NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
Chapter: Enok’s Departed Home
Rionne shoved the completely cold food into her mouth with a gloomy expression.
Recently, Enok’s appetite had increased, so much food had been prepared.
At this rate, it seemed Rionne could eat alone for several days.
“Was it too much…?”
After finishing the dishes, Rionne left the house.
After pushing through the forest, she arrived at a familiar place from a week ago.
[So the misunderstanding seems cleared up.]
The Master of the Forest greeted her, lying on the grass with a satisfied expression.
“Ah… I’m sorry about that time… I just lost my mind.”
[What? It’s alright. Honestly, even I wouldn’t have believed it if I heard it myself.]
Rionne was a bit bothered by the words that called her a beast spawn without a family tree, but, well, what could be done?
The Master of the Forest, licking its front paws, playfully tapped the ugly rift in the ground with its glorious tail.
Then, as if time sped up, blue plants began to grow on top of it.
[But you seem really down. Did something happen?]
“Ah, well… I had a little fight with Enok.”
[That lad? Ha ha, that’s unexpected. I thought he was head over heels for you.]
“Exactly.”
Sighing, Rionne plopped down on the grass.
The Master of the Forest smiled brightly and waved its tail.
Floof—
Out of nowhere, a teacup and teapot flew in.
Roots from a tree twisted up to create a low table, and the Master poured tea into the cup.
[Come, let’s chat. You’d be surprised how many things can be resolved just by talking.]
*
After hearing Rionne’s story, the Master of the Forest scratched its head with its tail.
[Hmm… No wonder he was so fierce back then.]
“What…?”
[Honestly, I didn’t quite understand. Even so, there was no reason for him to charge at me as if I were his mortal enemy.]
Recalling that night made the fox tremble.
It was still hard to think about. Really.
[Well… I still don’t get it, but from what I’ve heard, that’s how it typically is at that age.]
“Adolescence?”
[Yeah. By the way, have you heard about his epiphany?]
“No….”
The laughing fox opened its mouth.
[Under one bond, as one star, I shall tear apart everything before my eyes.]
It’s both terrifying and funny, that realization.
[In the end, isn’t it just him saying he’s crazy about you?]
“Enok, really….”
[He must have fought really hard, enough to gain an epiphany while thinking of you, but you don’t seem to notice, so he’s sulking. Kids tend to sulk easily, right?]
“Is that… true?”
[Of course. Even adult men want to look good for women they admire.]
“Women? I play more of a motherly role, you know.”
No, more like an older sister, maybe?
Seeing Rionne tilt her head, the Master of the Forest chuckled.
[Well, if you say so.]
“At my age, it’s foolish.”
[You’re not exactly in a position to criticize my age… Umm, sorry. Put that hand down.]
Even if it was a demigod or whatever, getting smacked by that elf hurt.
*
Not long after Enok joined the Mercenary Guild.
Everyone in the guild was summoned.
“And so, under the Lord’s mercy, you will all be undertaking a common request.”
Murmurs filled the area.
A knight clad in shining silver armor frowned, then shouted loudly, channeling his mana.
“Silence!”
The mercenaries shut their mouths tightly.
However, some mercenaries brimming with spirit grumbled.
“Shouldn’t you at least tell us what’s going on?”
“Do you think we’re some neighborhood mutts you can boss around?”
Tension crackled between the knights and the mercenaries.
Enok stared at the scene, scratching his head.
“Ah….”
Enok found everything to be bothersome.
*
No fight broke out between the knights and the mercenaries.
Adequate compensation for the request was offered in the Lord’s name, and the mercenaries seemed to accept it with some reluctance.
“So, we will scout the outer C area.”
It was that bald middle-aged dwarf with three glassy beads he had seen yesterday.
He displayed his yellowed teeth while scanning the party members.
“You all know who I am, right?”
“Who?”
“….”
The bald man’s gaze turned toward Enok.
With a black hood and a colorful mask.
A suspicious figure without a doubt, causing the man to scratch his shiny head.
“Hey kid, what in the world are you wearing?”
How did he figure it out?
Enok was flustered.
“If you can’t recognize that, you’re an idiot.”
In a town where new faces were scarce, it was clear who had that high-pitched voice—it had to be the same kid from yesterday.
“Anyway, I’m Max, a B-rank mercenary. I’m the party leader for this request. Any more questions?”
“Why are we scouting? War?”
“Sort of. Monster wave.”
From the brief explanation, it seemed a horde of monsters was about to storm the town.
It didn’t quite make sense to Enok, but he nodded nonetheless.
“We don’t have time, so we’re setting off immediately. We won’t need supplies.”
As they walked toward the city gate, each introduced themselves briefly.
“C-rank, Rafen. Archer.”
“D-rank, Tipi! Leave traps and simple scouting to me!”
Rafen looked like a gruff man, while Tipi was about the same height as Enok.
As everyone’s gaze turned toward Enok, he simply introduced himself.
“D-rank, Enok. Um… I can do anything.”
*
Enok had never heard of something called a monster wave.
Of course, living with Rionne meant it was to be expected.
A horde of monsters invading?
Usually, Rionne would go for a stroll and tidy things up beforehand, and if they clustered, a few swings of a sword would solve it.
“Hey, Max. But what’s with this sudden monster wave?”
D-rank mercenary Tipi also seemed not to have experienced a monster wave, grumbling.
“I don’t know. Things have been strange lately. Dungeons seem to be sprouting up everywhere.”
“Oh, right! That’s nice.”
“It’s not something to be happy about. Suddenly having that happen means something’s going on.”
Listening quietly, Rafen’s ears perked up.
His gaze briefly drifted off, then returned to Tipi and Enok.
“D-rank, go scout. I hear something.”
“Yeah, sure. Nice attitude.”
Tipi began to move quietly.
Enok just watched.
“What’s going on?”
“?”
“Get going. You know how to scout, right?”
“Why should I?”
Rafen’s cold gaze turned toward Enok.
“Oh.”
Tipi also covered her mouth.
“What are you trying to do?”
“What?”
“Don’t you know about chain of command? There’s no room for leniency during a request. A D-rank shouldn’t be so ignorant.”
Chain of command.
Enok understood the meaning.
That’s why he was confused.
“You? Over me?”
His voice was laced with pure bewilderment, making Rafen’s eyes grow increasingly fierce.
*Creek,* the bowstring he held emitted an ominous sound.
The situation was tense.
Max intervened.
“Whoa, whoa, kiddo. Normally we adhere to our ranks during these times. We can’t start reorganizing hierarchy with every request, can we?”
“Hmm.”
Was this a sort of unwritten rule among human mercenaries?
Suddenly, Rionne’s words flashed in his mind—don’t solve everything with fights.
“What, fine.”
Enok reluctantly followed Tipi.
*
The first day of scouting didn’t take long.
They only found signs of monsters; they didn’t encounter any directly, so there was no battle.
And the next day.
The atmosphere among the party leaving the city was peculiar compared to yesterday.
“Hey, kid. Take this.”
Tipi handed a bag to Enok.
Today, they needed to cover a wider area, so they had more supplies.
A large bag stuffed with most of their equipment.
“You want me to carry this?”
“What, don’t want to?”
Tipi’s face scrunched up.
Rafen observed this with a chilly gaze.
Is this how it normally goes?
When Enok glanced at Max, he gave a vague chuckle.
“Hmm.”
When Enok accepted the bag, Tipi sneered.
Ever since the clash with Rafen yesterday, the mood had shifted.
‘Should I drop it?’
He pondered briefly but held back.
Rionne said not to solve everything with fighting.
Wait, why do I have to listen to Rionne?
For a moment, Enok’s eyebrows shot up beneath the mask, but then drooped again.
Should I apologize to Rionne when I get home?
That thought kept echoing in his mind.
“Hey! Are you even listening?!”
At the sharp voice, Enok turned his head.
Tipi sighed, with a distorted expression.
“Ugh… why’d I have to end up with a kid like you? We need to secure a base and move, so stop dazing out and clear the area.”
“……”
“Not gonna answer?”
Tap, tap, Tipi poked Enok’s head.
She put a fair amount of force behind it, but Enok didn’t budge, causing her to seem a bit flustered yet more annoyed.
“Ugh, you annoying brat!”
Bam!
Tipi clocked Enok on the head.
As a spark of ki lit up in Enok’s eyes for a moment.
But he held back.
Reflecting on Rionne’s words.
“…Yeah.”
I cleaned everything earlier; what more does she want?
Enok swept aside some stones and branches a bit further away.
An elemental watching from afar pounded its chest.
[That idiot! Why can’t he just do things the way he usually does…! Agh…! This is so frustrating!]
*
The request went smoothly.
Other than Tipi getting splashed by a water splash out of nowhere while scouting, there were no unusual occurrences.
As night fell, the group returned to their base and decided on watch shifts by drawing lots.
Tipi, Max, Enok, Rafen in order.
While Enok was dozing off for a moment, he regained consciousness to a soft voice.
“Kiddo, it’s your turn.”
Max’s bald head glimmered in the firelight.
As Enok observed for a moment, Max awkwardly smiled and sat across from him.
“Don’t take it too hard, kiddo. This line of work tends to be like this.”
Enok looked at Max.
He rubbed his smooth head and continued.
“It’s life-threatening work, so those in command are sensitive, and if you’re looked down upon in this world, it’s over.”
“Yeah.”
“Just do what you’re told, and things will improve.”
Enok didn’t reply, staring into Max’s eyes.
Something felt off about his gaze, causing Max to scratch the back of his neck.
“Well, good luck.”
With those words, Max entered the tent.