"She will start working by Monday. She needs to take care of some things from home. Is that fine with you?" Carlos asks Hans for permission for Jane's affairs.
To this, Hans simply nods and sets off to return to his house.
"Let's go." With Carlos's lead, the two of them take a slow walk home.
City Z is a brutal place where the strong rules. Carlos might not look like it but she is a third-circle mage. Though in comparison to Hans who is so much younger, she doesn't really compare. Despite that, Carlos holds genuine power over a lot of people.
After all, the third stage is not a common rabble.
"Jane, say goodbye to your siblings. I hope you will not forsake this opportunity. I can guarantee you that this Hans is a better option than connecting you to other guys… of lesser reputation."
"Yes… Auntie…" Jane softly answers clearly reluctant of the development.
Jane Loweigh. In the original story, she has come to the Academy of Magic with nary nothing on her name but a tragic background story. A razed orphanage, dead siblings, and a cruel past. It has not come to that point yet. And maybe with the current state of affairs, she won't get to experience any of that.
Sadly, Hans, the singularity of her story has no intention to change the trajectory of her life.
At the orphanage, Jane says her goodbyes to her siblings. Carlos despite being involved in shady business has quite a heart of gold. Gathering orphans and taking care of them are noble things to do. But as long as you are in City Z, the more impossible it becomes.
Carlos hopes for the orphans to have a better future for themselves. For instance, Jane might have a better chance if she gets herself a sponsor. And maybe if she gets high enough, she won't forget her siblings from this little orphanage.
"Hey, you kids! Don't miss me too much, right?"
"Big sis! Who will help us nab and mug someone if we don't have you?"
"Yes, it will be terrible. None of us are big enough… to scare people…"
"Uuuhhh… Big sis, is it okay to knife them if they don't give us money?"
Carlos goes quiet as she overhears the kids' exchange of dialogues. City Z is a very ruthless place to bring this little demon to this world. Despite this, Carlos loves them very dearly.
After Jane is done saying her goodbyes, the two of them, Carlos and Jane talk heart-to-heart on the orphanage's rooftop. Under the starry night skies, the two share stories of the past, laugh about it and repeat.
Carlos feeling a little bit guilty asks Jane's opinion. "Hey, if you don't want to continue with the sponsorship, you can just tell me. It is my fault I didn't give you a heads-up, and simply dragged you over. It is… unfair giving you only the last minutes."
"It is fine." Jane casually answers. "I know we are tight on budget. Though you should be among the wealthiest of the criminal overlords in this district, you are so poor, you don't look like one. If we have one less mouth to feed, the better."
Smiling, Jane gives Carlos a hug. "Thank you for caring for us." She says in a soft voice, a few tears streaming down her cheeks.
Carlos remains silent at the show of affection unsure of how to reciprocate. "You are welcome…" Carlos cannot think of anything to say back except a plaintive response.
After a minute or so of companionable silence, Jane jests around her sponsorship. "Still, I never knew the person I and the kids tried to mug could end up as my sponsor… Such a funny thing…"
Carlos frowns on hearing this for the first time. "Will you please elaborate?"
Seeing seriousness from Carlos, Jane recounts her first meeting with the guy who calls himself Hans. Carlos gives an exasperated sigh after hearing the full story.
"Sheesh… and this is why I have repeatedly told you, kids, to stop mugging people in alleyways. You won't be lucky every time. Just because it worked doesn't mean it will always work."
"Sorry, Auntie… He he he~ I am such a troublemaker." Jane thumps her head with her knuckle in mock response while not being sorry at all.
Carlos takes a more serious tone explaining to Jane his own suspicion of the matter. "According to you, he stopped all of you with but a word. I can assume he is at least third circle like me especially if he can suppress you have natural immunity to magic in general. I thought he is a mage, but not this talented."
"What is your relationship with him?"
"He is a weird guy. He 'catcalls' a girl every night exactly at 9 o'clock pm when the nightclub opens in the most shameless and exaggerated fashion even I will go red."
"Uuhmmm… Am I in danger?"
"I don't think so."
The way Carlos answers makes Jane feel less confident about the matter.
Carlos adds. "You are not in real danger. Moreover, I have talked with him on several occasions and I used my lie-detection magic on him. He is no real threat to you unless you tried prying on his secrets."
"Secrets?"
"Everyone has secrets, dear. Even me. Even you can have secrets. But this Hans guy's secret is more clandestine in greater measure. At that time when I inquired about the nature of his coming into this city in a confrontational manner, I had an intuition of him wanting to kill me for it."
"That is very excessive, no?"
"It can be more excessive. I actually used some of the old favors in the past for them to spy on him. The funny thing is, the next morning, the people I used my favors with returned to me asking that I reserve the favor for another time."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well, rumors are what happened. Everyone who tries to spy on him ends up dead, which is what happened. As you know, City Z is a free for all dog eat dog world, and this Hans is very adept at it…"
"And you say I am not in real danger…"
Jane feels that Carlos might have a crush on Hans evident in her seemingly unnecessary admiration. Hans is becoming more of a mystery guy in Jane's eyes, but she won't let it bother her. She only needs to endure one year, and she will immediately enroll in the Academy of Magic, and hopefully, with her sponsor, she can get a magic collegiate degree course that will allow her a high-paying job in the future.
No need to convince herself further, Jane decides to embrace the opportunity.