ALL NOVEL Chapter 41
Chapter
Rionne felt wronged. No, even so, they wouldn’t say she did something she hadn’t done! But still, wasn’t that when she was young? Bringing up tales from her childish days was crossing a line.
“Wait a minute! Enok! Have you heard anything?”
“About throwing a teacup at the head of the household.”
“Um, uh….”
This isn’t easy. She had thrown teacups several times, so I had no idea when Enok was referring to.
“I’ll explain.”
This time it was Rionne’s turn.
*
It was a time long ago, about three hundred years since the time Undine spoke of, but it felt like a distant past.
Back then, the talk of independence felt like a brief trip away and coming back, but today was a little different.
“…Dad, things have changed lately. You know that, right?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Rionne.”
The Fairy Sword God, Kyle Estor, quietly ate the food on his plate with a fork. His wife, Roxanna Estor, looked at him with a sad expression in her eyes.
Rionne moistened her dry lips and spoke.
“I know you tried to cross the wall recently. Didn’t any problems arise from that? You know it’s important to be aware of issues, right?”
“I have no issues. You should focus on crossing the wall in front of you.”
“Dad!”
Rionne slammed her hands on the table and stood up. Normally, he would have looked slightly bewildered and then tried to calm her down, but, as it turned out, Dad’s reaction was different than usual.
“What are you doing acting so spoiled? Sit down quietly.”
Something’s off. Something is wrong. Rionne tightened her grip on the teacup. It was an action she hadn’t done in over a hundred years, but she hesitated to think of stopping now.
Swoosh-!
The teacup flew like a dagger. Even so, it was just a trifling act that would barely graze Dad. Usually, he would just chuckle and shake off any broken glass from the teacup.
Of course, Rionne now realized this was a crazy thing to do, but her heart was desperate. But not everything goes as expected.
Whush-!
The teacup grazed Rionne’s cheek. Drip-, a red line appeared on her cheek. She hadn’t thrown it at him; it merely returned back to herself. Rionne’s expression hardened.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“Beloved!”
“Roxanna, you stay quiet.”
“Rionne’s cheek is hurt!”
“That little scratch will heal soon.”
“Beloved…!”
The couple’s voices began to rise. No, it was Roxanna’s voice that was getting louder. Kyle’s voice maintained a flat tone, devoid of any emotion.
“…This won’t do.”
Swoosh-, Rionne’s sword was drawn. She was respected as the Thousand-Year Swordmaster. Regardless of whether he was her father, she thought it might help him regain his senses for a moment.
That was a delusion.
It didn’t take even a moment for her to realize that.
“Ugh…!”
Boom-! Rionne’s knee hit the ground. She strained to raise her head. Dad looked down at her from his seat. The weight on her shoulders felt like a mountain, and it was too unfamiliar.
“Beloved!”
Roxanna stepped in, unable to bear it any longer. She was known as the Fairy Spirit Queen. While not at the level of a demigod, she had enough strength to push Kyle back for a moment.
Crack-!
The space split as Kyle was pushed back a step. Roxanna gasped for breath, and Rionne struggled to rise. Undine had already been summoned to her side. With the spirit’s help, Rionne barely stood, glaring at Kyle.
But Kyle casually reached out a hand toward Roxanna.
“Impudent.”
An intangible sword appeared in Kyle’s hand, and just as he was about to swing it toward Roxanna—
“Ugh…!”
Kyle grabbed his head, his intangible blade wavering. His trembling eyes looked at Roxanna. He almost ended his partner’s life himself. For an elf, that was an unimaginable shock.
“Roxanna….”
“Beloved!”
Seeing Kyle seem to regain his senses brought joy to Roxanna. Kyle gave her a gentle smile and then looked at Rionne. There was a hint of fear in Rionne’s hesitant eyes.
“Daughter…”
“……”
“…Undine.”
[…Yes.]
“I entrust my daughter to you…”
Kyle raised his head, blood tears streaming down his eyes, looking at the two women most precious to him. This couldn’t continue. With fading consciousness, he squeezed out one final warning.
“…Leave.”
He waved his hand, shattering space. Watching the two women swept away to a far-off place, perhaps for the last time, Kyle smiled faintly.
“I trust you.”
*
Contrary to expectations, it was a heavy tale. As Enok rolled his eyes, Rionne pulled him into a warm embrace, smiling bitterly.
“Don’t stress too much. Dad is still alright.”
Now in a form smaller than him, the Elf’s embrace felt warm. But this warmth was something he never wanted to leave.
“…Yeah.”
[What’s with this boring story?! There are plenty of fun ones!]
Undine seemed displeased with the suddenly dark atmosphere.
[You wanted to know about the Blood Avenger and the Cold Sword Demon, right? I’ll tell you all about it…! Ugh…!]
“Can you be quiet?!”
While Undine was thoroughly subdued by Rionne, Enok clenched his fist.
There are some existences that even Rionne cannot handle. When such disasters approach, all he could do right now was meaningless struggles.
He needed to become stronger, much stronger than he was now. To do that, he’d need to distance himself from this cozy sanctuary.
Enok silently vowed.
*
The next morning.
While the three who had stayed up all night were bleary-eyed, Rionne, who had slept soundly, stretched and stepped outside.
“Ugh…!”
The warm sunlight and fresh air! How long had it been? When trapped by humans, she had trembled in a dark, damp space out of fear.
“Did you wake up?”
At the chilly yet warm voice, Rionne snapped to attention.
“R-Rionne!”
“Seems your body is still okay.”
“Y-Yes! Thanks to you, I’m just fine!”
“What have I done?”
Rionne’s gentle smile made Enok’s heart race. She was a respected senior and an idol. To see her in person like this…! Enok felt ecstatic.
“Rionne.”
“Hmm? E-Enok!?”
However, the moment a boy appeared, Rionne’s usual cold demeanor faltered, and Enok shot him a glare. What’s with that guy? Whenever he was around, it was evident Rionne had trouble keeping her composure.
“Y-You’re leaving already? Weren’t you supposed to stay the whole day…?”
“If I stay too long, it might become hard to leave.”
“B-But…!”
Just look at that. Does Rionne even miss him? The moment that guy says he’s leaving, she clings to his pant leg, as if she couldn’t bear the thought of him going.
Hmph, Enok snorted and spoke to Rionne.
“Don’t get too distracted by elves, okay? You know elves can be rather dull, so maybe….”
“Alright.”
“Always be careful with other women. They’re all just foxes. If any of them try to sneak into your bed, you need to kick them right out!”
“Understood.”
“Ah, but my sister is different! You know that, right, Enok?”
“Of course.”
Unbeknownst to them, a bizarre conversation was taking place. Rionne puffed out her chest and inhaled deeply. Once they reach the Elf Union, she was determined to train without fail every single day.
While engraving such a goal into her heart,
*
Indeed, Rionne was an elf. She showcased her agility, skillfully hopping between trees with ease.
Of course, her speed didn’t even come close to Enok’s full speed. It left a bit to be desired, but Enok decided to focus on refining the technique he had been devising and centered his energy in his central dantian.
“Enok, what’s your relationship with Rionne? You’re not really engaged, right?”
The crystallized Lightning Essence he’d been carefully gathering over the past few days rotated within his central dantian. It held a shape resembling a crystal.
Eri settled in the central dantian to stabilize the crystal, and Enok began to collect lightning while simultaneously enlarging the size of the crystal.
“Are you even listening? I appreciate you saving me, but at least concentrate on my words…”
“Quiet.”
At that moment, lightning burst forth from Enok’s entire body. His previously black eyes shone vividly purple, radiating a terrifying light.
“Uh, there’s no need to get so angry…”
The crystal in the central dantian rotated and disassembled, providing a far greater output than usual, and a faint halo that appeared above his head replaced the upper dantian, regulating the overall flow.
As a result,
Paaah-!
Three flowers faintly bloomed behind Enok’s head. This was indicative of a breakthrough he’d made by unleashing the False Thunder God Transformation technique.
Of course,
Flick-
The three flowers soon scattered and dissipated in the air. It was still incomplete. Moreover, the technique Enok had named Thunder Essence was far from perfect.
While it had recently been developed from ideas sparked at the Dragon Heart, it took a long time to accumulate and consumed a great deal of energy after each use. It was still worlds apart from the semi-permanent mechanisms like the Dragon Heart.
Nevertheless, even this level would far surpass his usual output. Viewed from the perspective of just beginning, it wasn’t bad at all.
Perhaps he could beat that guy Adolf, right?
Enok smiled faintly.
*
“Have you received any reports about their location?”
“…Not yet.”
Crash-! Adolf slammed the desk. Fragments of the broken desk flew in every direction.
“Damn it…! Has he really run off to the Swordmaster already?”
Adolf gritted his teeth. A sense of crisis filled him to the brim. If that Swordmaster really made a move…, everything would be over.
While the organization wouldn’t be scared of just one Swordmaster, would they truly stand up for someone like him against a Swordmaster? Adolf didn’t think so.
At that moment, a woman entered as the tent flaps lifted.
“Yo, Adolf. It’s been a while, but you look like a mess!”
“…Gray.”
The woman with bronze skin and ash-gray hair sat on an intact chair with a smile.
“They say you’re a disciple of the Swordmaster, huh? Just how amazing is this guy that you’ve got two people chasing after him?”
“…It’s not about that guy. The Swordmaster might actually get involved.”
“The Swordmaster? Are you seriously afraid of that old hag?”
Of course, if they faced off directly, he’d lose, but if the organization didn’t wish to fight, the Swordmaster would have no choice but to hold back.
Even with the sky split in two, that was just a moment’s output that mattered. The renowned Estor family can certainly leverage the power of artifacts.
“If even half the rumors are true, then that guy is a monster we can’t handle.”
“Pffft…! You believe those old folk tales? Did your grandma read you storybooks when you were little?”
Boom-! The pressure burst from Adolf explosively. The nearby subordinates struggled to breathe, clutching their throats, but Gray simply laughed.
“Maybe the head will get involved.”
“That’s not going to happen. He hasn’t shown his face recently. Do you think he’s going to step up for us?”
“Who knows.”
Stretching her arms, Gray managed to lay across the chair horizontally.
“Whether he’s a disciple of the Swordmaster or some dildo, I say we catch him and wrap الأمور up quickly.”
Tsk, Adolf clicked his tongue just as—
“FU-FINALLY! We found him! He’s appeared on the other side of the Swordmaster’s forest!”
“Damn it.”
Did they really spill everything to the Swordmaster? He pondered, but the conclusion was one. They’d have to take that guy hostage and negotiate with the Swordmaster.
“Let’s go. We must capture him alive. Until we’re sure no news has reached the Swordmaster, killing him is off the table.”
“What a hassle. But, well, it’s nothing much. We can just chop off a few limbs and call it a day.”
Listening to Adolf, it didn’t seem like the Swordmaster’s disciple was a mighty figure at all. He might have reached a level of creating his own star, but what of that? There were two of them in the higher ranks, so they could just overwhelm him. Honestly, he felt confident enough to toy with him alone.
Stretching, Gray stood up. While Adolf hurried out, she leisurely followed behind. The subordinates held their breath, gazing at their retreating figures.
The organization, known as Haken Welt, rivaled an entire kingdom in the shadows.
With the two executives belonging to the so-called ‘organization’ on the move.