Jetri could’ve sworn they were talking about him, but somehow…

He glanced at Violette, standing elegantly with a faint smile, and Vya facing her—looking utterly dazed.

Then at Victoria and Lilith behind them, still standing on the steps.

Jetri scratched his head. *Should I just… leave right now?*

*Weird.*

*Like a damn Renaissance painting.*

He forced a chuckle to break the tension. “No fighting, no fighting! What’s so great about King Kong? Whoever gets it right wins~”

His sudden nonsense was wildly out of place—but it worked. Confusion flickered in Vya’s eyes. Violette kept smiling politely at Jetri, but her gaze was utterly lost, like her CPU had fried.

“Uhh…” Jetri rubbed his neck. “Look, if you’re gonna argue, at least not here. People are watching. Embarrassing.”

Vya pressed her lips together and stepped back from Violette, surrendering.

Violette merely smiled at Jetri. It was a beautiful smile—but something strange lurked beneath it.

Jetri didn’t catch it. He felt a flicker of concern.

For about one second.

*Probably nothing important anyway.*

He had his own take on Violette’s constant emphasis on “status.”

*Probably scolding Vya for overstepping—acting all possessive when they’re technically not even together. Then again… no guy likes hearing his girl use pet names for other dudes.*

*But Violette’s not blameless either.*

Jetri nodded firmly to himself.

*Though I can’t exactly help.*

*Theoretical master, that’s me. Crystal clear from the sidelines. Put me in the game? Total disaster.*

*Like that clown who helps a girl chase a guy… only to fall for her himself.*

He shot Vya another pitying glance.

*Running a harem’s exhausting, huh?*

*But hey—pitiable people always have their flaws.*

*Vya’s great most of the time… just way too much of a player.*

Jetri was still mulling this over in the carriage when Vya suddenly asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing much,” he replied casually. “Just thinking about you and Violette.”

“And your thoughts?” Vya’s voice was low.

“Hmm…” Jetri pondered. “If you wanna do something… you gotta take responsibility. At least don’t break anyone’s heart, right?”

“Running away solves nothing.”

“Yeah. Running away solves nothing,” Vya echoed, her tone growing heavier.

“What if… Chad—I mean, *if*—someone close to you lied to you? How would that feel?” Vya lifted her head abruptly. A strange glint flickered in her eyes.

Jetri still didn’t get it. The weirdness felt similar to Violette’s… but completely different.

“Vya, are you hiding something from me? Did you lie about something?” Jetri blinked.

“No. Just a hypothetical.” Vya lied smoothly, face unreadable.

“Well… assuming it’s true—depends on the lie. Small stuff? I wouldn’t care.”

“What counts as small? What counts as big?”

“Hard to say… Seriously, Vya, after all this time, you know my personality, right?” Jetri grinned.

*Of course I know.*

*Know it all too well.*

*Richard Jetri. You hate betrayal above all else.*

Vya’s mood darkened further.

“And if it’s something big… could you forgive me?”

“What exactly did you lie about?” Jetri sighed.

*How is she not spelling it out? ‘I lied to you’—it’s basically written on her forehead.*

“Just a hypothetical.”

Jetri gave a helpless, bitter laugh. “How can I forgive you when I don’t even know what it is? Are you expecting me to forgive you if you killed me in my past life or something?”

“Why would you think that?” Vya froze.

“Just an example,” Jetri sighed. “Truth is… I could probably forgive almost any lie. I’ve thought about it—I’ve got nothing worth stealing. You didn’t steal my girlfriend. Didn’t kill my parents…”

“So yeah. I’d forgive you.”

Jetri confirmed it.

Vya’s lips parted, but no words came out.

“Why would I ever lie to you?”

She finally whispered.

Jetri’s head throbbed.

*But honestly… what’s there to steal? Lie all you want. Whatever.*

Silence stretched until they reached home.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Two doors clicked shut simultaneously.

Jetri collapsed face-first onto his bed and sank into deep sleep.

One perk of being a high-level mage: water magic kept him effortlessly clean.

Another dawn broke.

Ever since becoming a mage, Jetri woke each morning feeling refreshed.

*Ah, birdsong!*

*Ah, the wind’s melody!*

*Ah, the trees harmonizing!*

That was his daily morning anthem.

Especially since returning to Delan.

A comfort so thick with boredom you could cut it.

He wasn’t idle—but compared to demon king-hunting days? Pure luxury.

At least he didn’t jolt awake at midnight because some cursed artifact triggered a warning array.

*What mage graduates only to gather dust for five years?*

*Normal mages get snapped up by nobles for their estates or join the Royal Mage Corps right after graduation.*

*Either cozy up in some rich lord’s tower doing research… or grind in the Corps for a decade to earn their own tower and knowledge.*

*Not me. Noble mage? My spells are all practical—zero research value.*

*I even had to learn decent hand-to-hand combat. When mana runs dry? I bash demons with my staff.*

But the dust-gathering ended today.

Jetri flung open the window, gulping the crisp morning air.

*Five years of dust wasn’t wasted!*

*Meet Richard Jetri—continent’s most famous mage!*

*(Though nobody on the street would recognize him.)*

Today was his last day before retirement.

Jetri knocked on Vya’s door with the enthusiasm of an eighty-year-old rediscovering youth.

*Today’s gonna be great!*

He thought that… until he saw the other two.

*What the hell?*

Jetri stared at his squadmates basking in the sunlight—looking like sleepwalking ghosts.

His CPU fried.

*You guys… are human, right?*

*Not high-level vampires who melt in sunlight?*

*…Right?*