I must say, Borne was indeed an honest man. He said he would end the fight within thirty seconds, and he did just that.
He didn’t keep Wayne and Ivette waiting too long. No sooner had his Life Force Field spread out than it dissipated, all in less than ten seconds.
Wayne looked at his watch, then at Borne, who lay beneath Dreyne’s feet, and couldn’t help but retort, "Dreyne, why would you reward him?"
That’s a reward? How upper class.
You little one, are you often stepped on by Philomena and Chris?
Dreyne glanced down at the Legendary Mage beneath her feet, frozen in place, as a glaring red puddle of blood slowly spread, pooling within seconds.
She wiped the bloodstain off her white shoes, then walked over to Wayne in two steps, "How long?"
"Damn, it took eight seconds. I must have been slacking off in training, causing my strength to diminish."
"Who’s to say no, you spend your days playing cards, when do you have time to train."
"Damn it, starting today, I quit drinking!"
The two went back and forth as if cut from the same cloth. Ivette watched their banter, almost speechless, and thought to herself that they were clearly destined to be a perfect pair of scoundrels.
Borne still lay on the ground, as bold-faced as he was pathetic, silently bleeding without making a sound, trying to make a quiet exit by turning invisible.
Wayne didn’t say anything to him, just a bystander, no need to be embarrassed. Although Borne’s fall was indeed ungraceful, his pretentious demeanor moments before was quite dashing.
Not just anyone dares to speak out loud to a God-chosen Knight!
He checked the shelves nearby, tearing open and reading any files he found interesting.
Dreyne also browsed through some documents. One learns until old age, and God-chosen Knights weren’t fools; each one a wellspring of knowledge.
Their physical strength made it convenient to throw bricks, which is why their intelligence often seemed overshadowed by their brute force.
Borne, still prone, confirmed no one else was paying him any attention, then quietly stood up and wiped the blood from his face with his robe.
Too strong. Not an opponent at all. If the other party hadn’t politely greeted him, he wouldn’t have held out for eight seconds.
So, who’s the newcomer?
Borne glanced at Wayne and Dreyne, who were perusing files, and didn’t dare to interrupt. He quietly approached Ivette and flashed a humble smile, "Deputy Head, do you know who this majestic, elegant, outstanding lady of exceptional appearance is?"
Such is life, bending the spine of Legendary Mages.
Ivette sighed softly but didn’t take the opportunity to make things difficult for Borne, "This is a God-chosen Knight, a walking incarnation of the Moonlight Goddess on the Mortal World."
Borne: =͟͟͞͞=͟͟͞͞(⁰灬⁰;)
Learning that the one who’d defeated him in seconds was the Moonlight Knight, Borne no longer felt shame. On the contrary, he thought he had misunderstood Wayne. It was Ivette who had thrown him a ladder, and he’d blundered in not seizing the opportunity the leader gave him.
He hoped the leader would give him one more chance, seeing his willingness to admit his mistake.
"Borne, you still haven’t answered my question from before. What are you doing here?" Ivette asked, face stern, already knowing the answer.
She was appointed by Austin and Sophia to oversee the entire Magic Department on Wayne’s behalf. Borne had made a grave error sneaking into the Magic Department at night and was already in trouble. Punishment was inevitable.
Forget about salary, the next ten years he would work for free.
Borne stuttered, avoiding a direct answer, unable to come up with a suitable excuse.
He had come to remove his own research results and, incidentally, burn down the storage to erase evidence. These things could be done, but not said. Two different matters, two different consequences.
"I will report this to the Minister and Deputy Minister Austin. Prepare yourself," Ivette said expressionlessly.
"Can’t you give me a chance?"
"Times have changed."
Ivette said just that, and Borne fell silent.
The times were not as they used to be. Austin was going through the family books. What was once permissible was now strictly taboo. Maybe it could be done in the future, but at this crucial juncture, it was absolutely impossible.
Borne sighed and honestly approached Wayne, explaining his research progress on Void Lifeforms, affirming his own value.
"Not bad, I just happen to need an assistant. From now on, you’re the deputy head of the research group."
Wayne nodded and patted Borne on the shoulder, "Work hard. On behalf of the Lando Family, I promise you’ll be well rewarded in the future."
With that, he waved Borne off to cool his heels elsewhere and not to disturb his studies.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, Wayne drove Dreyne for breakfast in the upscale restaurant of the Magical Department Headquarters, then headed back to the office building to continue reviewing files.
He didn’t mention how Borne would be dealt with. There were state laws and family rules; Prince and commoner alike must face the same penalty, and he couldn’t make an exception just because he admired Borne’s talent.
Ivette would handle things by the book. Don’t kill or turn him into an idiot; he was still waiting to fleece the man!
"Hey, how long are you going to keep looking?"
By the next evening, after Dreyne had tasted the local pure cuisine, she frowned and complained, "I know what you’re up to. If you don’t want to play cards with me, just say so. Dragging it out is really dull."
"Dreyne, I really want to play cards with you. I’m just busy. You’ve seen it; our revolution just succeeded, I really don’t have the time."
Wayne presented evidence and examples. The Randao Family’s line was dwindling. Austin only had one son and not even a daughter. If he didn’t help share Austin’s burden, no one else was qualified to assist.
"That’s not right. I remember your teacher’s name is Slyphy Lando, and she has a daughter named Veronica. She is Austin’s daughter," Dreyne countered, remembering very clearly that they had both joined her in card games on the Icebound Continent.