Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Slaughter Star Dreams of a Future with an Elf
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Enoch's first foe in the dungeon had been a massive chunk of rock.
But now, it looked almost human.
Recalling Lione's lessons calmly, he remembered what they were called.
"Golem."
Made of rock, so probably something like a stone golem?
He'd heard they were akin to summons handled by mages, but why would one of those be in a place like this?
This didn't feel like a mage's workshop—it seemed more like a naturally formed dungeon.
Well, whatever.
Having made his judgment, Enoch charged at the golem without further hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Their fight could be summed up like this:
Enoch dodged the golem's attacks, landed several blows, the golem shattered, then regenerated, he dodged again, struck again, it shattered once more, regenerated again.
Even Enoch, brimming with energy, was starting to tire, and more than that, irritation was setting in,
when—
Crack—
A different sensation transmitted through his hand than before.
Like smashing thick, sturdy glass.
"Ah."
Only then did the thoroughly shattered golem finally stop functioning.
And belatedly, he remembered.
Golems usually had a core, and unless that core was destroyed, they would keep regenerating until their energy was depleted.
He'd paid decent attention in Lione's lessons, but in the heat of battle, with his mind focused solely on the fight, he'd forgotten.
This is why intel on your opponent matters.
Enoch nodded in realization.
'Should I head back for now?'
The tussle with the golem had worn him out, and the sun was probably starting to set.
Plus, who knew how big this dungeon was or if it had some weird properties.
Decision made, Enoch turned on his heel right away.
He exited the dungeon, and
"Groar?"
Came face-to-face with a bear.
A bear the size of a house.
*
"Yawn—."
Enoch sprawled out atop the bear, limbs dangling limply.
The poor bear had been reduced to his mode of transport and thoroughly exploited.
Though fatigued, beating down a bear was no challenge for Enoch, and then a brilliant idea struck him, which he put into action immediately.
By the time the already dim forest was growing truly dark, Enoch reached the boundary between the deep woods and the shallower ones.
"Go on."
He patted the bear's head, and it scampered off in a panic.
Enoch picked up speed from there and was home in no time.
"Enoch!"
The moment he arrived, Lione rushed out in a hurry.
Her face, etched with worry, bloomed into a radiant smile the instant their eyes met.
She must have been really concerned—the smile burst forth like a flower in full bloom, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Lione."
Enoch exaggerated his exhaustion just a touch as he toddled over.
She enveloped him in a tight hug, and he felt himself sinking into her warm embrace, surrounded by a fresh, forest-like scent.
All his fatigue melted away.
No matter what she asked of him, if she offered just one of these hugs as payment, he'd never refuse.
"You're okay? Nothing dangerous happened, right?"
Lione gently pulled Enoch back to check him over from every angle.
She'd heard the rough details from Undine, but she still couldn't shake her worry.
"Yeah. I was fine."
"Good, then."
Heh heh, Lione chuckled softly.
"Hungry? I'll make food."
"Ah, wait a sec."
Enoch rummaged in his pocket and pulled something out.
It was the core from the golem he'd encountered in the dungeon.
Shattered into pieces, but still.
"A gift."
"This is…."
Lione easily identified it.
A golem core—from where? The question resolved itself quickly.
"Found a dungeon."
"A dungeon?"
"Yeah. That one you mentioned last time, the naturally occurring kind."
Lione's expression hardened slightly.
"You went inside?"
"…Yeah."
"Hmm…."
Naturally occurring dungeons were dangerous.
No one knew what might happen.
She was pretty sure she'd warned him not to go barging in last time….
"…You're safe, so that's what matters. But no going in recklessly from now on, got it?"
"Yeah."
Enoch nodded and placed the golem core in Lione's hand.
Golem cores were useful to begin with, and one from a natural dungeon might be even better.
Lione let out a deep sigh and pulled Enoch into another embrace.
"Thanks. But seriously, be more careful next time?"
"Yeah."
"Sigh, what am I gonna do with you."
He answered well enough, but she still felt uneasy.
Was this what they called puberty?
Compared to the human adolescence she'd read about in books, he was incredibly mild-mannered, but every now and then, he'd veer off in odd directions.
"I can't just keep you glued to my side forever."
"Yeah?"
Enoch's head snapped up.
"I like that."
"No."
Enoch's head drooped again.
"To overcome the Heavenly Slaughter fate, you need to raise your realm quickly."
And the most promising way was to accumulate a ton of experience.
Some people couldn't do it no matter what, but Enoch was overflowing with talent, so it should be possible, right?
"Then…. If I overcome it, we live together forever?"
"Huh?"
Lione's eyes widened round, then she chuckled softly.
Because Enoch was so endearing.
"Sure. As long as you don't find some other girl and toss your big sis aside."
"No way!"
A rare loud voice from him.
Lione's smile deepened.
And Enoch vowed to himself.
He would shatter the Heavenly Slaughter fate as quickly as humanly possible.
*
Lione lay in bed, gently patting Enoch's chest as he fidgeted, unable to sleep easily despite his excitement, lost in her thoughts.
'Of course, a good kid like this would never fall for radical ideas like racial supremacy.'
Lione remembered the day she first met Enoch.
It was only a little under three years ago, after all.
Enoch hadn't looked the least bit tidy back then, not even as empty flattery.
Grimy, covered in wounds and scars.
To Lione, who had endured countless battles over centuries, those scars told their own story plain as day.
'Probably abused.'
She didn't know if it was his parents or someone else who'd done such horrible things.
But one thing she was certain of: the perpetrators were human.
Enoch's dislikes were clear-cut.
Dwarves and humans.
His likes were equally clear.
Elves. Spirits, too, probably.
The dwarf thing was her own karma, and his hatred for humans likely stemmed heavily from childhood memories.
He favored elves—likely superior in his eyes—because she'd been the one caring for him.
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted her past days planting dwarf prejudices in him right alongside those heartbreaking tales….
Well, dwarves were fine, though.
Better than Enoch hanging with dwarves and picking up weird habits—that would hurt even more.
'Enoch….'
Pat, pat. Seeing he still couldn't sleep, Lione hummed a lullaby.
A soft, gentle melody.
Feeling his heartbeat settle calmly, Lione made a firm vow.
'Big sis will protect you. No matter what.'
Until the day all those old wounds healed clean, she would cradle this child in warmth.
*
'Then…. If I overcome it, we live together forever?'
Her answer to that question.
Her positive response.
Vivid images flashed through Enoch's mind in droves.
'Forever….'
Even if humans were a lowly race that barely lived a century, it wasn't impossible to surpass that lifespan.
And the method wasn't all that hard.
Just surpass human limits.
It sounded absurd, but humans who reached the master realm lived for centuries.
Even without full mastery, just hitting expert extended life significantly.
The realm he anticipated needing to overcome the Heavenly Slaughter fate: demigod, the half-divine stage.
At that point, lifespan practically vanished, so he might truly swear eternity with Lione.
Enoch painted a clear picture in his head.
A cozy nest, expansive meadows, birds chirping softly, the distant sound of flowing water.
He and Lione, basking in warm sunlight, smiling brightly.
Yeah, even that blue fly buzzing nearby now and then would be okay.
Simple breakfast, a stroll through the woods, lunch, a little party, dinner, bath together, then curling up tight and sleeping.
Days like that—dreamlike days spanning three years—forever.
Thump! Thump!
His heart raced.
His face felt oddly hot, too.
Even with Lione patting his chest, sleep wouldn't come.
──────────♪
But then, that beautiful song reached his ears.
Lyrics he couldn't understand—probably ancient Elvish—tickling his ears.
Even without grasping the words, Lione's warm heart came through.
Enoch couldn't help sinking into sleep, his body melting away.
This hazy fading of consciousness.
Similar to the Heavenly Slaughter Star's rampages submerged in water, but not even comparable.
Even if it rampaged, Lione's lullaby would calm it right down, wouldn't it?
That was his last thought before sleep.
*
Having grabbed the enthusiastic Enoch, who was raring to explore the dungeon, Lione lectured him at length.
"If anything seems off, come out right away?"
"Yeah."
"If it's iffy, don't fight no matter what."
"Yeah."
"There might be traps, so watch out for those too."
"Yeah."
"And also…."
"Yeah."
"Ah, what if…."
"Yeah."
Her worried words didn't drag on forever.
Roughly two hours?
And naturally, this time Lione tailed Enoch herself.