Chapter 8: Three years later.
****
Three years had passed, and Enoch was now thirteen.
He didn't know his exact age, but that was Rionne's assessment, based on her ability to perceive certain truths.
Enoch, at the height of his growth spurt, was now tall enough that his head reached Rionne's chest.
His skills had grown even faster, surprising even Rionne.
Yet, one thing remained unchanged.
"Enoch!"
- Yes…!
As soon as Rionne called his name, Enoch came running from somewhere and hugged her.
She instinctively stroked his hair.
"Do you like the forest?"
"A little?"
"You've been spending a lot of time there lately."
"The forest smells like Rionne."
Especially the large, elegant Satis tree. Enoch called it the Rionne tree.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Rionne chuckled, bouncing Enoch playfully in her arms.
She seemed to be in a good mood.
Undine was baffled.
[Seriously, what are you two doing?]
As usual, they ignored her. Undine sulked.
"We're going to the city today, after a long time."
"Mmm."
"Do you not want to go?"
"I like home."
"Me too, actually."
But they couldn't stay home forever.
Even though Enoch still had over a hundred years before adulthood, he needed to gradually acclimate to human society.
He was, after all, a child born under the curse of the Disaster Star.
To overcome that heavy burden, he needed to cultivate his power, which inevitably required independence and trials.
When he became an adult, he would have to venture out, interact with humans, experience various relationships, overcome life-or-death battles, and forge his own path.
Otherwise, he would never reach a transcendent state.
"Mmm."
Enoch looked away, avoiding her gaze. He didn't want independence.
He wanted to stay with Rionne forever.
Rionne scooped him up and whistled.
The sword at her hip unsheathed itself and floated in the air.
"Aren't you a good boy, Enoch?"
Rionne sat on the sword, placing Enoch on her lap.
The sword rose gently, gliding through the clouds. Enoch snuggled closer to her.
"You like flying, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Come on, cheer up. Noona will buy you something delicious."
"…Human food isn't very good."
Undine poked her head out of Rionne's pocket, her face scrunched up.
[Honestly, who does he think she is, talking like he's not human.]
Crackle!
[Ow, that stings…! Hey! Stop that!]
Enoch glared at Undine, whom he'd just zapped with a precise bolt of electricity.
Undine flinched at his gaze.
[Honestly…]
That cursed Disaster Star.
He wouldn't even dream of directing his killing intent at Rionne, but he constantly targeted Undine.
Still, Undine was relatively lucky.
When he relaxed in the forest, his killing intent practically oozed out of him, making the surrounding animals tremble.
Undine knew this, so she didn't complain.
Rionne was simply a very, very special case.
"Enoch, look."
Enoch, who had been locked in a staring contest with Undine, followed Rionne's slender finger.
She was pointing below the clouds, at the vast expanse of the forest.
"That's the forest we live in. It's huge, isn't it?"
He'd seen it many times, but Rionne always showed him this view whenever they flew.
Her affection for the forest was extraordinary.
"But you know…"
"Yes?"
"It's big, but is it really impenetrable?"
Rionne understood his clumsy question and answered, "I've placed a barrier around our house. There's nothing particularly special in this forest anyway."
No matter how vast the forest was, it wasn't impossible for superhumans to find their way through if they were determined.
Enoch himself could reach a nearby village in a day or two if he ran at full speed.
But this forest wasn't worth the effort.
The only people who might come here were ordinary people living nearby.
It would take them months to reach Rionne's house, and they risked being hunted by mana-infused animals, so it was unlikely.
Besides, with Rionne's barrier, it was safe to say no one would come here unless a powerful individual specifically sought her out.
"Mmm."
Enoch nodded slowly.
After chatting for a while, Rionne smiled brightly and hugged him tightly.
"We're here."
"Another errand?"
"Yes. Nothing difficult."
Rionne jumped off the sword, carrying Enoch, and landed discreetly in a secluded spot near the city gates.
If she were alone, she would have landed directly inside the city, but since this was also a lesson for Enoch, she couldn't set a bad example.
One was supposed to enter the city through the gates after proper procedures.
Rionne cast a spell, altering her appearance to look human.
Her elven ears shortened, her facial features shifted, her radiant golden hair dulled, and her forest-green eyes turned blue.
In short, the beautiful elf became a slightly less beautiful human.
They joined the line at the gate and waited their turn.
Soon, it was their turn. The guard, recognizing Rionne, grinned.
"Back again, eh? How about it this time?" he said, making a crude gesture.
Rionne responded with a cold stare. "Don't be absurd. Let us through."
Normally, she would have to show a pass, but for a beauty like Rionne, her face was the pass.
A guard who'd seen her once couldn't possibly forget her face.
Rionne walked with a haughty air, staying in character.
Enoch memorized the guard's face.
'…How dare a mere human.'
In three years, Enoch had become a fine racist.
****
Dendalo was a small city, barely qualifying as one.
But even a small city had everything one needed.
Enoch walked through the market, holding the list of items.
Rionne, as always, had separated from him under the pretense of buying other things.
'Does she really believe errands are educational?'
He couldn't understand it.
'Clothes… a pen… and books.'
He hated studying, but it was Rionne's request. He had to buy the books, even if he didn't want to.
"Ha…"
"Oh…! E-Excuse me…!"
Enoch turned at the approaching presence.
A girl stood there, her face flushed crimson.
Actually, it wasn't just one girl.
Girls all around were staring at him with sparkling eyes.
"P-Please accept this…!"
Blessed by the Disaster Star, Enoch had exceptional talent in martial arts, giving him a perfectly balanced physique.
Combined with a bit of luck, his face was undeniably handsome.
If his ears were just a bit longer, he could pass for an elf, a member of the self-proclaimed race of beauty.
"Eek…!"
Enoch glared at the girl who thrust a letter at him and ran away, then shoved it into his pocket, already overflowing with gifts from other women.
[Honestly, these humans. What's so great about this brat? Do they all lack aesthetic sense? Why this commotion every time we come here?]
Enoch ignored Undine, who had tagged along as his self-proclaimed bodyguard, and glanced into his overflowing pocket.
Letters, handkerchiefs, trinkets… even underwear. Humans were truly bizarre.
Suppressing his killing intent, Enoch ducked into a nearby alley.
He dumped the contents of his pocket onto the ground and incinerated everything with his power.
He even vigorously shook out his pocket, just in case.
"Ha…"
He sighed deeply and looked up. His eyes were cold.
"You, human."
His voice echoed in the quiet alley.
Only silence answered. Enoch frowned, electricity crackling around his feet.
Crackle!
He vanished, and then…
Boom!
A wall exploded.
Enoch dusted off his hands and glared at the man rapidly retreating.
"Why are you sneaking around like a creepy dwarf? Do you have thief blood in your veins?"
[H-How could you say such a thing…! You're being too rude without Rionne around…!]
Undine was appalled, but the man didn't react.
Elven insults didn't quite translate to human ears.
"This is why I hate humans. Like insects."
[You're human too, idiot!]
"I'm half-elf."
[Rionne…! It's an emergency! He's lost his mind!]
As Undine lamented Enoch's mental state, the darkly clad man spoke.
"Do you have a connection to elves?"
Enoch's aura turned menacing.
"Aha… so you're worse than human garbage."
"You misunderstand. I'm not an elf hunter."
Enoch didn't reply.
Instead, violet lightning gathered in his hand, forming sharp claws.
Crackle!
The man's face hardened at the leaking killing intent.
It wasn't the kind of aura a child should possess; it was ominous.
"How about we talk this out? I don't want to hurt you."
Of course, Enoch, a confirmed racist, didn't listen. He didn't want to talk to a human!
Rumble!
Thunder echoed in the alley of the small city.
****
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