While the common people gathered in the town plaza, the wealthy and nobles made their way to the gathering hall of Baron Manor for the feast. The hall, with its hundreds of pillars, quickly became crowded with people adorned in luxurious attire. Noble men introduced themselves and their children to others, working hard to make connections. Wealthy ladies formed small groups, showcasing their dresses and accessories while whispering and gossiping about other women in their social circle. Bowen found the scene familiar from his previous life among high-class society. He was once part of that world.
Soon, the prince arrived with the count, followed by the baron and baroness. They gave speeches on the joyous occasion and announced the start of the feast.
The back door swung open, accompanied by melodious music. Servants entered in a line, pushing trolleys filled with food. The head butler was busy giving instructions and assigning servers to each table. It was surprising that he hadn't gone home, considering that his daughter Eega might be in a sorry state with some of her limbs injured. Bowen didn't know if the butler was more dedicated to the baron or simply not a loving father to Eega.
Bowen took a seat at a table in a corner and began to eat. He planned to finish his food alone and leave the hall when necessary. However, some people from the competition noticed him and started engaging in pleasant conversation about food and life.
"Bowen, you're here?" said Xander, making his way to Bowen's table with a wine glass. Unusually, he was dressed in decent noble clothes, different from his guard uniform.
"Hi, Uncle Xander. Don't you have work today?" asked Bowen, surprised.
"No, I was invited by the baron for the feast. He wants to introduce me to the prince because of my recent act of catching a criminal from the Raven gang," Xander replied.
"Wow, you're amazing, Uncle. Everyone is talking about you. When I grow up, I want to become a brave man like you and catch all the bad guys," Bowen said, expressing his admiration.
"You're amazing even now, Bowen. I heard you won the competition," Xander remarked.
"Hehe... I'm a genius, right, Uncle? See, I told you I can cook."
"Okay, okay, keep it up, alright. I'm looking forward to tasting your desserts at this feast."
"You'll love it. You must definitely try. Ah! I forgot to give you this," Bowen said, taking a sealed envelope and handing it to Xander.
"What is this?" Xander asked, taking it in his hand. However, when he saw the small icon of scythe and skeleton head with wings, in the corner of the envelope, his hand slipped. He quickly bent down, picked up the envelope, and put it in his coat pocket. He immediately understood that it was from lord Fate.
"Where did you get this? How do you have it?" Xander asked hurriedly.
"Oh, that. I came across a tall person in black clothes when I was coming to the manor this evening. He called me and asked me to give this to you," Bowen innocently explained.
"This... this man you saw, how was he? Can you remember anything about him, like a tattoo or facial features? Anything?" Xander inquired.
"Hmm, he was fully covered in black. Only his eyes were visible. He seemed really scary. Ah, he had a pendant around his neck with the same symbol as on the envelope. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he had a small orange bird on his shoulder. He really looked like a mysterious man. Uncle, is there a problem?"
He kept silent for a few seconds, cautiously looking around before speaking to Bowen in a low voice. "Bowen, can you do me a favor? Please don't tell anyone about this incident, okay? Will you keep it a secret for me?"
"Is that person a spy? Is he helping you catch bad guys? That's why you want to keep it a secret, right, Uncle?" asked Bowen like a curious child full of fantasies.
"Yes, yes, that's right. And to tell you the truth, that man in the black cloak has a bad temper. He will come after you if you tell anyone, so don't talk about this to anyone, okay?" said Xander, trying to scare Bowen.
"Um, yes, okay. I won't tell anyone," nodded Bowen, feeling a little scared.
"You don't have to be scared, alright? There will be no problem if you keep this to yourself," said Xander, patting Bowen's shoulders. Soon, Xander left the table, while Bowen stifled a laugh, covering his mouth with his hands.
Bowen did that to make Xander aware that the sender of the letter, Lord Fate, was a powerful person. He revealed his identity in Reaper mode to give the name a mysterious origin. He continued eating the delicious food when he spotted another familiar face. He got up and silently approached the person from behind.
"Rennaaault!" called Bowen, surprising Renault and making him flinch in his seat.
"Bo... Bowen, is that you?"
"Ah! Did I startle you? I'm sorry. It's been a long time, and I was really excited to see Young Master Renault here," said Bowen, smiling.
Renault wiped off his shock and put on his usual proud air. "Startled? Why would I be startled? I was just acting. Besides, how could a commoner like you come here, Bowen? Did you sneak in for the food?"
"Nope, I won the cooking competition conducted by the prince, so I naturally got invited here."
"I see. Then the competition must have been really easy. Maybe I should have sent my chef. Anyway, keep learning like this, alright? So that one day, when you become my slave, you can cook some tasty food for me," said Renault, teasingly.
"[This guy is still as irritating as ever, huh? It's been a long time, and his pride has grown a bit. Let me give my dear disciple some training while I'm here]," thought Bowen.
"Sure, sure. But Young Master Renault, you didn't tell me about our next game. I mean, the next competition where you can win against me and make me your slave."
That's when Renault remembered how he lost to Bowen in the game of tag. Nonetheless, he didn't show it on his face. "Of course, I remember. I've been thinking hard about a new kind of game," said Renault, sounding serious.
"Oh, is that so? Then, if Young Master doesn't mind, how about we play hide and seek?" suggested Bowen.
"Wow, I'm always the winner in that game when I played in Barn. Okay, Bowen, since you're really pleading, I will fulfill your wish by playing hide and seek with you. When can we play it?"
"We can play now," said Bowen casually.
"Now? But... but this is the Baron's house. What if we get caught?" said Renault, worried about the possible punishments from his father. dale warned him to act like nobility and not to shame him in front of the guests. what if he got caught playing?.
"Fine, if Young Master is scared, let's not do it. I was eager to play in this unknown territory, but it's fine," said Bowen, disappointed.
"No, I'm not scared at all. Then let's see who can find each other without getting caught by the guards," said Renault, determined. [If Bowen can do it then I a noble child as well can do it. why should I be scared? isn't it fine as long as I don't get caught by my father? and if he could win and make bowen his slave won't he get high praise from his father.] he thought.
Bowen was pleased that his little trick had worked. It was Bowen's turn to hide first. He cleverly positioned himself behind a pillar where Renault could easily find him. As planned, Renault caught Bowen, proudly showcasing his scouting abilities. In the next round, Renault hid, but Bowen quickly found him using his heightened senses. He pretended to search for a while before revealing Renault's hiding spot. Since the match was a draw, they decided to go for a second round. This time, they discreetly left the hall and hid in nearby corridors, managing to find each other once again.
In the third round, it took Renault a considerable effort and nearly 15 minutes of searching to find Bowen. Then it was Renault's turn to hide. Bowen discovered Renault hiding in the garden but chose not to pursue him. This was because Casper signaled that the baroness was exiting the gathering hall alone. It seems he will soon find out what misdeeds the baroness has been doing to be labeled as a target by the system. As for how he knew that Baroness was meeting someone today Casper heard some people talking about it in the town's plaza yesterday night.
Following Casper's directions, Bowen eventually arrived at an abandoned building in the back garden. He noticed some movement while hiding behind tall trees. The building was being patrolled by two knights, and he observed the baroness, disguised with a blue piece of cloth, secretly entering the building.
Bowen retrieved an ignition balloon from his space bracelet and threw it onto a tree far from the building. Soon, a fire started, attracting the attention of the guarding knights. Both knights panicked and ran off to extinguish the flames. If they didn't put out the fire soon, it might spread throughout the entire garden, endangering their lives along with their masters inside the abandoned building.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Bowen secretly ran towards the building. Fortunately, the door was unlocked, allowing him to easily enter the dimly lit structure. He could hear voices coming from one of the rooms upstairs. He cautiously ascended the stairs, making as little noise as possible.
"This kid, no wonder you were so intelligent," came a voice from a distance. When Bowen turned, he saw the sneering face of the baron's butler, having caught him red-handed.