Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 75

75.

In front of the fireplace where red embers crackled, two figures were seated in a room paneled with luxurious wood. One was a woman with captivating beauty and lustrous black hair cascading to her feet, and the other was a man with a taciturn demeanor.

Despite sharing the same space, they were engrossed in their own activities as if the other didn’t exist. The surroundings were quiet, punctuated only by the sound of the man turning pages in his book. The seemingly unbreakable silence shifted when a dark shape appeared on the window frame.

“Meow.”

At the faint meow, the woman rose from the sofa and approached the window. As she opened it, a small, lithe cat slipped inside. Peculiarly, the cat’s face was marked with vivid red patterns, as if painted on. Unlike the woman who greeted it warmly, the man frowned slightly at the sight of the cat.

“Did you use a familiar? [A magical creature bound to a witch or wizard through a magical contract.]”

“Yes, why?”

“I thought I told you not to do anything conspicuous.”

“Hehe, there’s no problem with that. How many beings in this world can recognize a familiar at its level?”

The woman retorted with a smile, and the man shrugged as if to say, ‘Do as you please.’ From the start, she wasn’t someone who could be persuaded by his words, and to some extent, she was right.

Familiars were beings created through the magic of subservient contracts, which had long disappeared from this land. Although they were artificial creatures, their appearances were no different from ordinary animals or insects, making it generally difficult to discern their true nature. Even if that weren’t the case, the woman would have undoubtedly used a familiar anyway, but complaining about it would only exhaust the man. He didn’t want to force such a tiring situation.

Beings who used contracts forgotten among humans. That was proof that the two were not human. Furthermore, subservient contracts belonged to dark magic. Among the various races, only the Demon race could wield it. Unfortunately, there was no one present to realize this fact and be surprised. Their location was very secluded, untouched by human feet.

“Besides, look at this. It seems there’s a harvest,” she said.

“……What?”

As the man frowned, the woman defiantly held out her palm toward the red-patterned cat. The cat, nuzzling her hand, spat something onto it: a blood droplet like a red gem.

The woman lightly rubbed the droplet, bringing it to her nose, and smiled. Her face, filled with satisfaction, radiated the arrogant joy of a victor. Consequently, the man, having caught the scent, also hardened his expression.

“No doubt. It’s the Swart Imperial Family’s blood.”

“Looks like we’ve finally found them.”

“The location?”

“A place called Halberk. It’s a small city located east-west from here. The location is probably around here?”

The woman pointed to a section of the map spread out on the table. The man quickly scanned the location, his expression grave.

“Their moving speed is faster than expected. They seem to be acting separately from the Royal Knights. Who are they receiving help from? Was there anyone accompanying him when the familiar found him?”

“Only a child of similar age.”

“Hmm, that’s unlikely to be the Royal Guard. Are they exploiting the idea that they wouldn’t suspect the Emperor because they’re just children?”

“Perhaps. But what’s clear is that we would never have found them without my familiar.”

The man chuckled at the woman’s boastful words. He had always disliked her disregard for rules and her self-willed behavior, but this time, he had to admit that they had benefited from it.

“What are you going to do now, Deron?”

At the woman’s words, the man called Deron fell into thought for a moment. But the decision was made quickly.

“Let’s just keep an eye on them for now.”

“Oh, what’s this? Our steadfast Duke Deronville isn’t going to report to the Demon Lord right away?”

“The Demon Lord ordered us to discreetly observe his movements. Simply finding his whereabouts isn’t enough to be considered a harvest.”

“Hmph— Is there some other scheme you have in mind?”

“That would be you, Serpis. Isn’t it common knowledge that Serpis, one of the Four Great Dukes of the Demon Realm, is aiming to become the next Demon Lord in a woman’s body?”

“…….”

At the sudden counterattack, the woman, Serpis, sullenly shut her mouth. Given the Demon Realm’s characteristic of ranking based purely on the superiority of power, the position of Demon Lord was an ambition that any demon would dream of. Moreover, a ‘Duke’ was a being who boasted such powerful authority that they were considered the highest rank aside from the king, with only four existing in the current Demon Realm. It was a well-known fact that they coveted the throne.

Similarly, Deron, one of the Four Great Dukes, also harbored the same ambition, though he didn’t show it. However, Serpis tended to reveal it openly, often drawing the Demon Lord’s ridicule in public settings. Deron’s words just now were intended to poke fun at that aspect.

“You’re such a boring man.”

“I’m honored.”

Serpis wore a resentful expression at the retort that didn’t back down until the end. She suddenly felt resentful of her fate, wondering how she ended up bickering with this stiff man in the same space.

Deron and Serpis. The reason these two high-ranking demons and Four Great Dukes were here was to find Emperor Isana of the Swart Empire, who had disappeared under the Demon Lord’s orders. However, even the two demons didn’t understand why the Demon Lord had issued such an order. They could only speculate that the Empire’s Grand Duke was looking for the Emperor, suggesting some kind of relationship between them.

All they were given was the location of the last trace and the scent of the Imperial Family’s blood. The pursuit, based on meager clues, was very tedious. The Intermediary Realm was a much more underdeveloped environment compared to the Demon Realm, and their companion was a frustrating man who didn’t coordinate at all. Now that the long period of patience had finally borne fruit, Serpis had no intention of simply waiting quietly.

Hugging her familiar, she opened the window. The chilly breeze of dusk gently brushed her black hair. Noticing her suspicious behavior, Deron frowned. Serpis smiled and said,

“Since you don’t plan to report for the time being, I can do as I please, right?”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Who knows?”

As an alluring smile appeared on her lips, Deron sighed. He thought she would endure longer, but it seemed she was planning to cause trouble after all.

He, too, was as dissatisfied with this companionship as Serpis was. Although they belonged to the same Four Great Dukes, the two demons had completely different tendencies. Nevertheless, the reason they were deliberately put together was probably because they were easier to handle compared to the other Dukes. But moving beings who were Dukes for such a trivial matter was something he couldn’t understand no matter how much he thought about it.

“What on earth are you thinking…….”

He sighed again and looked beyond the window where Serpis had disappeared. Although he didn’t like it, her impulsive actions might be a good thing. If luck was on his side, it would be a golden opportunity to grasp the Demon Lord’s intentions.

Deron’s eyes sank coldly as he was lost in thought.

* * *

When we returned to the inn, the mercenaries of the trading company had already occupied the first floor and were having a drinking party. Although it was around dusk, the sight of the scattered glasses on each table and the flushed faces of the people who were thoroughly drunk indicated that this gathering had been going on for quite some time.

“Yo, welcome back, El.”

The Champagne Mercenaries also greeted us with faces flushed with alcohol. Among them, Trowel seemed to be the only one who was perfectly fine without a change in complexion.

“What were you doing that you’re only coming back now? Even though it’s large, it’s a remote territory, so there doesn’t seem to be much to see.”

“It’s winter now. Lai’s clothes were too thin, so I bought him a few thick outfits.”

“I see. Lai has a good brother.”

With a light compliment, Herol subtly scanned our appearance. His face had a suspicious look.

“But there weren’t any particular problems outside, right?”

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“Well, just. I took a quick look around earlier, and the streets were full of soldiers. It seems to be because they’re searching for the Royal Knights who disappeared with the Emperor. They stop and inspect any mercenaries they see, so it’s impossible to move around comfortably. I was wondering if they had bothered you guys.”

“Ah, no, nothing like that happened.”

“I see. Well, you guys don’t look like mercenaries anyway.”

While Herol nodded nonchalantly, Isana and I exchanged uneasy glances. We realized that the Grand Duke’s pursuit was right on our heels. That also meant that we would have to part ways with them soon.

Until now, we had been traveling through dangerous areas with few people, so we were relatively safe, but from now on, we would occasionally visit inhabited areas. There would be a limit to just covering our faces. It was only a matter of time before our identities were exposed. If we were discovered in this state, the Champagne Mercenaries would obviously suffer as well, so we had to find a suitable opportunity to slip away before that happened.

Bang!

At the sudden sound of the door, I inadvertently turned around and frowned. Speak of the devil, a group of soldiers was pouring into the inn. Even at a glance, it didn’t seem like they were here to rest.

“What are those soldiers?”

“Who knows?”

As the armed soldiers stormed into the drinking party that was in full swing, people stopped their actions all at once. The commotion that had dominated the surroundings ceased, and a chilling silence filled the space.

Amid the gazes of those who didn’t know what was going on, the soldiers unfolded something. I recognized what it was at a glance. No, in fact, I couldn’t help but recognize it. It was the wanted poster of Isana and the knights that was posted everywhere we went.

“We are looking for wanted criminals. We received a report that there are suspiciously dressed people here. We would appreciate your cooperation with the inspection.”

‘……A report?’

Did that mean someone had reported this place? Startled by the unexpected words, I raised my head and spotted a person watching us from among the soldiers. Judging by the fact that he was inside the pub, he was probably the owner of this inn. When he met my gaze, he hurriedly turned his head and pretended not to notice. That alone made it clear who the informant was.

“Who are the suspicious people?”

The innkeeper, as expected, pointed this way in response to the soldier’s question. As everyone’s eyes focused on us, the soldiers approached me. They looked at Isana and me with sharp eyes.

“We need to confirm your faces, so take off your hoods.”

‘……Damn it, this hood.’

If I had known this would happen, should I have just taken it off all along? It was a natural suspicion from their perspective, but having experienced similar situations several times, I was starting to get annoyed. But the tension I felt now was incomparable to any other time. Until now, I had managed to get by with luck, but that wouldn’t work in front of the soldiers. However, I couldn’t just resist, so I slowly prepared to take off my hood. I had no choice but to step forward and buy some time again.

But then, I sensed a flurry of movement among the Cocktail Mercenaries nearby. When I inadvertently looked, I saw several people, including the leader, Bilt, shaking their heads vigorously. They were all awkwardly waving their arms.

‘What, why are they doing that?’

I was bewildered as I took off my hood (at the same time, a futile sigh escaped from the Cocktail Mercenaries). Then, the soldiers, looking slightly surprised, began to scan me up and down with strange eyes. Their faces held a different scheme.

“Hmm hmm, it seems like a suspicious guy. I can’t tell just by looking at his face. It seems like a more detailed investigation is needed, so you’ll have to come with us.”

“What? What are you talking about? The description is completely different from what’s drawn on the poster.”

“You can dye your hair color.”

“I didn’t dye it. This is natural, you know?”

“Shut up. Anyway, the fact that you’re suspicious doesn’t change.”

The soldier replied firmly. It seemed like they were determined to take me no matter what I said. However, the glances they were stealing seemed to have a different intention than dealing with a suspect. It was like the expression of someone who had accidentally obtained what they wanted and had a windfall. At that moment, I remembered something I had heard from the Cocktail Mercenaries.

The Grand Duke’s soldiers were taking away children with outstanding beauty…….

……Was that strange motion just now the meaning of this?

I was a little taken aback because I hadn’t expected it at all. To think that such an absurd thing would really happen in reality. But even in this ridiculous situation, I didn’t have time to be properly dumbfounded. Because the soldiers’ attention was focused on Isana, who was standing behind me.

“You there! Why are you standing like that? Take off your hood too.”

‘Isana!’

The problem was that I had been negligent, thinking that if I just diverted their attention to me, it would be fine. When I turned around in horror, one of the soldiers had already grabbed Isana roughly. The soldier immediately forcibly removed the hood covering his head.

“What a suspicious guy. I told you to show your face, but what are you doing……!”

‘No!’

At that moment, the soldier, who had been muttering indifferently, slowly trailed off as if he had discovered something. Oh my god, were we going to get caught like this? I bit my lip, feeling a sense of impending doom. I could only think of escaping right away, but unlike my mind, my frozen legs didn’t move from the spot.

However, the scene that unfolded a moment later was completely different from what I had expected. Because the face revealed from under the removed hood was not Isana’s.