Chapter 45: Hide House
[Mass release 4/4]
With the car moving, the two kept silent for a moment — Drake taking in the information Headmaster Stoick had just shared.
Hearing this now made perfect sense to Drake. During his academy days, Kresha had always paid Rumar more respect and given him unnecessary pardons at times. It only made sense for them to be related.
And Drake did not want to be concerned with the Starlight family and guild just yet. He folded his hands together and nodded slightly. "I understand."
Headmaster Stoick nodded. "I know you want revenge for what they did to your brother. But until you reach the rank of a Lord, you are nothing but dead weight."
Drake nodded, taking in the sorry truth. The Starlight family were the cause of his brother’s death, and despite knowing that, there was nothing he could do until he became strong enough to rival the entire family.
Shaking the thought off his mind, he decided to talk about more pressing matters — the crater.
"When I was in the crater, I saw markings along the way — as if runes from another language. I think they were used to teleport the crater into ALCRAN and out," Drake said first, waiting for a reply.
Stoick wasn’t surprised by this. In fact, he smiled in acknowledgement. "We have the same theory."
Headmaster Stoick bent to the side of his seat where there was a small drawer. Opening it, he took out two glasses and a bottle of wine.
Pouring the wine into the glasses, he sealed the bottle afterward, placed it back into the drawer, and stretched one glass toward Drake.
Drake didn’t hesitate — he reached forward, took the glass, and took a small sip.
"This is a theory I and the other leaders have been contemplating," Stoick began. "The craters were sent from somewhere we don’t know — teleported in, and then out. But what if all this was done on purpose?"
Drake nodded, having the same thought in mind. "I think the crater incident was orchestrated by someone — not a monster, but a human. I don’t have all the hints to prove it, but in the throne room where I met with the King, I found a strange crystal and a message..."
"Message? What do you mean?" Stoick’s tone grew sharper, his curiosity piqued.
"A message that seemed directed at me. I’m not sure if it really was, but... I’m the only Dragon Necromancer I know. And that stone — it was meant as a gift for me. Doesn’t that sound absurdly strange?"
Stoick ran his hand through his beard, pondering every word Drake had spoken. Then he muttered, "This is surely crucial information."
"If that’s the case, then there might be a similarity between the plagues and the crater. I can’t tell you all the details, since it would basically put a target on your back — and you already have a few. For now, I’ll keep the information with me."
Drake nodded, unwilling to pry into more uncertain theories than he already had — it was overwhelming enough. Then he shifted into another matter that had been bothering him: the system.
"Hmph, Stoick... can I meet the creator of my system?"
Stoick didn’t reply for several seconds, as if waiting for Drake to give a reason why he needed such crucial information.
It was hard to disclose such things — the identities of developers were kept secret to prevent awakened individuals or others from finding them and rigging systems to deceive society. Without a relevant reason, even for Drake, Stoick wasn’t going to reveal anything.
"During my time in the crater, I discovered things I’d like to share with you. That’s why I want to meet the creator of my system — I have questions about his creations."
Now intrigued, Stoick nodded, a grin forming on his old, wrinkled face. "Tell me about your discoveries."
As expected, the old fart was head over heels for this kind of information.
Drake took his time explaining the different types of data his system conveyed to him — how it helped him understand his talent in ways the normal system could not.
However, he left out parts about his draconic form, necromancy, and level.
When Stoick asked for his level, he naturally brushed it off, saying none was displayed at the moment. From then on, their discussion became more casual as they spoke about the battle — how he led the first cohort and the fight with the King.
For one, Stoick was proud of what Drake had achieved. To some extent, hearing him speak made him question whether the young man was telling the truth or just lying, because the feats he described were unbelievable for a summoner of his rank.
Continuing their conversation, Drake learned all that had transpired during his absence. Apparently, it had been more than a week since the crater first appeared. His phone, which Stoick had kept safe, was now filled with messages from every corner.
When Drake finally got the device back into his hands, he found hundreds of texts and missed calls — mostly from his supposed friends, and the majority from Tessa. Seeing that calmed his heart a little.
’She’s alive,’ he thought, sliding his phone into his pocket and turning toward the Headmaster with a tired face.
"Are you going to drop me home or—"
Before he could finish, Stoick rudely cut him off. "No, I won’t. For now, it’s best you avoid going home so early — to avoid risking your identity. That’s why I insisted on taking you somewhere else."
’Somewhere else?’ Drake’s mind puzzled over it, his face clearly showing confusion. The next moment, the car stopped, and the automatic door beside him swung open.
"We’ll catch up later. Please, enjoy your stay, Drake." Saying this, Stoick ushered him out of the vehicle. As Drake stepped out, the automatic doors shut close and the car sped off, leaving him before a large gothic building he recognized immediately.
"Great," he sighed in frustration. "Tessa’s house. Nice one, Stoick."