Last night's incident had left Hal in deep thought for the entire night. The book might have lost its shine, and the Lord's stars might have disappeared, but the words that he had read and heard still left an impact.
He stared up at the ceiling of his own room and raised his hand to his face.
"Become a higher being like the lord of stars, then I will be able to grasp knowledge outside this world as well, and maybe even take down that entity, but is it possible?"
He forced himself out of bed to follow his normal routine, he put on his butler attire and helped Mr Faizo around the house before changing into his battle attire and facing off Elizabeth.
Her training with him had grown intense as of late, as she forced him to wield other weapons that he was not used to, claiming that to be able to defend a weapon, you must know how to wield it.
And even after all this time, he still hadn't got back his dagger. After finishing that, he was then to return to other butler duties, but this time, something changed.
Hal was about to place the spoon of red sauce into his mouth, and the chef was again nervous to receive his opinion.
"Stop being nervous, your food is splendid" The chef smiled as Hal left the kitchen, only to bump into Tai, who smiled upon seeing him.
"Hey, guess what? The Duke just asked both of us to escort him"
"Escort him where exactly?"
Tai smiled as a simple statement left his lips, "To see the Owl"
Hal had read about the Owl in the books that Mr Faizo had given them to read. He was the archduke who presided over the city of Ortario and also one of the king's greatest advisors
"But why would the duke want me to accompany him on his visit? I thought I was only allowed to help out Mr Faizo"
Tai shook his head, a look of excitement lining his face
"Well, he's been seeing our practice and was impressed by both of us, so he wants us both there for double protection"
Hal could not help but get excited as he realised he would finally get to meet the duke himself. The duke had been mysterious for all this time because he was paranoid about going missing like the previous nobles had
And even if he survived, he would still be doomed to the curse and only live for ten more years, so at the end of it all, even he would be paranoid
"Okay, when are we going?"
Tai turned to his pocket watch, and a nervous look appeared on his face
"We are supposed to be there right now, so hurry and follow me"
Tai hurriedly led Hal to his room, where he threw him one of his own butler outfits. Hal stared at it, confused about what he was supposed to do with them
'Does this guy expect me to wash his dirty clothes or something?'
Tai turned back to him and frowned, "Hey, hurry and put that on"
The butler outfits they wore did not look that different, so why did he really have to change? No one would really be able to tell after all
He let out a sigh and continued to finally put on the butler uniform, and it was at this moment that he realised why he had to change from his usual attire to this one
The uniforms looked the same, but this one was much lighter and flexible, allowing one to move with no restriction
It was pretty necessary since the butlers and maids who stay at the side of their lords often also needed to protect them as well so being able to respond and move faster would be a boon
Tai threw a silver bangle at him that had a tiny silver sword-like decoration hanging from it before raising his hand to showcase his own
"These bangles allow us to store our weapons out of sight. It may not be your dagger, but I did keep a sword within just in case and lucky for us, you've been learning to be more versatile, right?"
Hal kept himself from showing the excitement on his face as he placed the bangle on his wrist, so he too would now be able to draw out a weapon with just a flick of his wrist.
He let his soul flame flow into the bangle and flicked his wrist to reveal a rather dull double-edged blade that made his face sink into disappointment.
"Sorry for the dull blade, but it was the only one they let me take from the armoury. But soon you'll have your daggers back and be able to store them there to"
There was no use feeling down about something Tai couldn't control, and so with another flick of his wrist commanded the dull blade to return to the bangle at once
"It's fine, let's just go find the duke"
Tai chuckled weirdly before gesturing for them to leave
The two of them left the building and arrived at the carriage that was to carry them to their destination
It was better than any carriage Hal had ever ridden in before, with different golden designs imprinted on it
The carriage also had large windows with linen curtains and a mirror that appeared to reduce the light and make it more soothing for whoever was inside
Hal was required to stay and guard the carriage as Tai brought the Duke down from his room. He waited what seemed like an hour, and in the process decided to entertain himself by practising a few sword swings
"Huh, that's a good swordsman's ship you got there, child. It seems Elizabeth is training you well"
Hal turned and saw a man with red hair and eyes, accompanied by a red beard and moustache that were groomed to be short and smooth. He wore a brown suit accompanied by a walking stick that gave off a nobleman vibe
Hal instantly bowed as soon as he saw Tai gesturing to the man, as his mouth moved with no sound, signalling Duke
"My Duke, sorry if my practice was a nuisance to you"
The duke moved forward and touched Hal's shoulder before forcing him to stand up straight
"No need to bow, let's just be on our way. The owl awaits us, and there is not that much time, so please get in"
For a man people claimed to be paranoid, the duke was pretty calm and composed, and he didn't look around constantly like a madman
The duke got in and took a seat as Tai and Hal soon followed the stylish noble inside, but there was one thing that Hal had to know, and so he had to ask
"If you would, my lord, I have never known your name, yet I am in your service"
The duke smiled at Hal before looking towards Tai, who was quick to speak
"This Duke Walter Alex Harleyclover, the duke presiding over the region of Harley clover north of the capital, one of the greatest sources of tea in Haverfield"
The duke put on a proud name as Tai introduced him, and from the looks of it, Tai was not proud of what he was doing
"Now, for the reason I called you two here"
"What do you mean, my dear lord wasn't the reason you called me to your side to bolster the protection around you?"
The duke shook his head before tapping his walking stick on the floor of the carriage twice. The carriage suddenly set off, forcing Hal back into his seat.
"No, that is not the reason; the reason I called you here was to ask you for a favour"
A favour, what favour could a butler like him offer a duke, his face filled with shock as he bowed to ask
"But, duke, what sort of favour can I offer a great man like you?"
The duke let out a sigh and soon spoke with a confident tone
"Indeed, there usually wouldn't be, but this time there is. I would like you to help Tai recover the treasure that his dad left behind for him"
The two of them turned to the duke, and as if forgetting all the politeness lessons they had received from Mr Faizo, shouted "WHAT?!"
The two of them froze, finally realising what they had just done, but before they could bow down and beg for their lives, Mr Walter chuckled at two.
"Just the reaction I expected from the two of you, so don't worry about it, though I still promised to report your conduct to MR Faizo, and I can't cut this out"
The hope that had almost made it back to their faces vanished again, but there was no time to stay mopping; instead, only questions were waiting to erupt from their lips.
Tai was the first; there was fear in his eyes knowing that Mr Faizo would be made aware of all this, but curiosity always killed the cat, and today they were the cat.
"Please, my lord, what do you mean by the treasure my Dad left for me? Did you happen to know him?"
The duke leaned back into his seat, the smile on his face fading back into his calm, arrogant persona.
"Yes, I did happen to know your dad, in fact, I knew him very well, but how I knew him I won't tell you, for there are some things that you are not allowed to learn yet"
The duke crossed his legs and leaned against the palm of his hand with his elbow on the windowsill.
"And for the treasure, it was something that your dad left behind for you. He made me promise that if something ever happens to him, then I should make sure to send you on a quest to find it, take it like a hunter mission"
Tai and Hal were at a loss for words as they asked, "And where is this treasure located?"
The duke finally smiled again as he let out a calm, gentle sigh "Where in Haverfield would someone hide a treasure other than the most unexplored place in Haverfield, The Juzo Glowing Caverns?"