Don't Interrupt, Pankratos
This was the name given to the inquiry meetings held within mage society. The procedure was simple. Under the Guild Master's direction, the mages would gather, then interrogate and punish the offender according to their own will. One peculiar detail, however, was that these meetings did not always end in punishment. The reason was equally straightforward: mages were simply too valuable a resource.
'Besides, their way of thinking is quite different from ordinary people.'
Enoch's crime amounted to nothing more than using magic without a license. Hardly a serious offense. The Guild Master herself likely felt the same. After all, even the separatists brazenly wielded magic without repercussions. In a world where such people existed, would they really punish someone cooperative enough to walk in of his own accord? Of course not. If anything, they would see him as someone worth talking to—perhaps even worth recruiting.
Especially since Enoch had, in his own way, dealt with the Empire's enemies. Rewarding him would have been more appropriate than punishing him. The odds of Pankratos ending in punishment were extremely low.
'That's exactly what I was counting on.'
Trusting in that fact, Enoch had launched his wide-area provocation. Most of these meetings ended with a token punishment anyway. As he had said repeatedly, Pankratos's true purpose was not to punish the mage but to decide his future treatment. In short, a little insolence wouldn't cause any real trouble.
—Hmph…
—How vulgar…
—Tsk…
Enoch's prediction proved accurate. At most, they clicked their tongues. The mages in the background subtly averted their gazes after his outburst. From their reactions, Enoch discerned two things.
'Half are avoiding me, half are angry. The latter are probably the imperial fundamentalists. Aside from them, there's no need to worry.'
Those who disliked him were, without a doubt, the fundamentalists. They were the ones directly harmed by unlicensed mages. In other words, they were imperial officials rather than members of the Magic Tower or the Guild. They were also the group most wary of an unlicensed mage like Enoch.
'They're quite cold for people whose separatist problem I solved. Worried about their reputation or their rice bowls, perhaps.'
Enoch chuckled softly and shifted his gaze. He looked once more at the Boundary-level mages seated around the round table.
"Calm yourselves. Pay them no mind," Guild Master Logita said with a sigh, as if soothing them.
Jane, the Water Tower Lord, who had been seated, responded.
"Why? I think it's refreshing. Their glares are annoying, aren't they?"
"Even so, speaking so openly is another matter. And among those present are members of your own tower, are they not?"
"I don't care. I'm not their nanny. How long am I supposed to coddle them? Honestly, every time Pankratos opens, the way they stare like that has always rubbed me the wrong way."
Jane laughed mockingly as she puffed on her water pipe. The Guild Master let out a small sigh. Beyond the sigh and the smoke, Jane's eyes turned toward Enoch.
"By the way, you said your name was Enoch?"
"As I mentioned earlier, that is correct," Enoch replied, his gaze fixed on her.
"At least your boldness is admirable. No matter what anyone says, you shouldn't bend your own stance."
"I agree."
"Really? But what can I do? I'm not particularly fond of you."
Jane smiled faintly, exhaled smoke, and added, "Sorry, but I'm closer to the fundamentalists. I believe we should live while obeying the law, no matter what."
"Is that so? That's rather unexpected."
"Right? But it can't be helped. Without the restraint of law, what would become of people like us?"
"Chaos would follow. For a very long time."
"Exactly. That's it. While monsters invade, humans would destroy themselves fighting each other. I'm someone who tries to live like flowing water. I don't particularly want to go against the current."
Jane tilted her head slightly as she spoke. Her eyes now held not curiosity, but a cold indifference like muddy water.
"But you… you're going against that flow."
"I don't believe I've committed any great sin."
"True. Not having a license isn't really a big crime. It's just a matter of degree. I heard you handled the separatists quite easily. Is that right?"
At the word "separatists," Enoch's eyebrows twitched slightly.
'I see. So this was all planned from the start.'
As Jane herself had said, she was someone who lived like flowing water. She never took the initiative and simply followed orders. Occasionally she grew angry, but she was not the type to blindly oppose the mainstream. For someone like her to step forward and criticize Enoch felt awkward. It was also strange that she, who usually showed little interest in worldly affairs, would specifically mention the separatists.
In other words, she must have received some kind of instruction.
'Judging by the situation, the one using her mouth to ask questions is likely Guild Master Logita. They must have discussed it beforehand.'
The initiative had already shifted to Jane. As the host, the Guild Master should have stopped her. Yet all Enoch saw was Logita sitting quietly, observing the situation. The other Tower Lords were the same. Without prior agreement, this atmosphere could never have formed.
'The Water Tower Lord takes the lead, the others clean up, and the Guild Master wraps it up at the end. Jane's the only one who looks foolish. She must have lost at rock-paper-scissors.'
"Answer me. I heard you dealt with the separatists. Is that true?"
Jane's voice came again. Before replying, Enoch removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, his pupils now gleamed with blue lightning and gold.
"What are you doing? Staying silent won't—"
"That is correct. I confronted them directly."
Enoch cut her off mid-sentence. Jane froze. For Tower Lords, who were practically emperors, this was a considerable breach of etiquette. The Boundary-level mages watched with interest, while the mages in the background unconsciously held their breath in tension.
'It seems they can't see the phenomenon from the skill.'
Enoch realized that no one reacted to his glowing eyes. That meant it was a weapon invisible even to them. He smiled inwardly.
"…Is that so?"
After a moment of silence, Jane spoke again. "You confronted the separatists. Very well. Then the next question—"
"Tower Lord."
"?"
She was interrupted once more. Though inwardly displeased, Jane merely raised her eyes in question. Enoch looked straight at her and spoke calmly.
"I believe we should stop this pointless exchange. You don't truly feel the need to ask these questions, do you? Please stop acting as a proxy for someone else's words. It doesn't suit a distinguished Tower Lord like yourself."
Enoch said this and looked away. As he had noted before, such an attitude was quite rude toward a Tower Lord, who was akin to an emperor.
"…Hah."
Naturally, Jane clicked her tongue in disbelief. At once, the mages in the background rose and erupted in anger.
—How insolent!
—How dare you speak such nonsense to a Tower Lord!
—Guild Master! You cannot let someone who utters such blasphemy go unpunished!
The meeting hall quickly descended into chaos. With so many people present, even a single word from each turned into noise. Crack!
—Aah!
—I-Ice?
What quelled the disturbance was Ice Tower Lord Nordila. With a blink of his eyes, sharp ice spikes sprouted everywhere his gaze touched, as if drawing boundaries.
"Everyone, calm down. This is still a meeting, is it not?"
—……
"I would appreciate it if you would preserve this old man's dignity."
At the elder's single remark, silence returned. Once the surroundings quieted, Nordila turned his gaze to Enoch as if to say that was enough. It seemed that while he had heard the plan beforehand, he had little intention of cooperating. Enoch gave him a slight bow before speaking again.
"From what I can tell, the topic of this meeting is simple. It concerns my identity and my future treatment."
—……
"If that is the case, we can move straight to the main point. There is no need to waste time with talk of separatists or anything else. The path of a mage has always been a shortcut. Am I wrong?"
Jane remained silent. Instead, Guild Master Logita, who had been seated, responded.
"Does that mean you intend to speak honestly?"
Logita asked as if confirming his sincerity. His reaction was understandable. A mage who had hidden without a license was usually a hereditary mage who had inherited magic directly from a master. The reason they avoided licenses was simple: once registered as a mage, information about their magic would inevitably spread. In other words, it would expose the essence of magic passed down through generations. Naturally, hereditary mages disliked that. Yet Enoch was suggesting they take a shortcut, defying that common sense. For the Guild Master, who had assumed Enoch was a hereditary mage, it was a tempting proposal.
"Enoch, I am curious about your intentions. If you truly cooperate, I will no longer resort to such crude methods. And—"
"Wait. Wait, wait."
Logita's words were cut off. Though inwardly displeased, he could not stop the interrupter. The one who had stepped forward was none other than Jane, the Tower Lord who had suffered the most unpleasant experience because of Logita.
"Why are you proceeding with the conversation as you please? I haven't finished speaking yet."
"Jane."
"Shut up. Be quiet. And you, Enoch. What did you say to me earlier? That we should stop the pointless questions? Do you think I wanted to ask them?"
Jane spoke in a displeased tone, her brows furrowed. The hand holding her water pipe was clenched tightly with anger. It was clear she was quite upset at being repeatedly interrupted and pushed aside.
"Jane. For now, please calm down. Despite the agreement, things are going rather well, aren't they?"
Logita stepped in, trying to soothe her. Jane snorted. The liquid in her water pipe seemed to boil and ripple.
"I've never liked that agreement from the start. Why should we treat a hereditary mage like that? It's not like they're our superiors."
"We discussed that beforehand as well."
"So what? No matter how much Elder Nordila intervened, there's a limit to what I can tolerate. At the very least, being ignored by an arrogant junior isn't something I can just overlook."
With those words, Jane stood up. The atmosphere had turned ominous.
—Wait, shouldn't we run away?
—The situation doesn't look good.
The mages in the background murmured anxiously. Logita, slightly flustered, glanced sideways. Nordila, who had ties to Enoch, sat with his eyes closed, observing the situation. He seemed to think it was not his place to intervene.
'This is my own karma.'
Logita let out an involuntary sigh.
"Jane. Once again, please calm down first."
"There's nothing to calm down about. I'm merely educating an arrogant junior."
"So I'm asking you to stop that— Damn it, Raselin, Bergo, Sebek! At least you three, stop her!"
At Logita's words, Wind Tower Lord Sebek and Lightning Tower Lord Bergo shook their heads.
"I'm sorry, but she and I are incompatible. Causing thunder against the sea? That's far too exhausting. Besides, what she said isn't entirely wrong."
"What?"
"Isn't it? Jane had to put on an act that didn't suit her to respect your wishes. In that case, shouldn't you also respect her anger?"
Lightning Tower Lord Bergo crossed his arms and closed his eyes, signaling he would not get involved.
"I feel the same. I've been cooped up inside buildings for so long that I'm feeling a bit… I think I'll just crawl around on the floor."
Wind Tower Lord Sebek replied weakly. For some reason, he was actually lying on the floor.
"This is ridiculous. Raselin, at least you help!"
"I'm already doing it… Who do you think is preventing the capital from turning into a sea…"
Earth Tower Lord Raselin replied with her face pressed against the round table. In truth, Jane's anger had been boiling for some time. Thanks to that, the massive waterways running through the imperial capital of Akroteon were gradually rising in response to her fury. If left unchecked, the entire capital could be submerged. What restrained it was Earth Tower Lord Raselin, who had remained still throughout the meeting. The moment she noticed the anomaly, she had been pushing the ground beneath the waterways downward to keep the water level precariously balanced.
"Got it? I'll handle my own business. So Guild Master, you do yours."
"If I step in, the capital will dry up and wither! Good grief, what a fate! Jane! This is your final warning! Stop!"
"As if that would work. The sea has never left arrogant sailors alone."
Since ancient times, the sea had been the grave of arrogant adventurers. And Jane was practically the incarnation of water. It meant she had inherited the sea's capriciousness. Raselin, who had said this, chuckled while resting her head. Logita felt as though his hair was falling out and hurriedly stood up.
"Damn it, the Emperor's going to throw another fit."
He couldn't just leave Enoch to suffer damage. There was no choice. Logita reached out to stop Jane. At that moment, Nordila, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
"Wait. Stop for a moment."
"What? What do you mean? We're about to get drenched because of that short-tempered water hag."
"Good grief… Haven't you all been curious about Enoch's magic until now? Isn't this the perfect opportunity?"
At his words, Logita belatedly looked at Enoch. He was now facing Jane directly, meeting her gaze. Under normal circumstances, anyone would have been crushed by the pressure. Yet his demeanor remained unshaken.