Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Big Sis is Different
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Leonne felt wronged. No, she wouldn't have outright lied about not doing something she didn't do! But that was when she was young! Bringing up tales from her immature days crossed the line.
"Wait, hold on! Enoch! Did you hear something?"
"The thing about throwing a teacup at the family head."
"Uh, um...."
This wasn't easy. She'd thrown teacups quite a few times, so she had no clue which incident Enoch had heard about.
"I'll explain."
Now it was Leonne's turn.
*
Leonne's younger days. About three hundred years after the time Undine had mentioned, but still an incredibly distant past from now.
She'd talked about independence and all that, but it felt like she'd just gone on a short trip and come back. This day was a little different.
"...Dad, you've changed lately. You know it yourself, right?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Leonne."
The Elven Sword God, Kyle Estor, silently speared food on his plate with a fork. His wife, Roxanna Estor, watching him, had eyes brimming with sorrow.
Leonne moistened her dry lips with her tongue and spoke.
"I heard you tried to cross the barrier recently. Did something happen there? You always said recognizing your own problems is the most important thing."
"I have no problems. Focus on overcoming the wall in front of you."
"Dad!"
Leonne slammed the table and shot to her feet with a bang! Normally, he'd look a bit flustered and try to calm her down, but as expected, his reaction was different from usual.
"What are you doing, acting so rude? Sit down properly."
Something was off. Something was wrong. Leonne gripped her teacup tightly. It had been over a century since she'd graduated from such antics, but in a moment like this, she had no intention of hesitating.
Whoosh!
The teacup flew like a dagger. Even so, it held not a speck of mana—nothing more than a feather landing for her father. Normally, he'd let it hit, shatter it with a laugh, and brush off the glass shards.
Of course, Leonne now realized how insane it was, but her desperation ran that deep. Not everything goes as planned, though.
Crack!
The teacup ricocheted past Leonne's cheek. A thin red line traced the grazed skin. He hadn't even grabbed it—he'd just flung it back at her. Leonne's face hardened.
"What are you doing, without any manners?"
"Dear!"
"Roxanna, stay out of it."
"Leonne's cheek is hurt!"
"A scratch like that will heal in no time."
"Dear...!"
The couple's voices rose. No, only Roxanna's voice rose unilaterally. Kyle's remained flat, devoid of any emotion.
"...This won't do."
Shing—Leonne drew her sword. Known as the Thousand-Year Sword Queen and held in awe, she figured even her father needed a little help coming to his senses.
She was wrong.
It took only an instant to realize that.
"Ghk...!"
Thud! Leonne's knees hit the ground. She strained to lift her head. Her father, seated, looking down at her. The weight on her shoulders felt like a mountain, utterly alien.
"Dear!"
Unable to watch any longer, Roxanna stepped in. Known as the Elven Spirit Queen, she hadn't reached demigod status, but she had enough power to push Kyle back momentarily.
Crack!
Space split, shoving Kyle back a step. Roxanna gasped for breath, and Leonne finally rose. Undine had been summoned beside them. With the spirit's aid, Leonne stood on her own two feet and glared at Kyle.
But Kyle indifferently reached out toward Roxanna.
"Insolent."
An invisible sword formed in Kyle's hand, swinging toward Roxanna in that instant.
"Urk...!"
Kyle disrupted the invisible blade and clutched his head. His trembling eyes fixed on Roxanna. He'd nearly struck his own mate. For an elf, nothing could be more shocking.
"Roxanna...."
"Dear!"
Seeing Kyle snap out of it, Roxanna brightened. Kyle gave her a faint smile, then turned to Leonne. A flicker of fear passed through his daughter's eyes as she distanced herself.
"My daughter...."
"......"
"...Undine."
[...Yeah.]
"Take care of my daughter...."
Kyle tilted his head back, blood tears streaming from his eyes as he gazed at his two most precious women. This couldn't go on. With his fading mind, he forced out a final warning.
"...Leave."
He swung his hand, shattering space. The two women, swept away by the force, vanished to some distant place—perhaps for the last time. Kyle watched with a faint smile.
"I trust you."
*
It was heavier than expected. As Enoch rolled his eyes, Leonne gave a bitter smile and pulled him into her embrace.
"Don't worry too much. Dad's still fine."
Her elf's embrace, now smaller than her own. But he never wanted to leave this warm hold.
"...Yeah."
[What's with this boring talk! There are plenty of fun stories!]
Undine, apparently displeased by the sunken mood, got upset.
[Didn't you want to hear about the Blood Avenger or the Sneering Sword Ghost? I'll tell you all...! Mmph...!]
"Will you shut up!?"
While Undine was thoroughly subdued by Leonne, Enoch clenched his fist.
There was something even Leonne couldn't handle. When that disaster struck, all he could do now was pointless flailing.
He needed to get stronger—much, much stronger. To do that, he'd have to leave this cozy nest.
Enoch quietly resolved himself.
*
The next morning.
Unlike the three who had pulled an all-nighter with wide eyes, Yonia, who had slept soundly, stretched as she stepped outside.
"Ahh...!"
Warm sunlight. Fresh air. How long had it been? When captured by humans, she'd only trembled in dark, damp confines.
"You're up?"
Yonia snapped to attention at the cool yet warm voice.
"L-Leonne!"
"Feeling better, I see."
"Y-Yes! Thanks to you, I'm all good!"
"It wasn't much."
Yonia's heart pounded at the Sword Queen's light smile. Her respected senior and idol—never dreamed she'd see her in the flesh...! Yonia rejoiced anew.
"Leonne."
"Hm? E-Enoch!?"
But the Sword Queen's cool demeanor crumbled the moment the boy appeared, and Yonia shot him a glare. What made this kid so special? She could see Leonne losing her composure whenever he was around.
"L-Leaving already? You said you'd rest a full day...."
"Staying longer might make it harder to go."
"B-But...!"
Look at that. What's Leonne got to regret? Clinging to his pant leg like that just because he's leaving.
Hmph. Yonia snorted and said to Leonne,
"I'll come visit again, Leonne."
"Uh, yeah? You don't have to...."
Leonne's expression seemed reluctant, but Yonia knew better. Leonne just wasn't great with people and felt awkward around them. Frequent visits and greetings would help her adjust in no time.
"E-Enoch.... Don't get too distracted by elves, okay? They're pretty stuffy, not great as mates...."
"Yeah."
"And always watch out for other girls. Women are all foxes. If one tries sneaking into your bed, kick her ass right out?"
"Got it."
"Oh, of course, big sis is different! You know that, right, Enoch?"
"Naturally."
Oblivious to their private chat, Yonia puffed out her chest and took a deep breath. Once at the Elven Alliance, she'd train without fail every day. She etched the perhaps-unrealizable vow into her heart.
*
Yonia was a true elf. She bounded lightly from tree to tree, showing off her impressive skill.
Of course, it was nowhere near Enoch's full speed. A bit unsatisfying, but Enoch focused on his middle dantian to refine the technique he'd been planning.
"Enoch, you. What's really up with you and Leonne? You're not actually her fiancé, right?"
The lightning crystal he'd been carefully gathering for days spun in his middle dantian. It truly resembled a crystal formation.
Eri in his middle dantian stabilized it, while Enoch accumulated lightning and began expanding its size.
"Are you even listening? I'm grateful you saved me, but at least pay attention...."
"Quiet."
Sparks flew across Enoch's body. His pitch-black eyes glowed vivid purple, emitting an eerie light.
"N-No need to get that mad...."
The crystal spun and deconstructed in his middle dantian, supplying far greater output than usual. A faint halo above his head substituted for his upper dantian, harmonizing the flow.
As a result,
Flash!
Three flowers faintly bloomed behind Enoch's head. Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. He'd partially replicated the realm achieved through his Thunder God Transformation rampage.
Of course,
Pop.
The three flowers quickly scattered into the air. Still imperfect. Moreover, the crystal in his middle dantian—what Enoch called the Thunder Core—was woefully incomplete.
It was a technique he'd developed recently from the Dragon Heart insight, but accumulation took ages, and depletion was rapid. Far from the Dragon Heart's near-permanence.
Still, this boosted his output tremendously. From the perspective of just starting, it wasn't bad.
He could probably smash that trash Adolf now.
Enoch smiled faintly.
*
"Any reports of finding him?"
"...Not yet."
Bang! Adolf slammed the desk. Shards flew everywhere.
"Damn it...! Did he really run straight to the Sword Queen?"
Adolf ground his teeth. Dread filled him to the brim. If the Sword Queen got involved..., it was over.
The organization wouldn't fear her alone, but would they confront her for his sake? Adolf didn't think so.
Then, the tent flap parted, and a woman entered.
"Hey, Adolf. Long time no see, and your face looks wrecked."
"...Gray."
The woman with tanned skin and ash-gray hair grinned and lounged on the remaining intact chair.
"The Sword Queen's disciple, huh? Wonder what makes the kid so special to send two of us out."
"...He's not the issue. The Sword Queen might step in."
"The Sword Queen? Scared of some bitch?"
Sure, she'd crush him one-on-one, but unless fighting the whole organization, even she'd hold back.
Slicing the sky was momentary burst power. With the mighty Estor family's artifacts, it wasn't impossible.
"Rumors say she's a monster who could toy with the likes of us."
"Pfft...! You believe those old tales? Guess Grandma's fairy tales really stuck with you as a kid?"
Boom! Adolf's aura exploded. Nearby subordinates clutched their throats, gasping, but Gray just cackled without a care.
"If it comes to it, the Chairman will step in."
"Yeah, right. He hasn't shown his face lately—think he'll bother for us?"
"Who knows."
Yawn—Gray stretched, somehow sprawling across the chair.
"Disciple or dildo, whatever—just grab him quick and end it."
Tch. As Adolf clicked his tongue—
"W-We found him! He showed up across the Sword Queen's forest...."
"Damn it."
Did he really snitch everything to the Sword Queen? He pondered, but the conclusion was one. If needed, take the kid hostage and negotiate with her.
"Move. Capture alive, no matter what. Can't kill until we're sure word hasn't reached the Sword Queen."
"What a hassle. Eh, no biggie. Just lop off a few limbs."
From what Adolf said, the Sword Queen's disciple wasn't that big a deal. He'd reached Star Engraving realm, but so what? With two executives—not even one—they could overwhelm him. Hell, she could toy with him solo.
Yawn—Gray rose. She sauntered after the hurrying Adolf. The subordinates watched their backs, breathless.
The shadow organization rivaling a kingdom, Haken Welt.
Two executives of the so-called "organization" on the march.