Kylie sat back in her chair, distracted by the complexity of the words and content of the heavy grimoire in front of her, which did not interest her at all. In the past, she would have immersed herself in a sea of knowledge and had the pleasure of traveling, deciphering, and discovering the hidden meanings of magic. It was like a seafarer traveling across an ocean and reaching the harbor at the end of the voyage with a sense of satisfaction and pride, as if he had conquered everything. It wasn't just her talent that made Kylie so special, it was her extraordinary interest in magic that made her one of the most powerful and talented mages in the world.
But right now,she had absolutely no interest in studying this, and what Jared had once said worried her greatly. Indeed, in Kylie's opinion, that kind of trashy magic envoy had no business being framed. But it was hard to say the same for herself, a magician and the daughter of the Imperial Minister of Magic. Moreover, only a few people knew her secret - as a woman, she was unquestionably the next heir to the head of the Vito family. If it weren't for the fact that her mother had died giving birth to her, her father would never have been able to take over the family. In fact, Kylie had known that many in the family resented the idea of a female heir. Even as a child, many of her relatives had secretly cursed her and resented her existence.
So, this attack was really on me?
Kylie wrapped her arms around herself in fear, even for a wizard, she was just a girl. If Jared and Caroline hadn't been there, she would have starved to death in the Forest of the Undead, or become the dinner of those horrible monsters. She's a proud woman, but she's not afraid of a fight. She knew who had saved her life, but she could never thank them for it. After all, Jared's naked talk had stuck with her, and for the first time in her life, she was furious that the man not only didn't care about her, but even treated her like a liability.
But it's impossible to forget.
For the first time in her life, Kelly felt that her presence was sometimes unwanted. It was only a matter of days.
And the murders ...
Kelly stood up a little upset, she didn't want to bow down, but she was powerless. A wizard was a god of death on the battlefield, but in life, she was no different than an ordinary person. She wasn't like the gifted warriors who could blend into trees, burn the air, freeze water or even detect substances that were harmful to them, abilities that made them so desirable to wizards. In fact, in Kylie's opinion, Jared and Caroline's skills, combined with their abilities and powerful magical weapons, would be enough to serve as guardians for even the five Great Chanting Ambassadors.
Why would they want to stay around a magical messenger?
Kelly thought for a moment, and finally made a decision.
"There is only patience ... until the murderer behind the scene is caught ."
She said to herself, and walked out of the room.
As Jared and Caroline and Tawana were coming out of the Tower of Darkness, they saw Kylie walking towards them.
"Hello."
Kelly curtsied to them with some hesitation, which surprised all three of them a little, perhaps the first time they'd ever gotten such kindness from Kelly.
"Ah, hello ... Sister Kelly."
Tawana hurriedly returned the salute, while Jared and Caroline gave her a slight nod in return. Kelly bit her lip, then looked over at Jared, who was standing behind Tawana.
"Mr. Jared, there's something I'd like to talk to you about ... Is that okay?"
"No."
"... I just need to delay you a little bit ."
In the face of Jared's unhesitating refusal, Kelly could only hold back her anger as she continued to plead.
"I don't think there's anything to talk about between you and me."
Even so, Jared didn't show the slightest sign of interest, but seeing Kelly's eyes reddening, the other two women immediately sided with him.
（Jared, it's not gentlemanly to turn down a lady's invitation, is it?)
"Brother Jared, just go talk to her ..."
"..."
Whose side are you on?
Jared shook his head helplessly and sighed, then shrugged his shoulders at Kelly.
"Don't waste my time too much."
"Please follow me."
Kylie was indeed a bit unusual, which made Jared feel strange as well. According to his opinion of this young lady in the Forest of the Dead, she should be the type to say, "This lady invited you, and you don't even know what to do!" But what's wrong with her now? Being docile like a house cat isn't her style.
If you don't have anything to offer, you're a thief.
Jared was immediately on guard.
If Kelly, who was walking ahead, could have known what was going through Jared's mind, she would have strangled him alive rather than abandon the plan.
Eventually, with Kelly leading the way, Jared followed her to a small two-story building in the northeastern part of the academy, which looked very clean on the outside, but also had an air of splendor and expense all around it.
"This is my research lab."
Kelly introduced Jared with some self-satisfaction.
"Every magician has their own study room in the academy, something those magic envoys don't get to enjoy."
"Oh."
Jared looked them up and down and nodded his head in disinterest. He wasn't interested in any of this, which made Kylie's head spin. But she invited Jared into the parlor and poured him a glass of wine.
"I like Pepsi better than this stuff."
Swirling the red liquid in the crystal glass in his hand, Jared continued to rant and rave, and Kelly couldn't understand a word he was saying anyway.
"So, tell me, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?"
"How many gold coins do you pay for a week?"
Kylie sat down and quickly decided to go straight to the center, if she kept going around in circles with Jared she was going to be pissed off.
"Payoff?"
Jared frowned in some confusion .
"That's right. How much did you pay for the little magical girl? I'll double it! How about you be my guardians?"
"..."
So that's what she's up to.
Jared put his glass down and looked at Kelly.
"Sorry, not interested."
"Why?"
Kelly said she couldn't understand.
"Is it because the girl's father saved your lives that you're repaying the favor? So you're spending your lives pointlessly by her side? She's a magician, and from what I've seen, unlikely to become one. You'll get nothing from following her, not fame, not money, not status. There is nothing about that little girl that would attract a warrior as powerful as you two. Strong people like you should better utilize your strengths and abilities, and be treated accordingly."
"... Now Tawana isn't here, so I'll just get right to it."
Jared gazed into his glass of red wine and shrugged his shoulders.
"Caroline and I just want to live a stable life. We're strong, but it would be foolish of us to volunteer for a dangerous battle just because of that. That's right, we didn't just do it to return the favor, but because we had nothing better to do, we thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to follow Tawana's side. She's not as sensitive as you are, so she must be able to live a very peaceful life. That's why we're with her. We don't want any trouble, and we're not interested in money or power. For us, a 'normal' peaceful life is very precious. Maybe one day we'll get bored and go back to our adventures, but not now. And I must thank you, since you don't think Tawana will make much progress, it's perfect for us. Progress means attention, and attention means a lot of trouble ... like you."
Jared paused for a moment as he remembered again what his 'future' self had said to him.
But Caroline had proved to him by her actions that all the unnecessary worrying would lead nowhere, and that it was better to stay true to oneself and do what one wanted to do.
Kylie clutched her wizard's robe, her face red.
"Yes, it's just as you said, so I was hoping to get your help."
She bowed her head, and in a tone of vulnerability that was definitely not for her, she opened her mouth to Jared and pleaded.