"What exactly are you planning to do at the Creed Mountain Order?" Athena asked.
"I need something from them," Lucas replied calmly. "Normally, flashing the Drakebane family emblem would be enough. But they're different. Even my background won't sway them."
"So you're using that technique as bait?"
"Exactly," Lucas said, a faint glint of resolve flashing in his eyes. "It's something I have to obtain."
Athena didn't bother replying. She already knew Lucas would find a way, cunning or otherwise to get what he wanted.
With that settled, Lucas descended to the first floor of the library. There, he spotted Garran seated near a reading table, deeply absorbed in a book.
Lucas walked over without hesitation.
"Let's go, Uncle Garran," he said. "I found what I came for."
"That was quick," Garran said, closing the book and stood. "Then I assume we're heading straight to the Creed Mountain Order?"
"The sooner, the better," Lucas replied.
"Very well," Garran nodded.
Together, they approached the central desk.
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
The librarian on duty was Hannah Montane, working alongside another staff member. As always, she greeted visitors with that warm, professional smile.
From this alone, Lucas could understand why Hannah was considered one of the heroines. That gentle, unguarded beauty naturally drew people in. It was the kind Leon would be helpless against.
Typical protagonist luck.
"Hello," Hannah said politely. "How may I help you?"
Lucas's fingers brushed the Drakebane family emblem in his pocket. He had considered using it, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Hannah wasn't the type to bend rules.
And he didn't want unnecessary trouble.
"I'd like to borrow this," Lucas said, placing the Arcane Alchemy book on the counter.
He didn't include the scroll. It had no catalog number, and drawing attention to it would only complicate things.
Hannah checked the book's identification number and typed for a moment.
"This book is quite old," she said gently. "A lot of the text is damaged. Are you sure you want to borrow it?"
"Yeah," Lucas replied lightly. "I'm sure."
Hannah nodded and continued processing the request.
After a short while, she handed him a receipt.
"The borrowing period is seven days," she said. "The late fee is one dollar per day."
"I won't forget," Lucas said with a faint smile.
"Thank you for visiting," Hannah replied warmly.
Lucas took the book and the receipt and turned to leave.
Then he stopped.
He turned back, meeting Hannah's gaze.
"By the way," he said casually, as if making idle conversation, "that book mentions an interesting condition."
Hannah paused. "A condition?"
"Yeah," Lucas continued calmly. "A rare one. The body gradually weakens, frequent coughing of blood, but medical examinations show nothing wrong."
Hannah's fingers paused over the keyboard, but she remained silent.
"The cause isn't an illness," Lucas said. "It's prolonged exposure to raw spirit stone radiation. It contaminates the mana channels over time."
He spoke evenly, without emotion.
"It's common among people who work around unrefined spirit stones," he added. "Miners, handlers, transport workers. Especially those with weaker constitutions."
Hannah listened, her expression unreadable.
"There's no conventional treatment," Lucas continued. "Doctors can't do much. The fatality rate is extremely high."
He paused briefly.
"But there is one known solution."
Hannah looked up.
"A herb called Starveil Reed," Lucas said. "It neutralizes the radiation and purifies the mana flow. It grows near unstable spirit veins, usually in high-altitude regions."
He gave a small shrug.
"Not difficult to obtain. It's available in many places. The real requirement is its extract."
With that, Lucas nodded politely.
"That's all. Have a good day."
He turned and walked away.
Hannah stood there, frozen.
The desk. The computer. The quiet hum of the library, all faded into the background.
Weakness.
Coughing blood.
No illness detected.
Spirit stone radiation.
Miners.
Her hands slowly curled into fists, realization downed upon her.
"…Dad," she whispered.
The memories rushed in. Hospital visits. Endless tests. Doctors shaking their heads, unable to explain anything.
It's the same.
Her breath trembled.
She looked toward the entrance, where Lucas had already disappeared from sight.
Only then did it strike her.
He hadn't said whose condition it was.
Yet he knew everything.
Hannah stepped out from behind the desk, heart pounding.
"Wait—!"
But Lucas was already gone.
---
The sun hung lower in the sky, its heat subdued but still lingering.
On the school grounds, Leon remained standing beneath the flagpole.
Sweat dripped from his brow, soaking into his uniform, but he did not move. Several hours still remained before the punishment ended.
Footsteps approached.
Leon turned and saw Sullen Crowford walking toward him, a faint trace of amusement in her eyes.
"How does it feel?" she asked lightly.
"Please don't tease me, Ms. Sullen," Leon replied. "Did you… manage to get my jade back?"
Sullen's expression softened, but she shook her head. "No. Lucas isn't simple. There's something strange about him. And that jade…" She hesitated, unwilling to say that Athena had chosen Lucas.
"We'll retrieve it another time," she added quickly.
Leon's expression darkened. "You know how important that jade is to me," he said quietly. "And you know about Athena."
"I do," Sullen replied firmly. "That's exactly why you can't give up. No matter what, we will get it back."
Leon clenched his fists.
Here's a more restrained, grounded rewrite that removes the overly heroic tone and makes the moment feel quieter and more realistic:
---
"I'll train harder," Leon said, his voice low and steady. "And as for Lucas… I won't let this end here."
Sullen watched him for a moment, then gave a small, approving nod. What she respected wasn't bravado, but the fact that he hadn't broken.
"Come," she said simply.
Leon blinked. "Where?"
"To train," Sullen replied, already turning away. "If you want answers, you'll need strength."
He hesitated, glancing back at the flagpole. "And the punishment?"
Sullen waved it off without looking back. "That can wait."
She didn't offer encouragement or promises.
She just walked.
After a brief pause, Leon followed.
---
1 hour later, Garran drove steadily along the winding mountain road as Lucas sat beside him, casually playing a game on his handheld device.
"Young master," Garran said after a while, "we're almost there. Don't you want to change clothes? You're still in your school uniform."
"No need," Lucas replied lazily. "I won't be staying long. Formalities are unnecessary."
"Alright the ," Garran said, returning his focus to the road.
Soon, they passed through Fallowbrook Village, a quiet settlement nestled at the foot of the mountains, only a few kilometers from their destination.
---
Clouds slowly drifted across the sky, casting long shadows as the air grew cooler.
An hour and a half after leaving the library, Lucas and Garran arrived before the gates of the Creed Mountain Order.
They stepped out of the car and approached the entrance, but two guards in ceremonial attire immediately blocked their path.
"Non-members are not permitted to enter, unless you have official permission," one of them said sternly.
Lucas calmly produced the Drakebane family card.
"I wish to meet Master Aurelius," he said lightly.
The guard's expression shifted the moment he recognized the emblem.
"…Do you have prior permission?" he asked cautiously.
"No," Lucas replied.
The guard hesitated.
Rules were rules. But so was survival.
Before he could respond, Garran stepped forward impatiently. "We're not here to cause trouble. It won't take long."
The guard opened his mouth to protest—
Then a voice echoed clearly in his mind.
"Let them in."
His body stiffened.
High Master Aurelius.
"P-please," the guard said immediately, stepping aside. "You may enter."
Lucas smiled faintly and walked through the gates with Garran beside him.
The Creed Mountain Order had opened its doors.