Elqueeness - Chapter 49

“E..excuse me? I’m sorry, but… Who are you??”

This was the first words said to us by the Marquis Kawell.

He should have already heard the gist of the situation from Seacuel yet he impudently asked the question, ‘Who are you?’ It made everyone in the party speechless. As if that wasn’t enough, he had on a guarded expression! It was natural for my eyes to drift towards the sword hanging from his waist.
Since he came out here of his own volition, it meant he wanted to see us. So why was he acting as if he didn’t know us?
We didn’t hide our ill-humor, and this made the Marquis’ expression harden further. The atmosphere was becoming oddly subdued when Isana spoke first.

“Long time no see, hyung-nim. How have you been?”

“…you said hyung-nim. Your voice…Your majesty?”

The Marquis replied in shock, and we finally realized what was wrong. We had forgotten we had changed Isana’s appearance with the Polymorph Magic. We had been resenting the blameless Marquis. Our party members looked at each other with an embarrassed expression.

“Ah. There is a reason why I look like this. I’m sure you were very surprised?”

“A…are you really his majesty?”

“Yes! It is me, hyung-nim. Also, these are my party members. They were of great help in getting to this place.”

“My god! L..let’s head in away from prying eyes.”

As if his situational awareness kicked in a little bit, a more clear-headed Marquis led the party into the inner castle. When the strange visitors showed up, the guards stationed in front of door gave us sideways looks. The Marquis looked at the guards wordlessly, and they withdrew their curious gazes. Since Isana’s appearance was different, no one will be able to easily guess his identity. So it wasn’t a problem if he was seen.
We were guided towards a large reception room inside the castle. There was a leather sofa in the middle of the room, but before we could sit, the Marquis started asking a torrent of questions.

“What happened? Are you really his majesty? What about that Spirit, Seacuel?”

“Excuse me. This place isn’t safe. What if someone overhears us…”

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that. We are strict in who we allow inside the castle. I’ve also told the servants not to come anywhere near this room. So you can relax.”

He talked to me, but his gaze never left Isana. His appearance was so different that the Marquis wasn’t sure if it really was Isana. I let out a sigh when I saw this. Then I discreetly sent a signal with my eyes towards Lapis. He complained for a brief moment, but soon he obediently canceled the Polymorph Magic casted on Isana’s body.

“Damn. He’s going to hurt my eyes again. Cancel Polymorph.”

“Lapis. Do you always have to speak that way…”

I believe I said it before, but Isana had a pretty good looking face. It wasn’t bad enough to use the expression, ‘hurt my eyes’. It seemed the problem was with that bastard’s eyes. I glared at him, but he shrugged his shoulder as if he did nothing wrong.

“Huk!”

Unlike our side, the Marquis couldn’t stay calm. He stared at us with a dumbfounded expression when Isana’s body started emitting light. The Marquis abruptly stood up from his seat when Isana turned back to his original appearance.

“My god! It really is you, your majesty!”

“Kook kook. Didn’t I already tell you so? Hyung-nim has become quite suspicious.”

“I…I had no choice! You were some stranger arguing you were his majesty! No. There is something I must say beforehand!”

“……?”

The Marquis face contorted from shock, and excitement. Soon his face started to tremble. He looked as if he would cry soon. With tear filled eyes, the Marquis looked at Isana, then he fell on his knees before anyone could stop him.

“Hyung-nim…”

“It’s my fault. His majesty underwent through hardships all because of me! I wouldn’t even be able to close my eyes in death when I think about what had happened up until now! Please punish me, your majesty!”

I was shocked when I saw a grown man cry, then scream like a young child. I lost the ability to speak as I looked on nervously. However, everyone else seemed to take this sight in stride. It was as if they had predicted the Marquis would act this way.
Lapis realized I felt uncomfortable by what was happening, so he quietly gave an additional explanation to me.

“Knights basically consider their liege as a god-like existence. The liege determines if the knight lives or dies. So it isn’t rare to see such a display from a knight.”

“Heh-eh. So that’s how it is. However, isn’t he an older cousin? Isn’t there a familial relationship between them?”

“Of course. However, Isana is an emperor. It could be considered a master-servant relationship. The Emperor’s power is absolute.”

I couldn’t take it seriously since the person who was saying the word ‘absolute’ didn’t take Isana too seriously. When he realized my gaze was on him, he quickly added at the end, ‘after the dragons.’

This guy really think Dragons are the most successful and coolest race.

“It isn’t hyung-nim’s fault. I was the one who was inadequate. This wouldn’t have happened if I held up my father’s will, and I should have been more wise in dealing with the affairs of the state. Therefore, hyung-nim shouldn’t feel any guilt about what happened.”

“However, I didn’t do anything when you majesty was in peril. I shouldn’t have left your majesty’s side in the first place. Moreover…!”

“No one could have predicted things would turn out like this. If we start nitpicking should have been done, then it’ll be endless. Don’t worry about it, hyung-nim. I’m safe now..”

“Koo-hook, your majesty…”

A faint smile formed on Isana’s lips, as he slowly stood up. Then he grabbed the hand of the wailing Marquis, and he pulled the the Marquis up. When the liege lord grabs the hand, all the past misdeeds were done away with. Lapis continued explaining.
It was like a scene from a movie as emotions overflowed from the two. I looked on with interest as the two men enjoyed the friendship they had missed to their heart’s content.
They took a long time to greet each other. Afterwards, we were formally introduced to the Marquis. At that point, we were squirming from boredom. We were like 3 zombies blinking our drooping eyes.

“So who are these people? They are you party members? I’m sure your majesty trust these people but….”

“Ah ah. Allow me to make a formal introduction again, hyung-nim. These three were of great help to me while I traveled here. This is El, Lapis and Mr. Kaite.”

“It is my pleasure to meet the three of you for the first time. I am Kawell de Kalmore. Thank you for protecting the emperor. I will most definitely reward you all”

He gave a bow. His posture made him seem like a very skilled knight. We didn’t say anything as we slightly nodded our head. When we responded to him with a nod, he suddenly asked a question he was curious about.

“Excuse me. Who here is the owner of the Seacuel that was sent? Who is the Summoner here?”

“Ah! That would be El over here. Hyung-nim. He sent the Spirit for me.”

“What? This girl…No. Do you mean this boy?”

With a surprised expression, he was going to call El a girl, but the Marquis saw El’s eyebrows furrow. So he quickly changed his words to boy. At least this human was very quick at picking up hints.

By the way, what was this again? Isana? What am I going to do if you label me as a Summoner without discussing it with me! What was the point of going through all the hardship to get the god’s Crest! Still, I couldn’t argue with him in public. I let out a sigh then I gave a begrudging nod.

“Yes, I am the one who sent the Spirit.”

“Huh-uk. You look so young yet you are a high rank Summoner! I am surprised. You really have great potential.”

The furtive glance he gave me was filled with the will of wanting to recruit me. I laughed awkwardly. He probably thought a whole pumpkin had rolled into his lap. High ranked Summoners were a great boon to one’s overall force.
Fortunately, the Marquis persistent gaze didn’t last long. Isana started introducing the others.

“Lapis is a pretty high ranked Magician. Also, this is Mr. Kaite. He is a priest of Elwien. He is currently on his a healing quest.”

“Ho-oh…You’ve only gathered incredible people. How did you meet these people, majesty?”

“I befriended them while I masqueraded as a mercenary. All of them are my saviors, so please treat them with respect.”

“Please do not worry about that point, majesty. Now that I think about it everyone should be famished. I’ll ask my servants to prepare dinner.”

I didn’t know what the Marquis was planning, but he was all smiles afterwards. When the Marquis left momentarily to instruct his servants, Lapis complained as if he had been waiting for the Marquis to leave.

“Why did I become a magician? Do you think the sword at my waist is there for decoration?”

“I know that, but I had no choice. Lapis-nim cancelled the magic on me, and hyung-nim saw it.”

“What about me, Isana? Why did I suddenly become a Summoner?”

“That also couldn’t be helped. It seems Seacuel spoke truthfully about everything. Moreover, we aren’t at the stage where I could reveal my ability to hyung-nim. I think I’ll have to observe him a little bit more.”

When he answered our questions calmly, we in turn had no words to refute his logic. Still, the cover we had worked so hard on was gone in an instant. It didn’t put us in a good mood.
Before we went down to the dining room, Lapis helped Isana turn back into the silver-haired handsome youth with Polymorph.
Was he trying to hide his face from the servants? When the eye-catching hair colors(silver, blue, red) entered the room, it automatically brightened the room. We found a beautiful blonde haired girl wearing a yellow dress within.

At a glance, she was the image of a mature, and gentle lady. The moment Isana saw her, his face was filled with delight. I carefully made the assumption that this girl was the Marquis’ sister. At a glance, she looked to be around 18 years old. The Marquis was still in his mid-30s, so it was unlikely she was his daughter.
Sure enough, a single word form Isana confirmed his relationship with her.

“April noo-nim! It’s been awhile!”

“Who…ah, is that you! What happened? Why do you look like that?”

“Haha! It somehow turned out like this. I’m glad you are doing well, noo-nim.”

“I should be saying those words to you. I am really glad you are unharmed. I thought something bad had happened… Ooh-hook!”

Everyone in our group was taken aback when she started to shed tears. We have gotten used to strong willed women like Irial and Sherry. Now that we saw an innocent type we couldn’t get used to it. However, Lapis showed his true worth again. We didn’t know what to do yet an easy-going Lapis approached April by himself. He wiped the tear away from the girl’s cheek.

“Tears are unbecoming of a beautiful lady.”

“Huk…You are?”

“Excuse me. My name is Lapis. I am one of the companions traveling with your cousin. Nice to meet you, my lady. Will you give me the honor of allowing me to kiss your hand?”

My god! He had always been rude to us as if we were leftover food, yet I witnessed him put on a buttery personality. He spoke in a sickly sweet manner! It made me wonder what his previous occupation was!
However, it seemed the woman was more used to this kind of situation. She put out her hand with ease. A smile formed near the corner of her mouth, and it didn’t show any signs of disappearing. Well, Lapis was handsome. No woman would hate a handsome, statuesque man wiping one’s tears away. It was a moment that made me realize how unfair the world could be.

“Hmmm~ Is it because she is the Marquis’ sister? She seems to be a very virtuous girl. She’s really my type.”

“Koo-luk! You are into her type? No. It seems I discovered a new facet to your personality.”

“A new facet?”

“That…I’m talking about the buttery way you spoke. Where did you learn how to do that? It is incongruous with the personality you had shown us up until now..”

“Koo-haha! If you live long enough, you will naturally pick up such things like that. The women really like it when you behave like that.”

He kept looking at April as he answered with a smile on his face. It made me want to hit him one time.
How old was he to covet such an inexperienced young girl? This bastard! Even Hosane was tormented by the fact he would be labeled a lolicon for the 11 year age difference! There was a 2,902 year age difference from her!  It’s a crime!  Do you realize that?

I mumbled as I couldn’t voice the uncomfortable feeling I felt.

“I don’t like playing with perverts.”

“How can you say I am a pervert! It is very reasonable for man to feel an attraction to a woman! It is the beautiful way of nature. How could you use such a foul word to describe it? Are you perhaps jealous?”

“This continent really needs a psychiatric clinic. Patients like you are everywhere, so what is the government doing….”

“Chet! You are no fun.”

The dinner proceeded in a comparably simple manner. I couldn’t eat anything except water, so I just participated in the conversations with the Marquis. Lapis desperately kept working on April.

After conversing for about an hour, I learned that the Marquis hadn’t even thought about betraying Isana. Instead, he had been getting ready for war. He had 20 thousand soldiers , and he had an extra 10 thousand guards. If he hired mercenaries, he would have a total 50 thousand troops under him.

However, the army under the Arch Duke was of similar number. If they wanted a higher chance of succeeding, they would need the help of the merchants for Kalmore. They were in charge of the only seaway connecting Soltere to the other nations. So it shouldn’t be too hard to get their help.
The problem was how effective they would be in convincing them. The merchants made decisions based solely on profits, so they will avoid hearing any explanations unless the emperor’s side was guaranteed to win. The merchants didn’t jump into any business that’ll net a loss.

“We’ve already tried several time to negotiate with them. Most were skeptical as to whether your majesty will be able to win. Most of the conglomerates have decided on a hands off approach. There is only the Cliff conglomerate left.”

“The Cliff conglomerate?”

“In the past few years, the newly formed conglomerate has grown rapidly. There had been some rumor that their owner changed couple month ago. They might need to stabilize their external and internal business. This war might provide them with that opportunity.”

“Mmm. The problem is in convincing them. Don’t we have an intrigant that will handle these matter?”

“Of course, but currently we don’t have anyone suitable…Whew. I’m worried about what we should do. Moreover, there is an even bigger problem afoot.”

A bigger problem! What was more important then finding helpers for the war! Our faces automatically became tense, and we looked at the Marquis. Each person stared at the him, and the Marquis quietly opened his mouth towards Isana.

“It is you, Isana-nim. It is a problem related to you.”

“Ah…?”

“I know I am overstepping myself, but please listen to my advice. After the previous emperor died, you majesty didn’t have any interest in affairs of the state. You ignored all work, and you were much more interested in enjoying music. Isn’t that right?”

*Nod*

Isana gave a short nod instead of giving an answer. His face was soaked in guilt. He was filled with regret and embarrassment about his past deeds.

“Truthfully, I am more afraid about what will happen after your majesty recovers the throne. I know you are making plans for revenge with anger and dejection in your heart. However, once you regain your seat, you will have every chance to revert back to your previous self.”

“It won’t be like that, hyung-nim! I…”

“Please don’t guarantee it won’t be like that. The human heart is fickle. When you used to run around like that, who would have guessed a day like this would happen. Your majesty. Everything that has happened was brought on by you. Do you accept that?”
”

..I acknowledge it.”

He lets out a short sigh, then Isana made a guilty expression again. This caused the atmosphere around the table to become heavy, and no one stepped forward to lighten the mood. Everyone had been following the conversation between the two.

“As your vassal, I failed to stay by my liege’s side and protect you, so I deserve to die. Moreover, when my liege was in danger, I couldn’t help, so I deserve to die a hundred times over. I have committed such unspeakable sins yet I dare to speak to your majesty this way. Please do not be too angry with me.”

“No, hyung-nim. Hyung-nim is my cousin before you are my vassal. I am prepared to receive any words you have to say to me. Please speak.”

At the very least, Isana’s expression was composed outside. It seemed he had already been prepared for this.He had a little bit of a guilty expression, but it also held his unbending will.
There was a conspicuous light contained within the Marquis’ eyes for a moment, but soon his face turn solemn like a statue. Then he spoke woodenly.

“You probably felt like you were betrayed? You probably want to yell out how unjust it was for the Archduke, your uncle, to turn his knife against you. However, do you realize this, your majesty? You are the one who betrayed us first.”

“What?”

“No matter what happens you cannot abandon the people. You have to look at the people with endless love and benevolence like how a father looks at his son. You should be well aware now of the consequence of disregarding the people. You majesty was the one who betrayed the people first. You turned away from them.”

“…..”

Isana’s face turned completely white. His blue veins bulged as he closed his fists tightly. He bit his lips, and red blood started trickling down. Still, he didn’t try to dodge those words. He silently accepted the Marquis’ words.

The Marquis looked on with admiration in his eyes, but the Marquis put on a strict expression once again before he spoke again.

“However, it seems a surprisingly high number of subjects recovered their loyalty for you. They all trust and follow Isana-nim. So, what would happen if history repeats itself again? Will your subjects trust you again?”

“I understand what you are saying, hyung-nim. However, I…”

“Even if you deny it, the human heart is fickle. I can’t push away those issue just because you said so. Your majesty has lost all credibility.”

“…!!”

The Marquis, who was speaking, and Isana, who was listening, looked at each other with shaking eyes. It looked as if the Marquis was trying to intentionally hurt Isana with his words. I could guess at the Marquis’ real intention, but I had to think hard on what to do.

It would be great if I had Tromwell’s insight. I mumbled underneath my breath then I turned my gaze towards the two again. They were in an endless staring contest, but Isana was the first one to speak. He looked as if he had chewed on a bitter leaf.

“So…what do you expect of me?”

“Your majesty.”

“I place no blame on hyung-nim. Everything was brought down on me by my actions. However, as hyung-nim said, the future is unknown. I’ve woken up to what’s going on, but I can’t guarantee I’ll become a good emperor. However, please…give me a chance, so I can prove myself.”

“What? Did you just ask me for a chance?”

It seemed he hadn’t expected such words to come out of Isana, and the Marquis was surprised. Isana nodded his head with a resolute expression on his face. It was at that moment. The Marquis had an expression as if he had taken a blow, but a sly smile started to form on his face. Then the smile turned into a full laugh.

“Ha ha ha! Ah-hahahaha!”

“H…hyung-nim?”

“It seems I unnecessarily worried too much. I didn’t realize you have grown this much in such a short amount of time! I’m sure the late emperor would have been very happy.”

“…..?”

“You said you want a chance? You said you won’t stop at your words, and you will try to prove yourself! I know how difficult a job that will be. Your majesty is also aware of the difficulty! I want to congratulate you, your majesty!”

The Marquis didn’t hide his happiness. When he heard the Marquis’ words, Isana nodded with a puzzled expression on his face. He had no idea what was going on, but Isana looked to be in a good mood. It also made be feel better, so I also started to smile. Lapis, who had been giving meaningful glances at April, looked at me as if I was pathetic.

“You are really acting like a dimwit.. Chet. Why can’t you take care of me like that at least once? Both of us are your contractor, but the difference between our treatment is too large.”

“Shut up. You’ll be treated better if you are likable. Look at Isana compared to you~ Isn’t he cute? You are growing several dozens of snakes inside. He is in a different dimension from you.”

“Chet. Just wait 100 years. Afterwards, you will all be mine. I’ll make it so that you’ll never be able to form a contract with another.”

“With whose permission? If you just fix your damn habit of treating me like a possession, you’ll might be liked. Don’t you get tired of it? You should stop it now. Wasn’t making a contract with me enough? What else do you want? In the past, weren’t you satisfied at the thought of having a contract?”

As if he didn’t have anything to say, Lapis quietly turned his head away. He probably realized I would probably break the contract if he pushed me any further.