Praise Me
The wild revelry dragged on deep into the night. At some point, common sense had completely abandoned the pair. They stormed into restaurants, rang the golden bells, and scattered tips like they were donations. In the end, they reached the absurd stage of drinking more to cure their hangovers.
"Ugh… ugh…"
"You all right? You looked like you were pushing yourself too hard."
Jane Alura leaned against Enoch, groaning. With a weary expression, she stretched out her hand and mumbled for a drink.
"B-Bloody Mary. Give me a Bloody Mary…"
A Bloody Mary—vodka mixed with tomato juice—was typically used to sober up. That makes no sense. Why drink more alcohol to get rid of a hangover? Enoch thought, baffled, yet he still ordered one and handed it to her.
After a few sips of the alcohol-laced tomato juice, Jane's complexion finally improved, if only slightly.
"Ah… I feel alive again."
"Glad to hear it. Don't tell me you're planning to drink more here."
"No… I think I'm done for tonight."
Jane shook her head. Enoch felt quietly relieved—he had been nearing his own limit as well.
"Let's head out."
"H-help me up…"
Supporting Jane, Enoch left the pub. Their steps soon halted at a bench nearby.
"We'll rest here for a bit."
He sat her down on the bench. It was far too late to book a room, and dawn would break soon anyway. Spending time here seemed the better option.
"It's a bit chilly—must be the autumn air. Care for an eggnog?"
"No… I just want to sit like this for a while."
Jane leaned back against the bench and placed a pipe between her lips. It wasn't a water pipe, but one meant for burning leaves—the very one Enoch used. So that's where it went. She took it without a word.
Enoch considered asking for it back, then decided against it. He could always buy another. Since he had already spent so much time and money, giving her the pipe as a bonus was no great loss.
"So, are you going to get to the point?"
"What do you mean?"
"We've been at this far longer than necessary just to kill time. And you've spent an absurd amount of money. You must have had a reason."
Jane asked while puffing on the pipe. At first, Enoch had suggested wandering around to vent their pent-up emotions, and Jane had believed him. But as time passed and the sums grew larger—even by a Tower Lord's standards—she began to suspect otherwise.
"People spend money for one reason in the end. Whether it's goodwill or affection, it means you want something from the other person."
"……"
"You can tell me now, can't you? I've shown plenty of sincerity."
Jane exhaled smoke and chuckled softly. Enoch hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket for a smoke—only to remember his pipe was currently in Jane's hands.
"Let me borrow that for a second."
"This? Here."
Jane tilted her chin, offering it back. Enoch took the pipe she had been using, placed it in his mouth, and drew in the smoke.
—Puff.
A citrus scent. He could smell the perfume Jane had sprayed on it. As the smoke escaped his parted lips, so did his voice.
"So you noticed. I thought I hadn't been obvious."
"Of course I did. Reaching this position requires a fair bit of intuition."
Jane reclaimed the pipe and quickly put it back in her mouth. Enoch watched it with a hint of regret, then reached into his pocket again and pulled out a single gemstone.
"Do you know what this is?"
"…Just an ordinary gem, isn't it? Aquamarine? That's what it looks like."
Enoch nodded at her answer.
"It is now. Remember the dragon I summoned earlier? This is that dragon. After everything ended, I reverted it back into an object."
Jane's eyes widened slightly at the explanation. The three-headed mechanical dragon that had appeared so suddenly during the Pankratos incident had shrunk to the size of a mere fist. Then she realized what Enoch was asking for.
"I see. You want the mana that monster absorbed earlier, don't you?"
"Correct. I don't like hiding things. Asking for permission first seems like the proper order."
During the chaos, Enoch had absorbed some of Jane's mana to complete the End Dragon Cluster. Now the End Dragon had transformed into this blue-glowing aquamarine, meaning Jane's mana remained sealed inside it. Enoch was requesting the right to use it.
"It's a bit difficult to explain in detail, but I'll likely need this quite often from now on. In that sense, I'd like to ask for your permission in advance. Would that be all right?"
"Hmm… my mana…"
Jane pondered for a moment, then exhaled a stream of smoke and answered brightly.
"It's fine. Doesn't matter to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Even if you took it, it'd only be a tiny fraction. Maybe a cupful from the ocean… It's not the true essence, so I don't care."
Jane shrugged, pipe still in her mouth. She genuinely seemed unconcerned. Even so, Enoch expressed his gratitude. To a mage, mana was more precious than the blood in their veins. He couldn't simply brush off such generosity.
"Thank you for saying that. I won't forget this."
"Enough. Don't start sounding stiff like Vergo. Just keep things the way they are now. That seems perfect to me."
Jane rose from the bench and pushed the pipe she had been smoking back into Enoch's mouth.
"…?"
"You've looked like you were dying to smoke for a while now."
She smiled knowingly. A faint trace of alcohol lingered in the air between them. A moment later, she withdrew her fingers from his lips and turned her back.
"I had fun tonight. The pipe was nice too."
Stretching with her back to him, Jane waved a hand.
"The sun's about to rise. I'm heading out, little brother."
"Hah, 'little brother' now…"
Enoch laughed in disbelief and took a drag from the pipe. He exhaled a thick plume of smoke, then called out toward her retreating figure.
"Take care, big sister. Contact me if anything comes up."
"What could possibly come up between us?"
"Then at least send word now and then. Your adorable little brother might come visit, so make sure to greet him properly when he does."
"You're insane."
Jane burst into laughter. At that moment, dawn broke over the sea. Crimson sunlight split the sky, and Jane's entire body melted away in an instant.
"…I have to admit, that part's enviable."
Enoch muttered as he tapped out the pipe. Only a small amount of leaf remained inside. A single burning should have lasted hours, yet somehow his "big sister" had managed to consume most of it.
Time to go home.
Enoch slipped the pipe into his pocket and finally started walking. The sun slowly rose beyond the horizon, and the streets of the capital gradually grew lively.
*
The return journey was the same as before. From the imperial capital of Akroteon, he would board an airship, travel south, and arrive at Magnusra. All in all, it took a little over two days. Not too bad.
The airship landed a few hours later. Enoch disembarked and called for a carriage. His usual vehicle was parked near the Fish Pub, and walking there wasn't practical. He had no choice but to hail a taxi back to the pub.
Two days. I wonder if Lakrina managed all right.
Enoch thought of his only student, waiting at the inn. Her resolve was firm, but she was still young. It wouldn't have been strange if she'd slacked off in her teacher's absence.
She'll be fine. She's been busy since her orphanage days. Two days shouldn't be a problem.
The taxi soon stopped in front of the pub. Enoch paid and stepped out.
"Keep the change."
—Thank you! Thank you so much!
The driver kept shouting his gratitude. Enoch himself didn't know how much he'd given—just whatever had been in his hand.
Leaving the commotion behind, he pulled open the pub door and stepped inside. It was right after that he sensed something was wrong.
—Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle.
"…Master?"
"…E-Enoch?"
"What exactly are you doing there?"
Enoch asked in disbelief. The master sat behind the counter, wrapped in a blanket and trembling violently.
"E-Enoch! Go upstairs right now! Your student has gone completely mad!"
"My student? You mean Lakrina?"
"Yes! Whatever it is, go check on her! You'll understand!"
The master pointed frantically toward the second floor. Enoch immediately climbed the stairs.
This is… cold?
What he found was frigid air and a frozen space. From outside, the building had looked perfectly normal. Inside, it was anything but. Everything was covered in ice. The entire second floor of the twisted Fish Pub had frozen solid.
—Creak.
The sound of a door opening echoed. So did Lakrina's voice.
"Teacher."
But her tone was nothing like before. The warm, emotion-filled voice had vanished, replaced by something cold, clear, and utterly devoid of feeling.
"Lakrina."
Enoch slowly turned his head. Beyond the hallway, through the open gap, Lakrina stood silently like a ghost, her silver hair gleaming.
"What in the world happened here? What did you do in just two days?"
"Teacher."
Instead of answering, Lakrina opened her palm. A blue crystal rapidly formed above her white hand—an immaculate ice spell.
"Teacher, I completed the magic on my own."
"……"
"Well? Aren't you going to praise me?"
Lakrina smiled faintly. Enoch remained silent. He had a fair idea of what had driven her to this state. Lakrina, however, looked puzzled by his reaction. She had worked hard and shown results—why wasn't her teacher praising her?
She tilted her head, murmuring in confusion.
"…That's strange. Why aren't you saying anything…"
"……"
"I worked so hard, though."