Who is the Culprit?
Rachelin's outburst subsided after a short while. Enoch blocked the silver-haired mage who kept lunging at him from behind, then settled onto a nearby bench.
"So, what brings you here so suddenly? You didn't even call ahead."
"How cheeky, junior. Do I need your permission to show up?"
"A heads-up would have been nice. I could've prepared something. At the very least, we wouldn't be sitting here drinking canned coffee like a pair of beggars."
Enoch shook the 1,200-cro can of coffee and grumbled. Rachelin couldn't really argue, so she simply nodded.
"Well, you're not wrong. Sorry, junior. Your senior was being thoughtless. When I forgot to contact you, I should've taken the hint and stayed away. I should've just holed up in the tower and headbutted the walls instead."
"Enough. Stop scratching at old wounds and get to the point. You didn't come all this way just for that."
"...You're sharp. I was planning to tease you a bit, but you're no fun at all. You really should hang out with Bergo instead."
Rachelin pouted and grumbled. The new junior was too perceptive; there was no joy in messing with him.
"Actually, I came to tell you something."
"Tell me something?"
"Yeah. Lately, a lot of people have been talking about you. You've been causing quite a stir everywhere, haven't you?"
Rachelin chuckled as she sipped her coffee. She had overheard the conversations. Her method, as she had mentioned earlier, was likely thanks to her magic. The Earth Tower Lord could listen to any place where the ground existed if she so wished. That was probably how the Magic Guild had caught wind of Enoch's battle as well.
Enoch straightened his posture and focused on the story.
"Who? The ones talking behind my back."
"Well, let's exclude the imperial family for now. You fought the separatists last time, right? They're talking about you. Sounds like they're planning to pay you another visit soon."
"What exactly did they say?"
"I don't know the details. I just happened to overhear it while passing by."
Rachelin shrugged. Enoch thought for a moment, then tilted his head.
"Understood. Still, they're just a flashy rebel faction. I don't think I need to be particularly wary of them."
"Better safe than sorry. Those guys aren't right in the head to begin with. Even if you're fine, the people around you could be in danger, you know?"
Rachelin wasn't wrong. The separatists were the ones trying to tear the country apart while monsters were invading. No sane person would even consider such an idea. In other words, they didn't play by common sense.
"Understood. I'll stay on guard in my own way. By the way, were they the only ones talking about me?"
"No. There's more. The other one is the corporation Dimaira."
"Dimaira? They're talking about me too?"
"Yeah. More precisely, the company's owner, the Golden Mage, Orban Barkus. He's investigating you. Word is you rubbed him the wrong way."
The Golden Mage. Orban Barkus. He was the founder and representative of Dimaira, which practically monopolized the medical market. As far as Enoch knew, his rank was Essence-level. However, the original story had subtly hinted that he might have reached Boundary-level.
'The Golden Mage, huh. That makes sense. It must be because of Clarena, Dr. Felton's disciple.'
Enoch had decided to invest a large sum in Clarena, Felton's student. Of course, no actual money had changed hands yet. Still, Clarena's attitude toward Dimaira must have changed. With Enoch around, there was no longer any need for her to be dragged around by their whims. That was likely how things had escalated to the point where they obtained information about him.
"Separatists and Dimaira. Already quite the lineup of big names. Don't tell me there's more?"
"There is more, but we can skip the rest for now. At most, they're just suspicious. Nothing confirmed yet."
"I see. Thank you, regardless. I'll keep what you told me today in mind."
"No need for thanks. I just happened to overhear it and thought I'd let you know."
With that, Rachelin brushed off her knees and stood up. Her business was done, so she was ready to leave.
"You're leaving already? Since you're here, why not stay for a meal?"
"I'm good. The food here doesn't suit me. Come visit the Earth Tower sometime. I'll take you to a good place."
It didn't seem like he could hold her back. Enoch nodded without any lingering attachment.
"Understood. Take care on your way back. Have a good day."
"Don't boss me around."
"..."
"Ah, right."
Just as she was about to leave, Rachelin seemed to remember something and looked back at Enoch.
"Hey, junior."
"What is it?"
"Did you happen to rob the Golden guy's safe or something?"
"Excuse me?"
Enoch tilted his head. Robbing the Golden Mage Orban's safe? It was an absurd suggestion.
"His safe? I have no idea what you mean."
"Right? But the Golden guy seems to suspect you. He says you suddenly showed up and started throwing money around like crazy. I even heard some nonsense about you spending a whole trillion cros."
"......Did the Golden Mage recently have some kind of financial issue?"
"Yeah. Apparently, two of his safes were robbed. Even one of them was supposedly worth at least the empire's entire defense budget. Sounds ridiculous no matter how you look at it, right?"
Rachelin chuckled. Enoch, on the other hand, flinched at the story. There was something he could vaguely guess.
'Don't tell me the money the status window has been dispensing all this time...'
Enoch hadn't robbed Orban's safe. All the wealth he possessed had been provided by the status window. But then, where exactly was the status window getting that money from? And where had the money in Orban's safe disappeared to?
'A difficult mystery. I should bury this matter forever.'
Enoch forcibly stopped his train of thought. There were times when keeping one's mouth shut was better than speaking, and this was one of them.
"Anyway, you have to give Orban credit for his bravado. How could there possibly be that much money in a single safe?"
"You're right. I've been watching him ever since he started being called the Golden Mage. A hundred trillion cros, huh. People who are used to lying really are different."
"Huh? Did I say a hundred trillion cros?"
"I'll be going now. I'll see you again next time."
Enoch quickly turned his back. He had to run away. From every truth in this world.
"What the hell is with that guy."
Rachelin, left behind, tilted her head. She seemed to ponder for a moment, but soon decided it had nothing to do with her and left. The safe robbery incident was forgotten forever just like that.
Far away, the Golden Mage wept bitterly.
A few days of peaceful routine followed. Enoch trained Lakrina, occasionally strolled through the city, and sometimes drove around enjoying a leisurely life.
Some time later, as winter approached, an official letter arrived from the academy.
'It seems the time has come.'
The sender was the academy's chairman, Valdro Ulrigan. The letter politely stated that Lakrina's admission preparations were complete.
'Perfect timing. I've been killing time without any real purpose anyway.'
Enoch folded the letter after skimming through it. He had already taught her nearly everything he could. Since contact had come, he decided to depart right away.
"You didn't forget anything?"
"Nope!"
Lakrina replied confidently with her bag slung over her shoulder. She smiled much more often than before. Perhaps she had become more honest with her emotions. It wasn't intentional, but her experience of being temporarily consumed by freezing magic seemed to have helped quite a bit.
"Then let's go."
Enoch got into the car with Lakrina. He inserted the key and started the engine. The hissing sound of the engine echoed around them.
At that moment—
—Tic
"...Hm?"
The car carrying the two of them suddenly exploded.
—KABOOM!!!
—Thud!
—Cough! Cough cough!
"...T-Teacher! Teacher, are you okay?!"
Lakrina called out to Enoch while coughing repeatedly. The moment she saw the flames, she quickly protected the surroundings with freezing magic. However, it wasn't perfect. Her skills were still immature, after all. Despite Lakrina's efforts, the explosion's impact spread to the surroundings.
"Teacher!!"
Lakrina struggled to her feet amid the fire. Her appearance was already a mess. Her carefully styled hair and the neat clothes she had prepared for today were all scorched and covered in black soot.
Even so, Lakrina pushed forward into the flames to find her teacher. This wasn't the time to worry about clothes—she needed to find Enoch.
—Whoosh
"..."
Hot flames continuously rose from the half-destroyed car. Lakrina held her breath as she faced the fire.
"...Alright."
Her hesitation lasted only a moment. Lakrina prepared to leap in, cloaking her entire body in freezing magic. Just then, someone slowly walked out of the flames toward her.
—Step. Step.
"......T-Teacher?"
It was none other than Enoch. Strangely, he wasn't injured at all. Not a single wound, not even a trace of soot. He was walking out of the raging fire completely unscathed.
"Teacher? A-Are you okay?"
"......"
There was no reply. Instead of answering, Enoch turned his head and glared at the burning flames. More precisely, he was looking at his car sprawled beneath the fire.
—Grind
"...Those bastards. They dared to target my car?"
"...Teacher?"
"I waited three whole months for this..."
—Grind
Enoch gritted his teeth. Lakrina unconsciously held her breath at the sight. It was a terrifying expression she had never seen before. For the first time, Lakrina witnessed Enoch's anger.