Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#16 Do Not Interrupt

Pankratos.

It signified, in the parlance of mages, an inquisition.

The proceedings were simple enough. Gathered under the Guild Master’s authority, the mages would interrogate and then judge the transgressor according to their whims.

One peculiar aspect: the session did not invariably conclude with punishment.

The reason for this was likewise straightforward.

Magical aptitude was an exceedingly prized commodity.

‘And the mage’s mindset, divergent from that of common folk, contributes a fair share as well.’

Enoch’s infraction, at its core, was the unauthorized practice of magic.

A transgression of little real weight, truth be told.

Even the Guild Master himself, beyond any shadow of doubt, must have felt the same.

One need not cast their mind far; the secessionist rabble employed magic with impunity, did they not?

With such individuals at large, would they truly punish one so cooperative as to present himself of his own volition?

Highly unlikely. More plausible was the notion that he was reasonable, that he might even be amenable to collaboration.

Furthermore, Enoch had, by all accounts, confronted an enemy of the Empire.

He warranted commendation, not reprimand. The possibility of Pankratos culminating in punishment was exceedingly slim.

‘That is precisely what I am counting on.’

Trusting in this truth, Enoch unleashed his broadside of provocation.

For the majority of hearings resulted in nothing more than token penalties. Pankratos, it must be reiterated, sought not to punish, but to determine the course of future conduct.

In short: a bit of impudence would hardly be cause for serious alarm.

-Ahem…

-Such flippancy…

-Tsk…

Enoch’s gambit bore fruit.

At best, it would end with a tut and a click of the tongue. The mages in the background, subtly averting their gazes from Enoch’s sharp retort, betrayed themselves.

From their reaction, Enoch gleaned two truths.

‘Half avoiding me, half simmering with anger. The latter are likely the Imperial Fundamentalists. Aside from them, I needn’t trouble myself.’

Those who disliked him, in all likelihood, were indeed Fundamentalists.

The Fundamentalists were those directly impacted by the unchecked actions of mages without proper credentials.

That is, those who worked under the Empire’s administration, not within the towers or guilds.

They were also the faction most wary of Enoch, an unlicensed, rogue mage.

‘Rather cold, considering I just dealt with separatists. Are they worried about their reputation, or their own livelihoods?’

Enoch chuckled softly and turned his gaze. He looked again upon the Archmage-level mages surrounding the round table.

“Calm yourselves, please. Pay no mind to their reactions.”

Guild Master Rosita sighed, speaking as if to soothe frayed nerves.

Jayne, the Water Tower Master, seated nearby, responded to this.

“Why? It’s refreshing to see. Those fellows’ glares are irksome, truth be told.”

“Be that as it may, speaking so openly is another matter entirely. And some of those present are affiliated with your own tower, are they not?”

“I know nothing of the sort. I’m not a wet nurse. How long must I coddle those darlings? Frankly, from the moment Pankratos opened, the way they’ve been staring… it’s never sat well with me.”

Jayne scoffed, drawing on her water pipe.

The Guild Master sighed softly again.

Through the smoke and that sigh, Jayne’s gaze found Enoch.

“In any case, you said your name was Enoch, yes?”

“As I stated but a moment ago, that is correct.”

Enoch replied.

His gaze, likewise, remained fixed on Jayne.

“Whatever else, you have a commendable audacity. One must never yield their convictions, regardless of what others may say.”

“I concur.”

“Is that so? But what to do? I’m afraid I’m not particularly well-disposed toward you.”

Jayne smiled thinly, exhaling smoke as she added,

“My apologies, but I lean towards the Fundamentalist persuasion. I believe one ought to live abiding by the law, come what may.”

“Is that so? Somewhat unexpected.”

“Indeed. Isn’t it? But it cannot be helped. Consider, without the constraint of laws, what would become of the world with people like us?”

“Chaos would descend. For a very long time.”

“Right. Exactly that. While monsters flood in, humans squabble and self-destruct. I’m the type who strives to live like water flowing, from the start. I don’t really desire to go against the current.”

Saying that, Jane tilted her head slightly.

Her eyes, which before held curiosity, now reflected a stagnant, lifeless indifference, like putrid water.

“And yet, you’re going against that very current.”

“I don’t believe I’ve committed any particularly great sin.”

“True. Lacking certification isn’t exactly a great sin, truthfully. It’s simply a question of degree. I heard you dealt with the Separatists rather handily not long ago. Is that right?”

*Separatists.*

Enoch’s eyebrow twitched slightly at the word.

*’So, it was a pre-arranged performance from the start.’*

Magetower Master Jane, as she said, is the sort to live like flowing water.

Never taking initiative, simply flowing as directed.

It’s a different story when she’s enraged, but she isn’t one to blindly oppose the prevailing trend.

For her to take the lead and rebuke Enoch felt somehow off.

It was frankly strange that she, who otherwise seemed to have no interest in worldly affairs, would specifically mention the Separatists.

In other words, there was clearly some sort of directive.

*’From the looks of it, Guildmaster Rosita is the one asking the question through her. It seems she laid the groundwork beforehand.’*

The initiative in the room had already been seized by Jane.

As the host, the Guildmaster ought to have restrained her.

But all that could be seen was the Guildmaster sitting quietly, observing the situation.

Even the other Magetower Masters were the same.

Such an atmosphere could never have arisen without prior arrangement.

*’The Water Magetower Master takes the lead, the others mediate, and the Guildmaster cleans up at the end? Jane’s just become a laughingstock. Lost a lottery or something, I suppose.’*

“Won’t you answer? I heard you engaged the Separatists. Is that correct?”

Jane’s voice came again, pressing.

Before answering, Enoch removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

In his pupils, which reappeared, blue lightning and gold had somehow taken root.

“What are you doing? Just because you remain silent –”

“That is correct. I dealt with them directly.”

Enoch cut her off mid-sentence.

Jane, who had been speaking, paused, taken aback.

Truly, it was conduct bordering on impertinence, especially towards the Archmages, who were, in effect, emperors themselves.

Ward-class mages watched with something akin to amusement, while others, relegated to the background, unconsciously held their breath, thick with apprehension.

‘Judging by appearances, the skill’s effect is invisible, it seems.’

Enoch realized that those gathered hadn’t reacted even to the light in his eyes.

Meaning, this weapon of his was unseen to them as well.

Enoch chuckled inwardly at the thought.

“…Is that so?”

Jane spoke again through the silence.

“You faced separatists, you say. Good. Then onto the next question –”

“Archmage.”

“?”

Again, she was cut short.

Jane felt a flicker of displeasure, but she merely met his gaze, wordlessly asking the reason.

Enoch looked straight at her and said, calmly.

“It would be best if we ceased this pointless interrogation.”

“…Pointless?”

“You neither feel the need for these questions, nor do you harbor true intent. Cease this charade as a mere mouthpiece. It is a position beneath a high Archmage such as yourself.”

Enoch finished speaking and averted his gaze.

To reiterate, this was a decidedly discourteous demeanor to display before an Archmage—one comparable to an emperor.

“…Hah.”

Jane, understandably, clicked her tongue in disbelief at his audacity.

Following this, the mages in the background rose as one, unleashing their fury.

-Such impudence!

-How dare he speak such reckless words!

-Guild Master! We cannot let such slander go unpunished!

The meeting hall quickly descended into an uproar.

With so many gathered, even a single word from each soon escalated into a cacophony.

*Crack!*

-Agh!

-I-Ice?

The turmoil subsided only with the intervention of Ice Magic Tower Lord, Nordilla.

As he blinked, sharp ice shards erupted instantaneously, drawing a distinct boundary line around all within his gaze.

“Let us all be calm. Is this not supposed to be a council?”

-……

“I would appreciate it if you would show this old man some face.”

The elder’s words brought about a renewed silence.

As the surroundings quieted, Nordilla turned his gaze to Enoch, as if to ask, *Is this better now?*

It seemed that although he’d been informed beforehand, he wasn’t particularly inclined to cooperate.

Enoch gave a slight bow in his direction before speaking once more.

“From what I gather, the topic of this council is simple. It concerns the nature of this human, myself, and my future disposition.”

-……

“Then let’s get straight to the point. There’s no need to waste time with pointless chatter about separatists and such. A mage’s path is always the most direct. Am I wrong?”

Jane remained silent, offering no reply.

Instead, the Guild Master, who had been seated, reacted.

“Does that mean… you intend to tell us the truth?”

The Guild Master inquired, as if to ascertain his sincerity.

Such a reaction was, in truth, quite predictable.

A mage who had been hiding, operating without certification. Such mages were, more often than not, hereditary mages, having received their magic directly from a master.

The reason they didn’t bother with certification was simple.

The moment they obtained certification and registered as mages, even a small amount of information about their magic would be released to the world.

In essence, it would expose the very essence of the magic passed down through generations.

It goes without saying that hereditary mages were hardly fond of such a thing.

Yet Enoch was defying such convention, suggesting they take the direct route.

For the Guild Master, who had secretly considered him to be a hereditary mage, it was a rather tempting proposition.

“Enoch, I am curious as to your intentions. If you truly cooperate, I will not resort to such underhanded means. And…”

“Hold on. Just a moment, please.”

The Guild Master’s words were abruptly cut off.

Rosita was inwardly displeased, but was currently in no position to reprimand the one who had interrupted.

Because the person who had stepped forward was none other than Magic Tower Lord Jane, the very individual who had suffered the most unpleasant experience at Rosita’s hands.

“Why are you proceeding as you please? I haven’t finished speaking.”

“Jane.”

“Quiet. Be silent. And you, Enoch. What did you say to me earlier? That we should cut the pointless back and forth? As if I wanted to in the first place?”

Jane spoke in a displeased tone, her brow furrowed.

It was noticeable how the hand holding her cigarette was clenched tight with anger.

It was clear she was quite displeased with being constantly interrupted and relegated to the sidelines.

“Jane. Now, please calm down. It’s different from what we agreed upon, but isn’t the story unfolding well?”

The Guild Master stepped in, seemingly to calm her down.

Jane scoffed at that.

The liquid in her hookah sloshed as if boiling over.

“I didn’t like that agreement to begin with. Why should we treat an Heir Magician like that? As if they were some lord above us.”

“I would have told you about that beforehand.”

“So what? No matter how much Old Man Nordilla intervened, there’s a limit to how much I care. At least, being ignored by some arrogant junior isn’t something I can simply brush aside.”

Jane said, rising from her seat.

The atmosphere was far from normal.

-Wait, shouldn’t we run?

-The situation’s a bit dicey.

The mages in the background murmured with unease.

Slightly flustered, Rosetta glanced to the side.

Nordilla, who was connected to Enoch, watched the situation unfold with his eyes closed.

It seemed he felt it wasn’t his place to intervene.

‘This is my karma, I suppose.’

Rosetta unknowingly sighed.

“Jane. I’ll say it again, please calm down.”

“There’s no need to ‘calm down.’ I’m simply educating an arrogant junior.”

“So, I’m saying to stop that- Ugh, Rasseline, Vergo, Sebek! At least you guys try and stop her!”

At Rosetta’s words, Sebek, the Wind Tower Master, and Vergo, the Lightning Tower Master, shook their heads.

“Sorry, but she and I are not compatible. To command lightning against the sea. It’s too tiring a task. And besides, what she said isn’t exactly wrong.”

“What was that?”

“Isn’t it so? Jane had to perform an act that didn’t suit her, out of respect for your wishes. If that’s the case, shouldn’t you also respect her anger?”

Lightning Tower Master Vergo crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

He offered a gesture of non-involvement.

“Same here. Been cooped up inside this building, feeling a bit… I think I’ll just crawl.”

The Wind Tower Lord Sebek responded listlessly.

For some reason, he was actually lying on the floor.

“Bloody hell. Raseline, can’t you at least help!”

“I already am… Who do you think is keeping the capital from becoming a lake…”

The Earth Tower Lord Raseline responded, her face pressed to the round table.

The truth was, Jane’s fury had been simmering for some time now.

And thanks to that, the massive aqueduct that ran through the Imperial capital, Akroteion, was already echoing her rage, gradually rising in level.

If left unchecked, the entire capital could be submerged.

It was Raseline, the Earth Tower Lord, who had remained silent throughout the meeting, that prevented it.

From the moment she noticed the anomaly, she had been constantly pushing the ground beneath the aqueduct down, delicately adjusting the water level to the brink.

“Understood? I’ll handle my own affairs. So the Guild Master should mind hers.”

“Because if *I* interfere, the capital will dry up and wither! Oh, woe is me! Jane! This is your last warning! Stop!”

“Will she now? The sea has never let sailors who disrespect her go unpunished.”

Since olden times, the sea had been the graveyard of arrogant adventurers.

And Jane was practically the incarnation of water.

Which meant she resembled the sea’s caprice.

So saying, Raseline, still leaning her head, chuckled softly.

Rosita felt the sensation of her hair falling out and hurriedly got to her feet.

“Damn it, the Emperor’s going to throw another fit.”

She couldn’t allow harm to come to Enoch, either.

It couldn’t be helped.

Rosita reached out to stop Jane.

At that moment, Nordilla, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke, belatedly.

“Wait, cease this for now.”

“Excuse me? What are you on about? Because of this short-tempered water bender, we’re about to get a communal wet t-shirt show.”

“Honestly… Haven’t you been curious about Enoch’s magic? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”

At those words, Rosita belatedly looked at Enoch.

He was currently facing the Water Tower Lord Jane, locking eyes with her.

A situation that would have crumbled an ordinary criminal beneath its weight.

Yet, his demeanor remained unshaken.