Baston finished his breakfast at a fast pace, savoring each bite as though the world beyond his table did not exist. After all, the tension made him hungrier yesterday.
However, on the other side of town, there was no such luxury.
The moment the leader received word of the morning incident, his expression twisted. For a brief instant, the anger threatened to surface on his already exhausted face but he forced it down. He closed his eyes, drew a slow breath, and steadied himself.
This was not the time to lose control.
One man was already dead. The worse was the circumstances surrounding the death that remained unclear. What had initially seemed like a straightforward mission had begun to unravel into something that was far more complicated. Every new development only deepened the uncertainty.
Retreat into the safety or endure the harassment and wait for reinforcements from the kingdom.
The choice weighed heavily on him.
Despite the tightening tension, he turned his attention to a more immediate concern.
"Has the body been recovered?"
The question silenced those around him. The man had fallen from a considerable height. Under normal circumstances, such a fall would have been fatal regardless of outside interference. Even though so, no one dared to assume anything in this situation.
One of the soldiers stepped forward, clearly intending to retrieve the corpse. Before he could move, another person grabbed his arm.
"Don't…" the second man said quietly, "It could be a trap…"
The leader opened his eyes and gave a small nod, "That's possible..."
His voice was calm but firm. It was cruel to leave the fallen soldier out there but he had much bigger responsibility here.
The dark wizards were not known for direct confrontation. They preferred manipulation and curse, forcing their enemies into the mistakes. A corpse left in the open could easily serve as a bait.
He had seen similar tactics before.
Their emotion clouded their judgment and such judgment led to unnecessary losses once it was compromised.
"We must not act rashly," he continued, "Not for now…"
There was no denying the weight of the loss. A man under his command had died and there was nothing he could do to change that. Yet, allowing his grief to dictate their actions would only ensure more deaths in the future.
"The environment is becoming dangerous," he murmured more to himself than to the others,
"They're stalling and playing with us."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the distant area, "For what purpose… in a place like this?"
*****
Not far from the gathered soldiers, the members of the Versance family had only just begun their day.
Their expressions mirrored the atmosphere which was tired, strained, and quietly unsettled. Their presence in the town had never been about assisting the kingdom.
They had come for a different reason.
Claire stood among them and her thoughts were distant from the current crisis. While the others were occupied with the aftermath of the incident, her mind remained fixed on something far more personal.
She was still focusing on the mysterious girl.
A young ice wizard of extraordinary talent, the one she had encountered only once yet she had never forgotten.
At the time, she had intended to lure Baston, seeing some potential value in him. Instead, she had stumbled upon something far more valuable. The memory of that brief encounter had taken root in her mind, growing into a quiet obsession.
Such talent could not be allowed to remain unclaimed. If the girl was guided properly, her future would be limitless.
That belief alone had justified every resource that Claire had poured into this search.
She had monitored the town relentlessly, watching its borders, and observing the surrounding area yet the girl had never appeared again. It was as though she had vanished entirely which left only one conclusion.
She was still here but she was hidden among the people.
Claire had even approached Principal Viral of Prius Academy, leveraging her influence to gain access to student records. The old man had allowed it reluctantly but the results had yielded nothing.
The girl was not among the students.
In hindsight, it made sense. Someone with such overwhelming ability would not remain unnoticed within an academy setting. Her name would have spread long ago.
Still, Claire refused to abandon the search.
If the girl had appeared once, she could appear again. And when that moment came, she would achieve her purpose.
Her eyes hardened slightly because inside her heart, she would not let the girl escape again.
*****
Meanwhile, Baston remained blissfully unaware of the extent of Claire's fixation.
If he had known, he would have found the situation deeply amusing.
What had begun as a simple distraction, an improvised attempt to divert attention away from himself had evolved into something far more effective than he had anticipated.
Claire was no longer interested in him and her focus had shifted entirely.
As a result, he moved freely through the town unbothered and unnoticed. For him, that was more than enough.
After finishing his meal which were two full portions, much to the quiet astonishment of the waiter, Baston returned to Prius Academy.
His stomach was full but however, his thoughts were not.
The situation had grown increasingly restrictive. His usual methods by deploying the puppets in the form of birds or rats had become unreliable since the security had tightened. Any unfamiliar creature which was wandering too close to the restricted areas would be eliminated without hesitation.
Continuing as before would only draw unnecessary attention. Eventually, he needed a different approach.
He was in urgent needs of new idea but he did not act immediately.
Instead, he leaned back slightly while his gaze was unfocused as he replayed the past action in careful detail. With every movement, every reaction from the soldiers, and every small shift in their behavior, he examined them one by one. The tightening of security was a response shaped by fear and uncertainty.
There must be a weakness in such situation.
If they believed themselves watched, then they would act cautiously. If they acted cautiously, their attention would narrow. And when their attention narrowed, the blind spots would naturally form.
Baston tapped his finger lightly against the table.
Brute force would not work here and fast speed would only expose him. What he needed was misdirection layered upon another misdirection, something subtle enough to blend into their assumptions while guiding them toward the conclusions that benefited him.
His lips curved faintly.
They already suspected the existence of familiars. That alone was an advantage he had not anticipated. Instead of correcting that misunderstanding, he could deepen it, feed it, and shape it.
The more convinced they became, the less they would question what they saw.
And once their perception was fully controlled, entering, observing, and even moving within the restricted zones would become far easier than it should be.
Only then did he rise from his seat because the decision had been firmly made.
*****
A full day had already passed and the time was becoming a concern. By noon, Baston finally executed his decision.
He left the academy and began surveying the nearby inns. After a brief search, he selected one that offered a clear view of the restricted zone.
He booked a room for two days.
Once inside, he secured the door and checked the surroundings carefully. Only when he was satisfied that no one was watching did he proceed.
From the window, the restricted area was visible in the distance since it was close enough.
Soon, he summoned one of his puppets.
At his command, it transformed into a small bird and slipped out through the open window, taking flight with practiced ease. It circled briefly before landing on a quiet rooftop that was not far from the target.
Through the shared connection, he observed everything. Satisfied that the area was clear, he issued a second command.
The bird's form shifted, reshaping itself into that of a young man.
The moments later, the puppet descended and walked calmly toward the restricted zone.
"Stop! You can't pass!"
The guards stepped forward, blocking the path. The man only tilted its head slightly.
"Why not?"
Its tone was casual and almost amused, "You allow members of the Versance family to enter freely yet you stop me?"
A faint smirk appeared, "I see... It's because they're women, isn't it? The beautiful ones at that..."
The guard's expression darkened, "Watch your words!"
"Oh, I understand…" the man continued lightly, "Men are easily swayed. Still, you should be careful.
Beneath that elegance lies nothing but disdain."
"Enough! Another word and we'll detain you!"
"Detain me?" the man laughed, "Do you truly believe you can?"
The commotion quickly drew some attention.
The leader arrived, accompanied by several subordinates and the women of the Versance family.
Among them, Claire's gaze sharpened the moment she saw the man. The appearance was unfamiliar but the attitude was not.
"Who are you?" one of the women demanded.
The man raised a hand, "Just a passerby..."
A small flame flickered into existence above his palm. This action triggered something from all the women and their reaction was immediate.
"You…!"
The recognition flashed across their faces. They had a hunch but they never thought it would become a reality.
"I wonder…" the man replied, "What brings the esteemed Versance family to such a modest place? Several weeks have passed and yet you remain useless here."
"We are here on a mission for the kingdom," the woman said stiffly.
"Then, allow me to assist…"
"I refuse!" she snapped, "You have no place here. Leave...!"
The man's gaze shifted, ignoring her entirely, "I wasn't speaking to you."
He pointed toward the leader, "Please... Let us not interrupt unnecessarily though I suppose such behavior is to be expected."
"YOU—!"
The cold air gathered as the woman's magic surged. Versance and Herbiens was truly fated to be the enemies.
"Enough!" the leader's voice cut through the tension, "Both of you stop right now!"
The silence ensued before the leader explained further, "This mission is of critical importance. If you intend to cause a trouble, I will have no choice but to remove you."
The woman hesitated then lowered her hand. The man simply turned away as though the matter no longer interested him.
The confrontation ended as abruptly as it had begun.
From within his room, Baston exhaled slowly since the risk had paid off.
By imitating a member of the Herbiens family and displaying a flare magic, he had provided just enough evidence for the others to draw their own conclusions.
The hostility from the Versance members had done the rest. In the end, no further explanation was needed.
In this kingdom, the rivalry between the two families was well known. Their presence in the same location naturally implied the conflict and no one questioned it.
With that, he finally gained an access.
Inside the restricted area, the atmosphere was subdued. It was quiet and still. The surrounding was devoid of sound that he hardly believe it was the same town.
There were no civilians here. There were only soldiers and personnel that were directly involved in the mission.
Through casual inquiries, he gathered the information.
Most of it confirmed what he already knew about the hidden lair and the dark wizards who were operating in secrecy. There was also several weeks of searching with no success.
However, there was more and it was something unexpected.
The people believed they were being watched. They were merely observed from somewhere. They claimed it came from the familiars, the creatures that were used to scout their movements.
According to the leader, these familiars would appear briefly to assess the surroundings before withdrawing, allowing the dark wizards to monitor them from a distance.
The conclusion was simple that their every move was being anticipated.
Their failure to locate the lair was not due to lack of effort but because their actions were being predicted in advance.
Baston blinked before a faint smile slowly formed.
He had only begun using his puppets yesterday yet they had already constructed an entire theory around the event.
It was such an impressive one at that.
Whether it was keen observation or desperate reasoning, he couldn't tell. Either way, it worked in his favor.
The death that morning had only reinforced their fears and the tension had escalated sharply. Their morale was fragile yet he felt none of it.
To him, it was all part of the same unfolding play that the one he had set into motion. Still, a thought lingered about the body or rather, the lack of one.
He had already removed it, disguising the corpse before allowing it to leave the scene unnoticed.
Sooner or later, the questions would arise and when they did, he wondered how they would respond.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted since the leader had called for a gathering. Everyone soon assembled.
The man stood at the center and his posture was firm despite the strain visible beneath the surface.
"I know this morning has shaken you," he began, "But we cannot falter."
His voice carried clearly, "The kingdom depends on us. If we fail here, the consequences will not be contained to this town."
"They spread death wherever they go," he continued, "We cannot allow that to continue."
The crowd responded more firmly this time. They were already encouraged and the leader soon pressed on.
"We have searched extensively. What remains are the locations we have yet to fully investigate."
He paused briefly then he spoke with renewed resolve, "I am issuing a full directive..."
"We will expand our search…" his gaze swept across the assembled group, "Whether it was the academy, the public security office, or the merchant association."
"Everything must be checked thoroughly!"
It was just a single command yet it was clear and absolute.
For Baston himself, such order was unexpectedly convenient.