The Forest's Counsel
Rionne sat at the table with a gloomy expression, mechanically shoving the now-cold food into her mouth. Lately Enoch's appetite had grown even larger, so she'd prepared a generous amount. At this rate, she could probably eat it alone for several days.
"Maybe I was too harsh…."
After finishing the dishes, Rionne left the house. She made her way through the forest until she reached the same spot from a week ago.
[Looks like the misunderstanding has been cleared up.]
The Forest's Owner lay on his belly in the grass, greeting her with a lazy flick of his tail.
"Ah… I'm sorry about last time… I wasn't thinking straight."
[Not at all. Honestly, even I wouldn't have believed those stories if I'd only heard them.]
The part about being a mongrel beast with no pedigree had stung a little, but what could he do? The Forest's Owner licked his front paw, then thumped the grotesquely split earth with his lush tail. At once, green plants began to sprout across it as if time were fast-forwarding.
[Still, you don't look well at all. Did something happen?]
"Ah, well… Enoch and I had a little fight."
[With that boy? Heh heh, now that's unexpected. He always seemed ready to die for anything you said.]
"Exactly."
Rionne let out a long sigh and plopped down roughly on the grass. The Forest's Owner smiled faintly and swished his tail. A teacup and teapot floated in from somewhere. Tree roots wriggled upward to form a low table, and the Forest's Owner poured tea into the cup placed upon it.
[Tell me about it. You'd be surprised how many things get resolved just by talking them out.]
After listening to Rionne's story, the Forest's Owner scratched his head with his tail.
[Hmm… No wonder he fought so fiercely that day.]
"Pardon?"
[To be honest, I couldn't quite understand it at first. No matter what, there was no reason for him to come at me with such murderous intent, as if I were his mortal enemy.]
The fox's body shivered as he recalled that night. Even now, it wasn't easy to think about. Truly.
[Well… I still don't fully understand it, but from what I hear, that's just how it is at that age.]
"Puberty?"
[That's right. By the way, did you hear about the boy's enlightenment?]
"No…."
The fox chuckled and opened his mouth.
"Beneath a single bond, becoming a single star, I shall tear apart and kill everything before my eyes."
⟨ ENLIGHTENMENT ⟩
It was both brutal and ridiculous. The fox laughed again.
[In the end, it's just another way of saying he likes you so much he could die.]
"Enoch really…."
[I don't know the details, but he fought hard enough to gain enlightenment while thinking of you. And yet you didn't even acknowledge it, so of course he's sulking. Don't young boys get their feelings hurt easily?]
"Is that… how it is?"
[Of course. Even grown men want to look good in front of the woman they love.]
"Woman? I'm more like a mother figure to him."
Or was it more like an older sister? As Rionne tilted her head in confusion, the Forest's Owner let out a hearty laugh.
[Well, if that's how you see it, then so be it.]
"At your age, you're quite the meddler."
[You're hardly in a position to lecture me about age— ahem, sorry. Put that hand down.]
Demigod or not, getting hit by that elf would hurt.
*
It was shortly after Enoch had joined the mercenary guild. Every single person in the guild was summoned.
"Therefore, by the lord's mercy, you will all undertake a shared commission."
The square buzzed with murmurs. The knight in shining silver armor frowned, then bellowed with mana-infused voice.
"Silence!"
The mercenaries clamped their mouths shut. A few, however, who possessed auras rivaling the knights, voiced their complaints.
"Shouldn't you at least tell us what's going on?"
"Do you think we're trained dogs that just roll over when you say so?"
A sharp tension crackled between the knights and mercenaries. Enoch stared blankly at the scene and scratched his head.
"Ah…."
Enoch was simply annoyed by everything.
*
A fight didn't break out between the knights and mercenaries. An appropriate reward had been offered under the lord's name, and the mercenaries seemed satisfied enough to back down.
"So, we'll be scouting the outer C sector."
It was the same bald, middle-aged dwarf from yesterday, the one with three times the size of glass beads for a head. He bared his yellow teeth in a grin as he scanned the party members.
"Everyone knows who I am, right?"
"Who?"
"……."
The bald man's gaze turned to Enoch. A pitch-black hood and a gaudy, colorful mask. The obviously suspicious appearance made the man scratch his smooth head.
"Kid, what's with that getup?"
How did he know? Enoch was taken aback.
"If you can't recognize him, you're an idiot."
New faces weren't common around here, and with that height and a voice that clearly belonged to a child, it was obvious he was the same brat from yesterday.
"Anyway, I'm Max, a B-rank mercenary. I'm the party leader for this commission. Any more questions?"
"Why scouting? War?"
"Close enough. It's a monster wave."
From the brief explanation that followed, it seemed countless hordes of monsters were expected to swarm into the city. Enoch didn't fully understand, but he nodded anyway.
"No time to waste, so we'll head out immediately. We'll be back soon, so no need for supplies."
As the group walked toward the city gates, they introduced themselves briefly.
"C-rank, Rapeng. Archer."
"D-rank Tiffy! Leave the traps and basic scouting to me!"
Rapeng was a blunt-looking man, and Tiffy was a woman about the same height as Enoch. When everyone's eyes turned to him, Enoch gave a simple introduction.
"D-rank, Enoch. Um… I can do pretty much anything."
*
Enoch had never heard of a monster wave before. Living with Rionne, that was only natural. Countless monsters swarming in? Normally Rionne would take a stroll and clean them up beforehand. Even if they gathered in force, a few swings of her sword would solve everything.
"Hey, Max. What's with this sudden monster wave?"
D-rank mercenary Tiffy grumbled, apparently never having experienced one either.
"Beats me. Things have been a bit strange lately, haven't they? Dungeons seem to be popping up more often too."
"Oh, that's true! I like that part."
"It's not something to like. If things like this are suddenly happening, it means something's going on."
Rapeng, who had been quietly listening, perked up his ears. His gaze drifted into the distance for a moment before returning to Tiffy and Enoch.
"D-rank, go do some scouting. I hear something."
"Yeah, yeah. Listen to you."
Tiffy began walking quietly. Enoch just stood there watching.
"What are you doing?"
"?"
"Follow her. You know how to scout, don't you?"
"Why should I?"
Rapeng's cold gaze fixed on Enoch.
"Whoa."
Tiffy covered her mouth.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"What?"
"Chain of command. Don't you know? During a commission, there's no such thing as special treatment. A D-rank who doesn't know his place…"
Chain of command. Enoch knew what it meant. That only made him more confused.
"You? Above me?"
His voice was purely puzzled, and Rapeng's eyes grew increasingly fierce. The bowstring he gripped let out an ominous creak. The situation was on the verge of exploding when Max stepped in.
"Whoa, whoa, kid. That's just how it works by rank around here. We can't start reorganizing the hierarchy every single commission, can we?"
"Hmm."
Was this some unwritten rule among human mercenaries? Suddenly, Rionne's words about not solving everything with fights came to mind.
"Fine, whatever."
Enoch obediently followed behind Tiffy.
*
The first day's scouting didn't take long. They only found traces of monsters and didn't encounter any directly, so there was no combat either. Then came the next day.
The atmosphere among the same party as they left the city was strange.
"Hey, kid. Take this."
Tiffy handed Enoch some luggage. Today they had to cover a much wider area than yesterday, so there was quite a bit of gear. Most of the supplies were in one large bag, which was what Tiffy had thrust at him.
"Me?"
"What, you don't want to?"
Tiffy's face twisted. Rapeng watched the situation with cold eyes. Was this normal? When Enoch looked at Max, the man gave an awkward chuckle.
"Hmm."
Once Enoch took the bag, Tiffy snorted. Ever since the clash with Rapeng yesterday, the mood had been like this.
'Should I flip the table?'
He considered it for a moment but held back. Rionne had told him not to solve everything with fights. Wait, no—why should he listen to Rionne anyway?
For a second, Enoch's eyebrows shot up beneath his mask, but they soon drooped again. Maybe he should go home and apologize to Rionne? The thought kept echoing in his head.
"Hey! Are you even listening?"
At the sharp voice, Enoch turned his head. Tiffy sighed with a twisted expression.
"Haa… How did I end up in a party with a guy like this? We're setting up a base, so stop spacing out and clear the surroundings."
"……."
"No answer?"
Tap, tap. Tiffy poked Enoch's head. Even though she put some strength into it, when Enoch didn't budge an inch, she looked momentarily flustered, but that only made her angrier.
"Ugh, what a frustrating bastard!"
Thud—! Tiffy punched Enoch in the head. Crackle— For a split second, lightning flashed in Enoch's eyes. But he endured it. Remembering Rionne's words.
"…Yeah."
He'd already done it earlier—what more did she want? Enoch went a bit farther and cleared away some rocks and branches. A spirit watching from afar pounded its chest in frustration.
That idiot! Just do what you normally do! Argh…! This is killing me!
The commission proceeded smoothly. Aside from Tiffy getting hit by a random splash of water while scouting, there were no notable incidents. When night fell and they returned to base, they decided to take night watch in the order they drew: Tiffy, Max, Enoch, Rapeng.
Enoch, who had been dozing, opened his eyes at a quiet voice.
"Kid, it's your turn."
Max's shiny bald head reflected the campfire, glowing red. Enoch stared at the sight for a moment before stepping out of the tent. He sat down on the large rock placed by the fire. Max sat across from him with an awkward smile.
"Don't take it too hard, kid. This line of work is just like that."
Enoch looked at Max. The man rubbed his smooth head and continued.
"Since lives are on the line, people get sensitive about the chain of command. And once you get looked down on in this world, it's over."
"Yeah."
"Just do what you're told and it'll get better eventually."
Instead of answering, Enoch stared into Max's eyes. The somewhat eerie gaze made Max scratch the back of his neck.
"Well, good luck."
With those words, Max returned to the tent.