LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 79
Chapter
In the world of superhumans. Those words sent a shiver through Enok’s eyes.
It wasn’t that he suddenly realized he’d finally reached the realm known as superhuman.
It was simply the thrill of standing on the same plane as Rionne because of her words that made his heart tremble.
The far-off end of a road he had vaguely thought he would one day reach. And now, a new starting point.
Allowing the joy that erupted from his belly to burst forth, Enok smiled widely.
“Are you welcoming me?”
“Of course! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day, brother.”
Rionne smiled brightly as she tightly embraced Enok, who had now outgrown her.
“Now I can really worry a little less.”
“Really?”
“Yep. With you like this, there’s really no way you’ll be getting beaten up anymore.”
Not getting beaten up was one thing; now, if he wanted something, rarely would he find it out of reach.
Unless he suddenly felt like wanting to challenge a demigod or something.
“Well… that sounds a bit much.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Rionne looked a bit flustered at his unexpected response as she pulled back slightly.
Looking down at her, Enok smirked mischievously.
“I still want you to worry about me a bit more, Rionne.”
“Oh come on! You scared me!”
“I’m serious.”
“Really….”
Pouting, Rionne leaned against Enok’s chest, looking up at him. A height she’d grown accustomed to. Below her stood her clearly reddening lips.
“That’s a bit naughty.”
“Huh?”
“Wait, what!?”
Did that come out of my mouth!? Rionne panicked and quickly retreated as if executing an evasive maneuver.
Enok was so surprised by her swift movement that he couldn’t help but clap in admiration. If he saw that kind of agility in action, it might just look like she vanished into thin air.
[Soon….]
“Eri? What did you say?”
[No… I just think we’re in big trouble now.]
“……?”
While Enok frowned in confusion, Rionne’s heart raced wildly, almost about to burst.
‘…Have I lost my mind?’
As she clenched her teeth and stared at Enok’s face, only his lips were now visible.
Should I just close my eyes and go for it? That thought popped into her mind, but a wave of fear made her hesitate.
‘Maybe later….’
With a smile that felt decorated, Rionne exaggeratedly pointed outside.
“Anyway, about that outfit! It may look like clothes, but it’s armor, you know? Want to give it a test run?”
Somehow, tonight felt like it would be a sleepless one filled with concerns stacked high.
*
Night fell, and Enok, now grown up, still fell asleep in the same bed beside Rionne.
Since they’d met, it had always been this way, but tonight, feeling restless, she cautiously got out of bed.
‘The moon is bright.’
Enchanted by the moonlight shining through the window, she stepped outside and climbed up on the roof.
The cool night breeze. The stars embroidered beautifully across the deep blue sky. The round, nearly full moon made her intensely crave a drink.
‘Though she’s overflowing with kindness, it must have been even harder for her to hold onto something precious. Being born an Elf must have made it much more so.’
Words spoken by her father, a nobleman, casually echoed from the depths of her memory.
With a wince, Rionne turned her head to look up at the sky.
These were words any Elf could empathize with. For them, who experienced the passage of time differently, most things in the world were but grains of sand that would eventually disappear.
That’s probably why Elves are often said to be gentle.
They hardly get bothered by others’ words. Even if someone is hurt, it’s just a fleeting scratch that will vanish before long.
The happiness shared by the short-lived races is as sweet as the density of their lives, but the malice they express is just a sour, immature feeling that hasn’t even matured for a hundred years.
So they always smile and move on, smiling even when they stumble. Unbeknownst to them, they build enormous walls around themselves.
That’s why Elves interact less with other races. Even if they do, most interactions end up superficial. It was an unavoidable fate of their kind.
Rionne was the same. Having lived quite a long life among Elves, she had been building her walls for nearly nine hundred years.
Even a Grandmaster, a superhuman, would struggle to touch that sturdy wall. One wrong move, and it could crumble her very foundation.
“Sigh….”
That’s why her connection with Enok was almost miraculous. Like a wall that had no thickness, the boy who casually leaped over the low barrier had become someone indispensable to her.
Why was that? What made Enok so different from everyone else?
Lost in thought, a dry chuckle escaped her lips.
‘What does it matter?’
Such things were hardly important. She didn’t have a desire to define the human heart like some formula.
She simply felt a suffocating urge to break down that thin wall separating her from Enok that she now realized existed between them.
If she closed her eyes and delved deeper, it became all the more apparent.
A massive tree. Herself curled up like a fetus within its knots. One thin but sturdy wall enveloping her like a shell.
‘There’s no need to be overly brave, but deliberately distancing myself from happiness is another story. Even if it’s not unhappy, taking a step forward could lead to both of us finding joy, so why must I blindly ignore that?’
I know, Dad. But it takes an enormous amount of courage to take that step.
What if I’m rejected? What if Enok leaves me first? What if he gets tired of my fickleness?
Not to mention, there’s a gap of several hundred years. Wouldn’t it be better for Enok to have a younger, purer girl beside him?
Thoughts that didn’t even form a single cohesive string tangled her mind.
A sigh escaped her, so heavy it felt like it might sink the moon, and as the shameful sunlight began to rise from afar on the horizon, Rionne stood up, still harboring her unresolved feelings.
“…Is it really this hard?”
In the end, the Elf who couldn’t muster the courage hid away from the sun.
*
The tangled threads of worry didn’t stop time. As time flowed relentlessly, Rionne found herself at the moment of farewell, swallowing her sigh as she looked at Enok, who was about to leave.
“…Are you really going to Demisto now?”
“Yep. Do you want to come with me, Rionne?”
At his uncomplicated words, Rionne forcefully forced a smile.
“No, it’s probably better for you to experience a wider world without me. I feel bad for being a hinderance again.”
“Hinderance? What nonsense.”
Enok stepped close, pulling Rionne’s small body into a warm embrace.
“Then how about I go this time without you, and next time, we go together?”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yeah. Variety is important, right?”
As she looked up into Enok’s calm, unwavering eyes, it felt like he could see right through her, making her shrink back despite herself.
“Even the plainest of scenes seem special when I’m with Rionne. I feel like every place we’ve visited before will look so different with you there.”
“Really… do you think so?”
“Yep.”
How could that nod, so unhesitant, be so incredibly adorable?
As a rush of impulse seemed to push her forward, she rose on tiptoe in an attempt to lean closer, but the tightening fear in her heart made her drop back down as if nothing had happened.
“And now I think I get it.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Rionne is quite the coward.”
“…What? You shouldn’t say such things to your sister.”
She feigned anger, raising her eyebrows, but Enok simply smiled softly and continued.
“You always let your mind wander off into strange thoughts all alone. You’re terrible at lying too.”
“And so… do you hate your not-so-reliable sister now?”
“See? Even a fool wouldn’t say something like that.”
Enok’s large hand brushed against her cheek, gently lifting her chin until their eyes met. It felt like she was about to be swallowed by the unidentified emotions quietly swirling in his dark eyes.
Just then, as she snapped back to reality and tried to pull away from Enok’s hand,
“Ugh…!”
His eyes drew so close, their breaths brushed against each other’s lips.
Holding her breath and pursing her lips, she noticed Enok’s gaze flicker downward, the corners of his eyes curving upward.
“I told you, I know now.”
A strange sensation settled over her gently pursed lips. Soft and warm, yet it stirred her heart in a way that left her gasping.
As simple as two lips brushing against each other, an overwhelming torrent of unknown emotions surged through her entire being.
Plop, the light sound of their lips parting left a fiery warmth behind in her chest.
What situation is this? She wondered. The sight of Enok’s face, adorned with an urgent blush, made her heart race.
“…Are you crying?”
“…Yeah.”
“Did you not like it…?”
He’d once been so boldly breaking down walls, but now there he was, flustered and looking away, and it made her find him all the more endearing.
“…I think I’m starting to understand.”
“Really…?”
Rionne grabbed Enok’s face in her hands and stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his.
Plop—
The shy sound of their kiss chimed like a bell announcing a new beginning, unraveling the tangled threads of their emotions like magic.
“It feels silly to have hesitated.”
Now, she could say it. With you revealing such deep feelings, even the indecisive side of me could finally understand.
“I love you, Enok.”
Squish— like a child folding back into the tree, she stepped out into the world, her tender feet touching the ground.
“Rionne…?”
The only tender hands searching for the trace of the vanished Elf wandered aimlessly through the air.