were normal. But he didn’t want to realize it in this way. The previous Trowell at least had some sense. What’s wrong with him? Why is his temper so bad? The distraught Ifrit reached out and ruffled the small head haphazardly.

“Good boy, Trowell? Just listen to me for a second.”

“Get your hand off me.”

“Okay, okay. I know you’re out of your mind right now. But let’s think rationally? Humans are going to perish soon anyway. It’s their cycle. You don’t have to do this.”

The humans created by the Chief God were promised to be the most prosperous beings in Arkadon, but they had a problem of becoming contaminated as generations passed due to the accumulation of foreign substances. This was especially critical in the world of spirits. Therefore, when the contamination became so deep that spiritists could no longer be born, the dimension itself would automatically enter self-purification. This phenomenon was called the Purification Cycle in the Divine Realm.

When the time came, the Chief God’s power would fill the land, and the number of humans would rapidly decrease until only the purest few remained, and no children would be born during that period. It was also a period for reorganizing the entire Arkadon.

Recently, the number of human spiritists has been decreasing rapidly, so the Spirit Kings were guessing that the time would come in a few generations. It was a long time for humans, but for spirits, it was a period that would pass quickly while they were distracted. But Trowell was firm.

“I’m not trying to purify them. I’m trying to exterminate them.”

“Ugh, you’re impossible!”

I’m telling you to give up on that! I’m telling you to be satisfied with purification! Ifrit, feeling like he was going to go crazy himself trying to persuade him, thumped his chest. Ifrit was already shorter-lived than the other Spirit Kings, and he felt like he would disappear even sooner. He was seeing too many hardships to live long.

“You’re going to get into real trouble if you do that. Even the Divine Realm won’t just let that slide.”

“I don’t care.”

“Haa, of course, you wouldn’t. Then at least wait one generation. Don’t you feel sorry for El? Are you going to make him see that after he struggled so hard to stop you?”

At that moment, Trowell’s expression, which had been so still, wavered for the first time. Oh, could it be working? After all, he couldn’t ignore the affection he had developed while being together. It was the moment when Ifrit’s heart, which had discovered hope for the first time, began to feel hopeful.

“Come to think of it, isn’t Elquines in the Spirit Realm right now?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. He seems to be resting for some reason.”

“It’s surprising that the Guardian is leaving his post.”

“Why is it so surprising? It’s the first time he’s been away from the Spirit Realm for so long. Sometimes he wants to rest too… Hey, don’t tell me, right?”

After replying indifferently for a moment, Ifrit, feeling an ominous premonition, hardened his face. That feeling became a reality the moment he saw Trowell’s smiling face.

“You said you wouldn’t touch El!”

“I said I wouldn’t kill him.”

“You! Ugh!”

Everything went dark. He had to go to El quickly. The desperate Ifrit hurriedly tried to teleport. But the ropes made of earth were faster at binding his body.

“Hey! What are you doing! Let me go!”

“No, Ifrit. If you help, the Guardian’s absence won’t mean anything.”

“Don’t talk about meaning! Are you really not going to let me go?”

“Aren’t you curious about how he’ll react when goodwill turns into hostility?”

“What?”

“He said he sees me as a brother, but will he still be able to do that when he’s in a life-or-death situation? I’m so curious that I want to find out. When will he reveal his true colors?”

“You crazy bastard!”

*I* must have been out of my mind. What did I hope to gain by crawling into this swamp? Ifrit couldn’t help but sigh. He was definitely not going to live long. The cause was definitely 화병 [Hwabyung] anger-induced illness.

* * *

The lightning that had been striking all day subsided only when dawn broke the next day. As the dark clouds that had been thickly covering the sky receded, light entered the world that had seemed submerged in ink. As the surroundings began to brighten, the faces of the villagers, who had been worried all night, also brightened.

Of course, there were still people who were uneasy. To reassure them and to check the situation, I decided to look around the forest. They said I could go alone, but Sibelius accompanied me with a matter-of-fact expression, so Weldy and Karian had no choice but to follow. A few brave village militiamen also joined us.

The forest we re-entered was different in many ways from the day before. First of all, there was no fog at all, and the settlement had completely disappeared. Not only the tents but also the small equipment and even the corpses were gone. The only remaining trace of something existing here was the remaining site.

The most prominent change was the sea lake. It wasn’t very big, but it was quite deep, and all that water had disappeared, turning into a different landscape. Instead of the lake, a snow-white temple surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains had been created. The owner’s crest was engraved in the middle of the pillar, but it was clear whose temple it was without having to check. It was the Demon God’s temple.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It is.”

I nodded in response to Weldy’s admiration. The serene atmosphere of the temple nestled in the quiet forest was certainly beautiful, so much so that it was hard to believe it was built on the ashes of a brutal punishment, on top of corpses that hadn’t even left ashes. So it felt even more like Kanos’s temple.

“If I had known a Demon God’s temple would be built here, I shouldn’t have sent it back.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean Haiten’s divine artifact. Weren’t you going to use it in the Demon God’s temple? Tell me if you need it. It’s against the rules, but since I owe you a favor, I’ll make a special effort to get it back.”

“Ah, it’s okay now.”

The purpose for which the divine artifact was needed had already been achieved. It wasn’t that there were no stories left, but I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to meet him even if I used the divine artifact now. Weldy looked like she couldn’t understand, but Sibelius shook his head, so she didn’t recommend it anymore. I was grateful because I knew she was trying to do me a big favor.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Aren’t we going inside the temple?”

“No, I don’t think we need to go that far.”

The work is done, so that’s it. After answering with relief, I turned around without regret. Rather, Weldy kept looking back.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

“What is it, Weldy?”

“What happened to your hair?”

I paused involuntarily at the question that followed. Ah, come to think of it, I’m back to blonde. It was more familiar, so I didn’t feel any strangeness. No wonder Langshi stared at me with wide eyes when I came back to the village. Besides, everyone else looked very embarrassed, but the atmosphere quickly subsided, so I didn’t pay much attention. It seemed that everyone couldn’t talk to me because my expression was so bad. It was natural to be curious since my black hair suddenly changed. It was a little bitter that Sibelius also seemed curious.

“Actually, I don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I just… it happened after I had a dream.”

It was a ridiculous story that no one would believe even as I said it. Everyone’s faces showed that they had a lot to say, but the questions didn’t continue. Maybe it’s because they knew I didn’t want to answer properly.

A group of people wearing black clothes arrived in the village some time later. They were the Demon God’s priests dispatched to the new temple. The priesthood, who explained that they had received a revelation, gathered the villagers in the square and reassured them before going to the forest.

“The heinous false god and his followers have now completely disappeared from this world. Please rest assured and return to your daily lives. May you have peace under the protection of the Demon God.”

The residents, who had already experienced the Demon God’s exploits firsthand, enthusiastically welcomed the priesthood. The priests also seemed relieved by the friendly atmosphere of the village. I wondered if there were any familiar faces, but Ira and Edith were not to be seen. Well, since we parted ways in the Cherba Federation, it wasn’t time for them to arrive yet even if they had left. Anyway, there was only one thing left for me to do here.

“What? Are you leaving already?”

I gestured to Langshi, who was flustered, to be quiet and lowered my voice. I was originally planning to leave right away, but I thought I should say goodbye to Langshi, so I secretly called her out. Langshi, who covered her mouth on her own in response to my gesture, glanced around and whispered in a small voice.

“Are you really just going to leave like this? It looks like there’s going to be a feast, so why don’t you have a meal before you go? Everyone will be looking for El. It’s a place where El is the main character.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think I can, Langshi. I have other things to do. It’s an urgent schedule, so I have to go right now.”

Actually, I’m running away. As long as the residents know me as a Demon God’s official, it’s not good to run into the priesthood. Fortunately, no one has called me a priest yet, but that’s because I’ve been 경황이 없어서 [gyeonghwang-i eopseoseo – too distracted/in a daze] all along, and the situation is different now that the situation has stabilized. This is a time bomb that is bound to explode. The answer was to avoid this place unconditionally.