"I am Enklas. I apologize for the late introduction, but I am certainly not your enemy."
They sat down cautiously near each other, ready to discuss the whole situation. Konji immediately ordered Shenya and Chars to quickly return to the university, leaving only the other young man, Enklas, and himself.
Konji glanced briefly at Enklas, casually raising the pack of cigarettes in his hand. He abruptly interrupted Enklas's introduction with a surprisingly relaxed tone.
"Do you smoke?"
Enklas's expression momentarily shifted. His eyes widened slightly, as if Konji's question was the most unexpected thing he could have heard.
"...Yes, I like it very much."
Konji offered the pack of cigarettes to Enklas, cracking a faint smile—a smile that revealed a hint of gentleness, unlike his usual cold demeanor.
"Take it... I don't know how to."
Fanet, the young man who had once shared the same cruel experience with them, stood motionless with his arms crossed by the wall. He said nothing, simply listening to the conversation of the two men in silence and carefully observing the passersby. He was acting perfectly as a silent protector. From that long silence, Fanet finally decided to speak, his voice soft but full of hope: "Mr. Konji... I'm Fanet... Do you remember me?"
Konji spun around quickly without thinking! His eyes widened slightly, a rare reaction for this normally composed man.
"Oh my god... You're Fanet?"
Konji walked steadily toward Fanet, fixing his gaze on his close friend's face. Fanet continued to speak with a confident and sincere voice, but began to feel an invasion of his personal space. Konji reached out, gently took Fanet's hand, and turned it over to examine his fingers one by one, meticulously checking for any scratches or damage. Then, Konji raised his other hand and lightly touched the bridge of Fanet's nose, moved his gaze to his ear, and finally settled on his sharp eyes, staring deeply with a teasing smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"Wow... It looks like every single part of you is still intact, isn't it? I thought you might have left something behind somewhere."
Fanet didn't react to the tease, but took a breath to regain his composure. He looked up, meeting Konji's eyes with intense seriousness.
" ...I'm not a scarecrow."
Silence lingered for a moment, a silence filled with images of the past and hopes for the future, forcing both of them to reflect on the true meaning. Konji showed a sincere look, contrasting with his usual habit of narrowing his eyes and smirking cunningly. He kept his gaze fixed on Fanet, but this time, Fanet was the one who narrowed his eyes and smirked cunningly, mimicking Konji's favorite gesture.
Seeing the two of them act this way, Enklas felt pressure and slowly stood up, managing an unwilling smirk. The spherical device emitted a soft "beep, beep..." sound in response. A deep red glow and a cunning smile appeared on Konji's face. He asked softly " How did you... let them catch you?"
Fanet's narrowed gaze remained, as if he was unwilling to open his eyes wider. But the mimicking smirk persisted.
"...They blindsided me."
"Someone of your caliber got blindsided..." Konji burst out laughing, a genuine smile forming at the corner of his mouth before he could stop it. He quickly backed away from Fanet.
Fanet Silvertail, a young man full of paranoia and anxiety, was deep down a quick thinker who analyzed situations faster than most. This man was none other than his dearest friend, whom he constantly bickered with about who was better. Despite that, Konji had always been several steps ahead, leading Fanet to become an ordinary mage who was easily defeated.
In the quiet of the night, the three men remained there, in a dark corner of the city. A few people passed by pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. They were all deep in thought, seeking a way to counter the future threat.
"I saw a young man who just... transferred to the university on his first day. I'm very interested in him Bakvik Warwison... Just seeing him once, I knew this guy had to be superior to many others,"
Konji spoke with an arrogant look, though his face and smirk remained teasing. His hands hugged the double-bladed sword that was plunged into the ground.
Fanet, who was sitting next to him, slowly widened his eyes, though he chose to hide all his emotions.
"...What do you see in him? And do you know his history?"
Enklas sat to Konji's left, silently listening to the conversation while tossing the smart sphere up and down like a small ball. This action indicated that he was starting to adapt to Konji's style.
"...I think... I made a big mistake. That guy transferred to the Vezé for a month." Konji's tone changed; his smile faded, leaving behind only confusion about fate.
Suddenly, Enklas's eyes snapped wide open, and he almost jolted up as if he had been electrocuted. Konji and Fanet both flinched and turned in the same direction instantly. Fanet quickly asked:
"What's wrong?"
His breath hitched abruptly, his heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. His face was pale. Enklas slowly turned to look at the two men, his face white, but his gaze fixed on Konji.
"...Bakvik Warwison is being hunted!!!"
Immediately, everything fell silent. Only the previous words still echoed, sending shockwaves through Konji and Fanet. Enklas continued to stare intently at Konji, as if this man was the one he feared the most at that moment. Fanet lunged forward and grabbed Enklas's collar tightly, clenching it until the veins in his neck bulged. His eyes were filled with fury.
"...How do you know this?!?"
Enklas's breath was uneven, and his eyes flickered. His left hand quickly hid the smart sphere behind his back. Fanet tightened his grip on the collar even more, making Enklas feel squeezed and struggle to breathe.
"Tell me now, who is hunting him?"
Enklas quickly grabbed Fanet's hand and immediately pushed him away.
" ...You are a Parares....."
Fanet's eyes widened on his still-furious face, which caused Enklas to freeze momentarily. At the tips of Fanet's ten fingers, a faint purple light glowed beneath his nails—a light as bright as a deadly flame ready to destroy everything.
"...You are one of them!!"
"...I thought so from the beginning. You're completely untrustworthy. Tell me all your wickedness!" The purple light slowly emanated from beneath Fanet's nails as his steps gradually brought him closer to Enklas.
"I'll give you 10 seconds... Tell me your true nature."
Enklas slowly backed away in fear. Sweat poured down his face in panic. Konji remained still, looking down silently with his trusted sword plunged into the ground near his feet.
"...Please listen to me first. I'm not one of them anymore!! I ran away from them."
The tips of Fanet's fingers glowed from the overflowing mana within. A magical weapon quickly formed, looking like tangled roots. He spoke with a decisive voice,
"Tell me everything!"
Konji sat behind Fanet, head bowed and seemingly paying no attention to the current situation. Silence consumed him. The cunning smile had vanished. He then lifted his head slightly, revealing eyes as sharp as a hawk's. His right hand slowly and gently raised his sword, without turning his body, but instead pointing the tip toward Fanet and Enklas, who were clashing. His voice dropped to a hoarse, emotionless whisper. He muttered the word "Pileka" as if secretly casting a spell without anyone hearing.
His sword shot out so fast that their senses couldn't register it in time. It narrowly missed the foreheads of both Enklas and Fanet before embedding itself firmly into the wall.
Both men instantly pulled away from each other in shock. The power at Fanet's fingertips vanished in the blink of an eye. From being moments away from killing each other, they now turned to stare at Konji in utter astonishment.
"Shut up, you idiots."
Konji slowly turned his face slightly, letting them see the change in his eyes.
"I didn't think you were this kind of person, Fanet. Is this what mages do? No wonder those Kamans wanted to hunt mages."
Fanet, who had been uncontrollably furious, instantly calmed down. He stood stiff, like a stone statue, but his eyes never left Konji. Enklas slowly backed away from Fanet and quietly moved closer to Konji.
Konji used an electric lighter to light a cigarette, then handed the pack to Enklas. Enklas reluctantly accepted the cigarette pack, yielding to the situation. During this, Konji spoke:
"Sort out your own problems first, before you go and die for someone else."