Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Elf Teaches the Heavenly Slaughter Star
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Body Technique Class.
Leonne slumped down in front of the charred and broken tree.
"My... my tree...."
Enoch glanced away awkwardly.
He fidgeted with his fingers for no reason, and a housefly buzzed over to tease him.
[Idiot! Do you know how much love Leonne poured into raising that tree!]
Crackle—! Sparks flew from Enoch's eyes.
But in that child's eyes, he could see Leonne's despair.
Enoch quietly lowered his gaze.
"...I-it's okay, Enoch. A tree's just...! We can plant another one!"
[What!? Hey! Last time with me, you...!]
Ignoring Undine's grumbling, Leonne wiped away her tears.
Farewell, my precious little tree....
Even in her distress, she analyzed Enoch's progress.
He was definitely a quick learner.
Hadn't he shown that from the very first time they met?
Even if it had been the Heavenly Slaughter Star in a rampaging state back then, it was no feat a child Enoch's age should have been capable of.
"I think the influence of your powers plays a big role too."
Leonne held up two slender white fingers.
One of them promptly folded down.
"First off, Enoch, you've been blessed by the Heavenly Slaughter Star."
"...The little earth dwarf?"
"Right. You remember well?"
Leonne stroked Enoch's head.
"The blessing of the Heavenly Slaughter Star is an incredible gift, at least when it comes to the talent it bestows. It varies from person to person, but... yours seems to be among the top tier."
"Yeah."
"And another one."
Leonne folded down another finger.
"The power of lightning. From what I know, no previous Heavenly Slaughter Star has ever been born with a power like that. Being born with a power at all is an extremely, extremely rare occurrence to begin with."
So Enoch possessed not only the Heavenly Slaughter Star's exceptional talent but also the power of lightning.
"Maybe someday...."
If he grew up big, he might just flatten that loathsome human's nose.
Leonne swallowed her pointless words and glanced once more at the dead tree.
It hurt her heart.
"Anyway, from what I've seen, I think you need to learn how to handle your power delicately first, Enoch."
"Delicately?"
"Yeah. You have to learn to wield your strength gently, just as you want, so you don't hurt the people you care about, right?"
Hmm.... Leonne pondered for a moment, searching for words that would resonate with Enoch.
"Ah, got it. Suppose you swing your arm while eating, Enoch?"
"Yeah."
"But you put more strength into it than you thought."
"Uh-huh."
"And then I, sitting right next to you, get hit."
Ow! Leonne clutched at her spot and flopped dramatically to the ground.
"......!"
Enoch panicked and circled around her.
Seeing him look so guilty despite doing nothing wrong made Leonne chuckle.
"To avoid that, you need to learn to control your strength properly, don't you?"
"Yeah...!"
[Well, well.]
Undine clicked her tongue as she watched her friend.
[Already acting like a mom. Hundreds of years old and that's what you wanna do?]
"Hey!"
Even elves were sensitive about their age.
*
Leonne was proficient with dozens of weapons.
She favored the triple swords most, but the others were plenty suitable for teaching Enoch.
"Hmm...."
Leonne deliberated as she laid out a row of wooden weapons.
These were ones she'd personally carved after meeting Enoch.
"Enoch, does any of them feel like a good fit, or anything?"
Usually, someone with that level of talent would be drawn to the weapon suited to them.
"......"
But Enoch's reaction was lukewarm.
He didn't seem particularly interested in the weapons.
Leonne first placed a plain wooden sword in his hand.
"Well then...."
[Me! Let me do it!]
Undine bounced up eagerly.
She looked at her friend with a face full of anticipation.
"You, Undine?"
[Yeah! I'll take on that little punk... er, I mean, I can handle him just fine!]
Leonne narrowed her eyes at Undine.
Undine met her gaze with the most innocent expression in the world.
"Well... alright. Even so, you wouldn't do anything mean to a kid."
[O-of course not!]
"You sure?"
Leonne's face showed not a shred of trust, but Undine paid it no mind.
Deep down, Leonne trusted that Undine wouldn't truly harm Enoch.
[Heh, heheheheh...! Come at me, squirt!]
Gurgle—! Undine's water-formed body rapidly expanded.
Enoch ignored Undine and looked to Leonne.
"It's just a simple spar, Enoch. To see which weapon suits you and gauge your current strength."
"Yeah."
Without a word, Enoch faced off against Undine.
Undine, now the size of an adult woman, wore a sinister grin.
"Alright then...."
Before Leonne could even say "begin,"
Swoosh—!
Enoch hurled the wooden sword at full force.
[Eek!?]
Startled, Undine jerked her head back to dodge.
Throwing the weapon right away?
Flustered but seasoned as she was, Undine quickly regained her stance—only for Enoch to have already vanished from his spot.
Crackle—!
Enoch, wrapped in electricity from head to toe, appeared behind her.
Purple lightning crackled menacingly from his hands, curved like the talons of a bird of prey.
[Cheeky brat!]
Undine spun around, clenching her fist.
Enoch's swinging hand met Undine's fist.
Boom—!
A fairly loud impact echoed out.
Undine grinned as she gripped Enoch's hand tight.
[Pure water doesn't conduct electricity..., Gyaaah...!?]
Sparks erupted from Undine's blue body.
[I-it hurts!]
Undine shook her hand in panic.
Overpowered by the force, Enoch staggered back, and Undine conjured dozens of water projectiles in the air.
[Cheeky little brat!]
He was just a kid who hadn't even lived a full decade yet.
Naturally, his level was still shallow.
At that kind of level, most phenomena followed the laws of nature.
Water extinguishes fire, fire burns wood, electricity doesn't flow through pure water.
But somehow, this brat had damaged her body.
[What're you gonna do about this! Take the hit!]
Pew pew pew—!
The water projectiles shot forward at high speed.
Of course, she'd held back on the power.
Still, getting hit would sting like a flick on the forehead....
Crackle—!
Enoch didn't hesitate and leaped straight into the barrage.
A slight gap.
Enoch's eyes moved swiftly.
He deflected one projectile on a diagonal as he dashed.
The projectile ricocheted away, and Enoch slipped through the wider gap.
Thud—!
The projectiles that missed him slammed into the ground.
In that instant, Enoch closed in right in front of Undine.
[What kind of kid is this!?]
Undine flailed her arm in alarm.
A massive water orb formed in midair and launched toward Enoch.
Rumble—!
Enoch compressed lightning into his clenched fist.
Sparks flew from his black eyes.
Just as the water orb was about to collide with Enoch,
"Stop."
Enoch dangled limply in midair.
He stopped growling and blinked innocently.
"Undine, that's too much. Enoch's still just a kid."
"Ah, no...!"
Undine hopped mad after dissipating the water orb.
She was the one who'd gotten hit.
That brat seemed like he could handle attacks like that on his own anyway...!
[Gyaaah...!]
Enraged, Undine spewed a jet of water skyward.
A hole punched right through an innocent passing cloud.
Enoch sidled up and clung to Leonne's body.
Even he figured that one would hurt if it hit.
"By the way, Enoch, the sword doesn't feel right in your hands?"
"Yeah."
"I see...? That's a shame. Swords are the best for teaching."
Leonne felt regret but understood.
Watching Enoch fight, it seemed he didn't need any weapon at all, let alone a sword.
He clearly had a talent for bare-handed martial arts.
"For now, I'll teach you what I know."
*
Leonne taught Enoch the basics of fist and kick techniques.
"Fist techniques are exactly that—using your fists. Kick techniques use your legs."
She didn't teach him any complex martial arts.
Since it was his first time learning, they were very simple and fundamental moves.
Pah—!
That said, they weren't something he'd master in a single day.
Leonne beamed widely as she watched Enoch throw punches into the air.
"Undine! Looks like our Enoch's a genius after all!"
[...How long have you known him that you're calling him 'our Enoch' already.]
What Leonne taught was how to extend the fist properly and kick correctly.
Thrust without wobbling, ready for the next motion—fundamentals of fundamentals.
But as mentioned, that wasn't something mastered in a day.
'Annoying, but his talent really overflows.'
Undine grumbled but committed Enoch's movements to memory.
She wouldn't have been surprised if the brat absorbed Leonne's teachings in one go.
Anyone with decent talent could manage that much.
But Enoch was progressing on his own in areas she hadn't even taught, like the model student.
Pah—!
Enoch's thrusting punches were clean, without wasted power.
Rather than fighting the wind's flow, his fist rode it—straight and powerful.
Anyone would think he'd spent years practicing straight punches.
"Alright, Enoch. Class ended early today, so wanna play with sis?"
"Yeah!"
Undine suppressed the urge to ram grand spirit arts into that tiny head.
Instead, she fluttered over and yanked at Leonne's hair wildly.
[Me...! You never play with me like that...!]
Undine craved her friend's affection.
*
"Today, I'll teach you about the forest."
The next day, Leonne led Enoch into the woods near the house.
They'd play a bit in the forest, then eat, bathe him, tuck him in for a nap, and teach martial arts after.
"J-just don't touch the water, Enoch...!!"
Whether things would go according to plan remained to be seen.