"It can't be… That's impossible…"
The words did not leave Clark's mind.
While he already sat along with the others, the unspeakable words remained lodged in his throat like a shard of bone. The number on the instrument still glowed in his thinking.
[1000…]
It was quite high and it was a perfect score. The crystal pillar that was used for measuring magical strength emitted a steady and unwavering light. There was no fluctuation, instability, and backlash.
The measurement was absolute.
Clark stared at Baston as if he were looking at something unnatural. He did not know how strong Baston truly was but he knew one thing. A poor fat boy should not surpass him.
He had the best tutors that the money could purchase. His family maintained the contracts with veteran wizards. His elemental foundation had been built since childhood with rare supplements and guided teaching.
Meanwhile, Baston had been living in underground while eating from the leftover. He had nothing but the crystal declared the otherwise.
A whisper was still heard around, spreading through the grand hall of Zeverius Academy. It was admiration and disbelief. It turned into something uglier quietly. The nobles secretly began taking a comparison.
Several students who had just received the scores in the five-hundred range suddenly felt their achievements turn hollow. A few noble heirs who had been proud of their six-hundred results even looked away.
Clark had already humiliated a handful of participants just by questioning Baston's magic. Now, he found himself standing at the center of a greater humiliation. He couldn't possibly let this into his farce.
"I demand the instrument to be checked," he stood up again with his voice that cut through the whispering and the host's preach, "A score like that cannot be real."
The supervising staff frowned and he had anticipated this reaction.
In truth, he had already recalibrated the device twice when the number first appeared. He had even replaced the measurement core before allowing the result to display publicly.
Still, the number did not change. It was still unbelievable yet the protocol required transparency.
"Very well if you're still dissatisfied…"
Several staffs moved forward. Another instrument then was brought in which was a secondary calibration array used only for the disputes.
Two senior experts from Zeverius Academy stepped in personally and the testing area was cleared. Baston was asked to repeat the measurement. This time, the process was slower and more deliberate.
The observers watched not only at the instrument but at Baston himself from his breathing, his stance, and his mana release pattern. The crystal pillar pulsed and the number rose.
[500… 600… 750… 900… 1000…]
The numbers stopped and the hall fell silent once again. They were not shocked but they just felt unbelievable for a second time.
"We have examined the instruments," the supervising expert announced calmly, "There's no irregularities and the result remains unchanged."
He turned toward Clark, "Do you have further objections?"
Clark's jaw tightened. He could not accuse the academy of manipulation since this place was Zeverius Academy. This was not any ordinary academy where the political pressure from the nobles could distort some decisions.
Zeverius Academy stood above most of the noble houses in authority. They trained the royal instructors and they supplied the battle wizards to kingdom army. Clark's family name meant little within these walls.
"If the score can be deceived," he said slowly while looking at Baston, "Then the combat cannot… I demand a duel."
"This is a meeting…" one of the experts said firmly, "This is not a tournament for anyone to have a fight."
Clark did not look at the expert and he still stared at Baston, "Are you afraid?"
Baston met his gaze without expression, "You can say anything you wish but such words will not provoke me."
"So, you admit it that you are afraid…"
"No…" Baston said softly, "You are the one who is just afraid of the fact."
The words settled like a blade that was placed gently on a table. Before Clark could reply, Baston continued his words then.
"You cannot accept what you have seen, so you search for a stage where you can control the outcome."
Clark's fist clenched, "YOU!"
"That is enough!"
The supervising expert's voice carried the authority, "This event must follow the rules. Any further escalation will result in disciplinary action."
Clark swallowed the rest of his anger but the humiliation did not disappear. It just changed form, becoming a new calculation.
The meeting resumed but no one was truly listening. Every gaze drifted toward Baston. The boy who had entered the hall unnoticed now carried the invisible weight in every conversation.
Several whispers began moving across the academy groups like invisible threads.
"Did he really come from Prius Academy?"
"A poor student like him can have a high score…"
"How he cope with his training until now?"
The meeting session ended earlier than the schedule. Officially, it was due to time constraints. Unofficially, no one had the focus to continue the academic exchanges.
As the hall dispersed, Baston found himself being surrounded. Several students approached under the banner of knowledge exchange but their eyes did not carry the curiosity. They carried the assessment.
"Your magical foundation is impressive," one noble girl said with a practiced smile, "You should visit my estate. My father appreciates talented individuals like you."
"I would like to spar privately sometime," a merchant heir offered, "Of course, it's only for educational purposes."
"You must consider transferring," a teacher from Zeverius Academy suggested politely, "With proper guidance, your growth could be extraordinary."
Baston smiled lightly. He responded without committing, without agreeing, and without promising. Inside however, he observed the change.
The shift in attitude was fascinating.
Yesterday, he had been invisible. Today, he was an investment opportunity. They did not see the fat boy named Baston. They only saw the potential future power.
Eventually, he excused himself and retreated to his assigned room. Not only he was troubled by the flock of the nobles, but it was also regarding the trembling inside his bag. Once alone, he closed the door quietly and he opened the old book. The last page shimmered faintly.
"Make a memorable impression at the meeting event…"
Baston leaned back against the wall.
To this quest, Clark had done half the work for him. Without opposition, the attention would have been minimal. The last conflict already created the spotlight and such spotlight created his performance.
Still, something unsettled him.
Clark's personality did not align with the retreat. The noble boy was not the type to swallow humiliation quietly which meant tomorrow would not be simple.
*****
The following day, the meeting resumed.
Clark was calm which was quite suspicious. He did not glare and provoke him as always. He only listened and that made Baston uneasy.
Midway through the session, a student from another academy raised his hand.
"Regarding the incident that occurred recently, I believe Baston's rapid rise is quite suspicious."
The atmosphere shifted. Regarding the incident, the word alone was enough to stir the tension.
Another student added, "It is indeed strange that a poor student suddenly is surpassing everyone after such an incident."
A third voice joined in, "By the way, Prius Academy had no casualties but other academies did."
The atmosphere began to tilt and the conversation was no longer about the talent. It was about the coincidence, and eventually, Clark finally spoke.
"I conducted a small investigation," he said smoothly, "Prius Academy suffered minimal damage and during the explosion, Baston was present near the site. It's truly convenient, isn't it?"
"Is that true?" someone whispered.
"Wasn't he seen there?"
"Yes… He was with Alicia…"
The name shifted attention and Alicia stood slowly to explain about the matter.
"It was a coincidence…" she said firmly, "I discovered the irregular mana flow and attempted to report it. The explosion occurred before I could do it."
Another student leaned forward, "I think it's not a coincidence that a poor student got in there. I am suggesting that we should not ignore such anomaly."
The room felt smaller and the suspicion spread faster especially among the nobles who were raised to guard their lineage.
"If he orchestrated something, he could place himself as the victim…"
"What if he was a spy?"
"I heard the dark wizard was involved…"
The word of dark wizard caused a subtle tremor. The explosion incident was still under investigation thoroughly even though the noble students had been penalized.
The official statements had been limited and such limited information created the fertile ground for such imagination.
Baston watched the shift.
Clark was not attacking directly. He was planting the seeds of doubt and his plan was brilliant.
If he defended aggressively, he would appear desperate. If he remained silent, the suspicion would grow.
Clark took one more step, "I propose the temporary detention for everyone's safety here. After all, we have to make sure everything is fine first."
The suggestion was outrageous yet it was not entirely unreasonable under the noble's paranoia.
The teachers exchanged glances. They could not officially detain a student from another academy without evidence but they also could not dismiss the concerns recklessly.
Alicia's hand tightened at her side because she knew the truth. Baston had blocked the explosion. If she revealed that, several questions would only deepen.
Her silence was his protection but the silence also fed the suspicion. All eyes turned toward Baston before he finally spoke.
"Do you investigate me?"
Clark nodded, "Of course…"
"Then allow me to ask," Baston said calmly, "Who placed the magic circle that was responsible for the explosion?"
Clark hesitated, "That information is incomplete."
"Is it?"
Baston tilted his head slightly, "There has already been an official statement identifying the suspects tied to the explosion."
A few students blinked. Some clearly had not followed the full report. Clark's jaw stiffened before he uttered the words.
"My informants…"
"Are either incompetent," Baston interrupted, "Or ignorantly selective…"
A ripple of the tension passed through the room. Just by the words, it seemed there was another version of the story. The participants who had expected the meeting to turn dull suddenly felt their attention sharpened.
What had begun as an academic exchange was slowly transforming into something else, an inquiry without authority or a trial without a judge.
The supervising teachers exchanged brief glances. They had not intended for the explosion incident to resurface in a public forum. The matter was still under the controlled investigation.
The official notice that was released to the academies had been intentionally vague. It confirmed the involvement of the dark wizard but it also withheld the operational details.
Yet now, several pieces were being dragged into the open by students. It was the dangerous one.
Clark's eyes narrowed slightly. He had expected Baston to deny, perhaps to panic or perhaps to retreat into defensive logic. Instead, he redirected the conversation toward the verified information and the facts. That thing was troublesome.
"You speak confidently," Clark said, "Almost as if you had access to internal reports."
The implication was subtle but deliberate, making a murmur stirred again.
How would a poor student obtain the detailed updates about the investigation?
Even the nobles received only the summarized briefings through the family channels. Baston did not respond immediately and he allowed the question to breathe.
"Public information is not internal information. The arrest notice was circulated before to all the participating academies. Perhaps, your informants are slower than you believe."
A faint wave of suppressed laughter rippled from one side of the hall before quickly dying down.
Clark's expression hardened. The balance was shifting again but something else was shifting too. It was doubt and it was not only toward Baston but toward Clark.
Because if Clark truly investigated thoroughly, how did he miss something that was officially released?
The teachers began paying closer attention. This was no longer merely a quarrel between the nobles and the poor. It was becoming a contest of credibility.
Clark inhaled slowly, recalibrating the story, "Even if someone else was responsible, that does not eliminate the possibility of internal assistance."
It was a clever pivot. He was no longer accusing Baston of planting the magic circle. He was suggesting the collaboration and he placed him as a spy or a conduit.
It was someone that was positioned to minimize the damage while preserving the secrecy. The idea was elegant.
It allowed Clark to remain cautious rather than aggressive and cautious nobles were harder to refute. Several students nodded slowly.
"Yes… That could explain the low casualties…"
"If he reduced the damage intentionally…"
Alicia felt the shift and frowned faintly. This was no longer a reckless jealousy. This was a calculated story construction. Someone must surely advise Clark far more carefully than usual.
Baston sensed it as well. The current tone did not match Clark's temperament from yesterday. This was structured and more layered which meant the accusation itself might be part of something larger.
"You speak of assistance," Baston said evenly, "Then let us examine the proximity."
His gaze moved across the room deliberately, "Many students were present within that corridor before the explosion. Why do you isolate only me?"
Clark replied, "Because your sudden growth correlates with the timing."
"Correlation is not causation…"
A teacher subtly straightened at that phrasing. The conversation was drifting into the logical territory rather than the emotional accusation. For the logic, it was difficult to silence once introduced.
Baston continued, "If sudden improvement equals the suspicion, then perhaps we should examine everyone whose the elemental stability spiked after the incident."
That was not a threat. It was an expansion of the scope and such scope frightened the people. Several noble students stiffened instinctively since they did not want the scrutiny.
Clark realized the danger of escalation. He needed the story to be contained and focused. But before he could respond, one of the senior experts finally intervened.
"This discussion is approaching the investigative matter. We will not conduct a public tribunal based on such conjecture."
The authority in the voice did not fully erase the suspicion but it halted the momentum. Still, something lingered in the air which was a subtle fracture.
The students were no longer divided simply into those who admired Baston and those who doubted him. They were divided into those who felt uneasy.
Because if Clark's accusation held even a fragment of truth, then the meeting itself might not be safe. And if Baston's logic held correctly, then someone had attempted to manipulate the story. Both possibilities were unsettling.
Baston remained standing, calm, and unrushed. But internally, a thin thread of caution tightened.
Clark's attack was too organized and the timing was too convenient from the explosion, the score, and the accusation.
It felt less like spontaneous jealousy and more like a test. It was not a test of strength but a test of the reaction.