Back in the research lab, Jared was remarkably relaxed, and while Kelly was a little upset that they'd left without permission, she didn't make it obvious. Jared didn't give a damn about her time or intentions, and he and Caroline immediately agreed on a plan of action.
"Since those guys are going to treat us like outcasts, we don't have to be polite. I don't like being used or killed. We took out two members of the Imperial Guard, and it looks like they're pretty strong, although they're pretty weak compared to us. But I'm sure it'll cause a stir. In any case, a guy who can run off the street isn't as important as Kylie. You can get a hitter anywhere. There's only one nuke. This could be the trigger to see what the royal family is thinking."
Jared immediately cleared his mind after he was no longer confused, the only reason they didn't disappear right away was because Jared's stupid decision had involved the innocent Tawana, no matter what, they had to get rid of this matter. Jared himself already had a good idea, the problem was just how to solve it smoothly.
It's never easy to live in peace.
Realistically, peace is the preserve of the common man, because no matter how hard they try, they will never improve their abilities, and everyone has a so-called bottom line as well as a limit to their height. Some people can only be good at what they do, but others can be the best at what they do with just a little effort, or even the best at what they do without effort. A farmer who wants to marry a duke's daughter ends up farming with his face to the ground, and even if he is oppressed, he is powerless to resist. Only those at the bottom of the social ladder have the right to peace. But those who have powers are not among them. Inevitably, they will experience disputes, be oppressed, or be resented in the course of their lives. If the strength is equal, there will be no problem, if the strength gap is too big to distinguish between the winners and losers, they will easily be regarded by the higher-ups as the pawns that can be utilized, if they don't want to be utilized, then they have to climb up the ladder, but this altitude is never-ending. The higher you climb, the farther away from peace you get. Those below you want to take you down, those above you want to squeeze you. It's a never-ending cycle.
The simplest and most complete peace is to kill everyone but you.
Then the world will be free from struggle, from dispute, from desire, and there will be peace forever.
It's rather childish, but it's the only thing that works.
Relative peace is having nearly equal strength and then spending your life in a tug-of-war.
This is something that is very difficult for those who have the ability to do, after all, the so-called relative equality is like a tightrope that can be easily broken.
Negative peace is something that only ordinary people can do, that no matter how hard they try, they can't reach the realm of the superior, that they can't fight back even if they are bullied, that they don't have any use, that they won't be noticed, and that they won't be entangled in any danger or benefit. In this way, at least there can be the so-called one-way peace, which is the abandonment of completely handing over one's destiny to others.
Jared's not crazy. He can't do the first. And his strength alone makes him neither the second nor the third.
That's why they can't have peace.
That's something Jared's instincts and Caroline realized long before his reason did.
Maybe Jared understood, but he just wanted to find another way to live.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out.
There's nothing wrong with that.
(Do we have to choose which side to be on? Or do we become a third force?)
"The third power is simply delusional to us now ."
Jared shook his head.
"You can't become the third power without a sense of intimidation despite having enough power, and if you don't make the other two parties think, 'Ah, if this guy goes to the other side, things will become very troublesome,' then the third power will only be treated as a top priority target for them to attack. I don't want to do that, it's just the two of us now, and we have no power or prestige at all."
（So, it's all about which side to be on, and it's all about how we treat Ms. Kelly.)
Caroline calmly made the point.
They're in a very delicate position, at a turning point.
Protecting Kelly would be tantamount to making an enemy of the Academy.
If Kylie were to be killed like this, she would be choosing the side of the academy, and if nothing else, she would be treated as an outcast and sent to the gallows as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the royal family. However, if you show enough strength to make people look at you greedily, it's not impossible for you to be deprived of this possibility. But on the other hand, even if they protect Kylie's safety, the royal family won't necessarily treat them as their own, but it's the same if they show that they're worth utilizing.
Running away wasn't out of the question, but Jared didn't want to end up like that.
It is not interest that determines this.
What's left over after the power struggle is all that's left anyway.
What Jared was interested in was something deeper.
"Even if it's not to protect Tawana, we should at least ask Kura what she wants."
No matter how you look at it, Kura was Jared's savior. Though the situation was very confusing, it was necessary to at least listen to Kura's opinion on the outcome. Though she didn't feel the majesty of one of the Aria of the Five Yew Towers, Kura was one of the few people that Jared and Caroline felt good about. After all, they owed her a favor, so they couldn't just let it go.
(Kula ah ... Jared, you're not going to have that kind of interest, are you.)
"What interest?"
(It's a crime to hit a child, isn't it?)
"The laws of this world don't seem to have such regulations ... I was wrong."
Sensing Caroline's anger, Jared quickly raised his hands and apologized, though not in the least bit sincerely.
"Jared, Miss Caroline, what were you doing out there?"
Just then, the door to the living room was suddenly opened with a bang, and Kelly hurried into the living room with a serious look on her face.
"Just wandering around. What's the matter? What's going on out there?"
Jared then leaned back on the couch and watched Kelly.
"Members of the Imperial Guard have been killed, and now the entire city of Lilies has been put on alert, and there is a large number of troops outside the academy ..."
"It has nothing to do with us, but it's good to have more troops, and more people to protect you, isn't it?"
"That's not what I'm trying to say!"
Kelly raised her voice helplessly, then looked at the two men uneasily.
"You ... shouldn't have anything to do with this."
"... Guess what?"
Jared's vague rhetorical question clearly made Kelly even more uneasy, and she clenched her lips, unsure of what to say.
(Ms. Kelly, we would like to get some necessary information from you, things have changed and we have to respond, can you tell us in detail about the dispute between the royal family and the academy?)
Caroline's words were persuasive, but Kelly was still hesitant. She was arrogant at times, but she wasn't a fool, she had a very clear head, and she had a good sense of proportion. Her arrogance was a result of her own personality, and had nothing to do with her intelligence, otherwise she wouldn't have become one of the Academy's leading geniuses, and would have been called the Empire's Sixth Chanting Envoy.
"It doesn't matter if you don't tell us, except that it would be really easy for us to give you up, just give Tawana to Kura and we'll go out on a trip. It's your life that's in danger anyway ... not ours."
"What did you say?!"
It seemed that every time Jared spoke, he easily angered Kelly. She stared at Jared angrily, but under Jared's cold, threatening gaze, she said nothing. Then Kelly closed her eyes and let out a breath of frustration.
"Where's Tawana?"
"Not back yet."
Why would Kelly ask that question? Although he was a little confused, Jared answered her question. Kylie, on the other hand, was biting her lip so hard it was bleeding, but she didn't care. Perhaps it was the inner turmoil that made her most nervous and upset. Jared and Caroline sat patiently in their chairs, waiting for her to speak, and finally, Kelly did.
"Do you know why I am known as the 'Sixth Ariadne of the Empire'?"
"Because you're a genius, I guess."
Jared shrugged his shoulders, there were rumors about Kylie, and they knew some of them. She had only been studying magic for a few years, but her accomplishments already surpassed those of many people who had been practicing magic for years, in which case it wasn't strange to think that she would become a Chanting Envoy.
"If that's all it was, it would only be called 'the sixth most promising Aria Envoy'."
Kelly shook her head slightly, dismissing Jared's speculation.
"Don't you guys think it's strange? Why am I not the 'most promising' but the confirmed 'sixth chanter'? The truth is, although I'm improving rapidly, I'm still a magician, I haven't entered the realm of chanting, and I haven't even reached the rank of Trainee Chanting Envoy. There are many people higher than me in this academy, so why me?"
"You mean ... this is something that has been decided a long time ago?"
Jared raised an eyebrow, while Kelly nodded with a grave expression.
"What I said next, after leaving this room, I will not admit to having said it ... Otherwise, it will surely cause a panic, especially Tawana, and she must never be told the truth."
(The so-called truth is ...?)
"Who will become an Ariadne is decided at birth."
Kelly told the truth without hesitation, without wavering.
"The so-called Chanting Ambassadors are special talents who have been blessed by the Spirit of Magic at birth, and only they can become Chanting Ambassadors and receive the final approval of the Spirit of Magic. Otherwise, no matter how much effort one puts in, no matter how many magical peaks one climbs, one can never become an Aria Envoy. ... This is a secret that we have always kept, a secret that no one who studies magic knows, a secret that only those who will become Aria Envoys know. We are special, different. That's why we have to keep this secret from anyone. As you can understand, if the truth is revealed, then we ..."
Kelly didn't finish her sentence, but Jared knew exactly what she was thinking, or should I say feeling.
In addition to their power, the reason why people accepted the Arias was that the peak was not unattainable. After all, nowadays, most of the people who study magic believe that if they work hard, they will be recognized by the spirit of magic and become a chanter. Those who are now chanters are the result of their own talent and hard work, and there is nothing to criticize them for.
But the truth is, it's not "those who study magic and are recognized by the Spirit of Magic who become Chanting Ambassadors" but "those who study magic and are recognized by the Spirit of Magic who become Chanting Ambassadors", and this brutal difference in talent can wipe out the hard work and dedication of all mortals in an instant. This cruel difference in talent can wipe out the efforts of all mortals in an instant. No matter how hard they try, they can't fight their natural destiny, and if this secret is revealed, the Aria will not only not be envied, but will even become the enemy of all magicians. After all, you can't expect everyone to be a decent person without jealousy and anger.
And when that happens, the world will be in chaos.
"I do not know how the five arias in the academy are gathered, but the arias have a special sense of arias, which I know. When I was born, the academy wanted to bring me here, but due to my special status as the daughter of the Minister of Magical Affairs of the ... empire, the academy was a little afraid. For almost all the royal puppets whose power is held by the academy, I have become the only bargaining chip they can use to fight. The so-called Sixth Chanting Envoy was a rumor circulating in the Academy, in order to classify me as a member of the Academy. But since I am an Imperial Noble, unlike the other five Aria Ambassadors, the royal family does not want to let go of my only bargaining chip. The royal family hopes to use me as the center to divide the academy little by little in the future ... but now in this state of affairs, it's hard to say."
Said Kelly with a bitter smile and a shake of her head.
"That's why I say that no matter how hard Tawana tries, that little dream inside her is, after all, just a fragile dream."