Entrusted

Inside Serie's study, the small commotion caused by Ruby's "exposed boast" gradually subsided. Like a frightened little animal finally released, Ruby let go of her master's arm, but still kept her head down, nervously twisting the hem of her mage's robe with her fingers, occasionally stealing glances at Serie's expression, afraid that she would settle scores later.

Serie sat back on her uniquely styled throne, resuming her languid yet dignified demeanor. Her red eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Lowell, and she calmly cut to the chase:

"Alright, tell me, what's the matter?" She tapped the armrest lightly with her fingertips, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the stone statue by the door. "If it's just about dealing with Qual, Loren... Lowell has already taken care of it, there's no need to bring it all the way here."

She paused, her gaze shifting to Ruby, who was still looking down. A faint, teasing smile curved her lips, but her tone remained deliberately casual. "As for that stupid disciple... hmph, he probably didn't come back specifically to see his 'fierce' master."

Ruby's face flushed instantly, like a ripe tomato. She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, "No, that's not true," but under Serie's all-seeing gaze, she swallowed her words, lowering her head even further, almost burying it in her chest, and muttering as softly as a mosquito's buzz, "... Yes..."

Serie seemed not to hear him, her gaze returning to Lowell as she awaited his reply.

Lowell smiled and stepped forward.

"There are two things. First, as you can see, Qual, your association has a large area and a strong barrier, so I'll leave it here for now. By the way, the information I gave you some time ago about countering 'Killing Magic' and the simple defensive spells, you should have already started having your First-Class Mages try to learn it, right?"

Serie's golden eyes flickered slightly, and she gave a noncommittal "hmm," which could be considered an admission. Given her abilities and efficiency, once she obtained such crucial information, she would have already organized core members to begin research and adaptive training.

Lowell continued, "Perfect timing, here's a ready-made advanced practice dummy. Once your men have mastered the basics, they can use it for practice, testing their skills in real combat and accumulating experience in dealing with this kind of tricky magic. After all, theory is no substitute for practice. Seven Sages of Destruction- level mage should be quite effective as a sparring partner. After they've practiced, you can seal it away; that should greatly enhance their combat experience. But remember not to kill it; I'm saving its life for Lupa."

Serie stared at the stone statue, her fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of the throne. Using a living, breathing Demons of the Seven Sages of Destruction level, possessing "Killing Magic," as a training subject was of immeasurable value in improving the practical combat capabilities of the association's high-end forces. She accepted this "deposit fee" without any hesitation.

"Sure." She readily agreed, then raised an eyebrow at Lowell, "The second one?"

Lowell turned to the side, gesturing to Mina, who had been standing quietly in the corner of the room, seemingly blending into the shadows. The little girl was still wearing that large gray cloak, the hood covering most of her face, revealing only her small chin and pale lips. She remained motionless, like a lifeless, exquisite doll.

"Well..." Lowell stroked his chin, "You seem to have quite a few children here, and you seem to enjoy and are quite good at taking care of them. Look, there's even a wild Demons child here named Mina."

He walked over to Mina and gently patted her shoulder, but Mina didn't react. "She's entrusted to your research and care. See if, in a relatively civilized environment, Demons children can establish some form of coexistence with humans, or at least understand the boundaries of 'impossible.' Consider it a long-term observation project."

As soon as Lowell finished speaking, Serie frowned, her delicate face instantly turning frosty, her slanted eyes narrowing dangerously, and her voice turning cold:

"What do you mean 'see how much I enjoy taking care of children'?" She leaned forward slightly, an invisible pressure spreading out, the air around the throne seeming to freeze. "Do you think my Magic Association is a shelter? Which eye of yours saw that I like taking care of children?"

Ruby shrank back in fright, instinctively hiding behind Himmel. Heiter and Eisen also straightened their backs instinctively. Even Frieren, who was secretly eating cookies from Serie's table, paused, her emerald eyes peeking over from above the pages of her book with a hint of curious amusement.

Lowell, facing Serie's anger, said, "Don't get agitated, Serie. It's just that your place has good facilities, a strong teaching staff, and a relatively safe and controllable environment. Besides..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Mina before returning to Serie. "Observing her magical growth and behavioral patterns might reveal something interesting, such as the origins of Demons society? Or the deeper secrets of the composition of magic? The fundamental differences in perception between Demons and Human race? For you, a great Great Mage, wouldn't that be a ready-made, living, top-tier research subject?"

Serie's expression, which was about to erupt, froze. Her golden eyes sharply fixed on Lowell, then slowly turned to Mina, who stood like a statue. Her fingertips tapped rapidly on the armrest of the throne, revealing her inner deliberation.

Her strong interest in exploring the unknown principles of magic was one of her few and most intense interests. Lowell, as "bait," was indeed quite effective.

A brief silence fell over the study, broken only by the clear "tap, tap" of Serie's fingertips tapping on the armrest.

A few seconds later, the frost on Serie's face melted away visibly. She clicked her tongue softly, as if reluctantly accepting the explanation, leaned back on her throne, resumed her languid posture, waved her hand as if shooing away some trouble, and spoke with a hint of impatience:

"Alright, alright, enough of that. Leave the people here, and leave the stones too. If you have nothing else to do, get out of here and stop getting in the way." Her gaze swept over Ruby. "You, take them to find them accommodations. Come back here once they're settled."

"Yes, Master! I'll go right away!" Ruby was overjoyed and quickly responded, her little face full of relief at escaping a disaster. She hurriedly called everyone to leave the low-pressure area.

Frieren quickly stuffed the last bite of the cookie into her mouth and silently prepared to follow the others to their lodgings.

"Look, Frieren, last time you stayed at our inn, but this time Serie actually gave us two rooms. Looks like she's still giving us some face," Lowell said, amused, looking at Frieren's puffed-out cheeks.

"Mmm," Frieren mumbled in response, licking her lips contentedly.