When Angus finally left the academy grounds, the atmosphere around became lighter.
In the meantime, Baston did not immediately show his relief.
He waited until the carriage that was bearing the crest of the great wizard disappeared beyond the distant gates. He waited until the murmurs of the admiration faded. He waited until the tension loosened its invisible grip.
Only then, he allowed himself to exhale since the past few days had been suffocating.
Angus was not merely powerful but he was also perceptive. That was the true danger. He was a powerful man that could be avoided yet his perceptive was harder to escape.
Baston had done everything he could. He performed his humility, he revealed his strength, and he allowed the suspicion to settle somewhere else. Eventually, he fed the story that everyone preferred to believe.
He was just a lucky poor boy and everything came by a coincidence. His talent that was awakened by the guidance was simply his lucky fate. It was safer that way, but still, the thought lingered.
Did Angus truly leave without a doubt?
He doubted it but doubt without a proof was harmless. Until he grew stronger, staying low remained the correct strategy.
Ironically, it had been easier before he revealed his strength. Back then, he was simply the fat poor boy who was living in the damp underground dormitory. He was overlooked, mocked, and harmless.
Most of the time, he was invisible. Even though so, some students were crueler than Panto. The bullies did not require the reasons since they required only the targets.
Once someone was labeled weak, the label became permanent. They would press, test, and push until something broke. It had never been about their satisfaction. It had always been about their vanity.
He understood that and yet, he chose to show his ice magic anyway because his weakness invited the endless oppression but his strength invited the caution.
The academy protected talent since all wizards were the assets.
They were valuable resources and investments. Even the nobles had limits when facing something the academy deemed as precious. As long as he remained useful, he would not be easily crushed.
That was the calculation. The moment he revealed his ice magic publicly, the academy responded quickly.
The instruments were brought out again. The mana-measuring arrays were activated and the staff members observed with sharpened eyes. It was the same instrument that once showed the impossible numbers.
This time, it did not malfunction because the readings stabilized and the score were indeed higher than Alicia's.
The result soon spread like wildfire, making Miss Pashan stood there speechless. After all, she remembered clearly the day of his first measurement.
It was an absurdly high number before a second reading that dropped dramatically. She had assumed the device had glitches. Truthfully, it had not.
The first result had been real. That realization unsettled more than just her because Baston had potential. It was not the ordinary potential but a hidden one.
The academy soon declared him as an official wizard candidate. It was truly such a rare case since the inheritances of magic were common among the nobles.
Alicia's wind magic came from the lineage since the families cultivated the bloodlines like precious vineyards.
For a poor boy to awaken the ice magic without pedigree, either he was exceptional, suspicious, or miraculous. The academy chose miraculous anyway. The poor and commoner students looked at him differently now since the hope flickered in their eyes.
If Baston could rise, perhaps the hierarchy was not absolute. Anyway, the merchant class remained neutral because they calculated everything. If he continued rising, they would invest accordingly.
For the nobles, they were silent. That silence was heavy since their pride had been wounded twice in a short span of time.
First, the explosion incident then Baston just appeared out of nowhere.
The investigation regarding the cafeteria explosion concluded quickly but not quietly since the culprits were the noble students.
At first, they denied everything. They threatened to report the academy for slander. They invoked their family names like shields, but unfortunately, the evidence was unyielding.
The magic circle fragments had been traced. The purchase of rare ink and the catalyst components was documented. The witnesses had seen several suspicious exchanges.
When the academy suggested that the kingdom itself might investigate and the recklessness could be interpreted as endangering the public safety, the nobles magically shifted the tone.
The nobles often possessed the influence but many did not possess the courage. Under the pressure, they confessed.
They claimed it was meant as the harmless mischief. It was just a prank against the cafeteria head. They did not know the circle was unstable since they had acquired it from the outside.
That phrase lingered in Baston's mind when he overheard it in passing. He also wondered where the exact location at this outside.
Apparently, the academy suspended them immediately.
Some noble families protested but the academy stood firm. Quietly, it was understood that once those students returned home, the punishment would not be light.
The noble households valued their reputation above all. If the academy truly wished, they could escalate the matter into a political scandal. Surely, they did not for now and those noble families should be grateful that the tension simmered beneath the surface.
Baston did not involve himself in the matter.
There was no performance reward attached and there was no benefit. Anyway, he preferred thinking about his next meal. And yet, the atmosphere around him changed when several whispers followed his steps.
"Look at him… He's stronger than Alicia…"
"Angus must have personally trained him…"
"It's impossible, otherwise…"
"He was just lucky…"
The word of lucky amused him. Luck was simply the unseen preparation which was meeting the opportunity. However, if they preferred to believe in luck, he would not correct them. It was safer that way.
He had just turned toward his classroom one afternoon when a firm hand tapped his shoulder.
"Student Baston… The principal requests your presence…"
The corridor quickly calmed down. Many eyes turned on him and their curiosity sharpened toward the next event.
Baston blinked, "Now?"
"Yes... Please follow me…"
There was no room for refusal. He walked behind the teacher, aware of every whisper behind him. They entered an area of the academy that he had never seen before.
He finally went into the administrative grounds for the first time.
The gardens were meticulously maintained and the decorative mana lanterns floated silently in mid-air. The pathways were carved with intricate runes that glowed faintly beneath the stone. The atmosphere felt different since the power lived here quietly.
He had once heard that this section was even more luxurious than the noble student quarters. It was not because of vanity but because the authority required such presence.
That presence would be recognized once the strength was displayed. The teacher soon stopped before a tall door that was engraved with silver sigils. He knocked once, waiting for a reply.
"Enter…"
Inside, Baston was surprised to see Alicia already seated. Beside her, there was an unrecognized noble boy who looked at him differentially. He had sharp jaw, upright posture, and strict expression.
Unfortunately, he did not look pleased.
He took a seat, and the moments later, an elderly man entered.
He had white hair, calm eyes, and his robe was embroidered with deep blue threads that shimmered like the distant constellations. Even without introduction, Baston knew his identity.
He was Principal Viral, the one who stood above in Prius Academy.
"Good afternoon," the old man said gently, "I have called you here for an announcement."
His voice carried the authority without force, "In one week, our academy will participate in an inter-academy assembly."
Baston felt strange over the word of assembly. It was not tournament nor competition.
Alicia raised her hand, "What is the purpose of this assembly, Principal?"
"It is a formal gathering of junior representatives. There will be exchanges of knowledge, observation, discussion, and potential alliances."
The noble boy frowned slightly, "There will be no selection tournament?"
"No…"
Principal Viral folded his hands, "The invitation specifically requests the strongest junior students based on magical capacity anyway."
The silence echoed because the sentence pointed into one thing.
"If we send weaker representatives," the principal continued, "It implies disrespect toward the others."
"Still, some students may feel dissatisfied if we go by this arrangement," the noble boy insisted.
The principal's eyes flickered toward him briefly, "The strength is measurable but their dissatisfaction is not."
Baston kept his face neutral since he understood the tension. By raw magical power, he ranked first. Alicia ranked second and the noble boy supposedly ranked third. The hierarchy was visible now and it did not align with their status.
"Unless a stronger candidate emerges within a week," Principal Viral concluded, "The three of you will represent this academy."
The meeting then adjourned and the conclusion was simple plus decisive. When they exited, the noble boy did not introduce himself.
He merely walked ahead. Alicia lingered, waiting for Baston. The fat boy should be grateful but toward such treatment, he felt nothing.
"Do you think he'll cause problems?" she asked quietly.
"There's a possibility…" Baston replied calmly, "But if he behaves that way in front of the other academies, he'll embarrass himself."
"You should be the leader then."
"The leadership invites the responsibility and the responsibility invites the growth…" he glanced at her, "Also, it invites the trouble..."
She laughed softly since it was different from before. Their conversations used to revolve around the danger, but now, it felt lighter and less guarded. Alicia soon walked ahead after bidding farewell.
Unbeknownst to him, she felt equally unsettled.
The fat boy had changed slowly and it was not in the strength but in the tone. There was humor in the conversation now. He had confidence and not arrogance plus his behavior turned steadier.
She told herself it was simply a camaraderie that was forged through the shared danger. It was nothing more than that.
*****
The week passed quickly and the preparations were efficient. On the morning of the departure, a specialized carriage waited outside the academy gates.
Baston expected something elegant, but instead, he saw something enormous.
It resembled a reinforced cargo carriage. It was broad, layered with protective enchantments and mounted on the thick wheels that were etched with the stabilizing runes.
It looked closer to an armored transport than a noble carriage. As for the inside, it was surprisingly comfortable. There were cushioned benches, storage compartments, and insulated walls for the temperature control.
The interior was efficient and practical.
Alicia examined the carriage approvingly while the noble boy nodded once. Eventually, Baston climbed in last.
The academy staff gathered to send them off. Some waved and some observed silently. The gates opened and then, the carriage rolled forward.
For Baston, this was his first time going to somewhere else. He passed the town but it was quiet at the moment. Thinking it thoroughly, there was nothing strange since the life in the town was entirely different toward inside the academy.
The town people had their own activities, so regarding the academy, they didn't trouble themselves to look upon the unreachable.
This time, they were heading toward the central city. The journey would take quite a time. As the academy shrank behind them, Baston stared through the rear opening.
He felt something subtle back then.
It was not fear but it was the anticipation. The assemblies between the academies were not random. They were curated, watched, and measured. There were several opportunities for display or evaluation.
The road ahead stretched wide. The fields gave way to forest and the forest gave way to distant path toward their destination. Unlike ordinary carriages, there were no reins and no driver guiding horses.
At the front of the vehicle, a circular mana core pulsed faintly behind a crystal casing.
The engraved arrays stretched outward from it like the veins, connecting to the wheels and stabilizing some plates beneath the chassis. The entire structure hummed softly, moving forward with smooth and controlled precision.
Baston could feel the magic operating beneath his feet. It was steady, regulated, and clean. The academy surely had invested greatly in this journey.
The road gradually narrowed as they left the open plains behind. The trees rose taller and their branches were weaving together overhead. The light filtered through in broken patterns, casting the shifting shadows inside the carriage.
For a while, none of them spoke. However, the noble boy broke the silence first.
"Inter-academy assemblies are not simple exchanges," he said without looking at either of them,
"Many information are traded. Our strength will be evaluated and our weakness will be also remembered."
Alicia closed her notebook, "You sound as if you've attended one before."
"Someone I know did."
"And?"
"He became quieter than before."
Baston leaned back slightly, "He was quieter because he was defeated?"
The noble boy's eyes flicked toward him, "Not really… It was because he realized many academies outside were more dominant. In the end, Prius Academy was only an ant before them."
The silence reverberated again. Everyone knew their strength would become a capital when facing the other students. Despite the peaceful meeting, the hidden confrontation had already begun.
Sometimes, there would be the danger. At another time, there would be an opportunity to take advantage.
After all, opportunity and danger often traveled the same road.