NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
“Enok stepped out of the pub, ready for whatever was next.”
Outside, his expression was calm, quite the contrast from earlier.
‘I’ve got to at least drop a hint this time.’
When I first received the letter, I lost my cool.
It was because my precious two days of freedom had vanished in an instant.
But on second thought, this might not be all bad.
‘The position of Guild Master isn’t something to take lightly. In fact, it’s them who sent me an invitation first.’
The title of Guild Master was something even Enok found hard to approach.
This wasn’t just about strength; it was about prestige and status.
So, there was no real justification for me to meet them initially.
But now, things were different.
Taking into account that a busy Guild Master personally summoned me—
That means I had a good reason to go.
Enok shook off his anger over losing his holiday and resolved to make the most of this opportunity.
“I’m off to the capital for a bit. You two behave, and don’t skip training, alright?”
“Huh? I’m not going with you?”
Lacrina asked as she packed her wallet stuffed with 153,000 kro.
Her expression was a mix of confusion and surprise.
Of course, she thought she would tag along to the capital.
But Enok shook his head firmly, as if to say there was no need.
“It’s adult business. You don’t have to get involved.”
“B-but…” Lacrina nervously clutched at his sleeve.
It was her timid way of asking him not to leave her behind.
‘Have I already formed quite a bond with her in just two days?’
Enok looked at Lacrina with mild interest.
It seemed they’d built up quite a bit of trust in just a short span.
Sometimes, it’s not the amount of time spent together that matters; it’s how dense that time is.
Lacrina was a perfect example of that.
After all they had gone through in those two days, she unconsciously began to view Enok as a reliable adult.
‘But today, that’s not happening.’
Yet, Enok stood firm.
Who knows how long he’d be in the capital or what he would do?
He couldn’t take her along under those circumstances.
It might sound harsh, but to be honest, Lacrina was simply a burden right now.
“Sorry about that.”
He gently removed her hands clinging to his sleeve.
Lacrina’s eyes shimmered, looking like a little puppy abandoned.
Despite that, Enok was still resolute.
“I’ll be back soon. Don’t cause any trouble, and train hard.”
“Okay…”
“Cheer up. I’ll bring back a few souvenirs for you.”
With a smile, Enok added that and walked away.
His steps were neither heavy nor light, just calm.
“…”
Lacrina stood silently at the entrance of the pub, quietly watching her teacher disappear into the distance.
Eventually, his figure shrank into a dot and vanished completely.
At that moment, Lacrina found herself reaching for her sword.
She was feeling all sorts of mixed emotions.
For some reason, she suddenly wanted to train.
@
Enok bought his ticket and boarded the airship.
This airship wasn’t crafted by the Empire but rather by a foreign dwarven company, Karadron.
Overall, its design blended magic and science in a sort of arcane punk or steampunk style.
As a side note, this airship cost around 250 billion kro.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford one if he really wanted to.
‘If it’s alright, I’d like to buy one… But I have nowhere to keep it, and who knows how much I’d actually use it.’
Enok thought he should look at airship catalogs when he got the chance.
After all, his skills varied greatly based on the materials he used.
With a mere 300,000 kro worth of items, he could easily take down someone skilled like a scroll-level magician.
So, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he offered a whopping 250 billion kro.
‘Time to get going.’
As he pondered, the airship slowly lifted off.
The bow shifted to find its direction, and the engines roared with a blast of heat.
Enok closed his eyes as he felt the vibrations.
When he opened them again, he was already up in the sky.
@
In the Age of Invasion, many nations come to life.
The realms of elves, the dwarven kingdom, and the city-states of the Ain Alliance.
Last but not least, there is the Empire of Humans.
The name of the Empire is Balderich.
The capital’s name means ‘high peak,’ Akroteon.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been in the capital.’
Enok stepped off the airship and looked over the cityscape.
A massive city with a total population of 16 million.
The layered buildings piled high like terraced rice fields were quite the sight.
“Are you Enok?”
Just then, someone approached him and spoke.
Upon checking, they were a group of modernly robed mages.
“I am Enok. What can I do for you?”
“We have a letter for you. May we see it?”
“Here it is.”
Enok pulled out the letter and handed it over.
The representative mage paused for a moment at the crumpled state of the letter, but then quietly accepted it.
“I see. It’s you, then.”
“So now can you take me along?”
“There were no specific instructions given. We were just told to escort you.”
The mages slightly bowed their heads, silently asking if he would follow.
With no reason to decline, Enok nodded.
Thus, some time passed as they walked together.
But was some sort of magic at play?
Before long, a gigantic guild building appeared right before Enok’s eyes.
‘Teleportation magic. This is the domain of the Earth Mage Tower.’
“After you. The Guild Master is waiting,”
The guiding mage gestured for him to follow.
Enok sighed at this.
“You need to learn more about hosting guests.”
“Huh?”
“In the future, ask about the intentions before using magic. It’s just common courtesy.”
With that, Enok stepped forward.
On his left eye, a monocle now glimmered with blue lightning.
-Thud
As Enok took a step, the air around him rippled.
The Ground Folding Spell that cuts through space.
Its completion was quite decent, but it still had flaws.
Enok pierced through the subtle vulnerabilities of the magic that spanned between the ground and grounded it.
-Swoosh
Magic is crafted through meticulous calculation, talent, and design.
Thus, the sturdy fortress fell apart when a gap emerged.
It’s only logical for a crumbling fortress to collapse.
And so, as expected, the Ground Folding Spell unraveled in an instant.
“What the…?”
“Did you just use a dispel spell?”
“No way that could be.”
The mages were flustered as they realized their magic had been undone in an instant.
Blocking magic is easy.
Touching or intervening with it is hard.
Completely understanding and dispelling the design was nearly impossible.
At the very least, you need to reach the ‘essence level’ of the respective magic to even start.
In simpler terms, it’s a magical feat.
“Could it be he’s a senior from my alma mater?”
The Earth Mage looked up at Enok with a bewildered expression.
Meanwhile, the subject of his gaze continued striding inside the building without a thought.
“……”
The mages left behind quietly observed the man.
And then, without a word, they nodded their heads respectively.
A form of respect they offered to a mage who had surpassed the foolish and the scroll, reaching the essence.
@
Enok wandered aimlessly through the interior of the guild building.
For a first visit, his steps were remarkably confident.
It’s not like he knew the way.
To begin with, there wasn’t much of a path to call it that.
‘Is this the place?’
His steps came to a halt before a massive door.
‘No matter where I walk, I seem to reach the destination I have in mind. I’ve heard the Mage Tower operates in a similar way. Understanding the original setup is definitely beneficial.’
The entire guild building was under an enchantment.
This was called a Guiding Spell.
This magic is cast indiscriminately on everyone who enters the building.
Anyone affected by the magic, simply by thinking of their desired destination, would eventually arrive, regardless of which way they walked.
This was a spell devised by the mages of the tower to make efficient use of the vast space.
‘Of course, this still requires the owner’s permission.’
Enok sneakily checked the letter from the Guild Master he held in his hand.
The one he had received earlier was emitting a blue light.
Simply put, this letter itself was a key.
The letter featuring the Guild Master’s handwriting indicated an invitation.
Those without it had no way of reaching this place, no matter what they tried.
‘Am I treated as a guest or a criminal? The line is rather ambiguous.’
-Creak
Enok opened the door and stepped inside.
A vast space with a gigantic round table awaited him.
“Oh, you’re finally here.”
At one side of the round table sat a familiar face, waiting.
It was Nordila, the Boundary Mage he had just seen recently.
“Welcome, Enok. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
“Neither did I. I thought it would be at least a few months until we crossed paths again.”
Nordila welcomed Enok with a bright smile.
As Enok walked over, he continued, “But where is everyone else? And where’s the Guild Master?”
“Just hold on. They’ll be here shortly.”
After Nordila dug in his ear and blew on his finger, he continued, “They probably knew of your arrival from the Empire sky long ago. You know how we are; we aren’t constrained by space…”
Suddenly, a portal opened with a flash.
As if it was nothing too outlandish, a woman with blue hair appeared.
“Am I second to arrive? Thanks, Nordila. You made it quite convenient for me.”
“If you’re grateful, buy me a meal or something.”
“Let’s skip the meal and go for something else. Unnecessary consumption just makes the body heavier.”
The newcomer was Jane Alura, the Water Mage Master.
“Is that Enok?”
“Indeed.”
“Nice to meet you. By the way, looks like everyone else is arriving as well.”
Master Jane pulled out a water pipe and took a drag.
As the bubbling sound filled the air, other mages started arriving one by one.
-Beep
Unexpectedly, a horn echoed.
-Boom!
“Sorry for being late. I had some things to take care of.”
Bergot Tezaga, the Lightning Mage Master, arrived with a thunderous entrance.
“Hey, could you keep the cleaning to a minimum?”
Dust cascaded down from the ceiling.
The Earth Mage Master, Raselin Iscuta, slowly lifted her head.
-Creak
Finally, the door at the entrance opened wide.
The Wind Mage Master, Beck, and the Guild Master, Logita Mantela, appeared.
“Huh.”
Logita sighed briefly.
He cast an appraising glance at everyone except Enok and then snapped, “Six Boundary Mages gathered. Quite the assembly, isn’t it? You all seem awfully free, considering it’s usually like pulling teeth to get you here during normal times.”
Each Mage Master reacted differently to this criticism.
“We can’t help it… We can’t exactly roam around freely…”
“Besides, this matter is different. It’s too significant to be taken lightly.”
Raselin of Earth and Bergot of Lightning chimed in.
Raselin was a weary-looking woman with green hair.
In contrast, Bergot was a muscular blonde man with dark skin.
“What’s even the point of gathering like this? The sea level of the waterways in the Empire must be rising in real-time thanks to me and Nordila!”
“Count me out. I already mastered my strength back in toddlerhood.”
“Whatever it is, let’s wrap it up quickly. Just sitting here is annoyingly stifling.”
Water Mage Jane said, and Ice Mage Nordila immediately shot back, “Can we just get this moving?”
The Wind Master, Sevac, had already seated himself, resting his chin on his hand with a bored expression.
Enok watched this entire spectacle with keen interest.
He had presumed it would merely be a hearing.
But looking at the assembly before him, that possibility entirely evaporated.
“So you’re Enok.”
Just then, Logita, who had been at the entrance, approached Enok.
Enok courteously offered a brief greeting.
“Pleasure to meet you, Guild Master. I responded to the invitation you personally wrote.”
“Ah, right. Thank you. Unlike those wretched folk over there, you understood my words well.”
Logita smiled wryly as if grateful.
Then, he rubbed under his eyes, looking weary, and took a seat.
After which, Enok also took a seat next to Nordila.
As soon as he sat down, the Guild Master spoke again.
“With five Elemental Masters present, plus the Guild Master, we have more than enough qualifications to engage in discussion.”
“……”
“From now on, we shall commence the voices of all, the Pankrotos.”
With that declaration, flames ignited around the round table.
In an instant, the entire space transformed.
The newly revealed setting resembled a colossal coliseum.
Almost immediately, countless figures appeared in the open seats.
‘Now this feels more like a proper inquiry or hearing.’
The number of people gathered was at least in the hundreds.
That was quite exceptional for a simple background.
Enok felt the combined attention of everyone fixated upon him through the transformed setting.
As he stood there, receiving those gazes quietly, Guild Master Logita spoke again.
“The theme of Pankrotos is straightforward. It’s about the magician known as Enok seated before you.”
“…”
“Today, we’ll discuss his circumstances. We can ask him questions, and likewise, he can ask us in return. I sincerely hope for an amicable resolution at the end of this dialogue.”
-Thud Thud
Logita began to tap a mallet against the round table, a blunt sound marking the start.
After laying the hammer down, Logita turned to Enok, who had been quite still.
“If it’s alright, you can start. You’re likely to have many questions as well.”
“Sure thing. I appreciate the courtesy.”
Enok saw no reason to decline.
Clearing his throat, he stood up.
“Well…”
-……
“First off, I’d like to say one thing to everyone here.”
Enok surveyed the Masters and the Guild Master, as he boldly declared,
“You lot are a bunch of idiots.”
“…?”
“Stop giving me those looks like I’m some kind of criminal. Do it before I come over and personally take care of it.”
That was a bit on the longer side for a first remark.
The assembly froze at once.