When the good intentions were mixed with money, the people rarely hesitated. That simple rule applied perfectly to Panto.
The moment Baston handed him the list, the merchant boy did not waste even half a day by questioning it. After all, the paper contained several names and he knew the purpose.
Some were small gang leaders while the others were smugglers who operated quietly in the black markets. A few of them were the thugs who had made a living by extorting the merchants in the poorer districts. None of them were respectable citizens.
More importantly, every one of them posed a potential threat to Panto's future business. To the boy, removing them was not merely doing Baston a favor. It was an investment toward his future business.
The money moved quickly in the right hands. Within few days, Panto had hired several mercenary groups who specialized in the silent work. These people asked no questions as long as the payment arrived on time.
Of course, Panto always paid generously. One by one, the names on the list began disappearing from the streets.
A mugger vanished after walking into an alley.
A smuggler was found unconscious beside the river and never seen again afterward.
A small gang dissolved overnight when their leader mysteriously failed to return from a meeting.
None of the incidents caused much noise. The town simply absorbed the changes like the ripples that was disappearing into still water. Baston did not know how far the process had progressed but he trusted Panto.
The boy might look timid on the surface, yet when it came to the business, he possessed a sharp instinct that rivaled many experienced merchants. He believed the list would eventually vanish without leaving troublesome traces behind.
That matter could be left alone which meant only one problem remained.
It was regarding Claire Versance, the beautiful woman who insisted on inviting him to the family. Compared to Levan, the noblewoman was far more troublesome.
Levan had been greedy. Greedy people were easy to manipulate because they believed everything revolved around the profit.
Claire was different because she was powerful and powerful people rarely accepted the rejection.
Baston had managed to postpone his answer earlier but that delay was temporary. Eventually, the woman would come to collect his response. He had already considered several possibilities.
If he accepted the invitation, his freedom would be chained to the Versance family. If he rejected it directly, Claire might feel insulted. Neither the outcome was good.
Although Claire possessed tremendous magical power, he did not consider her particularly wise. She lacked the calm patience that came with age like Angus.
The old wizard had the temperament of someone who had seen many storms. However, Claire still carried the arrogance of youth. Such arrogance was dangerous.
If the things ended badly, he needed to ensure she would not feel offended. Otherwise, the consequences might not be something that he could handle yet.
*****
In the end, he could only wait. For several days, he remained unusually alert.
Every knock on the dormitory corridor made him raise his head. Every unfamiliar presence who was passing near his room made him pause. Eventually, the knock he had been expecting arrived.
It came in the afternoon and the three calm taps echoed against the wooden door of Baston's personal room.
Under normal circumstances, very few people could visit the students directly like this. After the recent explosion incident, Prius Academy had tightened its security. Several guards patrolled the corridors and few magical sensors monitored the movement near some restricted areas.
Even though so, the visitor outside his door had passed through without difficulty. That meant only one thing which was the permission had already been granted.
Baston opened the door and Claire stood outside. Her expression carried the same confident composure as always.
"How are you doing, Baston?" she said with a light smile, "Too bad you lost the battle against Alicia."
Inside the room, the puppet who was disguised as Baston lowered his head politely, "I'm fine. Thank you, Miss Claire."
The puppet's voice sounded slightly nervous, "I wonder why you visit me despite your busy schedule."
Claire stepped inside the room and glanced around casually, "Well, I'm still waiting for your answer. I wonder if you have thought about it thoroughly."
The puppet hesitated, "Before answering… I want to ask about something."
Claire raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"I'm worried about my studies here," the puppet said carefully, "And… I'm also afraid the other students might become jealous if they hear about your invitation."
Claire smiled faintly, "That is simple to handle. If you wish, we can suppress the news about you joining us."
In truth, Claire had never cared about Prius Academy's opinion. After all, the academy would remain neutral regardless.
However, the students were another matter, especially the noble factions. For them, Baston represented an uncomfortable contradiction.
A boy with the lowest social status was suddenly gaining the recognition from a powerful great family. It was something that many of them would find the matter kind of insulting. The jealousy, the resentment, and the whispers would spread quickly.
Claire understood this well. In her mind, Baston was still a timid student who feared the social pressure. She believed that was the reason he hesitated.
If the rumors spread, he might become a target for the bullying and the political games within the academy. Still, that could easily be solved.
The Versance family had enough influence to silence the gossip. If necessary, they could also make the academy itself cooperate.
Claire leaned slightly closer, "Baston, I heard something interesting about your background."
The puppet looked up slowly, pondering about her next words.
"I was told that you originally came from a noble family."
Claire watched him carefully, "Due to the inheritance disputes, you were expelled and lost everything. Don't you want to regain your status?"
The puppet remained silent.
Inside the old book, Baston blinked. That story was completely fabricated, yet somehow, it had begun spreading among the nobles.
He could guess why. A poor student who was possessing a rare magic like ice was difficult for them to accept.
To them, a talent like that must come from the noble blood. Since no proof existed, the people simply created several explanations. After all, the rumors were flexible and the stories grew like vines.
Baston almost laughed. His lie had evolved into something that even he could not fully control. But instead of correcting it, he decided to take advantage of it.
For a brief moment, he allowed the silence to linger. Inside that silence, he could almost hear how the rumors were born.
Not through proof and not through reason, but through the quiet greed of the people who wanted the world to make sense according to their own beliefs.
A poor student with rare ice magic was too unnatural for them. In the end, they patched the contradiction with a convenient story. He became a fallen noble, a hidden bloodline, and a child that was cast out because of the inheritance.
The lie had grown teeth.
What unsettled him was not that the people believed it but how easily they embroidered the details onto something that had never existed.
Somewhere beyond this room, the nobles who had never spoken to him were likely discussing his imaginary childhood with full confidence.
Some might even pity him while the others might fear the family that had discarded him. A few would certainly be trying to identify which household had produced such a magical child. All of it had been born from nothing.
He felt a faint chill at that thought.
The fake stories were dangerous because once enough people accepted them, they stopped being the rumors and began shaping the reality itself.
Eventually, if the world insisted on writing a background for him, then he would simply choose how to perform inside it.
Through the puppet, he slowly clenched his fist. The subtle gesture did not escape Claire's eyes. To her, it confirmed everything. Surely, the boy still carried the resentment.
The humiliation of losing his noble status must have scarred him deeply.
Claire felt satisfied because she had dealt with the noble family conflicts before. This kind of emotional wound was common.
All she needed to do was to offer him a path back to power and he would follow willingly. Unfortunately for her, the performance was entirely fake.
The puppet's expression was carefully controlled. After a moment, the puppet seemed about to speak before a loud rumbling sound echoed from his stomach in a sudden.
"Grrrr…"
He immediately looked down at the floor, showing that the embarrassment appeared genuine. Claire blinked then she burst into laughter.
"Do you want to eat something?" she asked between chuckles, "In this serious conversation, your stomach ruined the atmosphere."
"I'm very sorry," the puppet said awkwardly, "Because I was nervous earlier… I forgot to eat breakfast."
Claire waved her hand dismissively, "It's fine… Let's go find something outside."
Before Baston could respond, Claire grabbed his wrist.
The world twisted and the scenery blurred violently. One moment they stood inside the dormitory, yet the next moment, the rooftops flashed past their vision.
Claire's movement technique carried them across multiple locations within few seconds. When the distortion finally stopped, they stood just a few meters away from the academy's main gate.
He felt slightly dizzy and the title of great wizard indeed was not exaggerated.
Claire released his wrist and looked around thoughtfully. She seemed to be searching for a quiet place to eat while continuing their discussion. Still, he had already begun executing the next part of his plan.
They walked only a few steps before suddenly, a wave of magic erupted nearby. The air froze and the temperature dropped sharply.
Claire's expression changed instantly. Without warning, she disappeared from Baston's side. A moment later, she reappeared on the rooftop of a nearby house. From that vantage point, she saw the strange phenomenon.
In the distance, an enormous blizzard spiraled across an empty field. The magic density was staggering. Even from several streets away, the freezing mana could be felt in the air.
Claire's heart skipped a beat to feel such a strong ice magic. This was something far beyond the level of academy students.
Without hesitation, she leaped from rooftop to rooftop, moving toward the disturbance at terrifying speed. The wind howled around her and within the moments, she arrived near the source. At there, she saw her.
A young girl stood at the center of the frozen field and her long hair fluttered gently in the icy wind. The snowflakes swirled around her like silent spirits while her hands were raised slightly as if she was guiding the blizzard itself.
The power radiating from her magic was astonishing.
Claire's eyes widened, looking at such talent and such control. This girl was far more extraordinary than Baston. An irresistible thought appeared in her mind that she had to make this girl to become her disciple.
She stepped forward but just as she moved closer, the girl turned her head. Their eyes met briefly, then a wall of ice surged upward between them. The frozen barrier blocked Claire'a vision completely.
When she shattered the wall seconds later, the girl was gone. The blizzard had vanished and the field fell silent. She stood there in disbelief.
She expanded her magical senses across the surrounding area but found nothing. There was no mana trace and no residual presence. It was as if the girl had never existed.
For several minutes, she searched desperately. Her detection spread across far away but she still found nothing. The mysterious girl had disappeared like a ghost.
Eventually, she returned to Baston but her expression remained distracted.
"I'm very sorry," she said quickly, "It seems we must postpone our conversation."
The puppet looked confused, "What happened?"
"I saw something very exciting," she said, "There may be a new talent involved."
She paused briefly, "You should know the Versance family has long rivaled the Herbiens family. If they learn about this discovery before us, they will certainly interfere. Because of this, I must act quickly."
The puppet nodded obediently, "Of course..."
Inside the old book, Baston smiled faintly. The bait had worked perfectly.
If he could not reject Claire directly, he would simply redirect her interest. And what better distraction than someone who was even more talented than himself?
The beautiful girl that Claire saw was merely one of his puppets. It was disguised, enhanced, and temporarily empowered.
Long ago, Baston had received a consumable reward from the old book which was the Blizzard Insignia. He had never used it until today.
The puppet had activated the insignia at the exact moment where Claire left the academy gate. The resulting magic unexpectedly had exceeded his expectations. Even from a distance, he felt its terrifying pressure.
For a moment, he feared it might freeze half the town so he stopped the effect early. Even then, the shards of ice had spread across several streets. Fortunately, no one was harmed.
The puppet disappeared shortly afterward while Claire chased only an illusion.
After that, Baston quietly returned to the academy. On the way back, he noticed something strange.
Several uniformed soldiers rushed toward the frozen district. Their armor bore the insignia of the kingdom.
He frowned because these were not the ordinary town guards. They belonged to a specialized unit that were responsible for magical disturbances even though their jurisdiction usually covered the capital and major cities.
This town should not have been within their immediate patrol zone yet they had arrived quickly.
He slowed down his steps and a quiet unease settled in his mind.
Was their appearance truly related to the blizzard or had something else already been happening in this town before he even used the insignia?
For the first time since the plan succeeded, he felt a faint chill that had nothing to do with ice magic.
Something unseen was moving beneath the surface and he was no longer certain that he understood the whole situation.