When I logged into the game and opened my eyes, the scene continued from where I had last seen it before logging out.
There was Notum, the group of Leadflow school mages who had gathered to listen to the story, and the wolfkin. And in the shadow under the table, an old dark mage was fidgeting like a shadow.
"Got it? As soon as we get there, find a secluded spot and take care of that brat."
The words of the dark mage, which Ian had said outside, came to mind.
'Hmm. Dark mage, dark mage... I need to confirm. If he really has connections with the Mute faction, information will leak out.'
The professor glanced at the old man crouched in the shadow under the desk. Most of the water mages were commoners, and since Othman, the water mage, was such a kind person, he didn't seem to have much resistance to dealing with the wolfkin and trolls. However, they weren't exactly approaching him casually. It's understandable. Even people meeting for the first time need time to get along, and the people gathered here had different professions, races, and reasons for being captured. There was no common ground.
From a distance, the distance between them was obvious. A cluster of water mages, Notum and Borka as one group, and the dark mage, who was separated from the rest, formed another cluster. This won't do. If we're going to work together, we at least need to be able to greet each other.
'Hmm. There's something perfect for breaking the awkward atmosphere and getting everyone to warm up to each other. Since there's no one from the Order nearby, I guess I'll have to do it.'
Clap, clap, clap!
After finishing his thoughts, the professor clapped to draw everyone's attention and pulled a chair in front of the table where the dark mage was hiding.
"Hey, pay attention! Everyone, please gather over here!"
...
Rustle, rustle.
Shuffling feet.
Most people followed without much hesitation, though they were a bit reluctant. This wasn't because the professor had any particular leadership. The situation had made it so.
'They're all in the same position, captured. Being locked up without any information must be unsettling and frustrating. When someone steps forward and acts like they know something, people tend to gather out of curiosity, thinking, "Let's see what they have to say."'
The professor, watching the gathering people, organized his thoughts. Now, he planned to shock everyone here a bit.
"Grwo-. Five, six chairs. Notum, sit down."
"Huh? No, no. You can just sit on the floor."
"Grwo."
Notum's compliance also helped guide the others. The Leadflow school mages, who had a good impression of the professor, followed, and Borka, the wolfkin, had no choice but to sit at the table.
Of course, there were exceptions. The dark mage, who was still hiding naked under the table, was one of them.
"Hmph! I have no reason to listen to you..."
"Sir, that's enough. If you find the light uncomfortable, what can I do? I gathered everyone here so you could listen from there. Just stay put. Oh, do you want something to cover yourself?"
The professor rummaged through his inventory and pulled out a curtain cloth he used to use as a bag.
[Item: Filthy Curtain of the Mandelius Family: A curtain from the Mandelius family. It's tough and durable, but very dirty with dust and blood caked on it.]
'Hmm, if I had known, I would have washed it. I don't want him to get angry, do I?'
With a slightly uneasy heart, he extended the dirty cloth. To his surprise, the old man's face lit up, and he snatched the cloth, covering his head with it. Despite the foul smell, a satisfied groan escaped his lips instead of a complaint.
"Ugh. Much better. Thank you, young man."
"Don't thank me. I'm a mage too, so I can roughly guess what state you're in."
Tobrun, a low-level magic item, was rotting, and the Order of Light, which had as much money as its influence, had the room brightly lit with magic lamps despite it being hours after sunset.
An incredibly bright environment. The dark mage, who had spoken of dark mana, and his sensitive, nervous reaction.
'If you throw a water mage into a dry desert, they'd react similarly. Mages often identify their bodies with the elements they control. The Order's robes are infused with the Order of Light's holy power, so they emit a bit of light. The old man must have taken them off because he couldn't bear it. And he crawled under the table where it was less bright.'
In this sense, the tough and thick curtain fabric became his best hiding place. The dark mage, who had covered himself with the curtain instead of sitting in a chair, pushed an empty chair away to show his willingness to participate.
Good. At least the atmosphere for everyone to talk has been set.
Once everyone was seated, the professor stood up and said:
"Alright, since everyone's gathered, let's start the explanation. First, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Professor. I'm in the same position as you, captured by the Order, but unlike you, I've been given command over this group of prisoners."
The professor, looking at the people who were watching him, immediately dropped the polite tone he had been using. A deliberate shift in atmosphere. As soon as he spoke, the previously curious atmosphere became noticeably uncomfortable.
'First, let's make them understand the reality.'
He had been thinking about this since he arrived. The imbalance in the types of prisoners, supply issues, and everything else was based on the assumption that these people would take their mission seriously. But thinking about it, that was impossible, right? Whether it's you or me, if we're captured and face the threat of death?
'You'd run away. No, you wouldn't even need a crisis. Once you're far enough from Tobrun, you'd probably say, "It was fun while it lasted," and go your separate ways.'
Lack of goal orientation. It was the biggest problem and the first thing to solve.
'I'd like to persuade each of them one by one, but there's no time for that.'
"Cough! Command, you say. So, you're... going to give us orders?"
The professor nodded at Othman's uncomfortable tone.
"Yes. More precisely, I have the authority to evaluate your actions as 'suspected traitors' and to execute you if I judge you to be disloyal to the mission."
"Execute...?"
"To return you to where you belong. Not the bright and airy accommodation we're in now, but the underground prison where the grace of Ro-Haram will beat your brain to mush."
Swoosh-
'Wow, that's a cold one.'
The atmosphere, which had been somewhat uncomfortable, now turned as cold as ice. Of course. If a stranger suddenly walked in and said, "Follow my orders or I'll execute you," it would be a problem if everyone was still friendly.
From here on, I need to walk a fine line. The professor, moistening his dry lips, continued without regard for the icy atmosphere.
"Don't you find it strange? The Order, which usually only thinks of execution for heresy or dark magic, is keeping alive a mage who was captured by the Red Mute, a wolfkin and a troll who aren't even considered human, and a dark mage who openly uses dark mana. It doesn't make sense. Even you, who are now clammed up, must have wondered, 'Why aren't the terrible things that should happen, happening? Why am I still here, joking around, when everything is so different from the rumors?'"
The professor's words were met with an even heavier silence. He had laid the raw questions on the table, the very things that had been troubling them.
Now, with the table set with suspicion and unease, it was time to feed them the reality with a spoon.
Click.
The professor took out the Order's holy relic, [Nelfia's Light], from around his neck and placed it on the table. Even someone ignorant of the sacred and mysterious would recognize the holy light emanating from the hollow oval decoration.
The professor, slowly and deliberately, spoke to the people overwhelmed by the light.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm a F-rank mercenary from Turan, a first-tier water mage of the Leadflow school, and a hero blessed by the Order of Light. This holy relic proves that my will is in line with the Order's. If anyone disobeys the Order's mission, I have the authority to execute them in the name of the Order."
As despair and sticky anger spread among the gathered people, the professor drove the point home.
"So, if you want to live, you'll have to obey me, 'suspected traitors.'"
***
The all-purpose persuasion method, the carrot and the stick. So far, he had used the stick harshly to reveal the reality they faced and to instill a sense of compulsion through fear and threats.
'Now, it's time to put down the stick and offer the carrot.'
Just as the professor was about to soften his approach to the frozen people,
"Spit! Dirty humans. So, you're saying that if we don't want to die, we have to obey you?!"
Borka, the wolfkin, who had been sitting in a chair, leaped up and stood in front of the professor, challenging him with a defiant tone.
'Hmm... I need to put the carrot on hold for a moment.'
The professor, who had roughly grabbed the wolfkin's right arm, slowly and threateningly called out his name.
"Wolfkin! Notum, Daloon."
Borka, who had been attacking the professor, answered with a fierce laugh.
"Was my explanation lacking?"
Borka, in response to the professor's calm question, grinned provocatively.
"No, I didn't need to hear it. By the spirits of the ancient forest, I vowed never to be a human's slaveā!"
At the end of his sentence, Borka lunged at the professor.
Whoosh!
The professor, barely dodging the claws, saw his hair being cut by the razor-sharp claws and blurted out the first word that came to mind.
"Revenge!"
Swoosh!
Instead of a response, claws came flying at him.
'Damn! Not revenge? Then...'
"Clan's wish! There's a relic of the lycanthropes in Rodric...!"
"I see. You won't shut up even at the moment of death. I'll have to cut out your tongue to make you stop!"
Swoosh!
Rip!
'Ah! Damn! My hand! What should I do? Just punch him? If I beat him up here, I'll lose him forever! Ugh... I can't lose the only intact member of the squad... I can't...!'
Borka's attack paused for a moment at the professor's scream-like word. Seeing his reaction, the professor inwardly cheered.
'Jackpot! That's it! Get angrier! Think about it! If you die, the future of the kidnapped children is lost! You can't just die as you please, Borka!'
Rekindling his fading will with the fire of anger and binding him with the leash of responsibility to prevent him from giving up.
'I'll make you beg me to let you carry out the Order's mission!'
The professor, seeing Borka approaching with a fury that made his skin tingle, smiled even more wickedly.
***
"....Borka, Daloon."
The wolfkin was sitting right next to the professor. When the professor slowly and threateningly called his name, Borka answered with a fierce laugh.
"Was my explanation lacking?"
Borka, in response to the professor's calm question, grinned provocatively.
"No, I didn't need to hear it. By the spirits of the ancient forest, I vowed never to be a human's slaveā!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Borka lunged at the professor.
Whoosh!
The professor, barely dodging the claws, saw his hair being cut by the razor-sharp claws and blurted out the first word that came to mind.
"Revenge!"
Swoosh!
Instead of a response, claws came flying at him.
'Damn! Not revenge? Then...'
"Clan's wish! There's a relic of the lycanthropes in Rodric...!"
"I see. You won't shut up even at the moment of death. I'll have to cut out your tongue to make you stop!"
Swoosh!
Rip!
'Ah! Damn! My hand! What should I do? Just punch him? If I beat him up here, I'll lose him forever! Ugh... I can't lose the only intact member of the squad... I can't...!'