Elqueeness - Chapter 23

lliant white light engulfed my eyes, leaving me impervious to everything in the proximity. Shocked, I clamped my eyes shut in hopes of avoiding a calamity. But when the light faded, I found out that I had difficulty moving even a single finger. A translucent light covered everything within a meter radius from me.

Struggling against the pressure, I laid my hand on what should have been empty air. Rather than passing through the light as I should have, my hand was pressed against something that felt like a cold glass wall. It felt as if I was stuck in a china tea cup.

What just happened had yet to register in my mind. Becoming angry was no longer within my priorities as I stared dazzled at what had just happened.

“Just… What?”

“With that, you’ll be unable to run away immediately. As long as you say the word and agree to the contract, I’ll release you.”

“You!!! You’re a psycho!! I said no, so why are you so insistent?!”

“I don’t care what you say. I don’t have any intention of releasing you till the contract is made.”

If I had known that this would happen, I would have agreed when Elwien offered to erase this sociopath. Just my luck… While my heart ached with regret, Lapiz Lazul smirked with satisfaction and continued to press on.

“Didn’t you say you had people waiting? Why don’t we end this so you can return?”

“Ack! How can you threaten me? Don’t you know the basics of making a contract? The summoner is supposed to comply with the wishes of the summonee!”

“Are you in a position to argue in such meaningless terms? You have no right to demand here.”

Damn.

While struggling to find a path to escape, a thought suddenly clicked in.

“So, is a contract all you want?”

“ …..? ”

“I’m asking if you’ll let me do as I please after we form the contract. You just said if I want to go back, I should form the contract. That means that you’ll agree with letting me roam free?”

If that was the case, I think I could swallow my pride and agree for once. As long as he didn’t interfere with my journey, I wouldn’t mind if I had one or two more contracts in my list. As if I had asked something obvious, he nodded confidently.

When I saw that, I sighed in relief. However, I froze when I heard his next words.

“But you’ll have to come whenever I call you.”

“When’s that?”

“Hmmm. Let’s see. When I wake up, I need water to wash my face. When I eat, I need some fresh drinking water with my meal. Oh yeah! And when I go out, I’ll need some company as well.”

“@^$^#@#!!! That’s literally all day!! Anyways, if you want to wash and find drinking water, calling any Spirit of Water would be fine! There’s no need for me to come for that menial labor!”

“Nope. It has to be you. It’s a contract I made after dozens of tries and years of labor. I’ll be on the losing end if I don’t get anything out of it.”

Losing end? Does he think that I’m a housemaid? I could not believe what I had just heard and wanted to rampage. But that lasted only for a moment as I tried to find another way to get out of this terrible situation.

As long as I know that making a contract with this guy will be no different than digging my own grave, I had no intention in complying. I was not stuck in a dilemma. Living my future as a housekeeper or staying locked up.

To think that I would let down my guard even though Trom-Well insistently warned me. If by chance I get out of this mess, I don’t think I could face him properly.

From what I remember, he told me to retreat back into the Spirit World if something happened. But if that happens, would Isana be able to summon me back?

Lapis Lazul seemed to be losing his patience as well.

“If you remain that obstinate, the only person who’ll suffer is you. As I said earlier, I’ll never give up. I planned for thousands of years, there’s no chance that I’ll surrender when I came this far. You probably haven’t been on this vacation for too long. It won’t be hard for you to give it up.”

“That’s what you think, but I’m different! I swore to help him! Also, I have no plans of following you around and cleaning up after you for the rest of my life!”

“Then stay there for a bit longer. AH, by the way… You said you weren’t a female Spirit? Are you trying to tell me that you’re male with that face?”

Hateful bastard. Every line he says makes me hate him even more.

Instead of answering, I stuck up the finger between my index and ring. I meant it as an insult, but he stared back looking confused… Damn it! Is this not a thing in this world?!

“What does that mean? Is that another way to say no?”

Seeing how innocent his questions were, I suddenly felt like the bad guy. But that didn’t stop me. Not one bit…

“Damn it all! It means to shut up and get lost, you buffoon!”

“Ho. So you have the attitude of a male. Why do you care whether you’re a male or female spirit when you’re asexual?  Why get so upset? Your kind dates anyone, regardless of gender.”

He did not even seem to care about my insults. Because of how innocent he sounded, I started to believe that he was mocking me.

To date anyone regardless of gender, I suddenly felt like I was a bisexual.

“So what? Are you saying that just because some Spirits don’t care about gender, I’m the same as well?”

“That’s not the point. Why are you getting so angry at everything I say?”

If you know, then stop talking to me! Giving him my glare filled with rage, I summoned water from nature and flung it with power at the barrier that surrounded me. Perhaps it would shatter if a strong enough force were to hit it. But that hope was instantly shattered

As if nothing had happened, the barrier did not move an inch.

“I thought I said it was useless. Maybe it would be different if you were in the Spirit World. You, who can’t even call 2/3 of your power, has no hope in breaking this barrier. There’s no way you’ll shatter something I created with the Dragon Language.”

“To hell with this! I’m going back to the Spirit Realm!”

“Do what you want. But regardless of who summons you, you’ll always end up straight back in there. Remember that before you leave.”

“ ……. ”

The pair of eyes that stared back at mine without a trace of guilt was irritating beyond salvation. Perhaps making that contract will be the best path. But just when I was about to give up…

‘Ah, yes! I could do that!’

The sudden idea that popped in created a spark of light in the absolute darkness.  That’s right. As I Spirit King, I had the right to invalidate any contracts I wished to terminate. To think I would forget such an obvious solution, why didn’t I think of this sooner?

But before I could put my imagination into action, I was immediately knocked back down.

“Just so you know, if you try to do something cute like invalidating the contract after forming it, I’ll remove Arkadon from the list of human dimensions.”

“ ….. ”

His intuition was almost frightening. Or am I really that obvious? Suffering defeat after defeat at every turn, I slumped down, powerless to resist. When I looked at the skies, the sun had begun to rise. The Salad Mercenaries should be starting to get worried that I wasn’t returning. I wish I could tell someone about what was happening here.

‘Ah, Trom-Well!”

I sighed in relief since Trom-Well should be able to think of a good excuse for my absence. So that Lazul wouldn’t notice, I called upon a Minor-Grade Spirit with the Spirit Language

-Hey! You’re here, right? Hurry up and come out.

As if he was waiting to be called, a small head popped out of the ground. Perhaps because he felt intimidated being in front of a Spirit King, he couldn’t look at me in the eyes and trembled with fear.

Looking back at Lazul, he didn’t seem to have caught on.

Even Dragons, no matter how powerful they are, cannot see Spirits that have not been summoned physically to the material worlds.

-Have…. have you called me, Spirit King of Water?

-Can you tell me where Trom-Well is at this moment?

-Yes… I can but…

-Good. Then go give him my location. Also tell him that I won’t be able to join the Mercenaries because of a problem.

-Yes. If my King asks for what happened, may I tell him exactly as I saw it?

I fell into a dilemma. If this guy were to tell Trom-Well everything he saw, wouldn’t he tell him about me being trapped in a barrier like a fool as well?

Even though I was put in a desperate situation, that wasn’t a very pleasing idea.

At the same time, I couldn’t hide it forever. If I were to get hit, then I would rather get hit now than wait till later. So I nodded and gave him my approval. But before the Spirit left, I added in another line.

-Tell him I’ll resist to the best of my capabilities.

Even after the sun rose high in the sky, the Spirit had yet to return. I couldn’t tell whether he had gotten lost or that the distance was just too far. The tension made it feel as if my blood had dried out. I could only hope and pray for the success of his journey.

Despite my incessant worries, I continued to glare at Lazul in hopes of masking whatever I let out.

From the start to the finish, that leisure smirk of his had not left his lips. Just looking at his satisfied face filled me with so much rage that I wanted to thrash him.

Seeing how he has yet to say a single word, he seemed to believe that I would be the first one to talk.

I didn’t plan on giving him any kind of satisfaction; so after I sent the Minor-Grade Spirit to Trom-Well, I did not so much as even open my lips and continued to eye him.

However, how could I, someone born in the city, compete with a being who could spend thousands of years wasting his time on Elwien in terms of patience and will power?

“Didn’t you come here for a vacation as well? Don’t you have anything better to do then sit there all day?”

“My vacation ended when I learned that you were here. Don’t worry about it. ”

“Who’s worried??!! Whatever… How did you know that I was summoned here? I doubt you’ve been keeping tabs on the Spirit World since you were unaware about the previous Elqueeness’s death.”

When I asked in an interrogative tone, he lazily shrugged his shoulders.

“I have my own ways. Now that I think about it, you. You did some odd things for the humans. The rain that falls every three days is your doing right?”

“Hah? Don’t tell me that’s how you found out? Anyways, I don’t want to hear the word ‘odd’ from your mouth.”

“Ho, the arrogance of the Elqueeness’ has already been drilled thoroughly within my head. I thought that you were a little better than the previous Elqueeness but… I guess that’s just the nature of your kind. But no matter what you say, it’ll only sound like the song of a canary locked away in a cage to my ears.

If you don’t like your treatment, then form the contract.”

“Ugh…:”

Lapiz Lazul was currently my worst nemesis. No matter what I said, he always had the perfect counter and put me back at ground zero. He didn’t even seem to consider my demands, even for a moment. This was the result of being born with power to trample over the world.

‘If this continues, I’ll be labeled a fool. Renewing my determination once again, I restarted the search that I had previously given up on in hopes of finding a crack in this barrier. Since raw power was worthless, I needed to use a different method.

‘Wait, now that I think about it, the Spirit Language is similar to the system used by the Dragons. If I raised my Spiritual power to its maximum, will I be able to break free?’

Since Lazul had dedicated countless years in creating this spell, I doubted it would break so easily. But I had to try. Determined to succeed, I concentrated, uncaring of whether Lazul was mocking me or not.

Spiritual Language is called the manifestation of will. The stronger the will, the stronger the power. So, I needed a powerful desire to escape from this barrier.

【Shatter】

A single word was not enough. The barrier remained unchanged. The dragon also continued to stare in leisure. But I didn’t give up and made a second attempt. However this time, it was different. The barrier that seemed to be impermeable actually trembled.

Unlike me who was currently celebrating, Lazul’s face turned ugly.

Seeing this, my hopes began to rise as I made a third attempt.

【Shatter】

“Damn, <Strengthen Seal, Don’t allow the prey to escape!>”

Compared to the second time, the trembling was much more violent at the third attempt. The Dragon immediately lost his cool and began to panic. He muttered counter incantations in the Dragon Language and the barrier became solid once again. Even if he had not done that, I was already closed to my limit.

Since this was not the Spirit World, the power I possessed was insignificant. With just those two attempts, I had exhausted myself.

When I saw that my efforts were futile, I felt like breaking down.

I was clueless to what levels he could harden the barrier.

But even while I was lamenting, the Dragon’s expression remained anxious. His face had turned pale as he cursed under his face.

“As expected of a Spirit King. Even after spending that vast volume of mana in my Dragon Heart, I still am unable to subdue him completely. It’s like I’m playing with a ravenous beast. This’ll be difficult..”

“What!! How dare you treat me like a zoo animal! 【Vanish without a trace–!! 】”

Outraged, I shouted out a command without even thinking about it. Although it was something done at the spur of the moment, the outburst of emotion fueled my power. The Dragon’s eyes widened in shock as cracks appeared like craters along the translucent barrier.

Unlike what I had expected, Lapis Lazul did not strengthen the seal with the Dragon Language and only back paddled with an ashen face.

Perhaps the shock from losing the barrier was too great, his footsteps were disorganized as he fumbled. To see him in such misery was a delight on my part. I let out a slight smile in satisfaction. There was no way I would allow an opportunity like this one to pass.

With my self-confidence renewed, I shouted once more with all the power that I had left.

【Shatter!!】

“Hey- Wait a moment! Ack!”

Chaa- Klang-!

As the barrier shattered like glass, Lazul shielded his eyes as if to protect himself from being cut by the shards.

After a few moments worth of time, the barrier had now been completely dissipated. The backlash Lazul received from having his spell broken was severe. He immediately crumbled to the ground and vomited blood. I wasn’t in much of a better condition myself, as I collapsed onto the floor.

Not only were my hands and feet trembling violently, everything around me seem to spin as my eyes lost focus. At this rate, I’ll be forcefully deported back into the Spirit World.

“Ha.. Ha.. Ueckk~ I feel like I’m about to die.. He.. he..”

Then something fascinating happened. The Naiads that were present in the surroundings saw my exhaustion and hurriedly flew to my side. Once they got near, they dropped small droplets of water at my body.

At first, I was confused. But the confusion only lasted for a moment

The instant the droplets touched my body, it disappeared as if it was absorbed by my flesh. The more droplets that I absorbed, the stronger I felt my power become.

I was still as weak as a lamb, but the power I had regained was enough for me to move.

“Ah.. Thanks.”

With a mixed expression of delight and shock, the Naiads immediately broke into a bright smile. In a time like this, their constant chatter which had always been an annoyance to me felt like music to my ears.

-It was our duty, Elqueeness-nim.

-Is your body alright? Will you be able to move?

-Do you require more water?

-You could summon Undine-nim! She should be able to bring even more water.

-Ahh, look how exhausted you are. Insolent dragon! How dare he do this to Elqueeness-nim!

-It’s because Elqueeness-nim is too pretty. Adversity and hardships always follows the beautiful!

“ …… ”

I had no idea what they meant by that last line, but I figured that I would regret it if I pressed on so I stayed silent.

I had now recovered to the point that I could freely move without any problems so I glanced back at the dragon.

He too seemed to have recovered as he slowly forced himself up. He seemed calm and composed but his pallid expression betrayed his exhaustion.

As if he had felt my gaze, he turned around to face me with a bitter expression.

“The bird that fled from its cage cannot be reclaimed. I lost. You can go.”

“… Heh? Well that’s unexpected. I thought you would try to lock me up again.”

“Dragons never go back on their word. Especially if the opponent is someone you must give some credibility to.

I said that I’ll withdraw the contract if you break the barrier, so I’m just keeping my promise. If you want to taunt me, go ahead. I couldn’t care less.”

I had thought he would be throwing a tantrum about his defeat. However, this was a clean victory. Even though he said I could leave, his face betrayed his disappointment. I started to feel sorry for him.

Perhaps my heart is weak, to feel empathic for this dragon even after what he had done.

But before I could say a word, I suddenly felt my power explode exponentially. The relief the Naiads had given me was like a drop in an ocean compared to this.

Surprised, I looked around to see the source.

“Trom-Well!”