Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Clash with the Giant Clan
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The elf smacked her forehead.
Sizzle—!
The woman's body slid back from blocking Enoch's punch.
"Oh?"
It had been just a light tap, but he'd been disappointed by the mercenaries' level moments ago.
She had some skill, at least?
Enoch's senses swept over the woman.
Judging by her aura, she was an early-to-mid Expert.
Her realm was impressive, even if her actual skill was questionable.
"No, wait! I said I don't want to fight!"
The woman rubbed her stinging hand—the one that had blocked the attack—and tried to stop Enoch.
Pulling back this far?
His excitement fizzled.
Enoch glared at her with a sullen expression.
"Then I'm off."
No point sticking around if there wasn't going to be a fight, and he didn't want to keep Lione waiting.
"No, hey. Can we just talk for a sec?"
The woman casually raised her hand, and mercenaries hidden all around revealed themselves.
What the hell? You said you didn't want to fight.
A spark lit in Enoch's eyes.
"What about?"
"Oh, you know, something good for both of us."
She stretched out her arm, gesturing to her surroundings.
"See? We've got some real firepower here. Especially for a backwater territory like this."
"Yeah. Unexpected."
How could the lord just let a force like this operate freely?
He couldn't figure it out.
Normally, you'd nip it in the bud or prevent them from banding together in the first place.
Oblivious to Enoch's curiosity, the woman grinned and introduced herself.
"I'm Capri. B-rank mercenary and leader of the Giant Clan."
"Yeah."
"Come on, introduce yourself too."
"Nope."
Why bother?
Seeing Enoch losing interest, Capri clicked her tongue.
"Anyway, this isn't the place to talk. Come with me for a bit."
"And if I don't?"
"Well..."
At Capri's signal, the surrounding mercenaries released their killing intent.
Even in front of the mercenary guild in the middle of the city, frightened citizens froze in their tracks.
"Fine, sure."
"Good choice."
Crackle—!
Lightning gathered in Enoch's hand.
Capri leaped back in surprise.
"What the hell! You said sure!"
"Yeah."
A fight was always welcome.
*
Capri ground her teeth.
This was beyond expectations.
She hadn't thought he'd be this unhinged.
The street was littered with groaning, unconscious mercenaries.
Of the two dozen or so, only six were still on their feet, including Capri—some of the toughest in the Giant Clan.
"Why go this far?"
She asked, shaking out her numb arms.
The kid with the blank expression tilted his head.
"Why what?"
"Why escalate it like this?"
Was he hired by the lord?
Capri's mind grew complicated.
By imperial decree, lords couldn't suppress armed groups within their territories outright.
But since there were no detailed laws enforcing it, they could skirt around it however they pleased.
It wasn't strange for Capri to jump to the wrong conclusion.
"Huh?"
Of course, Enoch had no intention of thinking that deeply for her.
"Damn it."
Capri bit her lip at his vacant-looking face.
Now the lord would send troops.
This was their chance to eliminate an eyesore like her.
She'd heard how the knight treated him and figured she could sweet-talk her way into taking the lord's seat.
But he'd been the lord's hireling!
Mistaking him for some noble's son with a name around these parts had been her downfall.
Anyone would've thought he'd at least hear her out first.
She never imagined it'd turn into an all-out brawl like this.
"No choice now! From! Contact the clan! Pack light and get the hell out of Dendal!"
"Yes!"
The man called From bolted from the scene.
Enoch had no interest in stopping him.
Right now, only one thing piqued his curiosity.
"Impressive."
Zap—! As Enoch closed in fast, Capri swung her fist.
Whoosh—!
Her punch sliced the air, ruffling Enoch's hair.
Enoch stared straight at Capri's twisted face with those dark eyes.
"How do you do it?"
Thud thud thud—! Capri reeled back, hammered by punches all over her body.
But that was it.
She didn't seem badly hurt.
"You little—!"
Instead, she counterattacked.
A fist dropping from upper right.
He hooked it with his fingers and yanked lightly—it whiffed through empty air, as expected.
Whoosh—!
Enoch had plenty of options.
He could tear her apart if he went all out.
But he held back out of interest in that sturdy body of hers.
"Captain!"
"Get away!"
As he casually handled the remaining clan members, Enoch pondered.
Then,
"Fire, gather and strike!"
One of the clan members hanging back began casting a spell.
Enoch's gaze flicked to the magic.
Sloppy.
It seemed like she'd substituted a Circle for her lower dantian, but substitutes were substitutes for a reason.
"Disperse."
With a single short incantation, the forming spell scattered.
He'd pried open its shaky flow with mana and ripped it apart.
While the mage panicked, Enoch smacked the remaining clan members' heads, knocking them out.
Now it was just Capri and the one mage.
"Eek...!"
No— the mage had just fled, leaving only Capri.
"You bastard...!!"
Capri's face flushed beet red with rage.
She pulled a pill from her pocket, popped it in her mouth, and crunched it down.
Crunch—!
Her aura exploded outward.
Veins bulging grotesquely across her face, she glared at Enoch.
"You mangy dog...!"
And with that, Enoch finished piecing it together.
Her tough body came from tempering it with mana like iron— and countering it seemed straightforward.
"Raaagh—!"
Capri poured mana into both fists.
Fwoosh—! Excess mana flickered like flames.
What was commonly called flame aura.
Wrapping her fists, it was fist flame.
A half-baked technique relying on raw mana output, but its power wasn't negligible.
Knowing that, Capri swung with full intent to kill.
Boom—!
The air tore apart.
Enoch nonchalantly coated his gloves in the shape of claws.
Then,
Tap—
He smacked her fist aside hard.
"Huh...?"
Capri's eyes widened in disbelief at how effortlessly it was deflected.
But she was a seasoned mercenary.
She quickly regained her composure, bracing herself.
With the 'Rampage Pill,' her durability had spiked too.
She could tank one hit, at least...
Splat—
Enoch's palm met Capri's stomach.
'What the—?'
Capri smirked at the unexpected opening.
Crush her like this.
Thud—!
When she came to,
"...Huh?"
Blue sky filled Capri's vision.
She tried to rise, but her body wouldn't respond.
"What the..."
She tried to muster mana, but nothing.
Her insides were a wreck.
By then, Capri realized what had happened.
"Internal Heavy Hand...?"
The advanced technique also called Penetration Strike, directly hitting the opponent's internals.
This brat could use something like that?
"Internal Heavy Hand? That's its name?"
He'd thrown it together on the spot, but it already existed, huh.
Enoch smacked his lips.
Seeing his reaction, Capri let out a hollow laugh.
It was absurd.
Just then, footsteps approached—as if they'd been waiting for the fight to end.
Clank, clank— accompanied by the sound of metal.
Capri closed her eyes.
This was the end.
She'd be dragged before the lord and executed on some flimsy pretext.
"Oh."
But she'd forgotten one thing.
Crazy people didn't discriminate.
Crackle—!
Enoch unleashed his aura at the approaching knights.
Capri let out a wry chuckle at the sight.
"Crazy bastard."
Then her consciousness faded.
*
"W-Wait just a moment! We're not here to fight!"
One knight rushed forward to explain, seeing Enoch poised to charge.
Now that he looked, the face was familiar.
That guy from earlier... Hamington? Something like that.
"Wilbert, sir."
"Oh."
"Anyway, we're just here to apprehend the ringleaders of the disturbance."
"Ah."
And who was the ringleader of the disturbance?
Enoch himself.
Crackle—!
Enoch grinned happily, lightning coiling around his hand.
"W-Wait! Not you, sir Enoch! We're here for those mercenaries over there!"
"My name?"
"Y-Yes?"
"How'd you know my name?"
"Well, you see, of course..."
There'd been a royal decree: serve him well or the king himself would come lop off heads.
How could they not know?
Wilbert phrased it diplomatically, bowing to Enoch.
"So, um... may we take them?"
"Nope?"
"Y-Yes?"
"I caught 'em. Why should you get them?"
Finders keepers, right?
"Uh... well then..."
"Just leave 'em."
"Ah, yes sir."
Wilbert nodded and relayed to his fellow knights.
No dice.
*
Wilbert passed on a few more words from the lord before withdrawing.
Stuff like: the lord invited you, weren't you coming? Planning to settle in Dendal?
Enoch stuck to "no" and "dunno" for most of it.
For the invitation, he even double-checked: you really not coming?
Enoch confirmed.
No interest.
He had zero desire to go gawk at some human lord's face.
"Lione."
Enoch whispered softly, infusing mana.
Lione popped out from somewhere.
"Enoch!"
Her beaming smile faded as she scanned the surroundings, her face now dotted with about seventeen question marks.
"...Enoch?"
"I won 'em all."
The mercenaries lay sprawled in defeat.
Enoch puffed out his chest proudly amid them.
"Oh..."
Lione smacked her forehead.