Editor : Amethyst00



Elsie was the Elemental Lord unbefitting of an Elemental Lord.

The Elemental Lord is a special existence.

From the moment of their birth, countless elementals gather around to bless the arrival of a new Elemental Lord.

They are born with a sacred power, destined to reign above all elementals from the moment they open their eyes, exalted beings born with overwhelming strength.

Naturally, they grow accustomed to being revered and inevitably become proud and authoritative.

But Elsie was different.

The era in which Elsie was born was darker than any before.

She was born on a battlefield where people were dying, and the moment she opened her eyes, there was no one to celebrate her birth.

Those who became aware of Elsie's existence begged her to tear their enemies apart and kill them.

Elsie, following that wish, fought against Tartarus.

But all she witnessed was countless deaths.

Eventually, she became one with the sword that devours darkness, Schatten, and crossed battlefields alongside Agon, the Guardian of the Azure Sky.

After that, she hid her identity and lived with children at Agon's orphanage.

It would've been no surprise if she had grown twisted.

But Elsie did not.

On the contrary, she wished to save the world.

Not because she had some grand reason like other Elemental Lords.

She simply had a small, yet boundless wish—to see the stars in the night sky.

'And then… she was disappointed in the world.'

The current Elsie, a reward from conquering the Hero Record, did not know of that future.

Elsie had witnessed not the malice of Tartaros, but the malice of the surface dwellers—and had been disappointed in the world.

She hated the world.

And yet, even then, she never gave up on the world into which she was born.

She did not give up on the beautiful world she had never seen.

She chose Kyle instead of Lysinas, trying to find a reason for this world to endure.

And in the end, she sacrificed herself for the world.

Whenever Leo looked at Elsie, he wondered.

What if, back then… if Elsie had not vanished—what would've happened?

If she had survived to the end and seen the stars in the night sky?

'She probably… would've been the same as she is now.'

Even now, every night, Elsie smiles brightly while looking at the stars.

She rejoices in small things and sincerely enjoys them.

That's what made her different from other Elemental Lords.

An elemental too kind to even get angry.

Even when insulted, she would only smile softly—Elsie, the shadow elemental.

And now, that Elsie was angry.

At that unusual aura, Leo showed a flustered expression.

"…Are you mad?"

["I can't forgive him."]

Elsie spoke with a voice devoid of emotion.

["To look at Leo with such eyes."]

Currently, Ishtar was looking at Leo as if he were something deeply unpleasant.

Elsie was irritated by that gaze.

To her, Leo was more than just a contractual partner— he was her savior.

The one who showed her a night sky she could never have seen, who gifted her peace she could never have enjoyed. She would not be enough even if she offered her very being to him.

When she first met Ignis and Laruel—

They insulted and mocked her.

But Elsie didn't care.

From their standpoint, it was natural.

She was nothing more than a remnant of the past, so it was not strange to be ignored.

But insulting Leo was another matter entirely.

To Elsie's dry remark, Leo spoke.

"Calm down, for now."

Just as Leo was trying to soothe Elsie—

"Hmph."

Ishtar's mocking laugh echoed.

"Are you a subordinate elemental of Ignis? Hah! That scheming one can't even manage a low-grade elemental properly."

Still seated on the throne with his chin resting on his hand, Ishtar ignored Elsie entirely and looked at Leo.

"You insolent one. You came seeking me to form a contract, did you not?"

"That's right."

"Hmph! So arrogant. Just because you've contracted with Elemental of Abyss and Radiance, it seems you think you can see past all things."

["You're the one who's blind!"]

"Hah! Old hag. Have you finally gone senile?"

Laruel, who revealed herself beside Leo, quickly spoke.

["Ishtar! I know what you're thinking! But at the very least, treat Lord Leo with the dignity befitting a contractor candidate!"]

"Ha! Lord Leo? Disappointed, Radiance Elemental! I never liked you, but I respected your boldness! Yet you, an Elemental Lord who's lived for thousands of years, now use honorifics for mere humans?"

Ishtar's eyes flared.

"An Elemental Lord's contractual partner exists to serve and uphold the Elemental! In other words, they are subordinates! To use honorifics to such a contractual partner! The Abyss Elemental must be the same! You are all a disgrace to the Elemental Lords!"

["…This perverted uncle really can't read the mood, can he?"]

Kiran muttered in disbelief.

Even now, Ishtar looked at Leo as if he found him repulsive.

As though he absolutely refused to accept Leo, who had already contracted with an Elemental Lord and three mythical beasts, now coming to form a contract with him.

'Normally, I'd step in and put someone spouting nonsense like that in their place…'

Leo glanced at Elsie.

At the sight of the cold shadow elemental from their first meeting returning, Leo sighed.

'Looks like she'll step in before I even move.'

"I shall teach you how an Elemental Lord ought to treat their contractual partner."

Snap—!

Ishtar curled his lips and snapped his fingers.

Then, from behind the throne, Celia appeared.

At the sight of her, Elsie's eyes narrowed.

["Leo."]

"Yeah, she's not conscious."

Celia, clad in a brilliant red dress and wielding a crimson longsword instead of her usual Flame Storm, seemed to be unconscious.

'That sword and dress… a top-grade fire elemental?'

Celia's red eyes gleamed.

"Elemental Armor. Is this a forced possession?"

"Oh? Impressive. So, you really do have an eye for this, having made contracts with two Elemental Lords."

Ishtar smirked.

"You said you were researching magical rituals—how very peculiar."

Laruel looked aghast at the sight.

["Ishtar! This is going too far even for you! Using a subordinate elemental to forcibly possess someone with Elemental Armor and steal their consciousness! This is an insult to a contractual partner! Besides, Celia Zerdinger has no aptitude as a summoner! Of course her body would be under extreme strain!"]

"Hmph. I know the blood of Tonkan better than anyone. Even if she lacks qualifications, Celia Zerdinger resonates well with the fire elementals!"

Ishtar's eyes gleamed sharply.

"After losing my precious contractual partner decades ago, I swore—I would never repeat that mistake again! My contractual partner lives and dies by my will!"

["You… no… you bastard."]

At that moment, a chill crept into Elsie's voice.

Hearing that voice, Leo smiled.

'She's completely snapped now.'

It was the exact same as when she'd once fought in fury five thousand years ago.

Leo subtly stepped away from Elsie.

What Ishtar was doing now was something Elsie could never accept.

Back in the Age of Calamity, Elsie had desperately awaited a contractual partner.

Someone to save the world with her.

But she also wondered…

Could one even find a contractual partner in such despair?

It was not like the current age, where one could reject a contract simply because the partner didn't suit them.

To treat a contractual partner like a tool—Elsie could never accept someone like Ishtar.

"For a lowly shadow elemental, you've been spouting such arrogant words…!"

Just as Ishtar spoke in displeasure—

The shadow around the throne surged upward.

BOOM! CRASH! RUMBLE!

The shadow crushed the very spot where Ishtar had been sitting.

["Leo."]

Leo turned.

A beautiful woman with black hair was looking at him.

It was Elsie's true form.

["Leave that elemental to me."]

At her words, Leo nodded.

Step, step—

Elsie walked to the throne's remains.

A massive hole had formed there.

Gazing down into it with a blank expression, Elsie stepped into the hole.

Seeing that, Kiran muttered.

["I'll never go against Elsie again."]

[Peep! Peep!]

As Fiora nodded, Alty spoke anxiously.

["Master, will she be okay?"]

Laruel also spoke urgently.

["Lord Leo! A fight here is far too disadvantageous for Lady Elsie!"]

This was Ishtar's domain.

Even if two Elemental Lords held equal power, to fight within another's domain was incredibly dangerous.

To fight here meant more than fighting Ishtar alone.

It meant that every fire elemental in this place would become the enemy.

Laruel would be better off than Elsie.

Though not on Ishtar's level, Laruel also had a vast host of subordinate elementals.

But Elsie was completely alone.

Hearing Alty and Laruel, Leo looked at the approaching Celia.

"She'll be fine."

Shing—!

Leo drew his sword.

"She's… a little special."

["Huh?"]

Leo gave a wry smile.

The Shadow Elemental acknowledged as the strongest by Lysinas.

'Until now, I lacked the ability to fully draw out her power. Elsie herself probably doesn't even know.'

Five thousand years ago—

She had single-handedly annihilated the army of the Lich King, once hailed as the strongest.

bl

Rumble—

Ishtar, buried deep underground, slowly got up.

Tap—!

In front of him landed Elsie with an emotionless face.

"You're clearly not just a simple lower elemental."

Ishtar's muscles twitched menacingly.

"You possess power rivaling an Elemental Lord. How is that possible? Has the Abyss Elemental Lord perished, and a new darkness Elemental Lord been born without my knowledge?"

["If you mean Ignis, he's doing fine."]

Elsie answered calmly.

"Then who are you?"

["I'm Elsie, the Shadow elemental. I was the former Elemental Lord of Darkness."]

"Oh?"

Ishtar stroked his chin.

Just moments ago, he would've shouted at such nonsense.

But even if he stayed in his palace, he was not ignorant of the outside world.

This was an era of miracles, where Great Heroes appear and even gods walk the land.

"A former Elemental Lord appearing in the present… not so strange.Fascinating."

Ishtar spread his arms.

"Then I must treat you as befits an Elemental Lord."

WHOOSH—!

Blue flames surged around him.

"Fuhahahahaha! I shall purify you! Oh Elemental Lord of the past!"

FWOOSH—!

"Behold! This is the Flame of the Purification elemental, said to be the strongest of this era!"

The tremendous flames engulfed Elsie.

Seeing it, Ishtar laughed wildly and stroked his chin.

"Oh my. Was it too hot for this old lady?"

["Clench your teeth."]

"…What?"

At the voice from behind, Ishtar flinched.

Elsie's darkness-cloaked fist slammed into his face.

BOOM!

"Guh!"

Smashed into the ground, Ishtar felt an overwhelming pressure.

Looking down at him, Elsie spoke.

["If you apologize for looking at Leo with disrespect and for treating Celia so poorly, I'll also apologize for hitting you."]

"Don't make me laugh!"

Ishtar sprang to his feet.

"An Elemental Lord stands at the pinnacle of an element! You think I'd ever lower my head to anyone?!"

Elsie blinked.

["Isn't this just a difference of opinion? No need to fight to the death over it. I feel a bit better after hitting you once."]

"That's not the issue!"

Flames flared violently from Ishtar's body.

["An Elemental Lord is a pure, supreme being! My words are law! They are truth!"]

"……"

Elsie looked incredulous.

['He's impossible to talk to.']

Never had she seen an elemental so full of pride.

["Hoit."]

With a flick, shadows from her fingertip extinguished Ishtar's flames.

"What?!"

As Ishtar tried to summon more flames, Elsie subdued them again.

"I must say, I seems to be stronger than you."

"What! I refuse to accept that!"

FWOOSH—!

The surrounding area burst into flames.

Elsie was startled and looked around.

"Ah!. That's why I told you we should've fought together."

"You stubbornly refused, saying you'd win alone. How embarrassing. What on earth is this"

Top-ranking fire elementals revealed themselves.

"Hello."

Elsie politely bowed her head to them in greeting.

At her gesture, the fire elementals were taken aback.

They never expected an Elemental Lord, especially one from the past, to greet them, her inferiors.

"I'm afraid I'm in conversation with this elemental right now. Could you wait a bit?"

One of them, a beautiful elemental with long, blazing hair down to her waist, gave a bitter smile.

—Sorry, but I don't think we can do that.

"Huh?"

—To us lesser elementals, commands' from greater one they serve are absolute.

FWOOSH—!

The top-ranking elementals released flames.

In response, enormous flames surged from Ishtar's body.

Elsie's expression hardened slightly at the growing flames.

Seeing that, Ishtar grinned smugly.

"You'll regret picking a fight in my domain, Shadow Elemental."

BOOM—!

Massive flames exploded, engulfing Elsie.

bl

Elsie felt her consciousness fading.

'Huh? Did I collapse?'

Panicked, she recalled the situation earlier.

'Ah… I was fighting the Purification Elemental.'

She had taken a powerful attack and seemed to have lost consciousness briefly.

'I have to get up.'

She tried to rise.

But her body wouldn't move.

Just as she frowned—

"You are a special elemental, Elsie."

A voice she had heard somewhere before.

Elsie turned her head toward it.

And there stood a beautiful woman with black hair, smiling at her.

'This person is…'

A face she knew very well.

'The Wise Queen…?'

Lysinas walked over to Elsie and crouched down.

"Shadow is just another form of me."

The black dragon before her understood darkness as well as the elemental of darkness did.

"And there is no being in this world that casts no shadow."

Lysinas smiled gently.

"So use that power to help Kyle."

'…This conversation… from somewhere…?'

Elsie's eyes widened.

She had never had this conversation with Lysinas.

No—in the first place, she had never even met the real Lysinas.

But… she remembered faintly.

She had definitely exchanged these words with Lysinas somewhere.

'Ah…'

Elsie's eyes widened.

'A memory of another me?'

Grab—!

Something seized her hair.

The top-ranking fire elemental who had spoken to her earlier said, "Are we really going to execute her? We might end up making an enemy of Leo Plov."

"Hmph. That's none of my concern."

"Geez… always doing as you please. Grow up a little."

"What did you just say, Althea?!"

"Nothing at all."

Just as the top-rank fire elemental, Althea, sighed and raised her hand at her immature master's behavior—

"Your name is Althea, I see."

At the soft voice, Althea turned her head and met Elsie's eyes. Suddenly, she felt a weight drop.

Smiling gently, Elsie spoke.

"Althea."

Y-yes?

"Would you like to come into my shadow?"

As their eyes met, Althea's red irises were momentarily dyed black.