Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 9

Episode 9

“Eek? What is this!”

I couldn’t help but scream. The reflection in the mirror was so different from what I had imagined.

I hadn’t realized it until now, but I had quite long hair that reached down to my lower back. Moreover, the hair color was a vivid blue, as if ink had been mixed in.

Let’s put that aside for now. Actually, I honestly liked it because this perfect water-like color couldn’t be achieved even with expensive dyes. The only thing that bothered me was the unusually long length, but I could just cut it later, so let’s ignore that. The problem is…

“This is totally a girl’s face!”

That’s right. That was the problem. If someone were to describe my face in a cliché way, it would be like this: milky white skin, a sculpted, slender face line with a sharp nose, and red lips as if painted with blood. Large, round, watery eyes.

In short, it was the face of a typical pretty girl.

Why did I have to be born with this kind of face out of all the faces in the world? Damn it!

If I had to be a pretty type, I’d rather be Trowel. He’s sexy even though he’s young, and he definitely looks like a man. But my face looked like a girl no matter how you looked at it. A pure, innocent, and delicate-looking girl. It seemed even more so because of the long hair. If it weren’t for my flat chest, anyone would mistake me for a girl. No, people with poor eyesight might just think I’m a girl with a seriously flat chest.

‘Hmm? But something feels missing…?’

As I discontentedly scanned my new body, I frowned at the unfamiliar feeling of emptiness. It was a strange feeling that something was missing. It didn’t bother me until just now, so it must not be that important. What is it?

I slowly touched my body one by one, carefully trying to figure out what was causing this strange sensation. And I was able to find the reason very easily, so easily that I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t found it at first.

“[Incomprehensible gibberish]!”

A tremendous shock, as if being electrocuted by a million volts, flowed through my entire body.

“It’s gone… It’s… gone! It’s gone! Kuaaak―! No way!”

Is this what it feels like when a firmly held belief collapses? Even riding an express train from heaven to hell wouldn’t give you this feeling.

“Why did I become a woman!”

* * *

“Is this guy an idiot?”

That evening, after realizing that I had become a woman, I spent the whole night in despair and greeted the morning with hollow eyes. Ifrit gave me a cold assessment as I looked haggard, not so much from fatigue but from mental shock.

“Kuhuk! But!”

“But what? I heard it from Minerva, but I didn’t think it was possible. You’re really clinging to your past life’s memories. What a pathetic guy.”

“Pathetic! This isn’t a simple matter! My gender has changed! Put yourself in my shoes! If you suddenly became a man one day, could you handle it with a sane mind?”

“What’s wrong with that? I dress up as a man all the time. If you’re more comfortable as a man, you can do that too.”

“You idiot! There’s no way just dressing up is the same as being a real man!”

“What’s the difference? We spirits are asexual anyway!”

“That’s completely different… Huh? What did you just say?”

I, who was desperately trying to defend myself against Ifrit’s sarcastic remarks, suddenly stopped. What did Ifrit just say? Spirits are asexual?

Ifrit’s expression was even more distorted than before, probably because my surprised expression was quite dumb.

“Basically, spirits are asexual. There’s no need to distinguish between male and female. There’s only a difference in appearance between male and female forms. Have you ever heard of a spirit having children? Even Minerva and I have distinctly female bodies, but we don’t have breasts, do we? It’s the same as you.”

“Gasp! Come to think of it…”

I reflexively looked at Ifrit’s chest area. She(?) really did have the same flat chest as me. Yeah, come to think of it, it doesn’t make sense for a woman to not have breasts like that.

Even if she’s underdeveloped, a woman roughly between the ages of 17 and early 20 would have some curves in her waist or shoulders. But Ifrit’s upper body was exactly like that of a boy.

Ifrit grumbled with a dumbfounded look at me, who was in a daze.

“Why do I have to explain all this? How can the Spirit King not know that spirits don’t have genders? If the previous Elquines knew, he would have fainted and never woken up again. Seriously, I’m speechless.”

“T, then… I’m not a woman?”

“I told you that already. How many times do I have to say it for you to understand? Are you a goldfish? Tell me honestly. You’re not really the Spirit King, are you? You’re a bird in human form, aren’t you?”

The relentless insults continued, but at this moment, they all sounded like heavenly songs to me. Only then did I barely calm down and slump back into my seat.

So what if my face is pretty and I don’t have important parts? As long as I’m not a woman.

The values established over 17 years occupy a larger portion than you think. In my standards, a woman is a man’s opposite sex, and the opposite sex is an object of affection. So that means I’m going to be with a dark-skinned guy… Ugh! Let’s not think about it anymore, Kang Jihoon! I’m not a woman. Yeah, I’m just a female form. Strictly speaking, I’m asexual…

“No, I don’t like this either! Why do I have to be classified as female!”

Ifrit retorted with a dumbfounded expression as I jumped up from my seat again and shouted.

“Who said you were female?”

“What? You told me I was female yesterday!”

“That’s just when comparing you to the previous one’s appearance. Well, depending on how you look at it, your current appearance could be seen as male. It has a neutral feeling unique to minors whose bodies aren’t fully developed yet.”

“Oh? R, really?”

“Well, even so, most people would mistake you for a girl.”

“See! I knew it!”

The conclusion is that I’m closer to the female form!

I grabbed my head and tried to shake off the terrible thoughts that were rising again. At that moment, a sharp shock struck my head. Ifrit had punched me in the head.

“Ugh! What are you doing, Ifrit! That hurts!”

“I hit you because it hurts, you idiot! What’s going to change if you worry about your natural appearance? Are you going to keep the guest standing like this with such useless things?”

“Just because of that, do you have to hit me so mercilessly? It hurts…”.

I stopped talking and closed my mouth as I clutched my head. It was because I had realized one thing that I hadn’t thought of until then.

“Oh? But why is Ifrit here?”

“What?”

Then Ifrit’s already fierce eyes became even fiercer. She seemed upset that I had only now noticed her presence.

“Ah, no, I just… I thought you were angry at me yesterday…”

“I’m still angry, okay? Why? Can’t I come?”

“No, it’s not that. Hahaha…”

‘Gasp! Could it be that Ifrit is holding a grudge from yesterday and came to put a curse on me?’

It was a plausible thought, so I cautiously watched her with an uneasy heart. Ifrit looked at me with a pathetic gaze.

“What’s with that dazed expression? Am I going to eat you? Seriously, I didn’t want to say this, but how can you be so different from the previous Elquines, even though you’re the same Elquines? The previous Elquines had a bit of an arrogant personality, but he still had a natural dignity. But what kind of Spirit King are you…”

“…Sorry for not having dignity.”

Does she think she’s overflowing with dignity? She looks like a punk.

However, I couldn’t confidently mutter these words in front of Ifrit. I had no intention of being recorded in history as a Spirit King who died one day after being born. Life is more precious than anything else. Yes, that’s right.

‘But why did this Spirit King really come? She wouldn’t have come all the way here just to pick a fight.’

My thoughts must have been written on my face. Ifrit looked at me with a sulky face and then confidently revealed the purpose of her visit.

“I’ve decided to be in charge of your education from now on.”

“…What?”

“Geez. I’m learning today that spirits can be deaf. Didn’t you hear me? I! Have decided! To be in charge! Of your education!”

“…!”

I barely held back the gasp that burst out.

What, Ifrit is going to educate me? Why? Wasn’t Minerva or Trowel going to teach me?

I was more shocked because I naturally thought that one of those two would take on the role. Could it be that my first impression wasn’t good? So they sent Ifrit, who openly hates me, on purpose? In a short time, tens of thousands of random thoughts flashed through my head.

“Get rid of that crying face. It’s annoying. Do you think I’m doing this because I like it? Minerva and Trowel are busy focusing on the recovery of Arkadon [likely a city or region]. I had no choice but to take you on.”

“…Aren’t you busy, Ifrit?”

“What, what? Of course I’m busy. Did you think I was free? I’m incredibly, incredibly busy, more than you can imagine.”

“Hmm, I see. But why you specifically…?”

“Ahem, I’m very busy, but unlike the others, I’m capable. Everyone is in a difficult situation, so shouldn’t I help out a little? Don’t worry. I’ll make you awaken as the perfect Spirit King within a week.”

“…”

Unlike Ifrit, who was confidently asserting, I felt my face turning pale.

It seems like I’ve gotten caught up in something really bad. Ifrit’s teaching of the ‘perfect Spirit King’… I wonder if I’ll be able to survive safely in a week?

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Ifrit glared at me and spoke. When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she shouted with a frustrated expression.

“Are you really deaf? I asked if you have anything to say to me!”

Anything to say? I have a lot to say. Hey Ifrit, about teaching me, can’t you reconsider? Even though I look kind and sincere, I’m actually really stupid and I can be a bit rebellious. No matter how much you push me in a Spartan way, if I can’t keep up, you’re just going to suffer, right? So please, please reconsider…

‘But if I say that, it won’t end with just one hit this time.’

I smiled awkwardly and shook my head.

“No, not really…”

“Nothing? Really nothing?”

“Um? …Ah! Please take care of me in the future?”

“Not that!”

“T, then what is it?”

“What, do you really not know?”

I really don’t know.

Instead of nodding, I blinked my eyes blankly. Ifrit, who was glaring at me with a frustrated gaze, sighed as if she couldn’t help it.

“You asked Minerva and Trowel yesterday to call you ‘Jihoon’. But why didn’t you say that to me?”

“What? Ah― is that what you meant?”

Hee, could it be that she was worried about that?

I looked at Ifrit with an unexpected feeling. I thought she wouldn’t care at all about what I called her. I thought I should be grateful if she just called me ‘you’ or ‘hey’ or ‘you kid’, but was she actually expecting me to formally greet her?

Maybe Ifrit doesn’t hate me, she just has her own way of expressing herself. But I was too busy trying to avoid her. I felt like I had hurt her because of unnecessary prejudice. I quickly asked her for a handshake, reflecting on myself.

“Sorry. Come to think of it, I didn’t properly greet you. Please take care of me in the future. I hope you’ll call me ‘Jihoon’ like Minerva and Trowel.”

Even then, I hadn’t completely grasped Ifrit. I realized that the moment I heard her next answer.

“I don’t want to?”

“…”

Hahaha. What? What did I just hear?

I stared at Ifrit, who was smiling brightly in front of me, and froze like a stone statue. Then Ifrit bent her eyes wide as if she was having fun.

“This kid still doesn’t understand. I clearly told you, didn’t I? I’m going to make you the perfect Spirit King. ‘Jihoon’ is your past life’s name. In this situation, can you keep using that name? I’m going to call you Elquines. Be grateful for this body’s deep meaning.”

“T, then why did you induce me to introduce myself as Jihoon?”

“Because it’s fun.”

Isn’t it obvious? Ifrit’s slightly raised eyes seemed to be saying that.

I closed my mouth tightly and stared blankly at the sky. Whoosh―. Even though there was no wind, a hollow air seemed to brush past my back.

“Education will start tomorrow. Be prepared, because I won’t go easy on you.”

Ifrit, who said that last, turned into a fireball and disappeared just like yesterday. The sound of her muttering to herself as she disappeared was clearly heard in my ear.

“Even if nothing else, she’s a fun one to tease? Ah― I won’t be bored for a while.”

“…”

And so… the war with the Queen was declared.