NOVEL NEXT Chapter 105
Chapter
The party stayed a few more days at Jayura’s House.
Rionne would occasionally try to persuade Jayura to regain his youth, but Jayura consistently refused.
It seemed he was truly satisfied with his slowly aging life.
Enok found that difficult to understand.
If one could regain their youth, wouldn’t that be a good thing? To put it frankly, he didn’t want to grow old at all.
“It seems there are really a variety of people in this world.”
[I think that every time I see you too.]
Enok raised an eyebrow at Undine’s words.
“What do you mean?”
[If you don’t know, then don’t say anything.]
Undine snorted and fluttered away.
After the spirit left, Enok sat idly on the grass, staring at the ring on his finger, then he suddenly laid back on the ground.
The ring made from Rionne’s hair still glowed with vitality, just like the day he first received it.
‘Ring….’
Staring up at the softly drifting clouds, Enok jumped to his feet.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“Where to?”
Tsukiyo, who had been lounging around lately, suddenly poked her head out.
“Just somewhere.”
“Hmm… okay. I’ll let the elf know.”
“It won’t take long anyway.”
*Swish!*
Enok began to walk briskly.
He arrived at Dendalo.
It was a small city near Rionne’s Forest, where he occasionally visited since he knew some people.
As he opened the door to the restaurant in front of him, a hearty voice greeted him.
“Welcome!”
Enok waved his hand lazily in response.
“Capri, it’s been a while.”
“Oh! Look who it is!”
Wiping her hands with a towel, Capri approached with a smile.
“Did you come because you missed some real cooking?”
“Well….”
“No way. Then do you have some kind of problem?”
“Not really. I just need you to find something for me.”
“What a strange request for a restaurant owner.”
Grumbling, Capri shouted, “Jon! Come here for a sec!”
“Yes, yes, what is it?”
“Help me find one item.”
“What item? Did the clan leader get into something?”
“Don’t make nonsense.”
Capri pointed to Enok with a nod.
“Ask this kid… or not a kid anymore. Anyway, ask him.”
Enok nodded.
“Just need you to get me one ring. No, make that a pair.”
“A ring? What are you planning to do with that?”
As Jon made a silly face, Capri burst into laughter.
“What else could it be? It must be for a wedding ring or something.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I know a friend.”
After pondering for a moment, Jon clapped his hands.
“Then I’ll grab a few nice ones, and you can pick from those.”
“Okay.”
Nodding in agreement, Enok watched as Jon quickly disappeared.
As he clicked his tongue, Capri grinned.
“Anyway! Since you’re here, let me prepare a proper feast for you.”
“Wow. Make it a generous portion.”
“Hmph.”
*
After finishing the meal, Enok headed towards the Forest of Rionne before Jon returned.
His nostalgic destination was Rionne’s house. As he took a few more steps, he arrived at the den of a fox.
“Long time no see.”
[Who could this be? The little one has grown unrecognizably big.]
The Master of the Forest welcomed Enok with a wag of her tail.
[I thought you had forgotten about me since you don’t come often.]
“Um….”
[Ah, I see. You had indeed forgotten about me.]
“Not at all.”
[Hah, looks like you’ve learned some manners.]
The Master of the Forest moved the trees around with her will, creating a table and chairs.
Things that had not been visible before now stood out clearly.
Even the injury the Master of the Forest had sustained.
“Is that okay? It looks like it’s getting worse.”
[It should heal decently in about three hundred years.]
Psssst—
The Master of the Forest poured tea into a cup with a chuckle.
[By the way, you used to call her sister or mother, but it seems you’ve been completely swept away.]
“Rionne?”
[Who else could it be?]
Taking a sip of tea, Enok chuckled.
“I’ve become her partner.”
[Oh dear… Let me offer one piece of advice.]
“What is it?”
[They say marriage is a grave for life. Though it’s too late now, enjoy your honeymoon as calmly as you can.]
“It’ll be a honeymoon for a hundred years.”
[Well, good luck with that.]
“What are you talking about?”
Shaking his head, Enok stood up.
“I just stepped out for a bit. Next time I’ll come with Rionne.”
[That would be nice. I hope to see Eri by then too.]
“If she comes out.”
Enok patted his chest and took a short farewell before moving on.
When he returned to Capri’s restaurant, Jon had already come back with someone else.
“Oh, you’ve arrived. This is my friend.”
“Hello there.”
A man bowed his head politely. Enok also nodded slightly.
“The rings….”
“Oh, here they are.”
The man opened a pretty large box.
Inside the box were about ten pairs of rings, each reflecting light at peculiar angles, showcasing a rather high-level cutting technique.
Of course, Enok wasn’t well-versed in gemstones; it was just a feeling.
“First, regarding this ring, it uses diamonds. The technique applied is….”
Listening to the man’s explanation idly, Enok picked up a particularly eye-catching ring.
Between a greenish and light green, that warm color resembled Rionne’s eyes perfectly.
“You have a good eye. That ring uses emerald, cut in cabochon to capture the beauty of its curves….”
He didn’t quite understand what was being said.
Nonetheless, he liked it. He hoped Rionne would too.
“Ah.”
Suddenly reminded of his current funds, Enok fell into thought for a moment.
If he rummaged through the items the Marquis gave him, he felt like he could find something valuable, but… he’d pass on that for now.
Buying a ring for Rionne with money he got from selling a gift felt a bit off.
At that moment, Enok realized.
‘I have no money?’
The Sword God would seem to have plenty, but borrowing money from his father-in-law to buy a ring for his daughter felt a bit… awkward.
“Hmm….”
Pondering, Enok set the ring down for now.
“One moment.”
Then he split the space.
*Snap!*
Through the split, a man appeared with a bewildered expression.
“…Long time no see?”
“Do you happen to have some money?”
“I have some, but….”
“I’ll pay you back quickly, so lend it to me.”
Confidently extending his hand, Enok caused the King of Rabelion to instinctively try to gauge Enok’s level.
‘What….’
He felt nothing.
He knew someone had attained the purple Ki before, but could it be that the Swordmaster’s pupil had already reached the level of a demigod?
While the King was lost in thought, the flustered man spoke to Enok.
“Um… is that person…?”
“Just a king I know.”
“Oh… a king you know….”
“So, how much is the ring?”
“I’ll just give it to you….”
“That won’t do. I want to give Rionne a gift, and it feels wrong to be given something stolen.”
Just then, the King, having regained his composure, cleared his throat and asked.
“So… how much is it?”
“Well, your majesty….”
“Then just tell me.”
Leaving the two to their conversation, Enok gathered up the food Capri had prepared.
Of course, he also held onto the ring.
“So then, I’ll….”
“Oh, wait a moment!”
The man hurriedly pulled out a small box and placed the ring inside it.
Enok was impressed.
This made it seem a bit more special.
“I really will pay you back soon.”
“…It’s not that much money.”
“I can’t just let it go like that.”
“Then fine.”
How long could it take for someone of a demigod’s level to figure out the price of one ring?
The King suddenly realized the conclusion.
‘If he wanted, he could solve it within a second.’
If he suddenly lunged at the King and grabbed him by his collar, he’d get that money in no time.
The King shuddered at the terrible future that appeared in his mind.
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Hurriedly, the King sealed the rift.
Enok waved nonchalantly.
“See you later, Capri. Next time, I’ll bring Rionne along.”
“Right, see you then. I want to meet the Sword God too.”
“Eh? The Sword God?”
There was a minor incident of surprise, but Enok happily crossed over the space.
‘When should I give this ring then?’
As he held the ring in his arms and returned to the Beastman Tribe, Tsukiyo, lying on the grass, suddenly perked up.
“You’re back!”
“Yup. I brought food.”
“Oh! Is it meat?!”
“Of course.”
“Awesome!”
Excited, Tsukiyo trotted behind Enok as he entered the tent.
“Rionne, I’ve brought dinner!”
“Huh?”
Rionne peeked her head out and sniffed the air, her eyes widening in surprise.
“You went to Dendalo?”
“How did you know?”
“You’ve brought it sometimes before. The aromas of that cooking are unique.”
“Oh….”
What a remarkable skill.
As Enok laid out the dishes on the table, Jayura, who followed behind Rionne, chuckled softly.
“I never thought I’d be eating food prepared by a demigod.”
“Hey! I’m a demigod too, you know?”
“Rionne, you are… um. Right. Let’s eat quickly.”
“Hey, what about me! What am I?!”
With their banter, Enok smiled gently as he sat at the table.
The sensation of a small box against his chest.
He had many thoughts about when to hand it over.