Three Years Later
Three years had passed, and Enoch was now thirteen. His exact age remained a mystery, but Rionne—who could glimpse a measure of truth—judged it to be so. In the prime of his growth, Enoch had shot up like a weed; his head now reached her chest. His skills had grown even faster, to the point where even Rionne found herself startled. Yet one thing had not changed at all.
“Enoch!”
“Yeah…!”
The moment Rionne called his name, Enoch came sprinting out from somewhere and threw himself into her arms. She stroked his head with practiced affection.
“Do you like the forest?”
“A little.”
“You’ve been spending all your time there lately.”
“It smells like you in the forest.”
Especially the grand, elegant Satis trees. Enoch had taken to calling them Rionne Trees.
“What kind of name is that?” Rionne laughed softly, rocking his body back and forth as if the silly nickname delighted her.
Undine found the whole display ridiculous. Seriously, this is absurd. What are you two even doing?
The pair ignored her, as always. Undine puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
“We’re heading into the city today for the first time in a while.”
“Mm.”
“You don’t want to?”
“I like home.”
“Truthfully, so do I.”
Still, they couldn’t stay shut inside forever. More than a century remained before Enoch reached adulthood, but he needed to start getting used to the ways of humans little by little. After all, he had been born beneath the Heavenly Slaughter Star. To free himself from that crushing fate, he would have to elevate his own realm—and that would inevitably demand independence and harsh trials.
Once he became an adult, he would have to mingle with humans, venture into the world, form all kinds of relationships, survive desperate battles where he could never let his guard down, and carve his own path. Only then could he hope to reach the supreme realm.
“Mm.” Enoch pretended to be distracted. He didn’t want independence. It would be so much better to simply live with Rionne forever.
Rionne scooped him up with a laugh and gave a sharp whistle. The sword hanging at her waist slid free of its scabbard on its own and floated gently in the air. She settled onto the blade with Enoch on her lap. The sword rose smoothly, swimming through the clouds, and Enoch clung to her a little tighter.
“You like flying, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Come on, cheer up. Big sis will buy you something tasty.”
“…Human food isn’t very good.”
Undine poked her head out of Rionne’s pocket, face scrunched up. Good grief. Anyone listening would think you weren’t human yourself.
Crackle!
Ow, that stings…! Hey! I told you to stop doing that!
Enoch had zapped her with a precise jolt of electricity and now glared at her. Undine flinched at the look in his eyes.
Honestly…
That damn Heavenly Slaughter Star. He never let a single drop of killing intent leak toward Rionne, yet he was always like this with her. Still, Undine supposed she had it easy compared to others. When Enoch lounged around the forest, his killing intent would seep out constantly, leaving the animals trembling in fear. Undine knew this, so she didn’t push too hard. Rionne was simply a very, very special exception.
“Enoch, look over there.”
Enoch, who had been locked in a staring contest with Undine, followed Rionne’s slender finger with his gaze. She was pointing at the view beneath the clouds—the vast, rolling expanse of the forest.
“That’s the forest we live in. It’s enormous, isn’t it?”
Though he had seen it several times before, Rionne showed him the sight every time they flew. Her love for the forest ran that deep.
“But you know…”
“Hm?”
“It’s wide, but is it really impossible for other people to reach?”
Rionne understood the clumsy question and answered gently.
“I’ve placed a barrier around our home. Besides, there’s nothing particularly special in this forest anyway.”
No matter how vast the woods were, they weren’t impossible for determined superhumans to traverse. Even Enoch could reach a nearby village in a day or two at full speed. But there was simply nothing here worth that kind of effort. The only visitors who might appear were ordinary people from the surrounding area, and it would take them months on foot. They also risked being hunted by mana-infused beasts. With Rionne’s personal barrier in place, outsiders essentially had no reason to come at all—unless someone of considerable realm deliberately sought her out.
“Mm.” Enoch nodded slowly.
After a while of idle chatter, Rionne smiled brightly and pulled him into a tight hug.
“We’re here.”
“Errands again today?”
“Yes. Nothing too difficult.”
Rionne leapt down from the sword, lifted Enoch into her arms, and landed discreetly in a secluded spot near the city gates. Had she come alone, she would have dropped straight into the city, but since this outing was also part of his education, she refused to teach him bad habits. Cities required proper procedure at the gate.
She cast a simple spell, altering her appearance to look human. Her elegant elf ears shortened, her facial structure softened, her brilliant golden hair dulled, and her forest-green eyes turned a clear blue. In short, a breathtaking elf had become a still-beautiful but more ordinary-looking human woman.
The group joined the line at the gate and waited their turn. It didn’t take long before the guard on duty recognized Rionne’s face and broke into a sleazy grin.
“Back again, huh? So, how about today?”
To his crude gesture, Rionne replied with an icy stare.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Let us through.”
Normally a pass would be required, but a beauty like Rionne needed no such thing—her face was passport enough. A guard who had seen her once could hardly forget her. Rionne walked on with haughty steps, fully committed to her human persona.
Enoch memorized the guard’s face.
…A mere human, daring to act that way.
In three short years, Enoch had become a first-rate racist.
*
Dendalo was a modest border city—barely qualifying as one, really. Still, even a small city had everything necessary. Enoch wandered the market with a list of needed items in hand. As usual, Rionne had separated from him under the excuse of buying other goods. He wondered if she truly believed these errands were valuable education. It was hard to say.
Clothes… a pen. And books, I guess.
He hated studying, but Rionne had ordered it. He didn’t want to buy them, but he had no choice.
“Sigh…”
“Ah…! U-um…!”
At the approaching presence, Enoch turned. A girl stood there, face flushed bright red. Saying “a girl” wasn’t entirely accurate—girls all across the street were staring at him with sparkling eyes.
“P-please accept this…!”
Born beneath the Heavenly Slaughter Star and blessed with supreme martial talent, Enoch’s body was perfectly balanced. With a touch of good fortune, his face had grown strikingly handsome. If his ears were just a little longer, he could have passed for an elf without raising any eyebrows.
“Kyaaah…!”
Enoch glared at the girl who shoved a letter into his hands and immediately fled. He stuffed it carelessly into his already bulging pocket, which was filled with gifts from other women.
Humans, honestly. What do they see in a kid like this? Their taste is lacking—seriously lacking. Why does this happen every single time?
Enoch ignored Undine, who had tagged along as his supposed escort, and glanced into the overflowing pocket. Letters, handkerchiefs, trinkets… even someone’s underwear. Humans really were full of lunatics.
Suppressing his killing intent, Enoch slipped into a nearby alley. He dumped everything onto the ground and incinerated it all with his power. For good measure, he shook the pocket out violently a few times.
“Sigh…”
Finally letting out a heavy breath, Enoch lifted his head. His eyes had gone ice-cold.
“You there. Human.”
His voice rang through the quiet alley. Only silence answered.
With a frown, electricity crackled around the tip of his foot.
Crackle!
Enoch’s figure vanished. A thunderous boom followed as the alley wall exploded. He brushed off his hand and glared at the man rapidly retreating.
“Why are you skulking after me like some shady dwarf? Got thief blood in your veins?”
H-how can you say something so awful…! You’re going way too far now that Rionne isn’t here…!?
Undine was horrified, but the man didn’t react. Elf-style insults apparently sounded vague to human ears.
“This is why I hate humans. Filthy insects.”
You’re human too, you idiot!
“I’m half elf.”
Rionne…! This is bad! The kid’s lost his mind!
While Undine wailed in concern for Enoch’s sanity, the man in dark clothing finally spoke.
“Do you have some connection to an elf?”
Enoch’s aura instantly turned murderous.
“Aha… So you’re even worse than human trash.”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I am not an elf hunter.”
Enoch offered no reply. Instead, purple lightning gathered in his grip, forming razor-sharp claws.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!!
The killing intent that leaked out made the man’s face stiffen. It was no aura a child should possess, and the bloodlust was anything but ordinary.
“How about we talk this out? I’d rather not hurt you.”
Of course, Enoch—who had become an exemplary speciesist—didn’t listen. He had no interest in conversation with a human.
Rumble—!
The sound of thunder echoed through the alleyways of the small city.