READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 8
Enoch quietly looked down at the collapsed black-clothed man.
The initial momentum had vanished without a trace.
Just a moment ago, he had burned with fighting spirit.
Now, all that remained was a deep sense of defeat and strong frustration.
‘Maybe I went a bit overboard. Was I too conscious of the game.’
Enoch reflected slightly.
He had unconsciously acted based on the difficulty level of the game back in the day.
The empire’s separatists had often appeared in the original of this world, Age of Invasion.
Of course, given the context, they were only faced as enemies, but they at least had the stats to make Enoch feel uneasy.
Taking that into account, he had intentionally shown off his strength.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, reality failed to meet that expectation.
It had all been for nothing.
“Killing you feels a bit much, but I’ll at least listen to your last words. Got anything to say?”
“Wait! If you kill me now—”
“Impressive. I’ll engrave that on your tombstone.”
-Crash!
The snake’s tail slammed down beside the black-clothed man.
“Aaaah!!!”
The man quickly rolled away to avoid it. After that, he crawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
“Huff, huff…”
“Avoiding this is quite something. I can give you that.”
Once again, the snake’s tail rose.
The black-clothed man desperately shouted, as if to stop it.
“Wait, wait! There’s no reason to kill me now!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Think of the girl! Have you forgotten my subordinates are chasing her? It’s not too late. If you save me now—”
-Crash!!
Once again, the area beside the man was crushed.
The tail had just swept past him.
The black-clothed man held his breath, stopping what he was saying.
Enoch sighed as he looked down at him.
“I was going to just kill you, but I guess I need to clear up some misconceptions first.”
“…What? Misconceptions?”
“Yes. You’re making a big mistake from the start. You said your subordinates are chasing her, so my student is in danger, right? Why are you thinking that way?”
“What are you even trying to say…?”
“It means your imagination is lacking. Isn’t it possible my student could overpower them instead? Just like that.”
As Enoch spoke, he pointed beside him.
The black-clothed man turned back with a sense of dread.
As Enoch had said, the girl who had just fled into the darkness, Lacrina, re-emerged with a hesitant demeanor.
“Um, Teacher…? I’ve come back after 20 minutes…”
Lacrina asked cautiously.
Enoch didn’t answer immediately.
On the other hand, the black-clothed man involuntarily felt fear.
It was because the small girl in front of him was holding a weapon in one hand while dragging his subordinates, who were chasing her, like trash with the other.
‘Overpowered? By a mere girl?!’
The black-clothed man felt an indescribable fear.
Of course, the skill level of the subordinates who chased after her was relatively low. However, isn’t there such a thing as common sense?
Moreover, the girl did not even seem particularly tired.
She was easily overpowering a bunch of adults.
The black-clothed man suddenly felt that the future of separatists like him was indeed very bleak.
“You’ve gone silent. You look like you’re deep in thought.”
“……”
“Oh well. It’s none of my business. Here’s your pocket money. Say hi to Karon for me.”
Enoch pulled out a bundle of cash and tossed it at the black-clothed man.
50,000 kro fell, slapping his cheek.
Then, the snake’s tail fell down.
A long peace had arrived.
@
Enoch took off his coat and brushed off the dust on his clothes.
At the same time, he deactivated his skills and summoned the snakes back.
-Clink clink
The mechanical snakes returned to their original clock state.
Enoch, having brushed off his clothes, paused for a moment, wondering whether to pick up the clock that had fallen into the bushes.
Honestly, it felt too bothersome to bend down just for a clock worth 370,000 kro.
-Whoosh
“Here it is.”
Fortunately, Lacrina acted a step ahead.
She quickly picked up the clock, guessing Enoch’s thoughts, and presented it to her teacher.
“Thank you. It’s already a relief that I brought you along.”
“Hehe.”
Lacrina smiled awkwardly.
Enoch gazed at her for a moment, then looked down at the collapsed black-clothed men.
“They look like they’re out cold. You didn’t kill them, right?”
“Uh, right. It didn’t seem necessary.”
It didn’t seem necessary.
In other words, it meant he could kill them whenever he wanted if need be.
Enoch felt once again that the educational environment in this world was truly awful.
A world where monsters invade.
A world where decent middle-class people can become homeless overnight.
In such a world, the ones who suffer the most are not the adults but the children.
Just look at Lacrina right in front of him.
She had seemed mature for her age just this morning.
But seeing her with a knife now, it seemed she matured a bit too early.
‘Come to think of it, there’s a slum near the orphanage. Maybe Lacrina is more accustomed to this world than I am.’
Enoch smiled wryly as he patted Lacrina’s head.
Although he had already killed over a hundred people, it seemed that some sympathy still remained in his heart.
“Um… Did I make a mistake? Maybe I should—”
“No, there’s really no need for that. Just as you said.”
Enoch briefly stated and turned away.
He took out two bundles of cash from his pocket and tossed them beside the unconscious black-clothed men.
“Let’s go. My friends will take care of the rest.”
“Oh, right!”
Lacrina hurriedly followed Enoch.
Eventually, the vehicle they were in sped away into the distance.
A moment later, the residents of the slum emerged from the silence.
-…
-Nod
-Woosh!
A few figures quietly vanished.
It was late at night.
Nothing had happened in the slums.
@
Perhaps because it was so late, the roads were empty.
The vehicle carrying the two arrived swiftly at their destination along the quiet road.
“This is… a pub?”
“A pub and an inn. It’s where I stay, too. Now, let’s go inside.”
Enoch pushed Lacrina along as they entered the pub.
As always, the pub was very quiet.
The only noise was the occasional static crackle from the TV.
If it weren’t for the scent of spicy alcohol, it would have been hard to distinguish whether this was a bar or a church.
“Hey, you finally back? You’re later than I thought!”
“It just turned out that way. Things took longer than expected.”
“Looks like you had a bit of a rough time. …Hmm? Oh right, is that the girl you were looking for? Am I right?”
The bald master at the counter greeted Enoch.
He spotted Lacrina hiding behind Enoch and spoke to her with a smile.
“Nice to meet you, young lady. I’m the owner of this pub. Just call me Master.”
“Oh, hello. My name is Lacrina. I’m always in your debt…”
“In debt? Didn’t we just meet?”
“I-I’m sorry! It’s just a habit from greeting people at the orphanage.”
Lacrina hurriedly apologized.
Her face was already turning red.
Even while dressed in good clothes and expensive brands, this habit just wouldn’t go away.
“Haha, I figured that would happen since Enoch seemed to be paying special attention to you, but you’ve got a funny side, haven’t you?”
“Don’t let your guard down. This kid can casually kill a person or two.”
“Now you’re just talking nonsense. How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t joke around.”
The master chuckled and shook his head.
Enoch made a mental note to show Lacrina’s killing skills to the master the next time she did it.
“Anyway, pick a menu. You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?”
“Well, yes. I’d like a roasted meat pie and a root soup. Oh, and the herb-roasted trout and oak-smoked ribs, too.”
“Sure, sure. Meat and veggies, huh? What about your drink?”
“Hmm, since it’s dinner, let’s keep it light and just go with some ale for now. I’ll decide on the next drink while eating.”
“Okay. And what about you, young lady?”
“Huh? Me?”
Lacrina, caught off guard, responded a moment too late.
The master tilted his head as if to say ‘Who else?’
Seeing that, Lacrina’s mind started racing.
‘Suddenly a meal? All I can think of is bread, boiled cabbage, and potato soup… I can’t say that out loud, can I?’
Potato soup felt far too homely to order at a restaurant.
Bread and cabbage didn’t need any explanation.
She thought long and hard.
Unable to bear it anymore, Enoch handed her the shop’s menu.
“Why don’t you just take a look? Don’t pressure yourself.”
“Yes…”
Lacrina bent slightly and accepted the menu.
Her face was already turning red again.
The reason was simple.
She was embarrassed by her own ignorance.
‘He’ll definitely think I’m rustic. What if he judges me for not being able to even order food?’
Lacrina’s eyes blazed with determination.
After all, she had already messed up several times before.
She had received much more than she had shown.
Thus, nothing disappointing should happen anymore.
Lacrina glared at the menu with these feelings and cleared her throat elegantly.
“Ahem, um…”
“”…?””
“Um, Master? I would like to order this six ways aged Parmigiano Reggiano, please. Also, a pickled cod with tomato, apricot, and saffron rice. And I’d like to order a wild mushroom tart.”
“…Uh, sure. And for your drink?”
“Um… for the drink? Let’s go with… Ah! I’ll take this Spiced Apple Wine!”
Lacrina said confidently, not showing any signs of panic.
Before she knew it, a small smile was adorning her face.
It seemed like she was confidently asserting that she hadn’t messed up this time.
On the other hand, Enoch and the master were trying to contain their laughter.
Her order was just so bizarre.
Cheese, cod, and mushrooms.
And then apple wine on top of that.
It was like some British-style funeral feast. What in the world was this combination?
“Lacrina?”
“Hmm… Yes?”
“Can I ask you one thing? Do you know what Spiced Apple Wine is made from?”
Lacrina’s face went stiff.
About a second ticked by.
She quickly replied, recovering from her moment of stiffness.
“Apples! It’s made from apples!”
“Correct. Surprising, isn’t it?”
“Hehe, even I know that much—”
“Then what’s the next ingredient?”
Lacrina’s face froze once more.
‘Spiced Apple Wine. Spiced Apple Wine. The spelling is Spiced Apple Wine… Alright! I put in apples, so now it should have wine and spices, right? After all, meat pie is just a combination of meat and pie!’
Lacrina was about to answer, but she stopped midway.
Thinking back, it seemed a bit off.
Eventually, Lacrina’s eyes darted around.
She was a young lady who turned to stone every 15 seconds.
‘It’s so unfair.’
She felt unjustly wronged.
Why do all these drinks have such complicated and hard names?
It was an incomprehensible mystery…
“Lacrina?”
“…Yes?”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“I… uh…”
“What?”
“Umm… honey…? Something like that?”
Lacrina answered bashfully. Enoch and the master simultaneously chuckled.
“Master, let’s cancel the apple wine. Instead, please make it something sweet like honeyed mead.”
“I knew it would come to this, so I was already preparing it. Here, drink this.”
The master placed the honeyed mead on the counter.
A sweet drink made by combining honey and spices.
It was low in alcohol, making it a drink that even children could enjoy.
“Thank you…”
“Sure, sure.”
“Um… about the order I made earlier…”
Lacrina timidly raised her hand.
Enoch, who was drinking ale, replied appropriately.
“I’ll handle it, so you just focus on eating.”
“Yes…”
Lacrina quietly immersed herself in the food.
Either way, the meal was delicious.
It was so incredible that she felt like she was committing a sin.
But why on earth were tears welling up?
Was it too sweet and tasty?
Lacrina couldn’t quite grasp the reason.
So she asked Enoch, who was next to her.
“I ate something delicious, but why am I crying?”
“Just eat your food.”
“Yes…”
Lacrina focused quietly on her meal.
In any case, the food was tasty.