Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 88

Naturally, what followed was a piece of cake.

Though it was just acting, Trowell showed no mercy and relentlessly drove Cyciel. Cyciel was practically being toyed with, rolling around from his rapid attacks. Of course, befitting his role as a powerful magical beast, he made sure to intentionally destroy parts of the building and occasionally show off his immense strength. Meanwhile, the lord’s son, whom he had let go, was safely caught by the soldiers waiting below.

I watched Cyciel, who was in the midst of a battle (disguised as an escape) with Hussen and his group, with anxious eyes. From now on, the key was timing his return. If anything went wrong, more power than necessary would be used, and Isana, as the summoner, would bear the brunt of it.

In fact, Isana was already at his limit just maintaining the summon until now. We had to safely return Cyciel before it was too late.

“Eurachacha!”

Just then, Herol’s axe was launched straight at Cyciel’s face. If he stood still, he was in danger of being pierced right through.

“Now, Isana!”

As soon as the signal was given, Isana took a deep breath and canceled Cyciel’s summon. At that moment, Cyciel tilted his head back and roared loudly towards the sky. The way he slowly disappeared in that state looked as if he was being tormented and finally running away. He truly understood his master’s intentions better than anyone else, a truly thorough performance until the very end (well, he was actually being tormented, though).

“The Champagne Mercenaries have defeated another magical beast!”

“Waaaah!”

The surroundings were instantly filled with cheers. At the same time, Isana collapsed forward. He had finally succumbed to exhaustion, unable to withstand the extreme mana consumption.

“Are you okay, Isana?”

“Ugh…….”

I quickly supported him and slowly infused water energy into his depleted body. He seemed to feel a little better, as the pallor on his face gradually regained some color.

“You really did a great job.”

“El, you too.”

We looked at each other again and smiled.

Who cared if it was a scam? At this moment, a sense of fulfillment filled my heart, knowing that we had protected our comrade.

* * *

As promised, Lord Halberk released Hussen and his group unharmed. Moreover, he even generously provided the reward money that was supposed to be given as an apology. Although his son was a scoundrel, the lord himself seemed to be a relatively decent person.

“What? That was the spirit Ryger summoned?”

The group, who belatedly learned about the situation behind the scenes after being released, were all dumbfounded. In particular, they felt betrayed by Hussen’s acting skills, which had fooled not only the lord but also all of them.

“I knew something was strange, no matter how I looked at it. I didn’t feel any magical energy from the magical beast. But it was the first time I’d seen anything like it, and it was so mysterious that I just believed it wholeheartedly. But it was all a lie.”

“That’s too much, Captain. How could you deceive even us?”

“I couldn’t explain the situation to everyone in that situation. Thank El and Ryger. We were released safely thanks to them.”

Hussen replied nonchalantly to his companions who were complaining. They wore sullen expressions for a moment, but smiled and greeted us.

“Thank you so much. We survived thanks to you. We were worried about how to get out of there.”

“I think we were lucky. Fortunately, no one noticed it was a spirit until the end.”

“Oh, right. I’ve never seen such a huge and beautiful wolf in my life. That’s the Water Spirit, right?”

“Yes, it’s the High-Level Spirit, Cyciel.”

“Gasp! S, High-Level Spirit? Then does that mean Ryger is a High-Level Spiritualist?”

Isana smiled awkwardly, as if the attention was overwhelming. High-Level Spiritualists were rare, even across the entire continent. It was natural for everyone to be surprised.

‘Actually, he’s the contractor of the Spirit King, but…’

I swallowed the truth that I couldn’t reveal. If this were to become known, it would cause such a huge ripple effect that the world would be shaken. Now was the time to quietly lie low and hide it.

“Amazing, Ryger! A High-Level Spiritualist! That’s not just a little bit, is it?”

“I know, right? To think that a High-Level Spiritualist, who is rarer than a Master Magician, would be so close to us.”

“In a way, that lord’s son is lucky. He’s still alive even after being attacked by a High-Level Spirit.”

“Haha, now that you mention it, that’s true. Anyway, it seems like he won’t be able to move for a while. I heard he has a fractured rib.”

“Hmph, serves him right. How dare he covet someone else’s woman? We should have just castrated him.”

Herol’s last words were enough to remind us of that incident from a while ago. The incident where Hussen kindly avenged the mercenaries who plotted Sherry’s rape. Everyone else seemed to recall the same scene, and they chuckled softly. Then, suddenly, one fact that I had forgotten came to mind.

“Ah, come to think of it, the lord’s son took the money……!”

“Huh? What money?”

“The money you gave to the bereaved families. Those people offered that money to the lord’s son to release you.”

“Oh no…… Is that true?”

“There was no need to do that…….”

Hussen and his group all looked dismayed. Isana and I were equally gloomy. The matter that had been resolved so neatly had ended on a sour note in an unexpected way.

However, the heavy atmosphere did not last long. Trowell, who had been standing still, rummaged through his pockets and took out a heavy sack. Was that……?

“If it’s money you’re talking about, is it this?”

“Huh? Th, that’s, Matthew?”

Why does Trowell have that?

I wasn’t mistaken. What he was holding was definitely the sack of gold coins that had been handed over from the bereaved families to the lord’s son. As I stared in bewilderment, he tossed the sack lightly into the air and caught it, laughing.

“I saw it in his pocket when I went to rescue you earlier. So I swiped it.”

“……!”

In other words, he stole it.

The Spirit King is pickpocketing! But the absurd feeling was only momentary. Rather, I felt a refreshing and exhilarating sensation that reached the depths of my lungs. The other members of the group, who had been stunned for a while, all burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! That’s Matthew for you! You did a great job!”

“Ah, this is so refreshing! Isn’t this a complete twist?”

“I can’t wait to see the look on the lord’s son’s face when he finds out about this later.”

“Oh my, my stomach! I feel like I’m going to die laughing!”

The boisterous atmosphere only began to subside after some time. However, what came after that moment was no longer enjoyable or pleasant. Gradually, the chuckles ceased, and a quiet atmosphere began to dominate the surroundings once again. The space where silence had fallen felt like a completely different place from before.

“……”

“…….”

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, I carefully examined the group’s expressions. They all had faces lost in thought.

“After all, this kind of thing will happen again, right?”

Sherry was the one who opened her mouth with a bitter expression. At her words, Iril also nodded with a dark face.

“Probably. The lord’s son isn’t going to change. These kinds of things are common not only in this territory but also in other territories. Isn’t it nothing new anymore?”

“Damn it, to think we have to worry about whether even the favors we bestow will be taken away. This is such a shitty world.”

The faces of those who were muttering revealed a deep sense of disillusionment with life. Like Cowell and the other mercenaries, even they, who always seemed so lively and cheerful, were lamenting this world. The one who started to soothe that endlessly gloomy atmosphere was unexpectedly Herol.

“Come on, everyone, cheer up. We can’t help it because the situation is difficult right now. But things will get better someday, won’t they?”

“What’s wrong, Herol? You’re the one who always grumbled. Why are you suddenly so optimistic when you’re always the first to complain?”

His actions were unexpected even to the group, and they looked at him with puzzled eyes. Herol shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed expression.

“It’s not that, it’s just that El told me before. He said that the world might suddenly get better. That there must be decent people among the higher-ups. After hearing that, I thought it might be possible.”

“Hee, El said that?”

I smiled awkwardly at the gazes that poured out at once. It was something I had argued to defend Isana a while ago, but it seemed like he had remembered it.

“Well, El is a priest candidate, so he’ll probably try to instill hopeful messages in people.”

“Hmm, it’s not just because of that. There’s no harm in thinking positively about anything. We have to live believing that everything will get better someday.”

“But will it really happen?”

“It will.”

The calm voice rang out not from me but from another direction. It was Isana.

Hussen and his group blankly raised their heads and looked at Isana. He was standing there with a more determined look than ever before.

“The day will surely come when things get better. A world where uncorrupt officials govern the country, and the people can trust and follow the officials. A world where no one dies unfairly…… It will definitely come.”

‘I will make it happen.’

Even though he didn’t say it, the unspoken words he swallowed seemed to ring clearly in my ears.

Did they think it was too far-fetched? Even after Isana finished speaking, no one opened their mouth for a while. It was so quiet that I was worried that Isana, who had mustered his courage for once, would be embarrassed. Then Hussen said in a calm tone.

“A world where no one dies unfairly…… I hope such a day will come.”

“I, it will.”

“Okay, then let me ask you just one thing. Ryger, what do you think is the most important thing for a ruler?”

“What a ruler needs?”

“Yes.”

Isana hesitated for a moment, as if the question was unexpected. But soon, as if he had organized his thoughts, he said firmly.

“Power.”

“……Power?”

“The power to protect the people I love. Also, the power to protect the heart that loves this country and its people.”

The power to protect the heart that loves……. Perhaps that is the most difficult power to have in the world? I thought it was an answer that was possible only because it was the current Isana. I knew the anguish and sincerity he had gone through, even if no one else did.

And Hussen seemed to like that answer as well. He relaxed his hardened face and smiled faintly.

“That’s a really wonderful answer.”

After that, Isana quickly became close with the group. Until now, no one had paid attention to him, as he hid behind me, covered his face, and was always quiet. The group was subtly wary of the introverted him, and Isana wanted that as well.

But now it was clearly different. Not only was the Champagne Mercenaries’ attitude towards him different, but Isana himself seemed to have become more proactive than before.

I stood a little further away and watched him chatting and laughing with the people. At first, it seemed like he couldn’t even greet them properly, but now he was talking to them without any hesitation. I was deeply moved.

Then I felt someone standing next to me with their arms crossed. It was Trowell.

『Your contractor’s expression is getting better and better.』

『Really?』

『Yeah. He’s definitely better than before.』

『Hehe, as expected, the Emperor is the Emperor. He seems ordinary, but when you look closely, his thoughts are different.』

Was it because I was a contractor? I felt like my heart was floating for no reason, even though I wasn’t the one being praised. I felt like I wanted to brag to everyone. Then Trowell stared at me intently.

『El, I think it’s your influence?』

『Huh? But I didn’t do anything?』

『No, it’s definitely your influence.』

『Re, really?』

He smiled and nodded at me, who was feeling embarrassed.

『Humans become stronger when they have someone to rely on.』