Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 594

Side Story. 1

1.

The initial feeling was a mild curiosity, tinged with unease and interest regarding how this new variable might influence the situation. And beneath it all, a flicker of anticipation.

At first, it felt like engaging in a casual game, one easily abandoned if the outcome proved unsatisfactory. A game where the advantage was entirely mine. Surely, the scales of victory were tipped in my favor. When did I realize that wasn’t the case?

Thwack—

An unbelievable sound shattered the air before my eyes. The sound of cold metal piercing flesh, a swift and brutal penetration. I blinked, slow and disbelieving. Something that should not be happening was, in fact, happening.

“Ugh…….”

He let out a soft groan, withdrawing the sword he’d plunged into his own chest. Blood splattered, dark stains blooming across his upper body. It unfolded with terrifying speed, yet he seemed almost unaware. He was already attempting to stab himself again when I managed to grab him, halting his movement. The eyes that met mine were clouded with pain, questioning my interference, and my mind reeled.

“What are you……. How could you…….”

What on earth are you doing? How could you even contemplate stabbing yourself in the heart? You’re not the one who should die! But why you!

The words swirling in my head failed to coalesce into coherent sentences. This was no time for this. Why aim for a vital point? How long can a human survive such a wound?

……No.

I shook my head, rejecting the thought. He can’t die here, not like this. It’s absurd.

Elquines.

Only that name surfaced in my paralyzed mind. I had to hold on until Elquines arrived. No sooner had the thought formed than I applied the recovery potion I always carried, just in case. A scream tore from his lips, his entire body convulsing as the one who had endured terrible pain so stoically succumbed to agony.

“El!”

The unicorn, freed from its restraints, rushed to his side, seizing him as he writhed. It embraced and supported the body I couldn’t bring myself to touch, assessing his condition.

“What’s wrong with El! What did you do!”

“……I used a recovery potion. The wound was too deep; the regeneration couldn’t keep up.”

“Recovery potion! Ah, right! I have one too…!”

“Stop. He’s already received a full dose. Applying more won’t help; it will only intensify the pain.”

“Damn it!”

The hand fumbling with the potion’s lid froze. His tear-streaked face turned back, eyes bloodshot.

“If El dies, I’ll kill you!”

“Do you understand? I won’t let it go! I’ll bet everything I have! I’ll kill you for sure!”

I couldn’t focus on his shouts. All I could see was El’s face, contorted in pain. It was like being trapped in a waking nightmare, reminiscent of that time when I still believed I could sever the connection whenever I chose. The day I attacked him with my own hands to confirm it. It was a scene I had anticipated, yet seeing him bleed and suffer sent a chill through me. I thought it would bring release, but it didn’t alleviate anything. Rather…….

“Move.”

A cool voice snapped me back to reality. I looked up blankly, meeting a familiar blue gaze. It was the first time I’d ever welcomed that cold expression. I knew he would come, of course, but a wave of relief washed over me. He came. I’m not alone. I can save him now.

Only then did I truly understand.

I didn’t want him, El, to die.

Thump!

A loud noise echoed in the quiet office. Startled, the employees turned to find the source, their expressions morphing into something even more peculiar. Their master, whom they respected (and, truth be told, feared), was banging his forehead against the desk.

“Oh, my goodness. Master, are you trying to break it?”

The manager joked, but the employee behind the master gestured frantically, his face pale. The manager, realizing from the gesture that the desk was, in fact, completely smashed, adopted an awkward expression.

“Are you all right, Master?”

“……Shut up.”

Unlike the wooden desk, reduced to scrap with a single blow, the master’s forehead remained without so much as a scratch as he raised his head. The employees were newly impressed, but they held their breath all the same. At a glance, the master was not in a good mood. To be caught at the wrong moment would surely result in the same fate as the wooden desk, so caution was paramount.

‘Where does that monstrous power come from?’

The employees glanced at their master anew. Dark black hair with a slight curl, tanned skin as if sunlight had seeped into it, radiant eyes like molten gold. His upright and imposing physique made him look presentable even in rags. In terms of appearance alone, he was no different from a prince in a fairy tale. But those who knew the reality could never look at him with such fanciful notions. He was more emperor than prince, a monarch ruling the night, where no borders existed. A major player in the financial world, a magnate in the distribution industry, and the master of the largest information guild on the continent, .

His origins, age, and status were unknown. All that was known was the name ‘Matthew.’ He appeared suddenly, like a comet, quickly pacifying the underworld and seizing power. He was a living legend. His extraordinary mind, capable of understanding ten things from seeing one, and his insight, which seemed to penetrate people’s hearts, were remarkable, but his strength played a significant role in establishing his legend. An Aura user proficient in both martial arts and swordsmanship, he was widely believed to be a Sword Master, though he had never publicly declared it. Many were moved by his strength and followed him; many were afraid and followed him.

“Damn it.”

He was chewing his lips with a fierce expression, making everyone feel like they were walking on thin ice. ‘Why is Master like that today?’ ‘I don’t know; he was fine until just now.’ ‘Did someone ruin the report?’ ‘Master hasn’t even read today’s report yet.’ The employees, exchanging worried glances, eventually focused their attention on the manager. Yes, that’s why you get paid more. The manager, unable to ignore his subordinates’ desperate eyes, reluctantly took the lead again.

“Master, is there a problem?”

“What?”

“Ah, no, I just asked because you don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

The manager, feeling guilty, muttered while avoiding his gaze. Master Matthew—Trowel, who had been staring at him silently, sighed.

“It’s nothing. I just remembered something from the past that I had forgotten for a while. Don’t worry about it.”

The employees’ expressions brightened at the softer tone. The manager, relieved that it wasn’t work-related, also relaxed.

“What kind of memory is it…… Ah, is it *that* kind?”

“That kind?”

“The kind that makes you suddenly think of it and writhe? These days, kids call that ‘dying of embarrassment’.”

“…….”

“Wow, our master is so flawlessly perfect that I sometimes wondered if he had any emotions at all. But now I see that he does have human parts? I was honestly relieved.”

“Shut up.”

From the very beginning, it was a very human perspective to regard emotions as the exclusive property of humans. Immortals don’t lack emotions; they simply see more, so they have more to consider. Emotions themselves come from the chief god, so why assume only humans enjoy them? There were plenty of points to refute, but Trowel simply ended the conversation with one word, too weary to elaborate. Had it stopped there, everyone would have enjoyed a peaceful resolution. However, the emboldened manager remained oblivious.

“Haha, there’s no need to be so embarrassed. I’ve kicked my blanket a few times in my sleep, too.”

“…Manager Rigas.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Don’t you understand what the words ‘shut up’ mean?”

The manager—Rigas—silently closed his mouth at the smiling face. The chilly office became even more oppressive than before. The subordinate employees looked at Rigas with a dumbfounded expression, their gazes full of reproach, silently asking what he was doing to worsen the situation. Rigas could offer no excuses.

Regardless of the miserable office atmosphere, Trowel sighed again. His hand, wiping his face, trembled slightly. His head was cold, but his stomach burned.

‘I’m crazy.’

The memories of that time 4,000 years ago were almost entirely blurred, leaving only a few fragmented scenes. Even so, he could surmise that he had done something he shouldn’t have, but the memory that surfaced a little while ago exceeded his capacity to cope.

‘What on earth did I do?’

El harmed himself before his eyes, plunging a sword into his heart. He drove him to it. He never imagined such a scenario. Even that hateful unicorn hadn’t mentioned this. No, could he truly claim ignorance? Didn’t he suspect that El, who had stopped himself then, wouldn’t resort to ordinary methods?

His fingertips trembled again. Unable to endure it any longer, Trowel rose from his seat. At the same moment, Rigas, who had been depressed and subdued, raised his head sharply.

“Master? Where are you going?”

“I’ll be out for a while.”

“Wa-wait a minute!”

Instantly, Rigas spread his arms, blocking his path.

“Take me with you!”

“What?”

“I don’t know where you’re going, but let me come with you!”

“It’s personal business.”

“Still, I can’t! Are you going to say that and disappear for years!”

Trowel fixed his cold gaze on the sobbing voice, momentarily taken aback. At that moment, all the guild members shared Rigas’s sentiment. Trowel looked around at everyone with a dumbfounded expression.

“Are you talking about that again? It’s only been two years.”

“Two years! It’s *only* been two years!”

“That’s right! It’s hard to regain trust after that long!”

“That’s right!”

Trowel briefly touched his forehead at the cheers erupting from all directions.

The giant behind-the-scenes power that controlled the underworld, Teneb, notorious for its ruthless pursuit of its goals, had one taboo: the phrase “I’ll be out for a while.” Because the guild master who uttered those words had once vanished for five years.

He was usually a mysterious figure, but no one expected such a prolonged absence. How many times had the guild teetered on the brink of collapse in the interim? When the master reappeared without a word, everyone wept on the spot. It was a nightmare they never wanted to relive.

In truth, Trowel hadn’t anticipated that outcome either. There were areas beyond even his prescient vision, and this was one of them.

Come to think of it, that day was also marked by an unpleasant memory: Minerva’s betrayal by her human contractor. The memory of telling El, who was *넋을 잃고 망연자실해져* [넋을 잃고 망연자실해져 is a Korean idiom that describes someone being in a state of shock and despair, completely lost and blank], the end of the bet. In that memory, El was already clutching his neck in despair. Unable to bear the miserable feeling, he headed to the water domain, intending to check on El while he slept, and there he encountered Eluien.

“The approval of the divine realm has been granted.”

Eluien had long sought a way to return El’s soul to modern times, even before El’s contractor died. By then, he had found a method to retrieve him and was merely awaiting permission from the divine realm. The situation was reaching a critical point, with Eluien barely enduring in an empty body, so the divine realm viewed the matter favorably. To prevent the disaster in Arkadon, Elquines’s soul needed to return to its rightful place as soon as possible. However, the implications of direct divine intervention had to be considered, and numerous procedures were required due to the complex web of cause and effect. That tedious and complicated process was finally complete.

“I swore to seal some of my power and not interfere with the past. Now I can go get El.”

“I’ll go with you.”

He had no choice but to say it. It wasn’t an impulsive decision. From the moment Eluien resolved to retrieve El, he felt the same compulsion. If El was in danger, if someone needed to help him, he had to be that someone. He had no intention of delegating it and watching from the sidelines.

However, he hadn’t realized the schedule would be so tight, requiring immediate departure. Had he had even a moment to prepare, he would have cleaned up the mess of the games he had started. At the very least, he wouldn’t have said goodbye with the words “I’ll be out for a while.” The consequences of that neglect were now returning to haunt him.

“I’m really just leaving for a while this time.”

“I can’t believe it!”

“You…….”

“Do you know how much we suffered to protect the guild while the master was away? I’d rather die than do that again! Kill me and go!”

“Oh, really?”

Trowel’s head tilted slightly. Rigas’s face stiffened at the gaze that clearly conveyed he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if asked. Their master was, after all, someone who didn’t care about such things. *What are you going to do, Manager!* The faces of the watching employees also paled. But fortunately, Rigas was in luck.

“Master, I think I finally found what Master was looking for…… Huh? What’s with this atmosphere?”

The atmosphere shifted with the arrival of someone new. Trowel turned his gaze from Manager Rigas to the woman standing there, looking bewildered.

“What’s wrong, Lucia?”

“Ah? Ah, I think I found that book.”

“Book?”

“The fairy tale Master mentioned before. The book that contains it.”

A different light flickered in Trowel’s eyes. All the employees of Teneb, who had been tense, visibly relaxed. It seemed they had averted a potential disaster.

“Can I check it right away?”

“Yes, of course. This is the book.”

Lucia, sensing the situation, quickly retrieved a book from her bag. Trowel’s expression softened further after examining the cover.

“Where did you find it?”

“In the library of the Delmon barony in the Arad Kingdom. I heard they were extensively cleaning up the library, which had been neglected since the head of the family died, and it was among the items.”

“Good job, Lucia. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hehe, it’s nothing. Do you need to see the contents?”

“I don’t need to check. This is it.”

Trowel’s expression was bright as he put the book away. The employees were also pleased, as the master, usually stingy with praise, was satisfied.

“Then I’ll be out for a while.”

Of course, that moment of peace didn’t last long.

“For a while… you said?”

The air stiffened again. Lucia unknowingly echoed with a stiff face. Rigas’s face also turned serious again. Trowel sighed lightly and quickly added the final words before anyone could protest.

“……I’ll be back by dinner.”

Peace finally descended upon the gloomy office. Trowel chuckled softly, shaking his head as he observed the faces that had suddenly become as relaxed as chicks basking in sunlight. He felt like he was growing weaker and weaker.