Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 581

581.

“Did they all leave?”

“The village is completely empty. All traces of life have been erased, so it’s just an ordinary forest now.”

“I see…”

A forest. I was planning to look around the empty village after they left, but it seems finding the circlet will be difficult after all. Perhaps reassured by my calm reaction, Ifrit grumbled with a more disappointed expression than my own.

“That’s a really disloyal bunch. They know you’re worried, but they couldn’t even say goodbye, no matter how urgent it was. Should I contact the Divine Realm to check?”

“No, Ifrit. You don’t have to go that far.”

I saw Trowel start to say something, then close his mouth again. He probably foresaw [using his precognitive abilities] a rough future, so he knows what happened to Sibelius. It seemed he decided not to tell me, maybe thinking I’d only get upset if I knew.

After that, we just chatted casually. After we finished eating, Diagon cleared his throat lightly and began to speak.

“Actually, I have a big announcement for everyone.”

“A big announcement?”

Diagon nodded with a solemn face. The Spirit Kings, however, seemed to know what he was going to say and reacted indifferently.

“This coming spring, Lantasha and I have decided to pledge our eternal love [get married].”

“……!”

I couldn’t help but cough at his words. I stared with wide eyes as Diagon and Lantasha exchanged glances and smiled. They looked like a happy couple, which surprised me even more. Didn’t they say they didn’t know each other’s feelings until recently? When did they make so much progress? Considering Meseterius’s birth, I had some idea, but I still couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

‘Lapis, your mom and dad are getting married.’

“……Shut up.”

His voice was particularly cold. Seeing his parents’ dating days before he was even born must be making him feel complicated.

“Oh, um, congratulations.”

“Hehe, thank you. So, I was wondering if you’d like to be invited to the ceremony.”

“Oh, really? Can I come?”

“Of course. You’re our friend.”

It was Lantasha who answered. I felt a ticklish feeling inside, so I just chuckled.

“I’ll definitely bring a gift.”

“What gift? Just come. Your congratulations are enough.”

Still, it’s a wedding, so I can’t go empty-handed. They both have plenty of wealth, so I should prepare something heartfelt. I started thinking about what to prepare, and I already felt excited. Diagon seemed touched by my happy reaction.

“That’s right! When someone announces their engagement, this is how you should congratulate them! You guys should learn from El! He’s as happy as if it’s his own wedding!”

“I already knew.”

“Don’t care.”

Ifrit and Trowel replied indifferently. Ellyuen didn’t even seem to be listening to the conversation. The bustling time passed by.

Perhaps because an unexpected event occurred in my monotonous life, I couldn’t easily calm down even after everyone left. Lapis clicked his tongue at me, who was filled with pleasant fantasies all day long.

“Why are you making such a fuss about someone else’s engagement?”

“But it’s the first time I’m going to a friend’s wedding!”

In my previous life, I wasn’t old enough to get married, and after being born here, there weren’t many people around me getting married. If I heard any news, I thought it would be from Chris or Davian, but I never expected Lantasha and Diagon to be the first. It was a pleasant surprise.

“Should I offer to decorate the wedding venue?”

“Look at the state of your house. I wouldn’t trust you with that.”

“Well, I’m just too lazy to take care of it properly.”

“Exactly.”

Well, I guess that’s true. Come to think of it, I don’t really have a talent for decorating spaces. I gave up early and decided to change my approach.

“Should I learn sculpture? Or metal crafts? How about a sculpture or ornament I made myself? Is that too simple?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“What if I hire a novelist to write a book about their lives? Maybe I could add illustrations and make it like a photo album? Is that too simple too?”

“Hey, are you even listening to me?”

While I was pondering various ideas, I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I regained consciousness, someone was shaking me awake. It was a very careful touch, as if handling something fragile.

“El, El? You need to wake up.”

The voice whispering softly was familiar yet strange. Had I been asleep long enough for someone to wake me up? I still felt drowsy, and I felt a mischievous desire to trouble the other person, so I didn’t want to get up. I buried my face deeper into the pillow, and I heard a low groan. I was about to chuckle when another voice followed.

“Do you intend to wake him up? Call him a little louder.”

“Um, but he’s sleeping so peacefully that I feel bad waking him up.”

“There’s no time to delay.”

“That’s true, but…”

The fading voice was full of embarrassment. Ah, is it perhaps an urgent situation? I guess I should get up soon. I struggled to stir and forcibly pushed away the sleepiness. I barely lifted my eyelids, which seemed to be stuck together, and bright light poured in as if it had been waiting. Someone was standing in that dazzling light.

“Ah, El! You’re awake?”

“Huh? Yeah? Who?”

I had just woken up, so I couldn’t figure out the situation at all. I reacted almost reflexively and tried to come to my senses, but I heard a disappointed voice.

“What, have you already forgotten me?”

“Huh? Uh?”

I quickly rubbed my eyes and checked the other person’s appearance. As the blurry haze disappeared, the face looking at me became clear. Flowing, fluttering black hair, dark skin, and clear golden eyes. Unless I had amnesia, there was no way I could jokingly say I had forgotten him. I had just seen him yesterday.

“Trowel.”

“Yeah, El! It’s me.”

He smiled brightly and nodded his head greatly. I was rather bewildered because I could feel how happy he was. His voice and face were definitely him, but somehow he was subtly different from usual. What’s wrong with Trowel? He’s become much softer recently, but there was still a certain distance between us. But it felt like that wall had suddenly collapsed all at once.

“What’s wrong? Did something good happen?”

Is he happy that Diagon is getting engaged? No, but when we were talking about it, he had a very indifferent face. Was he embarrassed in front of them? Or maybe there was some other good news in the meantime. Ah, maybe Minerva’s seal has been lifted? That’s when the thought occurred to me.

“Of course something good happened. I found you like this.”

“Huh? Found… me?”

His eyes curved at my unexpected answer. Was it my imagination? It felt like they were filled with tears.

“How have you been, El? I missed you so much.”

“……!”

My heart pounded for a moment.

What is this? What is this? I couldn’t exactly explain it, but I felt very strange. It was the kind of feeling that something that could never happen had happened. I jumped up from the bed. Even though I was looking at him warily, Trowel was still sending me a kind smile. Just like the old him. Like he was the Trowel I originally knew.

“Tr, Trowel, don’t tell me……”

“Huh? What’s wrong, El?”

No, there’s no way.

Even as I thought about it, I couldn’t bring myself to say it because I knew how absurd it was. Maybe I’m still dreaming? Yeah, maybe that’s it. It’s more common than you think to wake up from a dream and still be in a dream. So it must be a dream. There’s no other way to explain this situation.

I’m having all sorts of bizarre fantasies now. I took a deep breath, thinking I needed to wake up. Then I felt a warm sensation on my head.

“I’m here too, son.”

“……!”

My body stiffened again. This time, it was a voice I couldn’t mistake either. But it was definitely different. I felt it even more strongly than with Trowel. Because Ellyuen, my father here, doesn’t call me son. So the person behind me is definitely…….

‘Ah, no way…….’

I forcibly suppressed the urge to turn around. My hand, wiping my face, trembled. I didn’t want to turn around. I shouldn’t turn around. Because this is a dream. If I turn my head and confirm it, I’ll wake up from the dream. I didn’t have the confidence to endure that empty moment right now. So just a little longer. Just a little longer after I calm down.

“Look at me, son.”

“…….”

“I said look this way.”

It seems like reality is approaching as he keeps urging me. I swallowed my sorrow and shook my head wildly. I wasn’t ready yet. So just a little longer.

“Are you really not going to look?”

A low sigh was mixed in with the voice asking as if muttering. My heart sank as that heavy sigh felt like resignation. Should I turn around? But then I’ll wake up from the dream. No, even if I wake up here, it’s the same thing anyway. While I was hesitating, I met Trowel’s eyes again. His smiling face was distorted as if he was about to cry.

“……!”

The next moment, he reached out and hugged me tightly. I was breathless at the clearly felt body temperature.

“I’m sorry, El. You must have had a hard time, right? I’m so sorry for leaving you alone, for making you lonely.”

My mind was completely blank, not knowing what to do or what to say. I raised my trembling arm and hugged his back. I felt the soft fabric and the firm muscles underneath it together. Were my senses this clear even in a dream? It feels so real.

While I was dazed, he pulled away slightly and looked at me again. I unknowingly turned around as if I was possessed as he nodded as if to say it was okay. There was the scene I expected. Ellyuen with golden hair, not the blue color unique to the Water Spirit King.

“……Father?”

“You’re finally looking back.”

Ellyuen with golden hair. It was a sight I hadn’t even seen in my dreams anymore. Maybe it’s because it’s been so long, but even though I know this is his true form, it felt unfamiliar. So that’s what Ellyuen looked like. Since the past father is also a father, I realized that the feeling that I thought it was okay all along was actually self-hypnosis. The two were the same but completely different beings. The energy they possessed, the atmosphere, and even the feeling of the gaze were different. Ellyuen, who gave a bitter smile, reached out and brushed my eyes. Moisture formed on the tip of his thumb.

“Have you become a crybaby in the meantime?”

He had a slightly pained, or perhaps angry, expression. I don’t know if I’m crying right now. I just stared at him, feeling like I was watching a painting come to life. Now that I’ve opened Pandora’s box, it was time to return to reality. But why? No matter how much I looked, his figure didn’t disappear.

“……That’s strange. This shouldn’t be happening.”

“What’s strange, son?”

I hesitated to reach out to his questioning face. Then he came closer and took my hand and placed it on his cheek. I gasped at the sensation of the skin filling my palm. All my senses were clear this time, just like when Trowel hugged me earlier. It feels so real. How can this not be real?

“Could it be… are you really Father?”

He frowned and smiled slightly as I swallowed hard. This time, he looked at Trowel. His expression was almost the same. His eyes were wetter than before, and I could feel his breath.

No matter how dull I am, I can’t mistake such a clear situation. Oh my god, a groan flowed out involuntarily. It wasn’t a dream. It was really reality.

“H, how……?”

“I came to pick up the guy who said he’d be right back but never came.”

As I desperately reached out, they hugged me back as if they had been waiting. Feeling the arms that firmly held me, I started to cry uncontrollably from then on. I clung to them and cried endlessly.

My whole body trembled uncontrollably. I felt like I wanted to wail, but strangely no sound came out. I felt like it wouldn’t be strange at all if I just died like this. It was okay to die.

“Have you calmed down a bit now?”

I don’t know how long I cried. Trowel, who had been patting me all along, asked in a kind voice as my sobs barely subsided. I was belatedly embarrassed and smiled awkwardly, and Ellyuen lightly stroked my head.

“I feel so strange.”

The two people I thought I could only meet after returning are now in front of me. It still doesn’t feel real. “I feel strange too.” Trowel, who smiled and answered, looked at me slowly with a strange light in his eyes. His eyes were red because he had been crying with me.

“You really had blonde hair.”

“Do you remember this look?”

“Just a little. Only with a vague feeling.”

“I see.”

Trowel, who smiled faintly, had a face that was forcibly swallowing the words he wanted to say. Then Ellyuen, who had been quietly looking at me, slowly rubbed my forehead with his finger. I realized a little late that it was the area where the Water Seal was stamped.

“It seems like he found that guy. Why didn’t he come back?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s, I didn’t know how to return…….”

“You don’t know how?”

I briefly explained the past events to him, who was puzzled. My identity was about to be revealed and the spell was about to be broken, and after that, I had side effects and couldn’t remember the spell of return even if I wanted to go back. Ellyuen’s face darkened as he heard the whole story.

“I see. I estimated and designed various situations, but I never thought it would turn out for the worst.”

“I’m sorry, Father. I, I really wanted to go back…… No matter what I did, I couldn’t figure out the keyword…….”

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

He shook his head and slowly looked around as if his gaze had suddenly reached him. I had never been ashamed of anything until now, no matter what anyone said, but my face flushed as he examined it. Was this house this shabby? I should have listened to Lamias when she nagged me. It was a regret that was too late now.

“Um, don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I’m poor that I live like this…….”

“How long have you been waiting here?”

My heart welled up at the question that followed at that moment. Ah, that’s right. I’ve been waiting all this time. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t leave and kept clinging to this place, but now I know why. Because this is where I first fell [arrived in this world]. I thought that if I waited in this place, they would come to pick me up someday. So I wasn’t very interested in buying a house or increasing my belongings. Because it would be a place forgotten in everyone’s memory after I left. It was enough to keep it as a space that I could abandon without regret at any time. Ellyuen must have recognized my feelings that I didn’t even know. An awkward smile flowed out at the gaze waiting for an answer.

“Um, well. I think it’s been about a year…….”

Then their faces hardened at the same time.

“You’ve been in a place like this for that long?”

“……I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”

“Ah, no! I’m so happy that you came to pick me up. Life here wasn’t that bad. As I said, it’s not because I’m poor that I’m like this, but because I’m too lazy to take care of it. I was doing well. Really.”

I waved my hands hastily, but their expressions were still dark. I heard that they could have come a little sooner, but they were delayed because they took the wrong path in the middle. It wouldn’t have been easy to track the trajectory of intertwined space-time, so I understood, of course. I would have understood even if it took 10 years, not 1 year. It would have been more restrictive because they were both moving in their original bodies.