The Lonely Enoch

A faint morning light filtered through the window. The chirping of a blackbird announced the start of the day.

"Mmm..."

The location was the second floor of the Crooked Fish Pub. Lakrina rose with a disheveled appearance.

'This is... Ah, right. I left the orphanage.'

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and traced back her memories. She had come here yesterday after accepting Enoch's offer. Yet only a single day had passed. Perhaps because so much had happened, yesterday already felt distant.

'I should get ready...'

Lakrina finished a quick shower and changed into the everyday clothes Enoch had bought for her. Truthfully, she did not feel entirely comfortable while changing. It was not because the awkward relationship made her uneasy. It was simply because Enoch's generosity was overwhelmingly large—almost frighteningly so.

'A few hundred million per outfit... Can I even repay this...'

Lakrina trembled slightly as she checked her reflection in the mirror. For some reason, she did not like what she saw. It felt as though the clothes drew more attention than the person wearing them.

She had never once thought of herself as unattractive. So what was this feeling now? Did it mean that a lowly person only suited lowly things? The spiced apple wine incident from last night suddenly came to mind. Lakrina still did not know what else went into spiced apple wine besides apples. That ignorance seemed to be what created her current shabbiness. A pointless sense of inferiority welled up. Lakrina felt uncomfortable.

'...Enough. Stop.'

Continuing like this would only make her feel worse. Lakrina halted her self-deprecation and combed her hair. The high-quality comb glided smoothly across her modest hair.

@

Lakrina sprayed on perfume and descended to the first floor. At the counter bar in the main hall, the master was vigorously polishing glasses and bowls.

"Oh, you're up?"

"Good morning... By the way, where is the teacher?"

"Teacher? Ah, you mean Enoch? That guy is probably still asleep. He sleeps in late and usually wakes up around eleven."

The master chuckled as he spoke. Lakrina glanced up at the stairs she had just come down. It seemed her teacher, Enoch, was still asleep like a sleepyhead. Then again, considering what happened yesterday, it was not strange for him to be tired. He had summoned so many things that might have been snakes or dragons. Perhaps he was fatigued from the aftereffects of magic?

Despite their still-awkward relationship, Lakrina felt an unexpected sense of concern.

"What's wrong? You look curious. Why don't you go up and check?"

"Me? Really?"

"Sure. If it were a guy like me, he might ignore it, but a cute disciple nagging him would at least make him pretend to listen."

The master handed her a glass as he spoke. It contained an orange-colored drink. When she brought it close to her nose, the scent of orange and herbs rose up.

"It's Solis Blossom made with Hiba fruit. The refreshing aroma and carbonation will wake you right up from morning drowsiness."

"Th-thank you. I'll enjoy it."

"Good. Anyway, drink that and go wake him up. While you're at it, take the newspaper too."

The newspaper had been slipped under the door as usual by the newsboy kid. The master added this before lighting a cigarette and stepping outside the building.

Left alone, Lakrina downed the Solis Blossom in one go. The refreshing fruit and herb scent along with the sharp carbonation instantly cleared her tired mind.

'Leave the glass here... He said to take the newspaper.'

She picked up the newspaper and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠climbed the stairs again. Her teacher's room was the leftmost one at the end of the hallway. As she walked, Enoch's face surfaced in her mind.

'Enoch... Teacher... What could he possibly want from me?'

She recalled their first meeting. He had suddenly told her, a complete stranger, that he glimpsed heroic qualities in her. Honestly, at the time Lakrina had thought it was half a lie or an exaggeration. How could it not be? It was their first encounter that day, so what basis did he have for talking about heroic qualities?

Yet she had followed Enoch because there had been a strange power in his words.

'Will you come with me?'

Back then, Enoch's presence had been truly imposing. He had spoken without averting his gaze, meeting her eyes directly and emphasizing each word with precise pronunciation. That attitude had convinced her. She still could not tell whether the man before her spoke truth or lies. However, he did not seem like someone with a malicious nature. At the very least, he was not the type to deceive others for personal gain.

Lakrina had placed her trust in that and followed Enoch. The real issue came after. Specifically, what happened at the Magnusra branch of the Ice Tower. In front of a Boundary-level mage who symbolized this era, Enoch had boldly called Lakrina a future archmage. Even now, thinking about it made her breath catch unconsciously. And she realized anew that not a single word her teacher had spoken was a lie.

'I'm still confused. Does he really evaluate me that highly?'

Lakrina stood before the door and hesitated for a moment. Beyond this door, her teacher was asleep. A man who had first confused her, then bewildered her, and ultimately instilled a strange sense of trust in her heart. Perhaps this was the kind of person one called a benefactor or mentor. So how should she treat him now?

Treating him as an ordinary teacher felt somewhat inadequate. Honestly, she had received far too much. Then should she treat him as a benefactor? That seemed too stiff. Drawing such a firm line felt too cold.

"Hmm..."

No answer came no matter how much she thought. This was not a problem that could be solved by worrying alone. Lakrina mulled over the question as she stepped inside.

"...Teacher?"

@

Enoch considered his life as a possessed person quite satisfactory. This was not a lie but his honest feeling. It was a confident life where he could spend money as he pleased, extend kindness to others, and display good deeds. Even his martial prowess was not inferior to others. No, it surpassed that level and was actually stronger.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Enoch was already fully prepared to spread his name and fame wherever he went in this world. However, even someone like him was occasionally seized by strange emotions. The cause was the subtle sense of disconnect with reality.

'Music. It's been a while since I last heard it...'

In his dream, Enoch recalled music he had once loved. A familiar beat and cheerful melody. A song that had been in his playlist for over ten years now. Back in reality, Enoch had always played this song while driving to work. He would fill the car with his favorite music, grab a coffee from the drive-thru, sip the drink to the background music, and watch countless people pass by beyond the glass. That was the reality Enoch remembered—a routine that had continued for over twenty years.

Such memories did not easily disappear even after arriving in this other world. Therefore, at first, Enoch had repeated the same routine here as well. He drove a car, drank coffee, and hummed the songs he loved. Yet what he saw beyond that was an unfamiliar, foreign scenery. Faces of residents closer to Westerners than Easterners. Occasional incomprehensible proverbs and dialects. The steel jungle had vanished somewhere, replaced by a landscape reminiscent of Europe that he had never visited, filling his entire view.

In that moment, Enoch felt an indescribable subtle emotion. Was this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how it felt to listen to nostalgic songs alone on a bus full of foreigners after traveling abroad? Familiar songs, familiar vehicles. Yet the scenery reflected around him was different from everything in his memories. That subtle sense of disconnect he felt then was closest to what Enoch was experiencing now.

'Do I get lonely?'

He could not define it precisely, but Enoch thought it was probably loneliness.

'Loneliness... Loneliness, huh... Sometimes, it does get a bit lonely. I just wish someone would silently hug me tightly.'

Enoch's consciousness floated in darkness. Then it slowly sank downward. A dream within a dream. He was dreaming yet another deep dream inside his dream. Enoch was gradually falling into a deep sleep. At that moment, an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.

-Teacher

'Who is it?'

-Teacher!

'Is it Lakrina?'

Enoch's consciousness floated back to reality. The layers of stacked dreams vanished in an instant. It was truly the blink of an eye. Enoch slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

"Teacher."

"..."

"Please wake up. The master says to come down."

Standing beside him was, as expected, Lakrina. She had knelt beside the bed and leaned forward, looking down at the man's face from close range.

"..."

"...?"

Enoch silently stared at her. Feeling his gaze, Lakrina flinched as if asking what was wrong.

"...Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?"

"Lakrina."

'Wait a second. Don't tell me you're angry because I woke you up early. That would be the master's fault, not mine—'

"You drank the Solis Blossom, didn't you?"

Lakrina blinked.

"Uh... Yes. Why?"

"Where's mine?"

"Excuse me?"

"Go get it. And leave the newspaper."

Enoch said this while rubbing his eyes. His attitude suggested there was nothing more to say. Lakrina stood there blankly for a moment before heading outside with a displeased expression. Occasional sulky muttering could be heard from the hallway.

"Solis Blossom... Solis Blossom."

Enoch lay in bed and rubbed his eyes. At the same time, he recalled the scent that had risen. Golden apple and lemon glove herb, along with the fresh Hiba fruit. And finally, the subtle new fragrance he had smelled for the first time.

'Riola. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠No, Alaria, was it?'

Apart from the Solis Blossom, the final scent reminiscent of Alaria flowers was probably Lakrina's own.

"...Looks like late sleeping is over for me."

Enoch sighed as he recalled the scent of the perfume. Trying to fall asleep to forget the disconnect with reality was now at an end. As long as his student was here, the life of her teacher, Enoch, would undoubtedly become quite busy from now on. And above all, it was clear that Lakrina would come to wake him every morning from now on. The young lady with the scent of Alaria, holding Solis Blossom, would come to wake him. It was almost like something out of a fairy tale. The kind of cruel fairy tale that featured a wicked witch who kept children awake.

'...My routine just gained something new.'

Enoch chuckled as he thought of the sulking Lakrina. Well, at least it was better than the bald master waking him. With that casual thought, he rose from the bed. The faint longing he had felt in his dream had already disappeared somewhere.

It was right after that the status window activated.