Chapter 607: Chapter 607: Balcony Meeting

Trafalgar headed toward his room with the Shadowlink Echo still in his hand.

He opened the door, slipped inside, and closed it behind him before feeding mana into the item. There was nothing to hear. This time, only his own voice would go through.

"Caelum, come to the balcony of my room. We’ll meet there. You’ll know which one it is because I’ll be outside, drinking something in one of the chairs."

The mana thread finished carrying his message.

Trafalgar dismissed the item, and the Shadowlink Echo broke apart into fine particles of mana, vanishing as if it had never existed in the first place.

The room had already been prepared before his arrival, because of course it had. A small tray waited on the table with something warm to drink, the sort of thoughtful little detail official lodging liked to provide so nobles could pretend travel had not inconvenienced them. Trafalgar picked up the cup and stepped out onto the balcony.

Aurevane stretched beneath him in layers of light and glass.

From the fourth floor, he could see more than enough. The streets below had not emptied, even at this hour. Several stalls remained open, their owners serving late visitors with practiced smiles and tired hands. The city would not sleep properly during the event. Not with merchants, students, scholars, guards, and wealthy guests moving through it at every hour. Night reduced the noise, but it did not kill it.

Trafalgar leaned back in the chair and watched the movement below, cup warm between his fingers.

The other rooms had balconies as well, though each one was separated by thick side walls. Sensible. No noble family wanted its heir stepping outside only to find another family’s brat staring across the gap in a nightrobe. That sounded like the beginning of three different scandals and at least one duel.

A knock came from inside his room.

Trafalgar rose, crossed the room, and opened the door.

Caelum stood outside with his usual appearance: gray hair combed back, golden eyes observant, face almost offensively blank. He wore that expressionless calm of his like armor, or like a wall someone had polished until it stopped admitting it was stone.

Trafalgar stepped aside at once.

"Come in. I don’t want anyone seeing you."

Caelum entered without a wasted movement. Trafalgar checked the corridor both ways before closing the door. No one lingered outside. Most of the others were probably in their rooms by now, exhausted after the attack, the arrival, and whatever stress Aurevane intended to add to their week.

"Thanks to you sitting outside on the balcony," Caelum said, "I was able to confirm which room was yours."

Trafalgar gave him a flat stare. "I could’ve told you the number if I’d known you were going to use the door. I thought you’d appear on the balcony out of nowhere with one of those jumps of yours."

"If you wish, I’ll do that next time."

"I meant because someone might see you."

"Do not worry, young master. I would not make such a small mistake." Caelum paused near the center of the room, hands folded behind his back. "I also have one thing to tell you. I informed Lord Valttair about what happened."

Trafalgar did not react much. He only lifted one hand slightly, as if cutting off an apology before it tried to crawl into the room.

"Don’t worry about that. I expected it. You report to him. If you didn’t, he could replace you and put someone else near me." He took a sip from his cup, then added, "Did he say anything?"

"Only that you did well. Helping neutral parties after the attack will strengthen the Morgain name."

"Of course that’s what he focused on." Trafalgar lowered the cup with a faint breath through his nose. "Well, let’s get to the real reason you’re here. Have you discovered anything while moving around the city?"

"Negative, young master. Not in such a short amount of time." Caelum’s answer came without hesitation. "However, there are several places I intend to investigate once I secure proper access."

"I have a few in mind too." Trafalgar walked back toward the balcony doors, but did not step outside yet. The city lights brushed the glass behind him. "The building shaped like a castle is where the main event will be held. They’ll display several things there, so that place is important by default."

Caelum inclined his head.

"And there’s another one," Trafalgar continued. "The Glass Atrium. I found it while walking with Cynthia. It has wards, guards, a second entrance half hidden from the main street, and a rear section with no windows. That place is worth checking."

Caelum’s expression did not shift, but his attention sharpened behind the stillness. "You want me to investigate The Glass Atrium?"

"Yes. I have a feeling it’s going to be important."

"Understood. I’ll put it near the top of my priorities." Caelum gave a slight pause, choosing his next words with care. "Before that, I’d like to move through the streets and listen to conversations. The city is active at night because of the event. People speak more freely when they believe the crowd protects them. I also need to prepare. If you give me tonight, I’ll be ready to proceed properly."

"Fine." Trafalgar nodded. "I’ll be investigating too. I have more freedom here than most, so I can move around without raising too many questions. And if there’s somewhere we can’t access, Director Selara may be able to help us."

"That is true," Caelum said. "But there will be places even she may not be allowed to enter. Aurevane is not Velkaris. Authority here is divided among too many hands. It would be better to secure alternatives before relying on her."

Trafalgar accepted that with a small tilt of his head. "Good. Keep me informed."

"I will." Caelum turned slightly toward the balcony, then stopped. "And young master?"

"What?"

"You should not work any further tonight. You’ve already done enough today. Rest while you can."

Trafalgar stared at him for a breath, cup still in hand.

That sounded dangerously close to concern. From Caelum, of all people. The man delivered it with the same face he might use to announce a carriage schedule, which somehow made it worse.

"See you, Caelum."

Caelum bowed once. "Good night, young master."

This time, he did not use the door.

He crossed to the balcony, stepped onto the railing with impossible ease, and disappeared into the night before the cold air could even finish entering the room.

Show-off.

Trafalgar closed the balcony doors and remained there for a short while, alone in the room.

His attention drifted toward the bed.

The bed stared back at him with an indecent amount of temptation.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I get it."

He placed the cup aside and moved toward it. A normal person would have collapsed and slept after everything that had happened. A normal person would also not be Trafalgar du Morgain, which was becoming a very inconvenient condition to live with.

He stripped out of his clothes, more out of practicality than comfort. Mana reached him better without layers of fabric in the way, and his body had long since turned passive absorption into a habit. Even while doing other things, even while resting, mana gathered toward him and stored itself within his Core little by little.

Ascend Core would not come quickly.

That was fine.

Progress did not need to be dramatic every night. Sometimes it only needed to continue.

Trafalgar lay down, letting the mana in the room brush against his skin and sink inward by degrees. The city outside kept moving. Somewhere in Aurevane, Selara’s old master might be hiding. Somewhere else, Merisse Varn was being kept under watch. The Glass Atrium waited behind its glass and wards like a secret wearing expensive clothes.

For tonight, he let his breathing slow.

Outside the lodging, Caelum crossed the rooftops without drawing a single glance.

He did not return to Trafalgar again. Instead, he moved toward a cheaper quarter several streets away from the Academy lodging, where the buildings lost their polished arrogance and became narrow, practical, and forgettable. His rented room waited above a quiet shop, plain enough that no one important would remember it existed.

Caelum entered through the window, closed it behind him, and lit no lamp.

He did not need one.

Caelum removed his outer coat and began arranging his tools with calm precision.

Tonight, he would start to work.