ALL NOVEL Chapter 40
Chapter
Iron Blooded Swordmaster, Blood Avenger, Cynical Sword Demon.
Even the tale of the head of the Estor House throwing a teacup.
This was something I couldn’t overlook. Enok stopped in his tracks and stared intently at Rionne.
“What happened?”
“You know that Lady Rionne is part of the Estor family, right? The head of the family is her father. But they’ve always had a terrible relationship and… uh, never mind. I think it might be rude to say more.”
“It’s not rude.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not rude, so please go on.”
Enok leaned closer to Yonia, his curiosity piqued. Yonia, feeling the pressure, instinctively recoiled.
“Ah, no! I said it’s rude!?”
“It’s not rude.”
“And why have you been acting like you’re close with Lady Rionne… huh?”
In a flash, a series of deductions began to form in Yonia’s mind.
The name Enok Estor. The ring bestowed by the high elf. The blessing of the high elf. Whoever it was, it seemed clear that Enok had a connection with the high elf. So, could it be…?
“Are you… perhaps Lady Rionne’s adopted son…?”
“…? Adopted son?”
“Don’t you know what that is? It means adoptive son.”
“It’s not that I didn’t know that.”
Enok scratched his cheek. Thinking about it, Yonia had been held captive by humans, so she might not have heard about Rionne parting the sky to announce her disciple’s arrival in the world.
Well, that was actually a good thing.
“Hmm. I guess you could call me her fiancé.”
“W-what…!? Fiancé…!? Don’t lie!”
“What’s so unbelievable about that?”
“You’re a human who won’t even live a hundred years, and Lady Rionne…!”
“The age difference isn’t that important.”
Enok snorted, looking at Yonia.
“And how old are you?”
“Me? I’m not that old… really.”
“So, how old?”
“I-I’m just over thirty…”
Definitely young. Being just over thirty means she’s practically still a baby in Enok’s eyes at eighteen.
Meanwhile, Yonia, realizing her age had been revealed, suddenly exclaimed in indignation.
“But hey! It’s rude to ask a lady her age!”
“You answered me, so it’s fine.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
Ignoring Yonia who was spouting complaints, she seemed to calm down a bit and took a deep breath. Then, she curiously asked.
“So, are you really her fiancé?”
“Yep.”
“…Why would you tell such an obvious lie? This is why humans are… Ah.”
Yonia realized her slip of tongue and quickly covered her mouth. Enok stared at her intently.
“That’s a discriminatory remark. Humans might get offended if they hear that.”
“…You’re not really in a position to say that, are you?”
“I’m just stating facts. Hmm? No, wait. Thinking about it, you might be right.”
Only humans are good at lying like this. That’s why humans are like they are. Enok nodded, coming to a conclusion that would surely differ from Yonia’s thoughts.
And then it happened.
“…Enok?”
A familiar voice drifted over.
A voice as clear as dew glistening on leaves. Instinctively, Enok turned around sharply and replied.
“Yeah, Rionne.”
“E-Enok…!”
Realizing it wasn’t a delusion, Rionne soared into his arms. Enok skillfully caught her, embracing her tightly. The familiar scent, the warmth— it was definitely her.
“L-L-Lady Rionne!?”
Then came a scream-like voice. Yonia gaped in shock at this turn of events, and only then did Rionne realize someone else was present.
“Ah! Cough, cough!”
The expression that had seemed a bit silly suddenly got reorganized in the blink of an eye. It was as if she had switched masks, and Enok found it fascinating just as Undine quietly approached, letting out an exasperated sigh.
[No, I thought you would at least come after a week. Isn’t it a bit too much to come only after a day?]
“Well, things just happened.”
Enok answered nonchalantly while passing Eri over to Undine. The situation seemed like it would soon become interesting, so he didn’t want to waste any more mental energy.
“Who are you?”
“Ah, I-I’m Yonia Clempford!”
“Hmm… and what’s your relationship with Enok?”
Rionne said while giving a sly glance at Enok. Though a bit worried, she didn’t expect Enok to bring a woman so quickly! Enok was both cool and cute, but this was beyond what she had imagined.
“Uh, we’re not really anything special…”
“Not anything special? With Enok? That doesn’t sound right!”
“N-No…?”
“You can’t look at our Enok without feeling something… ah!”
In a blink, Undine had moved behind Rionne and pinched her thigh, causing her to clench her teeth.
[Sheesh, are you even caring about your image?]
The moment those words struck, the rational Rionne snapped back to her senses and cleared her throat.
“Well, never mind that. What’s going on here?”
“Ah, it’s just that… I didn’t stop by purposely, but… I followed Enok…”
“W-what…!?”
He brought her along!? Rionne was taken aback.
No wonder she felt uneasy since the moment he brought an elf…! It was clear this girl had bewitched Enok!
“You sassy little thing!”
“I-I didn’t do anything at all!?”
“Shut up!”
Watching the scene unfold, Undine sighed.
[That idiot.]
It seemed Rionne’s real self had been revealed to yet another elf today.
*
After an undeniably long conversation, Rionne awkwardly laughed and began to walk. She was on her way home. Undine murmured beside Enok.
[No, she suddenly said she could sense your presence. I thought it was just another crazy outburst when it kept happening every ten minutes after you left— but turns out it was true?]
“Yeah, that’s done. Do you know anything about the Iron Blooded Swordmaster?”
[…Huh?]
“Or Blood Avenger, or Cynical Sword Demon, or the tale of the head of the Estor House throwing a teacup.”
[How do you know about that…! No, wait.]
Undine, who had been startled, quickly reevaluated the situation. Thinking about it, Enok might slowly be coming to terms with Rionne and start seeing things clearer. If he didn’t, his symptoms would just get worse and worse. That would be a catastrophe.
[Is it a secret from Rionne?]
“Yep.”
Thus began Undine’s tale.
*
In the past, during Rionne’s younger years.
Sure, she may have been in her three-digit age, but she was definitely younger than now. Rionne, having disagreed with her family, began to rebel fiercely.
“Dad, this doesn’t seem right.”
“My daughter, even if you know it’s wrong, there are times when you must endure.”
“Dad!”
Rionne slammed her hands on the dining table and stood up. Rionne’s mother let out a deep sigh.
“Rionne, sit down.”
“But no matter how you look at this, it’s not right, Mom!”
“What on earth are you so unhappy about?”
Unable to contain herself at her mother’s words, Rionne exploded. Was it really right to justify such inhumane acts? To her, it was completely incomprehensible.
“What’s wrong is wrong, Mom.”
“My daughter.”
The head of the Estor House, Rionne’s father, known to the world as Fairy Sword God.
Kyle Estor spoke seriously.
“Eating only meat is not good for your health. Even if you dislike it, you ought to eat some vegetables too… or else…”
“Shut up!”
Crash! A teacup flew at Kyle Estor’s face. Kyle glumly brushed off the glass shards that had stuck to his cheeks.
“…Was it necessary to go as far as throwing teacups?”
“I can’t live in this place anymore!”
“Daughter…!?”
Thus, Rionne declared her independence.
*
[…….]
After hearing the story, Eri rolled her eyes. Should I even say anything? But this was too much to endure.
[…Isn’t she a bit of a delinquent?]
Undine nodded vigorously.
[But it doesn’t stop there; she cleaned out the family’s storage! She could probably buy a kingdom just by selling the adamantium she acquired!]
[Hiiiii…!]
Eri gasped in shock.
Enok pondered for a moment before speaking.
“I’m fine with it. I can understand.”
[Understand what!?]
“Well, it’s possible for someone to throw a teacup at their father for complaining about their food. You shouldn’t be too harsh about it.”
[Crazy bastard. You better experience the same with your child one day.]
Undine grumbled. Meanwhile, Rionne smiled brightly, oblivious to her past being revealed.
“We’ve arrived, Enok! You’re staying for the night, right?”
“Yup. Since it’s almost dawn, I’ll take my time and rest for the whole day.”
“Really? Then I’ll make something delicious! I prepared extra meat since I thought you might come!”
Wasn’t she just preparing it for herself? Eri muttered, but Enok paid it no mind.
“Yep.”
It seemed like he would have a lot to talk about with Undine today.
*
As the first light of dawn approached, Yonia, after a late meal, dozed off, crawling into the guest room and crashing straight into a deep sleep.
Having suffered through the hardships of being a slave to humans, she must’ve needed her rest. While eating, Rionne had listened to her story and closed the door, dutifully preparing tea.
“Here you go, Enok. I made some for Eri too.”
“Thanks.”
With a bright smile after taking the teacup, Enok glanced at Undine, who had been happily chatting since earlier, making Rionne feel curious.
“What were you talking about?”
“Huh? Just…”
[We didn’t talk about anything special!]
Undine feigned innocence. This only raised Rionne’s suspicion as she narrowed her eyes.
“What’s going on? Undine, did you say something strange?”
[Um, no!]
Hmph, Rionne snorted. What would she do if she didn’t answer? After all, our Enok would gently tell her everything.
“Enok? What were you talking about?”
“Umm…”
Rolling his eyes, Enok calculated his next words.
He felt comfortable enough to share this part. Even if Rionne tried to hide it, he was confident that he would hear everything.
“It’s a story about Rionne from back in the day.”
“……?”
Rionne froze. Simultaneously, her mind, which had been rejecting understanding, started to forcefully interpret the words.
“What… did you say… about my past…?”
What had she done back then…? Just thinking about it elicited a flood of memories.
Pale-faced, Rionne shouted.
“U-Undine…!!!!”