The atmosphere at Tasco's training yard was unusually quiet. The retired knight stared at the fat man who was standing before him.
His aged eyes, which had witnessed countless battles and trained many swordsmen, now carried a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
"You… Sebastian…" the old knight said slowly as if he was testing the words on his tongue, "Are you really blessed with the Gale element?"
The question sounded simple yet the way the old knight spoke made it feel as if he had asked something marvelous. Sebastian blinked blankly as his reply.
"What is Gale element?" he replied in a dull voice, "I don't know anything about that. I just kept swinging my sword until I managed to use the same style as your attack."
For several seconds, Tasco said nothing and the old knight simply stared at him.
If another person had spoken such words, he would have immediately assumed it was arrogance or deception. But looking at the fat man's expression, he could tell something was different.
Sebastian truly had no idea about what he had done. That realization made the old knight's chest tightened.
"Such incomprehensible thing…" he muttered under his breath.
To learn Wind Breaker through ordinary training was already rare. But the moment he had sensed the strange resonance within the technique earlier, a terrifying possibility had surfaced in his mind.
At first, he tried to dismiss it. After all, such a thing should no longer exist and yet, the more he recalled the sensation, the more certain he became.
Without another word, he suddenly grabbed Sebastian by the arm. The movement was swift despite the old knight's age.
Sebastian felt his body pulled forward before he even realized what had happened.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Come with me..."
Tasco did not explain. He dragged Sebastian across the yard and into a narrow corridor that was leading toward his personal chamber. The door closed with a heavy thud and the outside noise immediately faded.
Now, the room was silent, making Sebastian looked slightly anxious. Inside his mind, countless thoughts flashed through Baston's head as the controller of the puppet.
Did he discover something?
Did he know about the disguise?
The fat man's body stiffened slightly. If Tasco suddenly attacked, Sebastian was not entirely confident that he could escape.
Despite his frail appearance, the old knight was still a veteran warrior. Fortunately, he did not draw his sword. Instead, he took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Sebastian," he said quietly, "But I had to bring you here."
Sebastian frowned, "Why?"
Tasco looked at him seriously, "Because from this moment onward, your life might be in danger."
The words were spoken calmly yet they sent a cold shiver down the spine.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Tasco hesitated. The old knight walked toward a chair and slowly sat down.
For a moment, he rubbed his temples as if he was organizing his thoughts before he spoke again,
"That ability you used earlier, it wasn't ordinary wind aura."
Sebastian remained silent since he knew the truth but he played ignorance to his best.
"I've trained swordsmen for few decades," he continued, "I know what normal wind aura looks like. What you released earlier was different."
His gaze sharpened, "That was Gale…"
The room fell quiet again and Sebastian scratched his head awkwardly, "I still don't understand what that means."
The old knight sighed. In truth, he had hoped Sebastian would deny it or at least show some awareness but the fat man's reaction looked painfully genuine.
"You really don't know…?" Tasco muttered.
Then, he leaned back slightly and began explaining, "The Gale element is one of the rarest elemental blessings in this world."
"Rare?"
"Extremely rare..."
Tasco's voice became low, "There are rumors that only a handful of people in history possessed it. Unfortunately, no one has seen it again in present times. Many scholars even believe the element has already disappeared."
He paused briefly, "In the black market, someone who was blessed with Gale element would be worth hundreds of millions."
Sebastian nearly choked, "Hundreds of millions?"
"Yes..."
Tasco nodded grimly, "And that price keeps rising..."
The old knight folded his arms, "You must understand something, Sebastian. In this world, the power is fixed currency. A rare ability like Gale element isn't just valuable. It's very priceless."
Sebastian's brows slowly furrowed, "So, people would capture someone like that?"
"Capture?" Tasco let out a bitter laugh, "That would be the polite version."
His eyes darkened, "Some would kidnap you while the others might dissect you just to understand how the element works."
The room grew colder and Sebastian swallowed quietly. Even though he knew Tasco was exaggerating slightly, the possibility was not impossible. After all, the greed could push people toward unimaginable actions.
However, Tasco did not continue speaking immediately.
Instead, the old knight stood up and slowly walked toward the window of his chamber. Through the narrow gap in the wooden shutters, he observed the outside of his place. Few people were passing but there was no suspicious one among them.
For a long moment, he remained silent and Sebastian noticed the hesitation.
"You seem very certain about this Gale element," he said cautiously, "Have you seen it before?"
Tasco shook his head, "No... I have never seen it with my own eyes. But still, there are things a warrior remembers even after decades."
His gaze slowly returned to the fat man, "When I was young, I once fought beside a knight who claimed to have witnessed Gale aura in battle."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, "What happened to him?"
Tasco's lips curved into a faint and bitter smile, "He died…"
The room fell silent and before any misunderstanding occurred, he explained thoroughly.
"Not in battle anyway… He died several years later under strange circumstances."
"What do you mean by strange circumstances?"
"No one knew exactly what happened," Tasco replied, "But before his death, he told me something I never forgot. He said that whenever the Gale appears in this world, powerful people begin to move."
Sebastian felt a slight chill, "Powerful people?"
Tasco nodded slowly, "Perhaps, it was about the secret organizations. They were the forces that operate outside the kingdom's authority."
His expression turned serious, "They all search for the same thing."
Sebastian asked quietly, "And what is that?"
Tasco looked directly into his eyes, "Control... However, if the nobles hear about you first, the situation would be different."
"How so?"
"They wouldn't kill you..." the old knight gave him a strange look, "They would marry you with someone else…"
Sebastian blinked, "What?"
"You heard me correctly," Tasco chuckled dryly, "If the words spread that you possess Gale element, every noble family in the kingdom will rush to recruit you. You won't need to worry about money or status for the rest of your life."
"That sounds good…"
"Yes... Perhaps…" Tasco nodded slowly, "But you would become a breeding stallion."
The old knight continued mercilessly, "Beautiful noble ladies will visit your room every night. Their only goal will be to bear a child with Gale potential."
"That's terrifying..."
Tasco shrugged, "Perhaps… But from the nobles' perspective, it's a priceless opportunity."
The old knight tapped the table lightly, "Once a child inherits the Gale element, that family's influence will skyrocket."
He paused before adding one more sentence, "In other words, you are more valuable than an entire army."
Sebastian fell silent. Inside his mind, however, the thoughts moved quickly. Eventually, that was how rare the Gale element.
Previously, he had assumed a noble family monopolized it like the Versance family with Ice element or the Herbiens with Flare.
But apparently, Gale was entirely different since it had nearly vanished from the history.
Tasco continued, "There used to be a noble family who was famous for Gale element."
"Which family?"
"Xavierius…"
The name immediately triggered the memory and Alicia's face soon appeared in his mind.
"What kind of family are they?" he asked calmly.
"A very old noble house," Tasco replied, "In their golden era, the Gale element was their greatest pride. But for many years now, no descendant has awakened it."
On the other side, Baston listened quietly. The old knight began the explanation that he had never heard before. It was about the wielder of the gale element.
Inside the library, he had never seen clear records that were connecting the Xavierius family with such element. At the time, he assumed they were simply another noble house.
Now, it seemed the truth was far more complicated. Eventually, they tried to hide their past. If the Gale element disappeared from their bloodline, announcing it publicly would only bring ridicule.
Compared to powerful houses like Versance or Herbiens, the Xavierius family would look like a fading relic. That explained why the knowledge was buried.
Even though so, the wind magic was quite strong. For example, Angus just could fly easily with such magic. Just imagining the old man with gale element would outperform everyone in the kingdom then.
Tasco spoke again, "If you want my advice, the Xavierius family would be the best choice."
"Why them?"
"Because they still preserve the ancient knowledge about Gale."
The old knight's eyes glimmered slightly, "They know how to cultivate Gale aura and Gale magic."
He shrugged, "Of course, to access that knowledge, you must become part of their family."
Sebastian sighed, "In other words, I still have to produce few descendants."
Tasco laughed, "Well, that part is unavoidable."
At least, the old knight was honest. The conversation paused for a moment before finally, Sebastian asked another question.
"Are you going to tell the others about me?"
"Of course not!" Tasco answered immediately.
His reaction was almost defensive, "I have no intention of inviting such trouble to my home."
He shook his head vigorously, "If this news spreads and the nobles start searching for you, they'll also interrogate me endlessly. And if the royal court gets involved, the situation will become even worse."
The old knight rubbed his chin thoughtfully then he hesitated, "However… there is one thing I wish to ask... May I inform the Xavierius family about you?"
Sebastian remained silent. Seeing this, Tasco quickly continued.
"I owe them a great debt. Many years ago, they helped me improve my wind aura and even supported me financially when my training yard nearly collapsed."
He looked slightly embarrassed, "I would feel ashamed if I kept this information from them."
The old knight suddenly stood up, "If you doubt my intentions, I'm willing to compensate you. I will pay you three hundred thousand pounds."
Sebastian's eyes widened, "That much?"
"And if that isn't enough," Tasco continued seriously, "I can transfer the ownership of this training yard to you."
The fat man stared at him, "You're serious?"
"Yes..." Tasco nodded firmly, "We can even sign a magic contract. If the Xavierius family harms you, this place will belong to you and I will serve you as your subordinate."
The room fell silent and Sebastian watched the old knight carefully. From Tasco's posture and tone, he could tell the man was completely sincere. He really wanted to help the Xavierius family.
After thinking for a moment, Sebastian nodded slowly, "Alright..."
Tasco blinked, "You agree?"
"Yes…" Sebastian shrugged casually, "You can inform them."
The relief immediately flooded the old knight's face, "Thank you, Sebastian!"
In truth, Sebastian was not worried. The identity of this fat man was temporary. Once the quest ended, this person might disappear from the world.
Even if the Xavierius family searched for him later, they would find nothing. They would only chase his shadows.
Baston smiled faintly from inside the old book. After leaving the training yard, he wandered through the street and bought several snacks.
The total cost barely exceeded one thousand pounds yet the fat man enjoyed every purchase.
After all, his Luminos card now held nearly two hundred and fifty thousand pounds again. The old knight kindly refunded his money in full.
*****
Meanwhile, inside the training yard, Tasco quickly returned to his private room. He activated a small communication device and a faint beep echoed.
Soon, a voice appeared from the other side, "Tasco? What do you want this time?"
The old knight grinned, "I have good news for you."
"What news?"
Tasco leaned back in his chair, "I found someone with Gale element."
There was a silence before a loud voice came from the device.
"WHAT?!"
The voice exploded like thunder, "Are you sure about this?! Don't try to fool me!"
Tasco laughed, "When have I ever fooled you?"
He crossed his arms proudly, "This information is still secret. Besides me, only you know it."
The other side inhaled sharply, "Thank you, Tasco… Thank you very much… Our family will never forget this favor."
The old knight waved his hand dismissively, "Nonsense... I'm simply repaying an old debt."
But then, his expression turned serious, "You'd better move quickly."
"Why?"
"Because if this news leaks…" Tasco said quietly, "Even the royal family will intervene."
After explaining the matter, the connection ended shortly afterward and he slowly leaned back on his couch. His mind replayed the image of Sebastian that was swinging his sword earlier.
The movement had been crude and unrefined yet the power hidden inside that swing unexpectedly had carried the breath of Gale.
The old knight sighed, "I hope you'll go further than I ever did, Sebastian."
His gaze drifted toward the training yard outside, "A man like you shouldn't remain in obscurity forever..."