Gazing into the dark depths of the forest, Kelly bit her lip.
"I'm going over there."
With that, Kylie moved forward, but was quickly pulled back by Caroline, who gazed at Kylie and gently shook her head.
(Don't go, Ms. Kelly. It's not a good idea.)
"But, even though it's said to draw the enemy away, it's a forbidden chant after all! What if something happens to Jared?!"
"Even if we go, we won't be of much help."
Serenity shook her head, her tone heavy.
"You're a magician too, you should know very well that a body manipulated by a magical spirit is impossible for us to fight against. Our control over the spirits is not so strong that we can forcibly dissipate them, and as you can see, our magic will be used against us. So Kylie-san, even if you go there, it won't help, and it might even put Mr. Jared in more danger."
"... I know, but ..."
Kelly reluctantly made a concession, rationally she could understand what Serenity meant, but emotionally she could not accept it. After all, this kind of forbidden magic spirit has not been used for many years, all kinds of true or false rumors have become more and more vague with the passage of time, but this is even more frightening. Legend has it that this spell, which burns one's life through chanting and invites a demonic spirit to control one's body, is the natural enemy of all wizards. Fortunately, not everyone can use it.
"I didn't realize that Prince Heine was actually a Demon Chosen."
（What's a Chosen One?)
Caroline asked with some curiosity, and Kelly explained in detail, as if to calm herself down.
"The Chosen are the product of a union between a demon and a human, and in their bodies they have demonic blood and powerful magical senses, as well as inherent strong mental resistance. Apart from the Chosen, not many normal mages can endure the pain and mental shock of the demonic spirits pouring into their body while chanting the forbidden demonic hymn, so it's almost unheard of for anyone to be able to successfully utilize this dreadful magic of the curse. If it wasn't for the manipulation of my Fire Snake, I wouldn't have been able to imagine that a forbidden magic spirit that only appears in literature and rumors would actually appear in front of my eyes."
"But Mr. Jared isn't a wizard, is he?"
"I know that too, but just now ..."
Kylie was hesitant to say anything, but everyone knew what she wanted to say. The scene was so shocking that even Serenity wondered if she was dreaming. But everything in front of her told her that it was not a dream, but a reality. But even if it was a hallucination, it was so surprising that even a school of magic that specialized in seducing people and manipulating their minds would be hard pressed to pull it off. One has to wonder if Jared is a warrior or a mage.
"Whatever he is, he's nothing when he's dead."
With this peculiarly light tone of voice, Jared's figure emerged from the depths of the forest, his right hand hanging straight down, looking as if it were limp and boneless.
"Jared? You're hurt?!"
"Maybe."
Jared glanced at his right hand and smiled bitterly.
"The right hand is probably gone."
"Eh?"
Hearing Jared speak, the crowd froze in place.
Jared's hand, it's gone?
(Lies, right?)
Back at the castle, Caroline stared at Jared in displeasure as she tended to his wounds.
"That's right, it's a lie."
Jared was quick to admit it.
"According to past experience, it's just that I can't move my right hand for two or three days, after all, my body isn't a Terminator, it can't withstand that kind of high-frequency vibration wave."
（But your wounds are very convincing.)
Caroline gently stroked Jared's right hand, the part from the elbow down seemed to be cracked from the inside, and there were shocking scars everywhere. What Jared had used against Prince Heine was an unauthorized use of the Rune Armament, forcing the energy that was supposed to be released from the weapon to be activated, and then operating it at the cost of his own body. Inevitably, this caused direct damage to the part of the weapon that was filled with the power. Caroline's Tectonic Harmonization can't be used to heal such wounds, or else it will be rejected by the magic left in it. Only when the magic dissipates will the right hand heal again.
"But you don't take care of my feelings, as a fiancée you don't care about your future husband's health, what a heartless woman ..."
Jared shook his head and sighed, but was soon protested with displeasure as Caroline pinched her nose, the colorful pupils mingled with a sly look.
（Don't try to trick me. I can't believe you don't have a "pain shield" on.)
"Well, it's my fault again."
Jared shrugged his shoulders, still apologizing without the slightest trace of sincerity. Then he pondered for a moment ...
"Get Wendy for me, will you? I'd like to discuss something with that woman wrapped in white cloth, and this is a good time to do it."
"Looking for me?"
"Eh?"
The two were surprised to raise their heads, and found that at some point, Wendy had already stood in the corner, no, I should say that she had always been there, only that both of them did not notice it. Speaking of which, the existence of this girl is too thin, even just when the crowd retreats, Kelly and Serenity did not seem to notice the original should be followed by their side of this young girl, as if they subconsciously forget about Wendy in general.
"When did you ..."
"I wanted to use magic to heal the wounds of the Guardian-sama, so I came here ... disturbing you two?"
"I wish you could say hello first next time ... Never mind, you should bring that what's-his-name prop with you, I have some urgent things I want to talk to the Lord of the Cthulhu."
Wendy inclined her head somewhat doubtfully, but she didn't say anything, instead she immediately activated the decoration that she had been carrying on her body, and then with that, the Lord of the Cthulhu appeared in the phantom, except that a hint of bewilderment was revealed in her voice.
"Wendy, what happened?"
"A good thing, Honorable Lord of Cthulhu."
Noticing Jared's voice, the phantom of the Lord of Cthulhu turned around, and then her tone turned slightly cold.
"You're hurt? What happened?"
"A little thing, we found rats hiding in the forest and proceeded to squish them, but one of them jumped the gun ..."
Jared laughs helplessly and points to his arm, shrugging his shoulders .
"This is the result ..."
"Is it serious?!"
"It's probably going to be wasted."
"... Wendy."
The Lord of the Heavens turned to Wendy, his tone cold.
"I ordered you to join the team to prevent this from happening, and what have you done?!"
"I'm very sorry, Lord Cthulhu ...!!!"
Wendy didn't finish her words, because right at this moment, her body suddenly flew backwards as if being pulled by something, and crashed heavily into the wall. Jared and Caroline were both dumbfounded by the scene in front of them, they totally did not expect that the Lord of the Heavens would actually hit Wendy so hard in front of them. But Wendy who stood up again didn't show any feelings of anger or sadness at all, but remained standing quietly in the same place, silent.
And just then, the Lord of the Heavens turned around again.
"I'm sorry, I got slightly excited ... but Wendy doesn't seem to be accomplishing her mission very well, I really should consider giving her some punishment ..."
"I have more important things to do than that."
After an apologetic glance at Wendy, who stood there, expressionless, that easy, gentle smile came back to Jared's face.
"Lord Cthulhu, do you want to know who's behind this, trying to assassinate Kelly?"
"That's for sure ..."
"Very well, then I will report to you now."
Here, Jared stood up with a look of deep sadness on his face. Caroline looked at him in bewilderment, wondering what the hell was going on in Jared's head.
"We didn't protect Ms. Kelly. She was assassinated."
When it's as easy to lie as it is to drink tea, Jared just blurts out something that leaves the crowd dumbfounded. What is he talking about? Kelly was alive and well. Why was she suddenly assassinated? Caroline lowered her hand and looked at Jared thoughtfully, as if she understood what he was trying to say. The Lord of the Heavens looked at Jared in silence for a long time before he sighed.
"Tell us the specifics ..."
"Last night, Miss Kelly was assassinated in her room, and when we arrived ... she was already seriously injured and dying. Fortunately we chased the assassin and found Prince Heine who was watching us from the shadows."
If Kylie and Serenity were here, they would have been speechless with surprise, and even wondered if Jared had eaten something wrong that caused his mind to wander. The Celestial Lord was silent, and it was only after a long time that she slowly opened her mouth.
"This could lead to diplomatic problems."
"I don't think you care, Lord Cthulhu, or you wouldn't have trusted us with Kylie."
Jared's inconsistencies at this point in his life would only be more and more confusing to the uninitiated.
"Or should I say, is that what you expect?"
"Where are the ... bodies?"
"That thing was sadly not left behind ... need it?"
"No need."
The Lord of the Heavens gave a bitter smile and lightly shook his head .
"I will be prepared, but you two must also understand that failure is failure and must be punished 'to some degree'."
"That much I certainly know ..."
Jared took a small step back and bowed gracefully.
"I'll remember your words, and I hope you won't forget them yourself."
Then the phantom of the Lord of Cthulhu began to shake and disappeared into the gem once more.