Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Peaceful Camping
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Though they had taken the merchant escort job, it didn't mean they were setting off right away. The contract specified departure the next morning. Enoch and Yonia found a decent inn and decided to stay the night.
"Aren't you going to stop by the Magic Tower? Didn't Iris originally tell you to drop in here?"
Enoch nodded at Yonia's question.
"Yeah. No point anyway. What I'm practicing now is plenty challenging as is."
"Is that so?"
After finishing dinner at the inn, the two retired to their rooms for a good rest. The next morning, they headed to the city gates as stated in the contract. Far off, they spotted a single flag fluttering.
"Ah, that's it."
Yonia beckoned Enoch over.
"But seriously, you don't need to hide that you're really an elf? What if trouble starts?"
"I told you, it won't."
An elf wandering the Empire wasn't breaking any laws to begin with. It was just that humans, born wrong, stirred up pointless fuss.
Without hesitation, they approached the flag, showed their mercenary tags and contract confirmation, and a merchant pointed to one spot.
"Everyone's gathered over there, so head on in."
A dozen or so mercenaries were there, chattering noisily. The moment Yonia laid eyes on them, she marveled.
"Wow, human mercenaries really look the part at a glance."
"That's racial discrimination."
"Ah, no it's not! What's your problem!"
As he lectured the elf on racism, they approached the mercenaries, whose eyes filled with wariness. One among them, exuding the strongest presence, stepped forward boldly.
"New faces, huh? Names and ranks?"
"Uh, I'm..."
Enoch stopped Yonia, who was innocently about to introduce herself. He drew his sword from its sheath at his waist—scabbard and all—and spoke.
"Curious?"
"Heh heh, what a fun guy."
The mercenary grinned and closed in. And got thoroughly thrashed by Enoch.
"Aaagh! My bones! He hit my bones!"
Enoch sheathed his sword back at his waist and returned the mercenary to his comrades. The mercenaries scratched their heads awkwardly as they received their dazed companion. Yonia looked just as puzzled.
"...Is this okay?"
"Yeah. This is how you kick things off."
Sorting out the pecking order upfront actually cut down on friction later. It was a truth Enoch had learned from his occasional jobs.
"Alright, time to head out! Everyone gather up!"
The merchant waved, and the mercenaries came swarming. Enoch and Yonia perched casually on one of the wagons, and the caravan set off.
"See? This is better, right?"
Enoch pointed to the mercenaries trudging along diligently. Seats were limited, so only a few could ride. Why walk if you could sit?
"Well... yeah, I guess. Barbaric, though."
"That's just how the world works."
Enoch leaned back against the wagon, settling in comfortably. Around then, a few mounted figures galloped out from the gates.
"Halt! Halt!"
The riders were armored knights and one boy who screamed nobility at first glance.
"Huh? It's that guy from yesterday."
Just as Yonia said. The boy at the front dismounted, conversed briefly with the merchants. In short: *Our paths overlap, so let's travel together.*
"Why's a noble bothering with that?"
"How should I know? If I understood nobles, I'd be one."
The mercenaries buzzed with chatter. It wasn't an everyday occurrence, but Enoch knew the reason. That boy staring right at him even now. He'd tailed them openly yesterday and seemed intent on sticking around.
"What do we do?"
Yonia, sensing something off, gripped the bow on her back. Enoch stared at her blankly.
"Savage."
"W-what's that supposed to mean!"
"Trying to solve everything with force isn't a good habit."
*You taught me that!* Yonia ground her teeth. Enoch ignored her, lounging back and rolling plasma between his fingers.
"Just let it be."
He had enough on his plate already.
*
Enoch pondered the whole trip. Divine power and magic. They didn't overlap much, but that didn't mean treating them entirely separately.
The way he mainly used magic was based on his divine power anyway, and Iris was no different. They complemented each other.
During his month at the Magic Tower, he'd solidified the railgun to a usable level. Balanced magic and divine power, optimized it—ready for real combat.
Plasma was still iffy, though. Especially tokamak and fusion. If done right, nothing could top it, but it never quite worked as planned.
"Hey. You're a Heavenly Fiend, right?"
Of course, he could use it—just not control it properly. Spin the plasma into a donut shape, disrupt the balance on purpose, and it unleashed hellish explosions.
The problem? It would drag Enoch himself into the blast. A sort of suicide bomb. He'd dubbed it "Atomic Bomb" for now. No intention of using it unless desperate.
"If you're a Heavenly Fiend, don't you get bouts of bloodlust? Safe to roam around like this?"
"Excuse me."
While Enoch blankly sorted his thoughts, Yonia stepped up. She glared at the boy who kept yapping at them.
"What's your deal, picking fights nonstop?"
"I'm Zekeplain le Demisto, of the Demisto Marquis house..."
"No, I didn't ask your name. Don't you get it?"
"You asked what my deal was."
Yonia yanked off her hood in frustration. Lustrous golden hair and pointed ears revealed, gasps erupted from all around.
"An elf?"
"Live long enough, and you see everything—even elves."
Like the mercenaries, Zekeplain's eyes went wide.
"Why's an elf with a Heavenly Fiend..."
"What's that supposed to mean? Elves can't hang with Heavenly Fiends?"
"No, why the sudden informal tone..."
"How old are you?"
"Just turned eighteen..."
"Kid's got some nerve mouthing off!"
She hadn't loved the dynamic between Enoch and Lady Lione at first, but realizing Enoch was dead serious about it—even willing to throw his life away—had shifted Yonia's view a bit.
Whether Enoch truly felt that way was debatable. But that's how Yonia saw it.
"Alright! Let's take a break here!"
The caravan halted, merchants and mercenaries prepping for rest. Sun hadn't set yet, but pushing on meant hitting a monster-prone stretch—better to cross leisurely at dawn.
The boy retreated with a flustered look, and Enoch and Yonia helped the mercenaries set up camp. Or rather, Enoch just flicked his fingers.
"Sort it, clear it."
A casual wave of his hand, and the campsite miraculously took shape. The mercenaries leaped to their feet applauding.
"A wizard! Magic Tower affiliate?"
"Why would a Tower mage do mercenary work?"
"Who knows!"
Enoch ignored the mercenaries, continuing his plasma research, but they didn't mind. Mages were quirky by nature.
Instead, they turned their attention to the elf they'd never seen before.
"Hey, missy. Not into humans? I've got some solid goods here, though."
Shlick-shlick, a crude gesture. "Solid" seemed apt—the motion spoke of practice. Not that Yonia found it amusing.
"...A duel challenge?"
To an elf who mated for life, that gesture was tantamount to a deathmatch declaration.
"Haha! Feisty one!"
The mercenary wouldn't know, of course. If he were cultured, he wouldn't be a sellsword. As he grinned and lunged to hug her, the pissed-off elf clocked him.
"Uahaha! What a moron!"
"Getting beat by a girl? Just give up, punk!"
Enoch glanced over, thinking: *Breathing's enough to piss off a gentle elf. Humans are hopeless.*
"Hoo... Hey. Not hearing me? Oh, ear problems? Tragic. Guess that's that."
Zekeplain yammered on beside him. His knight escorts chatted idly by a nearby fire, zero sense of urgency. *Tsk tsk.* Enoch floated a small plasma ring above his palm.
"Ooh."
Stable success at last. Energy concentrated inside the glowing ring, forming a brilliant orb of light. Disrupt this balance on purpose, and boom—Atomic Bomb. Scale it up, and the destructive power would skyrocket exponentially.
"What's that? Neat shape."
Zekeplain's eyes sparkled as he reached out, and
"Urk...!"
Enoch booted him flying.
"What the hell!"
"Shh."
Enoch carefully lifted the ring skyward. The Atomic Bomb ascended slowly. Once at a good distance, he swung his fist.
Fwoosh-!
A fierce gust hurled the ring high into the heavens. Moments later,
Fwaaaaaaaa──────────!
The sky blazed bright. Even after the light faded, a shimmering purple plasma curtain lingered. Zekeplain gaped in awe.
"Aurora... Impressive. A spell to conjure the aurora."
Not even close, but Zekeplain convinced himself and stood, brushing dirt off his ass from the kick.
"Hey, young master. Try not to cause trouble."
"I didn't do anything!"
"Like we couldn't tell."
Enoch watched the bickering knight and Zekeplain return to their spots, then turned to the fire. A mercenary had started calling Yonia "big sis," dumping ingredients into a pot at her direction.
"Ooh."
Enoch got up too. Yonia was a great cook. Alone, he'd have gnawed on jerky the whole way, but with her, even on the road they ate well.
"Done with that? Then grab those over there."
As he ran her errands half-heartedly, the mercenaries started chatting him up. He ignored them royally, swallowing hard at the bubbling stew.
Groooooaaaaar────────!!!
A massive roar echoed from the distant woods. Yonia's eyes widened.
"An ogre? What's an ogre doing here?"
"O-ogre, big sis!? W-we're screwed, aren't we!?"
The mercenaries panicked. But it wasn't baseless—Zekeplain and his knights, prepping dinner nearby, shot up and glared toward the forest.
"K-knights! If it's..."
"Obviously. Ogre sighting's no small matter—we can't ignore it."
"Thank you, sirs!"
Merchants bowed deeply, knights tensed. Zekeplain alone grinned confidently.
"Worry not—with me here, ogres are nothing!"
"Young master, stay back. Ogres are the real deal."
His guards were befitting elite retainers, packing serious power. Expert upper ranks guarding him meant most outclassed that. A testament to the marquis house's might.
"Tie the horses over there! Pull the wagons to the rear!"
Merchants scrambled. Mercenaries armed up furtively, milling about.
With the knights, they might repel even a Master-tier ogre! Best if it stayed away, though! As those thoughts swirled,
"Yonia, stew's about to burn."
"You've got appetite in this mess?"
"Yeah. Hungry."
Only Enoch held a bowl, eyeing the pot intently. The aroma was killer—today's batch was a winner.