For several days, nothing happened.
The life inside the academy returned to its familiar rhythm with the bells and the lessons. Even after Baston spread the cult to two people, there was no emerged cultists from shadows and there was no guards to protect everyone.
The old book remained silent, describing the last page as nothing important.
Anyway, the only real change here was the food. The meals began arriving at his dormitory for twice the portion. At first, Baston thought it was a mistake.
The first tray had been generous and the second followed grandly with the first one.
More food mean better life. However, something wasn't right because he had a hunch that each meal was trying to overwhelm each other.
Not only that, the result was catastrophic since finishing two meals at once left him painfully full.
His body was sluggish and his thoughts dulled. He could almost feel the weight was clinging to him heavily. The drowsiness of delicious food threatened him to fall asleep.
For once in his life, he finally urged himself to reject the delivered meal.
He sent a message back through the waiter that he only needed small portions. There was no need for grand size. The request was polite and almost apologetic.
After all, he dared to reject the blessing of free meal. Once the other students knew, he would be cursed as an ungrateful being.
Hopefully, the one who blessed him didn't end as the one who cursed him.
*****
Meanwhile, Panto and Alicia noticed on the request since the waiter delivered the message secretly.
Both of them wondered whether he refused such a gift. Whether he would also reject their help in the matter of the cult.
They were thinking hard but found no result.
In the end, both of them just complied. It cost them nothing since they didn't have any problem regarding the money. With such small portions, they could only go with fancy treatment.
When they abided by the request, Baston could finally heave a sigh of relief.
With his body that was no longer weighed down by such excess fat, his focus sharpened. The puppet responded better to his control now and it was less sluggish in its transformations.
He practiced in private with focused mind, shaping the puppet into animals or people. He learned how a small gesture could alter the perception.
How a slight change in posture could show confidence or fear. How the silence could mean more words to the observers. How the puppet eventually became an extension of his will.
In a night, the puppet became his eyes. It changed into a rat with small and quick movement. He sent it skittering into the academy's streets under the cover of darkness.
The campus felt different at night. It was quiet with sparse people in different spot. The stone paths stretched longer and the shadows covered many corners.
He couldn't see much through the rat's eyes but he could hear everything. The quiet atmosphere was perfect for the observation.
After much training, he felt today was enough. He was already preparing to recall the puppet when some voices drifted into his range.
"Damn it… Today was awful…"
"Tell me about it… I was late for the class and I got a harsh lecture. The teacher didn't even care that I'm a noble."
"That's because his status is higher than yours… Listen, we're being targeted… Look at this, I got an entire page of homework while the others barely got half."
"That's because you're lazy..."
The laughter echoed while Baston kept listening. He did not move from his spot since his curiosity took the best of him.
Just from their tones, they were petty and aggrieved. Even knowing themselves wrong, the conviction negated everything. It was indeed typical noble children.
Baston himself had a bad memory with them. It was worse than Panto. The impression they gave was just like they believed they were higher than anyone here.
The one who could contend with them was only the royalty. Since there was none, they slowly became another authority inside the academy.
Fighting with them always meant losing in the end.
He knew such cold harsh truth. Rather than clashing with such troublesome people, he always tried his best to flee. At least, never stared into them in their eyes.
That was one of many survival tips he could take seriously.
The protection from the academy meant nothing in front of the nobles. There would be always a roundabout way to play with their victims.
As the lowest rung of the society, he kept his own principle. Being alive was better than being correct.
His thoughts went awry before he focused on listening once again. The conversation after all started turned into serious.
"By the way… What about the magic circle?"
"I set it this morning…"
"So… What's the next one?"
"Next, we only wait for the explosion to happen..."
Baston was shocked, listening to what he supposedly must never hear. The previous annoyance suddenly became bigger to handle.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"Relax, you've seen it before. It's basically just fireworks..."
The word of fireworks didn't comfort him. After all, the boys spoke carelessly like the people who had never paid for the consequences before.
He silently pieced together what he knew. Based on what he heard next, it seemed the magic circle was set secretly near the cafeteria. Even though he didn't know the exact spot, he wondered whether he should check it first.
He knew it wasn't his problem. Someone else might notice it and delivered the justice at later times. Still, he couldn't help but estimating what the size of the damage.
If it was indeed just a small firework, then he could let it go as the prank. If not, he would think about it later.
"I need to check the magic circle tomorrow…" he murmured.
For now, he convinced himself that the cafeteria wasn't just a building. It was a place where his free meal would be cooked. Without it, he would suffer of gnawing hunger. That thing was unacceptable.
He then recalled the puppet and retreated. He was already planning his next move.
*****
The following morning, Baston didn't return to his dormitory after the class. Instead, he went to the cafeteria.
Panto and Alicia noticed immediately. They were careful not to overreact.
Alicia's presence alone had already stirred enough whispers among the students. After all, the nobles rarely stayed near the commoner side unless something interested them.
Baston didn't order the food and he also didn't collect his free meal. He scanned the room once, then he slipped toward the back. His curiosity overcame the caution.
Panto followed easily while Alicia struggled because she was delayed by the admirers and greetings.
In the meantime, Baston was circling the area behind the cafeteria. His eyes narrowed and he carefully checked the ground.
Panto hid himself first, saying nothing while looking at him.
"What is he doing?" Alicia whispered, finally coming to the side after greeting everyone.
Panto shook his head, but unfortunately, Alicia misread the gesture.
"So he won't tell me…" she thought.
Her lips pressed together. The withheld words were the information that was worth uncovering. Her curiosity couldn't be blocked easily.
If Panto didn't want to talk, then she would just need to approach the main target by herself. She soon confidently went toward Baston.
She stepped forward, "What are you doing?"
Baston flinched before he returned into his focus, "I'm looking for a magic circle."
"What magic circle?"
"I don't know exactly… Someone placed it yesterday anyway."
He stopped there and Alicia's curiosity sharpened. She didn't press him but she joined the search.
Panto quickly followed reluctantly. He didn't want to endanger himself, yet he couldn't let Alicia impressed his savior more than him. Somehow, there was a rivalry between them.
Everyone had their own dealing while Baston finally spotted the magic circle.
"No wonder I can't find it… The magic circle is up there…"
He climbed the wall around the warehouse shed. Above there, the magic circle was revealed in front of him. The seemingly supposed fireworks felt complex on his eyes.
Panto climbed up after him in curiosity, "It's real…"
Alicia also joined them using wind magic to propel herself up. By then, her expression darkened.
"This design… I don't recognize it…"
The magic circle did not look like something meant for mischief only.
Even at a glance, she could tell that much because its lines were very precise. It was etched deep enough into the stone. The mana channels were somehow weaving together in an excessive pattern.
"What is the purpose of such magic circle?" Alicia said quietly, "I can only tell this one might be used for the explosion."
Panto swallowed down, "What? How could it be? What would happen if this thing explode?"
"I don't know for sure… It's better to leave it alone first. As long no one triggers it, the magic circle will be safe."
Baston said nothing and he was staring at the center of the circle.
It pulsed faintly like a heartbeat. The magic circle was not active but it was seemingly waiting for any sign to work. The sensation crawled along his spine.
He wanted to stay away from the danger too. Despite his wish, the seemingly silent book somehow gave a pulse. It felt faintly and he didn't know what it meant.
"We should leave for now," Panto said, "It's better to call the teachers…"
"Yes…" Alicia agreed, already stepping back, "I'll inform…"
Unexpectedly, the magic circle flared out of nowhere.
The mana surged outward in a violent wave, snapping the air like a whip. The stone beneath their feet vibrated and the etched lines were ignited one by one.
Alicia's breath hitched, "It's activating on its own!"
She didn't hesitate to launch a magic barrier around her. The translucent layers were stacking over another one like the panes of reinforced glass.
The barrier just slammed into the place when the first shockwave gave a hit.
The impact was immediate and the barrier cracked. Even though it still stood strong, she felt the feedback rip through her control. Her barrier was rammed as if it was struck by something far heavier than she could handle.
"It's too strong! I can't hold on for longer time!"
The magic circle wasn't exploding outward like a normal detonation. It was collapsing inward before it would release everything at once.
The cracks began to appear across Alicia's barrier. The layers shattered one by one. Each of them was breaking faster than the last.
The barrier was being overwhelmed and it would be just a matter of time before it collapsed entirely. Panto could only freeze in terror.
Alicia gritted her teeth, pouring more mana into the barrier even though her instincts screamed that it was useless.
The barrier trembled violently and her body shook greatly. She understood the pressure would soon overwhelm her.
Her vision blurred and her teeth clenched tightly. The sweat ran down at her temples as she reinforced the barrier for multiple times. She refused to let go since her survival depended on it
However, it didn't matter because it was futile in the end.
The cracks widened and more sections of the barrier simply vanished. Between them and the explosion, there was almost nothing to hold on anymore.
Alicia's breath was caught in her throat, "RUN!"
The words barely left her mouth before the last barrier shattered completely. The shockwave hit her harshly.
She hit the ground hard and the pain flared through her ribs. Her ears rang and the world was spinning as she struggled to focus.
Panto could only scream after getting thrown along with Baston. He even did not have a time to think whether he could still be alive or not after this.
Even the pain in the back had already been forgotten fully since the shockwave in front of him was more dangerous than anything. The magic circle reached its peak and it almost blinded him of light.
Baston stood frozen after getting up. Not because he was afraid but because his mind was spinning too fast.
Running was impossible because the explosion would catch up to him. He had no choice but to stay here and brace for the impact.
Alicia was down and Panto was paralyzed. Their fates were imminent.
There was no time to get away and there was no time to explain. He must do whatever he could to save everyone including himself.
In the middle of the blinding light, he summoned the puppet from deep inside the old book. The puppet erupted into existence in front of him and he poured everything into it.
Its form was quickly expanding violently as he forced his order into the transformation. The puppet quickly became a mass dense of wall, transforming into something heavier to block the explosion.
It was a shield born from his desperation.
He planted himself behind it, spreading wide enough to cover not just him but the space where Alicia and Panto lay.
The magic circle soon detonated and the world vanished in white. For a while, the sound also vanished in the surrounding.
The pressure slammed into the puppet like a tidal wave. Its surface was warping instantly, cracking under the force.
He screamed as the impact drove him to his knees. The pain was exploding through his arms and shoulders. The puppet groaned and started to shatter.
Fortunately, it held just long enough before the explosion swallowed everything.
"BAM!!!"