Chapter 99. Pulsation (1)
"A genius, you say."
That meaningful remark lingered in Enoch's ears.
"I've seen a lot of people who do close combat while freelancing, but I've never seen anyone like you."
April asked, looking at me blankly.
Enoch almost flinched away from her gaze without realizing it. She probably hadn't figured out his identity, but he felt a little guilty for some reason.
Was it perhaps because Enoch already possessed the moniker of "Sword Genius" from the start? A slightly wry smile formed at the thought.
"It's strange to call that a genius."
"Well, I don't know. Engaging in ultra-close combat without even basic defensive magic on your body. Doesn't that make you nervous? I'd be trembling with fear, I'd never be able to do that."
"...It's hard to imagine fighting in close combat while holding a rifle-type magic gear like that."
"You're right, but that's not what I meant."
She added, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I'm not a combat mage who specializes in close combat either. But I know that avoiding all the magic flying at you in ultra-close range with your bare body is not normal?"
She pointed at Arcato, who was sitting on a bench outside the rest stop and puffing on a cigarette.
"Look at that old man too? He was fighting enemies only at mid-range, maintaining a suitable distance, right?"
Enoch nodded.
Combat mages, like that, usually maintain distance to be able to respond to the enemy's attacks in any situation. And they project firepower with their magic.
Even if they possessed means to move at high speed with magic or artifacts, it was ultimately for evasion and gaining a favorable position.
Cases of charging madly towards the enemy were rare.
"Of course, mages of Tier 10 or higher are so skilled that there are many monsters who perform just as proficiently in close combat as in mid-range..."
April said slowly.
"But from experience, no matter how veteran a combat mage is, they can't easily charge at the enemy without batting an eye while magic is raining down on them with their bare body."
Enoch felt a little tired and asked back.
"So, what's the conclusion?"
"That your reaction is clearly not that of a normal person."
"..."
Enoch glanced back at her for a moment.
April's insight had a sharp edge.
"So, to summarize my deduction..."
April stared blankly at Enoch's face, which was hidden in the shadow of his hood. As if possessed by something, she slowly opened her mouth.
"Perhaps you're... broken somewhere?"
She mused thoughtfully, muttering as if she herself didn't realize what she was saying.
Enoch stared at her calmly for a moment.
April looked at me like that for a moment, then suddenly, as if realizing something. "Ah!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth.
"Not! I didn't mean it in a bad way! That is, just..."
April suddenly became nervous all by herself, trembling and looking at me fearfully. And then she quickly waved her hand as if making an excuse.
"Hmm, hmm! They say geniuses are often lacking somewhere. So I was wondering if you don't feel any fear at all during combat..."
"No. That's not it."
Enoch replied lightly and turned his head.
Naturally, the fear of combat itself never leaves me. But I simply did what I had to do because there was no other option but to overcome it.
"And anyway, among Tier 10s, there must be plenty of skilled individuals who aren't afraid of close combat."
"Tch, how would I know that?"
She pouted and crossed her arms.
"I only see real Tier 10 combat mages from a distance or on the media. If I had to fight them at close range, I'd already be in the afterlife."
She glanced at me and smiled faintly.
"Though I did survive thanks to you today."
Perhaps thanks to her bright appearance with pinkish eyes and hair, her thank you sounded quite refreshing.
Enoch nodded.
"Indeed. It's not like Tier 10 mages and above are rolling around everywhere like in Elsyde."
"Elsyde? Have you been there?"
At her momentum, Enoch nodded.
It wasn't something he needed to deny having visited.
Moreover, for April, who saw him as a combat mage on par with Tier 10, denying it might sound even less credible.
Besides, he was genuinely curious about how people outside the fortress viewed Elsyde.
Including his own arbitrarily risen reputation.
"I have been there."
"Wow, I wish I could go. I want to visit the Elsyde fortress sometime. It must be wide and sparkling, right?"
"Well. It's not always like that."
Yes, the places that aren't like that are definitely not.
Enoch knew that better than anyone.
Images of the sparsely populated facilities within the fortress that were neglected automatically flashed through Enoch's mind. Especially the basement where Enoch's training room was.
"Oh come on, surely not. It's the famous Main House fortress, isn't it?"
April gave him a suspicious look, while he inwardly swallowed a slightly wry smile.
Enoch answered truthfully.
"It's true."
"Well. I don't believe it, but I guess it doesn't matter since I won't have any connection to a place like that my whole life anyway."
"No connection, you say? You're being recognized as a freelancer, aren't you? Do you have no intention of working for Elsyde?"
Enoch asked, glancing at her rifle.
"Even so, it's just a workaround that relies on the characteristics of the magic gear. Firearm-type magic gear gives me decent firepower as a mere Tier 15, as long as the conditions are met."
As she said. The biggest advantage of firearm-type magic gear was its overwhelming dominance at long range.
But as such, it was also a magic gear with significant limitations.
For example, just to name a few: limited ammunition, gun maintenance, malfunctions, limited types of compatible magic, and so on.
It was also a magic gear that required sacrificing quite a bit.
Because of that, there were starkly divided preferences among combat mages who had to fight in all sorts of situations. Saying it was a workaround using magic gear was definitely true.
Of course, maximizing the advantages of magic gear was also a skill in combat, and many Tier 10s and above also used them.
"Isn't it just a confidence issue?"
She shrugged.
"I know I'm lacking as a mage. And Elsyde members have incredible bloodlines, don't they? Their mana sensitivity is different from birth."
Enoch did not reply.
Although it was often said that magical talent was determined by bloodline, I was an exception. The fact felt even more absurd.
April leaned back against the backrest and said.
"I can't even dream of Elsyde anyway. I'll have to earn money as a freelancer and try to make a fortune through gambling!"
"...Gambling?"
"Of course! Believe it or not, I'm incredibly good at betting? I make quite a bit of money betting on horse races and tournament arenas!"
She said, her eyes sparkling.
"I'll turn my life around with one big score!"
I somehow understood why she worked as a freelancer with high pay and couldn't escape the Outskirts. Enoch looked at her with a somewhat pitying gaze.
'But I also understand it.'
He knew how much dopamine gacha could provide.
If anything, Atlas, the Magic Empire itself, was a collectible gacha game, so enough said.
"I'm a woman who the goddess of probability smiles upon. If I bet and pray desperately, I'll win!"
"..."
Enoch was silently watching the irresponsible freelancer babbling before him.
Just then, she hit her palm with her fist.
"Ah. Speaking of Elsyde, have you heard of Deputy Commander Teano of the Nemesis Knight Order?"
Enoch flinched slightly.
Naturally, she was a person I knew very, very well. The lady knight who had accompanied me to the Beast-kin village before. She was still one of the people I felt somewhat awkward around.
"I think I have a rough idea."
"Speaking of Elsyde. Among the famous people from there, she's my role model."
"A role model, you say. Why?"
April looked at me with a strange expression.
"Well, she's a famous person among combat mages who use firearm-type magic gear, isn't she? Especially among pistol users, she's one of the top. The top."
...I didn't know that.
Certainly, I still didn't know much about Teano. But I guess she wasn't the Deputy Commander of Nemesis for nothing.
"You seem excited talking about Elsyde."
"Of course! It's one of the hottest places in the Empire. Lots of interesting things happen there, don't they?"
She took out her terminal and scrolled through the screen, saying with amusement.
"Oh right! I guess you know this, right? That direct lineage member, 'Enoch Elsyde', is a huge topic these days."
Enoch swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
Although he had brought it up with the intention of hearing that information, he always felt a pang in his chest whenever his reputation was acknowledged.
April, unaware, continued to chatter.
"Did he solve some kind of Beast-kin rebellion alone? It's probably not made up, but isn't that kind of amazing? He's even about three years younger than me."
"..."
Unexpectedly, hearing my own story told so openly was a bit embarrassing. I only felt like I had asked unnecessarily. Deciding to cut her off appropriately, Enoch picked up the conversation.
"Enoch Elsyde, you say. Why are you suddenly bringing that up?"
She shrugged.
"Well, I guess I'm curious to see him in person sometime? Since he's such a hot topic, I'm curious."
Enoch silently watched April.
Listening to her, he was honestly a little curious.
If she knew that the person talking to her now, with his hood and mask pulled down, was the person she was talking about, what would her reaction be?
Enoch quietly swallowed that question inwardly.
...Of course, there was no reason to tell her that, though.
At least for now.
***
SIEG Industry headquarters.
When Enoch returned to the private reception room by taking the direct elevator for authorized personnel in the basement (Elena had said there were such facilities scattered throughout the building), which Elena herself had shown him earlier.
As soon as he opened the door of the familiar reception room and stepped inside, he was greeted by none other than Sirocco.
She seemed to have been sleeping for a long time, as she rubbed her eyes and approached him in short steps.
"Sirocco."
Snap.
For some reason. Sirocco suddenly grabbed Enoch's waist and, bringing her nose close, began sniffing him.
Enoch, who had been silently watching Sirocco doing that beside him, asked a perfectly rational question.
"What are you doing?"
"Heh."
She glanced up at me with a pouty look, then her ears above her head twitched once.
"As expected, I smell another female."
"What?"
Startled by the sudden remark, Enoch looked at her.
But she glanced at him, wagged her tail once, then returned to the reception room sofa and lay down.
Seeing how comfortable her lying position was, even if she said she was bored, she seemed to have already comfortably settled in the private reception room.
Sirocco said, looking at him in that posture.
"You're late. I'm tired of waiting."
"For someone who says that, you seem to have slept well."
"Huh. How did you know?"
Sirocco ran her hands through her hair, then looked at her red hair sticking out to the side in the mirror.
Then she combed it with her fingers and said.
"Yeah. Because I'm full and warm. But it's also true that I'm tired. I couldn't go even one step outside of here."
"That's right. Because you shouldn't be seen."
"I'm booooored—."
Sirocco brushed off the cracker crumbs on her white cheek, covered her mouth, yawned, then stretched leisurely and glared at me.
"So. Are you done with everything you needed to do?"
"For now."
Replying like that, Enoch looked at Sirocco for a moment. She seemed much more bored than he had expected.
"That's a little unexpected."
"What? What is?"
"You heard there was a clash on my side, right?"
It was unlikely that Elena hadn't conveyed the fact that a battle had occurred to Sirocco, who was his follower family.
"Yeah. The brown-haired one told me."
"So I thought you'd be anxious."
Naturally, if Enoch were seriously injured, it would certainly be a disadvantage for Sirocco herself.
As long as the rise and fall of the Beast-kin tribe depended on Sirocco's activities as a follower family. Enoch's safety would also be something Sirocco had to consider.
But.
Sirocco's answer immediately after completely erased Enoch's calculating thoughts based on self-interest.
"Heh? Well, you said you were fine, didn't you?"
Sirocco looked at Enoch with a detached expression.
"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there? Especially since you said it. It's not just anyone saying it."
She was staring at me clearly with eyes like rubies, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
At her eyes filled with such complete trust, Enoch shook his head without realizing it.
"Never mind. I said something unnecessary."
"Heh, what."
Sirocco snorted once and crossed her arms.
Just then, the reception room door opened with a bang, and Elena, who appeared suddenly, threw herself into my arms.
"Ah, Lord Enoch!"
She looked up at me and shouted urgently.
"A-Are you alright? The freelancers reported to me that you engaged in combat with a Tier 10 Black Mage...!"
Seeing that her complexion was somewhat pale, it was interesting how completely different her reaction was compared to Sirocco.
Indeed, Elena must have been much more anxious, as she hadn't seen his combat and couldn't gauge his skill.
Furthermore, she might have been worried about the worst-case scenario where a direct lineage member of the Elsyde family got hurt or died while carrying out her request.
It was probably both.
Enoch nodded.
"Somehow."
"Hoo... As expected, you are alright, aren't you? I'm so relieved..."
Only after confirming my face, which was answering her questions normally, did Elena seem to calm down, placing a hand on her chest and looking like she was recovering.
But her expression, which was becoming increasingly visible at close range, was tinged with a different emotion instead of anxiety.
"Heh heh. As expected, it was the right choice!"
"What was?"
She seemed to have calmed down a bit. She brushed a strand of her glossy brown hair over her shoulder, then looked at me and said with a confident gaze.
"As expected, I was right! Proposing a personal sponsorship to Lord Enoch was the correct answer!"
Still in the position she had leaped into, holding onto his chest, she said with a somewhat ecstatic expression.
"Even though I was worried you might get injured, with this, Lord Enoch is clearly my sponsor!"
"Good. Then let's get to the main point."
Enoch looked directly at her and said.
"I will tell you what I would like to order for custom manufacturing."
"Understood! What kind of item? Will it be an artifact or magic gear for Lord Enoch to use? If so, first your requirements and body size..."
Seeing Elena nodding with sparkling eyes, Enoch slowly shook his head.
"No. It's not for me to use."
He glanced at Sirocco and said.
"I intend to give it to my follower family first."
Yes. He had intended this from the start.
Anyway, using magic gear wasn't even an option for him.
Most artifacts used exclusively by mages were also impossible for him to use.
Nevertheless, the biggest reason he had accepted SIEG Industry's, or more precisely, Elena Sieg's personal sponsorship offer, was solely this:
"I wanted to lay the groundwork for nurturing my follower families."
His heart pounded at the sound of his own words.
Finally.
From now on, the preparations for truly nurturing his follower families in reality were also gradually being completed.