Elder Gregory locked the door and turned to Alaric who began his explanation. There was word of what had happened between him and Elder Casper already milling through the tower but the Head of the Tower was yet to hear Alaric’s side of this story, “Casper welcomed us when we arrived.”

“I’m surprised he recognized you,” Elder Gregory chuckled, walking towards his desk.

Garin pitched in with a chuckle, “This boy sticks out like a sore thumb. Aether follows him everywhere he goes.”

“That is true. A curious quality that I’ve come to envy myself,” Elder Gregory intoned, sitting at his desk. Strewn across the rich mahogany table were rolls of parchment and fancy quills Alaric had never quite seen before, “I hope he was not too rough with you.”

“I can overlook what he said,” Alaric sighed, “For now.”

“That will do. We have a lot to work on before you can proceed to the Academy. Your uniforms should be here soon,” the man spoke, pulling papers out from a drawer and looking over them in a hurry.

Alaric approached the desk and sat on the other side, “Right.”

“Before you get to signing the contracts, I’d like to clarify a few things,” Garin pitched, staying behind Alaric as he spoke.

Elder Gregory furrowed his eyebrows with confusion, “What seems to be the matter?”

“Alaric was being modest. Casper wasn’t welcoming in the slightest,” he said.

“I got that loud and clear. While we discuss the contract, I’ll define Alaric’s standing with the Tower and what he should and should not expect from the other Elders. Elder Casper will be brought here when we’re done, and I will talk with him properly. Is that enough for you, Garin?”

Garin stared between Alaric and Elder Gregory for a bit before bowing his head a bit, “Pardon me. I overstepped.”

“Not to worry. You’re only looking out for the boy. Try not to lose your temper again, Garin. Things like that can be disastrous in front of aristocrats,” the Elder explained.

A small part of Alaric’s multitasking mind was paying attention to their conversation. It was ironic to see the refined Garin being scorned for losing his temper in front of aristocrats. During their encounter with Casper, the knight had fared better when it came to controlling his emotions.

The other part of Alaric was focused on the documents placed before him. Alaric’s eyes were scanning through with a bit of difficulty. Many of the details were written in eloquent words that made his head hurt and that was only the part he could see.

The documents that had been drawn could stretch out at least five lengths of his body if laid out straight. Absentmindedly, he chose to enlighten the Head of the Tower so Garin would not seem so irrational, “Casper asked me to summon my guardian.”

Elder Gregory went silent… The temperature of the room lowered with the palpable pressure of masterfully contained rage as the old man leaned back in his seat and rubbed his forehead. Out of everything the snarky elder had said to Alaric, this had been the most sensitive.

Elder Gregory grumbled to himself, “He should know better than that.”

“Just out of curiosity, what would have happened if Alaric had gone along with it?” Garin asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I can tell Alaric already knows this but summoning his guardian would announce his presence to dangerous people. It would be a miraculous feat if anyone defeated Alaric’s guardian… but miracles are exactly what those dangerous people will go to no end to achieve,” Elder Gregory explained gravely.

“Dark Magic,” Alaric whispered.

“You’re well-informed…” Elder Gregory nodded in approval, “I can also see that you’ve gotten better at concealing your guardian’s presence. Doesn’t that spell wear you out?”

“It’s become as simple as breathing,” Alaric responded with a smile.

He was too focused on the documents in front of him to see the Elder’s amazed expression. Shaking the emotions from his eyes, Elder Gregory cleared his throat, “Let’s get through this, then I’ll see what to do about Casper.”

Alaric nodded.

“Right, you are here to sign a contract of patronage with the Tower of Seekers. By doing so, you will be a partner with the Tower forever. We offer three kinds of patronage… One is an exclusive partnership that essentially makes you a part of this family, a Seeker like most you saw down in the Central Chamber. It comes with quite a few interesting perks. You get to be an Information Broker while at the same time, you acquire information for the Tower.

The second one is less exclusive, requiring only one’s power like Garin… A Protector. Of course, depending on the conditions, benefits and responsibilities change with absolute loyalty being the only non-negotiable term. Take Garin, for example, he’s sworn to the Tower but free to do as he pleases. He can leave for a period of one year without explanation and no one will bat an eyelash.”

“How long can a Seeker leave without an explanation?” Alaric interrupted.

“A few weeks… At most, two months. It depends on the mission. The Tower’s Seekers must hold themselves to a much stricter standard. The Tower is partly their home and their birthright. We protect our people as they in turn protect us,” he responded.

Alaric nodded, knowing full well that this was only the tip of the iceberg. The Tower of Seekers was a massive organisation that couldn’t simply be described by this gargantuan building. There were Seekers scattered across the Valerian Continent, all aiding in the network of information that gave the Tower such a reputation.

“The Tower of Seekers, as you already know, has the responsibility of preserving knowledge gathered from all of Valeria. We also seek out lost knowledge and try to preserve everything we come across.

That is the main purpose of the Tower’s existence. There are many other things we do but those are irrelevant right now. More importantly, the Tower must raise the next generation of Seekers, Protectors and Keepers…”

“What about the third contract?”

“Ah, the third contract… The third contract is one that makes you a Candidate for the role of a Tower Keeper—”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Garin’s face went pale as a sheet, “He’s just a child.”

Alaric was stunned by the man’s words. He’d heard this term from LionHeart and Gunther but at the time, none of them had considered the possibility of him being offered such a position. They’d even dismissed the whole concept as it was simply too far above their station to speak about and for the time, it was left untouched, “What’s a Keeper?”

“A responsibility too big for a child,” Garin burst out.

“Garin, what have I told you about that temper?” Elder Gregory whispered harshly. The knight threw his hands up in defeat and walked to the edge of the office, leaning against the window dejectedly.

Turning back to Alaric, he continued, “There are only two Tower Keepers at the Eastern Tower and one Candidate for the role. That is me, my daughter and one other Elder,” Elder Gregory explained.

“What does a Keeper do?”

“Well… I’m glad you asked… Keepers are the ones responsible for the well-being of the Tower. A Keeper lives to protect the knowledge held within these walls… and is also the only one with access to all that knowledge. If you signed that contract, you’d only become a candidate for the position as my daughter currently is… From that point on, you will be learning about the Tower and all that it holds inside it until you are ready to take on the full role of a Keeper.”

This still didn’t explain what he wanted to know. What was a Keeper exactly? Wasn’t the position of Head Seeker enough to have someone lead the Tower? Why was there a need for a third division that they termed as Keepers?

Alaric was frozen for a bit, unaware of what this might mean… but Alia, on the other hand, wasn’t… [ The details you’re focused on might be irrelevant. ]

[ How so? ] Alaric asked.

[ Since my Awakening, there has never been a moment such as this one. Becoming a Keeper is the one way we’ve found that can bring us closest to our goal of ending the Demon King. This Tower is the largest collection of knowledge on the continent. If there was ever a place that could tell us a way to beat the Demon King, it would be here. So of course all these thoughts you’re having are irrelevant. ]