"Hey, Hadley, what brings you here?" Linley felt as though someone had discovered his little secret. Although he and Hadley were very good friends, he still felt a little awkward.
As for whether he entertained any thought of killing him to silence him, the answer was unequivocal: absolutely not. Other protagonists might, but Linley Baruch would never have such a thought.
"Well, I've been hunting all over the place these past few months. Today I happened to chase a hare here, and I just happened to see you casting magic."
Hadley honestly explained how he had come here, then fell silent. He knew that before a Saint-level mage thousands of years old, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make.
He only needed to recount what had happened. Besides, by his calculations, even if Doehring Cowart wanted to kill him, Linley would certainly stop him.
"Mm!" Linley acknowledged him, and the two fell silent.
"Little Linley, how do you intend to deal with this person?" Doehring Cowart asked in his soul form. If Linley said to kill him, Doehring Cowart would personally eliminate the person before them, though what he would feel about that was another matter.
"Grandpa Doehring, Hadley is my good friend. We just need to ask him not to tell anyone for now. I'll soon be going to the royal capital to have my magic talent tested, and then there won't be any need to hide."
"Haha, good boy. Let's do as you say!" Doehring Cowart smiled and stroked his beard. This alone showed that Linley was a child of pure and kind nature, though Doehring Cowart began to worry whether Linley could accept the world's dark side in the future.
*I truly hope you'll be kind, yet I also hope you won't be too