Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 567

“What are you thinking right now? That I’m too bad?”

No, that’s not it. I shook my head frantically.

“Trowell isn’t bad.”

He paused at my strained words. He didn’t understand my reaction, so I spoke more clearly this time.

“You’re the most kind and gentle person I know.”

I know, even if others don’t. He was the one who didn’t laugh at his incompetent colleague and treated me kindly. He helped me adapt step by step, visited me often, and hung out with me. When I clumsily started playing the game, he took care of me without asking for anything in return so that I wouldn’t get into trouble. He was also the one who took care of Lapis and arranged for Alisa to become a Spirit Master.

It was the same here. He only punishes those who harm the weak. He didn’t turn a blind eye to Davian’s situation and offered a helping hand. He guided Chris to be saved. He came to save me when I was in danger, and he granted all my unreasonable requests. If he were a truly bad person, he wouldn’t have done that.

“That’s why it hurts me more. The fact that humans made such a kind person like you angry. And the reality that I, too… can only be one of those humans to you.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry, Trowell. I’m really sorry.”

It’s only natural that he’s angry with me. There was no point in blaming the situation or saying it was because I couldn’t change the future. It was me who made the irresponsible promise from the beginning without even intending to keep it. I pretended not to know how much Trowell was expecting of me, even though I knew it all along. He probably knew that I was being half-hearted too. There’s no way he wouldn’t know since I never actively stepped up even once. But he didn’t push me or get angry, and he waited patiently. His faith was ultimately betrayed, so he’s even more angry. So this is all my fault.

“You…….”

Trowell, who was about to say something, suddenly stepped back. Kwakwakwang! Immediately after, a huge chunk of ice fell where he had been standing. A fierce wind and an intense wave that seemed to shake the whole world crashed in. Things that were either ice shards or vapor poured down like rain.

When the chilling wind stopped, everything around me was as white as if it had become a snowfield. And someone was standing in front of me. It was Ellyuen, looking more serene than ever.

“Father…….”

“…….”

The eyes that turned to me had a strange, glass-like texture. His blue hair also looked like solid ice. I thought that the lower part of a glacier, which is not covered by snow, is a deep blue color, and I wondered if that’s what it felt like.

Sibelius and the unicorns seemed to have lost consciousness from the shock just now. I was safe because Ellyuen protected me. He looked at Trowell once, and then at me once, without saying a word. His bleak gaze, which I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, lingered for a long time on the stone thorn stuck in my leg.

“You’re late, Elquines. I almost killed him.”

“……I guess I’ve been too lenient.”

He muttered lowly and stretched out his arm. Ice streaks rushed at Trowell like waves. Trowell was swept away without even having time to resist. Ice shards savagely pierced into his body.

It was Diagon who screamed and collapsed, hiding far away. Lying on the floor, he kept retching and spitting out red blood. Trowell clicked his tongue and soon turned into a translucent form. He cut off the mana connected to Diagon and returned to his natural state. But even in that state, he was still stuck in the ice.

“If you want to die that badly, I’ll annihilate you.”

―Haha, yeah. I think that would be better.

Trowell chuckled. The aura surrounding Ellyuen moved fiercely again. I got goosebumps from the murderous intent I had never felt before. He’s really trying to annihilate Trowell.

“No, Father!”

I shouted urgently, but it didn’t reach him at all. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn’t move because of my unmoving leg. As I wandered around, trying to figure out what to do, I forcibly pulled out the stone thorn stuck in my leg. The pain of my whole body splitting apart made my vision flash white. When I swallowed my scream, Ellyuen, who was flustered, abandoned Trowell and rushed to me.

“What are you doing now!”

“Don’t do that! Please don’t do that!”

I desperately stretched out my arm and grabbed Ellyuen’s sleeve tightly. Fortunately, Trowell seemed to have taken advantage of the gap to escape. Diagon also didn’t miss the given opportunity. Ellyuen, who clicked his tongue lowly after confirming that the two had disappeared, put his hand on the bleeding wound. A cool sensation came over me, and the pain gradually subsided. But the trembling of my body didn’t stop. I still felt like there was a thorn in my leg. Ellyuen asked me with a stiff face as I was just panting.

“Why did you do that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you think that guy will thank you for doing this? He’ll try to kill you again.”

“……I know.”

“You knew and you stopped me. Even doing something that’s no different from self-harm.”

I couldn’t bring myself to look straight at his gaze, as if he was dumbfounded. I knew I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing. I took advantage of his kindness towards me. The reason he was angry now was because of me. I ignored all those situations and chose to save Trowell. It was difficult to even fathom the shock and betrayal he must have felt.

“You’re really making a fool of me.”

My body flinched at the dry voice. I quickly raised my head and met his cold gaze. It was an unfamiliar face. Even though he was right in front of me, it felt like he was far away.

“If you want to die that badly, do as you please. From now on, I won’t interfere in your affairs at all.”

“Ah, Father. I…….”

“But I have no intention of being a pushover who tolerates my contractor dying a dog’s death.”

Ah, I felt like I knew what he was going to say next without even hearing it. Actually, it wasn’t surprising because it was a word that should have come out a long time ago. Rather, it was more amazing that he had endured until now. I clenched my fist without realizing it and held my breath.

“You still don’t intend to change your mind even if I say this.”

“…….”

“I understand your intentions well.”

He looked at me quietly and soon got up. I was anxious at the receding sound, but I couldn’t bring myself to grab him. As the warmth disappeared, a cool air rushed in. And finally, that day arrived.

“I am terminating the Spirit Contract.”

My heart and all the senses in my body sank. I couldn’t bear the dizzying feeling of falling and tightly closed my eyes. I felt like something was breaking as cracks formed inside my body. I could clearly feel the shattered fragments pouring down and disappearing as they were.

When I opened my eyes again, Ellyuen was already nowhere to be seen. Even the snow that had been covering everything in white was gone. It was as if everything he had been by my side until now had been a dream.

Suddenly, I felt that the whole world was eerily silent. I hugged my body tightly with both arms because I felt a chill. But the cold didn’t go away.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Lapis asked hesitantly, unlike usual. I laughed even in this situation because I realized that this guy also knows when to be considerate.

“Thank you, Lapis.”

“…What for.”

“For letting me know that I’m not alone right now.”

There was no reply. I slowly calmed my breath and quickly wiped away the tears that were trickling out with the back of my hand. Even I think this is really something I can’t do. I have to say something when I get back. That I was so tired and sad at this time. I also have unavoidable circumstances, but everyone is really being too harsh on me. This period of memory will be erased, but whether I remember it or not, I’m going to protest about everything that happened today. I’m going to exaggerate it even more severely. I’m going to inflate all the stories, both real and made up, and make them writhe in guilt. If I can just go back.

……But can I go back?

Ah, damn it. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t be thinking like this. I felt like I was going to cry again, so I covered my face with both hands.

“El!”

It was right after that that I heard someone calling me. It was a voice I never expected to hear here. I was flustered and turned around to see a man with red hair.

“Ifrit.”

“I’m sorry, I’m too late! Are you okay? Are you safe? Damn it, that Trowell bastard……!”

Ifrit, who stopped talking at that moment, blinked his eyes wide. He stared at my face with an unbelievable expression.

“El, you…… the Water Seal…….”

After hearing those words, I blankly touched my forehead. I see. It really disappeared. Well, there’s no way Ellyuen would lie about something like this. I clearly felt the sensation of the contract disappearing.

In an instant, tears streamed down. He could have just pretended not to know even if he saw it. Even if I know it, being confirmed by someone else feels completely different. I had been holding it in well, but suddenly I couldn’t bear it anymore. Ifrit, who was flustered, quickly hugged me and patted me.

“Are you okay, Young Master? Oh my, what’s going on!”

I grabbed his arms and burst into tears. I really want to go back now. I missed my father who called me his son. I already miss my father so much. I missed him so much.

* * *

The rock prison that Trowell made couldn’t be cut well even with sword energy, no matter what I did. There was a reason why Sibelius shook and struck the bars so much, but it didn’t budge. At this point, it seems stronger than diamond, but is it originally an existing mineral? I wonder if there will be an article about discovering a mineral of the century later. Anyway, it was only after Ifrit helped me that I was barely able to open the entrance and take out the collapsed unicorns.

“They just lost consciousness. Everyone is safe.”

“That’s a relief.”

As I let out a sigh of relief, Ifrit, who was examining the unicorns, turned to me.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

“Well, Young Master wouldn’t be in his right mind right now.”

Seriously, what’s going on? He sighed and lamented in a low voice.

After barely calming down, Ifrit, who had heard about the past situation, couldn’t hide his troubled expression. He kept sweeping his hair back with a sigh and muttered curses in a low voice, not knowing who they were directed at. Even now, he seemed to be thinking hard about something. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he raised his head with a determined expression.

“Young Master, why don’t you make a contract with me this time?”

“No.”

A moment of silence flowed. Ifrit, who had been frozen with a smiling face, soon began to panic.

“Wait! Wait a minute! Why the immediate answer? Young Master has the strongest affinity for water, but you can make a contract with other attributes too, right? I’m a Spirit King who is incomparably kinder than Elquines, you know?”

“I know that.”

“You know, but why are you refusing? I’ll treat you better than him!”

“That’s why it’s even more impossible. Ifrit will fight Trowell to protect me too, right?”

“Ah, um.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say no, so his expression became speechless. It’s such a natural basic condition for a spirit to protect its contractor, so even if he lied and said no, I wouldn’t have believed him.

“When I think about it, I didn’t consider Elquines’ position enough. If I were him, I would be really angry and upset if my contractor did something like me. So I won’t make a contract.”

“Um, I know what you mean. But Young Master, Trowell didn’t kill you because you’re the contractor of the Spirit King. If he knows that the contract with Elquines has been terminated, he won’t be lenient anymore.”

“……I guess so.”

“So, make a contract with me first…….”

“I still won’t.”

Ifrit made an expression that he had lost his words again at my smiling answer.

“After all, all of this started because of the Spirit King’s contractor. But it doesn’t seem right for only me to preserve my safety. I don’t want to see the Spirit Kings’ relationship go wrong over the issue of how to treat me.”

“……We don’t have anything new to go wrong about. We’ve never been on good terms.”

“Even if you say that, I know you get along well. Especially that Ifrit cares a lot about everyone.”

“…….”

“Thank you for caring, Ifrit. I’m okay.”

For a while, Ifrit opened his mouth as if he was trying to say something, then repeated closing it again. Then he rubbed the back of his head with a complicated expression.

“I can’t even say anything about this. But Young Master, I don’t just care about the Spirit Kings. I care about you too, Young Master. I’ll be a little sad if you die.”

“Yeah, so thank you. I’ll be careful not to die.”

“……This is the first time I’ve heard such an unreliable answer. Do you believe in Young Master’s skills, or do you believe in Trowell?”

“Both?”

“Haa, I really don’t know anymore.”

Yeah, I understand. To be honest, I don’t know either. I only knew one thing. That I have to do what I can do now.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“I want to know where Trowell is.”

I don’t know what Ifrit was thinking at this question. But it certainly wasn’t a good expression. He looked at me with shaking eyes, then sighed with a dry wash.

“What should I do with you guys…….”

Ifrit said that he didn’t know Trowell’s location right now. I couldn’t tell if it was true or not, but I had to believe him since he said so. Still, I got a promise that he would let me know as soon as he figured it out.

The unicorns began to regain consciousness after Ifrit left to check on the situation first. The first person to come to his senses was Sibelius. I checked that his calm breathing was gradually getting disturbed and approached him, and he was twitching his eyes. Soon, with a groan like he was suffering, his tightly closed eyelids opened.

“Are you awake?”

“……El?”

He looked at me blankly, blinked his eyes for a moment, and then became startled and jumped up. His urgent gaze went straight to my leg.

“El! What happened? Your leg! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s all healed.”

“Was it Elquines?”

He seemed to remember the ice pouring down before he fainted. I nodded, and he let out a sigh of relief. Even so, his expression was not good as he looked at his tattered pants.