Kura hugged the doll, her small body sinking deep into the couch, squinting her eyes and looking as if she had fallen into a deep sleep once again.
"So, Kula, you've been to the Necropolis?"
The Dean sat across from her with a serious expression.
"Yes yo ... it's beautiful there yo, there's green grass and big trees everywhere ..."
It was hard to tell if Kura was serious or not, but for those who knew her well, even the occasional thoughtless words of a girl who could fall asleep at any moment could solve a mystery that had been troubling her for a long time. As the head of the academy, Cangtian-no-Maji couldn't possibly ignore this. Wrapped in a white cape, she looked at Kura without words, trying to see her true intentions.
"So, what do you think the reason is? It's not usual for a forbidden land to suddenly change into such a state."
"Kula don't know yo ..."
Kura shook her head, and her wavy blonde hair swayed. However, the college president obviously did not expect to be able to get more information from Kula here, after all, after she found the abnormal direction of the Forest of the Dead, immediately sent people to check. However, the results of the College President was exceptionally shocked, to know, the Forest of the Dead is the most famous existence of the continent's forbidden zone, and such a place, but suddenly changed into this kind of appearance, it is equivalent to a miracle.
"I received a reply from the other three just now, and they will be returning to the Five Yew Towers immediately. I think that we should immediately send an investigation team to the Forest of the Undead and find out exactly what happened." The academy head said, his tone becoming much more anxious." Since we are aware of it, then the royal family must be aware of it as well, we must hurry before they do, otherwise, once we lose the lead in this matter, then the next step will become much more troublesome."
"The political stuff is too hard for Kula to understand."
Kura spoke slowly, still in the same slack-jawed manner.
"But, Kula wants to know, are you going to get rid of Kylie, sis?"
The air instantly became gloomy, even in the white, full of warmth in the Tower of the Pale Sky, at this moment also cold as if the tomb. The headmistress of the academy did not speak for a long time, she slightly raised her head." The destabilizing factor must be eliminated, with Kylie Vito's qualities, there is a high probability that she will become a Grand Chanting Envoy, and if we can't grasp it early, then this is the only way to do it." Though Kura looked like she was just asking a casual question, the academy head knew that if and when she asked a question, then it was best to answer it truthfully.
"Is that why you don't send your own Guardians to protect her?"
Kula's voice was flat, unperturbed, and she looked as if she'd known about it all along.
"What about Sister Caroline and Brother Jared?"
Caroline withdrew her gaze from the window, while at her side Jared sneered.
"I've known for a long time that the guy all wrapped up in white cloth wasn't a good guy."
Although she was able to detect Caroline's hints, there was no one who could detect Caroline's ability if she was simply listening in.
(Kura did keep her promise. She didn't tell the Headmaster about us.) Jared, what do we do next? If the Headmaster really wants to get rid of Ms. Kelly, we shouldn't protect her so perfectly. Perhaps, when the next attack comes, we can ...)
Jared gently shook his hand, dismissing Caroline's notion.
Everyone thinks that others are in control, especially those in high positions. But the truth is, everyone is in someone else's hands. In terms of power, Jared and Caroline's very existence defies most of the human race on Earth, and there is no match for them, except for one man, one man. But the fact is, they're the ones who run away every time. They're human beings, and human beings naturally obey the rules of society, the laws of society, the rules of society. You can listen to rock 'n' roll in the face of ten or eight nuclear bombs without a blink of an eye, but what's the point when it's all in ruins? If you're not prepared to live if you're the only one left in the world, then there's no escape from the outbreak of a massive conflict. They are powerful, but they are in the hands of others. But they're also in the hands of others, those in power think they're in control, but they're also in control, and all the power in the world is nothing if there's no one there to carry out the orders.
（Are you thinking that we should just abandon them and ...)
"What do you think?"
Jared didn't have an answer to Caroline's question, and maybe even he couldn't give one.
(... All I know is that following Tawana around is a bind for us.)
Caroline rolled her eyes and pointed out the gravity of the words, quietly and smoothly.
(This decision has gotten us into a lot of trouble, Jared.) We kept our word, but we only promised not to tell Tawana the truth about her father's death. Mr. Merchant wanted us to stay by her side, not an order, not a requirement. There's no reason why we have to stay by her side, we can leave if we want, break the contract and tell Tawana that we're leaving, there's no difficulty in that. We don't have any need to sacrifice ourselves for Tawana or Ms. Kelly.)
"Caroline?"
Jared was a little puzzled, the old Caroline had never said anything so drastic.
（Jared, don't you realize? You're the one who's confused.)
Caroline watched him quietly, the calm gaze seeming to look into Jared's heart.
（It's true, as I said, following Tawana has caused us many, many problems. But I don't hate trouble. Trouble can be solved. Unlike you, Jared, you've never accepted it. You hate trouble. You think it's something to be avoided. You want the easy life, but do you really want it? Why did you take orders from the headmaster? Wouldn't it be smoother if we just left and went to live in the mountains somewhere? We don't have to care about Tawana. She may resent us, but since we won't see her again, why should we care if she resents us? Maybe after three years in the mountains we'll forget about her, won't we? Do you care about her feelings? No, and neither will I. That's the reality. We've done enough for Mr. Merchant, we don't need to do more for him.)
"..."
Jared was silent.
（I don't think you're telling Kelly the truth, Jared. You like to lie too much, so I know that even though you told Kelly that following Tawana around was just a way to live a peaceful, stable life, you don't really think that. I know what kind of man you are, and for six years now, you've been a man of adventure and challenge. I know that, but after coming to this world, you're forcing yourself to live a life that wasn't meant for you? You love adventure, you crave challenge. That's why you half-heartedly accepted the Academy Director's commission instead of coldly rejecting it. Even with all the reasons you give, I know you're only resisting yourself. You want peace, but peace requires compromise, and you're not the type to compromise. I can't watch this anymore, Jared. You can't do this shit. I've been with you all along, and if you can't make a decision like you used to, then how am I supposed to keep following you? What will I do if even you are confused?)
Caroline's almost saddened tone jolted Jared, and he finally began to face up to the reality that he'd been incapable of facing up to.
Yes, since coming to this world, Jared had realized that people like them could live normal lives, and that made him very happy. So he thought that he and Caroline should be able to give up their old adventures and go back to a normal life. So he'd been working hard, trying not to get involved in trouble, trying not to get in touch with the past. But he soon realized he was stuck in a rut.
In the original world, Jared did not have such leisure, he had to lead his partners, all the time to escape from the army's surveillance, wanted, hunted, and even try to hide their identity, planning operation after operation, trying to sabotage the other side of the offensive or active attack. He even tries to hide his identity, planning operation after operation, trying to sabotage the other side's offense or take the initiative to attack. He's the backbone of the team, the source of everything. Always busy, never stopping. But after coming to this world, without the oppression of the past, the short-lived peace brought a great emptiness - like a man who quit the battlefield, but he could no longer get used to the leisure life of ordinary people. He doesn't know what to do, what to be." A life of "picking chrysanthemums in the hedgerows and seeing the mountains in the south" wasn't out of the question, but in the end, Jared didn't choose that path. His instinct was to create new challenges and face them. But that instinct was confounded by a rational desire to live in peace.
That's why he accepted the Academy President's commission half-heartedly, which was in fact a sign that his instincts craved a challenge, but his reason actively refused to be bothered.
Just as he's now asking Caroline to listen in on Kula's conversation with the Academy President.
Caroline was never like him, she rarely decided anything on her own accord, she just always followed Jared around and did what he told her to do without confusion.
So, she saw it better than anyone else. She knows Jared's mind better than anyone, even better than he does.
"... Caroline."
Jared spoke heavily .
"Hit me."
(Okay.)
Caroline held out her left hand, then took a deep breath.
"POW!!!"
A hard slap to Jared's face.
"Hoo... hurts, but thanks."
Jared's expression brightened as he stroked his swollen, reddened cheek and smiled bitterly, Caroline was obviously really pissed off, she wasn't holding back at all.
"You're right, like me such a man ... may simply have no connection with the ordinary, ordinary life and so on is simply a kind of delusion. So, I decided."
(Is that okay? You know, there's only the two of us in this world, no other partners, and it could get messy, right?)
Caroline rolled her eyes and asked as if she was deliberately teasing. In response, Jared smiled a confident smile that he had never seen before.
"Trouble is trouble ... Anyway, I don't hate trouble."