Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 568

568

“I’m so glad you’re safe. How on earth did that happen…? That guy is seriously crazy, isn’t he? I was so worried something might happen to you; I was blinded with fear. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m just glad everyone is safe. I’m the one who’s sorry for getting you all caught up in this. I showed you an ugly sight.”

“That’s not true. Don’t say that. You’re really all better now, right? You’re not hurting anymore?”

“Yeah, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

Only after I rolled up my pants to show my perfectly fine leg did his expression finally relax. He asked how I removed it, but I just brushed it off with an awkward smile. I thought it was better not to mention that I pulled it out myself.

“But what about Elquines?”

“Ah, that’s….”

“Elquines?”

About that time, Weldi, who was regaining consciousness, reacted to our conversation and asked. She barely managed to sit up, her face full of confusion.

“Weldi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. But I need an explanation about the conversation from a moment ago. Elquines, as in Elquines the Spirit King? The Water Spirit King?”

“Well, you see….”

“Please be honest with me. I heard almost everything from the beginning. It sounded like he healed you, is that right?”

As she spoke, Weldi seemed to grasp the situation. Her expression gradually hardened.

“Don’t tell me that the person you called Father… isn’t he Elquines?”

Having come this far, there was no point in hiding it. I was going to reveal it anyway, so I just nodded.

“Actually, that’s right. I’m sorry for telling you so late.”

“Good heavens.” Karian, who had similarly regained consciousness, let out a groan of shock. Still unable to get up, he looked like he wanted to faint again upon learning the truth. Weldi was so surprised that she stopped breathing altogether. Her face, which had been pale, rapidly turned red, indicating that she had finally realized what she had done. Putting aside her infatuation with his appearance, wouldn’t she remember lecturing about the Spirit King in front of him? This was something she could wake up from in the middle of the night and kick the blanket over, and we’d have to understand.

“When you said Trowel [Earth Spirit King], I should have suspected… How could this be….”

While frantically fanning herself, Weldi glared resentfully at Sibelius. Her gaze seemed to ask why he hadn’t told her sooner, while his seemed to say that was why he tried to stop her.

“I thought his blue hair was really mysterious. Now I wonder why I didn’t realize it sooner. Spirits are supposed to be translucent. I just assumed the Spirit King would look like that too.”

Weldi’s lamentations continued. She belatedly recalled that I was the Spirit King’s contractor and looked at me with a renewed sense of wonder. She had heard rumors that the Water King had made a contract with a human, but the timing and method of the reveal seemed too contrived, so she dismissed it as nonsense. Thinking about it, it might have seemed that way. The Water Contractor appearing like a comet at the very moment the Wind Spirit King went on a rampage—even I would think it was a coincidence. Though it wasn’t a coincidence at all, since I already knew and sought him out.

“So… where is he now?”

The topic that had been circling around for a while returned to square one. Perhaps it was thanks to sorting out my thoughts while they were talking. The answer came out more easily than I expected.

“Father won’t be coming anymore.”

“What? He’s not coming?”

“What do you mean, El?”

Sibelius asked, flustered, but I just vaguely glossed over it. I was reluctant to reveal the fact that the spirit contract had been terminated in front of everyone, and I didn’t want to explain the whole process. But perhaps there was an atmosphere that conveyed the message even without me saying it, because everyone looked like they had guessed the situation. Unicorns were especially sensitive, so it would be easy for them to notice that my aura had changed. Sibelius’s expression darkened, and he clenched his fist tightly.

“Let me tell you about the schedule from now on. I’m going to meet Trowel.”

I changed the subject to avoid the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. The unicorns, who had been puzzled, all hardened their faces at those words.

“You’re going to meet Trowel, El….”

“Didn’t the Earth King try to kill you? Has the situation been resolved?”

“No. I’m going to resolve it.”

The expressions became even more serious. They didn’t say it out loud, but everyone looked like they were asking if I was out of my mind.

“I don’t know the details, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. The Earth King seemed like a very dangerous being. If he… if your father isn’t coming, shouldn’t you avoid meeting him even more?”

I couldn’t help but smile at Weldi’s cautious words. She had been using vague expressions all along, but now she was accurately calling him ‘your father.’ She seemed well aware of it, as her face was flushed, which made me laugh even more.

“I can’t avoid the danger anyway. Even if I don’t want to meet him, there’s no way to avoid it if Trowel comes looking for me again.”

Weldi and Karian lightly sighed, as if they hadn’t thought of that. They seemed to belatedly realize that Trowel was the one who came looking for me, not the other way around. That meant they realized it was dangerous to be with me. The look in their eyes changed. Just a moment ago, there was only pity in their eyes, but now there was a hint of wariness. It was only natural, so I wasn’t particularly upset. They had only followed me against their will, so I would be relieved if they said they would go back now.

“Sibelius, can we talk for a moment?”

Weldi asked for understanding and moved away with Sibelius. The sound of the three unicorns arguing continued from a short distance away. It seemed that they couldn’t reach an agreement on whether to continue the journey together. Sibelius would want to go with me, and the other two would want to return to the village.

“It’s too dangerous!”

“That’s why I can’t send El alone. And I’m not in danger. That guy said himself that he wouldn’t touch unicorns.”

They looked like they were wondering how well he would keep his word.

After a long argument, they finally decided that only the two of us would leave. Sibelius’s determination was so firm that it was difficult to change his mind. They couldn’t overcome their fear of the Spirit King if they stayed together until the end.

“Please, for Sibelius’s sake, don’t do anything reckless.”

Before leaving, Weldi grabbed me separately and earnestly pleaded.

“I know how our clan looks in the eyes of outsiders. But Rune is a very special being. We can’t let Rune’s lineage be cut off because something happens to him.”

“Weldi….”

“I wish the person we wanted to be Rune could be Rune. Then no one would have to suffer. But realistically, that’s not the case. We have no choice but to put everything on Sibelius. But if we go to the divine realm, if we return to our homeland, everything will be fine. Lusef will solve the problems Sibelius is experiencing. So he must return safely. He’s gone through so much hardship; he can’t be ruined here.”

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying, which made me uneasy. I still couldn’t think well of the unicorn clan, but at least Weldi’s feelings for him seemed genuine. This must be why Sibelius was lenient with Weldi.

I wondered what I would have thought at this moment if I didn’t know anything. I probably would have sided with Weldi and tried to send Sibelius back with her. Even now, I’m still wondering what’s right. If I want to follow the future I know, the incident where Sibelius is trapped in the circlet has to happen, but I don’t know when that will be. I want to postpone it as much as possible, but I don’t even know if that’s okay.

Until recently, I was desperate to change the future, but now I’m worried about the opposite, so I feel really strange. There’s no easy path, no matter which one I choose.

Anyway, unlike my complicated feelings, Sibelius was just relieved to see them off. Only after their figures had completely disappeared did he turn to me with a serious face.

“El, can you tell me in detail what happened now?”

I hesitated, then nodded. It wasn’t something I could keep hiding. Once I started talking, I quickly calmed down and didn’t feel much of anything. But it seemed that the listener didn’t feel the same way. Sibelius seemed greatly shocked by just the simple points I made. He couldn’t hide his agitation and kept fidgeting. Especially the part where I bet my life.

“So that’s what you meant by ‘it was supposed to be that way’….”

He repeatedly washed his face and swallowed a deep sigh, unable to speak for a while. At some point, his eyes began to smolder with anger.

“Isn’t he crazy? He said he’d kill you first if he couldn’t stop the future he saw? And he called that a bet?”

“I was too reckless, I guess.”

“The very fact that he made such a proposal is insane! Who wouldn’t agree to a bet where he’d exterminate his own kind? He made a deal that you had no choice but to accept, and then he’s blaming you for not keeping your promise? That’s just him being despicable!”

Ah, so it turns out that way again.

I only thought of it as giving me a chance to save everyone, so I hadn’t considered it that way. I guess that’s because I felt more like the Spirit King than a human. But it was definitely a coercive bet. I scratched my face, feeling awkward. Seeing Sibelius so angry, I felt uneasy even though I knew it was for my sake. It’s not for nothing that they say blood is thicker than water.

“Trowel is just, he’s very hurt right now.”

Sibelius gave me an incomprehensible look at my words, which I spat out as if making excuses. He looked like he wouldn’t be surprised if I suggested taking his temperature right away, so I smiled bitterly.

“There are too many people who are different on the inside and outside. Everyone’s okay because they don’t know that. But Trowel can read other people’s thoughts. He must have seen too many bad sides that he shouldn’t have known. That’s why his heart is hurt.”

I’m not Trowel, so I don’t know his thoughts. But the way I see him, he doesn’t hate humans. He’s just become unable to trust them. That’s because most of the humans he’s seen have been like that.

Humans grow quickly due to their short lifespans, and their inner selves change quickly too. Just like how Ain Idris’s love for Minerva was once genuine. The Korean parents who abused me probably weren’t like that when they were young either. Personality is innate, but they must have had a time when they were just running around without a care and laughing innocently.

Human purity doesn’t last long; it changes too easily, and even the range of change is great. In comparison, spirits only remember their initial purity and give their hearts, so he must have judged it as dangerous. It’s very extreme, but it might be a kind of self-defense. Sibelius seemed to understand what I was trying to say itself. Of course, his face was full of the question of why you’re making excuses for him.

“That doesn’t mean it’s right to act like this.”

“Yeah, that’s right. So I have to persuade him not to.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“It will. Because he’s Trowel.”

The Earth King is a Spirit King who can see more than others. His vision is blurred now because his heart is very hurt, but he will soon discover the good points that others can’t see. In my era, Trowel got along well with humans. He mingled with the mercenary团 [mercenary group], shared the same daily life with them, and laughed together. He must have learned to understand and accept them in his own way. That was proof that he could get better.

And that might be something that only I can help with now. Because I’m a human, not a Spirit King or another race. Thinking that way made me feel a little better.

“…Then what about Elquines?”

I still couldn’t answer this question easily. I vaguely rummaged through my disorganized thoughts and just chose to smile. Well, wouldn’t that work out somehow too? I want to stop worrying about problems that have no answers. But I’m good at enduring. I have no choice but to believe in that for now.

* * *

“Hey, Elquines! How could you do this!”

As soon as Ifrit returned to the Spirit Realm, he headed straight for the Water Domain. It was a place he often stormed into when he was angry, but this time he was really determined to argue.

“No matter how angry you were! How could you be so cruel to a kid who’s trying so hard to do well! You heartless, merciless Spirit King! You really shouldn’t live like that!”

“Terminating the contract was too much! Don’t you know Trowel’s personality? If he finds out the contract was terminated, he’ll be even more rampant with his nasty personality! What if El really dies because of that! Are you confident that you won’t regret it…!”

But the words he had been spitting out like a machine gun abruptly subsided the moment he met Elquines’s fiercely rising gaze. He was originally an indifferent and cold person, but was he this fierce? Ifrit belatedly swallowed hard, feeling a sense of crisis. Only then did he begin to notice the surrounding atmosphere, which he had been too busy shouting to notice.

Normally, the Water Domain felt like the transparent, blue sea on a sunny summer day. But now, that jewel-like atmosphere had disappeared without a trace, and everything was gloomy. The temperature was also excessively cold, and glaciers could be seen in every part of the field of vision. It could be called the Ice Domain rather than the Water Domain.

“Uh, well, Elquines? So, what I mean is….”

Ifrit, who had unknowingly stepped back, muttered as if making excuses, and Elquines, who had been staring at him expressionlessly, opened his mouth.

“Have you said everything you wanted to say?”

“Uh, uh, um, I think I’ve said everything…?”

“Then get lost.”

When the rushing sensation swept past, Ifrit was already standing outside the Water Domain. He had been forcibly expelled from within. After blinking blankly for a moment, he hurriedly came to his senses and tried to go back in, but this time it was impossible to enter at all. It seemed that the door had been tightly locked so that no one could enter. He could somehow break it open by force, but Ifrit, recalling Elquines’s cold gaze from a moment ago, immediately gave up. His instinct, which had fought with him countless times, strongly warned him. The next time wouldn’t just end with being kicked out.

“He’s really angry. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him so pissed off.”

The Water Spirit King, who was usually so indifferent, was showing such emotional 모습 [appearance/figure]. In many ways, El was a great being. But that seemed to be why this mess had happened.