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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Elf Teaches the Heavenly Death Star
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Physical training time.
Rionne plopped down in front of the tree that had been charred black and snapped in half.
"M-My tree..."
Enoch averted his eyes a little.
As he fidgeted with his fingers for no reason, a fly buzzed over to mock him.
[Dummy! Do you have any idea how much Rionne babied that tree?!]
Pzzt! Sparks flew from Enoch's eyes.
But in that moment, he caught sight of Rionne's despairing expression.
Enoch quietly lowered his gaze.
"...I-It's okay, Enoch. It's just a tree...! I can plant another one!"
[What!? Hey! Last time, you told me...!]
Ignoring Undine's grumbling, Rionne wiped away her tears.
Farewell, my precious little tree...
Even in her distress, she analyzed Enoch's achievements.
He was definitely a quick learner.
He'd shown that much from the very first time they met.
Even if it had been the Heavenly Death Star in a rampaging state back then, it was no feat a child Enoch's age should have been capable of.
"I think the Divine Power plays a big role too."
Rionne held up two slender white fingers.
One of them promptly folded down.
"First off, Enoch, you've received the blessing of the Heavenly Death Star."
"...The pint-sized dwarf?"
"That's right. You remember well?"
Rionne stroked Enoch's head.
"The blessing of the Heavenly Death Star is an incredible gift, at least when it comes to the talent it bestows. It varies from person to person, but... Enoch, your talent seems to be in the upper ranks."
"Yeah."
"And then there's the other one."
Another of Rionne's fingers folded down.
"The power of lightning. From what I know, no previous Heavenly Death Star was ever born with a Divine Power. Having a Divine Power at birth is incredibly rare to begin with."
In other words, Enoch possessed not only the Heavenly Death Star's exceptional talent but also the power of lightning.
"Who knows... maybe..."
If Enoch grew up big and strong, he might just smash that loathsome human's nose flat.
Rionne swallowed her pointless words and glanced once more at the dead tree.
Her heart ached.
"A-Anyway, from what I've seen, I think you need to learn how to handle your power with finesse first, Enoch."
"Finesse?"
"Yeah. You need to learn to wield your strength gently, just the way you want, so you don't end up hurting someone important, right?"
Hmm... Rionne pondered for a moment, searching for words that would resonate with Enoch.
"Oh, got it. Say you swing your arm while eating, Enoch?"
"Yeah."
"But it ends up with way more force than you thought."
"Uh-huh."
"And then I, sitting right next to you, get hit."
"Ow!" Rionne pretended to be in pain as she flopped dramatically onto the ground.
"...!"
Enoch panicked and hovered around her.
His guilty, watchful expression was so cute that Rionne couldn't help but giggle.
"To avoid something like that, you need to learn to control your strength, right?"
"Yeah...!"
[Well, well.]
Undine clicked her tongue as she watched her friend.
[Already playing mommy. You've lived hundreds of years—do you really wanna go there?]
"Hey!"
Even elves were sensitive about their age.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Rionne was proficient with dozens of different weapons.
She favored the triple swords above all, but the others were plenty suitable for teaching Enoch.
"Hmm..."
Rionne lined up the wooden weapons she'd carved herself since meeting Enoch, deep in thought.
"Enoch, does any of them feel like a good fit, or anything?"
Usually, someone with that level of talent would be drawn to the weapon suited to them.
"..."
But Enoch's reaction was lukewarm.
He didn't seem particularly interested in weapons.
Rionne first placed a plain wooden sword in his hand.
"Well, then..."
[Me! Let me do it!]
Undine bounced eagerly.
She looked at her friend with eyes full of anticipation.
"You, Undine?"
[Yeah! I'll smash that little punk's nose fla—er, I mean, I can handle him just fine!]
Rionne narrowed her eyes at Undine.
Undine met her gaze with the most innocent expression in the world.
"Well... sure. You wouldn't do anything too mean to a kid, right?"
[O-Of course not!]
"You sure?"
There wasn't a speck of trust on Rionne's face, but Undine paid it no mind.
Rionne trusted that Undine wouldn't truly do anything awful to Enoch anyway.
[Heh, heheheheh...! Come at me, squirt!]
Gurgle! Undine's water-formed body swelled up dramatically.
Enoch ignored Undine and looked to Rionne.
"It's just a simple spar, Enoch. I need to see which weapon suits you and gauge your current strength."
"Okay."
Enoch wordlessly faced off against Undine.
Undine, now the size of an adult woman, wore a sinister grin.
"Then..."
Before Rionne could even say "begin,"
Whoosh!
Enoch hurled the wooden sword at her full force.
[Ack!?]
The startled Undine jerked her head back to dodge.
Throwing the weapon out of nowhere?
Though caught off guard, Undine was a seasoned spirit.
She quickly reset her stance, but Enoch was already gone from his spot.
Crackle!
Wrapped in electricity from head to toe, Enoch appeared behind Undine.
Purple lightning ominously flickered from his hands, curved like the talons of a bird of prey.
[Cheeky brat!]
Undine spun around, clenching her fist.
Enoch's swinging hand met Undine's fist.
Boom!
A fairly loud impact rang out.
Undine grinned as she gripped Enoch's hand tight.
[Pure water doesn't conduct electri—gyaaah!?]
Sparks erupted from Undine's blue body.
[I-It hurts!]
Undine shook her hand in panic.
Enoch staggered back from the force, and Undine conjured dozens of water projectiles in the air.
[Insolent little twerp!]
He was just a kid who hadn't even lived a full decade.
Of course his mastery would be rudimentary.
At that level, most phenomena followed natural laws.
Water douses fire, fire burns wood, electricity doesn't flow through pure water, and so on.
Yet somehow, this brat had damaged her body.
[What're you gonna do about this? Dodge!]
Pew pew pew!
The water bullets shot toward him at high speed.
Of course, she'd held back on the power.
Still, getting hit would sting like a flick on the forehead...
Crackle!
Enoch didn't hesitate, diving straight into the barrage.
A slight gap.
Enoch's eyes darted quickly.
He sidestepped diagonally, batting one projectile aside.
As it ricocheted away, he slipped through the widened gap.
Splat!
The projectiles that missed Enoch cratered into the ground.
In that instant, Enoch closed in right in front of Undine.
[What kind of kid does this!?]
Undine flailed her arm in alarm.
A massive water orb formed in midair and launched at Enoch.
Rumble!
Enoch compressed lightning into his clenched fist.
Sparks flew from his black eyes.
Just as he was about to collide with the orb,
"That's enough."
Enoch dangled limply in midair.
He stopped growling and blinked innocently.
"Undine, that's too much. Enoch's still just a kid."
[N-No...!]
Undine dispelled the water orb and hopped mad.
She was the one who'd gotten hit.
She figured the brat could handle that much anyway...!
[Gyaaah...!]
The furious Undine spewed a jet of water skyward.
A hole punched right through an innocent passing cloud.
Enoch sidled up and clung to Rionne's body.
Even he knew that would've hurt if it hit.
"Anyway, Enoch, does the sword not feel right in your hands?"
"Yeah."
"I see... That's a shame. Swords are the best for teaching."
Rionne felt disappointed but understood.
Watching Enoch fight, she figured he didn't really need a weapon at all, let alone a sword.
He seemed to have a knack for bare-handed martial arts.
"Alright, then. I'll teach you what I know for now."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Rionne taught Enoch the basics of fist and kicking techniques.
"Fist techniques use your fists, just like it sounds. Kicking techniques use your legs."
She didn't teach him any complex martial arts.
Since it was his first time learning, they were very simple and fundamental.
Whoosh!
Even so, it wasn't something he'd master in a single day.
Rionne beamed as she watched Enoch throw punches into the air.
"Undine! I think our Enoch might be a genius!"
[...How long have you known him, and you're already 'our Enoch' this and that.]
What Rionne taught was how to extend the fist properly and kick correctly.
The basics of basics: strike without wobbling and prepare for the next motion immediately.
But as mentioned, that wasn't something achieved in a single day.
'Annoying, but damn if the kid doesn't overflow with talent.'
Undine grumbled but memorized Enoch's movements anyway.
If he'd just absorbed Rionne's teachings instantly, she wouldn't have been surprised.
Anyone with decent talent could manage that much.
But Enoch was a model student, advancing on his own into untaught territory.
Whoosh!
Enoch's thrusting punches were clean, with no wasted power.
Rather than fighting the wind's flow, his fist rode it straight and powerfully.
Anyone would think he'd spent years practicing straight punches.
"Alright, Enoch. Class ended early today, so wanna play with big sis?"
"Yeah!"
Undine resisted the urge to ram a grand spirit spell into that tiny head.
Instead, she zipped over and yanked viciously at Rionne's hair.
[Me...! You won't even play with me...!]
Undine craved her friend's affection.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Today, I'll teach you about the forest."
The next day, Rionne led Enoch into the woods near the house.
Play a bit in the forest, feed him, bathe him, tuck him in for a nap, then teach martial arts—it seemed like a solid plan.
"D-Don't touch the water, Enoch...!!"
Whether it'd go according to plan was still up in the air.