Elqueeness – Chapter 33

 

Maybe another couple might be born.  This thought made me pleased, so I smiled.  I’ve lived my entire life as a single, but I wasn’t jealous of them.  I thought it would be nice if good things happened to people.
Now that I think about it, after I was born as the Spirit King, I’ve already gotten acquainted with 3 couples?

Amongst them, the one that had the most influence on my life would most definitely be the Elwien and Ifrit couple.  After Ifrit ceased to exist, the timing was still a little bit off, but the relationship between the two existence had some hope for development.  Also, I had actively stepped forward to push them into becoming a couple.

But…  Do I really have to call Ifrit my mother? Well, Elwien didn’t require me to call him ‘Dad’, so it should be ok.  However, it was still worrying.  Even though their actual age is several thousand years more than mine, but it was hard to call someone mother when her appearance wasn’t very far off from mine.

If I looked at it that way, then Elwien’s appearance didn’t look too old either.  I had easily accepted him as my father without much complaint.  Even though I was blackmailed, I had acknowledged him as ‘father’ instead of ‘big brother’.  Does this mean his charisma is extraordinary?  Maybe, the fact that he was the previous Elqueeness might have influenced me strongly.

‘Hmmm, did Elwien look at me as his son since we fall into the same category? Is it because I was the future generation of Elqueeness?’

Even if his personality stayed the same, when he became a god, he probably couldn’t resist being drawn to an existence with the same constituent of water.  Maybe it was like the draw of a bloodline?  Now that I could make that connection, I felt very good about the relationship.

When Harold was able to get out of bed, the party planned on departing early in the morning.  In the end, their plans were delayed by several days, but they had received an unexpected source of income. (The Cerberus’ leather was more expensive than they thought)
It had been more profitable than heading towards East Gate, so no one complained.

The city people hadn’t been able to use the South Gate for awhile, because of the monsters.  As a thank you, everyone tried to treat them to dinner, so they couldn’t leave easily.  It was an uncertain situation for them.  They tried to refuse adamantly, but they kept receiving several baskets of bread.  They were also given hard to get alcohols from people.  I felt this world had more compassion compared to Korea.

“We are mercenaries.  We just did our job.  These kinds of treatments are inappropriate.”

“Oh my, aren’t we all alive because of you mercenaries?  You guys are heroes, who did a task no one was able to do.  Instead, we are ashamed that we can’t do more than this for you all.  Let us at least treat you to dinner.”

Countless number of people had expressed their thanks this way until now.  They could accept it once or twice with good grace, but it became burdensome after awhile.  Hosane maintained a polite smile, then he softly declined the offer.

“We’ve already received treatment in excess.  Our party is heading out at an early hour, so I’ll just receive your heartfelt thanks for now.”

“Huh huh…gracious me.  I feel bad about it.”

The man was at a loss, but in our arms, we’ve already held a handful of cookies and breads he had made.  Even then he felt it was inadequate, so he wanted to give something more.  The party members didn’t want to accept more yet they couldn’t coldly reject him.  They were in a bind.

However, after a brief moment, well-dressed people showed up in front of the inn we were staying in.  The people around us had a frightened expression, and they started to slowly exit from where they stood.  There was a blond man in his 20s on a white horse, and he was handsome in his own way.  He was approaching them with ten armored men .

His clothes were flashy, and he looked very clean.  At a glance, he looked to be from some well-off family.  Is he a noble?  I asked this question inside, and before I knew it they had arrived right in front of our noses.  The man didn’t get off his horse, and he just looked down to survey his surrounding.  The first one to open his mouth was a man in armor, who looked to be the oldest in the group.

“Are you the mercenaries, who defeated the monsters that appeared at the South Gate?”

He asked a question without adding any superfluousness.  However, his tone of voice couldn’t hide his arrogance.  He looked at them as if they were repulsive creatures.  His face, which was covered by the helmet, was probably distorted in contempt.  Hosane quietly observed him.  He had no choice, but to bow and reply in a polite manner.

“I am the leader of the Champagne Mercenaries, Hosane.  What can we do…”

“Kkhmm.(TLN: he cleared his throat)  I am the Leader of the Phoenix Knights, Crent.  This is the eldest son of Marquis Kyle de Clan, Elkino, who is staying with Lord Halberk!  You have defeated the South Gate’s monsters instead of the city guards.  Our lord’s precious steps have traveled here to commend you.  Get on your knees!”

Except for the confused party members, everyone nearby started to get on their knees, and they bowed.

Huk.  Everyone has to get on their knees when a son of a noble wants to commend them?  If it has to be like this, then I’d rather not be commended by him.

The only people there who didn’t bow down was the Champagne Mercenaries.  They still hadn’t realized what was going on.  When the Marquis’ son saw this, his face started to crumble in distaste.  The flustered man cried out in a loud voice.

“You insolent fools!  How dare you stand tall in front of this personage!  Hurry up at get on your knees!”

The party members finally realized what was going on.  Everyone started to slowly get on their knees with a sour expression.  Unexpectedly, the one to say a word of contradiction was Isana.  He spoke in a calm voice as his gaze didn’t leave the man in armor.

“According to the imperial law, the custom of getting on one’s knee to greet a person can only be done for the empire’s royal family.  Even if you are a son of a noble, you aren’t part of the royal family.  We don’t need to show you the highest level of courtesy.”

Oh oh! There was such a law?  As if his words were true, the knight made a startled expression.  However, he refused to back down, and he yelled excitedly.

“Wha, what did you say!  You talk well through your pie hole!  Do you not realize who this is!”

“Even if the pope of the demonic god’s church demanded it, I wouldn’t do it since he isn’t from the royal family.  You cannot require the people to greet you on their knees.  It is the law.  Do you and the master you serve want to be brought up for treason?”

“ …!!!… ”

In the end, he was right.  If one insisted on receiving a form of greeting only given to the royal family, it meant one has aspiration to become a royal.  It basically signified the person was trying to get rid of the current royal family.  It meant the person wanted to establish oneself as the new emperor.

These were obvious words, but the leader of the knights didn’t show any signs of easily agreeing with him.  Instead, he turned toward his  underlings, and he used the knights to threaten them.

“Ee..eeek!  What are you guys doing!  Arrest these impertinent bastards immediately!  Their crime is challenging and insulting a noble!  How dare you be impertinent in front of Elkino-nim! You will pay for your sins!”

“Yes, understood.”

The knights were given orders, and they ran forward in a menacing manner as they tried to arrest the party members.  However, the Champagne Mercenary couldn’t be taken down easily.  They decided it would be better to fight to the death than be meekly arrested.  The party members started pouring strength into the weapons they were holding.

Truthfully, it was the right thing to do.  They were Silver ranked mercenaries, and they wouldn’t be easily taken down even when facing battle-hardened knights.  This was why the knights were being very careful, while they tried to capture the party.  They must have already heard the news that we were a Silver ranked mercenary troop.

As the atmosphere became rough, the expression of the people nearby started to become strained.  Even if Isana’s words were right, they couldn’t go against a nobleman’s son, so they couldn’t wish the party good fortune in the upcoming battle.  When the knights were about to clash with the party members,  the nobleman’s son unexpectedly raised one hand to hold back the knights.

“Stop it.  I am hear to commend the mercenaries.  I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Yes?  But, sir!  They dared to be insolent…”

“It is unpleasant, but they didn’t say anything that was wrong.  Moreover, can’t you see there are women in the group?  As a knight, do you plan on treating the women roughly even if they are peasants?”

“I, I’ll redress the grievance.”

The leader of the knight was firmly rebuked, so he immediately bowed his reddened face.

I still couldn’t believe what had happened.  This country’s chivalry had reached rock bottom.  It was a truth I had already realized earlier when I saw the incident at the open fountain with Ferris.

At the time, a knight heartlessly kicked a woman, who wanted a sip of water.  He even confessed with his own mouth that his own chivalry was rotten to the core.  I thought the knights here wasn’t all that different.

Also, the young master, who stopped the knight, was overtly looking over Sherry and Irial with bad intentions in his eyes. It was difficult to see his action as an act of pure chivalry.  He licked his lips even when the people looked back at him with ill-humored and prideful expressions.  It made me have goosebumps.

“Ho-oh~  When they said you guys were mercenaries, I thought everyone would have a rough and rugged face.  I didn’t expect to see such beautiful women in your group.  Please forgive my subordinate’s rudeness, ladies.  Please look at me, and do this for me.”

They didn’t know why he wanted them to look at him, but Irial and Sherry decided they didn’t need to worsen the situation.  They reluctantly nodded their heads.  When they did, he put on a meaningful smile then he jumped off his horse.

As if he was scouting them, he looked over the women again. Then he mumbled something.  The party members’ shoulder became more tense than the time the knights was dispatched against them.

“Hue hue hue.  I hit the jackpot.  There is a sexy beauty, and an innocent girl…”

“…yes?  Did you just say something…”

“No.  Nothing.  As a compensation for my rudeness, I would like to invite you all to a feast this night.  What say you?”

Even as a fellow man, the nobleman’s slimy smile had the power to make one’s skin crawl.  So why was no one doing anything?  Normally, Hosane would step forward to decline the offer, but he was standing still.  I was taken aback, and I was surprised when I looked around.  All three men – Matey, Harold, and Hosanne – had an angry expression.  They looked like they were about to attack.

Harold and Irial had already become an official couple.  The other two men(Hosane and Matey) had their heart set on Sherry.  The men wouldn’t look kindly towards a man, who was eyeing the women.  They looked at him a venomous expression.  It was a miracle they didn’t throw a punch even if he was a noble.

When the atmosphere turned rough, the one who retained his composure was Tromwell.  He substituted for Hosane as he answered in a prim attitude.

” I thank you for your kindness.  However, we have to leave the city in a couple hours to stay on schedule.  Therefore, we can’t attend the dinner feast.”

“Huh?…!… Ho-oh, and you are?”

As if the refusal was distasteful, the nobleman’s son was about to frown.  However, when his gaze reached Tromwell, he made a peculiar expression then he smiled.  Again, they felt a sticky feeling akin to what they felt when his gaze landed on Irial and Sherry.  His hair-raising gaze made one want to take a step back.  However, Tromwell replied back as if he wasn’t affected by it. He seemed used to it.

“I’m a member of the Champagne Mercenary.”

“Ho-oh.  How old are you?”

“I’m 15 years old…  Is there a problem…?”

“No, no.  Hue hue…  Even though you are young, you are out in the dangerous world.  You must have a lot of live battle experience?  Indeed, you have the perfect body without anything unnecessary attached to it.”

“…thank you for the compliment.”

It was quite cold since it was late fall.  Tromwell didn’t feel the weather, so he continued to  wear his summer outfits. He unintentionally showed his shoulder, and the line of his body.  He was looking at Tromwell with such a greasy gaze that my body started to get goosebumps even though there weren’t any winds.  Even if I overlooked his behavior towards the women, Irial and Sherry, he was clearly showing interest in Tromwell, who was a young man….
That bastard!  Maybe he is a pervert?

The party members including me started to reveal a loathsome expression towards him.  However, the nobleman’s son was still unaware of it.  His gaze was still on Tromwell, and he continued to ‘hit’ on Tromwell.  Even though Tromwell was treated in such a detestable manner, his complexion didn’t change, and it made everyone admire him.

“What is your mercenary rank?”

“I have the silver rank…”

“Ho-oh.  You are only 15 years old, but you are a silver ranked mercenary?  That is quite impressive.  As a matter of fact, I’m short on soldiers to guard the castle, so I’m in the midst of recruiting…what say you?  Do you want to work at my mansion?  If you want, I can give you the title of a knight.  You won’t be disappointed by the benefits.”

No one here would think of his words as a pure recruitment pitch.  I swallowed the swear words that was about to come out, then I clenched my fist.  Tromwell saw this, and he frowned a little bit.  His eyes warned me not to interfere.

-T, Tromwell?

-Don’t do anything, El.  This bastard hasn’t found you yet.  Pull up your hood to cover your face, and don’t draw attention to yourself.

-B, but…

-I’m ok.  It’s quite funny, but I’m used to this kind of situations.  I’ll take care of it, so you mustn’t interfere.  Understood?

After saying this, Tromwell didn’t wait for my reply.  He looked at the nobleman’s son, and he spoke in a cold voice.  Unlike his normal self, he had turned icy and hard.  The party members weren’t familiar with him being like this, so their expression they made was new.

“I’m sorry, but I have no thoughts of leaving my company.  Also, I’m not interested in becoming a knight.  Even though, it is something you have suggested, I’ll have to decline.”

“Hmmm.  I really like your icy attitude. You have very provocative eyes.  This might be the first time I’ve seen such beautiful golden eyes.  Are you sure you don’t want to come?  You’ll make much more money than rolling with the mercenaries. ”

“Once again, I’m sorry.  I’ll have to decline.  I have no thoughts of leaving the company for any reasons.”

At his firm answer, he made an unexpectedly sad expression, and it seemed like he was about to back off.  He was backing off too easily compared to his persistent advances.  For a moment, everyone thought this was weird.

Then the nobleman’s son started looking around the party as if he was looking for a different prey.  His gaze became fixed on Isana, who had covered his entire face with his hood.

At that moment, a smile started forming on his lips.  It wasn’t the smile he gave Tromwell, which was filled with interest.  It was a smile of joy at finding some weakness.  What was he planning?  While I was worrying inside, the nobleman’s son spoke towards Isana with a grave expression.

“You knew about the imperial regulation.  It seems like you are very learned.  Maybe you are a scholar?”

“…I’m not.  I’m merely a temporary mercenary.”

“Ho-oh, is that right?  That hood seems very stuffy. Show me your face.”

‘Huk…’

It felt like my heart stopped beating for a moment.  Isana made an excuse to avoid the danger.  He said his face had a huge scar, so he was hesitant to show his face to others. Fortunately, the nobleman’s son only had an eye for beauty, so he probably wouldn’t look into a face that was said to be ugly.  However, his reaction was the opposite of what I expected, and the worst possible situation was about to occur…

“You dare go against my order!  I tried to be lenient, but a peasant dares to be impudent! Their insults toward a noble is overflowing!  Lock them inside the mansion’s basement prison!”

…this was what he said.  He started unfolding some nonsensical reasons.  No matter how one saw it, it was clear he had intentionally provoked the others.  Since he was a noble, they had no way of defying him.  It seemed like they were about to be dragged into a prison, so my mouth unconsciously opened.  Tromwell became aware of this, so he hurriedly yelled out.

“Wait a moment!”

“Huh? What are you…?”