NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
Chapter
When Enok returned home, Rionne dashed outside in a hurry.
It seemed she was preparing a meal, holding a ladle in one hand, and wearing an apron over her comfortably dressed clothes.
“Enok! You’re back? Tired? Want to eat first?”
“I want to wash up.”
“Ah, shall we wash together for the first time in a while?”
“…No.”
Kukung—! Despair shadowed Rionne’s expression.
Maintaining her cracked smile, she mumbled.
“But you used to like washing together.”
“……”
Enok merely flicked his lips a few times before disappearing into the house.
Left alone, Rionne buried her face in her hands and cried.
“Undine… Enok… He must be going through puberty…!”
[I can’t believe I’ve signed a contract with someone like this….]
Even Undine clicked her tongue and left.
Rionne pouted her lips.
*
“How was today?”
“Just okay.”
Enok filled a broad leaf with the filling and handed it to Rionne.
“Here.”
“Wow, you made it well!”
“Yeah.”
“Are you giving it to me? A~.”
As she opened her mouth and waited, the filling popped right into her mouth.
Rionne chewed the filling while instinctively lifting Enok high into her arms.
Then she gently placed him on her lap.
“……”
With a sulky expression, Enok quickly got down from her lap and sat in a chair.
“Oh no, I said I didn’t want that…?”
Rionne slumped her head down looking gloomy.
Seeing her, Enok flinched as if in a deep dilemma but ultimately continued to eat quietly.
“Hmph…”
Rionne, pretending to be sulky while poking the food, suddenly exclaimed.
“By the way, we might meet the Master of the Forest soon.”
“Master?”
“Yeah.”
Rionne casually lifted her head.
Her gaze met Enok’s, who had been staring intently at her.
Pouting, Rionne spread her arms wide.
“I’ll tell you if you give me a tight hug.”
“……”
As Enok rolled his eyes, he stood up.
Rionne quickly jumped up too.
How had they grown so similarly in height?
With nearly equal height now, Enok embraced her tightly.
“Hehe.”
“…I don’t actually dislike hugging that much.”
“Hmph.”
Before, Enok would nestle into Rionne’s embrace, but now it was Rionne who sought refuge in Enok’s arms.
Maybe if Enok grew a little more, Rionne would be able to nestle into him again?
“The Master of the Forest is… um… exactly what it sounds like. I’m just a tenant living here.”
Rionne spoke while playfully pressing down on Enok’s head.
Enok tried to resist, but who was Rionne?
Overpowered by the legendary Swordmaster’s strength, Enok’s head got buried in her chest.
“Ugh…”
“Hehe.”
What was it called again?
This height was just right for a hug, right?
And apparently, it’s all about the coziness of being wrapped up like this.
But Enok felt that it wasn’t quite right.
He still felt like she viewed him just as a child.
Of course, he did enjoy it.
Her scent was so intoxicating that it made his whole body feel slack with comfort.
But still, lately, it felt a bit uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was the rising body temperature, and overall, everything felt awkward.
In any case, it was a bit troublesome.
Tap tap tap-!
Rionne released him with a pleased hum when he patted her shoulder.
Enok hastily distanced himself from her and adopted a guarded stance.
He quickly sat back down in a chair, which was a bonus.
“Anyway, when we meet the Master of the Forest…”
The details of that conversation were a blur in his memory.
*
Even now, at the age of fifteen, Enok’s days hadn’t changed much.
Training, resting, occasionally going out, playing with Rionne, eating, sleeping.
That was all.
He had no complaints about that.
Well, a little, but those weren’t complaints about his lifestyle.
It was more about Rionne or perhaps himself.
“Ugh.”
Enok quietly got out of bed.
Sleep just wouldn’t come.
“…Enok?”
Rionne, who had been sleeping beside him, opened her eyes sluggishly.
Her gaze seemed to ask where he was going, but Enok merely tapped her forehead lightly with his hand.
“Just for a bit.”
“Mm….”
“Sleep more.”
Slowly, Rionne’s eyes closed again.
Enok walked outside and let out a long sigh.
“Haah…”
It was strange.
These days, something felt off whenever he was near Rionne.
Whether it was his body or heart.
Feeling strangely uneasy, he couldn’t help but suffer alone in silence.
Crisp—
Would running help ease the pressure? Enok dashed into the darkness.
Crossing the quiet forest, he felt a suitable distance had been achieved, just then—
Kuwung-!
Fueled by frustration, Enok leaped high into the sky, breathing in deeply.
“Suu…”
The cold night air filled his lungs.
When he opened his eyes, the stars seemed so close, glittering brightly in the sky.
Tonight was a half-moon.
Slightly less full, resembling the shape of Rionne’s broad grin.
Enok turned his back to gravity as he soared through the night.
As the wind swept up from below, the heat in his body began to cool off.
Thud—
Landing on a thin branch of a tree, Enok looked around.
He had reached deep within the forest with a single leap.
Unidentifiable blue lights danced between the trees.
Squinting to see more clearly, he noticed tiny eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the blue lights.
Could they be monsters?
Having never ventured this deep into the forest at night, he couldn’t tell.
Deciding to ignore them, Enok leaped from tree to tree, racing through the forest.
The surrounding scenery sped past him, but to Enok, it felt far too slow.
Anxiety surged within him.
He felt he could run faster, yet he couldn’t.
He was still far from catching up to Rionne.
He wasn’t as strong as her.
Time was a slow force.
So to catch up with her, would he have to wait almost a thousand years?
No, by then, Rionne would already be far ahead once again.
With frustration bubbling inside, purple currents crackled across Enok’s body.
Bang—! Kicking out in irritation, a few trees exploded.
Underneath the dim moonlight filtering through the branches, bluish lights swirled around Enok amongst the hazy clouds of dust.
That too irritated him, and he shot out a thin bolt of lightning in annoyance.
Boom-!
With a thunderous roar, lightning cleaved the air.
The blue lights, easily dodging, circled around him playfully as if mocking him.
“That…”
Suddenly, heat surged through him.
As Enok’s body began to smoke, electric currents surged from his being.
With his nails, he slashed through the air, momentarily illuminating the dark forest in a flash of purple.
──────────────────────!!!
Five jagged scars from the lightning etched against the sky.
Yet, the blue lights remained unharmed.
[Kyuu…?]
Surprised by the sudden surge of power, Eri poked her head out from within his chest.
Enok quickly shoved Eri back inside and concentrated currents into his toes.
The blue lights were fleeing.
Rumbling-!
Purple currents surged through the midnight forest.
*
Chasing the blue lights, when Enok suddenly glanced around, he sensed something odd.
“The mana….”
It was unsettlingly calm.
Mana in deep forests usually flows chaotically, but here, it was eerily serene, like a spring.
The surrounding trees were odd, as well.
Instead of deep forest gloom, they stood tall and green as if nourished by warm sunlight.
Enok instinctively began surveying his surroundings.
A sudden change in the environment usually heralded unexpected events.
Something could pop up at any moment.
From within his two dantians, lightning swirled ominously.
[Hmm. So it’s you.]
A voice.
Reacting immediately, Enok gathered his strength and unleashed a powerful strike.
Kuwazazazazak────────!!!!
Purple lightning ravaged the forest.
Simultaneously, a voice filled with disbelief echoed:
[…No, I distinctly said it was a gentle and adorable child.]
Soon, a shape began to emerge.
“Fox?”
It was not particularly large.
Standing on four paws, it was a size that came just to Enok’s chest, slightly bigger than an average fox, but not by much.
The peculiar part was its nine tails instead of just one.
As the blue lights bounced playfully around the fox, Enok noticed how odd that was.
However, more remarkable was the colossal, imposing presence that radiated awe and reverence throughout the entire forest.
[Oh my. Your eyes are surprisingly sharp.]
Enok, regaining clarity after feeling momentarily dazed, stepped back dramatically.
His pupils constricted tightly.
Tremors broke through his ragged breath.
The fox smiled as it gazed cautiously at Enok.
[I’ve heard rumors of your extraordinary talent, but I never imagined it was to this extent. I didn’t expect you to perceive even a fragment of me.]
Words didn’t register in his mind.
Grounded by primitive fears, his instincts were on high alert.
His arms and legs trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat poured from him.
He felt like he might die here.
The being’s strength surpassed even Rionne’s.
Faced with something indescribably powerful, his thoughts flickered incompletely, realizing the danger of the situation.
Promptly, Enok unleashed the lightning from his two dantians.
Kwah-!
The exploding lightning surged through his body.
Mana, alongside his blood, was entirely transformed into lightning, filling him entirely until it oozed out of him.
His dark eyes twisted into purple.
Overflowing lightning streamed from his eyes, melting away into the air, forming a halo above his head.
Kiiiing─────────!!!!
The halo spun around.
Like an angel’s halo, this circle surrounded Enok’s head; it was a form of magic.
If a Mage’s Circle replaced the Central Dantian, then the circle Enok created replaced the Upper Dantian.
In return, Enok’s body began to disintegrate into currents.
Slowly from his fingertips, toes, and head.
Though a technique he had not shown even to Rionne, it was one he needed to use, lest he die.
Driven by instincts’ warnings, Enok cranked his power output even higher.
[Oh my, I’d heard you hadn’t even lived a century.]
Crackling—! Overflowing lightning began to take form.
The lightning protruding from his back turned into wings, while his hands, covered in Dwarf gloves, transformed into claws made of lightning.
A forced amalgamation of three dantians.
Though it was merely an imitation of the demi-god’s realm he had only heard of, Enok could feel it.
But, it still didn’t even compare.
Yet, still.
[…I will kill you.]
He would kill and win, and then return.
If he couldn’t reach her, he would drag her down, trample over her.
Because he felt wronged, because he wanted to see her, because he wanted to hug her just one more time, because if possible, he wanted to convey his feelings.
It was unacceptable for this to end here.
…So he yearned for more, higher still.
Secret Art – False Thunder God Transformation
The manifestation of a false god unfolded amidst the erupting purple lightning.
What the fox witnessed was nothing short of shocking.
[Why go to such lengths…?]
The fox felt wronged.