Chapter 49: Shanshin

I froze in my tracks, looking at the system.

"Why?" I muttered.

The notification remained suspended before my eyes.

I waited for some moments before the system finally gave the message which was kind of unexpected.

[Protagonist’s Father: Ethan Meuskate]

[Reason For Quest: Endangering Lives In Shanshin]

I stared at it.

’Shanshin.’

I knew the place. It was one of the poorer districts of Valemont, far removed from the streets around the Royal Academy and the more comfortable neighborhoods where people like us lived. I had never had much reason to visit it, but its reputation was hardly unfamiliar. Most of the city’s less fortunate ended up there, and with poverty came the usual collection of problems that followed wherever people had too little money and too few options.

But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

It was the connection.

’Ethan Meuskate.’

The father of the boy I’d just identified as the protagonist.

And apparently, something involving him was going to put people’s life in danger in Shanshin.

I read the notification once more.

There was no objective and no explanation.

Not even a hint about whose life was at risk.

I frowned.

’Why would the system tell me this?’

A few seconds passed before I realized the room had become unusually quiet around me.

I looked up.

Several students were staring.

Arthur had turned around in his seat, looking at me with open curiosity. Mary was watching quietly from beside him, while Theodore’s expression suggested he was wondering how long I intended to stand there.

’Right.’

I had stopped in the middle of the classroom.

Rubbing the back of my head, I gave an awkward smile before walking toward my seat.

"Sorry."

Arthur raised an eyebrow as I sat down.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

"You looked like something just happened."

"Something did."

His expression became more curious.

I paused.

Then I shrugged.

"Nothing important."

Arthur looked at me for another moment before eventually accepting the answer.

"Alright."

He turned back toward the front.

I did the same.

The teacher had continued speaking during the entire exchange, apparently unconcerned by my brief interruption.

I rested my forearm against the desk and listened.

Or at least, tried to.

My attention kept returning to that notification.

Shanshin wasn’t particularly far away. That was almost what made the whole thing stranger.

Whatever Ethan Meuskate was planning, it wasn’t some distant affair that had nothing to do with the capital. It was happening somewhere within Valemont, somewhere ordinary people lived and worked, and the system had decided that I needed to know about it.

I glanced toward the window.

Sunlight fell across the academy courtyard, illuminating students walking between the buildings. Everything looked perfectly normal.

...

Outside the Royal Academy, a carriage moved through the streets of Valemont.

Inside, two people sat opposite one another.

The boy with ash-colored hair rested against the cushioned seat, his deep blue eyes following the streets outside the window. He watched the passing shops and pedestrians with little interest, his expression remaining calm.

Across from him sat his father.

Ethan Meuskate adjusted one of his gloves before looking toward his son.

"We have to carry out this operation in order to build your reputation."

The boy turned his attention toward him.

Ethan’s voice remained composed.

"You’ve only just entered the Royal Academy. That’s enough to get people interested, but interest won’t last forever. If you want them to remember you, you’ll need something more."

The boy listened without interrupting.

His father leaned back against the seat.

"The opportunity has already presented itself. We simply have to make use of it."

The boy’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"And the people in Shanshin?"

Ethan’s expression didn’t change.

"Leave everything else with me."

The boy was silent for a moment.

Then he nodded without a thought.

Ethan looked out the window.

The carriage continued down the street.

The buildings gradually became older as they moved away from the academy district. Shop signs hung above narrow storefronts, vendors called out to pedestrians, and workers hurried along the sidewalks with their heads lowered against the afternoon sun.

None of it seemed particularly remarkable.

Ethan watched the city pass by.

"We’ll begin tomorrow."

The boy nodded again.

Neither of them spoke after that.

The carriage continued onward through the streets of Valemont.

...

No. 9 Ashwell Row, Rhys Manor.

Sera sat alone in her room, a mysticism book open across her desk.

The pages were old enough that the edges had begun to yellow, and several sections contained handwritten annotations. Sera had been reading through one of the Chapters for some time, occasionally making a note of her own whenever she encountered something interesting.

A half-finished cup of tea sat beside the book.

She had forgotten about it.

Her eyes moved down the page.

Then a sudden pain struck her head.

Sera’s fingers tightened around the pen.

Her breath caught.

The pain came without warning and was sharp enough to make her vision blur.

She pushed herself away from the desk.

For one terrible instant, it felt as though something had pierced through her skull.

Her chair scraped against the floor.

The pen slipped from her hand and rolled across the desk.

Sera pressed her fingers against her temple.

Then it stopped...

Just like that.

She remained still.

Her breathing was slightly heavier than before.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes fully.

The room looked exactly as it had moments ago.

The book was still open.

The tea was still sitting beside it.

The afternoon light still came through the curtains.

Sera slowly straightened and picked up the pen.

There was a small blot of ink where it had fallen.

Her eyes lingered on it.

Then she closed the book, stood and walked toward her desk drawer.

She pulled it open and took out a clean sheet of paper.

Returning to her chair, she placed it in front of herself.

For several seconds, the page remained untouched.

Then, after a brief hesitation, she began to scribble something on it.

___

Goal For This Week

50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter

1 Super Gift = 2 Bonus Chapters

5 Golden Tickets = 1 Bonus Chapter