Magic System in a Parallel World

"Hello… Umm…" Leo greeted this beautiful woman with a slight head nod.

"I am Gloria Thorns from the Thorns Family, nice to meet you."

After placing her teacup down, Gloria stood up and approached him for a handshake.

"Leo Magnus. Nice to meet you."

"Why don't we sit down first?" She gestured for the couches.

Leo sat down beside Eve.

"Since you're here, I can leave." Camille said to Eve.

"It's okay, you can stay here if you want, Camille Light." Gloria said to her with a profound smile.

Camille didn't say anything and silently nodded before taking a seat at the table nearby.

"Now then, let's get straight to the point, shall we? Leo Magnus, I am here to recruit you into our Thorns Family." Gloria looked at him straight in the eyes with a solemn face.

"As you already know, the Thorns Family is one of four Celestial Families— the most powerful families in Stellar City. If you join us, we will protect you from all harm within the city, and if you wish to travel outside, we will provide you with our best bodyguards."

"Furthermore, we will cover all of your expenses— as long as it's a reasonable purchase."

"In exchange for our support, we only ask for you to join our family. If you have any questions feel free to ask them."

Leo began pondering in silence. Neither Eve or Camille said anything thus far, as they wanted to see how Leo was going to handle this.

Sometime later, Leo asked, "I have several questions. First of all, when you ask me to join your family, what exactly do you mean? Are you asking me to marry into your family?"

Gloria smiled and said, "No, when I say join our family, I mean in the sense that you'll be working for us, sort of like how Adventurers work for the Adventurers' Guild. You'll become our force and strength. However, if you wish to marry into our family, that can be arranged as well. We currently have fifteen ladies within the Thorns Family that you can choose from as of this moment, all of them ranging from 16 years old to 24 years old."

Leo was dumbfounded by her words.

'They have people ready to be married at a moment's notice? Just how ridiculous are these families?'

Leo wasn't sure how he felt about the Celestial Families, as they were treating their own family members as though they were products meant for business.

'Their children must be living a miserable life if they can't even decide who they get to spend the rest of their lives with.' Leo pitied them inwardly.

"Sorry, but I think I am too young to get married." Leo said with a stiff smile on his face.

And he continued, "By the way, let's say I join the Thorns Family. What kind of restrictions and rules would I need to follow? And can I leave the family afterward?"

"The rules are quite simple. You are not allowed to talk badly about the Thorns Family, and you are not allowed to be associated with those we deem to be our enemies. For example, if the Scarlet Family is our enemy, you wouldn't be able to stay with Lia Scarlet. Of course, this is just an example. We're not actually enemies with them. Furthermore, you are not allowed to betray our family or harm those within our family."

Leo was speechless. Why would she use Lia Scarlet in her example? And why does it seem like she thinks he has a relationship with Lia Scarlet?

"As for leaving the family, that is possible. However, if you do so before the contract ends, you will have to pay a penalty fee." Gloria continued to speak.

"Contract?" Leo raised an eyebrow upon hearing this word.

"Indeed. You will sign a contract with the Thorns Family. This is just a precaution on our end so that you can't just abandon us without any consequences. The time for the contract varies, but the lowest time is 4 years."

"Four years…" He mumbled.

If it was just a year, he might have considered it as some kind of trial run. However, four years was simply too long.

"What about my freedom?" Leo didn't reject just yet and continued asking more questions, as he wanted to understand more about his situation before he had to speak with the other 3 families.

"Don't worry, we won't restrict your freedom. You are free to do whatever you want and go wherever you want, but we will send you on missions from time to time. That's about it."

Leo nodded, "I understand. Can you give me some time to think about this? I also have to speak with the other families after this."

"The other families?" Gloria raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, the other three Celestial Families. They also want to speak with me today."

"I see… Considering your talents, I'm not surprised that they're approaching you as well." Gloria sighed.

"Then before I leave, I have one more thing I want to tell you."

Gloria proceeded to take out something from her Spatial Ring before placing it on the table before them.

Leo looked at the bright red staff on the table and swallowed nervously, "This is…"

"This is an S-Rank magic artifact. It's called Eternal Phoenix Staff. Not only will it boost your fire magic power tremendously, but it also reduces the mana required to cast your fire magic spells by 50 percent. Moreover, it has a special effect that enhances your fire magic to become phoenix flames. If you join our Thorns Family, this staff will be yours."

"S-Rank magic artifact…" Leo's breathing quickened as he glared at the beautiful red staff.

Gloria retrieved the staff a moment later and said, "I await your response, Leo, and I hope it will be good news."

She looked at Eve next and smiled, "Thank you for having me here today despite my sudden appearance."

"No problem." Eve smiled back.

Once Gloria left the room, Eve said to Leo, "How do you feel about the Thorns Family?"

"They seem nice and reasonable," he gave her his honest opinion.