"It's really rare to get vacation days like this…"
Karte leaned back in his narrow chair, stretching his arms until his joints popped. The ceiling above him was low and it was stained from years of steam and smoke.
Today for once, he felt he could rest easy. There were no trays to carry, no impatient students who were snapping their fingers, and no supervisors who were screaming orders from the kitchen doorway.
It was a rare day off since what had happened yesterday.
At that time, everything looked usual. There was nothing strange happened behind the scene. Supposedly, it would be like that before the loud explosion shook the place.
The panic quickly made everyone fled and many students ran for their life. In that moment, the chaos was unfolded.
The tearing sensation made the air feel suffocated. Everyone nearby quickly was frozen even though their instincts were screaming without words.
The moment they could move their body, they scattered like startled birds.
The trays clattered to the floor and the chairs had been overturned. No one cared about their dignity or manner. In front of death, there was no difference between the poor and the nobles.
Karte had been behind the counter at the time and he was halfway through wiping a cup.
When the shockwave hit the walls, he stumbled down. His instinct told him to duck first before he fled with everyone.
Immediately after, he remembered standing frozen outside the field.
His fingers still wrapped around the damp cloth. Even though the shockwave had faded, the following chaos worsened. Everyone became crazier somehow.
In that rare moment, he saw how chaotic the people whatever their status were in the open courtyard.
Some were crying hysterically while the others were staring blankly as if their minds had not yet accepted the truth.
He saw how a noble girl had vomited onto the marble tiles, shaking so badly that she couldn't wipe her mouth.
He saw how a merchant boy sat on the ground, clutching his head and muttering several prayers that he probably hadn't used since childhood.
Karte himself hadn't moved for a long while. He was afraid that if he did, he would soon join everyone into the chaos.
When several academy teachers finally arrived, few of them calmed down the students. For the rest, they went ahead to the back of cafeteria. At there, the residue still floated in the air like ash after a fire.
He couldn't see it the way the wizards did but he could sense the atmosphere. It crawled across his skin as if something tried to burn a hole on his body.
Thankfully, the inner cafeteria itself remained mostly intact.
The main hall had barely been touched but the rear passage where the staff stored many supplies had been nearly destroyed.
If anyone had been standing directly in the path of that blast, the death would have been instantaneous. The sight of the body must be very gore.
When the teachers and the staffs examined thoroughly, the devastation left them momentarily speechless.
The walls were scorched white and the protective barriers had shattered like a glass. Just by looking at the destruction, many people would be thinking about the casualties.
They should have been pulling several corpses from the rubble. Instead, they found a trembling group of students. They were shaken but they were alive.
The words spread quickly until the most important one came about a noble girl who actually had blocked the explosion. That was the version he heard first and it was the version he believed since everything made sense.
Only the nobles who carried that kind of protection from their family would be able to defend themselves. The artifacts must be surely passed down through the generations just to protect the heir of their family.
In this case, the magic item had become the strongest safeguard for certain situation.
For a commoner, he believed they wouldn't have survived that blast. Just like a poor student who wouldn't even have known what hit them.
As for the merchants, they were somewhere in between because some of them could afford decent protection item.
Anyway, when the rumors pointed to Alicia, one of the academy's most prominent noble students, he nodded along with everyone else. Just hearing her name, people had already expected something greater.
After everything was done to secure the students, the academy treated the incident seriously.
Several investigators were called in from outside and several specialists who didn't belong to the teaching staff began exploring the scene. They took a long time to check everything from morning until night.
Since he was just a waiter, no one asked him anything. However, he knew enough to understand that the explosions like that didn't happen by accident.
There must be a hidden motive for people to die. The one who had already planted such horrible act should have their own purpose. It was the one who was full of secret and darkness.
His thoughts drifted before he shook his head.
Rather than wondering about such thing, it was better to think for someone he took interest.
From the first time Karte had noticed him, Baston hadn't fit toward any current treatment.
He dressed like a poor and he ate like the one too. It was done quickly and without ceremony. The fat boy was always mindful of the portions and leftovers. When walking around, his hunched shoulders and lowered gaze almost became his uniqueness.
And yet, Panto treated him specially. Despite knowing he was just a poor, he revered him completely. That alone would have been noteworthy to check further.
As far as he knew, Panto was from a merchant family. He was wealthy enough to command the respect from his lackeys.
Based on the fact, he surely wouldn't bow down toward the poor. Unless there was something important, he didn't need to become a servant.
It was confusing but the bigger mystery came from Alicia.
She wasn't just a simple noble. This one came from great family, the kind whose the family crest carried more weight among the society.
She had admirers everywhere. Many sons of influential houses and promising heirs rushed to greet her in hope of approaching her.
And yet, she chose to approach Baston instead.
She had been following Panto, ordering meals for the fat boy. Every meal she ordered was more extravagant than Panto's. It made him sure there was a rivalry between them.
At first, he had assumed there was a romance involved here. After all, it was the easiest explanation for the girl to jump into Baston's lap.
If other students knew this news, it would become scandalous and dramatic. Never in their dreams that the beautiful swan fell into an ugly pig.
He was quite sure of the wild thought. However, the more he watched, the less he held on his theory since Alicia didn't act like a girl with a crush.
What she showed instead was the reverence.
It was the same expression that Panto wore. It was the same treatment and the same deference. They were serving him in the end.
He had spent years watching the people around. In his working area, he watched several different expressions between many people.
He knew how the nobles indulged themselves, how the merchants calculated the value, and how the rest learned to swallow embarrassment.
What he saw in Alicia and Panto was very different. It was unlike many he had seen before.
Their conversations about him were brief and restrained. It was just like they feared saying too much would disturb him. Even their generosity carried hesitation and calculation in one simple meal.
He wanted to understand Baston better, yet the fat boy never talked much.
As for everyone else, neither of them spoke over him. He couldn't help but began finding his own understanding.
Their respect must not come from affection. Such deep awe surely came from the recognition. That realization quickly disturbed him.
After that, he began pondering more about Baston. Day by day, the silent competition of meals benefited him to scrutinize each of their actions.
Panto would place an order early in the morning and Alicia would follow not long after. Both of them insisted on discretion and both of them warned him politely.
The fat boy must not know who paid for the food.
Karte didn't have a choice but to obey since he wasn't foolish enough to deny the request of people like them. Sometimes, he wondered why Alicia didn't simply order from the noble kitchens.
The food there was above what the poor could receive. It was filled with rich sauces and rare ingredients. The delicacy existed solely to be presented for someone important yet she never ordered it.
It took a time for him to finally understand the meaning behind her decision.
If luxury meal was delivered to Baston's dormitory, the rumors would explode faster than any other news. The fat boy would become a target overnight.
Considering such possibility, she must be quite careful.
Karte had learned long ago that careful people were often the most dangerous. They acted boldly but they waited for a certain time.
Her restraint wasn't a hesitation because it was more toward her calculation. She understood how quickly such admiration could turn into the resentment. Also, she understood how easily such attention could become a blade.
That blade would point toward Baston, resulting only despise for her.
Because of that reason alone, she had to lower herself. With that, she could also lower the risk of attracting the predators in the academy.
"No wonder she kept ordering common food…" he murmured to himself as he walked.
Eventually, Alicia fell behind because her responsibilities at the academy piled up. In this situation, Panto seized the opportunity without hesitation.
Just the coupon he slipped into the pocket, he already knew who was winning in the meal battles.
While the restaurant wasn't noble-class, it was good to enjoy privately.
He knew it well since the place was small and far away from hectic, tucked away from the main roads. It was the kind of place where people wanted to treat themselves without drawing attention.
When he spotted Baston in the town that afternoon, the fat boy stood at a street corner. He was frowning at the coupon in his hand. His action alone confirmed something important that he didn't know the area well.
A true poor boy would have recognized the place immediately. Only nobles or those raised far above the streets hesitated like that.
Somehow, he felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He soon approached carefully, "Hello, student. It's nice to see you out here."
"You are… Oh, the waiter…"
"Yes… My name is Karte. It's our first time meeting outside the academy."
The fat boy nodded awkwardly, "My name is Baston. Thank you for your care after all this time."
Karte waved it off with pounding heart, "I'm just doing my job."
That was a lie and both of them knew it. However, they didn't want to further explain the matter. After all, people had their own means and secret.
"Are you looking for something? I can help you."
Baston hesitated before he showed him the coupon, "I'm looking for this place but I don't know the area well."
"I know this place. Let me guide you..."
As they walked, Karte's thoughts raced, "If Baston truly was hiding his true status…"
Perhaps, this thing could not be missed since this was a rare opportunity.
The commoners dreamed of attaching themselves to powerful patrons. It was not through the charity but through the loyalty, describing their usefulness into what they could bring to someone.
He wasn't ambitious by nature but he wasn't blind either.
If Baston stood at the center of Panto and Alicia's respect, then one day, the others would gather too. Choosing a side early mattered because the early bird caught the worm.
Despite of eagerness, he knew better than to back down first.
It was not the right time to rush ahead. For now, it was the best for him to take everything slowly. After guiding Baston into the restaurant, he excused himself politely.
"There will be other chances…" he told himself.
After the servant left, Baston entered alone.
The restaurant was modest but warm with clean tables and calm atmosphere. When he hesitantly presented the coupon, the attendant's reaction was immediate.
The man was becoming respectful suddenly, "Of course, venerable guest..."
He stiffened at the title and he began worried about something else. After all, he had no money on his wallet. The only one who could give a courage to him was just a small coupon.
He asked the only question that mattered, "Do I need to pay money again?"
The explanation left the man stunned.
The coupon itself could be used for the dining meal. There was no need for the additional cost and the customer just needed to eat.
For the first time in a long while, Baston soon ate without counting the cost in his head. He enjoyed much without thinking about tomorrow's meal. He ate until he was full.
When he tried to leave, another coupon was presented into his hand. It was for another day and it was free for him.
He then left with light steps and his heart was racing with happiness which he didn't dare to show. Having something to eat was his only target at the moment.
As he hummed softly to himself on the way back, he was unaware of the watching eyes from the shadows.
The kindness and his careless moment had a price. In a dark narrow alley, a rough hand struck his wrist. The coupon then quickly vanished just like his good dream of being well-fed.
"Damn it!" he shouted, spinning around too late, "Someone stole my meal!"
The thief nearby only laughed, dashing into somewhere that he believed it would be safe to check for the treasure.