Chapter 256: Jus Maleficii [2.]

Ferris’s expression darkened at the thought.

The Dark Viper Guild had operated within his jurisdiction for years. He had long suspected that the Guild was involved in activities that crossed far beyond the boundaries of what a legitimate Hunter Guild should be doing, but suspicion was one thing and evidence was another. Despite years of investigation, Ferris had never managed to obtain anything substantial enough to bring the Guild down.

He had never imagined that the truth would eventually surface in a manner like this.

Still, Ferris quickly pushed those thoughts aside. No matter what personal feelings he might have toward the Dark Viper Guild, he was still a Branch Director of the Hunter Association. He represented the Association, and as such, he couldn’t allow his personal emotions to interfere with how he handled the situation.

"Mr. Kael, I’ll send some officials over to collect whatever evidence you have."

"There’s no need," Kael replied. "I already have someone delivering it to your branch. It should arrive any time now."

Kael wasn’t lying.

The person handling the delivery was, of course, Varek.

Although Kael had obtained most of the Dark Viper Guild’s secrets by extracting them from Morgan’s memories, memories alone wouldn’t serve as physical evidence that could be submitted to the Association. He needed something tangible, something that could be independently verified.

That was why he had sent Varek to retrieve everything they could find.

The Dark Viper Guild had been careful about its dealings. They had kept records of their activities and maintained enough evidence to keep the people involved in their illegal operations under control. There were CCTV recordings, transaction records, communication logs, documents, and countless other pieces of information hidden throughout their facilities.

Kael had seen some of them through Morgan’s memories.

Now, those very records would become the evidence that protected him.

Ferris remained silent for a while.

"Alright, then."

His tone had become noticeably more serious.

"The Association will remain in contact with you while the investigation is ongoing, so try to stay accessible." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Kael couldn’t help smile.

He knew exactly what that meant.

The Association was politely telling him not to disappear.

"Sure," Kael replied. "I hope you can handle the investigation quickly."

"I’ll handle it to the best of my ability."

"Alright."

"Then I’ll stay in touch, Mr. Kael."

With that, the call ended.

Kael lowered the phone and sat quietly on the edge of his bed, staring at the screen for several seconds. The conversation had gone about as well as he expected, and with the evidence Varek was delivering, he wasn’t particularly worried about the outcome.

He finally let out a small sigh.

"Well, guess that’s that."

Kael turned his head toward the bedroom door.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"You know, I can sense you perched at the door, right?"

Silence.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the door slowly opened.

Lyra stepped inside, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry for eavesdropping," she said. "I couldn’t help it. I was so worried."

"It’s okay."

Kael wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

Lyra looked at him expectantly.

"So? How did it go?"

Kael shrugged.

"Not bad. We’ll just see how things develop from here."

Seeing the lingering concern on her face, Kael added, "I told you I’d handle things on my own end, so there’s no need to worry about it."

"But still..."

Lyra clearly wasn’t completely convinced.

Kael looked at her for a moment before suddenly changing the subject.

"Okay. Get dressed. We’re going for a workout."

Lyra blinked.

"Huh?"

"Chop chop." Kael waved her off. "You wanted to get stronger, right?"

Lyra stared at him in confusion.

She wasn’t entirely sure how they had gone from discussing the Hunter Association to working out, but after thinking about his question for a moment, she slowly nodded.

"Good."

Kael smiled.

"Then this brother of yours is going to make you stronger. Go get dressed."

Lyra hesitated for a moment, but eventually turned around and walked out of the room.

Kael watched her leave before getting to his feet as well. He had already decided what he wanted to do with Lyra.

She was a mage, and traditionally, that meant most of her strength would come from her magical abilities. A mage didn’t necessarily need the physical capabilities of a warrior to be effective in battle. As long as their magic was powerful enough, they could overwhelm enemies from a distance without ever needing to engage them physically.

But Kael wasn’t satisfied with that.

He wasn’t planning to simply increase Lyra’s magical prowess.

He wanted to strengthen everything.

Her physical strength. Her durability. Her speed. Her ability to endure damage. Her combat instincts.

He wanted to turn her into a mage who could still stand her ground even when an enemy managed to close the distance.

A mage capable of fighting warriors at close range.

A mage who could rely on her magic to dominate the battlefield but still possess enough physical strength to survive when that magic wasn’t enough.

That was the version of Lyra Kael envisioned.

Without wasting any more time, Kael got changed. He quickly shed his casual home clothes and replaced them with something more suitable for training.

A fitted charcoal compression shirt clung to his shoulders and chest, the short sleeves leaving his forearms exposed, the muscles beneath his skin visible whenever he moved. Loose black training shorts hung just above his knees over a pair of dark compression leggings, while worn gray trainers sat firmly on his feet, laces double-knotted to keep them secure.

A towel hung casually around his neck, completing his simple training outfit.

By the time Kael stepped out of his room, he was ready to go.

Lyra was already waiting in the sitting room.

She had changed as well, wearing a deep navy sports bra with crossed straps running across her back and matching high-waisted leggings that hugged her legs without restricting her movement.

A thin mesh panel ran down each calf, while her long hair had been pulled into a tight, high ponytail that kept it out of her face. White running shoes with pale blue soles covered her feet, and a black fitness band rested around her left wrist.

The two of them looked completely ready for the workout.