Elqueeness - Chapter 4

fter that day, Ifrit really left me alone and she never visited the Water Domain.

I couldn’t ask Minerva and Trowell to help me because they were working day and night.

So I struggled with myself for couple days not knowing what to do.
After realizing the surrounding water was an existence, I didn’t feel lonely.

No, my mind was hectic even more then when Ifrit was nagging at me from the side.

I could hear people talking from the clear water flowing…I think my ears are strange.

-It’s nice to meet you.  You were newly born.

-Yes, yes. You too. Hu Hu.

-Why is Undine-nim not coming?  It’s been couple days.

-Seacueel-nim is absent too.  We can’t purify the fierce ocean with only our strength.
Why is Elqueeness doing nothing?

“……..”

I’m pretty sure at this point my ears are not messed up.

Maybe its a side effect of thinking too much.  I haven’t really used my mind before.  I’m pretty sure I’ve gone crazy!!

After being able to handle the water, I started hearing whispers and now it changed to a chatter.  The more I concentrate on creating a spirit, my hearing range increases and I can hear the voices more clearly.

One time I was tired of the never ending speeches so I thought I don’t want to hear the sound any more.  Abruptly the sound would stop but afterwards I would constantly hear laughter and talking.

Sometimes, like now, my name would be mentioned in their conversations.

Just in case I looked around my surrounding but there were only water flowing…so where is the sound coming from..
If its a hallucination then it’s a problem, but even if it wasn’t it was something to worry about.
Well, I’ve gotten used to their conversations so instead of being worried, I was enjoying hearing about the world from them.

Therefore I was able to understand that there are things that I have to understand about Arkadon that was fundamentally different from my previous world ‘Earth’.

Nobles and subjects.  Merchants and slaves.  Knights and ladies.  When the story about the emperor came out, I guessed this world was couple centuries behind earth.  It should be around the middle ages.

I knew this wasn’t a normal world when I heard about the red dragon’s hatchling being born and someone got married in the Elves’ forest. There were stories about magicians and sword masters too.

Arehis did say…Arakadon has species similar to humans and it is one of the dimension where both exists.

When they mentioned people made artificial rain while I was missing, I expected this world to be very advanced in science.
I guess the that’s not the case.

It didn’t exist on Earth, but Magic- it was more common then breathing air here.(Not everyone can use magic.)

If you want to become a magician then you need to have a natural talent from birth.  If you were of that select group then you were treated well as an important person.

Especially for the past decade when the rain wasn’t falling, their strength were invaluable.  Currently they were treated with more respect then a nation’s emperor.  It was because of their strength.

I guess it couldn’t be the same as Earth.  It’s a place where the environment was maintained by spirits.

If I listened to their words, all the dimensions including the one’s that contain Earth and Arakadon, are managed by the main god but it is also populated with low,mid, high tier gods that live in the World of the Gods.

Then their are the World of the Devils where the evil beings live and the Underworld where the dead congregate.  Lastly there is the Spirit world that I am living in.

All the gods lived in the God world and they were in charge of up-keeping each dimension.  Except for ‘Earth’ that was looked after by the main god, all work involving other dimension was done by the low, mid, high tier gods.

If there were dimensional catastrophes to deal with then they would need permission from the main god.

War and love. It was the job of mid-tier gods to look over Humans’ happiness and sorrow.  The high tier god was in charge of looking over everything and the lower level gods were in charge of up-keeping nature in the human world.

In Arkadon, the Spirit kings do those works so they don’t need low tiered gods.

Still there were always low level gods who would come play in this world to earn the people’s belief.  Trowell complained about these low level gods before.

There are about a couple hundred dimension in existence and the ‘spirits’ in Arkadon is an unique existence that doesn’t exist anywhere else.  They use their strength to make nature and compared to the human world there were more places that were fun.

There were a lot of diverse race living here and the human’s of this dimension had more abilities then others.

After I make a spirit, should I go out and sightsee?  Ah, I want to see a magician…

-There is a rumor that Elqueeness was born as a human and his human memory is getting in the way of him getting used to the job.

-What? Is that true?  So that’s why Undine-nim hasn’t come back…

-No way~ He’s still a Spirit King.  Is he is having trouble making spirits?

-True. If that’s the case then Elqueeness-nim is an idiot.

-Ku Ku Ku. Yea.  A real idiot.

…those rotten. That’s right.  I’m a Spirit King that can’t make a spirit.  I’m the stupidest of the among the stupid.  What are you going to do, you bastards!

They were talking smack behind my back while not realizing I could hear all the sounds made by the gossipers.

These guys…Are they…Naiads?

Unlike Undine and Seacueel, I don’t have to make them.  The are low level spirits that are born when they sense my energy.
My expression turned ugly.

‘The bastards are talking about their boss behind my back? Do I look like someone that can me messed with?’

I’m not sure how I can hear all the voices of the Naiads that are spread out all over the world.

I’m pretty sure they are spirits since they call me ‘king’ and only spirits know about my unfortunate circumstances surrounding my birth.

‘Uh huh control..I have no control.  I don’t have any luck in getting an underling?  How can this be..’

Although I was feeling bad, strangely I didn’t want to be mad at them.

The Naias’ sweet voice was like that of a immature female child so I thought they were immature children talking amongst themselves.  I thought they were cute.

Is this the attitude of someone with wealth?  Or is it like the feeling you get when you see a child defy an adult…

Anyways, I have to make some spirits so they don’t speak those insolent comments amongst themselves.

The Naias kept talking without taking hint that the boss was feeling despair from being ignored by his underlings.

-That, that~ Doesn’t he just have to make a command?

-I think so?  He just has to congregate water in one place and order them to be born.

-Ayyy~ It’s impossible Elqueeness-nim wouldn’t know how about such a simple technique?  There probably is a different technique.

-You think so? Yeah, you are probably right. There probably is a different technique.

“………..”

Order? …Just order…ha ha.

I’ve been stuck trying to make a spirit for the past couple days, but I did forget to try something.

I guessed that if I want to pull energies into one place, I would have to be able to feel the energy.  I meditated and wasted a lot of time…

Suddenly a though came to me and my face turned white.

Can it be…when Ifrit said ‘energy’…is it just water?  I just have to capture the flow of water?

“Huh huh huh…I guess..I am water…the flow of water is the same as flow of energy for me…Shit!!!”

Ah…More and more rough words are coming out of my noble mouth these days.

Nothing has gone right since I was reborn as a Spirit King.

I’ve been wring my head thinking like I was going to take an entrance exam.  The result has returned and it’s like this?

I’ve already mastered how to capture the water current!  I’ve reached a level where I could change the flow any which way I want…

‘No, at least I’m fortunate enough to realize it…If the Naiases didn’t talk then I would have been still stuck.
Also it’s not like Ifrit will come over and nicely teach me?
So I’m lucky. Yeah…Yes let’s think like that.

Some times each plan have to be seen in a positive light.

It’s especially important for a unlucky spirit like me to do so.

Now, let’s drop off all the sad feeling in a far place~~  Now I now how to do it!  Should I make the spirit I’ve been waiting for? Hu Hu.

It felt like I’ve went in a round about way to get to a short distance.  I’ve reached this point today by thinking hard in a corner.

For a moment I almost felt a rising feeling of inspiration…but I realized that I haven’t succeeded in making a spirit yet.

I slowly calmed myself and I concentrated to feel the water current I’ve been feeling.

To tell you the truth I don’t really have to concentrate anymore.  I can’t find it naturally but given the circumstance I decided I have to serious and concentrate harder.

Like always the weak water current gently shook my body.

I could feel the vibration of the water then was spread around me as the center.  When I concentrated I could feel it clearly and like chicks flocking to a mother hen they came to me..

At the same time the waters’ wavelength was so ticklish that I unknowingly had a smile on my face.

If I was buried in silk fabric then I would feel like this.

Maybe a baby in a mother’s womb feels like this?

The water’s energy was clumped up into one and it didn’t even tremble.  It started lining in an array like it was waiting for my order.

Wait a minute, can water be described as being in an array?  This isn’t soldiers in the army..hmm..whatever.  I think that my limit in describing something..hul hul..

“Everything has been put together so I’ll give the order…huh? Order?  What should my order say?”
I’ve gotten past one problem but now an unexpected problem was born.

I’ve successfully put together the energy, but I don’t know what kind of order I have to give.

It could be that the process of making a mid and high tier is different..What should I do?

“..It couldn’t be simply Undine be born!…couldn’t be…”

The energy didn’t react and I was getting embarrassed by myself for saying it.

If it’s the ‘Be born’ then what should I say? Reborn? Be made?  If you aren’t born I’m going to kill you? Please be born?…

All I could think of were uncool phrases.
Yeah…I used to barely get 75 points on my Language class.  With those skill how can I come up with a cool phases. The phrases…

Anything would be fine please be born~!  Why didn’t Ifrit teach me what to say when I command!

I think the coalesced water energy was sweating in front on me.

Maybe the body is becoming empty…

My concentration lapsed when I was thing about the command so I concentrated the energy again.

It’s not like I’ll find some kind of solution this way but I have no choice.
I can only arrange the water current.

Contrary to my thoughts, the energy concentration method was surprising effecting.

In the water, there were lights that would extinguish and light that would be born and it move around energetically within.

In the clear blue space there were constant stream of different colored light. It gave the water a sense of softness and harmony.  The mood was very fantasy like.

I was lost in this beautiful sight and I would feel confused like I was in a dream.

It felt like when I got drunk in high school drink my father’s alcohol in secret.  Why, don’t they say you can get drunk on beauty?
I think I was like that.

At this moment, I felt really fortunate for being the Water Spirit King…I felt it so surely that I was able to realize it.
If it was fire, earth or wind I don’t think they could view this beautiful sight all day.

For awhile I could think of nothing, until I realized I forgot about making the spirit.

“Hu-guk…I got distracted again.  I don’t know why but I keep losing my concentration..I should make it really fast..’

The absurd thing is I’ve been struggling so hard this past few days but  when I think about the problem I just feel a great sense of peace.

Even if I think about it I’m so hesitant that I might have given up in the inside…it was enough for me despair.

While my soul was briefly stolen by the water did I reach another level?

Anyways I watched with peaceful eye the swarm of water that was giving of light.

There is something at the tip of my tongue…a thought is continuously going around in my head.  I felt like if I opened my mouth something would fall out of it.

Something was struggling to get out.  My will couldn’t resist. It was taken over and I opened my mouth.

-My children that has existed from the beginning, your father and absolute master commands you, answer my call and be born here.

 

A low and soft boy’s voice that echoed a little flowed out from my mouth.  It was very pleasant to hear.

A weak sound came out and I wondered where did my tough and husky voice go to!

I didn’t know how I should feel but again I spoke words that just came to me.  This time it was my normal voice.

Did I hallucinate into thinking that I heard the voice?

But after that event in the Water Domain I wouldn’t doubt the phenomenon that would happen.

In front of me the wall-like water energy started burning up like a volcano.  It was boiling within a moment.

Then a whirlpool formed as if it was caught up in a storm.

The water was stirred violently but it couldn’t harm me.  Still I got sick just watching it.

At the same time, it was weirdly a good sight to see..
I said this while being pleased in the inside.  I’m pretty sure my disposition is a little crooked.

After watching the water churn messily, I was swept up with a feeling.  I felt like I had to say something again.

Really..that’s strange.  It wasn’t like this when Ifrit made her spirit.

Maybe, the method for creating a spirit is different for each Spirit King?

I tried to discard the sudden question in my head and I spat out the words that were circling around my head.

After succumbing to the beauty of the water, my body acted on its own ignoring my will.

While I haven’t awakened fully, my base nature is that of a great Spirit King.  I guess my instinct pressed down my reason.

-The spirit that will be born from my command is named Undine, and the being that stands above – Seacueel. As much water as nature desires.  Don’t receive restrictions and move.-

Ah.  The voice that isn’t mine flowed out.  What is happening?

I was feeling a bit numb, but the voice that came out really went well with this look.

I didn’t know if that was a good thing…so I decided not to ask questions.

To tell you the truth since I was born here(to be exact after I died on earth) in the context of a normal human being, there hasn’t been a single normal event.

If I think about it too much I’ll get a headache. So I’ll only take to heart the useful teaching moments that happened.

The water bubble was forming a figure but I didn’t have room to be interested in a minor event.

The Water domain that was maintaining a steady stream of water suddenly filled with hundred thousands of bubbles.

It was continuously clumping into a shape, dissolving and then clumping again. It kept repeating that way.

When the water clumped I could sometimes see a hazy figure, but it was too instantaneous for me to see it properly.

The great amount of bubbles that were moving because of my strange voiced command moved continuously for one and a half day.

And then suddenly it disappeared without a trace.

No, I’m not too sure what happened because I got bored staring at the bubbles repeating its motion, so I fell asleep.  I wasn’t able to see what happened at the end.

When I woke up, the movement had already stopped and the water changed back to being passive.

I heard someone speak carefully and it woke me from a sweet dream I was lost in.

-Umm…Elqueeness-nim.

“……mmmm..what……”

-I was born after you called for me.  I’m trying to give my greetings.  Is that okay?

“…….What?…….”

Give what?  My mind wasn’t fully awake so I replied back stupidly.

Even to me it was pathetic and if Ifrit saw it then she would have cussed me out.  I was in an oppressive state but the other person repeated himself calmly.

-I was born after you called for me. I’m trying to give my greetings…

“Hmmm…when did I call you..Unnng??”

Tranquil with depth, it was soft and strong at the same time.  It was a voice of a young male and my mind woke up after I replied with irritation.

Damn.  I shouldn’t sleep anymore.  How come I can’t regain my mental capacity after I sleep…

There is only one existence that was born because of my request and would put the formal ‘nim’ at the end!!!
My empty mind finally realized what was happening and my eyes became round.

The thousands of bubbles that existed in the water domain before I slept were all gone.  They had calmed downed and there wasn’t a speck of trace left.

Then I saw the furniture that were moved to various places because of the turbulent water.
When I turned my gaze to the side, I saw two existence that I wasn’t familiar with staring at me.

“Huk..What, What are you guys…you surprised me…”

-I..I’m sorry. You wouldn’t wake up no matter how much we called..

The person who answered this time had a high soprano tone.  It was a girl’s voice.

In front of me there was a cute girl in a one piece dress and a wolf that looked like a Siberian husky…
The one who answered was the girl.

Similar to when I met the other Spirit Kings, I was able to know instinctively that these were my spirit underlings.

Maybe its because of that, I didn’t feel any awkwardness when I treated them disrespectfully.

So which one is Undine, and which one is Seacueel?

Right when I was the most curious, the spirits introduced themselves.  Their timing was great.

-This is the first time meeting you, highest one.  My name is Undine.  I control the river and the lakes.

Ah~ Undine is the spirit in the form of a girl.

Her body looked like it was 12 years old at the minimum.  She grabbed each end of her one piece dress and elegantly bowed.

She had a refreshingly beautiful face and I was impressed that her form was well-matched.  In my eyes, she looked like a child trying hard to be adult-like so I couldn’t help but laugh.

Ah, now I know why my friend said he wants to have a daughter when he marries…I think I can understand him a little.

‘You are so cute~~~~!’

-Noble King, it is nice to meet you.  My name is Seacueel.  I’m in charge of guarding the ocean’s most turbulent regions.

While I was momentarily excited about Undine, Seacueel-the wolf shaped high level water spirit-gave his introduction.

He had  a lot of fur like a Siberian husky and he had a big body with sharp eyes.  Overall he was the color of transparent water and his voice was accentuated with dependability and strength.

I liked Seacueell as much as Undine.

‘Siberian Husky!!Malamute!! Its an animal I wanted to grow before!  You can’t have them indoors, so I was going to get one when I got emancipated.  Now I got one that’s really similar!’

More over the husky can talk.  It’s such a great pet!

If Seacueel knew my thought then he probably would regret to death being born.

Since Seacueel never learned to read minds, he could only flinch watching me stare at him with gloomy eyes.

Hu Hu Hu.  I’m going to really really adore you , Seacueel.  As my lovely d.o.g.

My delighted gaze made the two spirits shoulder tremble.

Did I show my inner thoughts through my laugh? (TL: guess he has a creep laugh)

I couldn’t  help it.  I’ve been tormented to make spirits and while I succeeded, I really liked the spirits I made.  I couldn’t hide my expression.

So I decided not to hide my laughing expression that made them distressful and tremble.

“Am I going to eat you?  Why are you afraid. Hmm..That’s weird..I made only two of you but it took one and a half day…
Ifrit was able to make one instantly.  Am I deficient?”

I’m just happy I was able to succeed but my result may be inferior to Ifrit or the other Spirit Kings.

We need a lot of mid and high tier spirits right now but I only made two.

Moreover it took me one and a half day to make two.  If I had to make 10 more then I would need more then 10 days.

The world isn’t a small place and the ocean is large.  I would at least need 100, nay maybe a 1000…

‘I can’t imagine these two can manage the entire population of Naiads in Arkadon.’

Then that mean it’ll take me about 2-3 years to make spirits?

And that’s only possible if I don’t rest and continuously make them.

I don’t know what to do for the future…

Is being a Spirit King about printing spirit out like a factory?

After seeing Undine and Seacueel, I felt good about being a Spirit King, but after only 10 minutes I was tasting frustration.

Then Seacueel’s eyes widened like he couldn’t believe what he had heard.

-I’m not sure what you mean…If you are talking about the spirits you called, they have already followed the King’s command. They returned to their original place.
Both of us stayed back to be assistants. We will protect you from your side.

“What? What are you talking about?  You guys aren’t the only spirits that were born?”

-Didn’t the King call us in this manner?  With Arkadon’s wants there were numerous births and they weren’t given any restriction.  They were told to return too their original location…

Huh-guh-guk…now that I think about it, the content of what I said in that weird voice was…

[The spirit that will be born from my command is named Undine, and the being that stands above – Seacuell. As much water as nature desires.  Don’t receive restrictions and move]

…I think..

I couldn’t remember it clearly even if I said it…I think I really became stupid.

So I guess I already made all the spirits and they’ve been spread all over the world?

Does that mean I’ve extinguished the fire?

My future looked bleak but I finally felt a ray of light descend on me.  It felt like I could breathe again.  I sighed in relief.

“Ah. That saved me… Then what is there left to do?”

I’ve made the spirits and they moved throughout the entire world on their own volition~  You can think of me as a free man~ that’s what I wanted to shout but something was still bothering me inside.

My thoughts weren’t wrong.  I was being swept up by an uneasy feeling that I had to do something, I had an unexpected visitor.

“Yo~ Ji-Hoon!  All the spirits have been spread out~ Isn’t Ifrit great?  You were really able to make spirits within a week…huh?
Where did Ifrit go?”

“Trowell…It’s been awhile…..”

The floor suddenly rose up and Trowell popped out.  He still had his energetic face and the charismatic smile.

Of course, he moves around using the earth like an earth spirit..Trowell approached to greet me but he noticed one figure was missing.  His face showed minor signs of disapproval.

The missing figure was Ifrit.

“What happened? Ifrit.  Did she abandon you by any chance?  I knew it.  I knew this would happen. That’s why I tried to stop Minerva’s suggestion.  That’s what you get giving this assignment to Ifrit.  It almost would have been better for me to explain everything at night.”

How could he deduce what happened just from seeing Ifrit missing from my side?

It could have been Ifrit might have vacated her seat for a moment…I’m suspicious as to why his guess was so accurate.

Maybe he really can read minds?

“Hmm~ You did well to get here?  You haven’t completely forgotten about your instincts.
Anyways I can relax a little now.
The polluted sea will be purified rapidly and the aquifers will start to rise again.

“Ah, really?”

Even though I asked like I didn’t know, but I already knew would happen.

For awhile now the Naiads were actively chatting about the changes happening in Arkadon.

I guess I can hear all the Naiad’s conversation in Arkadon.  I think it’s like that to make it easier for me to look over my territories.

It’s a really convenient perk.  Being a Spirit King…it’s too awesome…

“Heh~What’s happening.  You can hear the Naiads talking?  If you learn a few more things then you’ll awaken fully as Elqueeness?”

“Kuh-huk…can you really read minds, Trowell?  How’d you know?”

I turned my shocked expression toward Trowell and he smiled. His shoulders broadened like he was proud of it.

He didn’t confirm or deny so I could only stay there dumbfounded.  Then Trowell spoke nonchalantly.

“How should I say this.  I can’t really hear it…I’m fast at inferring.  You can say my senses are good?
Still its not like I can’t hear it at all.  It’s hard to explain.”

“Huh-uk…you can really hear?”

“Mmmm, I guess it’s like an insight?  I don’t need to see or hear but with a little hint I can feel what you experienced.

I can follow the other’s past and see their future.
Moreover, in my case, I have the ability to read emotions.  It’s a special skill that is passed down to all Trowells.
Every Spirit King has one unique ability.”

Huh-guk..Then he can hear everything I’m thinking about?

I remember how I assessed Trowell when we first met and my eyes turned white.

He is genderless but his form is male.  Anyways I thought about how sexy he looked and how a male or female would fall for him regardless.  I also thought about how I should be careful not to fall for him…I acted really silly!

Trowell was hearing everything!!!!

“Uh Uh? What’s with your expression?  It’s starting to turn really blue?  It’s fine~ Its fine~ I told you I can’t hear everything?

I can’t read something that you don’t want me to read.
Since we are both Spirit Kings, there are limits to my ability.  If it was a human, then that’s a different story.”

…it felt like I was rescued from the ends of hell.

I sighed in relief and I blotted cold sweat from my forehead.

No way, Trowell.  Did you enjoy the reaction you intentionally caused?

After watching him relaxed with a smile, I thought it wasn’t too likely.

In the future, I’ll have to be careful what I say inside.

“You..You said…each Spirit King has a unique ability, so what is Minerva’s and Ifrit’s?

If I acted embarrassed then it would prove that I was thinking about something that made me feel guilty.  So I tried hard to change the mood.

“Minerva can use her greatest wind to create a strong shield.  It’s like this.

It’s strong enough that even the top-tier gods can’t break through it.
Also Ifrit can summon a fire sword that boast the best attack.  If it touches something I don’t think it’ll be able to maintain its form?
It would be a sight to see both of them fight each other.  I’ve never seen it happen so I don’t know what the result would be.
If I had to make a conjecture, ‘the surrounding would be devastated’..it’s to that degree?”

“Ha, R…Really?”

Even if the Spirit Kings have the best defensive and offensive move, it doesn’t really effect the strength between them.  So it’s useless to compare.

The strength is an overwhelming scourge only if the opponent is not a fellow spirit.
(TL note: Even with unique ability, Spirit kings are about equal to each other in terms of strength.  The ability is pretty useless to use against each other.)

Still it’s not like the gods from the God World will come to the Spirit World to fight.  There is no reason for them to fight and in the human world only 2/3 of their strength can be used.

Basically there aren’t many circumstances that their original strength can be used.

Since each side were strong in one aspect, the Water King Elqueeness is known to be the strongest because he can use both offensive and defensive moves easily.

After hearing that I was shocked and embarrassed..

I was just able to create spirits that everyone could easily make and now he tells me I’m the strongest Spirit King… How laughable.

That reminds me Ifrit said that too.  She said Elqueeness boast the best offense and defensive skills so why am I like this…hu hu hu…

“You don’t have to be so depressed.  Ji-Hoon’s problems will be solved with the passing of time.  You broke the limit by yourself while still thinking like a human?   You have already made a spirit.  So don’t be in such a hurry.”

I guess I was being hasty without realizing it.

Now that I’ve succeeded in making a spirit, I can learn slowly but another part of me didn’t want to. Mmmm..

I saw Trowell squint one eye mischievously. After seeing him I felt more than a little moved and i found a little consolation.

Trowell! I’ll be your 1st fan club member!

“My Skill?”

Since its come to this I think Trowell is trying to tell me all the information he can.  So he continued talking.

I know Minerva, Trowell and Ifrit’s skill but I forgot to ask what mine is.

Trowell nodded his head in satisfaction after seeing curiosity shine out of my eyes.

“The Water King’s innate skill is Healing.  If a person is still breathing then you can heal him to full health 100% of the time.
It can’t be used on others and yourself so in a long fight it is impossible to win against the Water Spirit King.
Even if the opponent’s physical attribute is high, it’s a gamble to fight you even in a short fight.
You power will decrease a bit in the human realm…but still it should be better then any High tiered god.”

“Oh Oh…”

I can heal wounds?  Is that something a human can do?…Ah…I’m not a human.  Hmm..hmm…anyways.

Still even if we have these awesome skills, its pretty much unused against spirits.

First, the Spirit world as a whole is very peaceful and the spirits almost never get hurt because of it. Moreover in the human world, you don’t manifest in your real body. You manifest in your spirit form that is in resonance with nature so unless your real body in the spirit world dies, it is almost impossible to be killed by an outside force.

Obviously even if Elqueeness has a really great skill, it’s useless since there is no spirit to heal.

I’m like a doctor without any patients.  Elqueeness’s skill was under that kind of category.

To tell you the truth, it’s a funny business trying to compare who is stronger amongst similar Spirit Kings.

So I asked how Elqueeness got that reputation.(TL note: they are equal in strength but people thing Elqueeness is the strongest)  After hearing what I asked Trowell laughed and told me the reason.

“It’s a skill that isn’t needed among us but don’t the humans need it?  Somehow your ability was known to the human by accident and they started ranking the Spirit Kings.

Before they made a big deal about the ability, the previous Elqueeness didn’t even know it was a useful skill.
Therefore in human perspective, Elqueeness is the strongest Spirit King.”

I can attack and defend with ease and I can freely heal myself…truthfully I am invincible. chup.

I still didn’t know how to use my abilities so I couldn’t feel excited.

So even if Trowell was talking about me, I could not connect Elqueeness’ identity with mine.

Is this another side effect of thinking I was human?

“Ah, Trowell.  Let me ask you one more question..”

“What is it?”

It was a spontaneous question I was about to ask but Trowell welcomed it with a twinkle in his eyes.

Does he like being asked questions?  Or does he feel satisfied after teaching someone.

The Trowell is really~ has an affinity to being a school teacher. (TL note: the original sentence was arranged this way)

A teacher in his late teens with a charismatic look with sexy eye laugh.

I started laughing just thinking about it.

‘I bet those students would enroll to look at Trowell..’

“No~ It’s not on that level. Students go to school to study~  Wouldn’t it be wrong for them to attend school just to see a teacher?””

“….Ku..Kul-luk..I’m begging you please don’t read my mind…..”

“HaHa~ Why are you being so shy~ between us.”

I’m an idiot.  I already knew he can read minds but my mind got immersed by other thoughts again.

To tell you the truth, Trowell had no intention of reading his emotions but after seeing me smiling while not asking any question, he got curious.

Then he was able to infer what I was thinking.

The skill was called Trowell’s insight and it can read other’s emotions.
Further more he can see the past and future.  This unique skill can be  deactivated if he didn’t want to use it and it doesn’t work against Spirit Kings most of the time.

So Trowell isn’t that that good at using it since he doesn’t use it much.
Moreover like right now, the target has to be reallllly straight forward for him to be able the answer the question in the other’s heart.

I can’t get used to it but…I guess it’s better then him listening and then pretending he didn’t hear anything.  That’s what I said to comfort msyelf.

“What do you want to ask?”

“Ah, so.  When I made the spirits…my voice was weirdly different.  It was too vivid to be hallucinatory, and I couldn’t forget about it. ”

“Hmm?  I’ve never heard of that happening…are you sure you didn’t hallucinate?  In what way did your voice change?”

Trowell asked me with round eyes and since he turned the table and asked me a question, I panicked.

What? I thought the voice changing was part of making spirits…I guess it’s not?

Did I ignore something very important?

Trowell’s gaze was looking at me with suspicion and I felt like  it was 80% likely that it was my fault. Ku-huk…
I knew I had no sense and was a bit dull but I didn’t know I was this pathetic.

I sighed when guilt flowed into me and I couldn’t look at Trowell’s impatient gaze.  I started speaking haltingly.

“I guess it was a male voice that hasn’t gone through puberty? You know, its not as thin as a girls voice but not as deep as a man’s voice.  It’s somewhere in the middle.
My voice is a bit husky and thick.  I was surprised when that voice came out.”

What? Did I say something wrong?

Trowell was watching me with a weirdly stiff face.

Is the situation really serious?

 

nbeknownst to me I was nervous and for a long time Trowell examined me.  Then he suddenly sighed.

“Ha……Ji-Hoon.  What does your voice sound like?”

“Eh? It’s thick and husky…how can you not know after listening to it?

Even Undine and Seacueel, who was watching me from the side, had a weird expression.

What’s wrong with everyone?

I stared back not knowing what was wrong.  After receiving my gaze, Trowell’s sigh became deeper.

“Eh-gu-gu…you still have a long way to go..”

“What are you saying?”

“What do you mean what am I saying~  You still haven’t left your humanity behind.  Ji-Hoon, What part of your voice is husky and thick?
You have a light boy’s voice that is really really nice to hear.
Spirits, unlike human, rely on their will to deliver the wavelength.  So you probably didn’t realize your voice had changed.” (TL note:sound wavelength->converted by his will->he hears a deeper voice)

“Huh-guk… So I haven’t been hearing my real voice up until now?”

“Yes, you absolutely believed your voice was similar to the voice you had when you were human.  So you only heard that sound.  It’s not that bad of a result.  Even if it was a coincidence you were able to use ‘that'”

“That?”

He seemed to choose a certain word to purposely disguise the meaning.  I tilted my head in confusion.

Suddenly an unexpected person made an entrance and she naturally answered my question.

“You are talking about ‘Spirit Language'”

“Ifrit!! ”

“You~! You. Where have you been, I put Ji-hoon in your care!”

Like always Ifrit showed up looking beautiful and elegant.  She boldly walked toward us while ignoring my surprised shout and Trowell’s rebuke.

Also the two Spirits Undine and Seacueel flinched when the new Spirit King entered.  She stared at them like she was exploring them.

Jeez, they are discouraged because there are a lot of Spirit Kings here.  Why are you staring at them like that…

Seacuuel was working hard act bold but Undine’s expression was like a little girl about to cry so I felt sorry for her.

“Stop staring, the kid is afraid of you.”

“Who is staring?”

Your big eyes are raised. If you aren’t staring then what are you doing?

I was flabbergasted so I couldn’t say what I wanted to say.  Ifrit snorted – hnnng.

This bitch Spirit King, how come you are becoming more and more hateful.

We haven’t seen each other for couple days so we should be happy to see each other but instead she makes me feel unpleasant.  I guess Ifrit and I have an ill-fated relationship.

I couldn’t lose here so I bluntly lectured her.

“Guess who it is, its you Ifrit.  Do you have something against kids? See~ She’s trembling.”

“Hnnng. Noisy.  There are 3 Spirit Kings present here. Of course they can’t spread their energy.”

“What..the…Noisy? She started getting scared right after you started staring at her.  Therefore, you are the cause!”

“What? So what do you want me to do?  You trying to pick a fight with me?”

After saying those words, flames ignited all over Ifrit’s body.

The fire was burning hot and the stare she gave me was very combative.

Foolishly I was so mad that I couldn’t see straight.

Usually I wouldn’t be able to say a peep and fold, but I snorted and asked for a direct confrontation.

“Ha! You think I won’t fight?”

After retorting, I instinctively gathered the water energy on one hand.

After a moment, there was a round ball of water forming on the palm of my hand.  It didn’t look like much but if you look closely there was an endless vortex swirling in there.

If the opponent I faced was not a Spirit King then the power I wielded would be enough to one-hit kill a mortal into the underworld.

Also if it was in my heart, I could use all the water in the domain to attack Ifrit.

When I think of a fight, I can only think about physically fighting.  I moved the water to fight like this…I guess I have made some  rapid strides.  (TL: bit confusing when I translate it-he’s saying he only knows how to fight physically i.e. using his body.  Also he has progressed a lot since he can make a ball of water to fight )

Just then if it wasn’t something Trowell mumbled, my Water Domain would have been totaled in the fight with Ifrit.  I’m sure of it!

“Hmmm..I guess you can’t fake blood(?)…It’s feels like I’m watching the previous Elqueeness.”

“Unng?…”

“Don’t compare him with this kind of guy.” (TL note: when she used ‘him’ its in a form that’s used for someone you respect or love)

The first confused answer was me and the second sharp answer was Ifrit.

We spoke at the same time but since my answer was much shorter, the backend of Ifrit’s statement was heard clearly.  There was an echo in Water Domain.

After the echo finished, Ifrit’s pink face turned a deep red darker than Trowell’s skin.  I had an opposite reaction where a smile of satisfaction flowered on my face.

Hu. Hu. Hu. Ifrit? You. are. caught.
I’ve had a hunch but it couldn’t be confirmed until the actual person revealed her feeling…

This is basically her advertising she had a crush on the previous Elqueeness?

The victory flag has come around to me.

I smirked a little by raising the end of my lip and I turned to look at the stiff Ifrit.

“Ho oh~ Ifrit?  The words you said right now make me feel really~ bad?”

“Uuuuk…That…That’s not it..”

“I.couldn’t.compare.with.’him'(TLe: again affectionate term) the previous Elqueeness was that great?  They said you had a bad relationship but that might not be true?”

Hu Hu Hu.  I’m going to watch Ifrit become more and more flustered.

I’m going to wash away all the stress and sadness in one go.

Trowell saw me smile in happiness and he mumbled ‘He didn’t become Elqueeness for nothing..’  It wasn’t important so I decided to ignore it.

Anyways, realizing after hearing my subtle(TL note: it wasn’t that subtle =_=) words, Ifrit couldn’t turn any more red and she started screaming like hell.

“That’s not it!  I misspoke.  It’s true that your skill is less than the previous Elqueeness!  I wasn’t thinking about that!”

“Haven’t you heard the more you strongly protest, it’s the opposite?(TL note: The lady doth protest too much, methinks.) What’s up with you~~ And what were you actually thinking about?”

“Uuuuk…I was…it…”

“Unng? The more you deny, the more it confirms?”

“…………”

I was on a roll but Trowell stopped it from the side.

Kuu-huk.  If you are going to ask a question do it later.  Why did you have to choose that moment…

Finally I shut up after hearing the unlikely question.
Ifrit didn’t lose this moment and went on the offensive.

“Yea~ I’m curious about that.  Why does a strong protest turn into an affirmation?
I knew it~ You lived in the human world too long and you are seeped with weird ideas.
That’s why you are making nonsensical conjectures and can’t focus on your main job~”

Ku-huk.  That spirit king is trying to catch an innocent spirit again?

When was I lost in a nonsensical conjecture? When was I not able to fulfil my duty faithfully?
The fact that you are saying these words mean there is something bugging you?

Right now Ifrit is definitely misinterpreting this situation.  I’m sorry to say but the person who go their weakness exposed is you, not me!

“Right now you see me as water~(TL note: it’s something you say in Korea when you are mad)  You are stirring my dismal past to flip the situation!
Don’t you know this situation is different?  Yeah, you were right to say it.
So what is the weird conjecture that was influenced by my weird philosophy? Huh? Say it, I’m curious.  What is it!”

“Ooh..Ooh-ook…”

“What? Ji-Hoon, aren’t you water?” (TL note: it’s a pun…he’s taking a saying and taking it literally)

“….Kuu-huk!! Trowell!! You are doing this on purpose?”

“I’m doing what…”

If you stay still at least you will be in the middle..

Trowell would try to one up me and put a tackle on my words.  Isn’t it obvious I will flip over? (TL note: I’m guessing a fish-tackle is attached and it flips him over like a fish)

I glared at him with resentment but he responded by looking like he didn’t know what was happening.  It drove me more crazy.

Fortunately, Ifrit closed her mouth and put her head down.  I thought she would attack me with my own word.

Hu Hu.  Is it my victory?

Then it happened.

“…….o….I don’t like it.”

“What?”

Her head was down so her expression was hidden.  She was haltingly speaking and I had a hard time understanding what she said.

There was a dangerous mood developing.

Her shaking shoulders and the slow fire that was rising off of her made the air rapidly brutal.

Belatedly I realized I drove Ifrit into a corner.  After realizing this, I breathed in rapidly.

‘Shit. I’m dead.. I was just trying to lightly make fun of her.’

Again I disturbed a part that shouldn’t be disturbed.  Why do I act before I think!

This time, I don’t think it’ll end like the previous playful(?) match.

The angry energy from Ifrit was telling me so.

‘I’m doomed.  I’ve been born for 1 month and I’ll die like this~!’

…But unlike my worries, Ifrit just stood there for a long time.  It didn’t seem like she’ll do anything else.

Instead she raised her head and looked at me.

Then she delivered a blow akin to her destroying my domain with her power.

The eyes that were glaring at me had clear tears forming on it.

“Ku-huk, I..Ifrit?”

Most guys are like this.  The tears of a beauty is sometimes worse then a viper’s fang.  It turns into a strong poison and messes with your heart.

I’m not too far from being such a guy, and Ifrit’s tears were too shocking for me.

She opened her mouth toward me who was rooted in place unable to speak.

“I really hate you.”

“……………….”

“I’m returning. I don’t want to see someone like you.”

“…………….”
That was the end.

She didn’t put a hex on me or yell at me.  She didn’t become violent or even cuss me out.

Ifrit just clearly said those two sentences.
She didn’t even give me a chance. She disappeared into a flame and out of my domain.

And that was…it couldn’t compare to all the nagging and harsh word she had said to me.  It made me despair.

‘A guy like me has to die~~!!’
…always with fantastic timing, Trowell mumbled something that might have saved me from blaming and blaming myself for the rest of my life.

“Heh.  Ifrit is sulking.  I haven’t seen that in a while so it was very fresh?
She’ll be reminded of her old emotions.  Her repertoire hasn’t changed much.”
(TL note: So her crying is actually a good thing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
“……..What?”

“The previous Elqueenes lived like this everyday. She would fight, cry and sulk.
Back then Elqueeness’ personality was not normal so Ifrit always lost.”

“Hahaha….”

They lived like this everyday? She would always cry and sulk?  It was fresh since I saw it after a long time…
She’ll be reminded of her old emotions… Ha..Haha.. Those rotten~~!!!

‘I’ve been had again!!!’

I’ve been wrong from the beginning thinking Ifrit as a woman.

Why should my heart rend from making her cry a little!!  I felt guilty and all the more I’m a fool!!

If you learn a certain truth, then you have to pay the price.

Trowell laughed briefly after watching me drown and be beyond recovery.

“Ji-hoon, your heart is too good.  Ifrit is the problem.  Why did she get mad?  I have no idea why.”

“…You don’t know after you saw that?  Ifrit liked the previous Elqueeness.  I kept inquiring so she got mad.”

I think he was too busy trying to hang a tackle on us so he didn’t get to hear what was said between Ifrit and I.

I wonder if it’ll be ok just to tell him like this…

Ifrit used foul play(Using tears to attack a man is foul play!) to conceal this truth.

Although, even a dullard like me was able to pick up on the signs.  Trowell and Minerva probably knew about it so it shouldn’t matter right?

Contrary to my thought, Trowell looked at me with a shocked expression like he couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“Ifrit liked Elqueeness?  They fought every time they met?”

“….Ifrit was trying to hide her feelings so she acted~
Didn’t you see her get really mad when I was compared to the previous Elqueeness?  She’s really immature.”

“Eh eh?  Ifrit always sang a song that said she didn’t like Elqueeness.”

“That’s what I’m saying~ That was her acting to cover up the fact she like him?”

“Nonsense. Why would anyone act like they hated a person when they actually liked them?  Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand, Ji-Hoon?”

“….M…Maybe?”

If someone else other than Trowell, who can read emotion said it, I would have thought so but now my mind was changing.

I couldn’t stick with my statement so I ended it vaguely.

However if that’s not the case, then why did Ifrit act that way.

Maybe she was sad that she lost in the war of words?

I’m pretty sure it hurt her pride, but still if she didn’t have any feelings for the previous Elqueeness then she would have been able to come up with a rebuttal.

If that’s the case then the person who should be crying and sulking should be me, not Ifrit…

‘I can’t ignore Trowell’s ability..My head hurts..’

After hearing Trowell’s words I had couple suspicions, but my confidence in my intuition had dropped.

I knew romantic relationships were confusing but I didn’t know it would be such a headache.

Trowell made an offhand remark while I was in midst of an inner turmoil.

“Anyways if you want to make up with Ifrit then it would be best if you look for her first.  Once she sulks she won’t associate with you for 100 years.  She didn’t speak to the past Elqueeness for 500 years once.

“……….”

I couldn’t get used to the years..the years…

“………”

Not 5 days… Not 5 years.. but 500 years? Kuh-huk.

For a race that lives for a million year, I guess 500 years is nothing.  I was used to the human perspective where 100 years was the limit so I couldn’t help being chagrined at the long amount of time.

I thought she was simply sulking but now Ifrit’s attitude seemed more serious.

‘I guess it’s not a joke.  Do I want to spend 100 years pretending not to know each other?
Even if I have an unhappy relationship with her, we are friends so how can I have such a bad relationship with another spirit..
Yes!  I’ll apologize. It was my fault for using someone’s romantic life to make fun of them.’

So immediately I decided to go find Ifrit and ask for her forgiveness.

But the reality wasn’t that easy…

“Uh?  What’s up?  I thought you were going to go apologize to Ifrit?”

Trowell asked me after seeing me standing stiff in the same place.

I didn’t say I wanted to go apologize to Ifrit, so Trowell was definitely reading my emotions.  Still I didn’t want to argue.

More importantly an urgent problem cropped up.

I turned around toward Trowell while maintaining my most calm expression.

Right now, the gods have given me hope and it was Trowell who was standing next to me.

“……..So Trowell…”

“Ooong?”

“How do you teleport?……”

“………”

Afterwards Trowell spent about 1 hour rolling around the water domain laughing his ass off.

Undine and Seacueel outwardly maintained a dignified look but they couldn’t help their faces from trembling. I could see it clearly. (TL note: holding back laughter->face trembles)

……..I’m the unluckiest Spirit King in this word.
He was crazily laughing-I can only describe it as being crazy because Trowell was so giddy that he was shaking while laughing.
-Trowell calmed down when he felt the cold night energy starting seep into the Water Domain.

He laughed for about 2 hours straight without taking a break.  I was sick of watching him laugh and I sighed in relief when I saw him start to calm down.

I thought I would experience dawn while waiting for him to stop laughing.

In most cases, even if something was really funny, a person would laugh only couple minutes at most before losing interest..Trowell really laughed until it turned to be disgusting.

I’m sure he is the type of guy who would go around with a laugh bag inside his mouth. (TL: another saying…if I remember correctly there is a folklore about a bag that can store anything-even sound.  He’s referencing that. Trowell has an endless supply of laughter stored inside him.)

It was so bad that even Undine and Seacueel, who laughed with him in the beginning, couldn’t hold back their shock. (TL note: shocked that he can laugh so long)

Even after he calmed down, he would chuckle.  It made me more miserable.

Ha.  Really…I’ll forgive you since you are pretty, Trowell.  You are going to know good fortune your whole life just because of your good looks.

“Poo-hup..(TL note: sound you make while you are trying not to laugh) I know, Ji-hoon.  I’m sorry.  Don’t sulk.  If I start laughing once then I lose my mind a little.. Ki-duk(TL note: another laughing sound)..”

Are you still reading my mind?…At least he is apologizing so it should be fine.

I stared at him disagreeably but I don’t hate Trowell.

To tell you the truth, I was envious of someone who is able to laugh loudly and be abundantly sensitive.

Moreover unlike Minerva and Ifrit, Trowell was closer to looking like a mid-teenager so he looked very pure.

Of course, the absolute reason is his outstanding looks. Hmm..If you are pretty then everything is forgivable. (TL note: so true lol)
It’s an eternal truth that has the best rank. (TL note: among eternal truths it ranks first)

After a little more time has passed, the calmed Trowell look like his normal self.

He started answering the question seriously.  I forgot what I asked because he laughed for so long.

At first I didn’t know what he was talking about so I stammered.

” It’s ‘Spirit Word’.”

“…..What?”

You said “Spirit Word” out of no where?  What is this ‘Spirit Word’? (TL note: language? or does word sound better idk)

My eyes went round after hearing that simple word and Trowell nodded his head like he expected it.

“That’s how you teleport.  You asked about it.  Use the ‘Spirit Word’!  That’s the answer.”

“Ah~ That… What is ‘Spirit Word?”

It’s a vocabulary I heard for the first time but it felt familiar.  Did I hear it from someone? From whom?

I searched my memories and I found the origin of the familiar feeling.

‘Ah, I remembered…Ifrit immediately spoke of it when she showed up. She said ‘Spirit Word’…’

Trowell also said, by coincidence, I was able to use ‘that’. He said it wasn’t a bad thing.
I asked what ‘that’ is?  Then Ifrit showed up and said the answer is ‘Spirit Word’.

That’s when my fight with Ifrit started and the whole conversation collapsed.

Why did she have to show up right then and flip my insides.  For multiple reasons, Ifrit really isn’t a help in my new spirit life.

Before my feelings of complaint could come out, Trowell started explaining again.

Thanks to that, my ill feelings toward Ifrit was stashed in the corner.

“‘Spirit Word’ is the magic Spirit Kings use.  It’s like dragons using the Language of the Dragons. You can say its a strength only Spirit Kings can use?
Humans and similar races have to mix mana and decide where the effect will happen. Unlike humans, Dragons and Spirit Kings are able to use magic by pulling their strength into a ‘word’ and spitting it out.
It’s way more effective than regular magic.”

“D..Dragon?  Language of the Dragons??? Mana?”

“….You aren’t able to understand, I guess it can’t be helped. Just know this.
The important part is we are able to use “Spirit Word’. You can use the ‘Spirit Word’ and you have already used it before.”

“What? When?”

From the conversation before Ifrit showed up, Trowell said it was a relief I was able to use ‘that’-Spirit Word-

I don’t remember using Spirit Word.

Did my instinct as a Spirit King take over and made me learn something weird?

Internally I thought hard but I couldn’t think of anything.

‘What were we talking about before you said it? Ah, that’s right.
I said to Trowell my voice changed, he said I have far to go. Then he said it wasn’t too bad since I used ‘that’.

hmm…I was able to notice my voice changed… it was when I was making the spirits… Huuuk!! So the spirit was made with that!!’

“Yes, you used the Spirit Word.  The moment you spat out the word the spirit were born right?
Moreover you were able to make a vast quantity of spirits and that is impossible without the Spirit Word’s strength.
If you are able to use it freely then you would be able to carry yourself as a Spirit King.   How do you feel?”

One of his eye playfully winked at me and I forgot what to say.

I just spoke whatever came to mind…that was a form of magic called Spirit Word?

Was I this lucky?  I couldn’t believe it.

The method of making spirits were already imprinted in my mind and now I can make as much spirits as I want.

In one sentence, I could command and have connection with the Spirit Word.

I was celebrating my good luck but Trowell was like a big brother looking at a baby starting to walk.  He looked prideful and satisfied.

It felt weird because it was something I had never received from my previous life’s family.

Trowell looked at an embarrassed me with a warm gaze and he explained that the more I use the Spirit Word the shorter the invocation becomes.  After reaching the advanced stage, you would only have to think about it so he advised me to train hard.

Originally Spirit Kings do not need practice.  They can control the Spirit Word with their innate instinct but I’m a special case.  So I have to work on it a lot.

“I forgot, I didn’t come here to talk about this…oh well, it can’t be helped.
Foremost we already have high tiered water spirits so I guess it’ll all workout somehow.”

“Unng? Why?  Is there a problem?”

“No, the truth is~  You have to go to the human world directly to call down the rain.

Nature is too broken right now so even with Seacueel it’s impossible to recover in such a short time.
Right now we have the Ifrit situation so we’ll look over it.  Let’s do it later.”
Trowell said this while looking like a friend who is looking the other way when you skip class.   He playfully winked at me with one eye.

If it was Minerva, she wouldn’t have let me off so should I be thankful?

I guess the feeling that I had to do something after making the spirits was this.

Afterward’s I learned the basic information pertaining to living as a spirit and I learned the Spirit Word to teleport.  He returned to the Earth Domain after saying ‘Good luck’.

How should I say this…I choked up…
I’m in an unfamiliar world and I was nervous of being in a new environment.  It felt like I made a friend with a fellow kindred spirit.

I felt like I found an existence that I could be relaxed around and trust.

My feeling seemed to have transferred to my spirits, so the two spirits, Undine and Seacueel, softened a bit.

Now…Should I go have a face to face with Ifrit?

With a lighter mood I said the Spirit Word that would deliver me to Ifrit.

【 Move 】