Layla's internship ended without much fanfare. She achieved her goal, and it felt rewarding.

Her relationship with professor Ragnarock had also improved to the point where she did not need to fear being thrown out whenever she made a mistake or spoke out of line.

She could tell that the elf was still not a fan of her, but Layla did not want to make her relationship that informal.

"I would like to take my leave now, professor. I hope we get to work together, again in the future. Also, are you sure you do not want Rosette's location? It might help calm your mind if you meet her once."

Layla offered the elf a chance to meet Rosette while she was still young.

From observation, Layla had noticed a few things about the elf. One of them was how the elf did not like people who developed romantic feelings for people too young.

Layla wanted the elf to see Rosette while she was still a child so that he could develop parental feelings toward the female MC instead of the romantic ones in the original work. But the world seemed dead-set on making this man a pedo toward the female lead.

"No, it's fine. I do not think I deserve to go and meet the child of Duchess Clark that I abandoned."

The elf assured Layla, and she did not put much pressure on him. She left a note detailing everything she knew about this place and gave it to the man.

It was assurance, in case the elf changed his mind.

"Alright, I will take my leave now."

Layla quickly left and watched as Mary threw the professor a sign from the corner of her eyes.

Whatever Mary had signaled the professor was enough to make his face red before he looked like he was about to explode.

Layla just decided it would be better not to ask any questions about this. It was better if she did not know what Mary was up to.

After traveling around for about ten minutes, Mary asked what was on her mind.

"Young miss, what are you thinking of doing now? The academy will start in about a week, so you are free. Do you have any specific activity planned in mind?"

Layla had a few things planned, but first, she needed to collect her thoughts and think of a solid plan.

Until now, things have worked out somehow because Layla had some semblance of a plan to follow. But there were too many variables for her to feel comfortable with.

"Give me a day or two to think about it. I will tell you what we must do once I sort my thoughts out."

Layla assured the older female, but Mary seemed to be in no rush to do anything. Instead of getting angry or annoyed at the lack of an answer, Mary just smiled and decided not to say anything.

And somehow, that felt even more unnerving than before.

...

Layla locked her room door before throwing up a small barrier that protected her privacy.

It would not protect her but tell her when someone was spying on her. Even Mary's presence was detected by this security system…most of the time. And that was good enough in Layla's current state.

She opened her system screen; its notes were the safest place for Layla to sort her thoughts out. It was a good alternative to paper, which anyone could find and blackmail her.

"Let's see. My priority is to earn money; to do that, I need to secure the capital for herb farming. The best way to do this would be to participate and win in the magic control competition that will be held in the capital soon.

My next priority is the dragon egg. I need to hatch it soon, but I also need to ensure it is well-fed with the highest quality magic stones to facilitate its development. I can postpone it till I acquire capital first

Then, I will need to look for clues regarding the God of Magic and it's temple. The sooner I find it, the sooner I can form a contract. That should be all for now."

It sounded too little, but Layla knew well how appearances could be deceiving. That was why she needed to take the quickest route toward money.

Along with all this, she had another goal - establishing an orphanage for talented people to gather around.

There was no stronger loyalty than a child toward someone who showed them favor in difficult times.

One might feel that it was scummy to use such opportunities, but Layla was different. As sorry as she felt and people who would be used for her purpose, she was willing to disregard her feelings for the greater goal.

"For now, I will put the last goal on hold. I will need both capital and power to make that happen. I might even have to become the head of this household before I can start it."

Layla did have a time-frame in mind before she needed to open the orphanage, but she still had some time frame for when it needed to be finished - next six years.

"Now that I have it all sorted out, it is time for me to head out. The first round of the magic control competition will be held tomorrow."

Layla was not worried about human children during this competition, but she was worried about elf children.

Those creatures had long lives, and their childhood was thrice as long as normal human ones was.

It was possible that many of these kids had better magic control than Layla did due to their age and having more time to practice.

For the first time in a while, Layla felt nervous. No matter how hard she worked, the barrier that was time and experience could not be breached by her. She had to rely on what she knew and also count on her luck to get her thought.

As soon as the sun touched the horizon next morning, the pair left for the tournament.