The girl hesitated during her wondering.
For several seconds, she simply looked at Baston as if she was weighing every word that had been spoken between them. Her brows were slightly furrowed and the playful confidence that she had shown earlier seemed to fade into a quiet contemplation.
Baston waited patiently without forcing her.
From the outside, he appeared calm and somewhat dull like a servant who simply followed the flow of conversation. Inside, however, his thoughts were far sharper than his expression suggested.
The girl finally spoke, "If I follow your logic, serving Madam Talina only offers temporary happiness."
Her fingers tapped lightly on the arm of the chair, "There will be good money, comfortable life, and powerful protection, but in the end, the future is limited."
He nodded slightly, "That's correct..."
"But if you follow Luke instead," she continued with her eyes that were narrowing slightly, "Isn't the result the same?"
He tilted his head, "How so?"
The girl leaned forward slightly, "Luke has less wealth and less influence than Madam Talina. Moreover, the nobles don't like their servants who will become greater than their masters."
The atmosphere grew quiet. Even the faint noise from the corridor seemed distant.
By then, the girl added calmly, "Isn't it the same with your present master, right now? I'm pretty sure you won't be able to reach higher place then."
He did not hesitate to answer, "Yes…"
"Then, why you keep staying with him?"
He shrugged lightly, "Because if the ending is the same, there's no reason to change."
The girl blinked and Baston continued calmly, "If both paths lead to similar limits, then staying where I am is simpler. After all, changing the master only creates unnecessary trouble."
The girl stared at him for a moment before she sighed, "Just say you're too lazy to change."
He smiled faintly, "Exactly..."
The girl was momentarily speechless. The entire conversation had circled back to the same conclusion.
At first, she had believed that she could persuade the fat boy to consider another path. After all, someone with talent in ice magic should not waste his potential under a young noble with uncertain influence.
But somehow, he had guided the discussion in such a way that every argument collapsed naturally. Now that she thought about it more carefully, she realized something.
The fat boy had not rejected her directly.
Instead, he had built a logical path that inevitably led to the rejection. It was subtle, very subtle that she did not realize that he was wasting her time only to think the same thing.
The girl crossed her arms, "Fine… I won't poach you anymore."
Baston nodded politely, "Thank you for your understanding."
But then, the girl suddenly changed the topic, "By the way, do you know why your noble master came to see Madam Talina?"
He shook his head immediately, "I don't know..."
"Not even a guess?"
"My master doesn't tell me these things," he replied calmly, "He just told me to follow him and said he would fulfill my desire."
The girl clicked her tongue softly, "In the end, you really are just a simple servant."
He lowered his head slightly, "That's correct…"
Inside, however, his mind remained perfectly calm. Feigning the ignorance had always been his safest weapon. The less people that believed he understood, the more freedom he possessed.
The girl studied him for another moment. Then, she reached into the small pouch at her waist. He noticed the movement instantly, but outwardly, he did nothing.
From the pouch, the girl took out a small pink stone.
The object was smooth and polished plus it was a little bigger than a coin. The strange engravings decorated its surface, forming the delicate lines that curved into an unfamiliar insignia.
Without warning, the girl suddenly grabbed his hand.
The fat boy reacted just slowly enough to appear startled. Before he could pull away, the stone was already placed in his palm.
"What is this?"
The girl giggled softly, "A communication stone… It allows the secret contact between you and me."
She leaned back comfortably, "I found you interesting so I thought it might be useful to keep in touch."
Baston examined the stone carefully, thinking that the item must not be simple.
"Don't worry, it won't alert your master," she added casually, "This type of stone can only connect between two linked pieces. Beside us, no one else can use it."
"I see…"
He paused thoughtfully, then he slowly closed his hand and pushed the stone back toward her, "I think it's better not to..."
The girl raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"My master wouldn't like it…"
She laughed lightly, "He won't know…"
"That's not the problem…" he shook his head, "Even if it remains the secret between us, the people might misunderstand."
The girl looked amused, "What do you mean by that word?"
"The people would think that I have a special relationship with you."
She blinked and he continued calmly, "In the end, the others might think I'm spying on my own master."
The girl stared at him silently for a moment before she sighed, "You really think too much."
"Perhaps…" he replied, "But I'd rather avoid such unnecessary trouble."
The girl leaned back with a small shrug, "Fine…"
She took the stone back and slipped it into her pouch again, "You're more cautious than you look."
Baston smiled faintly but he did not answer back.
At that moment, the door to the inner room opened and Luke stepped out. He glanced briefly at
Baston and gave a subtle nod. The signal was clear and it was time to leave.
He stood immediately, "Then, I'll take my leave..."
The girl waved lazily, "Goodbye, fat boy..."
Luke and Baston soon disappeared down the corridor. The moment they were gone, the girl stood up and walked calmly into the inner room.
Madam Talina was still seated where she had been earlier. Her expression remained as calm as ever. The girl sat down on the couch across from her.
"The fat boy is quite interesting," she said casually.
Madam Talina looked at her quietly, waiting for the next statement.
"However, he has few shortcomings…" the girl continued, "Even with ice magic talent, he doesn't understand the true situation of the kingdom."
Madam Talina spoke softly, "And that's why you tried to poach him? You even used my name as an excuse."
"Well…" the girl leaned back comfortably, "If I used my real identity, it would cause trouble."
Madam Talina's gaze sharpened slightly.
"People in the palace would notice," the girl continued, "And once they start monitoring me again, the things will become much inconvenient."
Madam Talina nodded slowly, "That's true."
The girl smiled faintly, "In the end, borrowing your name is much easier."
*****
Meanwhile, Baston knew nothing of the conversation. He followed Luke through the quiet streets of Luminos City like an obedient servant but his thoughts were already drifting elsewhere.
When nothing unusual occurred during the journey back, his consciousness slowly withdrew from the servant's body.
His real consciousness returned to the hidden space of the old book. The moment his attention focused fully again, his expression changed.
In front of him, the image of the pink stone floated. A memory replayed itself inside his mind toward the insignia that was engraved on the surface.
At first glance, it had seemed decorative but now, a quiet realization formed.
He narrowed his eyes, "That girl…"
His voice was barely above a whisper, "She's not an ordinary one…"
His thoughts moved quickly.
Inside the library of the Xavierius family estate, he had once spent several hours reading several various historical books. One of those books had described the royal insignia.
He had not expected that information to become useful so soon. The design carved on the pink stone was unmistakable.
"The royal family…" he exhaled slowly, "Is that girl come from such place?"
A faint chill ran through his thoughts.
Fortunately, he had spoken through a puppet. His real body had never been present. Every expression, every reaction, and every hesitation had been carefully controlled from afar.
If he had faced her personally, even the smallest mistake might have exposed something.
He leaned back slightly, "Good thing I recognized the insignia."
If he had not, the conversation might have taken a very different direction. Now, another question emerged.
Which of the two women was the real royal?
Was it the girl or Madam Talina?
He did not know since he had only been in Luminos City for a few days. Even if he had lived here for few years, the royal family rarely appeared in the public. Investigating them directly would be dangerous.
The guilds existed in the city but asking about the royal identities was equivalent to announcing his suicidal curiosity.
He shook his head, "Ignorance is truly a sin…"
By then, he smiled faintly, "But sometimes, it's also a blessing…"
For now, pretending not to know was the safest path. The girl believed he was nothing more than a simple servant and he very much preferred to keep it that way.
The royal politics were dangerous. The noble politics were already complicated enough so adding royalty to the equation would only increase the number of several hidden variables.
He had other priorities at the moment.
*****
Meanwhile, Sebastian continued his hard training.
The fat puppet practiced the sword movements under the guidance of the old knight as fast as he could. There was no need for basic since he didn't plan to continue after this one quest.
Baston observed every movement, every shift of weight, and every subtle adjustment in the posture carefully.
The puppet mimicked the techniques as best as it could but something was still missing since it lacked the essence and the understanding.
The true skill required personal enlightenment and just copying the movements alone was never enough. Still, for now, the imitation was sufficient.
The training continued for several hours before Sebastian finally excused himself.
Baston guided the puppet toward the inn where Luke was staying. Not long after, Luke and the servant puppet returned as well.
The moment both of the puppets were safely back, he dismissed them. The real him soon stepped back into the world.
The fatigue slowly settled over his mind.
Controlling two puppets simultaneously while maintaining the awareness inside the old book demanded such tremendous concentration.
Dividing his attention between multiple perspectives was exhausting, and today, he had to include something that was even more troublesome. There would be a possibility of the royal encounter in the future.
He rubbed his forehead, "How many hidden forces exist in this city?"
Luminos City was far more complicated than he had expected.
Even with careful planning, the probability of success for his current mission remained uncertain. Even though so, the effort could increase his chances and Baston had never been afraid of such effort.
*****
The dinner was served soon after and Baston ate enthusiastically. The long day had left him hungry. Strangely enough, despite the mental exhaustion, his body still felt energetic. Perhaps, such good food had that effect.
He glanced down at his own round belly, "With meals like this, losing weight will be more impossible."
Unless he began the real physical training with his actual body, his appearance would never change. Ironically, although he had been born into the poverty, the food had never truly been scarce.
The life had become strangely comfortable. As he ate, he glanced toward the window and his eyes sharpened slightly.
"Finally…"
Someone had moved in the darkness.
Earlier back then, he had already released the puppets. One was in the form of a bird and another as a rat. They quietly observed the surroundings. They were waiting and watching.
Now, the rat puppet discovered something.
In a nearby alley, a man stood silently watching the inn. The man lingered there for quite some time before making a brief signal and leaving. This kind of behavior was surely suspicious.
Baston immediately followed.
The rat puppet scurried along the dark streets until the man reached a small house. The door opened and the man entered quickly.
The rat slipped through a crack in the wall moments later. Inside the living room, two men were talking.
"How about it?"
"It seems the boy is really there."
"What does our lord want us to do?"
"For now, just monitor him."
"Even though our lord wants him dead?"
"Watch your mouth!"
The second man lowered his voice quickly, "Don't let anyone hear that."
"Relax… Everyone already suspects it."
"That doesn't mean we should talk about it."
The man sighed, "The matter between the nobles is really complicated. Let the lord handle it himself."
"In the end, we just keep watching?"
"Yes…"
A short silence followed before the first man stood up, "Let's go…"
"Where?"
"To Paradise Resort…"
"Again?"
"Our lord waits there every day."
The other man frowned, "But he's not actually there."
"That's exactly the point…" he smirked, "Everyone must believe he stays at Paradise Resort and not at Carpel Inn."
Baston's eyes narrowed. Eventually, that was the trick. The culprit would give a false location and a fake public appearance. Meanwhile, the real one hid somewhere else. It was such a classic misdirection.
The conversation soon shifted to unimportant topics and the two men left the house shortly after. The rat puppet followed briefly but it was stopped near the entrance of Paradise Resort.
A powerful magical barrier surrounded the building that even a puppet could not pass easily. He didn't have a choice but to withdraw the puppet.
Inside the inn, he leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.
Luke's uncle was hiding elsewhere and Paradise Resort was merely a bait. If he had walked blindly into that trap, the outcome might have been very different.
A faint smile appeared on his face, "Good thing I like using rats…"