NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
Chapter
The next day, as the party returned, they encountered a horde of monsters.
“Form up! We’ll retreat while striking back!”
Max swung his large axe around with a whoosh.
Several goblins got caught in the arc of his axe and were chopped to bits.
Tipi clicked her tongue and shouted, “Hey! Block them over there!”
Enok, in a huff, took a swing at the approaching orc’s head.
Boom-! The orc’s head exploded, causing Tipi to flinch, but she quickly yelled again,
“Focus! Over there too!”
As Enok moved, Rafen fired arrows into battle.
Ping-! Ping-! The arrows struck monsters solidly.
The situation wasn’t easy.
They were late in spotting the monster horde, and the party found themselves half surrounded.
The only relief was that the monsters weren’t of the extremely dangerous variety.
Bang-!
Enok wildly swung his arm, sending one monster’s head flying.
As Max’s axe chopped through an orc’s arm, Tipi kept guard, and Rafen finished off the orc with a perfectly placed arrow.
Bang-!
With a powerful kick, Enok dismantled the limbs of two more orcs.
Thanks to Enok’s performance, the party was able to retreat without much trouble.
Tipi panted heavily as she shot a glare at Enok.
“Hey, are you feeling too relaxed?”
Tipi felt a twinge of anxiety.
She realized that Enok was much stronger than her now.
But she took a step further and thought,
That obedient little brat has been cooperative; maybe I should keep him on a short leash and work him hard. He could become quite handy later.
“……”
So, she pushed him a bit harder, “Not answering? You little brat.”
Tap, tap, Tipi poked Enok’s forehead.
Since he remained unfazed, her fingers actually started to hurt, but she pretended it didn’t bother her.
After all, she had been doing this for a while; being soft on him would just lead to risks.
It was better to firmly establish a pecking order while he still looked clueless.
Rafen, feeling the same way about Enok, jumped in too.
“D rank, next time you take the front line. That’s better than acting like a bug.”
“Exactly what I mean.”
“Shut up.”
“Tch, what did I do?”
Enok glanced up at the sky.
“Don’t try to solve everything with fighting.”
Just as he was about to reflect further, a waterball came flying through the air.
Splat-!
The spot where Enok dodged got drenched.
Surprised by the sudden attack, the party hurriedly formed ranks.
“What’s going on!”
“It came from over there!”
While the party panicked, Enok frowned.
He had a pretty good idea who it was.
“What is it?”
In response to Enok’s nonchalant demeanor, Tipi yelled, “Hey! Hurry up and—… eek!”
Splash-!
The waterball slapped Tipi right in the face.
Startled, Tipi started looking around, and the rest of the party, caught off-guard, tensed up.
[Hey, you idiot! What are you doing?]
“What?”
[Why are you letting those dimwits get to you? I didn’t raise you to be like this!]
“I didn’t grow up to be like you either.”
[Ugh! You arrogant brat!]
Undine, unable to hold back anymore, appeared.
“Spirit…?”
“Looks like we know each other.”
Ignoring the whispering humans, Undine placed her hands on her hips.
[Do you think Rionne would like to see you like this?]
“…Rionne said that.”
[What? To get beaten up?]
“Told me not to try to solve everything through fighting.”
Undine clawed at her chest in frustration.
[Kyahhh! You frustrating little idiot!]
Thud-! Thud-! As Undine struck her chest, the ground shook.
The humans shrank back, holding their breath.
[Is that what you mean by getting beaten up?!]
“Then what?”
[You think she sees you as some angel or bodhisattva come down to help? She’s just another idiot too!]
Undine twisted her body in frustration.
[It’s just saying don’t mess with someone stronger than you! If you beat these guys, do you think Rionne will say, “Well done, Enok!”?]
“Fighting…”
[No! Please! Seriously!]
Thunder rumbled ominously above as dark clouds gathered, and a storm began to brew.
It reflected Undine’s pent-up frustration.
[It’s just because I care about you! Do you even know that while you’re lying around, Rionne hasn’t even had a drop of water?]
“…….”
[Seeing you like this, she must be so happy! Looking at you, she’s probably thinking of taking all those idiots’ heads off!]
The humans rolled their eyes and collapsed at Undine’s accusations.
Enok remained calm, but the heavy pressure that settled in the area was too much for ordinary humans to bear.
[Do you need me to explain everything for you!? Huh? When I say not to solve everything with fighting, what does it mean? It means don’t get hurt for no reason! She’d probably praise you if you were the one dealing the blows instead of taking them!]
“Um.”
There was some truth to it.
“So, what then?”
[What do you mean “then”? Just do what you usually do! If you see someone you can’t beat, retreat!]
“Is that all?”
[Yes, you frustrating idiot!]
“Ah-ha.”
Enok clenched his fist against his palm.
Then he tilted his head in confusion.
“But why are you here?”
[What do you think?]
“Rionne?”
[Oh!]
While watching the flustered spirit, Enok kicked the ground lightly.
“…I thought you’d leave me alone.”
[Ha! Like that’s ever gonna happen! Even now, she’s probably worrying about whether our Enok is okay, if he’s eating properly, all that!]
“…….”
Enok held his lips tightly closed in silence for a moment.
Then he waved his hand dismissively.
“Okay, fine. I’ll handle it.”
[Tch, you said you would handle it?]
Undine scoffed and vanished on the spot.
As Enok looked over at the party, all three of them were sprawled out, foaming at the mouth.
Not long after, starting with Max, they all slowly began to regain their senses.
“Ugh… what was that?”
“Why did it suddenly…?”
It seemed like Undine had played a prank on them because they all appeared to have forgotten everything.
Tipi held her head and groaned, looking blankly at Enok.
“Hey! What did you see? Why are you the only one fine?”
Enok approached her thoughtfully.
“What, what is it!”
Bang-!
“Ahhh…!”
Tipi, now with a huge bump on her head, plopped down where she stood.
“Um.”
This feels weird.
A mix of annoyance and calm washing over him.
What’s gonna change if I just beat up these punks?
Enok stomped his foot and created a huge hole in the ground.
“Hey, wait…! What are you trying to do…?”
It was a hole just big enough to fit a person.
Enok shoved Tipi into the hole.
“Ahhh…! Hey, wait a second…! Listen to me…!”
With just her head sticking out, it looked like a sprout popping out of the earth.
Next was Rafen.
As soon as he sensed something was up, he pulled back his bow, but—
Bang-!
“Ugh…!”
He got thumped on the head and was now buried next to Tipi.
Now, two heads sprouted from the ground.
“Uh… me too?”
Max awkwardly chuckled.
Enok nodded.
“This is something.”
Bang-!
*
In the spot where Enok had left, three heads were poking out of the earth like sprouts.
“…You guys can’t do any better than this?”
With a face twisted in absurdity, Max looked down at Tipi and Rafen, who were shaking.
As the dirt-covered Max pulled himself out of the ground, he sent a cold glare at the two.
“Tch, useless brats.”
“Hey, wait…! I can do better! Huh? Let me out!”
“It was tougher than I thought.”
Max grabbed the hair of both of them.
“Ugh…!”
“Ahhh…!”
With a swift yank, both of them were pulled from the ground and tumbled down.
“Let’s head back. That little brat is unbearable. Guess I’ll have to bury him too.”
“…To kill him?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
With heavy footsteps, the three mercenaries set off back to the city.
The spirit watching over them clicked her tongue in frustration.
[Stupid little brat. You’ll have to learn the hard way.]
That arrogant little brat.
It’s time for her to learn a lesson.
*
It’s hard to say whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, but the next day there was no awkward party gathering.
The monster wave was right upon them.
“Rewards will be given to those who contribute, and punishment to those who flee.”
This time, the lord himself was leading the soldiers.
He was a man with a stark, intimidating presence.
His beard covered his jaw, and his muscled frame was so large that the horse he rode on wobbled.
Despite reaching a lofty rank of Master, his appearance hinted at the long years he must have lived.
“I don’t think there are any fools who don’t know this, but the orders of commanders on the battlefield are absolute. Disobedience will lead to execution, so if anyone has complaints, now is the time to speak.”
There was no complaint to be had.
Even if there were, it was best for it to stay silent.
Stepping up now would just be the perfect time to get your head chopped off as an example.
“What do you think you are?”
So that one line rang clearer than ever in the air.
All eyes turned to the source of the voice.
“I’ve thought about it, and it seems humans are indeed inferior. You just don’t know your place.”
The one who spoke, seemingly annoyed, was a mysterious figure cloaked in a pitch-black hood and a bizarre mask.
Of course, it was Enok, who had just been released from his limits yesterday.
[Oh.]
The spirit watching was wide-eyed.
“Huh….”
Even Max, who had been quietly observing, was left agape.
He had thought he was just some odd brat, but it turned out he was a crazy one.
“So, you have complaints?”
The lord’s expression darkened as he twitched his fingers.
“Step forward.”
Enok obediently stepped up.
The conversation he had with Undine flashed through his mind once more.
‘If they’re stronger than me, I better not act up. But if I can win, I can do whatever I want.’
Swoosh-!
The swift sword cut through the air.
Enok tilted his head just enough to avoid it.
As the lord raised an eyebrow,
Kiiing-!
A faint halo appeared above Enok’s head.
He was just about ready to solidify the enlightenment he had gained recently.
If it was a Master he faced, it certainly wouldn’t be easy.
Ah, but Rionne would worry, so he’d take it easy with the 위뢰신화.
[Huh, does that brat never have a middle ground? What about the monster wave?]
Undine’s lament scattered into the air like wisps.