Elqueeness - Chapter 12

The 3-Bed Room that Hosane designated for us actually had only 2 beds along with an additional blanket that was laid out on the ground for the third person.

As if to make clear that the only purpose of these rooms were for sleep, the room had no other furniture, making it seem like a humble abode.

The quality of these rooms were below mediocre, but because I had been sleeping out in the open for the past several days, this room was good enough.

The three of us, Trom-Well, Isana, and I, rarely ever shared time as a group. This almost felt like a school trip back in Earth.

“Isana and El can use the beds, I’ll use those blankets and sleep on the floor.”

“Ah! No, I’ll take the floor.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. My nature is that of the earth. For me, sleeping on the dirt is more comfortable than sleeping on a bed.”

Well that makes sense. Since Trom-Well is the Spirit King of Earth, he may actually be more comfortable when he’s on the ground. In that sense, he may enjoy camping more than a luxury hotel.

But I did not feel that it was right for Trom-Well to be the only one to sleep on the ground, so I jumped off the bed and sat down next to him.

Laughing, I stared at Trom-Well who was staring back strangely.

“You’re not planning to go to sleep right away, are you? Why don’t we enjoy ourselves with a few games before going to bed?”

“Ha. I don’t really care… What do you want to play? But unlike us, Isana needs to recover from exhaustion so we need to give him time for sleep.”

In response, Isana rapidly shook his head as if he did not want to be singled out and left in the dark.

“No, I’m alright. I’m not tired at all.”

“Is that so? Then why don’t we chat for a bit? Or we could take this chance to train you to form a stronger bond with the Spirits.”

“Training?”

“Yes. Isana can only summon the Naiads, right? We’re going to level him up with some training. If El helps, then the time we need will be cut down and you’ll be able to summon Sea-Cue-El later in the future.”

“Is this training similar to when I enhanced Felix’s affinity with the Water Element? But in his case, he had already possessed the full potential to summon Sea-Cue-El. All I did was to awaken his dormant potential. Other than that, I haven’t done anything else.”

So how could Isana, who never had much talent but was fortunate enough to summon a Spirit King, improve his affinity with the Spirits?

“It’s nothing difficult. All you have to do is implant your aura that possesses the water nature into Isana. Since he has enough talent to summon the Naiads, we’ll be able to enhance his abilities with that alone.”

“Ah really? Then that’s easy. Isana, do want to try?”

“Yes, what should I do?”

So after I had Isana sit up straight with his eyes closed, I drew out my aura and had his body absorb it.

Without a single speck going to waste, the transfer was going smoothly.

As if his body was a sponge, Isana continued to intake my aura without any refusal as his tense face grew softer and gentler.

“With this method, can even ordinary people become Spirit Summoners?”

“That’s right. In this continent, there are many people who became Superior Grade Spirit Summoners through this method.

However, the person must have some talent as a summoner.

Just like how a magician must feel the flow of mana, a Spirit Summoner must have some affinity for the elements. How much affinity they have or how talented they are does not matter but, if they have not even a single trace of those two things, even we as Spirit Kings can do nothing.”

“So that’s how it works.”

“Oh yes, I once met an extremely talented Spirit Summoner some time ago.”

“Eh? When? How come I never knew anything about it?”

While amusing himself with my look of surprise, he wore a face of delight. Unlike the usual calm he possessed, I could feel his excitement from his eyes.

Then, as if unlocking a treasure chest, he carefully began to explain his story.

“This was before I met you, El, and not long after the Champagne Mercenaries were formed. We were at the Katas Empire to fulfill a commission.

While in the middle of our mission, I suddenly felt powerful wavelengths that contained the aura of Earth. So I checked out the source in the middle of the night.”

“Hehe, so what kind of person was it? Male? Female?”

“A girl. A very young girl at that, around the age of 13. What was fascinating for me was that despite possessing such a powerful aura, she had yet to form a contract with a Spirit.

She herself must not have known about her talent.”

“When you say powerful aura, how powerful do you mean?”

“Strong enough to summon a Superior-Grade Spirit right there.”

Ho. Then isn’t that impressive? I knew from watching Felix that summoning a Superior Grade Spirit was both taxing as it was challenging. To possess enough affinity to summon a Superior-Grade Spirit without any form of training is almost impossible. However, that 13 year old girl was capable of exactly that.

“Then is she now a Superior Grade Spirit Summoner?”

“No, the aura that she was born with is strong but summoning Spirits require a strong body as well. She was far too frail and her body was far from being adequate. To summon such a powerful Spirit would be impossible at her current state. So I helped her summon the Intermediate-Grade Spirit, Molten, which she barely managed to succeed. I figured that was good enough for now. But within 10 years, she should be able to become a Superior-Grade Summoner.

She also swore that one day, she would summon me.”

“Eh? You?”

“Yeah. How should I describe this? She gave off an unconventional feeling. Perhaps because of her age, she did not have that unpleasant feeling, so it was really enjoyable for me.”

The story of the talented Spirit Summoner girl ended with that. My thoughts? I felt like there were still some parts that Trom-Well had not told me.

But Since I could tell that he had no intention of telling me, I decided not to press on.

It was fine as long as Trom-Well had his fun.

‘Maybe that girl asked Trom-Well to marry her.’

I smiled at my own ridiculousness. When I decided to check on Isana, my mouth began to twitch when I saw the state that he was in.

The brat that should have been busy absorbing my aura was now asleep in the same position.

He was so deeply rooted to sleep that even if someone were to kidnap him he would remain oblivious throughout the entire process.

Since it would be rather embarrassing, I chose not to wake him and lifted him back on his bed.

“This brat. If he was tired then he should have just gone to bed, why argue otherwise?”

“Hahaha. The aura of water must have felt too pleasant for him. All humans develop initially surrounded by the amniotic fluid inside their mother’s belly.

So he may have gone to that same state and got too comfortable.”

“Ho, really? Then I can’t complain. This brat has been suffering in his heart a lot lately. I would be happy if he could be at ease for even a second.”

While spending day after day hidden beneath a robe, it must have been exhausting, mentally and physically, to avoid having his identity leaked out.

Perhaps it really would have been better if we had never joined this group. Since the fault laid with me, I felt some guilt.

The only support he has is me. But ever since I unexpectedly met Trom-Well, I have been spending far more time then intended with my old friend than Isana. He may have been feeling neglected.

At the rate we’re moving, it’s hard to estimate when we’ll be able to meet with Aleck and the rest of the party. Perhaps they have already arrived at the capital.

They may as well be meeting with the Nobles who have declared neutrality in order to bring them over to Isana’s side.

Compared to the Knights who were living every day constantly exposed to danger, our lives here seemed much more peaceful.

“We must arrive at Kalmore soon, our plans can’t be delayed any longer..”

That way, we could meet with the Marquis and bring him to our side. With him on our side, we would be able to swiftly march back to the capital and end this rivalry once and for all.

After all, it wouldn’t be good if the master of the Imperial Throne is gone for too long. Also, the Archduke has now acknowledged Isana as an opponent and has become more cautious of our movements.

Before he comes up with a plan to put us at a disadvantage, we must proceed as far as we can with the plan.

Seeming to know what my problem was, Trom-Well sighed while shaking his head.

“We are nowhere close to Kalmore. There’s still a month and a weeks’ worth of time before we arrive. If you rush, the only ones who will suffer are you and Isana.

Isana’s Knights probably have yet to enter the capital.

Unlike most checkpoints, the security around the Imperial Capital is on a different scale. Penetrating through that barrier unnoticed will take much more detailed planning and time.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. There’s something you must realize. The upcoming battle against the Archduke will definitely not be easy. Since you have never killed a person, it may be even harder for you.”

“Ugh..”

Even if he hadn’t told me, I was fully aware of my weakness. I shivered at the mere sight of monsters being decapitated even though I wasn’t the one fighting.

This war that Isana is fighting will be man vs. man. Will I be of help in that sort of circumstance?

Would I be able to escape from the guilt of having killed a man?

I have seen many people in movies who became crazed after committing murder. There was no assurance that I wouldn’t become like that.

Trom-Well’s face suddenly saddened. I could not tell what he was thinking about..

“There’s no reason to force yourself if it’s too hard. Just summon your Spirits of Water and close your eyes.

Also, your existence alone will serve to crumble whatever moral your enemies have, so the conflict may not lead to bloodshed.”

“Ugh..”

“Furthermore… You may not be able to win this fight with only your own strength.”

“ …..? ”

What is that supposed to mean? When I stared blankly, Trom-Well himself seemed clueless in how to explain.

“Sorry. As I thought.. It’s harder for me to explain to fellow Spirit Kings. But something rebellious is at lurk.

I’m worried that it may have a deep relationship with you El.

You may not understand what I mean when I say this being is something that outclasses the Spirit Kings, but the Archduke is not as simple as you may suspect.”

“R… Really?”

“Yes. Also I felt a powerful aura not too long ago. From how specifically it was directed at you El, I suspect you are the target of interest.

I will be able to discover whose aura that belonged to, but I can’t tell at this present time whether I should consider this person as your enemy or friend. This is all I know for now.

As soon as you get to Kalmore, you must meet El-Wee-En. El, he will definitely be useful to you.”

I heard that Trom-Well’s insight was so powerful that he could predict the future. However, I myself had never experienced it before so had no idea how I should react to this information.

But I replied confidently to those warm golden eyes now dyed with worry.

“I got it Trom-Well, don’t worry too much. Luck is one of my stronger points and this whole affair may conclude more easily than expected.”

“I too wish for that to be true.”

Despite my efforts, his heart was still not at ease as Trom-Well bitterly smiled.

However, the mood soon became one notch softer; when our topic of conversation was about to head to a more enjoyable topic, I suddenly heard a scream coming from outside the window. Trom-Well heard it as well.

“Let go of me! What are you trying to do to me? Stop or I’ll scream!!”

“Hehe. It’s no use. There’s a Magician among us. He already cast a Silence spell.

No matter how much you scream, no one will here you little lady. If you don’t believe us why don’t you try again?

“You… Just what?”

The conversation between a high voice that still had traces of youth and 3 sets of deeper voice continued.

As if the Silence Magic was faulty, I could hear the entire conversation too clearly.

Unable to ignore this, I shot up on my feet.

I wasn’t acting due to some ridiculous sense of heroism, but one of the voices sounded far too familiar to my ears.

“Perhaps… Sherry?”

“Right, that’s what I thought. There must be some kind of dispute going on, though the distance isn’t as small as I imagined. We’d better hurry.”

Trom-Well responded quickly to my mumblings. A woman surrounded by thugs isn’t anything too strange, but the woman who was about to be victimized was Sherry. If she was the target, then the problem was on a whole new level.

Despite her slim body, she was someone who was skilled enough to have a Silver Rank Pass.

With her skills, she could easily sweep the floor against a few common thugs. But seeing how desperate she sounded, the skills of her opponents could not be taken so lightly.

The 3 thugs may even belong to one of the other Silver Ranked Mercenary groups.

Adding a magician into the equation, hesitation would result to an even greater crisis.

So Trom-Well naturally picked up his pace.

As it was long past bed time, I could not even see a shadow of a person within the inn hall.

I debated whether or not to wake up the others, but Trom-Well argued that there was no reason to escalate the problem.

After all, what could possess more firepower than two Spirit Kings?

However, I still could not see them when we finally came out of the inn. After I became a Spirit King, my eye sight evolved considerably.

Thus, the fact that I could not see Sherry meant that that she was not within the proximity.

I didn’t expect to find her immediately, but I felt desperate as I could not find even a trace of Sherry.

“Wait a moment. I’m reading the memories of earth. I doubt that they’re too far from here. We should be able to track them soon.”

“Memories of earth? Such a thing is possible?”

“Yes. You can do the same El… Try to read the memories within the vapor in the air. You should be able to sense it.”

Trom-Well has never taught me anything wrong. I immediately shut my eyes and searched for the aura that was thinly spread out. Then suddenly, I could hear the mumblings of a few Naiads.

-Oh dear, there’s a girl surrounded by several men.

-Disgusting, human males, how could they do that?

-Hohoho. That’s why humans breed faster in comparison to other races.

-Hehehe. You’re right, you’re right!

Hey you brats. Can’t you talk about where Sherry is? The chatting was unpleasant to my ears, but I decided to ignore it since there were more pressing matters I had to deal with.

<Tell me the location of the woman.>

The Naiads immediately reacted with surprise.

-It’s Lord Elqueeness!

-It’s the Spirit King of Water!

-That child is at the darkest area of the inner forest.

-There’s also a huge tree.

-The guys are really bulky. There’s also three of them.

-One’s a magician, he wears a robe.

<Ah. Thank you.>

After receiving the information I needed, the voices of the Naiads disappeared as if they had never existed.

“The memories of water I was talking about are the memories of the Low-Grade Spirits that exist in every part of this world. After they fulfill your request, they go back into hiding.”

“How come they didn’t reveal their form?”

“Cowardice. Low-Grade Spirits are craven by nature. Besides the Evas in the Spirit World where Spirits gather to play, they live their lives in hiding.

But this time, they didn’t show themselves because of me.”

When I was about to provide water for Isana, the Naiads hurriedly intervened, saying that they will do the task. It doesn’t look like they fear me.

I felt unpleasant because they seemed to think I was easy, but that’s better than having them avoid me out of fear.

“I heard that Sherry is in the woods. At a giant tree, she is with three men.”

“Yes, that’s what I also heard. I doubt that we’ll miss them since the size of the tree is eye catching.”

Without hesitation, Trom-Well and I resumed our pursuit.

Fortunately, there was a road so we didn’t have to avoid dodging around the trees and bushes.

After passing by a few hundred trees, Trom-Well halted in place when a gargantuan trunk came into our vision.

He no longer tried to move forward and placed his index finger perpendicularly to his lips in a shushing motion. A second after, voices resounded far too clearly throughout the woods.

“No, I don’t want this! Don’t touch me!! Stop right there!!”

“What’s wrong with this bitch? Don’t we all just want to have some fun together? You’re not going to say you’re a virgin after seducing man after man, are you? Hehe.”

“With the Binding Magic, she won’t be able to move a finger much less escape. If you want to resent someone, resent yourself who came after ditching your comrades. Heh.”

“When was the last time we got a chance to enjoy such a treat? Don’t worry little lady, as long as you remain calm, we won’t tell anyone what happened here.”

Ugh… I have never met such nauseating people. Every vile word they spoke made my stomach lurch. I almost felt embarrassed that these people were men like me.

To think that I would encounter this sort of situation that I only saw in dramas. Trembling with rage, the moment I was about to fly out with my fists, I was stopped by Trom-Well.

-Calm yourself El. Rash movements will put Sherry in danger.

-B… But

-I have a plan. Uh… I’m sorry but I have a favor to ask.

-Huh? What?

Trom-Well looked away from my gaze in embarrassment. After hesitating for a few moments, he barely managed to open his mouth.

-Can you be the bait?

-Huh? Bait?

-You see, those tras- I mean men look like they are also guards hired by the Vermillion bird like us. Since we have been traveling together, they must know that my strength is that of a Gold Rank.

If I were to fight them head on, they may become is extremely cautious and take Sherry as a Hostage so..

-Ah~ So you want me to go and divert their attention? It’s not even that difficult, why was it so hard for you to say that?

Trom-Well must have expected me to be enraged at his suggestion.

A Spirit King’s pride was as high as the sky so it isn’t unusual. Flustered by such an indifferent answer, Trom-Well awkwardly laughed.

If El-Wee-En or Ifrit was here, they definitely would not take such a suggestion easily. Those two don’t even know the concept of looking weak.

-But… Is it really okay? Don’t you feel distasteful?

-I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ll go by myself and draw their attention. Trom-Well, you take care of Sherry. Even if I’m stabbed, I won’t die so don’t worry.

-Yes. I’m sorry El.

If Sherry was not a Silver Rank and those three were just ordinary brutes, Trom-Well alone could have disposed of those three before they could even react.

However, this was the only way available since he couldn’t use his powers as a Spirit King since Sherry was watching.

After giving him a wink for good luck, I calmly walked into the open.

Since the Silence spell was activated, I shouldn’t have been able to hear them even if I were to come into their proximity.

I was worried whether my act would be convincing, but thankfully, none of the 3 showed any signs of suspicion.

Although they were surprised at the sudden series of footsteps and put up their guard, they immediately relaxed when they saw it was me. One of them even whistled.

I was still acting like I couldn’t hear anything while calmly walking in a straight path.

“Hehe. Today’s our lucky day! I didn’t think that our next target would come to us on her own two feet.”

“Aha. He’s that newcomer in the Champagne Mercenaries. Wow~. The more I look, the prettier he is. Heehee.”

“N…No way!! What the hell are you bastards thinking about?! Don’t touch El! Leave him alone!! I won’t forgive any of you if he’s harmed!!”

“Kukuku. Forgive? What the hell do you think you can do? Hey, drag that guy over here. If she resists, it’s fine to educate her. Don’t hit her face though.”

“Keke. Got it.”

Blegh. It was hard to maintain a straight face after hearing such sleazy comments.  Acting like I was gazing at the stars, I looked to the left and feigned surprise at the sight of 3 and Sherry, who was bound to a tree.

“Ah..? Sherry?”

“Idiot! RUN!!!!”

But no matter how much she screamed, there was no way her voice would get past the Magician’s spell. Well, that was how it was supposed to work anyways.

So I acted like I couldn’t hear her and wore a puzzled expression.

“What? What are you doing here at this hour?”

“Run away! Run!! Please!!”

Then suddenly, a black shadow covered my vision.

-SLAM

“Ugh!”

Before I even realized what was going on, I was down on the floor, gasping for breath while clutching my stomach in pain.

It honestly didn’t hurt that much, but I knew by acting like I was in pain, I would take a smaller beating.

So even with such a light blow, I was moaning as if I had a limb amputated.

This was the best method to deal with people who enjoyed tormenting others.

Showing needless resistance only leads to an even harsher beating.

When they saw that I fell with a single hit, the thug trio smiled in satisfaction.

“Hehe. She doesn’t have any skill as we thought. Good. She looks like she could satisfy my appetite more than this girl. Hey, bring her here!”

“Okay. Now~ Get up. If you don’t resist, we’ll treat you very nicely.”

“W.. cough.. What.. ugh..”

Hmm.. Even I thought that this was contemptible. Acting so weakly even though I felt fine…

But what was truly unpleasant was that while the man was forcing me up, I could feel his breath on the nape of my neck. Now THAT was giving me goosebumps and making me tense.

But luckily, the thug took it as fear and seemed to enjoy it.

“Hey, is this really a guy? The skin is really soft and clean. Isn’t this just a girl claiming that she’s a guy?”

“Hahaha. Probably so. She definitely can’t be a male with a face like that. Why don’t we check?”

“Fine with me~.”

‘Th… These rotten bastards.. How dare they call me a girl…’

Do you think I wanted to be born with this face?! Despite how I look now, when I was Kang-Jee-Hoon, I was called the manliest guy in town!!!

At that moment, I lost myself to rage. But fortunately, I saw someone familiar so my cover was not blown since my anger was masked by a look of shock.

Next to the Magician was a large man with a deceitful expression that was eyeing me hungrily. He was also the one who was supposed to take Sherry on a date. Shawn, that was his name.

“You… You’re.. with Sherry…”

“Ho~ You remember? Should I consider this a grand honor?”

“Don’t touch that kid, you filthy beast!!”

What the hell is going on? Weren’t they lovers? Is this some kind of revenge against Sherry since she has another man in her heart?

If that’s true then he’s the lowest quality of garbage. The ultimate perfection of contemptibleness.

When I saw that all 3 pairs of eyes were on me, I shouted ‘Success’ in my mind and secretly shot a Sherry a smile.

The girl who was struggling and doing whatever she could to break free stopped breathing when our gazes met.

She seemed to notice that things were not so simple when she saw how calm I was.

-POW

“Agh-“

“W..What!! ACK!!”

“#$#@$#%!!!”

Like a bolt of lightning, even before they could be on guard, Trom-Well slammed all 3 to the ground.

‘You… What was the point of a hostage?’

With that level of speed, even if I didn’t distract them, he still could have easily disposed of the three by himself.

Trom-Well ran over immediately after finishing his job.

“Are you alright El?”

Unlike his usual self, his face was hard and I could hear deeply lingering resentment and hatred in his voice.

Because I have never seen him show such strong emotions, I nodded in shock.

‘….. He looks really angry for some reason.. I… I’m just seeing this right?’

There was no need for such anger when things were resolved so smoothly.

“I’m fine. I was acting.”

“That’s not it. I’m sorry El. I shouldn’t have asked you to do that. If I knew that they would treat you so violently, I would have refused such a plan even if you were the one who proposed it. Wait here, I’ll go erase those bastards.”

“Wh… Matthew???”