Choose Your Words Carefully
Jane let out a sigh. "Orban. Let's teach that bastard a lesson next time."
"Agreed. I didn't realize it before, but he's quite the vile man." Nordila nodded as well.
Two Boundary-level mages had somehow ended up agreeing to beat Orban senseless. Enoch felt quietly pleased inside, but showing it would be beneath him. He merely dipped his head in gratitude.
"Thank you. If I ever need assistance, I'll be sure to let you know."
"Anytime. Just tell big sis."
"I shall help as well, when the time comes."
The conversation about Orban ended there. The excuses had been handled well enough. Enoch turned and headed toward the vehicle bomber's cell, with Jane and Nordila trailing after him in mild confusion.
@
A short while later, Enoch stood before the imprisoned culprit. The man's condition, however, was far from what he had expected.
"So this is the bomber?"
"For now… yes, it is. My apologies for the state of things." The guard bowed, clearly ready to take responsibility for the lapse in security. Enoch didn't scold him. There was no point.
The prisoner's body was slumped against the bars, already dead. Pinkish fluid trickled from his nose and ears—clearly brain matter.
"…How in the world?" Enoch muttered, genuinely taken aback. Jane tilted her head beside him.
"Something's off here."
"Off? In what way?"
"There's almost no blood left in the body. Even counting what spilled, the amount is far too little."
"Blood… You're right." Jane's observation drew an immediate nod from Nordila. When two Tower Lords agreed on something, it carried weight. Enoch examined the bloodstains on the floor once more.
"Does that mean this was done with magic?"
"It's only a guess. I've never heard of a mage who specializes in blood manipulation."
Jane shook her head, unwilling to commit to any certainty. Nordila summed it up.
"One thing is certain, at least."
"What is it?"
"It's a warning." Nordila met Enoch's eyes. "This wasn't an accident. Someone is trying to erase evidence."
"…"
"It seems someone doesn't like you very much. Any idea who it might be?"
Enoch considered the question. Too many names came to mind—Separatists, Orban, even the imperial mages he had quietly eliminated after their dimensional research spiraled out of control. Yet the most likely culprits, the Separatists, felt wrong. Their forces were too powerful to resort to something as crude as blowing up a carriage.
"We'll set this aside for now," Enoch said at last. "I'll look into it myself. The guards should stay out of it."
He spoke calmly. If the enemy was targeting him, then he would make sure they targeted only him. Enoch still had cards he hadn't shown. If they wanted open war, he would give it to them.
'Come if you dare.'
@
A few hours later, Enoch boarded an airship bound north. Their destination was a remote plain far from any city—a monster-infested zone.
"This is the place?"
"Yes, this is it." Enoch and Nordila stepped off the airship, followed by Jane stretching her limbs.
"Ugh, why did we even come here?"
"I told you. The monsters' movements have been suspicious."
"Then we could have handled it when it actually became a problem."
"Stop whining. You followed us of your own accord."
"So you're just going to leave me behind? Heartless. How could you?"
Jane grumbled, spinning her finger in the air. A silver blade of water flashed past, slicing a stealthy monster clean in two.
"This is why I hate the north. Cold, creepy, and even the monsters are clever enough to use weird tricks."
Enoch examined the corpse. It was massive—easily the size of a three-story building.
"Let's see… This is a Rotrodon."
Nordila spoke like a teacher. "Rotrodons mimic stealth magic. They turn invisible and strike with a tongue like a spear when prey draws near."
"Sounds like a chameleon."
"A chameleon? What's that?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
Enoch let the topic drop. Sometimes the gap between worlds caused awkward moments.
"Anyway, we should clean up the area. If left alone, they'll multiply and head for the Empire."
"I agree. Jane seems to think so too."
"Hey! I never said that!"
"Quiet. With three of us here, it shouldn't take long."
Nordila scanned the snow-covered mountains. "Roughly eighty to a hundred thousand. Not too many."
"Lucky. Another month and the numbers would have exploded."
"Indeed. Cursed monsters and their spore reproduction. Never seen anything like it in my life."
Monsters reproduced by spreading spores, much like mantises bursting from an egg sac. The three of them split up without further discussion.
Three minutes later, forty thousand monsters had vanished from the northern plains.
@
They regrouped twenty minutes later. Nordila arrived last, strolling at a leisurely pace.
"Why are you walking?!"
"Calm yourself. There's no need to rush. I simply wanted to make sure none were missed."
Jane looked ready to cry. Enoch glanced between them, puzzled.
"You've been especially irritable since we arrived. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong!"
"Actually, this region doesn't suit Jane," Nordila explained. "Ice rather than water fills the surroundings, so her essence is constantly disturbed."
"I see. Her very nature is being shaken."
"Something like that. Headaches and nausea, I imagine. I feel similar when visiting the Fire Tower."
Jane waved a tired hand. "…So can we please just leave? I'm really struggling."
"Is it truly that unbearable?"
"Yeah. It feels like my soul is being rewritten in real time." She gestured at her own body. "Honestly, my constitution doesn't help either."
"Constitution? You mean the revealing clothes?"
"Do you want to die? My body is different from normal people's. It contains far more water."
"?"
"?"
"You could call it a water-attribute specialization. That's why I adapted quickly. But right now—"
Jane stopped mid-sentence. Both Enoch and Nordila were staring at her.
"…What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"Miss Jane, that is… never mind." Nordila averted his eyes.
Jane's confusion deepened. Enoch chuckled under his breath.
"I understood you perfectly."
"Huh? Understood what?"
"Must be nice. Being a woman with so much water."
"…?"
Enoch turned away at once. Jane's face slowly turned crimson.
"!!!"
"Let's go, Lord Nordila."
"Yes, let us."
"Wait—! Wait a second—!"
Jane came sliding after them, face tomato-red. "That was a mistake! I didn't mean it like that!"
"Run."
"Indeed."
"Aaaagh!!!"