Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#39 Just What is Happening?

Alain felt a surge of bewilderment.

Nothing, not a single thing, made sense.

‘A Boundary-Class Mage? When in the world?’

Alain had heard nary a whisper of such a thing.

Had he known, he wouldn’t have involved himself in this affair to begin with.

‘It was just a simple side job.’

Dropouts from the Academy happened all the time, after all.

Whether from overconfidence in their abilities, leading to injury.

Or from being paralyzed by terror after facing a beast.

Defectors always appeared.

And empty slots opened up alongside them.

He had simply been filling those vacancies, adding a few names to the rolls.

Of course, there were times when vacancies were insufficient.

When three individuals needed to enroll, but only two slots were open.

In such times, one was forced to resort to stratagems.

Using the noble-born students, subtly driving out those with poor grades or lacking proper backing.

They were in the lower ranks anyway.

No one cared about the bottom of the heap.

But…

Why now, of all times, to be caught?

And by a mage of Watcher-class, no less?

“E-Enoch-nim…”

“What is it.”

“I didn’t know! I truly didn’t know! Had I known, had I known! I would never have allowed things to come to this!”

Allein abjectly fell to his knees.

Following it, he smashed his head against the ground.

“I swear it! I truly didn’t know! From the start, targeting this student, Lacrina, wasn’t my doing…! It was the donation-admission students who recklessly caused trouble, and I only found out while cleaning up the mess…!”

“You’re saying you’re blameless?”

“Yes, that’s right! It is truly the truth! I swear to the Gods and His Imperial Majesty, I never, ever instructed anyone to ostracize Lacrina!!”

Allein cried out, filled with indignation.

It wasn’t a lie.

It was the truth.

‘Damn noble brats. You stupid little runts. Why did you do something I didn’t even tell you to do…!’

He had never instructed anyone to touch Lacrina.

Because… there was no reason to in the first place.

If he were to target someone, there were far easier marks aplenty.

Why would he bother with her, when her grades were so good?

Above all, Allein had long since recognized that Lacrina possessed Enoch as backing.

Of course, he had known about his wealth for quite some time.

Hadn’t he even accompanied the Chairman?

Allein had purposely stepped forward because of that.

To drive away the nobles and gain Enoch’s favor.

In the midst of all that, why would he have reason to bother her?

He wouldn’t.

I swear it, absolutely not.

It’s all the fault of those damned brats, acting out on a whim.

It began with something so trivial: a girl from the orphanage wearing clothes more expensive than theirs.

And just because of that, I end up like this?

‘Don’t be ridiculous…!’

Alain trembled.

This whole thing was so utterly unfair.

If only he hadn’t been a borderline master mage.

If not for that, he could have crushed it all with the power plays of the nobility.

“Sir Enoch! No, Master Mage, Beyond the Ranks!”

“…”

“Please, believe me! I have nothing to do with this! I was never involved in this matter!!”

Alain slammed his head into the ground again.

He didn’t yet know where Enoch had heard such nonsense.

Right now, he just had to find a way out of this situation.

If he could just do that, he could at least buy himself some time to find another escape route.

Just then, Enoch finally spoke.

“Your defense has been duly noted. I see. You didn’t exactly lend a hand, did you.”

“…! That’s right! I have nothing to do with this!”

“Very well. I understand perfectly. In that case… I will forgive you.”

Enoch said with a smile.

Alain snapped his head up.

“You, really?!”

“Yes. *I* will forgive you. But will *that man* forgive you?”

“…Huh?”

Alain’s voice trailed off.

He couldn’t quite grasp what was being said.

Enoch was already chuckling quietly as he stepped back.

Following him, a man stepped forward.

It was Director Baltro.

“…Alain.”

“Ch-Chairman…”

Alain’s body trembled like an aspen in the wind.

Baltor sighed.

He inclined his head towards Enoch, a subtle gesture of gratitude, before speaking again.

“I said I never targeted Lacrimna – that much is certain. To put it another way, that implies I *did* target other students, does it not?”

“N-no… never, never was that my intention –”

“Look here, Alain.”

“Y-yes…”

“Have you forgotten who I am? Have you forgotten what manner of mage I am, I wonder.”

Baltor asked quietly.

A subtle warning, laced with steel.

Belatedly, Alain dredged the Chairman’s title from the depths of his mind.

He Who Forgets Nothing Remembered.

The Archivist Mage, Baltor Ullygan.

Every statement he had ever made, every action he had ever taken.

All of it was already being dissected and analyzed within Baltor’s mind.

“Ah… ah…”

Alain gasped for air.

There was no escape.

The Chairman would remember even the most carelessly uttered remark.

Even the students who had withdrawn from the academy were not safe.

Was he already recalling each and every one of them, now gone from the school, within the labyrinth of his mind?

The realization washed over him, glazing his vision with a rising dread.

Confusion and panic churned within his mind, a sickening brew.

His breath grew ragged, his vision swam.

And then, his legs gave way.

-Thump!

Alain collapsed to the floor.

He could bear it no longer; he had fainted.

His mind could no longer endure the reality at hand.

A scarecrow, frolicking with a frivolous heart.

The predetermined end for a callow magician.

“Looks like it’s over.”

Enoch stepped forward once more.

Ignoring the fallen Alain.

He cast a meaningful glance towards the Dean, then declared to the other mages gathered around.

“Listen, all of you.”

-……

“Alain’s fate will be decided by the Guild. The same goes for any others complicit in this matter. An investigation will commence shortly; if you intend to confess, do so with haste. This is your last chance.”

At that moment, the Ender Dragon beside the dormitory struck the ground with its tail.

-Thump! Thump!

A signal announcing the end.

Enoch quietly proclaimed the closing.

“With this, Pankratos is concluded.”

@

The commotion subsided after a time.

The assembled group dispersed, buzzing amongst themselves.

Left remaining were Enoch, Vergo, and the Dean, Balthor.

Alain lay sprawled on the floor, bound by rope.

Looking down at him, Vergo began to speak.

“A donation-based entrance. I’ve often heard tales of such things. But, seeing it firsthand, it seems more dire than I imagined.”

“The problem is that no matter how many we catch, there’s no end to them. There must be more than just a few who are obsessed with this sort of thing. Not only nobles, but surely people from corporations are involved as well?”

Enoch added.

Vergo sighed, agreeing.

“You’re not wrong. In that regard, that Golden Mage fellow seems almost preferable. At least he proved his own abilities.”

“Indeed. It’s… depressing to have to agree with that, in so many ways.”

“Um… Lord Vergo?”

“Balthor? What is it?”

Balthor spoke belatedly.

He glanced at Enoch, asking with measured caution,

“It feels absurd to ask now, but… is it true, that Lord Enoch is a Boundary-Class mage?”

Baltro had already adopted the honorific.

His demeanor still held a certain awkwardness.

Vergo chuckled softly, confirming,

“It is true. The decision was only recently made.”

“I see. But… why has it not been announced publicly yet?”

“Because the council only just concluded. The Guildmaster sends a missive, the Emperor and his advisors review it, and only then does authorization come. That was, what, just a few days ago, eh?”

Vergo turned to Enoch.

Enoch nodded.

“Yes. It has been less than a week, I believe. I received the Guildmaster’s letter through Lord Sebek.”

“See? Even now, it’s rather quick. Under normal circumstances, they’d still be polishing the wording of the warrant.”

“… I understand. But why hadn’t even a whisper reached me? If even the faintest rumor had circulated…”

“That’s unavoidable. The Pankratos was held at the Guild headquarters.”

“Ah…”

Baltro nodded as if enlightened.

Mages directly under the Guild’s command.

Each and every one of them swore a solemn oath of secrecy.

The Guild held countless spells within its vaults.

To prevent their leak to the outside was their utmost concern.

They were individuals who seldom ventured out to begin with.

Nevermind gatherings, they rarely returned home.

Their sole interest lay in their own magic.

They were not the type to wander about, flapping their jaws needlessly.

“I see… Now it makes a bit more sense.”

Baltro conceded, finally.

He could readily comprehend that it was something beyond his control.

Yet, at the same time, he felt anger towards himself.

No matter the circumstances, this was the rise of a new Boundary-Class mage.

Someone like him should have at least picked up on something.

Even just Alane’s affair, for instance.

Unbeknownst, beneath the surface, so many things were exchanged.

One way or another, he felt rather pathetic.

-Huu…

“…The questions have been more or less answered.”

“Chairman?”

Valtoro bowed his head towards Enoch.

Then, he knelt.

A gesture of apology for the unsavory incident.

“I am sorry, Enoch-nim. This matter ultimately stemmed from my own failing. I offer my deepest apologies for my incompetence.”

“…Please rise for now. There is no need for the Chairman to go to such lengths.”

“No, it is my responsibility. I promise I will remedy the situation without fail.”

The Chairman bowed his head once more.

Almost to the point of burying his face in the ground.

Enoch was quite flustered.

In the first place, managing a mere instructor like Alane was not the Chairman’s duty.

That was originally the responsibility of the president or vice-president.

Yet, in such a situation, he was stepping forward to take responsibility himself.

Enoch felt that Valtoro was a better person than he had initially thought.

“Please rise quickly. If you are like this, I will only feel more uncomfortable.”

Enoch hurriedly helped Valtoro to his feet.

Before he could add any unnecessary words, he swiftly changed the subject.

“That aside, Chairman?”

“Yes?”

“Alane is one thing, but what will you do from now on? There are mountains of problems at hand, aren’t there?”

“Ah… that is true. Certainly, the future is a worry.”

“What is?”

Vergo asked.

Valtoro answered with a bitter smile.

“The academy, I mean. Surely, there must be more who were hand-in-glove with Alane still remaining. Catching those fellows is one thing, but how much further the school’s reputation will fall, even I cannot truly grasp it.”

Baltrow, in his heart, began to settle his thoughts.

Though unintended, it was, in the end, an affair born of his own negligence.

If need be, he had to consider taking responsibility and stepping down.

In that moment, Enoch, who had been observing, spoke.

“Chairman.”

“Yes. Enoch-nim. What is it-“

“I reiterate, please refrain from using such burdensome honorifics. It only makes me uncomfortable.”

“But-“

“I wouldn’t want our relationship to be severed over something like this. It wasn’t exactly intentional, and at most, it’s a blunder, wouldn’t you say? I am not such a cold-hearted man as that.”

Enoch offered his comfort, with all sincerity.

It was earnest, in its own way.

At that, Baltrow surreptitiously dabbed at his eyes.

Perhaps it was the fault of his advancing years.

Enoch’s offered kindness felt so very profound.

It was almost enough to make him feel rewarded for all the Sign of the Crosses and prayers he’d made.

“…Thank you. I won’t forget this.”

“Understood. That aside, Chairman?”

“Yes? Ah, no, not that. What is it?”

“You mentioned a little while ago, didn’t you, that you were worried about the Academy’s reputation.”

“Ah, yes. I did.”

“Then, what about this? Instead-“

Enoch offered his counsel, quietly.

The Chairman’s eyes widened as he listened to the explanation.

Vergo, who was standing beside them, was also inwardly flustered.

It was truly an absurd suggestion.

@

The next day.

Lacrima opened her eyes from the hospital bed.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Awake, are we?”

“…Teacher? Why am I here?”

Lacrimosa asked with difficulty.

Enoch laid her back down on the bed.

He followed with,

“You don’t remember? You came to find me last night.”

“Last night…? Did I faint?”

“Yes. You came aboard an airship, unannounced.”

Enoch spoke the truth, not hiding anything.

Had she lost her memory in that short span?

Lacrimosa’s eyes widened.

“Th-that… Ah! School! I need to get to class, quickly!”

Lacrimosa hastily tried to sit up.

She attempted to scramble out of the bed.

In that instant, Enoch forcefully pushed her back down.

“It’s alright. There’s no need to go to the Academy for a while.”

“…Huh? Why?”

“Internal cleaning is underway. A purging of instructors is scheduled.”

“…Huh?”

Lacrimosa’s expression went blank.

Had her ear been pressed shut while sleeping?

For a moment, she couldn’t quite grasp his words.

“What does that mean… Did you contact my supervising teacher?”

“It’s alright. That one is slated for dismissal.”

“D-did you contact the Headmaster?”

“That one is also slated for dismissal, dear.”

“I have belongings in the dormitory-“

“The dormitory has collapsed, darling.”

Lacrimosa sank further and further.

Perhaps it was the confusion.

Unbeknownst to her, saliva was beginning to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

– *Swish*

‘What is it? Was I in a coma for a month or so? No? They definitely said it was last night, didn’t they?’

What on earth could have happened while I slept?

Did the school collapse?

Whatever it was, something had certainly occurred.

Lacrina, with a vacant expression, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

“Wipe down below too, while you’re at it.”

“Ah.”