Chapter 14: The Elf's Bad Friend
****
"Enoch…!!" Rionne shrieked.
As Enoch tried to crush the crystal orb, Undine had impulsively lashed out.
Rionne was about to jump up and… stop them, but she managed to restrain herself.
The situation was over, and intervening now would only negatively affect Enoch.
It would be disastrous if he started thinking Rionne would always be there to protect him.
"Ugh…"
Enoch, sent flying, managed to sit up and his consciousness was barely clinging on.
"You…"
[Why were you trying to crush that!? You idiot!]
Undine yelled, ignoring Enoch's murderous glare.
[Do you even know what that was!?]
"…An egg."
[What kind of egg!]
"A spirit?"
[What!? How did you know!? But you were trying to crush it!? Are you insane!?]
Undine was aghast.
Enoch rubbed his ears irritably.
'So noisy.'
"I thought I heard Rionne's voice…"
Was he mistaken?
As he looked around, Undine's eyes trembled.
Crack!
The sound came again.
As the egg showed signs of hatching, Undine slapped Enoch's back repeatedly.
[Quick! Go look!]
"…"
'Should I just hit her?'
He considered it, then sighed deeply and trudged over.
He could already picture himself being retaliated against if he attacked.
"Hmm."
The egg was cracking.
Translucent, glass-like fragments fell away, and the twitching egg stilled.
'Can't I just crush it?'
He raised his hand, but…
Smack!
He was hit on the back.
[Wait!]
He waited, suppressing his boiling rage.
Then…
Crack!
The egg shook violently again.
Something popped out.
"A nose?"
It was the nose of an animal.
A slightly translucent one.
He blinked and waited.
The creature inside finally broke free of the egg.
[Kyu?]
A fox, wearing eggshells like a hat.
It shook its head, flinging the shells away, then barked happily at Enoch.
[Kyu!]
[Oh… ohh…!]
Undine hopped excitedly.
[A spirit's birth! And in the mortal realm! Do you know how blessed this is!?]
Enoch, ignoring her as usual, grabbed the fox by the scruff of its neck.
[Hey…!!! Hold it properly…!!]
Undine scolded, but she didn't do anything, probably worried about the spirit in his hand.
That meant he could ignore her.
He stared at the fox, and it stared back.
Beautiful eyes like blue crystals, and mystical, translucent white fur.
Its body was so translucent that he could slightly see through it.
Anyone with eyes could tell it was a spirit.
[Kyu?]
The fox tilted its head, whimpering as Enoch stared.
Enoch, uninterested, released it.
[Kyah…!?]
Undine quickly flew over and caught the falling fox.
[You little…!!]
Fortunately, the fox wasn't harmed.
***
Enoch, wanting to go home, trudged out of the dungeon.
A fox?
What good was a fox?
Would it even help him increase his rank?
[Of course it will!]
Undine gently placed the fox on Enoch's head.
She sighed, exasperated, as they walked through the forest.
"How will this help?" he asked.
[Because it's imprinted on you as its parent. Unfortunately.]
"So what?"
Undine grumbled, but explained.
If she didn't, that crazy, elf-loving, psychopathic Disaster Star might just throw the poor spirit on the ground.
[You know about spirit contracts, right?]
When a contract was formed, a pathway opened between the contractor and the spirit.
Through this pathway, they could exchange mana and spirit energy, share thoughts, and do many other things within their abilities.
[This is like… a superior version of that.]
A connection closer than a contract.
Normally, this level of intimacy was achieved after countless interactions and deepening bonds, the ultimate form of a spirit contract.
But this cocky, elf-obsessed Disaster Star had just skipped all the steps.
"That doesn't mean my rank will…"
[Just listen.]
"…"
[These spirits are usually called companion spirits. At this level, spirit fusion is possible.]
Literally becoming one with the spirit and wielding its power.
[Not only will your power increase, but the process of fusing with a spirit can also provide a breakthrough in your cultivation.]
Basically, it was incredibly beneficial, so he should take good care of it.
Enoch nodded absently, thinking, 'Spirit fusion… Rionne can do that too, right?'
He wanted to see Rionne fused with a spirit.
***
Enoch finally made it home, completely drained.
He would have collapsed if Undine hadn't subtly healed him along the way.
"Enoch…!"
Rionne rushed out and hugged him tightly.
Even her gentle touch sent jolts of pain through his exhausted body, but he didn't care.
He forced his heavy eyelids open.
"Rionne."
"Yes?"
"Breakthrough, complete."
He made a V sign with his small hand.
Rionne stared at his hand for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Yes, well done."
She scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom.
"Are you very tired?"
"Mmm… a little?"
"Are you hurt?"
"No. I didn't get hit once."
"Oh, you're so amazing."
Rionne quickly undressed him, then shed her own clothes.
The bathtub was already filled with warm water.
She stepped in carefully, holding Enoch.
"Ahh… Let's relax. You can rest for a few days."
"Mmm…"
"Do you not want to?"
Enoch hesitated.
He liked the idea of spending a few days clinging to Rionne, but he also wanted to train and increase his rank…
"Enoch?"
Rionne gently squeezed his cheeks.
He pouted, then gave in to the temptation.
"…Yes, I want to rest."
On second thought, it would be foolish to miss out on the immediate reward.
***
In the audience chamber of the Ravellion Royal Palace, the king listened to the intelligence report and frowned.
"The Sword Empress took a disciple…"
Most people knew that the Sword Empress was in seclusion.
And that she was in the forest near the Ravellion Kingdom.
Naturally, Ravellion couldn't ignore her.
After all, she was 'Rionne Estor'.
An elven swordswoman who wielded spirits, magic, and a single thin blade that could cut through anything.
Even the spirit accompanying her, Undine, was known as the "Tyrant."
Such a powerful individual naturally earned a title.
People, awed by her power and achievements, praised her with one voice.
Thus, she was known as the Millennial Sword Empress.
The title not only acknowledged her long life but also implied that her fame would endure for a thousand years.
However, it wasn't wise to use that title in her presence.
She didn't seem to like it.
She'd reportedly responded with, "I'm not at that level yet," a remarkably humble statement for someone of her power.
At least, that's what the king thought.
How could he, a human, understand the sensitivities of an elf regarding age?
"What about the disciple? What did they seem like?"
The intelligence officer reported everything they'd gathered: magic, lightning that seemed to be an ability, use of footwork techniques, seemingly young age but already at the Expert level, relationship with the Sword Empress, and her pronouncements.
"'Touch my disciple, and it means war.' They seem quite close."
"What shall we do?"
"What's there to do? If she says don't touch him, then we don't touch him."
These youngsters didn't seem to understand; most kingdoms couldn't even raise their heads before the Sword Empress.
Not that the Emperor would care, but that applied to most people on the continent.
"Well, it's unusual that the Sword Empress's disciple doesn't use a sword… but that's about it. Report on this regularly."
The kingdom's stance was clear: do not touch the disciple.
If anything, they should protect him if he seemed to be in danger.
"The Estor family might not like it, but… it can't be helped."
The Estor family wouldn't invade just because they protected her disciple.
But if something happened to him, the Sword Empress herself would come for the king's head.
The king sighed.
He had another problem to deal with.
***
[Hey, aren't you forgetting something?]
Undine asked Enoch, who looked half-asleep after dinner.
"…?"
He tilted his head.
He wasn't forgetting anything.
The fox was sleeping soundly on his head.
What else was there?
Undine clicked her tongue at his blank stare and pulled something out.
[Ta-da!]
It was a green ore.
From the abnormally tough golem in the dungeon.
"?"
"Ah."
Enoch still looked clueless, but Rionne understood.
She'd been so focused on Enoch that she'd forgotten about it.
"In that case…"
Should she go see her?
Normally, she wouldn't, but for Enoch's sake…
"Sigh."
It seemed she had to visit an old… frenemy.
****
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