Rest in Peace
"I'm getting pissed off."
"Excuse me?"
While smoking, Enoch suddenly spoke. The man watching him—the Golden Mage Orban's underling—tilted his head in confusion.
"Why the sudden outburst?"
"Does that golden bastard think he's my superior? Am I supposed to come running just because he calls?"
"..."
"His attitude is like he's ordering around a subordinate. Go tell Orban that if he wants to see me, he should come himself."
Enoch waved his hand dismissively as he spoke, making it clear he wanted the man gone. The underling's eyes widened.
"You'll regret this. Are you really rejecting Lord Orban's offer? Don't forget we could drag you there by force."
"Interesting. How much does he pay you per month?"
"...What?"
"I asked how much that golden bastard pays you. Can't you understand a simple question?"
Enoch asked with his head tilted. The underling let out a disbelieving breath before answering.
"Five million kro a month."
"Not bad. So the golden bastard doesn't skimp on his underlings either."
Enoch spoke mockingly as he reached into his coat. A bundle of cash appeared in his hand. The underling smirked.
"Don't tell me you're trying to buy me off with—"
—Thud. The bundle of cash suddenly dropped to the ground. Enoch spat on it and ground it under his shoe. Fifty million kro was now thoroughly soiled. This wasn't the reaction the underling had expected. He looked visibly flustered.
"What are you—"
"That thing I just threw away was worth fifty million kro."
"What?"
"It means this trash is worth more than your monthly salary."
—Click. Enoch lit another cigarette with his Zippo and spoke casually.
"That's exactly how I see you right now."
"..."
"Get lost and tell your master to come himself. Unless he wants to end up like this trash."
Enoch warned him in a calm tone, as if simply making small talk. The underling froze for a moment before reaching into his pocket.
"I guess I was too lenient with you."
Enoch sighed.
—Crack! In that instant, Enoch's coat transformed. A massive serpentine tail emerged, smashing through the pub entrance and sending the underling flying far away.
—Boom! —Rumble... The entrance was completely blown open, debris cascading down. Enoch paid no attention to the underling's fate and called over the nearby master.
"Master, sorry about the entrance. Use this to fix it."
He placed another bundle of cash on the counter. The master, who had been watching, simply shrugged.
"Fine by me. Anyway, take care. Say hi to Lakrina for me."
"Will do. See you this evening."
Enoch left. The master whistled as he walked toward the scattered debris.
—Thud!
"Kuh, kuhak...!"
Ten minutes later, the underling crawled out from under the rubble. The master clicked his tongue at the sight.
"You should pick your fights more carefully. Strutting around like that only gets you flattened."
"Shut up! Where did that bastard go—"
The underling's words were cut short as the master kicked him squarely in the jaw.
—Thwack! —Thud! The kick landed perfectly. The underling collapsed without resistance. He was clearly out cold. The master pulled out a communication device and contacted the guards.
"Ah, guards? This is the Twisted Fish pub. Some lunatic showed up and started causing trouble—"
@
"Understood. I'll gather the evidence and statements first."
"Sorry for the trouble. I'll compensate you properly once this is over."
"No need. You've fed me enough already. Haha... Don't worry about it. Come by anytime."
—Click. Enoch ended the call and closed the device. The other party was the Magnusra guard headquarters. He'd asked them to prepare testimony in advance since he'd be late due to circumstances.
'I wanted to beat him up myself. No, I can still do that later.'
He had already contacted Nordila and asked for understanding. Jane would probably be fine if he brought some alcohol. As for the golden bastard... no need to worry about him. Right now, checking on Lakrina's condition was more important.
—Enoch-nim? We'll arrive at Artemia shortly. Shall I land in the same spot as last time?
"Yes. That will be fine."
"Understood."
The airship landed shortly after. Enoch stepped off immediately and headed toward the academy's main building. Reaching the headmaster's office didn't take long.
—Creak.
"Headmaster."
"Ah, Enoch. You're earlier than expected."
"I came as soon as I heard. What exactly happened? Beating up students and tearing up textbooks? Lakrina isn't the type to do that."
Enoch spoke the moment he arrived. Valtro paused briefly. It was the first time he'd realized Enoch cared this much about Lakrina.
'Note: Enoch values Lakrina more than I thought.'
"...We need to understand the full situation first. Rather than hearing it from me, it would be better to hear it directly from her."
"Let's do that. Where is Lakrina?"
"Probably in the infirmary."
"The infirmary? Don't tell me she got hurt."
Enoch's eyes widened. Lakrina was a key asset helping him fend off monster invasions. If she had been injured...
'If that's the case...'
Enoch unconsciously clenched his fists. Valtro didn't miss the gesture.
"...No, Lakrina is fine."
"Then why is she in the infirmary?"
"So there'll be a record of her receiving treatment. It's better to treat this as mutual fault for later convenience."
"So she's completely unharmed?"
"Of course. The ones who got hit are the real problem. Broken noses, twisted limbs—it's a complete mess."
"I'm not particularly interested in that."
Enoch tilted his head as if wondering why Valtro was wasting time. He genuinely didn't care.
"..."
Valtro opened his notebook again.
'Note: This Enoch guy isn't normal either.'
@
Enoch headed straight for the infirmary on the first floor of the main building. When he opened the door and stepped inside, Lakrina was sitting blankly on one of the chairs.
"Lakrina."
"Teacher!"
Lakrina shot to her feet and ran straight into Enoch's arms.
—Hug!
"I came flying as soon as I heard. What on earth happened?"
"I'm sorry..."
"It's fine. I'm on your side. Don't feel pressured—just tell me."
Enoch gently stroked Lakrina's back as she clung to him. His comfort was filled with affection, not anger. Perhaps drawing courage from that, Lakrina, who had only been repeating apologies, finally spoke with difficulty.
"Well, actually..."
"Tell me. What happened?"
"They insulted you, Teacher."
"?"
Enoch tilted his head. That wasn't the reason he'd expected. Honestly, it made him think she'd done the right thing by hitting them.
"Is that all?"
"No. They also called me a slave who got lucky and was sold to a rich man."
"......"
"And they mocked me for being an orphan..."
"......"
"And after that... I don't want to say the rest."
Lakrina trailed off. The words were too vulgar to repeat in front of her teacher. Enoch considered it seriously. Should he beat them with his fists? Or with magic? Guns were unfortunately out of the question.
'First, I need to see their faces.'
Enoch quietly loosened his hands and pulled Lakrina away from his embrace. Leaving behind a reluctant Lakrina who clicked her tongue, he headed toward the ward where the patients lay.
—Creak. —Rattle.
He entered the ward and pulled back the curtain. What appeared was a graveyard of cripples.
—Uh, uuuu... ugh...
—Ugh, uwek, uueek...
"......"
Enoch was newly impressed by Valtro's consideration. From the description alone, he'd thought it was just some broken bones. But this... it was practically a human octopus.
'...I should hold off on beating them.'
It was hard enough finding a spot not wrapped in bandages. He couldn't exactly kick their bulging eyes either.
"You really beat them up badly."
"...I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. They were the ones who started it. You, the victim, have nothing to apologize for."
Cause and effect shouldn't be confused. The ones who picked the fight first were the problem. Enoch was quite strict about this sort of thing. That strictness felt like warm comfort to Lakrina. At the same time, it stirred guilt in her heart.
"...I'm sorry for disappointing you. I won't let this happen again."
"No, it doesn't matter. If you want to beat them up, go ahead and do it again."
"?"
Lakrina tilted her head. Wasn't this the part where he was supposed to stop her? Just then, Valtro appeared belatedly.
"Did you hear everything?"
"Yes. It doesn't seem like Lakrina was at fault."
"...I'm tired, so let's just say that for now. Their injuries will heal quickly once they recover anyway."
Valtro didn't add unnecessary words. He'd already realized it would be pointless. Regardless of the circumstances, Enoch was clearly taking Lakrina's side. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
"I'll step out for a bit. We need to treat the students."
"Understood."
"Lakrina, you should come out too. We have enough justification now."
"Ah, yes..."
Lakrina quickly followed behind Enoch. As Enoch brushed past, Valtro quickly whispered to Lakrina.
"Lakrina."
"Yes?"
"Just in case, let me say this. These kinds of incidents should be avoided as much as possible from now on."
"Ah, yes..."
"Honestly, twisting all their limbs in the opposite direction was a bit much. I thought about it for four hours, but it was still excessive."
"Yes..."
Lakrina quietly agreed. Even she thought the human octopus thing had been a little over the top.
@
After leaving the infirmary, the three walked down the hallway for a while. Enoch spoke as they walked.
"Headmaster. Was this incident just a coincidence?"
"Hm? What do you mean all of a sudden?"
"There have been strangely frequent accidents lately. Vehicles exploding out of nowhere... Maybe it's just my imagination, but it feels like someone's deliberately getting in my way."
"You're overthinking it. How could that be? It's just a fight between kids."
Valtro shook his head. His words were honestly closer to delusion. Just then, someone came running from afar. It was one of the academy instructors.
"Headmaster."
"What is it? Why the hurry?"
"Well... the parents of the injured students have come to protest..."
"......"
"As you know, the injured ones are all children of nobles. The principal is trying to calm them down for now, but what should we do?"
The instructor asked with a flustered expression. Valtro found himself looking at Enoch without realizing it. Was this really a coincidence? The timing was too perfect.
"...News traveled this fast. Something does feel off. I should take your words seriously."
"Let's go for now. It seems like they're looking for me."
Enoch gestured with his chin toward the end of the hallway, where commotion could be heard.
'God help us.'
Valtro unconsciously made the sign of the cross. Rest in peace. Sleep well.
'No, damn it, that's not right.'
Valtro hurriedly made the sign of the cross again. Without realizing it, he'd been preparing a funeral for the nobles.