ALL NOVEL Chapter 25
Chapter
Rionne tossed and turned in her bed after Enok left.
What could be troubling her?
She seemed to have many worries lately; perhaps when Enok returns, she should have a serious talk with him.
While she was drifting in and out of thought, suddenly—
“……!”
Rionne jolted up at the massive wave of power radiating from afar.
It felt so faint, as if blocked by some barrier, that she didn’t notice it at first, but this level of aura was certainly no trivial matter.
“Enok!”
Thinking of Enok, Rionne bolted out of the house.
She didn’t care about getting her bare feet dirty and ran with all her might toward where she felt the power wave.
But the reality she faced was mercilessly cruel.
Her mind went blank in shock, quickly filling with self-blame, and all those feelings swiftly morphed into anger and hatred.
[Why, why is it you…!]
[Wait! Let me explain!]
[You filthy beast without lineage…! Shut your mouth…!?]
The forest shook under Rionne’s rage.
Under the moonlight, blue mana surged, enveloping the night sky and soon transforming into countless swords.
At that ferocious energy, a fox trembled.
If that fell, the forest would vanish without a trace.
[Still alive!]
[I’ll definitely skin you and dump your corpse in the sewer…, what…?]
[I’m saying he’s alive! If your spirit helps right now, he’ll be fine!]
At the news of Enok’s survival, Rionne dashed over.
As she examined the fallen Enok closely, she realized the bond between his soul and body had not yet severed.
Rionne trembled as she gently caressed his cheeks, horrified by Enok’s pitiful state.
“Enok….”
Droplets of thick tears fell.
Kneeling in the dirt, she crawled closer to Enok and summoned a spirit.
“Undine!”
[Huh…, what the…?]
The spirit’s eyes grew cold.
In those fury-filled eyes, Rionne shouted fiercely.
“Undine! Hurry!”
[What?]
“Heal him!”
Understanding the situation, Undine summoned her true form.
The massive water woman, capable of covering the night sky, decreed with power.
[Do whatever it takes to heal!]
All the rivers and springs of the forest, every cloud in the sky, and all the water spirits of the region gathered.
The world trembled with the fury of a top-tier spirit.
As if a water veil had descended upon the night sky, countless forces of water surged to aid Enok.
Saaah…
Healing waters enveloped Enok.
The open wounds began to heal, rekindling faint traces of life.
As he gradually regained his vitality, Rionne, relieved, steadied herself on the ground, focusing only on Enok.
“Enok….”
His figure slowly returned.
Blood washed away, and broken body parts mended.
Rionne lamented her own uselessness, being someone who could only fight.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
A fox approached the crying elf.
Its lush nine tails wrapped around her shoulders, but—
Wham! It was thrown off by a fierce shove.
“…You should really get away while you still can.”
The voice filled with killing intent made the fox smile awkwardly.
That expression only deepened the fury in Rionne’s eyes, but the fox felt truly wronged.
[No, really, I didn’t do it.]
“Then what? Enok fought alone, got hurt alone, and ruined everything here by himself?”
Surprisingly, that was correct.
But the fox possessed at least enough social awareness to know that framing it that way could end badly.
[It seems I spooked you a lot. Of course, I won’t deny my mistake. I was insufficient in hiding myself, and that kid pierced part of my realm.]
“Make sense. If you were pierced through, why did you pick a fight? If you could see how powerful a demigod was, why engage without a word until someone nearly died?”
True enough.
The fox was still curious.
“Moreover, even if that were true, Enok getting hurt was still your fault. Surely you don’t think those wounds were self-inflicted? I hope not, because if that were the case, I might really kill you.”
Actually, that was correct.
The fox racked its brain, choosing its words carefully to minimize the fallout.
[…]
[That… that kid used dangerous powers. It seems he forcibly replaced the upper class’s magic with Circle, and didn’t stop there; he unified basic magic as well.]
“Are you expecting me to believe that? Swap upper class with Circle? There are countless mages who’ve learned that doing such a thing would explode their heads, right?”
Wow, seriously?
That was unknown to me.
I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t realize how perilous it was.
[Hard to believe, but it’s true. Also, later he achieved tri-magic…]
“Stop! I’ve already listened to enough nonsense!”
Rionne’s lips twisted in annoyance.
“Why? Are you trying to claim Enok wrecked everything here solo? Even if Enok is maturing quickly, I know best he’s not at that level yet.”
[No….]
The fox was truly at its wit’s end.
This elf clearly didn’t understand what kind of monster she was raising.
Now that she mentioned it, she was the one who called him pure and adorable.
Was that even pure and adorable?
Realization washed over her; this elf was definitely missing something upstairs.
[Hmm? No wait. Didn’t you mention something about explaining your existence to this young one?]
“Uh, yeah, I said everything. Got it now? How ridiculous your claims are.”
[Then what the hell… why could that child not realize I exist?]
“…Just please shut up. I feel like I might really lose it if you keep talking.”
Rionne embraced the healed Enok.
He merely had physical scars, but watching his breathing return to normal, it was clear he would soon awaken.
Yes, surely.
It had to be so.
If it weren’t, Rionne herself didn’t know what she might do.
*
It was a week later one morning when Enok finally opened his eyes.
The glaring sunlight was blinding.
When he squinted, a voice that resembled a scream reached his ears.
“Enok……!!”
It was Rionne’s voice.
With much effort, he turned his stiff neck.
Suddenly the overly bright vision turned dark.
Rionne had hugged him tightly.
“You’re awake…! I’m so… so glad….”
“…Rionne.”
Enok also embraced Rionne tightly.
But only for a moment; Rionne broke away from Enok, stepping back a few paces.
“……?”
“Enok.”
Rionne’s eyes were red and swollen as she hardened her expression.
It was a look he’d never seen before.
As Enok felt flustered, a choked voice poured out.
“What happened? And why did you go into the forest alone that night? Do you know how worried I was!?”
At her agitated voice, Enok shrank back.
As Rionne’s face twisted, caught off guard, she quickly regained her composure, maintaining a serious demeanor.
“I’m not joking, Enok. This time, you really could have died. Do you know how I felt… how I felt…? Ugh…?”
In the end, unable to hold back, Rionne broke into tears.
Enok, flustered, could only look around in confusion.
What he could understand was that Rionne had worried about him, and that she was so heartbroken because of it.
“Rionne….”
“Ugh… it’s okay…. It’s okay… just… can you tell me what happened?”
Enok nodded.
No matter what he had messed up, he had no intention of hiding anything in front of Rionne.
*
“…What?”
That was Rionne’s reaction as she listened to his story.
“Oh, no. Keep going.”
But soon after…
“What? Wait, could you please say that again, Enok?”
With pauses, repetitions, and going through the process a few times, he finally managed to finish his story.
Enok subtly gauged Rionne’s expression.
She seemed to be struggling to suppress her anger, as if she were clenching her teeth.
Even Enok, whose social skills were utterly shattered, could sense the tension.
“…Enok.”
“Yeah….”
“Are you crazy?”
Enok flinched as his eyebrows furrowed.
“What on earth were you thinking going up against the Master of the Forest? I clearly told you about it!”
“…I didn’t hear well.”
“No, no…!”
Rionne sprang up, pacing the room in distress.
She wiped her face, sighed, and a corner of Enok’s heart twitched.
“…I couldn’t help it.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t help it! Enok, why do you insist on solving everything through fighting? Huh? I told you that sometimes you need to step back!”
“It was instinctively….”
“Instinct, my foot! You could really die next time! Don’t you realize that?”
“…….”
“And! Going out at night is fine, but why the forest? Are you unaware of how dangerous it is? At least let me know before you go!”
Enok pouted, crossing his lips.
Seeing that, Rionne’s eyes narrowed threateningly.
This was definitely a habit that needed correcting.
What was he thinking if something went wrong…!
“Enok, you’re staying in your room for reflection today. I won’t let you have dinner… no, I’ll let you eat. Either way, don’t even think about coming out of your room.”
“…….”
Enok’s eyes were filled with determination.
Why was it that today, he suddenly wasn’t being obedient when he usually listened well?
Rionne sighed heavily, feeling exasperated.
“…Let’s just cool off and talk later.”
Creeeak-, thud—
The door closed.
Left alone, Enok bit his lips.
If he didn’t, he felt like he might cry.
When he was struggling during the fight with the fox, what was he thinking to endure it all?
If only she would have held him tight without a word, he would have listened well.
He felt a resentment toward Rionne for not understanding that.
…No, not resentment, more like disappointment.
After some time to catch his breath and think, Enok shot up from the bed.
For a moment, dizziness hit him, and his body swayed, but he didn’t stop walking.
Suddenly noticing the mercenary guild, he grabbed it and opened the door.
Creeeak—
As he stepped outside, Rionne immediately shot him a fierce glare.
“Enok. I told you to stay in there.”
“…….”
Ignoring Rionne’s words, Enok walked on.
As he opened the front door and stepped into the yard, the sun blazed down, prickling his eyes with a burning sensation.
“Enok!”
“…I don’t care.”
“Are you really going to do this, Enok?”
Enok turned to glare fiercely at Rionne.
There she was, with creased brows, looking like a side he wasn’t familiar with.
“…You fool. I hate you.”
With those parting words, Enok triggered a surge of electricity from his feet.
Kwaaaang───────!!!
His body soared high into the sky.
As he rapidly distanced himself from home, he vaguely heard Rionne’s voice calling after him.
– Enok! Enok…!
An anxious voice.
For a moment, he hesitated, but Enok steadied his heart.
Ha!
She could worry a little if she wanted to.
Thus, Enok ran away from home.