The old book never issued the quests without reason. Baston had already learned that lesson.
When the faint golden text appeared before his eyes while he was sitting quietly inside his special room, he immediately knew something unusual was happening. The message was written silently on the page that only he could see.
"Kill the man who intends to harm the student…"
"The man is the student's uncle…"
Baston blinked slowly, "What?"
For several seconds, he simply stared at the words. The instruction itself was strange but the wording was even stranger.
The book did not mention a name. There was no location and no exact time since it was just a vague description.
Someone's uncle was the only clue he got. The same person was trying to harm a student here. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's… unusually vague..."
Normally, the old book gave a clearer guidance. Even when the quest seemed complicated, there were always the clues that pointed toward the target. However, this time, there was nothing.
It was just an ominous sentence that felt more like a warning than a mission. The fat boy slowly scanned the room which was quite empty.
The dormitory was quiet and the afternoon sunlight filtered through the window and stretched across the wooden floor.
There was no one here. There was no servant, no classmate, and no visitor around. The only people who usually visited him were Karte, Panto, or Alicia. Outside of those three, very few students bothered coming to this remote corner of the dormitory.
This surely meant one thing that someone nearby had triggered the quest. He stood up and the floor creaked softly beneath his weight as he walked toward the door.
"If the book reacted, someone must be close..."
The old book never activated randomly. It always reacted to the events that were happening around him. That meant somewhere was nearby and that person was in a situation involving a murderous uncle.
He pushed open the door and stepped outside. The corridor was quiet. A few distant voices echoed from another floor but no one stood near his room.
For a moment, he wondered if he had misunderstood. But then, he noticed someone was walking slowly along the dormitory courtyard path.
It was a boy. He was tall and thin plus his posture was slightly tense. Baston happened to know this person which should be called Anderson.
The boy seemed to be wandering aimlessly near the dormitory building, occasionally glancing toward the windows as if he was looking for someone.
When Anderson noticed Baston who was standing in the doorway, he paused briefly. There was a flicker of surprise across his face. Then, almost immediately, he turned around as if he was preparing to leave. That reaction alone was suspicious.
Baston narrowed his eyes, "The quest couldn't possibly be about him, could it?"
Anderson had always been quiet and distant. They shared a few classes but they rarely spoke to each other. Their relationship could barely even be called acquaintances yet the moment the quest appeared, Anderson happened to be nearby.
Was it a coincidence?
Baston did not believe in such coincidence. Still, jumping to the conclusions would be foolish.
He sighed quietly, "Well, I have no choice..."
If he guessed wrong, he could simply apologize and move on. But if Anderson truly was connected to the quest, ignoring him now could mean missing a crucial opportunity.
In the end, he stepped forward, "Is something bothering you?"
The sudden question stopped Anderson mid-step. The boy turned slowly. His expression was calm but something inside his eyes flickered for a moment.
"No…" Anderson said, "It's nothing..."
It was a simple answer, too simple that made him suspicious.
Baston studied him carefully. The boy's posture was slightly stiff and his fingers were clenched. It was such a small detail that most people would overlook but he noticed it.
"I see…" Baston said casually, "I thought you might be having trouble with your family."
The reaction was immediate after hearing such words. Anderson's body trembled just for an instant. Then, he forced himself to relax but that single moment was enough.
Baston had seen it clearly. His guess had landed dangerously close to the truth. Now, he needed to confirm it so that he could continue with the quest.
He pretended to think for a moment before speaking again, "I heard a strange story recently."
Anderson frowned slightly, "What story?"
Baston shrugged lightly, "It was just some gossip. Apparently, there was a family where the uncle tried to harm his own nephew."
He paused deliberately, "In the end, the nephew fought back and killed his uncle instead."
The courtyard fell silent and Anderson's pupils shrank. For a moment, he looked as if someone had stabbed him with an invisible knife. Inside his mind, the chaos erupted.
"How did he know?"
The incident that Baston casually described sounded disturbingly similar to something that was happening inside his own family.
It was something secret, something dangerous, and something that no outsider should possibly know. Anderson's heart began beating faster.
Did someone leak the information?
Was Baston somehow involved?
Was this just a coincidence?
Before Baston could say anything further, Anderson abruptly stepped back, "I'm sorry… I have somewhere to be..."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away quickly. Within seconds, he disappeared around the corner of the dormitory.
Baston watched him go before he sighed, "Well… That confirms it."
The reaction had been too strong to ignore and Anderson was definitely connected to the quest. But now, there was a new problem. The boy had fled and Baston had no way to approach him naturally anymore.
He scratched his head, "That went badly... How I could approach him then…?"
If Anderson already suspected something strange, forcing another conversation would only push him further away. After all, Anderson was not like Panto nor was he like Alicia.
Those two had gradually developed trust toward Baston through the repeated interactions but for Anderson, their relationship barely existed. Trying to suddenly insert himself into the boy's personal crisis would feel suspicious.
He leaned against the corridor wall, "There must be a middleman..."
Someone that Anderson could trust and someone who could arrange the conversation naturally. A familiar face soon appeared in Baston's mind which was a noble girl with silky hair and endless curiosity.
"Alicia..."
She still owed him a favor. Unlike him, she had a natural authority that made people listen. If she arranged the meeting, Anderson would probably agree.
He nodded slowly, "Yes… That's probably the fastest way…"
The biggest danger with the quests was delay. The old book sometimes allowed the passing time but sometimes, it didn't. If the quest suddenly failed because he ignored it too long, the penalty might be severe.
He had already experienced the punishment once. He had no intention of repeating that experience. But then, another question suddenly appeared.
"How do I contact Alicia again?"
He frowned since most of the time, their meetings were accidental from crossing paths in corridors, meeting during the competitions, or encountering each other during the academy events.
If he was actively seeking her out, that was troublesome. Alicia lived in the noble residential area of Prius Academy and the security there was strict.
If he walked into that district alone, the guards would stop him immediately. Even if they allowed him through, the sight of a poor student visiting a noble girl would attract the endless attention.
For the worst case scenario, someone like Clark might appear again. Just remembering that arrogant noble made his stomach ache.
"No thanks…"
After thinking for a moment, he finally made a decision, "Karte should be able to handle this..."
A servant that was approaching the noble guards would not attract the suspicion and Karte had already proven surprisingly reliable.
Eventually, Baston went to find him. It did not take long to find that Karte was happily humming while organizing the packages near the academy storage area.
When he saw Baston approaching, his face lit up immediately, "Ah… young noble!"
Baston raised an eyebrow, "You look unusually happy."
Karte grinned widely, "Well… I had a bit of luck recently."
"Luck?"
"What I mean is the betting pool from the magic competition."
Baston suddenly remembered. The people had been betting heavily on the tournament before.
"Did you win a lot?"
"Of course!" Karte puffed his chest proudly, "Without young noble's help, I might have lost everything."
Baston frowned, "But I lost when fighting Alicia."
Karte nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! That's when I bet on Alicia!"
Baston froze, "You what?"
Karte looked completely serious, "I noticed you were reluctant during that match. In the end, I carefully analyzed the situation and chose Alicia instead."
The servant folded his arms proudly, "My observation skills finally saved me..."
Baston stared at him silently. Inside his mind, a strange feeling appeared.
"He noticed me thoroughly…?"
He had tried to hide his intentions during the match. He thought his acting was perfect, but somehow, this simple servant had seen through it. The fat boy suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Maybe, he was not as good at hiding his thoughts as he believed. Still, that problem could wait. For now, the quest was more important.
"I need your help…" Baston said.
Karte straightened immediately, "Anything for you, young noble!"
"I need you to send a message to Alicia."
Karte blinked, "Oh?"
Baston explained briefly. The servant listened carefully while nodding repeatedly.
"Don't worry…" Karte said confidently, "I will deliver the message perfectly."
With that, he hurried toward the noble district. Karte walked carefully when approaching Alicia's residence area. The guards who were stationed there were the imposing figures in polished armor.
A normal servant would feel intimidated but Karte maintained a humble posture and politely explained that he carried a message from Baston.
After a short wait, one of the guards nodded and disappeared inside. Not long after, Alicia herself arrived in disguise with a simple cloak that hid her noble uniform. Her hair was tied tightly beneath a hood.
Without wasting a time, she headed straight toward Baston's place. When she reached the door, she knocked softly.
"It's me... Open the door..."
Inside the room, Baston blinked, "Alicia?"
He opened the door slightly, "Why are you here?"
"You asked to speak with me," Alicia replied calmly, "So, I came…"
"We could have met somewhere else…"
"It was too slow..."
Before he could argue, Alicia stepped inside. The door quickly closed behind her. At the outside, her guards remained nearby but they did not enter. Alicia locked the door, making Baston sighed.
"You always do things your own way..."
She ignored the comment and sat down calmly, "You said you needed my help."
Baston hesitated for a moment then he spoke quietly, "I need you to arrange a meeting between me and Anderson."
Alicia frowned, "Anderson?"
She thought for a moment before the realization appeared, "Oh... The boy who traveled with us to Zeverius Academy. His name is Luke by the way."
Baston blinked, "So, that's his name..."
Alicia looked confused, "You didn't know?"
Baston coughed awkwardly, "That's not important."
"If you want to meet him, you can do it yourself."
"He won't listen to me…"
"That…"
She couldn't deny it since Luke was cautious. Without a proper reason, he would probably ignore Baston which made Alicia even more curious.
Why did Baston want to speak with Luke so urgently?
Was this related to the cult again?
Baston rarely acted without a reason. If he wanted to meet Luke specifically, there had to be something unusual about the boy. Alicia leaned forward slightly.
"Alright…" she said slowly, "I'll arrange the meeting but I have one condition."
Baston narrowed his eyes, "What condition?"
Alicia rested her chin on her hand, "You will tell me why you want to meet him."
The room became quiet. Baston looked away and Alicia watched him carefully. The mystery that was surrounding him had only grown deeper with time and she was determined to uncover it.
Because somewhere in her intuition, she felt that whatever the secret Baston was chasing, it might be connected to something far more dangerous than anyone realized.
Baston himself remained silent for several breaths. The quiet inside the room thickened almost unnaturally. Outside the window, the routine continued as usual.
Somewhere in the distance, the students were laughing and their footsteps occasionally echoed through the corridor. Yet inside this small room, the air felt completely different as if the walls themselves were listening.
Alicia did not rush him and that alone made Baston more cautious.
Normally, she would have pushed again by now. But this time, she simply watched him calmly and patiently like someone who was waiting for a hidden door to reveal itself.
That patience was far more troublesome.
Baston lowered his gaze slightly. He could not tell her about the old book since that secret was the root of everything. Once it was spoken, it would not merely invite the suspicion.
It would invite the greed, the fear, and the forces far beyond Alicia herself. Even if she meant well, she belonged to a noble family and that alone made every secret became riskier.
However, refusing too bluntly would only sharpen her curiosity.
"I just heard a strange rumor…" Baston finally said.
Alicia's eyes narrowed a little, "From whom?"
"I can't say..."
Alicia tapped one finger lightly against her armrest, "And this strange rumor is serious enough for you to ask me for help?"
"Yes..."
"Does it concern Luke directly?"
Baston hesitated for the briefest moment. That hesitation was enough answer for her. Alicia's expression changed and the curiosity in her eyes remained.
"You really think he is in danger?" she murmured.
"That is exactly what I'm trying to confirm..."
For the first time since entering, Alicia stopped looking merely curious. Now, she looked alert and that subtle shift told him something important.
Whatever came next, this matter was no longer just an awkward favor between the classmates.
It had already begun to smell like a new trouble.