"Mary, are we being followed? I would appreciate it if you tell me about these things beforehand."
Layla looked down at her system prompt, which told her she was being followed. Without that, her underdeveloped senses would not have picked up on the intruders.
[The host is being followed by two separate parties. Would you like to mark their location on the map?]
The system was particularly useful at these times, but Layla kept the location tracking on hold.
"Hmm, what should we do? Now that the young miss has pointed it out, I must handle this matter. I would not get involved since these kids were no threat to us…. what should I do?"
Mary asked with a concerned voice. But she was not fooling anyone with her acting.
"Don't worry, miss! I will go and take care of the people following us. I will return soon, but if anyone tries to mess with you, take care of it in a way that will not be noticeable to anyone."
Mary's warning seemed to be more for the sake of Duke Lockhart's reputation than for Layla's safety.
Any other kid who heard their guardian speak like this would have felt disappointed.
But Layla just shrugged and quickly sat down on the bench. She was not a kid, so Mary's behavior did not significantly impact her.
She swore she heard the older woman mutter that Layla was 'no fun' and that she was ruining her future.
As soon as Mary was gone, all kinds of bugs started to crawl out of their place.
Layla had long known that she was being followed. She also knew Mary would throw her under the bus if she could.
That was why she showed no fear as the trio approached her.
"Well, what do we have here? A nerd who does not know her place. Brother, what should we do? Should we take her under our wing?"
The kid on the left tried to down-talk Layla. His tone had just enough sympathy to make another kid fall for it.
"Hmm, I don't know about that. I am already teaching the two of you, so I can't afford to take another kid under my wing unless they offer me something….so…"
'Ah, I see. Are these kids thinking I am being neglected and would want their company because I am lonely and alone? It's cute but also annoying.'
The trio paused to see Layla's response, but since they were kids, they had no patience.
"I said I would reconsider letting others join my circle if they begged me to let them in. I might waver the fee as well if I feel like it."
The kid repeated himself, almost as if it would change the outcome of Layla's decision.
Layla finally moved, and the oldest kid smirked in victory. He was certain that he had won Layla over.
"Excuse me, but can you get out of the way? My guardian told me that I should not talk to people who want to take advantage of me."
As soon as that smirk appeared on his face, it faded.
Instead, anger took its place, and Layla knew it was her cue to try and run away as soon as possible.
"Hey! Wait right there! I did not permit you to walk away."
The kid tried to grab Layla's hand, but Layla was agile. She had learned how to use her smaller and thinner limbs and how to exchange their movement with the help of magic.
The trio never had a chance against her.
'I see! So, these people are nothing special. They might have been learning magic for a little longer than me, but that does not mean they have good control over it.'
The fact that these kids did not even think of using magic to capture Layla said a lot about them. It was easy for Layla to run circles around them before she led them around.
Mary had indicated that she could care for anyone she wanted as long as she did not let the news out.
"Oi, hurry up and catch her. It should be easy for us to care for a kid like her. She doesn't even know how to use her magic yet."
The leader of this small group yelled, and that was where he was wrong.
Layla did know how to use her magic.
She might not have known it well, but she knew it well enough to realize she could take these kids.
As soon as Layla entered the forest, she spread her magic toward her feet to make a jump and climb the first tree she saw.
The three kids followed her inside, but they stopped when they realized they could not see Layla anymore.
"Where did she go? Are you sure she came this way? I don't see her anymore!"
The kid who had extended his hand toward Layla first spoke.
He looked anxious, which made Layla suspicious. Why would a kid look so nervous about following her and not being able to find her?
"This is bad! Henry specifically asked us to befriend that girl and keep an eye on her. I don't know the problem or why Henry wants to keep tabs on a kid like her, but we will get in trouble if we don't follow his orders."
Layla heard it all from her hiding space in the tree.
She had cast a hearing aid spell that helped her in this regard. It enabled her to hear everything.
"Thank you for all the important information you gave me. I should repay you all. It is the best time for me to practice my new plan."
Layla did not have a lot of magic left in her under-developed core. But she had enough to cast an illusion spell.
It only took a minute before a scream rippled from the kid's throats, and then they all ran past Layla with a white face.
They were so scared that they did not notice Layla standing in plain sight.
"Ah, so that spell did work."