Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#38 Exceptional Mage

Scroll-grade mage, Alain, flinched.

“M-me, you mean?”

“Indeed. Alain, you’re a bigger fish than I imagined, aren’t you?”

“Wh-what are you talking about…”

Alain’s words trailed off.

Avoiding his gaze, he cowered as if wronged.

The demeanor of the weak, oppressed by the strong.

It seemed he had quickly decided how to comport himself in the meantime.

“Impressive. Your perceptiveness is certainly top-notch. Had it not been for this incident, I might have sought you out directly to learn a thing or two.”

“Wh-what are you talking about since before? I don’t understand any of it-“

“Noble, student, donation admission.”

“……”

Alain’s words halted mid-sentence.

Having grasped the situation instantly from the words Enoch mentioned.

And he wasn’t the only one to realize.

Chairman Baltro, standing beside him, also understood the gravity of the situation in a flash, his eyes widening.

“…Donation admission? Wait, could it be?”

“As I said earlier, the detailed explanation will come later.”

Enoch spoke casually to the Chairman.

Having understood the situation, Baltro nodded silently.

“…I see. I find myself without words.”

“I am grateful for your understanding. That aside, Alain?”

“…Yes.”

“To add to it, there are witnesses. The instigators tied to you have already been apprehended as well. If you have any excuses, speak them now. This will be the last time you get the chance. I’m all ears.”

Enoch said it with a nonchalant air.

A tranquil tone, at first glance.

Yet, within it, a rage impossible to conceal was nested.

Alain perceived that fact as well.

Evidently, he had grasped the whole situation, lock, stock, and barrel.

Pointless excuses would prove futile.

Alain, left without recourse, deployed his last resort.

“…I have nothing further to say.”

“Is that so? How unexpected.”

“But! Just one thing I wish to state beforehand!”

Alain suddenly shouted.

The surrounding people murmured amongst themselves.

Enoch, head tilted in questioning, inquired:

“State? State what, exactly?”

“I am, at the end of the day, a Magician. A member of the Empire, formally affiliated with the Guild.”

Alain spoke thus, producing his wallet.

He displayed the Magician identification contained within.

“I am not a mere citizen, but wish to be punished as a Magician. This is expressly stipulated in the laws of the Empire! As a Magician belonging to the Guild, I am qualified to exercise this right!”

“…Indeed. Not a citizen, but a Magician.”

Enoch conceded, in no small measure.

He didn’t miss the reaction of those around him either.

Confusion lingered, yet no particular doubt was perceived.

The reaction indicated that there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the claim itself.

“What do you say, Mister Enoch? Is my claim sufficient-“

“Sufficiently reasonable, yes. In truth, matters concerning Magicians are, as a matter of principle, resolved by the Guild.”

“…! Y-Yes, precisely! Therefore, presently, there is no choice but to-“

“Now, then, Alain.”

“…Yes?”

“Regrettable words though they are, do you truly believe I wouldn’t have foreseen even that much?”

Enoch cut in, speaking mid-sentence.

Alain, witnessing this, visibly faltered.

What was the crux of those words?

Could it be that he had prepared something separately?

‘No, that simply cannot be, could it?’

It could not be, under any circumstance.

If there were such a person capable of such a thing, surely he, Alain, would have known.

Alain could not conceal his turmoil.

Before he knew it, his face was etched with disarray.

In the midst of all this, Enoch abruptly tilted his head towards the heavens.

“Coming shortly, it seems.”

“…Yes? What… what is coming, you mean?”

“Don’t you hear it? The rumble of thunder, that is.”

Enoch grinned, a tight, thin line.

At that very instant, a bolt of lightning cleaved the parched night sky.

-KWAARoooNG!!

-KWAKWANG!!

-KYaaaK!!

-Wh-what, all of a sudden!

-Lightning has struck!!

The lightning crashed down upon the very heart of the plaza.

Belatedly, a fierce sandstorm and shockwave erupted.

The people, unable to withstand the force, retreated in unison.

Even Van Richter fell back.

Alain, unable to bear the shock, tumbled to the ground.

Within the chaos, only two had grasped the true nature of the situation.

Baltro and Enoch, only those two.

– *Chzzzk! Chzzzzzzk!*

“This energy… could it be?!”

“That voice, Valtor perhaps? It’s been a while since I’ve heard it up close.”

Beyond the sandstorm, a figure materialized, along with the voice.

Soon after, the figure revealed its identity.

Vergo Tessa, the Master of the Lightning Magic Tower.

“M-M-Master… Tower Master…”

“Calm yourself, friend. You’ll lose your jaw at this rate.”

“Wh-Wh-What brings you all the way here…?”

“What brings me here, you ask? I had no choice myself. Guildmaster Rosita contacted me so suddenly, asking me for a favor. Said she wanted me to deliver something to a new junior, so to speak.”

“A ju-junior…?”

Vergo spoke those words, and shifted his gaze.

At the end of that moving gaze, stood Enoch.

They had talked on the message board occasionally.

But seeing him in person was quite a rare occurrence.

“It’s been a while, Enoch. After the meeting, I believe?”

“Things turned out this way. My apologies, Master Vergo. I should have contacted you sooner.”

“Enough. I didn’t come all this way just to hear that. Honestly, the message board before, too… you certainly have a knack for stirring up commotion, don’t you?”

“I’m still wet behind the ears, I suppose.”

“Hmph, I can’t win with words. Anyway, a junior asked a favor, so I have to oblige.”

Vergo chuckled, and rummaged inside his robes.

He then pulled out a piece of paper and unfurled it with a *snap*.

Just what was he planning to do?

Everyone’s gazes were focused on Vergo.

Desperately, they strained their ears, not wanting to miss a single word.

“The following pronouncements are Guildmaster Rosita’s exact words, transcribed verbatim. Keep that in mind, everyone.”

-……

“Ahem, ahem. I shall announce the results of the council. From this moment forward, a wizard by the name of Enoch is hereby granted a license. The rank will be Border-Class. No objections will be tolerated.”

-!!!

“However, he cannot receive the same general Border-Class treatment as other Tower Masters. He is neither the founder of a Magic Tower, nor an imperial administrator with the authority to appoint positions. However, we also cannot simply ignore a wizard of his caliber. In that sense, I shall use the authority granted to me by His Imperial Majesty, the Guildmaster, to create a new rank.”

– “A new… a *supplemental* rank?”

The gathered crowd buzzed with murmurs.

They felt, with a jolt, that something significant was about to unfold.

Presently, the pronouncement continued.

A pronouncement that did not betray the expectations of those assembled, not in the slightest.

“The new rank shall be called *’By-Blow.’* A fitting title, I believe, for one so estranged from the society of mages. Enoch, you are to await the envoy from the Guild. The other mages shall show him the deference due to one of the *By-Blow* rank.”

– …

“Thus concludes the *Pankratos.* Any insolent whelp with grievances may step forward now. I’ll personally oversee the confrontation. …That last bit was superfluous, I suppose. Damnation, why are such things even transcribed?”

Vergo grumbled needlessly as he rolled up the parchment.

Then, he bound it and handed it to Enoch.

The missive and the writ of appointment, magically sealed together.

“Congratulations on achieving the *By-Blow* level, junior. Skipping the formal investiture, I can forgive, but conscripting a senior such as myself as your messenger…!”

“I shall etch the honor into my very soul.”

“Glad to hear you say so. Perhaps I retain some semblance of dignity, then?”

Enoch’s composure remained undisturbed.

Vergo chuckled wryly.

He glanced around belatedly, and inquired,

“But why is everyone gathered here like this? Has something transpired?”

“No, nothing of consequence. The true commencement is only just beginning, you see.”

“Hmm? …Ah, so that’s why you summoned me out in the middle of the night, then.”

The realization dawned on Vergo in a heartbeat.

The assembled students and instructors.

The conspicuously forward-standing, unfamiliar young mage.

Enoch’s gaze, fixed upon him with unwavering intensity.

The purpose behind foregoing the investiture ceremony and summoning him, personally.

All threads converged to a single point.

More than enough for him to grasp the situation.

“I shall fade into the background, then. Perhaps I’ll observe for a while.”

“M-Master Vergo! What is the meaning of this… a *By-Blow* rank, what even is that…!”

“Hush, my friend. This is hardly the time for such idle chatter, is it?”

Vergo took Baltro and retreated a few steps.

The others, too, edged away surreptitiously.

Before anyone knew it, only Enoch and Alain remained in the center.

-Shudder, shudder-

Alain, collapsed on the floor, trembled violently.

His fear-stricken face was deeply unsettling.

He looked as though his body had frozen solid.

It was unavoidable.

The newly arrived student’s patron, of all people, was the Empire’s new Transcendent-Class mage.

That kind of ascent was simply too much.

Wasn’t the degree of it a little excessive?

If he had known this fact, he wouldn’t have dared employ such foolish tactics.

Enoch silently gazed at Alain.

Looking down at him, he declared softly,

“…Just now. My identity was proven by the declaration of the Lightning Magic Tower Lord.”

-…-

“My name is Enoch. I am Enoch, the new Transcendent-Class mage and one appointed to the Empire’s Auxiliary Rank. I will use a portion of that authority, here, in this place.”

Having said that, he slowly surveyed the surroundings.

All eyes naturally focused on Enoch.

The atmosphere of the place had already completely shifted.

Enoch spoke the words he was meant to say.

“One Elemental Magic Tower Lord. And one Transcendent-Class mage. One Dominance-Class mage and the Academy’s Chairman.”

-Shudder, shudder, shudder-

“That should be enough to qualify as a discussion, shouldn’t it.”

*Thump!*

Enoch stamped his foot.

The End Dragon beside the dormitory stirred.

The beast hammered its massive tail twice like a mallet.

-*Thump! Thump!*

“Matters of citizens to citizens, matters of mages to mages. Surely that was the logic, wasn’t it?”

-……

“I concur. And, with this, all preparations are complete.”

-Thump! Thump!

The reverberations echoed once more.

The man’s pronouncement spread with the echoing rumble.

“We shall discuss his circumstances. We may question him, and likewise, he may question us.”

-……

“I pray that this conversation concludes with amicable accord.”

Enoch raised his head.

A blue glint had already taken root in his eyes.

“From this moment forward, under my, Enoch’s, auspices–”

A Boundary-Class Mage.

The Empire’s new face declared in a low voice.

“I shall commence the Assembly of Voices, the Pancratós.”