Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#14 Why The Constant Summons?

Apprentice Clareena’s day is relentlessly busy.

In the morning, she must check the pre-made samples for any problems. At noon, she has to confirm there are no irregularities in the new medicine being produced.

In the evening, she sends sponsorship requests to every corner, seeking investors.

And as dawn breaks, she tears open letters, receiving refusals in return.

‘Ah, I want to die.’

Clareena clicked her tongue without realizing it.

This was already the 47th rejection.

She scratched her head fiercely, eventually opening the window and putting a cigarette in her mouth.

-Whoosh.

‘Damn it, my life.’

The acrid smoke brushed past her hair.

Clareena seriously pondered where her life had gone wrong.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to be born in the first place.

She was destined to end up in this line of work one way or another.

No matter what, she would have eventually gotten involved in bio-engineering, and once again been ensnared by those goddamn D’Imaire b*stards.

‘Things are getting truly dangerous. If I can’t find an investor soon, everything’s going to come to a screeching halt…’

They were just one step away from the new medicine’s approval.

But that one step felt impossibly heavy.

Leaving Master Felton to suffer, that too was now impossible.

Already, the benevolent Master was selling even his own meager possessions to aid his deficient disciple.

A single misstep, and even the hospital contract money would be at risk.

I would die before allowing that.

Better to relinquish the rights to the new drug, than to see my aged Master cast out into the streets.

‘Those damned Dimaira b*stards… if I had my way, I’d pump twenty bullets into their skulls…’

– *Ting-a-ling*

‘…Hmm? The comm?’

Lost in a whirlpool of resentment, the comm unit chimed out of the blue.

Clarena extinguished her cigarette and retrieved the device.

To her surprise, the caller was Master Felton himself.

– *Click*

“Master?”

– Ah, Clarena. Good night to you. May the innocent moon god bless you.

“May the benevolent sun’s grace linger with you long. But, what brings you to call at this hour? It’s already three in the morning?”

Clarena cut straight to the chase.

A call at this hour felt deeply ominous.

Could something have happened to Master?

Clarena’s hand, gripping the comm, was already slick with sweat.

‘Don’t tell me, have those Dimaira gangster sons-of-b*tches struck again?’

Clarena’s eyes gleamed with a savage light.

Not content with subtle prodding, had they already reached out to Master himself?

‘If it’s true, if those Dimaira thugs have laid a hand on Master…’

Then she would wager everything to strike them down.

But, as if mocking such resolve,

the answer that followed was far beyond her expectations.

– Ah, Clarena. Be joyful, I beseech you. I have found you an investor.

“…Pardon? An investor? Truly?”

– Indeed. And a most reliable sort, at that.

Felton chuckled on the other end of the line.

Clarena, momentarily taken aback, quickly realized her master had been drinking.

“Master? Surely you haven’t had a drink and gotten confused?”

-Clarena, what are you saying? How can you doubt me so? Listen first. The thing is… well…

Felton’s explanation continued for a while.

A man suspiciously rich.

A sponsorship of 200 billion Crowe.

Requesting a 20 percent share.

Clarena’s reaction after hearing the whole story was utterly simple and blunt.

“Master. If you’ve had a drink after all this time, go to sleep. Drinking until this hour is a sure recipe for trouble later. No, in the first place, you’re a doctor, why are you saying such strange things–”

-No! It’s the truth!!

“A, a- alright. Alright. Why, of all days, are you pulling such a low-quality joke-“

-Bah! Stop with the nonsense and check the documents I sent!

‘Documents?’

Clarena belatedly checked the magical delivery tool.

Among the piles of mail, resembling a fax machine’s output, one item stood out.

‘This, a certificate?’

A certificate was a kind of proof.

The most reliable and concrete evidence that the Empire’s bank guaranteed a customer’s identity and assets.

It was now in her hand.

Clarena, half in disbelief, carefully caressed the certificate with trembling hands.

The texture, the material.

Unmistakably genuine.

-You checked it, didn’t you? The investor sent it directly today. Proof that the bank guarantees their assets.

“Ju-just a moment. Are you really telling me that this story is actually true?”

-Bah! Are you trying to anger your old master?! In any case, I’ve clearly passed the message on. From now on, you handle it directly. Meet the investor and speak to them frankly and well. Don’t cause any trouble!

-Click.

The communication ended with a storm of advice.

Silence followed.

Clarena, standing alone in the quiet, swept her hair back and raised her head again.

“Haa… At least someone recognizes my worth.”

She swiped away the tears clinging to her lashes.

Ever since she’d been tangled with those Deimaira b*stards, nothing had gone right.

Everywhere she went, she was met with slammed doors, and even Clarena and her colleagues were slowly succumbing to weariness.

Then, salvation arrived.

And didn’t even demand a significant cut.

This would allow Clarena to maintain a reasonable price for the new drug, just as she’d hoped.

Memory-related ailments would be almost entirely eradicated from this world.

“Enoch… this person is my investor, is that right?”

Clarena verified the name on the certificate.

Enoch.

A name she’d never heard before.

But from this day forward, it would become a name she could never forget.

With that thought, Clarena opened the door, descended the stairs, and made her way to her colleagues.

“Hey, you guys.”

–Unni…? What are you doing alone? Aren’t you checking the samples?

–Strange? Why is she playing around by herself?

–Something’s off?

Her colleagues muttered with suspicious gazes.

It was the same old routine, so Clarena silently delivered her piece.

“Hey, I’ll be going to Magnus soon.”

–Pardon…? Why?

–Don’t tell me you’re planning a trip? Alone?

–Unni… do you *really* want to die in our hands…?

“Listen to the end, will you? Take a look at this first.”

Clarena dramatically unfurled the certificate in her hand.

Her colleagues stared blankly at the certificate, then recoiled in surprise.

“Got it? Our investor-nim has appeared.”

“……”

“Everyone, start wising up. If you’ve been saving any creams or cosmetics, share them this time.”

Clarena said with a smile.

His comrades hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, they rummaged through their own pockets.

For them now, Clareena was a hero.

A hero deserved offerings, rightfully so.

@

Lacryma’s fainting spell, her discharge from the infirmary, Enoch’s decision to sponsor her – already a day had passed since all of that.

Today, unlike yesterday, there was no separate training scheduled.

He judged that pushing her too hard would, rather, hinder her growth.

‘It’s not exactly a lie, truthfully. Rest is, in its own way, as crucial as training. Especially during a growth spurt.’

Enoch spent his time as usual, sitting leisurely at the pub.

The pleasant silence was broken a short while later.

“Teacher?”

“What.”

“There was some mail for you outside?”

“Mail?”

At Lacryma’s words, Enoch turned his head.

She entered the pub, holding a letter envelope in her hand.

“Here. Ah, should I also bring the letter knife?”

“That won’t be needed. I can just tear it open by hand.”

-Rip

Enoch tore open the letter without delay and scanned its contents.

Then, he frowned.

It was not, in truth, a welcome message.

-Having heard tell of your reputation, I am contacting you directly…

‘Damn. Things have become troublesome.’

“Teacher?”

Perhaps sensing something amiss?

Lacryma, who had been watching, asked with a worried tone.

Seeing her, Enoch relaxed his expression and shook his head minimally.

“It’s nothing of consequence. Don’t worry yourself.”

“Ah… alright…”

Lakrina acquiesced, a flicker of ambiguity in her expression.

She didn’t truly believe it was ‘nothing to worry about.’

But it was an act of respect for Enoch, who’d offered those words.

‘Perhaps I worried her needlessly.’

Enoch stroked Lakrina’s hair a few times, as if to reassure her.

When the silver strands were sufficiently tousled, only then did Lakrina’s expression ease, just a fraction.

Belatedly, Enoch returned his gaze to the letter.

The sender was none other than the Empire’s Mages Guild.

[Having heard whispers of your name, we have taken the liberty of contacting you directly.]

[We have received reports that you are employing magic unlawfully, without proper authorization. Furthermore, we have uncovered evidence suggesting the Glacial Mage Tower Master has been deliberately concealing this fact.]

[The laws of the Empire, blessed by the Divine and watched over by the Emperor, explicitly mandate the strict punishment of mages who lack certification.]

[Ordinarily, we would be obligated to take you into custody. However, due to the protestations of Nordilla, the Glacial Mage Tower Master, we have refrained from immediate action.]

[Therefore, we request that you present yourself.]

[The location is the Mages’ Union Headquarters in the capital. The deadline is the 31st, four days hence.]

[We trust you will not decline our gesture of goodwill.]

[Rosita Mantera, Guildmaster of the Mages Guild.]

‘What utter drivel.’

Enoch quietly folded the letter.

Then, clenching his fist, he forcibly crumpled it.

‘And on my day off, no less. To dare send such correspondence.’

Very well, they’ve summoned me personally, so a visit is in order, wouldn’t you say?

If that’s what they desire, I shall grace them with my presence.

Enoch quietly cleared his throat.

His aura was so fierce that Lakrina, nearby, instinctively reached for a weapon.

A butter knife, mind you.