Since Luke came from the family of knights, then Baston could assume that the uncle also had capability as the knight. The fighting style between the wizards and the knights was completely different. The knight
might prefer combat attack while he as the wizard liked ranged attack more. If they met in the battlefield, each of them surely must kept the distance. The knight must get closer to the wizard and the wizard had to get further from the knight. Both of them had advantages and disadvantages.
When Baston remembered what the quest issued on him, he thought no wonder he just needed to help Luke to kill his uncle. If he
confronted his uncle directly, there would be a high possibility he would get killed just at the first sight. Although the ice magic was pretty good at defense, he also must quickly cast it before the enemy remove the sword from the sheath. Still, he didn't have any experience regarding the knight so at
present, he could only imagine inside his head what kind of movement the enemy
would make.
While Baston was wondering ahead, Luke's face didn't look good. He was solemn right at the moment because his uncle really dared to kill him in the middle of the day by using underhanded tactics. The knights had their own pride, but somehow, this uncle of him seemingly didn't have any of it even though he also came from the family of knights. The noble boy sighed and patted Baston's shoulder.
"It looks like we have to pick further trips before arriving at the destination. Can you hold it?"
"What do you mean further trips?"
"We won't have smooth trips from now on because we have to take another road to get there. It will be more dangerous with steep cliffs and forest around. However, the hindrance like bandits will be less at there."
"Alright…" Baston nodded, clearly having no choice.
"Don't you want to think it more?"
"What to think more about it?" Baston was confused, "Right now, I'm your servant. It means I just have to follow you around wherever you want to go."
"Really? You will follow me wherever I go?"
"Yes… Of course, it's only temporary…"
"What if I go to the brothel?"
"I'm going to wait at the inn or the front door at the best."
"Hey, I thought you will go wherever I go…"
Baston only furrowed his brow and Luke laughed over his own joke. Of course, he just wanted to tease this seemingly fat and cold boy. In these urgent times, there was no way he could go playing at the brothel, except if his uncle was staying there. Anyway, he doubted this uncle of him was stupid enough
to stroll around while the killer hunted him from the dark.
Luke then cleaned his sword first before disposing all the corpses around. Even though the bandits had already introduced themselves, he didn't know what their real identities. Rather than provoking another group to come, it was better to stay low and ignored whatever happened before. Baston
and Luke continued their trip, but this time, they didn't choose the safe and smooth road.
The path was rocky and jagged, full off pebbles along the road. If the horse carriage was used to pass this area, the experience would be the worst. Baston believed he would never get a rest along the road. It would be tiring journey and once there was any hindrance like the bandits showed up,
the energy left would be less. Luckily, the magic carriage didn't have a problem passing this type of road. Even though they couldn't rush ahead like before, it was alright as long as the trip was safe. Soon, the sunset came and the darkness started to engulf the surrounding.
At this time, they should stay at the nearby inn along the road for a night. The plan was like this if they took the same road as before
but since the bandits happened to appear, Luke knew he couldn't just go as his uncle's wish and must make a decision for this. That was why instead of warm and bright atmosphere in the inn, he had to stay outside and embraced the cold and dark nature. It might be depressing for a noble, but for Baston, this was his first time to stay outside at open field.
With a tent and a campfire, it would be very exciting to enjoy such a calm night. Far from the people and hectic life at town, this kind
of experience was quite priceless for the fat boy. Looking around, there was no tent because the magic carriage could also function as the place to sleep. It provided protection from any animal or the sudden downpour of rain in the middle of night. Baston breathed in happily, but the quiet atmosphere made it awkward since it was only him and Luke in here.
"You know, staying outside like this reminds me back when I trained myself to be a good knight…" Luke started, "At that time, not only a knight must have a good strength to wield a sword, we also have to survive by
ourselves once we get to stay outside."
"Did you make it?"
"Of course!" Luke smiled, "Because I was still young back then, my spirit was still good. I didn't have any other thoughts regarding the training and only strived for the best. It was really such a good experience. The
meat I tasted before seemed more delicious than whatever I eat now."
"I think it's because the meat before was your own hard work. That was why you thought it to be more delicious."
"I guess so…" Luke chuckled, "I can just buy any food later on, but the taste is really not same. Even though it's cooked by the excellent chef, it can't compare with my own cooking before."
Baston smiled secretly regarding what Luke felt at the moment. Regarding the taste of the food, people somehow would cherish the
precious experience they had before. The food was indeed delicious if everyone worked hard on it. If people like Luke only bought it without any experience of struggling over it, the taste of the meat would be bland over the time until he felt the food tasted bad. The same meat and the same cooking method somehow tasted different according the previous experience. Actually, it also happened to Baston recently.
At the beginning of his first day in Prius Academy, he could only get a simple sandwich. It wasn't sumptuous and only filled a part of his stomach. He was still hungry but he must bear with it since he had no money. When Panto and Alicia treated him with more food to eat, he finally felt such a blessing. However, getting fed with the same kind of menu slowly made him bored. The taste was actually still the same one as before, but he personally found the deliciousness already disappeared. There was nothing wrong with it because he was the one that getting dull.
So, at the campfire today, looking at the meat which was being grilled, both of Baston and Luke felt the increasing appetite. In their
minds, they started to wonder how it would taste. Perhaps, it was crispy, smoky, or tender. In this case, they just needed to wait for a few minutes before they could savor it. The dark surrounding and quiet atmosphere made the waiting took so long. While they could only hear the grilling and the sizzling
of the meat, it made them expected this dinner further.
"It's done. Let's eat…" Luke informed.
Baston nodded and took one of the meats. It was still hot and the smoke spread out from it. Waiting for a while before it cooled down, he then grabbed a piece of meat and ate it directly. There was no vegetables and sauce. The condiments were simple and it looked the same with or without it. The taste was ordinary, but being hungry after a long trip, the 2 people thought the meat was very delightful. It was indeed a simple cooking, but they found the taste was more delicious than any ordered food at the academy. Baston quickly ate the meat and he felt happy to experience this situation.
After fulfilling the stomach, it came into awkward atmosphere again. There was no entertainment here and the only thing they could do was just to sleep early. Still, the night was still young and it felt pity to waste it only for sleeping. Luke didn't know how to break this situation, but Baston interrupted his thought. The fat boy suddenly spoke about something.
"Before, you came to the area of commoners. Were you looking for something at there?"
"Well…" Luke stared at Baston, then sighing while looking at the campfire, "I was looking for a place to stay."
"A place to stay?" Baston was confused, "Don't you have already one at noble's area? The facilities at there are more complete than the commoner."
"Yes, but I'm preparing for the worst. You know what kind of punishment if someone killed a noble, right? Regarding the status, people from poor, commoner, and merchant class will have it rough. There's a possibility of death when the kingdom delivers the result. However, it will be different for a noble. It's rare for us to get executed if we kill a noble. The punishment should come in different way, but never death."
Baston was interested on this topic, so he waited until Luke continued, "If a noble kills another noble, the most likely to happen is they have to part with their wealth and authority. The amount itself depends on how
big the crime is. Sometimes, they have to sacrifice a third of their wealth. If the punishment is heavier, half or two third is possible. There is also a case where all of their wealth is confiscated. If it's not enough, then their noble status will be stripped from them. In the end, they will be amounted to nothing. It will be a luck if they still retain some money and become a commoner. If
not…"
Baston understood, looking at Luke, "The worst is you become a poor class since you have nothing."
"Yes, exactly…"
"That's why you come to commoner's area. You already prepare for the worst?"
"Yeah, I know I can't avoid my punishment. I already accept my fate."
Baston appreciated such a strong resolve. It would be very hard to become a poor man from noble rather than from a poor to a noble. The expenses Luke threw out casually must be thought over and over once he wasn't a noble again. It was really cruel because it seemed nobody would help him. Even his own family already neglected him, not to mention his own parent. Perhaps for them, Luke was just a disposable descendant since his father had more children in the big family. Suddenly, Baston wondered who was Luke's father?
"By the way, what is your father's name?"
"Anakin…"
"Well, I should never ask that question…" Baston thought.
The name of Luke's father suddenly made Baston remembered one of the movies he ever watched. Although it should be a coincidence, he couldn't think if the plot of story would develop just like the movie he had already known before. His mouth twitched and he really wanted to comment about this pair of father and son, but he breathed in and out to calm himself down.
The matter of nobles was complicated and he as the outsider should never intervene. Still, he was curious about what would happen in the end.
Despite the eagerness to make a comment, Baston then just simply resigned himself to the carriage. The journey was still long before he could reach his destination, so it was better to preserve his energy for
something better. Otherwise, if he was too focused on the relationship between Luke and his father, he might not be able to sleep peacefully. Deep inside his heart, he really wanted to see if the father who was the name by Anakin would have the same fate as the movie in his old world or not. There might be a possibility, but it depended on how Luke viewed this man. Would he still treat him as a father or just a stranger by then?