The road resumed its quiet rhythm after the brief stop. The wheels rolled over the uneven stone path. The subtle enchantments that were carved beneath the carriage frame hummed with low and clean vibration.
At the outside, another town gradually shrank behind them. Its wooden roofs were dissolving into the fields that were brushed by afternoon wind.
Inside the carriage, the silence happened once again. It was not because everyone was awkward but people needed rest.
There was no need to initiate many conversations along the road since that would be very exhausting. After all, they would surely talk much when arriving at the destination.
When everyone appeared distracted, Baston had acted immediately. He opened the old book only for a breath.
The last page shimmered faintly and the performance rating had come toward the excellent one.
Without hesitation, he closed it again. He did not even wait to see the reward. After all, there were people nearby him. This was the correct decision since his secret could only be known to him.
He would confirm the reward once it was safe around.
*****
Back then, he wanted to continue the conversation.
At the beginning, it was hovering from bad into good. He was pushing more until it turned into excellent.
At that time, he could do the last performance just for perfection. Since the highest result was perfect, he felt there would be a possibility to rush ahead.
Unfortunately, it almost ruined him.
The joke he created eventually only worked for some people because not everyone could appreciate it.
Joking about being fat was natural for him. It disarmed the people, lowered their guard, and made them underestimate him. However, such words did not carry the equal weight for everyone.
When he replayed the conversation in his mind, he felt a faint chill.
When talking about the appearance and the age, he had to see the other counterpart. Saying such things before a high-ranking noble girl like Alicia could be interpreted differently.
He indeed could not call her as a friend.
Their connection was fragile since it was born from the shared investigation about the cult and nothing more. It was an alliance of necessity and not warmth.
At least, she was not his enemy which was more reassuring.
The performance did not revolve around a single person. The old book judged about the outcomes, the perceptions, and the influence. It was about the unseen web that was connecting several actions to the consequences.
If the noble boy interpreted the joke as disrespect toward Alicia, the performance might have shifted downward without warning. That was why Baston ended the quest immediately.
There was a possibility to push it higher but chasing the perfection blindly was greed. Such greed often ended badly.
Even though so, the temptation had lingered. The perfect result after all was such a valuable judgment. The word itself was intoxicating.
Every time he had touched that threshold before, the reward had been extraordinary. The excellent reward had reshaped his foundation. The perfect reward had altered the way he navigated the danger. Even the so-called bad reward had granted him a knowledge that later became crucial.
In the end, he wondered what would more excellent evaluation grant this time.
Would it be the refined version of ice magic?
Would it be a new puppet?
Would it be a knowledge regarding the secret of this world?
For a fleeting second, Baston had imagined pushing just a little further. One more clever remark and one more subtle shift in the tone.
Perhaps, even playing along with Alicia's tease instead of withdrawing. Still, his imagination was safer than the execution because such perfection demanded the risk. Eventually, the risk was not calculated at points in front of the nobles.
It was calculated in the reputation, the suspicion, and the political consequence.
He could afford to gamble with the commoners. He could afford to mislead the merchants. But for the nobles, their pride was a fragile glass hidden beneath the silk gloves.
One wrong word could shatter more than the performance. In the end, he closed the book since he chose the safety over his ambition.
*****
The opportunity to examine the reward came when the carriage stopped at a small town.
Alicia left first and the two knights followed her which were the same silent guardians who had trailed her since the departure.
Another carriage had been traveling behind them from the beginning. Its purpose was obvious since it was for her protection.
As for the boy, no one guarded him. That alone spoke the reality about the hierarchy.
Baston remained inside the carriage because he had no money to waste on the refreshments. And honestly, he preferred it that way since the isolation was his comfort.
From the small window, he watched Alicia in the distance. Even in the travel attire, she carried the quiet authority of someone who was accustomed to the obedience.
People made space for her without realizing they were doing it. After all, the power did not always need to shout. Sometimes, it simply existed.
When the area around the carriage grew empty, Baston then reopened the old book.
The page pulsed faintly and the reward appeared. He froze about what he obtained. The ice had been his first magic, but now, the flare element affinity was also granted toward him.
He frowned before he turned the page and the information soon flooded into his mind.
Fire and flare were almost the same but they had different authority. The difference was subtle yet absolute.
Just like water and ice which shared a relationship. The ice was condensed from the water. It was structured, compressed, and refined.
Those who possessed ice affinity could study water. However, the water users could not automatically command the ice because it was superior in form.
Fire and flare mirrored that pattern. The fire spread while the flare compressed. The fire burned outward while the flare detonated inward.
The knowledge unfolded inside his consciousness like a technical manual that was written by something far older than the academy.
A fireball struck and scattered heat but a flare orb struck and exploded. The flare had unstable density since it was ignited under the pressure.
It was a magic that was shaped like a bomb quite literally. The more he absorbed the knowledge, the more uneasy he became.
The flare did not encourage the restraint because it encouraged more toward the explosion. A miscalculated fireball might scorch the walls but a miscalculated flare orb might collapse them. The difference mattered.
His mind instinctively began running the scenarios.
In a duel, the flare magic would be overwhelming. A quick compression and a condensed ignition would fracture the battlefield before the opponent could react.
However, such destructive force would attract much attention and he believed it would be the wrong kind.
The teachers would notice, the nobles would question, and Angus might investigate more thoroughly. The sudden investigation was something he could not afford.
He wondered was the old book pushing him toward escalation or was it just his excessive thinking.
The ice controlled and the flare destroyed. One stabilized the stage while the other ended it. It felt almost as if the old book was preparing him for the future confrontation. Almost as if it knew something awaited him at the next occasion.
Baston exhaled slowly, pondering about the magic that was shaped like a bomb. He had wanted a low profile instead, the old book handed him the explosives.
He was pondering about his next step.
This new magic was dangerous. It was not flashy and not decorative since it was devastating if applied incorrectly. If it was mishandled, it would end disastrously. He closed his eyes and visualized it.
The ice could restrict the battlefield and the flare could destroy everything. It was such curious combination that was almost contradictory yet balanced.
While he was wondering deeply, the carriage door suddenly opened.
The noble boy just returned from the outside. Apparently, he looked bored since the town seemingly could not satisfy him.
Baston quickly closed the old book. The quest was over and there was no further performance benefit that was tied to the noble boy. He could just ignore him, yet doing that would feel unnatural.
His warmth suddenly turned cold and his coldness would create another suspicion then.
"Noble boy…" Baston began casually, "The town life doesn't impress you?"
"It is acceptable…" the boy replied, "Still, it lacks prosperity. Also, I do have a name so don't call me like that."
"Anderson…" Baston said.
"That is my family name."
"I prefer that…"
Before the boy could question him, Baston lifted a hand, "Do not misunderstand... You once told me you wish to prove yourself. If so, one day you will introduce your name again. At that time, not as a family extension but as yourself."
The words were spoken lightly but they landed heavily.
Anderson's fist tightened. He lived under a shadow as everyone did. However, the noble shadows were carved from the expectations.
He had trained, studied, and performed. And yet, whenever he was praised, it was always as the Anderson family's son. It was simply never his true identity.
Meanwhile, Baston's tone was indifferent. It was not comforting and not mocking but he was just stating the fact. It was almost cruel in its neutrality, and yet, it was honest.
"I understand…" Anderson finally said, "For now, call me by that name. When I become strong enough, I will tell you my name personally."
Baston nodded. Inside, he calculated that this was not a friendship.
The friendship between the poor and the noble was unstable, fragile, and politically inconvenient. But as a shared understanding, this connection could exist quietly.
*****
Alicia reentered the carriage soon after and her gaze swept across the two boys. They were not arguing and speaking much either.
Something had shifted and she felt it but she did not ask.
After all, the nobles were trained not to intrude into the silent tensions unless necessary.
The carriage then resumed its journey with returned silence. The atmosphere was not awkward but it was just observant.
Anderson occasionally glanced at Baston as if waiting for him to speak first. Alicia remained poised with her fingers resting lightly on her lap. With no other choice, Baston decided to break this silence.
"Is there anything I should pay attention to at the meeting?"
Anderson responded immediately, "We should remain low-key. Having someone from the poor class among our delegation will draw too much attention."
Baston raised an eyebrow, "I see…"
"If the others notice…" Anderson continued, "Several complaints may be filed to the academy."
Alicia added, "If you show your power, it will surely solve many complaints then."
Baston almost smiled since her opinion was honest.
"Some nobles may challenge you," Anderson said, "They would ask for the duels just to test your legitimacy."
"What is the safest wager then?"
"Since you don't have the status, then the best one you can do is indeed showing your strength."
Alicia nodded while Baston twitched slightly. They were helping him actively yet he didn't know if it was the best for him to show his ice magic.
"There is one more issue," Anderson said carefully, "You should avoid staying too close to Lady Alicia at the meeting."
"Why?"
Alicia sighed faintly, "There is someone who considers himself as my rightful suitor."
"Is this thing already declared by your family?" Baston asked dryly.
"No… This one is declared by himself…"
Anderson's expression darkened, "He has pursued her persistently and his family even once approached hers."
"From what I see, she should refuse already," Baston concluded.
"Yes…" Alicia said simply, "However, he has not accepted such answer."
Being pursued by a noble of high-ranking which was also ambitious and persistent was kind of troublesome.
They attended different academy and different territory, but now, the meeting would gather many representatives from multiple academies including him.
Alicia remained calm but Baston noticed something subtle. Her fingers tightened slightly, showing her annoyance toward the future event.
This kind of persistence could become a political pressure in the noble society.
"He will likely provoke anyone seen near her," Anderson warned.
Baston blinked, "I see..."
He groaned internally. He just wanted a simple survival, free meals daily, and a low profile in his life. That was all he could wish, yet somehow, his life began to take a complete turn once it involved the old book.
He was lost inside his mind, intersecting his direction toward Alicia. She soon tilted her head slightly once she noticed it.
"What is it?" she asked, "You are staring me for a long time."
"Just contemplating the nature of trouble," Baston said honestly.
"Am I the trouble?" she asked lightly.
"More like the catalysts…" he muttered.
Her lips curved, "Do you wish to be my fake boyfriend, then?"
Anderson stiffened and the carriage seemed smaller. Baston turned his head away immediately. His answer was absolutely not and his heart thudded harder than when reading about the flare magic.
Even as a joke, the implications were lethal. The impact would consist the political and the social entanglement. The news would be very explosive and far more dangerous than the magic explosion.
He wiped the faint sweat from his forehead, "No… I prefer to be alone at the moment…"
Alicia laughed softly but her eyes lingered on him a moment longer than necessary. And Baston, for the first time since gaining the flare magic, wondered which element was more volatile.
Would it be the magic or human interest?
At the outside, the horizon darkened slowly with several clouds that gathered in thin layers.
The carriage pressed forward toward a meeting, toward different academy, and toward a noble suitor who might not accept the rejection.
The conclusion was heading toward the challenges, toward the duels, and toward the new performance.
Inside the old book, something faintly pulsed.
It was an anticipation as if it sensed that the next stage would not be judged by words alone, but also, with something different.