“Are they dead?” Kyle asked as he and Scarlet approached the collapsed hitmen.

“No, it’s just a little trick to send them to sleep,” Scarlet replied, looking down at the men lying at her feet. “If you want, I could weave a nightmare into their dreams and keep them trapped until I release them or the spell wears off.”

“Nah, they’re just following orders. The blame lies with the one who wields the blade, not the blade itself,” Kyle said, though his gaze lingered on them with a hint of disdain. “Even so, they're far from decent.”

Scarlet shrugged. She didn’t know much about dealing with mafias and the underworld – her expertise lay in fighting monsters and offering support in vanquishing them. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Leave it to Uncle Chan. He knows how to handle this sort of thing,” Kyle said, patting Scarlet’s head gently. His voice softened as he continued, “I’m sorry, Scarlet. I promised you a better life, but it looks like I’m breaking that promise now.”

Scarlet looked up at her adoptive father.

He had done his utmost to be a responsible and dependable adult – or, more accurately, the kind of father a child could be proud of, someone she could rely on. Despite his young age, and the fact that she wasn’t an innocent child but one with an old soul, he had managed to build a stable life for them both. His piano students often envied her, thinking she had the best dad in the world.

He longed for a peaceful life, at least until Scarlet reached adulthood. They’d talked about her future as a priestess, her plan to travel through Celtic lands to cleanse the restless spirits. This time was crucial for her to master the necessary magic and combat skills. Yet...

“Well, I’ve sort of expected this ever since I met you in the antique shop,” Scarlet said casually. “People like us usually have a sixth senses for these things. The moment I saw you, I sensed a contradiction within you - much like myself, but in a different form.”

“That’s why you gave me the pendant?”

“Yeah. Good people deserve better lives. I didn’t expect the pendant would be needed so soon though. I figure it might come in to play years later, maybe in a car crash or something.”

Kyle chuckled, “And instead, it’s a gunshot and mafias – completely out of your predictions.”

“Exactly.” Scarlet smiled, leaning against his slender leg, “Don’t worry, I’m a caster. No one can harm me - I won’t be your weak spot.”

“I know.” Kyle replied, making up his mind.

The young master of the Hong-Tachibana gang returned, bringing storms and thunder with him, shaking the entire underworld of Hong Kong and Japan, and even making ripples in neighbouring countries. His name soon echoed through the underworld of Southeast Asia and parts of China and Korea.

The once-unified gang officially split into two factions. One gained legal status, forming a bodyguard company to maintain a “minimal” level of force necessary to fend off threats that might drag them back into the mud. The other faction was expelled, taking with them all underground resources to form a new gang, completely severing ties with the original group. The police were pleased with this development, with rumours suggesting they were actively hunting down the expelled members for their involvement in drug and gun trafficking – activities the Hong Kong police find intolerable.

Now, the young master leads a newly reformed, legitimate multinational corporation called RedOrange, becoming a CEO before even reaching his thirties.

It took Kyle about a year to achieve this, with Scarlet spending most of that time in Japan. The more spacious environment in Japan compared to Hong Kong allowed her to practice her spear skills without drawing sideways glances, as her training was seen as “honouring family tradition” - a fairly common practice among Japan’s old-money families.

Of course, she remained an outsider among those old families, a foreigner with her spear. But with some focusing on incense, others on kendo, Japanese archery, ninja skills, wood carving, fan making, paper crafting, cloth weaving, and traditional dance performances, practicing the spear didn't seem so out of place. In fact, the members of the Tachibana clan were impressed by her dedication to training, recognising it as the true spirit of a successor of Tachibana. This was a rare compliment from a Japanese to an outsider as they typically quite insular when it comes to culture and identity.

She felt somewhat awkward and speechless when overheard someone referring to her as “the princess of the Tachibana family” - Tachibana was not only a yakuza/mafia gang but also a family with a name and symbol linked to the royals from centuries past.

Regardless, it was a relief that no one questioned her spear practice in Japan as time goes by. It remained a low-key activity, known only to a few, and not publicised.

Mr. Hong and Lady Sato became the chairpersons of the board of the RedOrange Corporation and provided her with a substantial amount of pocket money, which she initially didn’t know what to do with until Kyle assigned her a manager to handle these matters.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“This is William Graywood,” Kyle introduced, gesturing to a middle-aged man who looked like a quintessential British gentleman. “He’ll assist you with anything requiring an adult’s intervention, as I’ll be quite busy with work. If you two get along, he’ll serve you until his retirement, though I can’t say when that might be...You can let him handle anything.”

“Anything?” Scarlet asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, he owes my dad - your grandpa - his life...multiple times, to be exact. He wants to repay that debt, but we don’t need such services. I thought you might,” Kyle said with a strained smile. He leaned closer and whispered, “Help, your grandpa was very troubled by his stubbornness. After he found out my dad decided to retire, he changed his plan and stuck close to me, claiming he needed to protect me in case I’m targeted for assassination...”

“...Why is that?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s an old generation thing?” Kyle shrugged. “You’d be our saviour if you can manage him. He’s a good guy, that much is certain. Treat him well.”

“...Alright, if you say so.” Scarlet shrugged. She approached William and asked, “Do you know Batman has a butler?”

“Yes, I’m aware of it, Ms. Hong.” Since learning he would be serving the young lady of the former Hong-Tachibana gang - now the princess of the burgeoning RedOrange Corporation – William had studied everything necessary to take care for a young girl, including popular comics. Although he assumed she might be more interested in Disney films, he’d brushed up on superhero comics as well. “His name is Alfred, a former SOE operative.” This reminded him of his days with MI6.

“Well, I need an Alfred.” The red-haired girl looked at him seriously and sincerely, which he found quite endearing. “Could you be my Alfred?”

“Of course.” William bowed elegantly.

And so, Scarlet became a businesswoman – well, a businessgirl, given her age. With the considerable pocket money she had and with her dad’s backing, she decided to invest it all in charity. Her goal was to support impoverished villages by rebranding their products and finding suitable markets for them, smoothing out the marketing and process to help them gain wealth – it was the “teach them to fish” approach rather than just providing handouts.

It worked well, and her small company even turned a profit, which was unexpected, as she initially thought her charity business earn her nothing but reputation.

Travelling back and forth between England and Asia became her routine. With the Queen residing in Scotland, Scarlet preferred to stay close to her. She even bought a house in Scotland for summer vacations, allowing her to have a surface reason to visit the Shadowy Land and pay her respects.

Scáthach welcomed her warmly, often receiving books from the current era. In return, the Queen provided more training, giving her a thorough workout for her own good. Scarlet learned a great deal from the Queen...and William, after discovering her magical abilities, took a few minutes to process this information but remained calm and professional. He continued to study comics, particularly the Batman series secretly for inspiration on how to take care of an unusual young master...

Anyway, she thought she would continue her days as usual, planning when to publish a new book, how to study for exams to skip grades again, her company’s future strategies, and mapping out her journey through all the aspects of Celtic beliefs. Then one day, a knock on the door revealed a lady dressed in a peculiar attire.

The lady wore a near dark green robe and a pointy hat, reminiscent of a witch from children’s book. She handed Scarlet a letter, which surprised her further when she saw the name of the school on it.

It read: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Kyle, who was on a week’s break staying at their house near London - where he had once taught piano - looked puzzled. Even William, a local Brit, seemed taken aback.

Scarlet was momentarily stunned, memories from her previous life regarded this school flooding back. After a long pause, she asked, “I thought...I was supposed to receive the letter by owl?”

The lady, though a bit surprised, responded calmly, “That’s for students with at least one magical parent or guardian. For students from non-magical families - like yours, with no magic at all - we send staff to meet them in person to explain and guide them through the process, including purchasing the supplies needed for attending the school.”

This revelation surprised Kyle and William, who had known about Scarlet’s magical abilities but had never heard her mention letters being sent by owls, let alone a school that teaches magic. Although they were uncertain about the situation, they remained silent. Both of them looked at Scarlet, waiting for her response.

On the other hand, Professor McGonagall, who come to deliver the letter, found the situation intriguing. She had sent out many letters and had observed various reaction from parents upon learning that their child would become a wizard. Some denied it outright, refusing to discuss it further; some were delighted, seeing it as the best gift they could receive; others were sceptical, suspecting it was a prank planned by TV shows...But this was the first time she had encountered a parent and a butler calmly receiving the letter, and the prospective student herself was calmer than any child she had met.

“Well, Madame McGonagall...”

“Professor McGonagall, since you will be attending the school.”

Scarlet frowned slightly but quickly maintained her polite smile. “Professor McGonagall, is it possible for me to decline the offer?”

“Why?” Professor McGonagall asked, surprised, “Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in the world. I’m certain you won’t find a better one.”

“Well, this wasn’t part of my plans for the future,” Scarlet replied. “I have a clear vision for my path, and attending school wasn’t an option, even if it’s a magic one.”

“But without proper education, your magical powers could lose control at any moment,” Professor McGonagall said persuasively. “I’m sure you’ve experienced some of these nuances over the past few years. These weren’t accidents, but rather a sign of your magic growing stronger. Ignoring them could lead to more severe and unexpected consequences, even death. Regardless of Hogwarts, you need to attend a magical school to learn how to control your power.”

The three of them exchanged glances.

Scarlet had no real issue controlling her powers; in fact, she had been praised by the Queen last month for her creativity in using magic when she delivered additional books on the Queen’s request.

After a moment of silence, she looked at Kyle, who shrugged, indicating that she should do what she felt was right and that he would support her regardless. William, however, nodded in agreement, perhaps having weighed the pros and cons and concluded that attending Hogwarts would be a beneficial choice.

“Very well, Professor McGonagall,” she said sincerely, bowing. “I agree to attend Hogwarts. Please guide me on the path to acquiring magical knowledge.”