READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 16
“Pankratos.”
This refers to an interrogation session that takes place in the society of wizards.
The meeting process is simple. Under the leadership of the guild leader, wizards gather, and then they interrogate and punish the wrongdoer as they see fit.
One peculiar point is that the session doesn’t always end in punishment.
The reason is equally simple.
It’s because wizards are rather high-tier individuals.
‘The fact that wizards think differently from ordinary folks plays a part as well.’
Enoch’s crime amounted to using magic without a proper license.
And that’s not exactly a big crime either.
It’s likely that even the guild leader himself feels the same way.
No need to look far; weren’t those separatist guys brazenly using magic all over the place?
With such types around, would they really punish someone who was cooperative enough to walk in on their own?
No way! It’s only natural to think they could at least communicate and possibly cooperate.
Plus, Enoch was dealing with enemies of the empire after all.
If anything, he’d deserve a reward, not punishment, so the chances of Pankratos ending in a punishment were slim.
‘That’s exactly what I was aiming for.’
Believing in this fact, Enoch cast a wide provocation.
After all, most meetings tend to end with appropriate punishments. Again, the true goal of Pankratos isn’t punishing wizards but determining their future treatment.
Put simply, making a fuss isn’t going to cause major issues.
-Ahem…
-Such frivolous…
-Tsk…
Enoch’s expectations hit the nail on the head.
It would probably just end with some tongue-clicking. The wizards in the background were subtly avoiding Enoch’s gaze.
From their reactions, Enoch sensed two things.
‘Half are avoiding me, the other half are angry. The latter are probably the empire’s fundamentalists. I don’t need to worry about the rest.’
Those who disliked him were most likely the fundamentalists.
The fundamentalists were the ones directly affected by the antics of unlicensed wizards.
In other words, they were the bureaucrats working for the empire, not for the magic tower or guild.
Additionally, they were the ones most averse to illegal wizard Enoch.
‘Seems pretty cold toward someone who helped deal with the separatists. Are they worried about their reputation or their livelihoods.’
Smirking, Enoch turned his gaze back to the mid-tier wizards around the round table.
“Let’s calm down. Ignore their actions.”
The guild leader, Logita, sighed and tried to calm them.
The water tower chief, Jane, reacted to this.
“Why? It’s refreshing to see. It’s true those guys’ glares are annoying.”
“Even so, saying it outright is another matter. And included among those over there are people from your tower as well?”
“I don’t care about that. I’m not their babysitter. How long should I put up with their nonsense? Honestly, I’ve never liked the way they look at me every time Pankratos opens.”
Jane sarcastically laughed while puffing on her water pipe.
The guild leader sighed softly.
Through the smoke and sighs, Jane’s gaze shifted to Enoch.
“As I mentioned earlier, yes.”
Enoch replied, still focused on Jane.
“At least you’re confident. No matter what others say, one should never bend their attitude.”
“I agree.”
“Really? But what do I do? I’m not particularly fond of you.”
Jane smiled and exhaled smoke, adding, “Sorry, but I lean more towards the fundamentalists. I believe we must live according to the law, regardless.”
“Is that so? That’s a bit surprising.”
“Yeah, right? But there’s no way around it. If people like us lived without the constraints of law, what would happen to the world?”
“Chaos would ensue. For a long time.”
“Exactly. It’d be like humans annihilating each other while monsters invade. I’ve always tried to live fluidly. I really don’t want to go against the current.”
As Jane spoke, she tilted her head slightly. Her eyes were now filled with a cold indifference, not curiosity.
“But you’re going against that current.”
“True. Not having a license isn’t a big crime. It’s just the severity that’s the issue. I heard you handled those separatists quite easily. Am I right?”
Separatists.
The mention of that word barely raised Enoch’s eyebrows.
The water tower chief, Jane, was as her name suggests, living in flow.
She didn’t push to the front and merely flowed as told.
There were times when she got mad, but she didn’t have the personality to go against the tide without reason.
So seeing her spearhead the criticism of Enoch was oddly mismatched.
It was also strange for someone with minimal interest in worldly matters to specifically mention the separatists.
In other words, there must have been an order of sorts.
The control of the meeting had somehow shifted to Jane.
For the host, the guild leader should’ve ideally stopped her.
However, all that was seen was the guild leader quietly watching the situation unfold.
Even the other tower chiefs were the same.
If there hadn’t been any prior discussion, this atmosphere wouldn’t have been possible.
‘So the water tower chief leads, others support, and in the end, it’s the guild leader who concludes? Poor Jane seems to have drawn the short straw.’
“Could you answer? I heard you handled separatists, is that correct?”
Jane’s voice rang out again.
Before answering, Enoch took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
Reopening, his irises now glimmered with blue lightning and gold.
“What are you doing? Just because you’re silent—”
“That’s correct. I handled them directly.”
Enoch cut Jane off mid-sentence.
This was quite rude behavior toward figures akin to an emperor.
The mid-tier wizards observed with interest, while the other wizards in the background held their breath in trepidation.
Enoch realized that everyone present didn’t react even after seeing his eye flashes.
They were wielding a weapon they couldn’t see.
Enoch chuckled inwardly.
“…Really?”
In the silence, Jane opened her mouth again.
“So you handled separatists. Good. Then for the next question—”
“Tower Chief.”
“?”
Once more, her words were cut off.
Jane was secretly displeased but, for now, looked at him as if asking why.
Directly facing her, Enoch calmly stated, “It’s best to avoid unnecessary exchanges like this.”
“…Unnecessary?”
“You don’t feel the intent behind the questions or see the need for that. So it’s best to stop being a mere conduit transmitting others’ words. This isn’t a place fit for a high-ranking tower chief.”
As Enoch said this, he turned his gaze away.
Again, it was quite a rude attitude to display before someone akin to an emperor.
“…Huh.”
It was natural that Jane clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Following this, the wizards in the background collectively stood up, unleashing their anger.
-How rude!
-How dare you speak such nonsense in such security!
-Guild Leader! We can’t let such blasphemy slide!
The meeting room quickly became chaotic.
With so many people, even a single comment soon turned into a cacophony.
Ka-zhak!
-Ugh!
-Wha, ice?
Calming the chaos was Ice Tower Chief Nordila.
As he blinked, sharp ice spikes sprouted instantly, drawing a line wherever his gaze landed.
“Everyone, calm down. We are not in a meeting now.”
-…
“I sincerely hope you keep this old man’s dignity.”
With the old man’s words, silence returned.
As things settled down, Nordila looked at Enoch, as if asking if it was okay.
It seemed like, although he had heard prior words, he didn’t really want to cooperate.
Enoch, slightly bowing his head toward him, spoke again.
“From what I sense, the theme of this meeting is simple. It revolves around my identity as a person and how I will be treated moving forward.”
-…
“In that case, we can get straight to the point. There’s no need to waste time with pointless babble over separatists and such. The wizard’s path is always a shortcut. Am I wrong?”
Jane stayed silent in response.
Instead, the guild leader reacted.
“Does that mean you’re willing to speak openly?”
The guild leader asked with genuine interest.
His reaction was entirely reasonable.
A wizard sneaking around without a license mostly consists of master-less mages.
The reason they don’t bother getting licensed is straightforward.
The moment they obtain a license and register as mages, some of the information regarding magic starts to spread to the world, even if just a bit.
In other words, it’s like exposing the very essence of magic that has been passed down through generations.
So logically, it’s something that lineage mages wouldn’t like.
However, Enoch was suggesting to veer away from convention and head straight for shortcuts.
This was quite an enticing proposal for the guild leader, who internally viewed him as being a lineage mage.
“Enoch, I’m curious about your intentions. If you truly cooperate, I won’t resort to such petty means. And—”
“Hold on. Hold on, hold on.”
The guild leader’s words were interrupted mid-sentence.
Logita was secretly displeased, but she couldn’t stop whoever it was that interrupted right now.
That was because it was Jane, who had the most unpleasant experience due to Logita’s actions, stepping forward.
“Why are you taking the lead? I haven’t finished my thoughts yet.”
“Jane.”
“Shut up. Quiet down. And you, Enoch, what did you say to me earlier? Saying we should stop the pointless exchanges? Who asked you to?”
Jane frowned, speaking in a displeased tone.
It was evident that her hand clenched tightly around the pipe, fueled by anger.
It seemed she had been bothered by being interrupted continuously and completely sidelined.
“Jane. For now, let’s calm down. It may be different from what was agreed, but isn’t the conversation progressing well?”
The guild leader intervened, trying to cool the heat.
Jane scoffed at him.
The liquid inside her water pipe was boiling and churning.
“From the beginning, I didn’t like that agreement. Why should we treat a lineage mage in such a manner? He isn’t even nobility!”
“I believe I mentioned that beforehand.”
“So what? No matter how much old man Nordila tried to step up, I can’t keep my concerns in check. At the very least, being overlooked by an impudent rookie isn’t something I can take lightly.”
As she said this, Jane got up from her seat.
The atmosphere was far from normal.
-Wait, shouldn’t we escape now?
-This situation seems a bit troubling.
The wizards in the background buzzed in unease.
A slightly flustered Logita glanced to the side.
Nordila, who had been silent thus far, kept his eyes closed, watching the situation unfold.
It seemed he felt it wasn’t his place to intervene.
‘It’s my karma.’
Logita, without realizing it, let out a sigh.
“Jane, I say again, calm down.”
“There’s no need to calm down. I’m simply educating a cheeky junior.”
“So could you refrain from that—Ugh, Raselin, Bergo, Sebek! You guys should stop her!”
In response to Logita’s words, Wind Tower Chief Sebek and Thunder Tower Chief Bergo shook their heads.
“Sorry, but she and I are just not compatible. Asking thunder to act against the sea is just too exhausting. Besides, Jane’s words aren’t necessarily wrong.”
“What?”
“Right? Jane respected your intentions by performing actions not suited for her. Therefore, you should also respect her fury, shouldn’t you?”
Thunder Tower Chief Bergo crossed his arms and closed his eyes, signaling he wouldn’t get involved.
“I feel the same. I’ve been cooped up inside this building long enough that I feel… I’d prefer to just crawl around.”
Wind Tower Chief Sebek weakly replied, almost slumped down on the floor.
“Damn it. Raselin, could you at least help!”
“I’m already doing it… Who do you think is keeping the capital from flooding?”
Earth Tower Chief Raselin had his face against the round table.
Jane’s fury had boiled over for a while now.
Thanks to that, the enormous canal piercing through the empire’s capital of Acroteon was gradually rising in level, empathizing with her anger.
If this situation continued unchecked, the entire capital could end up submerged.
It was Earth Tower Chief Raselin who had kept that in check throughout the meeting.
The moment he sensed that anomaly, he had been pushing the ground beneath the canal down, carefully controlling the water level.
“Got it? I’ll handle my own matters. So you, guild leader, take care of your own work.”
“If I step in, the capital’ll dry up! Oh, what’s my fate! Jane! This is your last warning! Stop!”
“Do you really think that’ll work? Since ancient times, the seas never let the arrogant sailors just be.”
The sea has always been a graveyard for arrogant adventurers.
And Jane was nothing short of a manifestation of water.
This meant she perfectly mirrored the sea’s whims.
With that, Raselin leaned back, giggling.
Logita felt as if her hair might fall out and hastily got to her feet.
“Damn it, the emperor will be throwing a fit.”
She couldn’t let Enoch get caught in this mess.
This left her with no choice.
Logita reached out to stop Jane.
In that instant, Nordila, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
“Wait, let’s stop for now.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Are we about to be drenched thanks to this touchy water-witch?”
“I’m just wondering… haven’t you been curious about Enoch’s magic? Isn’t now the perfect opportunity?”
With those subsequent words, Logita looked back at Enoch.
He was now staring fiercely at Jane.
In a normal scenario, a commoner would have crumbled under the pressure.
However, despite that, his demeanor remained unwavering.