Noah followed the elder to an old building, a Charlemagne investigation hall.
"Explain exactly what happened, and do not leave out any details."
Noah placed the cup on the table and pretended to be afraid and confused. Then, he repeated the same details he had planned to tell the elder.
"Were you able to determine their level?" the elder asked coldly.
"I couldn’t tell, but Lord Averitt said they were low-grade mages."
"What happened after that?"
"He activated the defensive puppets and ordered me to stay in the carriage. But when two of the attackers got close, he told me to grab a horse and run to Charchal."
"Did you see him die?"
"No."
"Did anyone follow you?"
"I didn’t see anyone. I heard fighting for a while, and then I saw a fire burning behind me."
The elder watched him silently.
All of Noah’s mana remained hidden inside his marrow, so outwardly, he was just a boy who had not yet opened the first gate.
Logically, someone at his level could not have killed three mages, Averitt, and everyone in the caravan.
"You are Robert’s son, aren’t you? You will stay here while we investigate the site."
Noah did not object and sat quietly, pretending to be sad.
A doctor examined Noah’s body while he waited. Finding no serious injuries, he took Noah to a room to rest for the remainder of the day.
Most of the day passed before the investigation team returned.
The Elder summoned Noah again. Beside him, the investigators stood inside the room with a black ring placed on the table.
Noah recognized it immediately. Fortunately, he had not picked up or taken anything with him. It seemed that the fire had not affected Averitt’s ring in any way.
The investigator said:
"We found the caravan got burned and defensive puppets were fully destroyed, then all of the soldiers and servants were killed.
"We also found the remains of three people wearing black clothes.
"What about Averitt?" The elder asked.
"There was also Lord Averitt’s ring with one of the bodies. The remains were badly damaged, but their size and the amount of blood found matched his."
"Did the attackers possess any notable traits or symbols?"
"The fire, earth, wind, and ice. It was globally a chaotic confrontation between several mages, but the fire destroyed most of the evidence on the bodies."
The elder looked at Noah.
"Did any of the attackers use ice?"
"I do not really know, but at the beginning of the battle, I saw one of the attackers using fire spells frequently."
The investigator nodded.
"The traces of ice were limited and few compared to the fire element. They may have been caused by a magical tool whose owner cannot be determined."
Silence prevailed for several moments.
The elder took Averitt’s ring and placed it aside.
"He fulfilled his duty. Bury his body in the main section and inform his family."
No clear sadness appeared on his face. He began asking the investigator about the value of the carriages and puppets and the number of soldiers who had died, then ordered him to determine the compensation that would be sent to their families. At least House Charlemagne had to pretend to be generous sometimes.
"The main house will send people to investigate the identity of the attackers. Until then, there is no need to spread what happened."
"Understood."
"Averitt was responsible for delivering you to the Academy Caravan, nothing more. His death does not cancel your nomination. You will remain in the candidates’ residence until the departure date."
"When does the caravan depart?"
"After three days."
Noah was transferred to another palace in the inner section.
It was larger than Lupton House. Its courtyard was filled with carriages and servants, and the emblems of many House from across the Empire appeared above doors.
Noah went into the main hall.
Boys and girls gathered in groups. They wore House emblems on their clothes.
Some of them stopped talking as soon as they saw him, looking at him coldly. Apparently, news of the attack had spread before his arrival.
One of them whispered,
"He is Robert’s son."
Another said,
"I didn’t expect Lord Averitt, a generous person, to die protecting the son of a madman."
All eyes turned toward Noah.
He did not answer.
The servant led him to his room while the whispers continued behind him.
Before he reached the second floor, the candidates inside the palace had learned his name.
After three days, the caravan would leave Charchal and head toward the academy.
A group of nobles from the main house and descendantof the branches heading to the Magical Academy gathered in the main hall of House Charlemagne one day before the caravan’s departure.
The gathering was not an official celebration, but merely an ordinary meeting to become acquainted. However, the number of servants moving among the attendees and the food carefully arranged on the tables made it look like one. Deep inside the hall, the descendantof nobles stood in separate groups, exchanging conversations with smiles on their faces as if they had known one another for years.
Noah remained away from them.
He held a glass that he did not drink from and merely watched the attendees from his place near one of the pillars. Most of the conversations were not important. Each of them was trying to learn the status of the other before deciding how to treat them.
The descendantof the powerful branches surrounded themselves with descendantof the weaker branches, while those who did not find a suitable group moved among the attendees in search of an opportunity.
Noah concluded that the gathering was a smaller image of what would most likely happen inside the Magical Academy.
Alliances were formed before arrival, and hostilities began over words or looks. People determined the value of others based on their family names, not their talents.
Noah did not care about any of this flawed logic.