Elqueeness - Chapter 8

fter I had received the pet name of ‘El’ from Trowell, my daily life started revolving busily so much that I didn’t have much time.

Arkadon’s nature wasn’t fully recovered so we had to start a full-scale recovery job.

In the past, I used the fact that I hadn’t awakened as an excuse to focus on my lesson.  However, after that day I accompanied the other Spirit kings into the human world.

Well, it wasn’t really fun since no one could se eme.  They wouldn’t even notice me even if I was next to them.

It was just as Uraus explained previously.  Spirits were only able to fully maintain their form in the Spirit world. Unless one was ‘summoned’ and ‘contracted’, one would not be able to show themselves in the human world.

Moreover, I could only use 1/3 of my power that I could use in the Spirit world.  When I first came to the human world, I couldn’t adapt to my body tiring, and my limbs grew heavy.

You could say it felt like feeling gravity after floating in light air?

However, that was temporary.  Before I knew it I had adapted and I was able to move around naturally as if I was in the Spirit world.

The purification of all the oceans and calling up storms were finished. Then the regeneration of the small spring waters and well waters were started.

Occasionally, I would let showers fall, but most of the water was focused on the forests.

With the help of Trowell, I was able to go underground and modulate the quantity of ground water.  Each region was re-dispatched with the right number of Undines and Sea-cue-els.

After finishing with these kinds of works, Arkadon’s nature was almost recovered to 100%.

As Trowell predicted, it took exactly two month in terms of the human world’s time.

“Wow, it’s as you said?  It’s almost a perfect recovery?”

After looking at the clean lake water and blue sky containing the clean air, I spoke words of admiration and Trowell smiled.

“Good work, El.  Considering this was your first time, you did really well.  I think your ability has awakened almost fully?”

“Haha.  Is that right?  These days El-wee-en shows up occasionally to show me how to do things.  I can guarantee that my hesitation has disappeared.”

“Hoo-hoot.(TLN: short laugh)  El-wee-en is very diligent.  He is a high tier god so he should be busy..  Doesn’t he visit everyday these days?”

“Oo-oong.(TNL:yeah)  That is why last time an angel had to drag him away.   I think his personality is turning more sly like an old fox.”

El-wee-en used an excuse that he had to strengthen the love between parent and child, so he came to Arkadon almost everyday.

He meticulously pointed out and educated me on varying aspects of a life as a spirit that I wasn’t used to yet. Also
he passed time teaching me coping methods.

In the beginning, the other spirit kings who witnessed this scene could not get used to the change in El-wee-en’s destructive personality.
These days they were more familiar with it, so they would sometimes make jokes about it.

However, that is only when El-wee-en is in a good mood.  If one bothered him when he was a little off then the death’s punishment was used.

I guess old habits die hard?

Trowell was impressed saying even that was a huge improvement.

“Do you know he even made a list of ‘human world’s 10 best tourist attraction’ for me when I decide to go play in the human world?  He is incorrigible.”

“Kuk Kuk.  Isn’t that good?  Now that you mention it, Ifrit is out of her mind being jealous of you.
Whenever El-wee-en comes, he only sees you then leaves.
At this rate, Ifrit might become the ‘goddess of jealousy’? ”

Ooh Ooh..  Now that you mention it, recently it has been awkward meeting Ifrit.

Every time we meet she throws a tantrum wanting me to call her ‘mom’.  She even threatened me not to monopolize El-wee-en..

It was so bad that I pushed El-wee-en to play with Ifrit.

No matter what El-wee-en would not budge an inch. He just went around with a consistent calm attitude.

“Now that I think about it when can I go to the human world to play?”

“Oo-oong?”

The sudden question I mumbled next to Trowell made him unusually surprised.

Did I ask too suddenly?  The nature had been barely recovered, and it might be impossible for me to go out and play..

However, there was another reason why he was surprised.

He made an anxious expression as if something was bothering his conscience.

He sent a questioning gaze towards me, but finally he sighed in resignation before he explained the reason.

“I’m sorry, El.  I think.. It might be impossible for you to go play.”

“Eh? Why?  Isn’t the nature almost recovered all the way?”

“Mmm..That isn’t the problem…  The case of a Spirit king being summoned is very rare.”

“Huk..”

Compared to a normal spirit, the summoning of a Spirit king requires an affinity to nature and enough mana that’ll put the person’s life on the line.

Between 100 to a thousand years, there would barely be one normal human capable of succeeding in summoning a spirit king.

What is more outrageous is that amongst those numerous humans, no one had been able to succeed in summoning Elqueeness.  In the entire history of the humans, there hasn’t been a single one.

I asked Trowell the reason, and he said it was because water spirit kings were the strongest amongst the spirit kings.
That is why more strength is required for a summoning.

Summoning a spirit king requires one to put one’s life on the line…
Water spirit king requires more mana and even if human lives are a never-ending miracle, how can this be reasonable?

“Huk.. That doesn’t make any sense.  No water spirit king has experienced playing?(TLN: author refers going to human world as going to play there – I would use vacation but ‘play’ is the accurate word)
Then how does El-wee-en know so much about the human world?”

Did he go around while not being seen by humans?  There was no fun in that.  What kind of play time is that?

After watching my shocked expression, Trowell continued explaining while showing an apologetic expression.

“That is.. It only applies to humans?  The other races.. For example, if it is a dragon then it wouldn’t have any trouble summoning Elqueeness.
They have more affinity towards nature and they have strong mana that isn’t even comparable to humans.  That is why dragons have always summoned the water spirit king..”

“Ung?  Don’t I have to just do it with a dragon?”

“Hoo-ooh.(TLN: sigh)  That is why I am saying it’s impossible…”

Trowell clicked his tongues while shaking his head as if he felt very sorry for me.

This caused me to make more and more puzzled expressions.

Don’t you have to explain properly for me to agree or disagree?

You can’t just say it’s impossible without a reason!

“Ah, sorry.  That is…  It is impossible for you… Hoo-ooh.  Where should I begin the explanation? Mmm.”

“It’s fine.  Just tell me what you know.  Am I the problem?”

“No.  You aren’t the problem.  The problem is… It’s the dragons.”

“Why dragons?”

Maybe the dragons threatened they won’t make a contract with me?

I thought that didn’t make sense, but unexpectedly I was half right.

The part that was wrong was that even if I wanted to make a contract, I won’t be able to make one?

Dragons are divided into different type.  Red, Blue, Green, White, Silver, Black and Gold.

Each type of dragon has a special attribute and they are strong in one of the nature’s 4 elements.

For example, the red dragon has similar properties to the Fire spirit king.  The blue, white and silver dragons are similar to the water spirit. The green is closest to the wind spirit.  The black and gold have properties that are closest to the Earth spirit king.

Also each type varies in strength and personality.  Amongst all of them, the red dragon has the most tyrannical personality and the most strength.

“The problem is that amongst the red dragons there is one called ‘Lapis Lazuli’..  He interferes with dragons wanting to form a contract with the Water spirit king.”

“…….Why?”
“It’s because of the previous Elqueeness. That is to say, he fell head over heels for the current El-wee-en.”

“………….”

What are you trying to say!

I opened my mouth with a shocked expression, and Trowell send me sympathetic looks as if he knew that would be my reaction.

It seemed like he decided to explain the situation. He grabbed ahold of me and he told an episode of a tear-jerking drama.

“It was around 3 thousand years ago.  Amongst the red dragon tribe, ‘Lapis Lazuli’ was born.”

” ……. ”

“Before a dragon lives a 1000 years, they are considered a young dragon called a ‘hatchling’ and they are under the protection of the tribe.
Before they could become a grown dragon, they learn how to do the work of the tribe under the adult dragons, and the hatchlings learn wisdom from them.  That is the period when they make contracts with spirits.
To tell you the truth once they become adult dragons, they do not need help from the spirits.”

That is where the problem had occurred.

This dragon called ‘Lapis Lazuli’, who was born not to long ago, possessed strong powers.  It was enough to even summon a spirit king.

Normally a hatchling can only summon a high tier spirit in their youth.
Coincidentally even if they are able to summon a spirit king, they could only summon a spirit king of the same property.

It was only possible for grown dragons to summon a spirit king regardless of their properties.

However Lapiz Lazuil broke common sense. During his hatching days, he was able to summon Spirit king Elqueeness, who was the direct opposite of his own properties – He succeeded in summoning the current El-wee-en.

“Of course this was something unheard of in the red dragon tribe, so they were very happy.
There is no occasion that brought more joy then having an exceptional dragon being born into the tribe.

However.. In Elqueeness’ perspective, his pride was hurt.
A small baby dragon, who was not of the water property, dared to summon him..”

“Mmm.”

“Even if a spirit king is summoned, one can use one’s will to refuse the contract.
Most do not refuse it, but Elqueeness had no heart to continue with a contract that hurt his pride as Elqueeness.
So he firmly refused the one who wanted a contract, and he returned to the spirit world.”

“Huk.”

However of all the occasion, Lapiz Lazuli became completely bewitched by the Water spirit king.

It was the same situation as being dumped and El-wee-en returned.
The other dragons tried to cheer him up, who was heart-broken, into making a contract with the other spirit kings.

However, none of the spirit kings could capture his heart like Elqueeness.

Even when he summoned Ifrit, who was of his property, he said, ‘I don’t like you since you are too much like a delinquent.  Elqueeness was prideful.’  His answer bought her anger.

Afterwards Lapiz Lazuli continued his attempt to summon Elqueeness, but every time El-wee-en coldly refused.

He said something like ‘Even if it isn’t you, there are plenty of other dragons to make a contract with’?

Yes.. That was the problem.

The pissed off Lapiz Lazuli started interfering with other dragons trying to make contract with Elqueeness starting from that moment.

“Even when he was a hatchling, his strength easily exceeded that of a normal dragon.
Moreover, his personality was tyrannical so he didn’t gloss over things he didn’t like.
It was impossible for the other races, but it was possible for dragons to have overlapping contracts with other dragons.  He couldn’t do anything about the dragons that already had contracts, but he threatened all the other dragons who didn’t have a contract to never call for Elqueeness.

“Huk…”

“Dragons are ruled by strength.  Therefore if the other’s strength was stronger than one had to submit even if he was younger.  There is only one exception from his dogmatic behavior and it is the fact that ‘hatchlings’ are protected no matter what.  Unfortunately, there are no hatchlings with affinity towards water.
The other hatchlings didn’t have the strength to summon Elqueeness, and the adult dragons did not dare to summon him because of Lapiz Lazuli’s threat..
This has continued until now.”

“Hahaha…”

That was it.  That’s what happened!

El-wee-en was already dead and the change in generation had already happened.  However, the dragons had no way of knowing this and they still feared Lapiz Lazuli’s violence. So they didn’t even think about summoning the Water spirit king.

Moreover, tragically there were still no water affiliated hatchlings born.

I processed the story with a shocked expression, and I begrudgingly opened my mouth.

“Then..Trowell you can go..could you inform them that the Elqueeness changed generation?  Then the red dragon would give up.”

What’s the point in holding a lingering attachment to the already dead El-wee-en?(Although he is a god now.)

I hoped that he(TLN: the dragon) would have given up by now, and I looked hopefully towards Trowell.  Trowell didn’t even have time to think about it before he shook his head.

“Mmm.. The problem is..  That guy left to play(TLN: author uses this word in a way I’ve never seen it used. He seems to be using it synonymously with vacation. ‘that guy left on a vacation’).. Right now.. There is no news of him..Even if we wanted to inform him..”
“……..Isn’t it better that he isn’t there?  What if a contract is made when he is gone?..”

“The dragons are too afraid of him so it probably won’t work.  I explained the situation a couple of times, and they shook their heads saying it was impossible.
By the look of it, Lapiz Lazuli has to return for them to start listening.”

“…When is that?”

I replied vacantly, and Trowell awkwardly smiled while having a sorry expression.

” He started his play time before the calamity came down on Arkadon so only 17 years passed?
Dragon’s playtime lasts around 500 years..  So you’ll have to wait several hundred years?”

“……….”

That evil bastard!  If I meet him then I won’t forgive him!

..that day, it was the first time I had a murderous intent against a dragon.

It was against a foul tempered red dragon and this is where my ill-fated relationship with Lapiz Lazuli started.

“Uhh?  Didn’t the famine last 10 years?”

I had nothing to do since the human world recovered completely.  Most of my time was spent chatting with El-wee-en in Everse Eden.

While talking about the famine, I found out an unexpected truth that I had never thought about.

The famine called the ‘calamity’ by the human world lasted 10 years.

It shouldn’t have rained from the time I wasn’t born so how could it have been only 10 years?
I had lived 17 years on earth so I couldn’t understand the time gap.

I asked El-wee-en with a quizzical gaze and he answered back concisely.

“Inevitably, there is a time difference between dimensions.  It’s a bit mixed up.”

“Mixed up?”

“Yes.  In your case, you lived 17 years but when you came to this place 10 years had passed.  Conversely, if you lived 3 years over here and returned then only 1 hour may have passed.
The bastard who is in charge of moving between dimensions is whimsical and he made it that way.  You can say it’s random?”

Wait.. Didn’t I hear about this already?

I turned my head at the familiar words, and I was easily able to bring up the origin of those words.

I definitely remember that the magic formation leading to the god world was also random.

“Wait!  Is it.. The name of the god who is in charge of transporting between dimension… ‘Haiton’?”

“Ho oh?  How did you know about that?”

Of course..

I confirmed my idea when I saw El-wee-en’s reaction.  His eyes were wide with wonder.

I didn’t realize that whimsical god’s name would be discussed again right now.

“Ha ah.(TLN:Sigh) Arehis told me when we previously went to the god world.  The magic formation was random because the god was very eccentric.”

“Ah ah.  Now that I think about it, was he the one that also controls the magic formations?
I guess it falls within ‘teleportation’ so he should be in charge.  I’ve been meaning to fix him(TLN: beat him up) if I ever meet him.  ”

” ………. ”

Mmm.  El-wee-en also has a lot of grudge piled up against that god.

In fact.. If one had to experience the random magic formation daily while traveling to the god world, then a lot of stress would pile up.

When I smiled, I felt a murderous intent so I hurriedly changed the topic.

“If the time difference between the dimensions are random… Is there a time difference between the spirit world and the god world?

“No.  There is no time difference between the 4 main dimensions.  The time is always consistent between the spirit world and the god world.
That is why I can come find you on a regular basis?”

“Of course.  How about the spirit world and the human world?”

“That doesn’t matter.  The randomness is activated only between different human world’s dimensions.”

Hmm?  If I go to a different human world from Arkadon’s human world then the randomness activates?

It wasn’t something that was likely to happen, but I asked out of curiosity.

El-wee-en lightly nodded his head in agreement.

“That is correct.  It doesn’t matter if you travel from the spirit world, but the randomness activate is you travel from the human world to another human world.
Isn’t it complex?”

“Ha ah. Why the heck would he make it like this?”

“That is why he is called eccentric.  It’s best to just kill him…”

Huh-guk.(TLN:gasp)  Why did the conversation return to that?

The glint in his eyes turned bleak once again.  I hurriedly brought up another story to calm El-wee-en.

“Ah, by the way. El-wee-en.  Do you remember the dragon called Lapiz Lazuli?

“……..Who is that?”

“Uh? Ah, it is a red dragon..  He summoned El-wee-en numerous times to make a contract?”

“When?”

El-wee-en replied back as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.  He made me flustered instead.

What?  He has an expression as if he didn’t know anything?  Maybe.. He doesn’t remember it?

I was flustered, but I remembered what Trowell said.  I easily answered back El-wee-en’s query.

“That is… about 3 thousand years ago?  There was an issue when a red dragon hatchling summoned Elqueeness…  Isn’t that right?”

“Three thousand years? Hmmm.  Now that you mention it, I think there was an impertinent baby lizard..”

Huh-guk!  He really doesn’t remember it!

—

TLN: There is an author note that I didn’t translate.  Basically, she said she was bad with numbers so she decided to make everything random.;;-ㅁ-;;
She says it isn’t really important.

—

What the hell!  I can’t even go out to play, because of the incident that happened before I was born…
The main culprit, El-wee-en, can’t even remember it!  Isn’t that too much?

I couldn’t speak, because I was too aggrieved and dumbfounded.  El-wee-en was puzzled looking at me.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“Ha..Ha.. That is..  That red dragon is interfering with other dragons from making a contract with Elqueeness.. Something like that. ”

“Hmm..  That dragon really has nothing better to do?  What a joke.  So what?”

You are the main instigator! You!  Do you even realize that?

Even though it happened three thousand years ago, he was the main reason why the dragon was interfering with the contract with the spirit king.  I’m the dumb one for expecting him to actually remember it.

I couldn’t overcome El-wee-en’s expression that was rushing me so I replied begrudgingly.  My expression had horribly stiffened.

“The other dragons are hesitant to summon the water spirit king since they’ve been threatened if they make a contract with Elqueeness.
Even though there was a change in generation of Elqueeness, he won’t budge an inch.
Moreover, he left to play and no one knows when he’ll come back.
Now I can’t even dream about going out to play until he returns.”

“Is it my fault?”

“Maybe?  That guy wanted to make a contract with you..  This was all caused by you refusing him..  So you could see it that way?”

Truthfully, it was 100% El-wee-en’s fault.

However, I felt bad putting it in those terms to El-wee-en, so I tried my best to soften the words.

El-wee-en knit his brow as if something was bothering him, but soon he nodded his head in assent.

“You said Lapiz Lazuli?  Wait a little bit, son.  I’ll go kill him and come back.”

“Huk!  Why did the story develop this way?!”

“It’s best to get rid of problematic bastards quickly.
If I assemble the angels then it shouldn’t be too hard to find his location.  So if we get rid of him…”

“Please stop.. ”

Eventually I convinced El-wee-en that I could go out to play at a later time, and I closed the situation.

Even though I wanted to play in some comfort, I couldn’t kill a dragon in perfect health?

He was a bit impertinent, but I could personally revenge myself on him at a later time.

Now that I think about it, doesn’t a normal spirit live over ten thousand years?
Later on I’ll probably go out until I am sick of it so it wasn’t too bad to spend some time in the spirit world.
Even if I spent ever day of my life in Everse Eden, I wouldn’t get sick of it.
I could watch the spirits dance, watch them joyfully converse or have fun collecting each flowers made out of gems.

The other spirit kings weren’t interested in something related to money so they asked ‘why are you gathering those.’  However, I didn’t have the heart to pass up a pile of money while say ‘Ah, that’s pretty.’

The amazing thing about the flowers in Everse Eden was that no matter how much you bend or step on the flowers it re-blooms, and cleanly recovers.

“Huhuhu… Rich.  I’m rich..  If I only have one of these, I could use it to live and play for couple decades. Yes…”

I was smiling gloomily in front of a rose made out of ruby when I heard sharp voice butting in from behind me.

“Tsk Tsk.  You are in such a sorry state right now because you are thinking human thoughts.
Instead you should have listened to El-wee-en and get rid of the dragon?  Everyone is busy going out to play and you are here playing by yourself looking miserable..  I can see what your future will be like. It’s obvious.”

She clicked her tongue as if I was pathetic while looking at me.  It was none other than Ifrit.

I must have been a sorry sight since I had been collecting the jewel flowers for the past couple days.  She would occasionally pick couple flowers herself before berating me.

I received the Stroblanthes made out of diamonds from Ifrit, and I grumbled sulkily.

“I can’t kill a life that has nothing wrong with it just because I want to go out to play.  I’d rather beat him up with my hands.. You never know?
Another race, other than a dragon, might be able to summon me?”

” That is a hopeless dream.  Didn’t you hear from Trowell?  Summoning Elqueeness is harder than summoning a normal spirit king.
There are no humans that has that much mana contained in their body or have enough affinity to nature.
The human body is like a thin glass bowl where it’ll break if a little hot water is poured in.”

“Humans aren’t the only race that can summon a spirit?”

“Are you hoping for an elf?  Stop. Please stop.  Are you looking down on a spirit king summoning?
It’s classified as a ‘miracle’. The elves are a harmonious race, and they aren’t able to create a ‘miracle’ that could upset the balance of the world.
They are an existence that is closest to spirits, but they aren’t able to do anything.”

“Ooh ooh.. Then I’ll wait for a dragon affiliated with water..”

After hearing my words soaked with defeat, Ifrit shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t want to bother with it anymore.

“Do what you will.  I think I’ll go out on a vacation starting right now.
Ah, I forgot.  El-wee-en is busy, so I think he won’t be able to come here anymore for a while?  Do you remember the time when I went to the god world and made a mess of his office?
There were a lot of important documents there.  It should probably take him a long time to recover it all?”
” ……. ”

“If I run across Lapiz Lazuli then I’ll put in a good word for you.
He must have a conscience so once he learns that there was a generation change then he shouldn’t be able to leave it alone?
Maybe he’ll try to summon you again.”

“I don’t want to be summoned by him.”

“Are you in a position to choose between cold and hot water?  You might end your life as the first spirit king to not go on a vacation.”

Chet.  Stop speaking nonsense.

The dragon was born 3 thousand years ago so his age should be 3 thousand.  It’s been only two month since I was born so our life expectancy cannot be the same.

Most dragons have a life expectancy of 10 thousand years so I just have to wait seven thousand years for that bastard to die.  I’ll have plenty of time to go out and play within my life time.

Moreover, there was no law saying a dragon with affinity toward water can’t be born?

However, I knew better than anyone that this thought was very wretched.

I said the right things but.. I have to wait 7 thousand years just to go out and play?  Do they think I’m a pushover?  I don’t want to!

At that moment, I wanted to ask El-wee-en for an assassination.

It would be better if the bastard called Lapiz Lazuli summoned me before that happens.

“By the way, Ifrit, have you ever seen that red dragon?”

“If it was three thousand years ago then it happened before I was born.
Moreover, that guy didn’t try to summon El-wee-en after he got dumped a couple of times.
That might be why I didn’t have a chance to meet him?  I’ll have you know that I have made a contract with only one dragon.
I haven’t met any other dragons.”

“Before you were born.. How old are you?”

Ah, now that I think about it I don’t know the exact age of Trowell or Minerva.

We are practically family living under the same roof so it was shocking that I didn’t know their age.
I thought they had lived only a couple hundred years..that is what I thought, but I never thought to ask.

Ifrit responded to my question by lightly replying ‘2013’.

“Trowell is 4230 year old and Minerva is 16360 years old.  Her age is not so different from when El-wee-en died.  Now that I think about it, Minerva..
She is living past the normal life expectancy.  She might die soon?”

“Huk….”

Is it because they are spirit kings?  Even when talking about death, they talk as if they are talking about going next door to play.  They had a bold attitude towards death.

I already know that I’ll become a god after death, but my heart quickens just thinking about it.

Afterwards Ifrit said, ‘I’ll see you later’, and she disappeared from Everse Eden.  My heart was feeling afraid and empty. For awhile, I didn’t know where to rest my gaze so I stood there dumbly.

When El-wee-en was Elqueeness, was Ifrit’s feeling like mine when she heard he’ll die?

No one has left my side yet, but already I was afraid of the predestined parting in the future.

Even though there was a promise to meet at a later date.

I returned to the water territory with an uneasy heart.  Darkness had already descended by then.

I lay atop my bed sorting my complex moods and before I knew it I fell asleep.

I awoke midway, because I heard a voice coming from somewhere.
【Elqueeness】

 

Ooh-oong.. What is it…”

I’m pretty sure I heard a person’s voice.. The strange thing was I didn’t hear it through my ears, but it felt like it rang directly in my head.

The communication between spirits were not carried out by sounds, and the ringing felt like it was delivered through vibrations. Still I have never felt this strong sense of ‘wonder’ before.

I was still asleep so I was trying hard to wake up, but the impatient voice shook me again.

【Elqueeness!】

“Ooh ooh. Alright. I’m getting up so stop calling me..”

Who is looking for me at night?
All the other spirit kings knew that I slept every night because of my human habits. If possible, they were suppose to push their business with me to the next day.

Therefore, it must be an important business for them to call me like this today..but I still had a hard time waking up from sleep.

This caused the voice that dawdled above my bed to beg in impatience again.

【Please, Elqueeness!】

“Ha ah.. Why are you… Ooh ooh, alright~ Can’t you see I’m getting up?”

Since I’m being called by my full name, it couldnt’ be Trowell.
After he gave me a nickname, he must have really liked the nickname since he would only call me by ‘El’.

El-wee-en only calls me as ‘son’, so he’s excluded. Then it must be Minerva or Ifrit. Does it mean it’s one of them?

Still the voice.. It sounds a little bit different?

Compared to the uniquely treble voice that Minerva and Ifrit possessed, the current voice was a bit lower. It was closer to the voice of a young boy.

I was able to question it only for a moment before the voice that was trying to wake me started feeling more desperate.

【Come to me, Elqueenss!】

…..Come to me?

What are you talking about! Who are you! What do you do!

I was annoyed, so I woke up in place after dispelling the sleep ghosts that were closing my eyelids.

However… I was dumbfounded when I didn’t find anyone in the surrounding.

“What… What the.. Is it a ghost?”

I murmured to myself after feeling absurd then I sat down in a daze. I looked over the territory of water, which was still sunken in darkness.

Unconsciously, I looked around to find the source of the sound – then I found it.

It was a round picture that was as big as the ‘Mirror of Connection’ I saw in the underworld.
It floated in front of my eyes like a hologram. The border was surrounded by resplendent gold color, and the border was laid out with complex symbol that seems to follow some sort of rule.

I blankly stared at it for a moment before I easily recognized that it looked very similar to Uraus’ magical necklace or the magical formation that teleports one to the god world.(TLN: the symbols looks similar)

The moment I realized that, the voice that woke me up rang out from inside the round hologram.

【Please come to me, Elqueeness! I’m begging you! Please!!】

..right then I instinctively understood. I looked at it with shocked eyes, and without realizing it, I spoke absentmindedly.

“Summoning..magic circle?”

This wasn’t a speculation.

The instinct that shows up with regards to really important matters was telling me that this was summoning magic.

If not, how else could a bizarrely shaped picture form up in the empty water territory!

Maybe a brave dragon ignored Lapiz Lazuli, and memorized the summoning spell?

I stared at it with a disbelieving face. Soon without realizing it my hand touched the magic formation.

Pa-ah-aht-

When my hand touched the magic formation, a surprising amount of golden light started spraying everywhere.

I was scared out of my wits, and I tried to pull back. However, it was too late to do anything.

It felt like I was falling off a high-rise building. I held back the urge to scream, while shutting my eyes.

However, the feeling was very brief.
I felt my body become stable, and I opened my eyes to see a foreign land that I had never seen before. It wasn’t the territory of water.

Where is this place? Who am I?..those words came out automatically, because the surrounding location held no familiarity.

The spacious place was spread with endless grass, and it was connected to a forest. Also next to it, there was a small spring.

The surrounding was dark as night, and I confirmed there was nothing to see there.

It felt like I had come deep into a mountain? Does a dragon live here?

I was looking around with shocked eyes when I looked at the ground on a whim. I was surprised to find a someone lying on the ground.

“Huk…What..What is it… A person?”

That’s right. It was a person.
He didn’t look ok. He looked like he had fallen over after having a seizure.  The man’s face was wrinkled with pain.

He looked around my age?
He didn’t look tall, and he still had a baby face. No matter how one looked at it, he looked like a boy in his mid-teens.

Why is he out here in the twilight of the night? Maybe he sleep walks?

I was taken aback, so I tried to wake up the teen by shaking him with my hands. As soon as I made contact with his body, I was shocked by the state of his body which I could feel naturally…

“Huh-guk… He doesn’t have any mana. What is this? How is he alive.. Is he really a human? Nevermind that!! This guy summoned me?!”

I instantly understood that he was the only one here in the surrounding, so I couldn’t help but be shocked.

No matter how I look at him, isn’t he a human?

Trowell and Ifrit singled out the humans as beings unable to summon us. So what happened?

Maybe he is a polymorphed dragon? (TLN: shape-shift)
They had a habit of occasionally using their magic to transform into humans, so my thoughts weren’t all wrong. However, I felt that something was a bit off.

Can a dragon really use up all his mana after summoning me?

“Ah ah. I shouldn’t be doing this right now. He might die. First, I should recover his mana…”

The consumed mana from successfully summoning a Spirit king could be returned to the summoner if the Spirit king’s chooses to do so.

I had already been summoned, so I could absorb the surrounding mana to maintain my form without the help of the summoner. Without much difficulty, I put the mana I received from him into his body.

This caused his complexion to improve, and his body started to twitch. While moaning, he started opening his eyes.

With a happy heart, I got close to him before I could ask, ‘are you ok’.

“Hey, did you really summon me? Are you a human or a dragon?”

….even I thought I was going a bit overboard. I asked him what his race was right after he barely escaped death.

However, at the time I didn’t even realize this, because I was too impatient.
I think I have a tendency to focus on trivial details.

While lying down, he stared blankly at me. He hadn’t fully woken up, and he wasn’t able to pull his body up.

Then he opened his dried lips, and spoke in a cracked voice.
At first, the sound was so low that I wasn’t sure he spoke.

“…You.. Who are you?… Blue colored hair… Dream?….”

“What the heck? You called me, but you don’t remember it? I’m Elqueeness. You don’t remember summoning me?”

“Elqueene..ss? That is.. Again What…!! Elqueeness?!!!”

Bul-dduk. (TLN: sound of him sitting upright)

Huk. That surprised me.

After hearing my name, the guy who was weak and half dead suddenly stood up with fire in his eyes. I stepped back in surprise.

He approached without any regard for me, and clasped my shoulders. Then he started shaking me.

I didn’t expect his movement, so I couldn’t resist when he started shaking me.

Ooh-uh-uh.(TLN: it’s a nonsensical sound) I’m dizzy~~

My eyes were moving around in a circle, and I couldn’t focus. Then the guy started screaming as if he had a grudge.

“Why! Why did you do it!! Tell me! Tell me why!!”

“What are you..? Ooh-uh-uh~~ I’m getting dizzy~~”

“Shut up! Hurry up and answer me~ Why did you do it! Because of you, I… My parents!! Why~~!!”

His unfocused eyes weren’t normal. Most definitely, this guy hasn’t fully waken up yet.

For a guy in his situation, why does he possess such prodigious strength… Why is he endlessly interrogating me?

I asked one question about his race, but now he is trying to eat an innocent spirit alive.(TLN: figure of speech) I started thinking hard about how to resolve this unfortunate situation.

During all this, he was still shaking me, while continuing to desperately yell at me.

“Tell me-! Tell me about it! Hurry up and answer me! Quickly!!”

..eventually I blew up.

“Ooh-ah-ahk~ You have to tell me why you are berating me! Let me go and talk, you damn bastard!! ”

“Elqueeness!!”

“Yeah! You are right. My name is Elqueeness, so stop calling me and shut the hell up! Are you my summoner? Even you are going to ignore me.  Is it because the dragons are avoiding me! Eh-eh-it!(TLN:sound of frustration) Why does everything that is related to me turn out this way!”

You summoned a spirit king that any summoner in the world would have to exchange their life to summon yet you decide to shake and interrogate me without any plan!

Moreover, you don’t even explain to me the reason before continuously asking me to answer.. Am I a genius? Or are you mistaking me for Trowell, who can use his insight to read your inner feelings?

If you wanted that, then you should have summoned Trowell from the beginning! Why did you summon me and make me go through all this hardship!

I fumed while glaring at him and that seemed to calm him down a little. He stopped shaking me with his hands, and he mumbled with a blank stare.

” You really are…Elqueenss?”

“Ha-ah.(TLN: sighing noise) Yes, I’m really Elqueeness. How are you going to be useful with so much suspicion? Ah, that’s right. I bet you aren’t a dragon?
I’m pretty sure you are a human since you seem to have a lot of suspicion. Am I right?” (TLN: humans are suspicious in nature)

I brusquely berated him, but he didn’t show any emotion.
His eyes were still blank.. I was sure he was having a hard time waking up.

Jeez. This is more pathetic than a person talking in his sleep.
I scowled while knocking his hands off my shoulders.

“Since you can see me, you seem to have succeeded in summoning me. What the heck were you thinking when you..”

“Please make a contract with me!!”

” ……. “

 

ne minute had passed since he stopped talking.. Now he wants to make a contract?

I stopped speaking and stared at him with shock. From start to finish, something feels a bit off?

This guy.. Is he in his right mind?

I hoped I didn’t get summoned by a crazy human, so I carefully looked over him again with concerned eyes.

His complexion was a bit haggard, but he had white skin and decent facial features. He could be classified as fairly handsome.
He had nice short blond curls that shined in the night’s light. His cloths were pleasantly simple, but overall he was neat.

He didn’t look like someone who was wandering around, because he was crazy. Therefore, I decided to relax a little bit.

” If someone is able to succeed in summoning me then regardless of race the person has the right to form a contract. My name is Water Spirit King Elqueeness. You?”

“…Isana. Isana Ran Salt..”

“Ah ah. Ok, Isana. If you and I carry out the contract then you’ll provide the power to bring me to this world, and in return I’ll provide assistance to you. ..do you want to make a contract?”

“Oong!! ” (TLN: Yeah!!)

His eyes was still unfocused so he still wasn’t in the right frame of mind. However, the joy that showed up on his fake was devoid of any lies.

Does he think this is a dream? When he wakes up and finds out that he had made a contract with a Spirit King, I wonder what expression his face will make?

While laughing, the water’s energy was concentrated into my two fingers. Then I moved it close to Isana’s forehead.

Pa-ah-aht- (TLN: like an electricity spark sound )

The clear water droplet disassembled, and the water’s energy went through my finger onto Isana’s forehead. On his forehead, a beautiful blue mark started forming.

It was the seal of water that signified that he was the Spirit King’s contractor.

This could be only seen by spirits so Isana, as Elqueenss’ contractor, would be treated with respect from spirits lower than me.
It was my first contract, but I was able to finish it without many mistakes. Afterwards, I realized 10% of my strength, which he lost when I came to the human world, had returned. (TLN: There is a penalty to his power when he comes to the human world, after contract the penalty lessened by 10%)

‘Ooh wa. If I have a contractor then the restriction loosens a little?’

As long as Isana is alive, I’ll be able to project myself into the human world.

The initial bad feelings towards Isana was forgotten.

“The contract is complete. Now you, as my contractor, could ask for help from me whenever you need it. My low-level spirit underlings can be used without a contract. Ah, you will have to be careful though. Once a spirit king makes a contract, they are able to gather the mana to themselves and use it. However, the regular spirits will use the mana in your body. If you call too many forth, then you might die from mana overuse. Be careful. ”

“Really.. We made a contract? Me?”

He mumbled disbelieving while touching the spot on his forehead where my hand had touched. I laughed while watching Isana.

It was a contract made on impulse, but it didn’t feel bad. Instead of waiting several hundred years, I was happy to make the contract much sooner.

With a happy heart, I put forth one hand to request a handshake from Isana.

” Please look after me. Mr. Contractor.”

“Ah..Ooh oong!”(TLN:Ok!)

He still hadn’t processed the situation, so Isana hurriedly tried to grab my hand.
However, he fell to floor without touching my hand. He fell asleep as if he had fainted.

The mana consumption from my summoning must have been a lot, so the shock to his body and mind must have been large.

I panicked, but I was barely able to catch him and support him before he could hit the floor entirely.

Ha-ah. What am I suppose to do?

After supporting Isana as if I was hugging him, I sighed while making an exasperated face.
Isana had summoned me in the heart of a mountain.
In the surrounding, I could only see trees and grass. The robust leaves were covering the sky and I couldn’t properly see the sky.

I was hoping a house was nearby, so I asked the Naiads to look around for me. The answer that came back indicated that there weren’t any houses nearby. There weren’t even vacant lots around.

The closest town was about 3 hours away if we had to walk. Why did this young kid come to this rugged mountain at night? Wasn’t he scared?

This place didn’t have advanced technology like Korea, so there weren’t any light posts, bright lights from the billboards or lights from cars.

The night only had the moon and stars. It was hard to differentiate items with the small amount of light.

After being reborn as a Spirit King, my eyesight were extremely good, so it didn’t bother me no matter how dark it got. However, wasn’t Isana a normal person?

He managed to come to this place by himself. With a complicated expression, I mumbled to myself.

“Should I go down to the town?”

-I don’t think that is a good idea, my king. The humans’ wariness gets stronger at night. They would not welcome a visit from a stranger.

“But I can’t leave Isana like this. It’s fall right now. It would not matter if it was midday, but the night is very cold. I don’t think his tired body could endure it.”

“Then don’t you just have to make him warm? It would be ok to call forth fire spirits. Also, I don’t think this youth is in a situation where it would be good for him to go to town.

“What are you talking about?”

My eyes became round when I heard the calm answers from Sea-cue-el. It might not be a good situation even if he went down to the town?

Then it might be dangerous for him to go to town?

I gave a puzzled look to Sea-cue-el. Sea-cue-el thought about how to explain this situation before continuing to speak.

-I may be presumptuous in thinking this, but he may not be a normal person. He is a person that came to this mountain that is far from the town at night.

“Is someone chasing after him?”

-Yes, my king. Even if he isn’t being chased, it would still be troubling to go down to the town.

Ha-ah. That’s how it is. Maybe I..Did I become an accomplice to a huge criminal..?

I felt really uncomfortable, but I had already made the contract. Since I can’t cancel it, I decided to watch over the situation.

I didn’t think a youth my age could be a huge criminal that had to avoid other people.

However, it wasn’t too long before I realized my thoughts were too complacent.

“What have you done to Isana-nim?”

“Huk..”

Suddenly a very dark man appeared in front of me, and he asked in a cold voice.

He wore a vest on top with a wide-legged pants. He had wide shoulders, and his cloth revealed his muscular arms. He had a mask that was pushed over his nose, so it was hard to tell what he looked like.

His presence was enough to intimidate a normal person.

There was another human inside this mountain. Is he a companion of Isana?

His blue eyes glared at me, who was frozen while holding Isana. Soon he unsheathed his sword from his waist and pointed it in front of me.

Ss-ss-roon. (TLN: sfx sword coming out)

It was like something out of a movie. I couldn’t believe there would be a day I would encounter a blade that was reflecting the moonlight.

The edge was silver-colored, and the moonlight was dancing across it. It was a scene that was admirable. Still it wasn’t enough to make me gape at it in such situation.

It’s not like I would die if I was stabbed, but my back tensed up automatically. I spoke in a wooden voice.

“That…can you put away your sword? It’s scary?”

“Who are you? What did you do to Isana-nim?”

‘Isana ‘Nim’? ‘

Heh-eh~ This guy.. His station might be unexpectedly high? I looked over the fainted Isana with new eyes.

Now that you mention it, his face is very delicate considering he is a male… He looked like he hadn’t had any hardship since he was born. Is he a noble?

I guess the man didn’t like my curious gaze. The unknown man’s face deformed terribly.

Strangely, I could only think ‘This is fun’ while looking at his figure. I didn’t feel any fear or anxiety.

‘I guess I had to overcome the god, El-wee-en, and the other spirit kings’ presence everyday. I guess it couldn’t be compared to the intimidation emitted by a human?’

Before I knew it, I had fully become a spirit king. With a tranquil heart, I nodded my head and I smiled with my mouth open.

“You don’t have to worry about Isana. His body is in shock since he is tired.”

“You bastard- How dare you speak his name!”

“Aleck! Please wait. Isana-nim’s condition is weird.”

‘Uh-ra? There was another person?’

The person who came forth was able to instantly calm the man called Aleck, who was about to rampage.
He was very tall and he had a gentle face. Overall, he looked like a man with a weak constitution.

It feels like he is a nerd? He was excessively tidy, so he didn’t go well together with this rough mountain.

Wasn’t he the type that was suited to drinking tea while reading a thick book in a quiet room?

While I was thinking this inside, the man urgently walked toward me. Without my permission, he snatched Isana away and started looking all over him.

“He is in an exhausted state. Maybe, Isana-nim-!”

“What is happening, Feliz? Did you find something out?”

“This is a serious matter, Aleck. I think Isana-nim tried to summon a spirit. It is my fault.
If I didn’t tell him, we needed a water spirit..”

“Spirit Summoning?”

The docile looking man called Feliz lowered his head in guilt. This made Aleck’s eyes widen.

“What do you mean by Spirit summoning? I thought not anyone could do it? What caused Isana-nim to be in this state?”

“Ku-huk.. That..is. Isana-nim had a weak talent as a summoner, so I mentioned it as a jest.
I told him if he applied himself then he would be able to summon a spirit..
Right now Isana-nim is extremely exhausted, so his body’s mana must be very depleted.

It is a phenomenon that often happens when a summoner fails to summon a spirit.”

“That is..”

No, look here. Why are you insisting that Isana failed to summon a spirit? Who do you think is in front of your eyes?

In my opinion, the assessment by the man called Feliz wasn’t wrong. However, it wasn’t correct either.

As a side effect of failing to summon a spirit, the body’s mana can be quickly depleted, but conversely that could also happen when one succeeds in summoning a spirit.

The current Isana had summoned a high leveled spirit that was beyond his ability. If the caster is not able to reach the mana require to summon a spirit then the mana that maintains a person’s life is also used. Naturally, the caster would reach an extreme state of exhaustion.

However, Feliz didn’t mention this possibility so from the beginning, he thought it was impossible for Isana to summon a spirit.

“Are you..a summoner?”

My eyes widened when I felt a faint energy of a spirit coming from Feliz, who was lamenting.

After careful inspection I could see a ‘Seal of Wind’ imprinted on his forehead that was made by a low-level wind spirit.

“How..how did you know? You are also a spirit summoner?”

Feliz looked at me in surprise since I was able to easily see through his abilities. The state of Isana had stopped Aleck from worrying about me, but he started to raise his sword again against me while narrowing his forehead.

“Who are you! Who’s money did you receive to get rid of Isana-nim? Reveal yourself!”

“This.. Calm down. What do you mean by get rid of him for money. I’m not that kind of person. Moreover, Isana was the one who called me here.”

“How would Isana-nim call you when he doesn’t know you! You bastard! If you don’t tell the truth…”

-Ku-hahahahahaha~~~

Hui-ee-ing..

The sudden wind was accompanied by a cheerful laugh, and the high tiered wind spirit Jinn brushed by me. It was the only spirit that had the appearance of a teen. Unlike his outward appearance, he had a fast temper so Minerva has to go through great pains to handle him.

The humans, Aleck and Feliz, could not see this spirit. However, there was a strong wind caused by his movement, and it made the branches shake.

This caused the bright moonlight to slip through the crack in space between the leaves. The blinding moonlight penetrated through and it started spreading across the ground.

This caused the surrounding to brighten, and this caused Aleck and Feliz to finally realize what I looked like.

Were they curious about my blue hair?

I met the gaze of the two men who was dumbly staring at me. I tried laughing while having an embarrassed expression.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you. Could you leave Isana to me? I’ve only tried fixing superficial injuries before, but I think I’ll able to recover his physical strength…”

-It is possible, Elqueeness-nim. Only the power required will be steeper then when you were at the spirit world.

Ah, is that right?

I smiled and nodded my head to Sea-cue-el as if everything was ok.
Then I received Isana from the shocked Feliz. I put my hand on his forehead, and I spoke the spell for recovery.

【Restoration】

Shoo-ooh-ook… Accompanying a small sound, the water energy rode up my hand and started gathering.
Then it went into Isana’s forehead without any resistance, and his vitality was fully recovered.

I looked at Isana’s face, which had brightened a bit, with satisfaction. I mumbled while passing him over to Feliz.

” It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Previously when I healed Uraus’ hand, all my strength was depleted. This is… It felt very simple?”

– It is comparably easy to recover vitality. Moreover, Uraus-nim’s had an abnormal burn. It was caused by hell’s fire. It is something even a high tier god would have a hard time treating, so of course, you would have spent a lot of your ability.

“Mmmm… So that’s how it is.”

“Hey! Why do you keep talking to yourself?.. What are you playing at?”

Sea-cuel-el couldn’t be seen, so Aleck mistakenly thought I was talking to myself.

To him I looked very young, so his wariness filled with a cold energy was taken down a notch.

Moreover, he hadn’t noticed that I had recovered Isana’s vitality. Did he think my hand on the forehead was a suspicious move?

I smirked and pointed at Isana, who was still knocked out.

” Ask him who I am when he wakes up. ”

“What..what?”

Aleck made an incredulous expression, and he kept asking for my identity. I didn’t reply back.

This confirmed me as more of a suspicious person. I had to accompany them to their hideout – it means I got dragged there – I didn’t feel like revealing myself.

If you ask me the reason..wasn’t Isana the first human to summon Elqueeness?
Therefore, I wanted Isana to be the first one to be able to boast about it.

The person who wants to open the gift wrap the most is the person who had received the gift.

It was a useless consideration(TLN: he knows its dumb, but he just feels like not revealing himself), but I just felt like doing that. Now that I think about it, I wonder what he will say when he wakes up and looks at me?

For several reasons, it was a night filled with anticipation, but the ending wasn’t that great.

After we arrived at the hideout, I was deposited in the corner with ropes wrapped around me.

At that place, there were men other than Aleck and Feliz. There were numerous men boasting beefy bodies. After our conversation, Aleck look at me with a queer gaze and he proceeded to put me in ropes without even thinking about it, and threw me into a corner.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary or I won’t leave you alone, little kid. I’ll ask Isana-nim what your identity is as you have suggested. If you do anything suspicious before that, then your head will go Bye-bye from your body. Ahng? Do you understand?”

“Ha…Ha.. Yes…”

He coldly threatened me by placing a great sword as tall as me onto my neck. I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

..Mmmm.. I had unnecessarily fostered a misunderstanding…should I just say ‘I’m a spirit’?

By the way… This Isana. Why does he have this kind of men following him around? Who is he?

‘Maybe he is the son of a bandit..?’

Afterwards excluding the men who were guarding me, they all started bustling around trying to prepare the place the fainted Isana would be placed.

They only placed one layer of cloth on the floor, but it was an evidence of status. If it was a normal person, they would just lie down on the bare floor.

There were evidence of campfires near the round formation in the middle, so it seems like they have been living near here for a while…
What have they been up to that they couldn’t even prepare a blanket?

Like Sea-cue-el had said, do they have a reason for not going down to the town?

I was curious about many things, but I decided to quietly keep an eye on the situation.
This might heighten the men’s suspicion of me, but they didn’t bother me since they had checked if my ropes were secure a couple of times.

This was how my first day of contract passed in futility.

 

Hey. We are in trouble. Kay’s fever has gotten worse.”

“What? Damn. We are out of medicine…”

I had fallen asleep while being tied up. The loud voices of people caused me to wake up with much effort.

I blinked my blurry eyes several times. The white fog receded in a moment, and I started closely observing my surrounding.

The darkness hadn’t receded yet, but it had brightened considerably more than before I went to sleep.
I muttered, while watching the stars starting to disappear.

“Is it dawn…”

It’s early so what is all the fuss?
I looked around the strange surrounding, and it wasn’t hard to find the place where the people were gathered.

As if they were desperate or distressed, the men’s faces were distorted. The men moved around busily – maybe it is a patient -, they were observing someone who was lying down.

Is someone sick?

I forgot my current situation in surprise, so I started talking to them.

“What’s happening? Is someone sick?”

“You are being noisy, brat. Don’t bother us and just get bent. Shit.(TLN:I guess I can swear