The Elf Picked Up the Heavenly Slaughter Star
The elf had picked up the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
A cursed fate that grants unmatched martial talent but constantly threatens to devour the host's sanity, driving them toward endless slaughter.
“Man, what a waste. Kid had a killer body, too.”
A man snickered vulgarly as he walked past. The boy stood frozen in place, staring at the lump of meat being dragged away. A whore from the slums. A bottom-feeder. A worthless life beaten to death by some nameless man while sick in bed—now reduced to nothing but a slab of meat. And the boy’s mother.
“Ah.”
Shoved hard, the boy’s face slammed into the dirt. He turned his head blankly, and there was the same vulgarly grinning man.
“Got yourself a real pretty face, though.” The man cackled, eyes crawling over the boy’s body. “Might be worth a taste if the flavor’s good.”
The boy ignored the words and looked up at the sky. Gray. More storm clouds. Lightning flashed between them, but it didn’t look like rain would fall. Rumble—! A pleasant peal of thunder rolled across the heavens.
At the sound, the boy unconsciously reached out his hand. As if lightning might come down and settle into his palm.
“Tsk. Just like the little idiot he is. No fun at all, no fun.”
CRACK—!!!
“Uwaaaagh…!”
The sudden bolt of lightning made the man fall flat on his ass in shock. Who wouldn’t be startled when lightning struck right in front of their eyes?
The man clutched his wildly pounding heart and stared at the bizarre sight before him.
“Wh-what the…?”
Crackling electricity danced across the boy’s uninjured body. He had clearly taken a direct hit.
“That moron’s got insane luck.”
“Aww, what a shame! I thought I wouldn’t have to look at that face anymore.”
Unlike the surrounding thugs who laughed and mocked the terrified man, this one sensed something off. The boy’s unnaturally deep black hair and eyes. The way purple lightning arced over them was strange to anyone watching—but that wasn’t what felt wrong.
“Shit…”
The boy’s lips split into a savage grin, eyes locking onto the man like daggers.
That day, an entire slum was discovered burned pitch-black. The shredded, charred corpses became a brief topic of conversation, but as always, people’s interest didn’t last even a week.
The boy walked endlessly. The surroundings were nothing but trees. As he trampled through the grass, he suddenly lifted his head.
“Ah…”
The once-black sky was now blue. Night had passed and morning had come without him noticing. His stomach growled in agreement. The boy picked up a stone from the ground and scanned the area. A faint rustle. He hurled the stone without hesitation.
Squeak…!
At the short death cry, the boy walked over. A rabbit lay there, trembling violently before going still. He picked up the creature, purple sparks still dancing across its fur. Then—crunch!
He bit into it whole and chewed thoroughly. The rabbit, half-roasted by the electricity, was decent enough food aside from the annoying fur in his mouth.
As the boy mechanically worked his jaw, a realization struck him.
“Ah.”
If the fur was annoying, he just had to remove it. He tore the skin away starting from where he’d bitten, reducing the amount of meat but eliminating the fur. Satisfied, he nodded and lifted the rabbit to his mouth again.
“Oh my?”
At the voice, purple lightning crackled in the boy’s eyes. His mind grew hazy, just like it had in the slums a few days ago.
Crackle—!!
With a burst of violet electricity, the boy’s body vanished. He reappeared atop a tree. Lightning coiling around his entire frame, he swung his arm.
Rumble—!
Thunder roared and leaves turned black from the strike. Yet standing there completely unharmed was a single figure.
“Ah… how pitiful. You were born under the decree of the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
The woman looked at the boy, her brows drooping in sympathy. But the boy twisted his face and bared his teeth.
“Grrrr…”
Growling like a beast, lightning wrapped around the boy’s hand. Crack! He vanished again, reappearing behind the woman and swinging at her.
“Can’t be helped.”
Tap. She lightly swatted his hand away. The boy immediately twisted his body in response. His rising foot aimed for her stomach. Then—thud!
He was struck in the back of the neck and collapsed.
The woman sighed and lifted the child into her arms.
“Haa… I’ve never raised a child before.”
She began walking slowly. First, she’d need to wash him and feed him something.
When the boy opened his eyes, he saw the sky. It sounded insane, but this was unmistakably the sky.
“Huh?”
As the boy looked around in a daze, a gentle voice reached him.
“Are you awake?”
He turned his head. There stood a woman who resembled the forest itself. When the boy blankly reached out, she smiled kindly.
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
His hand was touching her ear. Unlike humans, it was long and pointed—an elf’s ear. Amazed by the soft yet firm texture, the boy finally remembered he was floating in the sky.
“Ah…”
Above, below, and all around—everything was blue. He reached toward the clouds drifting past, then looked down at the area near his backside. A sword was flying through the sky. The woman sat atop it, and the boy was nestled in her arms.
“What’s your name?”
At her question, the boy stared into her forest-green eyes.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
“Um…”
Instead of pressing him, the woman gently stroked the boy’s head. After they passed three clouds, the boy finally spoke hesitantly.
“E… Enoch…”
“Enoch? That’s a wonderful name.”
Even as she smiled, the woman thought it was quite a fateful coincidence. A child born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star named Enoch. The name meant “dedicated to God.” It didn’t seem fitting for someone prophesied to tear apart even the heavens in a bloody rampage. Or perhaps, precisely because he carried the blessing of the Heavenly Slaughter Star, it was the perfect name.
Either way, he was a pitiful being caught in the divine whim of that cursed star.
“My name is Rionne. Rionne Estor. You can call me whatever you like.”
“…Rionne?”
“That’s right. Clever boy, aren’t you?”
When Rionne stroked Enoch’s head, he shrank back slightly. She chuckled and looked down.
“We’re here.”
She held Enoch tightly and leaped from the sword. As she fell, the blade flew beside her and slid back into its sheath on its own.
“Whoa…”
Enoch opened his mouth as the wind rushed against him. The feeling of his cheeks being pushed back, his hair whipping wildly—it was fun. Seeing the child’s delighted face, Rionne smiled too.
Tap. She landed lightly on the ground, set the boy down, and spread her arms wide.
“Ta-da. This is our home. What do you think?”
It was a cozy little nest surrounded by forest. A small garden grew with various vegetables, and the sound of flowing water could be heard nearby. When Enoch smiled silently, Rionne scooped him up again.
“First, let’s get you washed—ah.”
Only then did she realize. A bead of cold sweat trickled down Rionne’s cheek.
“…By the way, Enoch. Where are your parents?”
Given he was born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star, ordinary parents would have struggled to raise him. Still, taking a child without a word—wasn’t that basically kidnapping?!
As Rionne waited anxiously for an answer, the boy simply shook his head. With equal parts relief and sorrow, she hugged him tightly.
“I see… Don’t worry anymore.”
At least until Enoch became an adult, the child would grow up safely in the arms of an elf.
After washing him and feeding him, the child began to doze off. Rionne tucked him into her own bed, then stepped outside and stared blankly at the sky.
“What now…?”
She had brought the child home, but she had no real plan. She had never raised a child before, nor did she know much about humans. On top of that, her own situation was rather precarious.
[Rionne, you idiot. Why would you pick up something so ominous?]
“Undine, you shouldn’t say things like that.”
Rionne glared at her tiny friend. The blue water spirit puffed out her cheeks grumpily and floated around Rionne in circles.
[Just getting close feels ominous. Do you even know what the Heavenly Slaughter Star is?]
“Of course I do. I saw the previous one with my own eyes, after all.”
[And you still brought that thing home?]
“He’s still just a child.”
[Idiot.]
Hmph! Undine snorted and landed about three handspans away from Rionne. It was her way of expressing anger. Rionne smiled at her friend’s adorable tantrum, but her own heart was just as troubled.
The few truly shocking events she had witnessed over her long life. The memory of the Heavenly Slaughter Star proudly occupied one of those spots, and it was hardly a pleasant recollection.
…It was a disaster.
Rivers of blood had flowed. The rampaging Heavenly Slaughter Star had slaughtered roughly a hundred thousand humans that day alone. By the time Rionne, sensing the ominous aura, had rushed over, several cities had already been reduced to ruins.
That was about two hundred years ago, wasn’t it?
Recalling that time, Rionne’s body shuddered. The hardship she had gone through back then was truly…
If she didn’t want this child to suffer the same fate, she would need to educate him properly from a young age. Until he became an adult—that would be roughly…
About a hundred and fifty years?
That wasn’t such a long time.
“Dwarves are nothing but dirty little thieves.”
“The Heavenly Slaughter Star that blessed you, Enoch, can be considered just as wicked as those short-legged dwarves.”