8 - Elemental Kings, There Are Some Things I Really Don’t Need to Know!
SOMETHING soft enveloped my entire face, and I couldn’t breathe because of it.
“King of Fire, will you please release Lady Nefertima?”
“Oh, you’re here too, Celiunos?”
Once I was finally released, I greedily gulped in fresh, clean air as quickly as I could.
Who would’ve thought air could be so delicious?! This must be the freshest, most unpolluted, pure, and natural air in the world!
Having avoided suffocation, I examined the person who’d been hugging me and immediately understood why I’d come so close to death.
She’s freaking huge!
She wasn’t quite big enough to call a “giant” but was even taller than Shinki, making her close to seven feet tall.
And her generous bosom was a sight to behold as well.
Just as her title suggested, this woman, who Celiunos had referred to as the King of Fire, was decked out in flames. Her hair was literally made out of fire, and her clothes flickered around her like flames. I couldn’t determine if she’d somehow made actual fire take on the properties of cloth or if it was just some kind of mysterious garment.
Either way, it clearly wasn’t any old normal fire. After all, I hadn’t been burned when she hugged me.
“Yes,” Emperor Celiunos replied. “My empire has the honor of being in charge of protecting the beloved child.”
The King of Fire, dissatisfied with the emperor’s response, opened her mouth to say something, but…
“Farlem, all things in good time. Stand down for now.”
The King of Water interrupted with that admonishment. His hair seemed to be made of water, and he wore a mysterious garment that rippled every time he moved so I could immediately recognize which king he was.
“You never learn, Lem! That’s why Deen is always getting angry at you.”
“Why do you insist on abbreviating the names we received from the God of Creation like that?”
“Hmph! But ‘Lem’ is much cuter than ‘Farlem’!”
The one aggravating the King of Fire must be the King of Wind. The way his hair and clothing seemed to perpetually flutter in a breeze that I couldn’t feel gave him away.
Which would mean the remaining figure was the King of Earth… Who was, by all appearances, fast asleep.
Aside from the King of Water, I didn’t sense so much as a speck of kingly majesty from any of them.
“Elemental kings, you’re befuddling the beloved child,” Emperor Celiunos said.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s been so long since a beloved child last appeared that we got a little over-excited.”
Hmm, the King of Fire can speak in a kingly manner, after all… But the way she greeted me pretty much negated it completely!
However, the elemental spirits hovering around me were all adorable and looked just like the drawing Ardo and Vel had shown me.
As for the elemental kings, they were all magnificently attractive, but their slightly tilted eyes were so disproportionately large that it almost made them look like aliens. Their beauty had an otherworldly quality to it. Although, come to think of it, God and the Goddess were also inhumanly beautiful…
“Welcome, beloved child. I am the King of Water, Akdeen.”
“I am the King of Fire, Farlem.”
“I am the King of Wind, Veezae.”
Each elemental king introduced themselves, except for the King of Earth, who was still asleep. The King of Water fixed him with a frigid, disapproving glare, and out of nowhere, a sphere of water appeared in the air directly above the King of Earth’s sleeping form.
I had a feeling I knew what the intended purpose of this water was, and my guess was right on the mark because the King of Water released the water, spilling it over the King of Earth’s head.
“…That’s cold.”
“The beloved child is here, and you’re still sleeping!”
The King of Earth’s big, round eyes snapped open the moment he heard the word “beloved child,” and he sat up abruptly, turning to look at me. “You’re right! There really is a beloved child! Hello there! My name is Gnouas, I’m the King of Earth!”
“My name is Nefertima Osphe. It’s an honor to meet the elemental kings.” I executed a bow that I rarely got the chance to use—one used when the other party was of a higher social status than myself.
“You don’t need to bow to us, child,” the King of Fire said.
“That’s right, a beloved child is a precious treasure bestowed upon us by the God of Creation,” the King of Water added.
I think “precious treasure” might be a bit of an exaggeration…
Despite still being preoccupied with studying the elemental kings, I finally began to notice the scenery around us.
Trees and vines had grown together in a complex weave, forming a huge domed structure so large it was hard to remember we were actually in the middle of a forest. A grand waterfall was in the background, but I couldn’t make out where the water originated. At the base of the waterfall was a pristine pool full of water so clear that I could easily make out that the stones lining the bottom were glistening in the colors representing the four elements.
“Elemental kings, what kind of being is a beloved child?”
The King of Fire laughed at the emperor’s question. “How rare for you to ask us a question!”
“…I thought I knew, but the more I get to know Lady Nefertima, the more I doubt my knowledge.”
“My, if you aren’t unusually honest today.” Her tone was teasing, but the gaze fixed on the emperor’s face was kind.
“We elemental kings and the holy beasts, like everything else made by the God of Creation, exist within the divine balance of nature. You understand that much, right?” the King of Water began.
The emperor nodded.
At his side, I, too, eagerly awaited the rest of the explanation.
“Beloved children exist outside the constraints of the divine balance and are not subject to the will of the God of Creation. For that reason, the God of Creation loves them dearly, and we too are inevitably drawn to them.”
I wouldn’t say God “loves” me so much as he “loves using me.” He needs someone who isn’t connected to the divine balance of this world.
“Are the elemental kings unable to lend power to anyone other than a beloved child?” I spoke up, asking something I’d been wondering for a while now.
The existence of elementalists proved that other elemental spirits could bond with certain mortals and lend them their powers, so it would stand to reason that the elemental kings should be able to do the same.
“If we searched hard enough, there might be someone strong enough to bear the bond, but certainly not with all of us.”
“We have been bestowed an incredible amount of power, more than enough to destroy the world. Only a beloved child can handle such power,” the King of Earth spoke up, taking over for the King of Water.
But I had a very difficult time understanding what they were saying.
After all, even though I’m supposedly a beloved child, I couldn’t even properly control Sol’s power!
“A beloved child can borrow power from all of the elemental spirits, all of the holy beasts, and even from the God of Creation himself.”
…Hold it right there!
“Borrowing God’s power”… That has to refer to what will happen if I decide humans here in Asdyllon are beyond saving and need to be destroyed, doesn’t it?!
The King of Earth’s words were so shocking and impactful that they bowled me right over.
Elemental spirits and holy beasts were like living receptacles of God’s power that he had created. This had to be what Sol had been talking about when he likened them to “fragmented pieces.” And if God possessed the powers of creation and destruction, that must mean that elemental spirits and holy beasts possessed those same powers. The elemental spirits and holy beasts never used those powers of their own accord, but apparently, a beloved child was the one exception to the rule. If and only if a beloved child requested it of them, they would wield the power to create and destroy.
“Are you saying this has been true of all beloved children up to this point?” the emperor asked. His expression was shocked, as if he, too, found this all hard to believe.
I don’t blame him! Even with some fancy title like “beloved child,” it’s hard to imagine anyone with a normal human body being able to wield the power of God!
“That’s right. Beloved children appear at times when God is undecided. When he’s pondering whether the world is okay the way it is. The God of Creation may be hoping the beloved child will build the foundations of countries.”
The emperor immediately caught on to what the King of Fire was implying.
“Do you draw this conclusion based on the fact that the founder of my empire, Roslan, was also a beloved child?”
“Huh?! Your Majesty’s ancestor was a beloved child?!” I screeched, forgetting all semblance of decorum in my state of shock.
Although I’d directed the almost hysterical question at the emperor, the King of Wind answered. “That’s right. Roslan had mixed human and elf blood, but in those days, humans were weak and had a hard time surviving. That’s why he was full of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed determination to create a country where even the weakest among us could live peaceful, happy lives. I think Gee was next, but oh boy, was Gee a stubborn one… He refused to use the elemental spirits and holy beasts unless he absolutely had no other option,” the King of Wind said, his face almost wistful with nostalgia.
The conversation went off on a tangent, with everyone sharing their observations about Gee and recounting stories about him.
As the first king of the Kingdom of Gaché, it seemed Gee had felt it wasn’t a good idea to depend on the elemental spirits for every little thing.
“He really was a stubborn one, all right. But he was also a very fine man…Tee-hee!”
“What are you going on about, ‘a very fine man,’ pshh… You elemental kings don’t even have gender, right?” Emperor Celiunos pointed out without missing a beat.
I suppose he feels comfortable being so flippant with the elemental kings because he’s known them for a very long time?