Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 576

The thing that Ifrit rejoiced most about was me becoming a water spirit master again. While he was shedding tears with a face full of emotion, saying that it was really great, Lamias, who belatedly ran over and learned all the facts, on the contrary, burst into anger. The reason was that he was the only one who had ever re-contracted after Ellyuen broke the contract. So, he was secretly proud of that fact (I don’t know why that led to pride), but this time I broke that unique record.

“You should have taken the achievement of the first human contractor! Why do you have to covet this too!”

Lamias, upset and jumping around, asked Ellyuen for a match, saying it would be a competition.

“Elquines! Give me a unique position that only I can have! Isn’t there anything that no contractor has ever done before?”

“……There hasn’t been a contractor who died by my hand yet.”

“……Huh, that’s a bit tempting.”

“…….”

This insane scene ended with Elquines, whose expression had turned cold, chasing him away.

“Doesn’t he seem to be getting more perverted?”

It was when Ifrit was shaking his head with a disgusted face, watching Lamias crying and begging to be let in from outside the window. Bang! Sibelius slammed the tray down on the table, glaring at Ellyuen.

“El may have forgiven you, but I haven’t.”

Whether he did or not, Ellyuen ignored him. As Sibelius’s expression became more ferocious at the lack of any reaction, Ifrit grinned and wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Come on, *hyung-nim* [older brother/term of respect for an older male], don’t be so serious. Let’s all get along. Good is good, isn’t that right?”

“Let go of me. Who are you to suddenly show up and act so friendly?”

“That’s too much. We’ve seen each other a few times before this, haven’t we?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care.”

“How cold.”

He had only been in Lil’s form in front of him, so Sibelius still didn’t know that his true identity was Ifrit. He just seemed to think of him as one of his acquaintances who knew all the circumstances. Even if he knew the truth, his attitude wouldn’t change much. Anyway, Sibelius, who forcibly shook off the sulking Ifrit, glared at Ellyuen again.

“I will never forget this. I’ll be watching everything you and Trowel do to El in the future.”

“…….”

Ellyuen only narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Still, Elquines is more patient than I thought, Ifrit whispered from the side as if telling a secret. If it were Trowel, he would have sneered at what you would do if you watched him. I laughed awkwardly because it seemed like he really would have.

“But after doing that, didn’t he later act like a *jinsang* [a person who is overly demanding or makes unreasonable requests] to you? Wow, if I were you, I would have just bitten my tongue.”

It was even more so because Lapis brought up a story that he didn’t have to bring up. Well, it was definitely hard back then. Now that I’ve gone through this period, I wonder what it all means. I was feeling very confused in many ways.

Still, the daily life that followed was peaceful. Accepting Sibelius’s suggestion to take a good rest for the time being because there were many difficult things, we decided to spend time relaxing. Thanks to Lamias readily lending his villa, the location was easily decided.

It was a coastal village with a beautiful turquoise sea. It was such a famous resort and there were so many tourists that there was no chance of attracting attention. Thanks to that, days like *shinseon noreum* [carefree days like a divine hermit] continued, where I just ate, slept, and played all day long. I went to Lantasha to deliver the response related to the divine object, but it was just a brief visit, so it ended quickly without any business.

It was around the time that I had almost learned all the geography of the village that Lamias came to visit. He said he had something to tell me, but after sitting down, he only poured out curses on the Emperor and nobles day and night, and after a long time, he calmed down and brought up the original purpose.

“I received a call from the Order of the Demon God. Do you remember Edith Priest? That priest was asking if you were in contact with her.”

“Edith Priest?”

“It was about the Demon God’s relic.”

At that moment, I knew. Another future that I knew was coming. Reflexively, I looked at Sibelius, and feeling my gaze, he turned to me with a clear face that didn’t know anything. I just smiled as if it was a thoughtless action and quickly turned my gaze away. Cold sweat formed in the palm of my hand.

“You gave the Demon God’s relic to her and asked her to purify the Siren statue? I can’t believe that the mysterious priest who purified the Mermaid Forest before Canos’s divine punishment was you. I’m really *seopseophada* [disappointed/feeling let down]. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Ah, I didn’t hide it on purpose. I was too busy and forgot.”

“How can you forget such a huge thing? You’re really something.”

Perhaps because he had a history of not even knowing that he had become a Sword Master, Lamias was dumbfounded but now had a face that said he was used to it.

“But what about that relic?”

“Ah, she was wondering if you had recovered it after purifying it. Did you take it back?”

“Um… no. They didn’t really tell me to recover it. It wasn’t a situation where I could afford to recover it, so I put it on the statue and just left.”

“Really? Then I’ll tell them that.”

“Was it a serious atmosphere?”

“It seemed like they were just asking because it was a procedure. I don’t know what the internal situation is like, but you don’t have to worry about it.”

But even after hearing those words, my heart didn’t feel lighter. Asking about the recovery meant that the Demon God’s side hadn’t found the relic. I felt like I knew where the missing circlet was now.

As if Lamias’s visit was a prediction, a few days later, a small bird flew in through the window. When Sibelius reached out his hand, the bird landed quietly on his palm. And the next moment, it became a spark and quickly disappeared.

“What was that just now?”

When I asked in a flustered manner, Sibelius, who was staring at the spark left on his palm, turned around with a bitter expression.

“It’s like a message sent to the entire clan. It can be sent even if you don’t know the location, but you can’t check whether it’s received, so you don’t have to worry about being tracked.”

“What does it say?”

“……It seems like Lord Rusef has descended.”

My heart sank at the answer that followed after a slight hesitation.

“It seems like the matter being discussed in the village has finally come to a conclusion.”

If unicorns were discussing something at this point, there was only one thing. Sibelius nodded to mean that it was correct.

“The unicorn’s return to the divine realm has been completely confirmed.”

What I had suspected was indeed true. I calmly controlled my surprised feelings. I knew it from the beginning. I even had a premonition just a while ago, but why does this day feel so sudden when it actually arrives? Sibelius also seemed to have many thoughts.

“They issued a summons to all the clansmen who are outside. They told everyone to return within a month. I guess it’s aimed at me.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I… to be honest, I don’t really want to go.”

He lowered his gaze and had a gloomy face.

“I’ve been against it all along. Unicorns have been on the ground for a long time, so if they return to the divine realm, they’ll have to go through a period of adapting to divinity for a while. I don’t know if that will be a few years or a few thousand years, and I don’t know how difficult it will be. The elder seems to think that if I just go back, I’ll be able to live in Lord Rusef’s palace right away, but in my opinion, that’s a pipe dream. Most of the current generation will probably live and die without even leaving the designated area. And even if it’s for future generations, life in the divine realm isn’t that happy. I’ve heard that Rusef has been constantly warning about this. I don’t know why I should go back and endure all that.”

I agreed with that thought. If life in the divine realm was better, Rusef wouldn’t have sent them down to the middle realm in the first place. Just look at Ellyuen, he works all day long. If the unicorns had seen that mountain of documents for themselves, they wouldn’t have dared to say they wanted to go back. It was a pity that I couldn’t actually show it to them. Sibelius hesitated for a moment and then muttered.

“And… not everyone can return safely. Someone will be left behind.”

He was talking about the clansmen who had been caught by the hunters, but he quickly added as if making an excuse, but I felt like I knew who he was thinking about. He was clearly conscious of his brother, Rigleo.

At that moment, a pattern appeared in front of my eyes. It was like a talisman drawn with light.

“It’s a communication spell. It’s probably Weldy. He gave me a talisman to contact him when there’s something really necessary.”

It seemed to be a method of sharing a pair made like a companion stone. He said that it was not a spell that was usually used because the risk of abuse was high. I wondered why he went back so willingly, but he had made a bulwark in his own way. Sibelius responded to the communication with a face that seemed to guess the purpose. Then, the white light turned bluish and a familiar voice flowed out.

—Sibelius-nim?

“Yes, Weldy. It’s me.”

—Did you receive the message a little while ago?

Weldy’s voice was very excited.

“I received it. Is the return date also set?”

—Yes, of course. It’s in a year.

“……A year?”

—It’s not a long time to prepare to go back. The village is in a festive mood right now. When are you coming back, Sibelius-nim?

“I…….”

Sibelius couldn’t answer easily. Weldy, who had been excitedly talking, felt something strange and became quiet for a moment.

—Sibelius-nim, let’s talk after you come back first.

“Weldy, I…….”

—Whatever you’re thinking, please come back first. Let’s talk together after that. That’s right. You’re still with El, right? Actually, there’s something I need to give to El.

“Huh, me?”

I was flustered by the sudden mention of me and blinked my eyes. Sibelius also paused and turned to me.

—In the forest where the Demon God’s temple was built, I found El’s thing. It’s a circlet with a silver band and a blue jewel that you wear on your forehead. If you ask El, you’ll know what it is.

“……!”

Ah, so this is how it’s going to be. I unknowingly clicked my tongue. Come to think of it, Weldy seemed to be trying to say something to me when I last looked around the Mermaid Forest. He probably picked up the circlet at that time. Of course, it’s better than not knowing where it is. It was also fortunate that I didn’t have to create a situation where I had to hand over the item to seal him with my own hands. Still, I couldn’t help but feel complicated.

—I was going to return it to you right away, but I didn’t have a chance. I hope Sibelius-nim will come back first, even if it’s just to deliver this.

“……Okay, I understand.”

With a sigh, Sibelius nodded. Soon, the pattern made of light disappeared and the surroundings became quiet. A face that seemed to guess something turned to me.

“Is the circlet that Weldy is talking about that? The Demon God’s relic?”

“…….”

“I see.”

Sibelius sighed again as if he had guessed the answer just from my expression. I also guessed his thoughts. He had made up his mind to go to the village.

“If you’re going to the village, I’ll go with you.”

“That’s… not possible, El. I don’t mean to say this, but unicorns are a very exclusive race. Especially to humans. You won’t be welcomed.”

“That’s okay. I’m not going to be treated well.”

“Still…….”

“I’m worried about sending you alone. Let me be able to cope together when something happens. I’ll be helpful.”

Even if he’s trapped in the circlet, I have to recover it. That way, I can keep it in a safe place. No, to be honest, I’m doing it for my own peace of mind. At least, I wanted to create a little more room to make excuses to him when we met again.

“Okay? Never go alone. Go with me.”

At my repeated request, Sibelius nodded with a reluctant face. I slowly looked at that figure as if engraving it in my mind. My heart was indescribably heavy. The time of the predicted parting was approaching.

* * *

The next morning was unusually quiet. I hesitated, feeling strangely empty. I could quickly understand the reason for this strange sense of discomfort. Usually, at this time, the scent of tea brewed by Sibelius would fill the whole house, but today I couldn’t feel any scent.

“Sibelius?”

When I left the room, Ellyuen, who was reading a book in the living room, turned around.

“Are you awake?”

“Oh, yeah. Father, where’s Sibelius?”

His brow furrowed slightly as if he didn’t like me looking for Sibelius as soon as I woke up.

“That guy is gone.”

The answer came from another place. Surprised, I turned around and saw Trowel sitting on the open window frame.

“Trowel! When did you come?”

“A while ago.”

After that day, Trowel had been steadily visiting once a week. Most of them were short visits of less than 30 minutes, and sometimes he just showed his face and left, but the intervals between visits were always the same. But today, it had only been three days since the last visit. I wondered if something was wrong, but the words he said belatedly came to my mind.

“Oh, but what did you just say? Sibelius… is gone? Where to?”

Trowel, who shrugged his shoulders, pointed to Sibelius’s room. I opened the door and went inside, but there was no one in the well-organized room. Instead, a note was placed on the bedside table. It was clear that Sibelius had left it.

“No way.”

I walked slowly as if possessed and picked up the note. The neat handwriting written inside came into view.

El, I’m sorry.

No matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to go with you. The elder is a person who can’t communicate. I’m sure the voices will get louder, and I don’t want to show you such a sight. I’ll come back as soon as I receive the Demon God’s relic from Weldy, so don’t worry too much. I’m sorry for deciding on my own. It won’t take long. See you when I get back.

From Sibelius.

“This bastard…….”

I told him to go together, but he insisted on going alone. Leaving behind such a ridiculous note.

“He probably won’t be able to come back.”

Trowel, who had been watching from behind, said. I could guess what would happen afterwards, but hearing it from his mouth was a different feeling. It was like a complete verdict had been handed down, making it impossible to even have vague hope.

“I warned that guy too, but he didn’t listen at all.”

Trowel, who was muttering, had a slightly sullen face. It seemed like he had come all the way here for this purpose.

“If I chase after him now, can I catch up?”

I asked with an anxious feeling, but the answer that came back was not positive. It was because Sibelius had already arrived at the village. These things were unnecessarily fast.

“The unicorn’s territory has a barrier, so you can’t enter with magic. You’ll have to find out a separate way to pass through the entrance.”

When I heard those words, there was one person I thought of. I asked Ellyuen to use *idong* [teleportation] magic to go straight to the place. I felt my body floating and the surrounding scenery blurred in an instant. When my vision cleared, there was a small restaurant in front of me.