The Heavenly Slaughter Star Dreams of a Future with the Elf
The first enemy Enoch encountered in the dungeon was a massive chunk of rock. Except now it had taken on a vaguely human shape. Thinking back on Rionne’s lessons, the name finally surfaced in his mind.
“Golem.”
Made of stone, so maybe Stone Golem? He remembered hearing they were like summoned creatures that mages controlled, but he had no idea why one would be lurking in a place like this. The atmosphere didn’t feel like a wizard’s workshop—it seemed more like a naturally formed dungeon. Still, none of that mattered right now.
Having made his decision, Enoch charged straight at the golem without another moment of hesitation.
The fight could be summarized like this: Enoch dodged the golem’s attacks, landed several blows, the golem shattered, then regenerated. He dodged again, struck again, it shattered again, and regenerated again. Even with his overflowing strength, Enoch eventually started to tire. And just when irritation was beginning to outweigh his fatigue—crack.
A completely different sensation traveled through his fist, like shattering thick, sturdy glass.
“Ah.”
Only then did the thoroughly pulverized golem finally stop moving. Belatedly, Enoch remembered something Rionne had taught him: golems usually had a core, and unless that core was destroyed, they would keep regenerating until their energy ran out.
He had paid attention during her lessons, but because he spent all his time thinking about combat, the knowledge had slipped his mind. So this was why information about your opponent mattered.
Enoch nodded, convinced.
‘Should I head back?’
He was exhausted from wrestling with the golem, and the sun was probably starting to set. Besides, he had no idea how large this dungeon was or what strange properties it might have. Having decided, Enoch immediately turned around. The moment he stepped out of the dungeon—
“Gwoong?”
—he came face to face with a bear. A bear the size of a house.
“Yaaawn—”
Enoch lay sprawled on top of the bear, limbs dangling loosely. The poor creature had been reduced to his personal mount and was now being thoroughly exploited. Although he was tired, beating a bear into submission wasn’t particularly difficult for him. Then a brilliant idea struck him, and he put it into action immediately.
By the time the already dim forest had grown pitch black, Enoch reached the boundary between the deep woods and the shallower forest.
“Go on.”
He gave the bear’s head a couple of light pats, and the beast fled in a panicked scramble. From there, Enoch picked up speed and arrived home in the blink of an eye.
“Enoch!”
The moment he reached the house, Rionne came rushing out. The worry etched across her face melted away the instant their eyes met, blooming into a radiant smile. It was so beautiful—like flowers bursting into bloom—that it was clear just how much she had been fretting.
“Rionne.”
Enoch walked toward her with a slightly exaggerated show of exhaustion. She pulled him into her arms with a fierce embrace, and he was instantly enveloped in warm body heat and the refreshing scent of the forest. All his fatigue seemed to dissolve on the spot. No matter what she asked of him, he would never refuse if the price was a hug like this.
“Were you okay? Nothing dangerous happened, right?”
Rionne pulled back just enough to look him over, checking every inch. She had gotten a rough summary from Undine, but that hadn’t eased her worry at all.
“Yeah. Nothing happened.”
“That’s a relief.” Rionne let out a soft chuckle. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you something.”
“Ah, wait a second.”
Enoch rummaged through his clothes and pulled out an object. It was the golem’s core he had taken from the dungeon. Even though it was now in pieces.
“A gift.”
“This is…”
Rionne immediately recognized what it was. The question of where he had obtained a golem core was answered almost instantly.
“Looks like you found a dungeon.”
“Dungeon?”
“Yeah. The naturally occurring one you told me about before.”
Rionne’s expression stiffened slightly. “You went inside?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Naturally occurring dungeons were dangerous. No one could predict what might happen inside them. She was certain she had warned him not to enter recklessly last time…
“…Well, you came back safely, so that’s what matters. But from now on, you absolutely cannot just charge into places like that. Understand?”
“Yeah.”
Enoch nodded and placed the golem core in Rionne’s hand. Golem cores were already quite useful, but one harvested from a naturally formed dungeon might be even more valuable.
Rionne let out a long sigh and pulled him into another hug.
“Thank you. But seriously, be careful from now on, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Haa… what am I going to do with you?”
He answered obediently enough, but she still felt uneasy. Was this what people called puberty? Compared to the descriptions in books, he was remarkably well-behaved, yet every now and then he would leap in strange directions.
“I can’t just keep him glued to my side forever.”
“Huh?” Enoch’s head snapped up.
“I’d like that.”
“No.”
Enoch lowered his head again.
“To overcome the fate of the Heavenly Slaughter Star, I need to raise my realm quickly.” The most viable method was to accumulate a vast amount of experience. Some people could never manage it no matter how hard they tried, but with Enoch’s overflowing talent, it should be more than possible.
“Then… once I overcome it, we’ll live together forever?”
“Huh?” Rionne’s eyes widened, then she let out a gentle laugh. He was just too adorable.
“Of course. As long as you don’t find another woman and abandon your sister.”
“I won’t!”
It was a rare outburst. Rionne’s smile deepened. And Enoch made a silent vow. He would destroy the fate of the Heavenly Slaughter Star—definitely, and as quickly as possible.
Rionne lay in bed, gently patting Enoch’s chest as he remained strangely restless and unable to fall asleep. She fell into thought.
‘As expected, there’s no way a sweet child like him would ever fall into something as extreme as racial discrimination.’
She remembered the day she first met Enoch. Of course she did—it had only been about three years. The Enoch of that time could not, by any stretch, be described as neat. He had been filthy, covered in wounds, and bore several scars. To Rionne, who had survived countless battles over hundreds of years, those scars told clear stories.
‘He was probably abused.’
Whether the humans responsible for such horrible acts were his parents or someone else, she didn’t know. But she was certain of one thing: they had been human.
The things Enoch hated were clear: dwarves and humans. The things he liked were equally clear: elves. And perhaps spirits, to a small degree. The grudge against dwarves was her own karmic burden. As for why he hated humans, the memories of his early childhood likely played a major role. And the reason he adored elves, believing them superior, was probably because she had been the one to take care of him.
The more she thought about it, the more she regretted the past days when she had unintentionally planted such strong prejudice against dwarves in him—prejudice that now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his heartbreaking history. Still… dwarves were fine. It would hurt far more if Enoch spent time with them and picked up any strange habits.
‘Enoch…’
Pat, pat. When it became clear he still couldn’t sleep, Rionne began to hum a lullaby. A soft, beautiful melody. Feeling his heartbeat gradually calm, she made a firm resolution.
‘I’ll protect you. No matter what happens.’ Until every last wound he had suffered healed cleanly, she would hold this child warmly in her arms.
‘Then… once I overcome it, we’ll live together forever?’
The answer she had given. The positive reaction. Countless vivid images flashed through Enoch’s mind.
‘Forever…’
Humans were an inferior species that could not live even a hundred years, but that limitation could be overcome. The method was not particularly difficult. He simply had to surpass humanity. It might sound absurd, but humans who reached the Master realm lived for hundreds of years. Even stopping at Expert greatly extended one’s lifespan.
The realm he would likely need to overcome the Heavenly Slaughter Star’s fate was Demigod—the half-god realm. At that level, the concept of lifespan essentially vanished. If he reached it, he might truly be able to swear eternity with Rionne.
Enoch painted a clear picture in his mind. A cozy nest. A wide meadow. Birds chirping gently, the faint sound of flowing water. Beneath warm sunlight, he and Rionne smiled brightly at each other. Yes, even having that blue fly buzzing and nagging beside them would be acceptable. Simple breakfast, a short walk through the forest, lunch, a small party, dinner, bathing together, then falling asleep wrapped tightly in each other’s arms.
Those days—the dreamlike days that had continued for three years—forever.
Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded. For some reason, his face felt slightly hot. Even with Rionne gently patting his chest, sleep refused to come.
──────────♪
But when that beautiful singing voice reached him. When the lyrics he couldn’t understand—most likely ancient Elvish—tickled his ears. Even though the words made no sense, Rionne’s warm heart came through clearly. Enoch’s body melted into sleep. This dreamy blurring of consciousness felt similar to the Heavenly Slaughter Star’s rampage—like being submerged underwater—but the two could not be compared. If the Heavenly Slaughter Star ever rampaged, wouldn’t Rionne’s lullaby calm it instantly? That was his final thought before sleep claimed him.
After restraining an enthusiastic Enoch who declared he would explore the dungeon, Rionne spent a long time listing instructions.
“If anything feels off, come out immediately, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“If it seems even slightly suspicious, do not fight.”
“Yeah.”
“There might be traps, so watch out for those too.”
“Yeah.”
“And also…”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, and if…”
“Yeah.”
The stream of worried advice didn’t last too long. Roughly two hours. And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Rionne decided to secretly follow him herself.