Elqueeness - Chapter 41

It took an entire day to arrive at the temple. We tried our best to be considerate of Isana’s physical limitation, so we took frequent breaks. However, I hadn’t expected to spend the entire night on the mountain, so I greeted the morning sun with a sour mood.

It seemed the heat retention spell was quite effective. Isana was able to sleep on the ground covered with snow and ice without shivering once. Moreover, his face never paled, and when I touched his hand, his body temperature was higher than normal. The freezing wind blew sharply, but his complexion remained excessively rosy. It made me feel a sense of incongruity at the situation.

The place where we spent the night wasn’t too far off from the temple. We started walking as soon as we woke up in the morning, and we were able to find the white temple built on top of a large empty space. The outward appearance and the pillars didn’t look too different from the temple I saw at the god’s world. The one unique feature I was interested in was the fact that the bricks weren’t simply painted white. The bricks itself was white. It made the temple look more classy compared to the other buildings.

“Heh-eh. We’ve finally arrived?”

The rising sun made the buildings shine brilliantly, and it created a fantastic atmosphere. The temple was built on top of the mountain where only snow and ice was present. It was a very picturesque temple…Even if one wasn’t religious, the sight would awe anyone. Even if the person wasn’t a follower of Elwien, the person would probably want to become a priest immediately after seeing this.

It seemed the unwanted march through the mountain, and the late hours we kept was unpleasant for Lapis. His nerves were on edge. Isana, who was used to fancy buildings, didn’t show much interest. Unlike us, Lapis didn’t have a reason to visit here, so his complaints were understandable.

“Why would anyone build that bastard’s temple in such a corner? These humans really have nothing better to do.”

“Mmmm, I still think it looks quite grand.”

“What? That looks grand in your eyes? Even though, this temple is for a 25 year old noob god?”

“Hmm…It surely is simpler compared the the Demon god’s temple…….”

“This isn’t simple! It’s shabby!”

I could only shake my head at Isana and Lapis, who were criticizing the temple standing right in front their nose. As the saying goes, even a president will be insulted if he wasn’t present in the room. Still, they were basically calling the temple of a high rank god shabby and simple. If Elwien heard them, he would probably yell at them loudly.

There were two men, who looked to be priests, cleaning the front of the temple. When we noisily approached them, they started tidying themselves. They must have thought we were just like any other group, who had come to visit the temple to give prayers. A blond haired man in his mid-20s spoke to us in a polite manner as he made a circle around his chest with one finger.

“May Elwien-nim’s blessing be with you. I’m Elwien’s servant, Seiran. Please tell me your goals for visiting the temple, and the amount of time you will be staying here.”

His god’s crest wasn’t eye-catching, so he must be a low rank priest or it was highly possible he was a disciple-in-training. While I hesitated on how I should answer him, Lapis spoke as he frowned.

“Isn’t the purpose for our visit obvious? We came here to pray, so guide us into the temple.”

From the start, he spoke in a rude manner. Lapis looked down at them in an arrogant manner, but the priests didn’t seem to take offense. It seemed like they were used to being treated this way? I was the one who was taken aback instead, so I started to hastily apologize.

“Ah, I’m sorry. We’ve just met yet our bad manners…”

“No, it’s all right. Since you have come here to pray, I’ll assign a guide to you. Also, please take off your hood when you enter the temple. No matter what your situation is our god will embrace all of you.”

This basically meant the temple will take in even a runaway convict, who had committed a deadly sin. I had forgotten I had my hood on, so I hurriedly pulled down the cloth covering my face. It was strange, but when priests’ eyes met mine, they started to visibly stiffen. As if they were struck by lighting, they started convulsing, then they dropped to his knees!

“What, what are you doing?”

“Please forgive us for not recognizing you! Even though we were told you will be visiting us…W, welcome! The high priest is waiting for you.”

“Ah…”

It seemed Elwien’s divine revelation wasn’t limited to only Mr. Kai.  Lapis, Isana and I wasn’t aware of the exact situation, so we were all taken aback. Without knowing the state of our feelings, the priests spread the word about my visit. After a brief time had passed, a mob of young men ran out. Most of them looked to be in their mid-20s. At most, they couldn’t have been over 30.

They all wore a voluminous white robe that could be mistaken for a dress. The man in the middle had a gold crest, but the rest wore a crest made out of silver threads. Amongst them, I discovered a familiar face, so I let out a shout in surprise.

“Mr. K…Kai?”

That’s right. There was a group of around 10 youths. It seemed Mr Kai, who we had separated from earlier, was part of this group. As per usual, he wore hair loose to his shoulders. His eyes had turned into the shape of a crescent moon as he smiled, and I couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or not.

“I’ve been waiting for you to arrive, El-nim.”

“Ha-ah…I thought we would meet again if I came here…I didn’t expect it to come true…”

From his side, the man wearing the only clothes with the gold crest came towards me then he spoke with a respectful attitude. He had short cropped blond hair and green eyes. He had a very graceful face. He wore several very large clothes, so I couldn’t even see the outline of his body. This made him have a solemn and pure air around him. At a glance, I saw the pure white crest of Elwien on the back of his hand.

“He was able to come here at once using the Teleport Scroll. It is a transport item only given to our disciples. I’m very sorry he couldn’t travel all the way with you.”

“He-eh…and you are?”

“I’m glad to meet you. I am the First Servant of Elwien, the god of punishment. My name is Rooyan. I’ve received a divine revelation from Elwien-nim, so I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”

“First…Servant?”

As if he felt idsagreeable, Lapis quickly answered as he frowned.

“It means he is the high priest. Still, he only looks the be in his mid-20 yet he is already a high priest…”

“Hoo-hoot. The history of Elwien-nim’s temple is short. There are numerous high priest under the age of 30.”

I belive they said the abilities of a priest manifested before the age of 10?  The temple is only 25 years old, so of course, everyone’s age in the group wasn’t that high.  Even if one received holy powers inside the womb, one would still only be 25 years old.  Of course, it wasn’t as if there were priests over 50, but the number couldn’t be compared to other temples with ancient traditions.    Still, this wasn’t a important information, so the conversation regarding this topic ceased..

“Elwien-nim was hoping to meet you again as soon as possible. I’m very sorry for not having a proper reception….Shall we go straight to the prayer room?”

“Ah, let’s do that. Is it ok if I bring these two people?”

“He didnt’ say anything about your party members, so I don’t think he would mind. Please follow me. I’ll guide you.”

The disciple named Rooyan carefully walked in front of us after he replied to me. Between the pillars of the inner temple, I could see wooden doors with various decorations. Amongst all of them, the door with an angel carved on it turned out to be the prayer room. I don’t know if it was coincidence or fate, but the carved angel looked like Elwien’s angel I saw in the god’s world. At that moment, it made me think about a cold, red haired being, and it made me smirk.

‘If Ifrit saw this, she would immediately demolish it then she’ll probably make a big fuss.’

Did they build the temple based on Elwien’s directions? It really looked similar to the temples I saw in the god’s world. No, it really looked as if the exact appearance was transferred here.

Isana, Lapis and I entered the prayer room. It seemed the priests were being considerate, so we could talk to their god without any interruptions.

“Please wait here until the prayers are finished.”

“What? No…You don’t have to…”

“It’s all right. It is our duty as disciples to serve our god’s guests. I hope you will safely hear the god’s voice…”

“Hahaha…Th, thank you.”

It seemed they didn’t expect Elwien to descend even though we were called here by his decree. Even Lapis and Mr. Kai, who knew my identity, thought similarly. Even if I had a personal relationship with Elwien, it wasn’t necessary for him to descend from the god’s world.  Lapis used this as an excuse to grill me into leaving after I quickly finish my business. He didn’t even give me a chance to breathe.

“Hurry up and ask him for the Crest then let’s return.”

“Ooh-ook, just wait a little bit. We are already here, so why not look around a little bit?”

“What is there to see in this shabby temple?”

“La…Lapis. If you speak that way inside the prayer room…the god will hear you.”

Isana hurriedly rebuked him in fright, but Lapis didn’t show any signs of contrition. Instead, he snorted and he said he didn’t care if the god heard him. The moment I thought he would probably regret saying that….a beam of light descended on the altar in front of my eyes. My mouth opened in shock.

“Huk…”

In front of the seat where one prays, there was a platform with an altar and holy water held up by a statue of an angel. The shining light shone on top of the platform. Just in case, I looked up at the ceiling, but there weren’t any holes on the roof for the light to come through.

I didn’t think the temple used magic to increase the sense of mysticism by producing the light. If my guess was correct….

“Where’s the rude bastard who said my temple is shabby?”

“…E, Elwien!”

“What?”

In a flash, he had appeared on top of the altar.  The beam of light hadn’t disappeared, and it acted as a back light.  His brilliant white blonde was sparkling as Elwien  sat in a relaxed manner.  His face was like a sculpture, and his graceful face was showing displeasure at the words spoken by Lapis

It had only been several month since I had seen him, but it felt like we had been apart for a long time. The unexpected appearance of the god shocked Isana and Lapis, but it didn’t register with me. I was so happy to see him, so I yelled with a bright expression.
Elwien, while sitting, grinned as he opened both his arms wide when he saw me.

“Come here, El.”

“Wha..what?

“Hmmm? It’s been awhile since we’ve met.  You thought you could get away with just a handshake? I had to finish 10 years worth of paperwork to be able to meet you.”

The paperwork was probably the Baiton citizen’s Life Records that Ifrit blew away previously. Even though he was busy up to his neck, he had made some time for me. I was thankful, so I decided to act like his son. (Basically, I was going to give him a hug.) However, when I tried to approach Elwien, Lapis made an appalled expression as he tried to interfere with us.

“Where are you going!  Who is that bastard?”

I guess Lapis didn’t recognize his face, because of the back light. Lapis still had no idea he was the previous Elqueeness. Unlike Lapis, Isana couldn’t help his body from shaking, and he immediately fell to his knees.

Was he overpowered by the god’s aura? He couldn’t even hold his head up as his stiff face turned pale. I felt sorry for him, but I carefully looked behind him to look at Elwien. His gaze was already staring daggers at Lapis as he frowned.

“That~bastard? Who is that rude little lizard?”

“Ah? You knew he was a dragon?”

“There is nothing impossible for a god. I can see the true nature of any existence.  Hmmm. Why does he look really familiar?”

It seemed he had already forgotten about the being who had chased after him for 3000 years.  Still, once he met Lapis, it seemed something was trying to spark his memory.  On the other hand, Lapis’ face was turning more and more menacing.

“Koo-ahhhk! What? Lizard?? How dare a 25 year old noob god say such a thing!!”

“…I dare you to say one more word, you roasted lizard. Do you need a beating to come to your senses?”

Elwien answered calmly in an unconcerned way.  However, I knew he wouldn’t warn anyone twice.  I had found this out on our first meeting.  Unfortunately, Lapis didn’t know this, so he fearlessly ignored Elwien’s words.  Lapis could only suffer the consequences.

“What did you say…Ooh-aht-”

Puh-uk-

Accompanying a powerful impact sound, Lapis’ body shot upwards as he struck the ceiling. The bricks crumbled to the floor, and one could tell at a glance that the blow was quite serious. However, he was a dragon, so he didn’t lose consciousness. He only vomited blood. Even as Elwien saw this, he leisurely swept his hair to the side. He still hadn’t moved a muscle from his seat on the altar.

“Ooh-oop- Koo-luk Koo-luk- Koo-luk!”

“Didn’t I tell you I’ll hit you if you say one more word? No one seems to listen to my words these days. You should terminate the contract early with a guy like that.”

“Ahahaha…”

At that moment, I wanted to ask him how he knew I had made a contract with Lapis. Then I realized a god would be able to see the Spirit King’s Water Crest etched on him, so I made an awkward smile. M..maybe he was warning me?

Lapis raised his head with a pained expression on his face. Elwien looked at Isana with interest. Isana was still cowering from the god’s aura. Elwien clicked his tongue then he started decreasing the god’s aura that was wrapped around him. Isana, whose complexion couldn’t turn any paler, let out a sigh.

“Eeeeek, you bastard!”

“Hmmm. Humans are too weak. Even though I decreased it as much as I can, you are having a hard time. Also, I can’t stay long in the human world, El. This is possible since this is a temple capable of producing holy energy. It would be impossible if it was any other place.”

“Ah, is that why you were insistent on meeting inside a temple?”

“Yes. If you weren’t on your vacation, I would have visited you in the Spirit World. I had a hard time contacting you in the human world. I tried to occasionally look in on you, but it wasn’t that great since I was too busy. Shit. I can’t give up being a high rank god. Jeez.”

“Hahaha…”

“Kooh-ahhk! Don’t ignore me!!”