Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 92

The delicate snowflakes had morphed into a fierce blizzard by afternoon. The snow piled up rapidly, rising from ankle-deep to knee-deep in moments. I glanced around at the surroundings, now a complete whiteout, and clicked my tongue. The temperature had plummeted recently, but I hadn’t anticipated such a sudden atmospheric shift. It felt like midwinter had arrived with the first snowfall.

‘At this rate, will I even be able to meet Kai Tain safely?’

The crowd outside the castle gates was still a dense throng of people trying to get in, but the inspection process was even slower than before. Even if he managed to get inside, finding him in this snowstorm would be a challenge.

I should have just told him to meet me at the temple. I sighed softly, regretting my decision. Of course, something else was bothering me even more than that right now.

“Why are you sighing?”

…Yes, that guy. The Red Dragon, Lapis Lazuli.

We had sought refuge in a nearby restaurant to escape the snow that began falling immediately after our unexpected reunion. And we’ve been stuck like this ever since: sitting across from each other, simply staring.

I ended up coming in together, but since we weren’t exactly close, I found this situation very uncomfortable. The biggest problem was his appearance, which was far above average. The staff, as well as the customers nearby, were all captivated by his looks and kept staring at us.

However, he, the cause of all this attention, simply leaned back on the sofa across from me with an indifferent expression. And Isana, not knowing what was going on, was also nervously watching me and him.

Eventually, I was the first to break the long silence.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know? Why are you…”

“Lapis.”

“…Okay, Lapis. Anyway, why are you here?”

“Why? You asked me to join your schedule.”

“When did I ever! I told you to adjust to *my* schedule if you wanted a contract.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“It’s not the same at all! Wait a minute… Then, did you come here to see me? To make a contract?”

He frowned as if he had heard something absurd.

“Why else would I come to this backwater?”

“Really? You didn’t seem too keen on it before.”

“I changed my mind. I’ll concede this time, I guess.”

I was momentarily stunned by his unexpected decision. I had assumed he would refuse, so I hadn’t even considered it, but to hear him say he would concede… It felt like the world had turned upside down.

“How did you know I was here?”

“It wasn’t that difficult. The rumors are all over the place.”

“Rumors?”

“Yeah. That the exiled Emperor is heading to Clamor to meet Duke Carrowell.”

“……!”

Isana’s face hardened as he listened blankly to those words. I was horrified and jumped up from my seat.

“Don’t say things like that out loud in a place like this…!”

“Hey, don’t get excited and sit down. No one else can hear what we’re saying here.”

“What?”

At those words, I quickly scanned my surroundings. As he said, the people in the restaurant didn’t seem to be aware of our conversation at all. Rather, there were more eyes on me, wondering why I had suddenly stood up.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly sat back down, and Lapis chuckled mischievously. I glared at him, feeling my face burning.

“How did you do that?”

“I cast a spell to block the sound. Unless they come right up to us, they can’t hear anything inside here.”

“But I didn’t see you cast a spell.”

“Hmph, didn’t I tell you before? Don’t compare a dragon’s magic to human standards. At this level, I don’t even need to use incantations or starting words.”

“D, Dragon?”

At that moment, Isana trembled as if struck by lightning. Only then did he realize Lapis’s identity. I scratched my cheek, realizing that I hadn’t explained it to him beforehand.

“Um, sorry, Isana. I’m late introducing him, right? This guy is actually a dragon. The Red Dragon, Lapis Lazuli.”

“H, how could a dragon…”

“Well, he actually wants to make a spirit contract with me.”

Isana looked back and forth between me and Lapis with a slightly excited expression. He seemed completely thrilled by the shock of seeing a dragon in person and the curiosity of him coming to make a contract. Then, Lapis’s eyes immediately turned fierce.

“What are you looking at? Are you showing off because you made a contract before me?”

“Y, yes?”

“Let me tell you, I didn’t lose to you. You were just lucky, okay?”

“……”

Isana couldn’t even retort at the childish provocation and just wore a bewildered expression. He probably never imagined that a great dragon would act like this. I’m so glad I’m a spirit. If I were the same race, I would be so embarrassed right now. It would be better if I didn’t know him at all, but that’s already an impossible hope, so I sighed and said,

“Don’t pick on Isana. What are you doing to someone who doesn’t know anything?”

“Hmph, let’s just make the contract. You’re not thinking of breaking your promise, are you? You clearly said that you would make a contract if I adjusted to you.”

“Ah, yeah! Let’s do it! I’ll do it! I’ll just do it!”

Lapis grinned as I grumbled. I was resigned to my fate, but seeing his face light up at the thought of making a contract didn’t make me feel too bad.

‘Wait a minute. How do you make a contract in this situation?’

Usually, spirit contracts are made through a medium called a summoning circle. Since I can’t perform such a ritual right now, I have to use another method. Fortunately, the instinct of the Spirit King was calmly doing its job even at this moment. As I racked my brain, the method came to mind automatically. I looked at Lapis and said,

“Hand.”

“……?”

When I held out my hand, Lapis reflexively took it. Seeing him follow my lead silently, even with a frown, made me feel like I was training a large dog. A very fierce and unruly one at that.

“What?”

“Just wait. Um, what’s next…”

I drew his mana through our clasped hands. It was to replenish the mana needed for the summoning ritual. In a way, it was like forcibly taking someone else’s life force, so I didn’t like it, but there was no other way since there was no medium.

Lapis frowned at the sudden consumption of mana, but he didn’t exactly refuse or push me away. That was a bit unexpected for me. Although I put it simply, the amount of mana I was drawing was so enormous that an ordinary person would quickly become exhausted. Even for a dragon, it would be natural to feel a sense of rejection, but I couldn’t feel that from Lapis at all. It meant that he either completely trusted me or that he wasn’t affected by this level of consumption at all. Considering that he showed a slight reaction at first, it couldn’t be the latter, so it must be the former. It felt a little strange to think that he completely trusted me, even though it was only the second time we had met today.

‘Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.’

Soon, unfamiliar mana wrapped around my body and slowly began to fill it. After a while, when it reached a suitable amount, I began to prepare to conclude the contract in earnest.

“There are people watching here, so I won’t take out the contract [a formal document]. Is that okay?”

“Whatever.”

Even at that moment, Lapis was just leisurely watching me. Perhaps he was even excited, knowing that the mana I had drawn would be used for the contract ritual.

“By fulfilling this contract with me, you will provide the power to bring me into this world, and in return, I will become your protector. The contract… will be made, of course, so there’s no need to ask for your opinion, right?”

Even though I asked without sincerity, he nodded as if he was in a good mood. If he had been arrogant like before, I would have been annoyed, but seeing him purely enjoying it made me feel a little sorry.

I concentrated the water energy I had drawn on the tips of two fingers and placed it on Lapis’s forehead. Then, the bluish energy began to seep into his skin, engraving a clear image on it. It was the same water seal that was engraved on Isana.

“It’s done.”

It would only feel slightly cold, with no other particular sensation, but Lapis kept his eyes closed for a long time, as if savoring the afterglow. I was curious about his calm reaction, which was different from what I had expected, so I asked.

“How do you feel? You’ve finally made a contract with the Water Spirit King.”

“……It feels strange.”

He replied quietly, still not opening his eyes. His voice was so subdued that I couldn’t guess his feelings. Could he be disappointed because it wasn’t what he had expected? Well, he had been obsessing over one thing for an incredibly long time, so it was possible. But after a while, the pupils in his slowly raised eyelids revealed clear joy.

“The cold sensation feels good. Like it was mine from the beginning. It feels like I’ve finally found my place.”

“……Are you really a Red Dragon?”

“Can’t you tell by my hair color?”

“That’s why I’m asking. The Red clan’s tendencies are close to fire. Shouldn’t you hate water?”

“Well, I’ve heard that I’m eccentric. But it doesn’t matter. If you have my level of intelligence and looks, it’s more charming to have that kind of quirk.”

“Ah, yes, is that so.”

Anyway, if only he could keep his mouth shut. I looked at him with a frown, but he didn’t seem to care at all. How does someone grow up to be like that? I wondered who his parent dragon was. It was the moment I became curious about their faces.

“Anyway, Elquines is really mine now.”

“Huh… Why does it sound like that?”

“Why else? I made a contract with you.”

He answered as if there was something wrong with my absurd question. He didn’t even understand why I was questioning him.

What kind of concept of contract is embedded in this guy’s head? Moreover, Lapis’s actions didn’t end there. He suddenly turned his gaze to Isana and then blurted out!

“Hey, human. Don’t think that you have more ownership of him just because you made a contract before me. If you want to be treated as a colleague by me in the future, you’d better be aware of the situation. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Ahaha……”

Isana, who was suddenly threatened, couldn’t even answer and just laughed awkwardly. I couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted.

“I’ve been watching you, but what are you talking about since a while ago! Am I some kind of object? You’re mistaken if you think you own me just because you made a contract! And you!”

“Lapis.”

“Yeah, Lapis! Didn’t I tell you last time that you would fix it if you didn’t like the way you expressed yourself! But what is this? It hasn’t changed at all in a month! And this trip is for Isana! Don’t do whatever you want!”

“I haven’t done whatever I wanted. If we’re going to be seeing each other for a while, whether we like it or not, we’ll have to get involved, so I’m just telling you to be polite in that sense.”

“You be polite to Isana too! He’s an emperor even if he’s young! He has the highest status in this empire!”

“Hmph, he’s just a human…”

“You’re going to keep acting like that!”

“Okay, okay. What a temper…”

Lapis nodded as if he was annoyed. It was such a bad attitude that anyone could tell he was reluctantly answering. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy? I take it back. This guy is the most infuriating guy in the world.

Until then, Isana was still watching the situation with a nervous face. I sighed and apologized to him first.

“I’m sorry, Isana. He’s like this.”

“Ah, no. I’m okay. But what did the Dragon-nim [term of respect] mean just now? That we’ll be seeing each other for a while?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s…”

“It means exactly what it says, human. It means that this body will be with you from now on.”

Lapis continued the answer. Isana’s face turned pale at the answer that went straight to the point without explaining the circumstances.