Did I Say You Could Leave?

At this moment, the noise outside was growing louder and louder.

Dozens of well-equipped city guard soldiers, holding torches, had the tavern surrounded so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak out.

At the main entrance, the old mage called "Ethan" was directing a squad of shield-bearers, preparing for a forced entry.

Vespa’s small face turned pale in an instant.

'It’s over, it’s all over... There definitely weren’t this many people when this kitty first arrived!'

'How did they get here so fast!'

'This shouldn’t be happening... This is really going to be tough to handle!'

"How are we leaving? Say something! Have you gone mute!"

Lucrezia looked at the dense sea of torches outside the window, stamping her feet in anxiety.

Leon walked to the window. Instead of looking down, he looked up at the ceiling.

"We’re going up, right?"

"Yes, meow! We’re going through the roof!"

Vespa’s eyes lit up as if she had caught a lifeline.

"But... do you have enough mana? Carrying two people to the roof is a huge drain on your blue bar!"

Even though this monster of a mage was ridiculously strong, after that indiscriminate slaughter just now, he had to be near his limit, right?

"Mana? Good enough."

Leon smiled and turned around, grabbing the still-anxious Lucrezia beside him.

"Borrowing some power."

"Eh?!"

Before Lucrezia could react, that warm, large hand had already naturally and skillfully pressed against her lower abdomen, even giving it a light squeeze.

"Ooh... mmh~"

A numb, tingling sensation like an electric current instantly swept through her body. Lucrezia’s body went soft, and she let out an uncontrollable, sweet moan, her cheeks flushing deep red.

"Hey! You bottom-feeder! Someone is watching! You pervert! Bastard! Lolicon!"

She tried to push him away in shame and annoyance, but her limp little hands couldn't muster any strength.

"Whoa..."

Beside them, Vespa’s eyes widened instantly. She covered her face with her hands, but the gap between her fingers was wider than her eyes. She peeped while shouting:

"You... you two! Ah! Is this the time for that?! In broad daylight... no, in front of a crowd! How shameless! Though... could you be a bit more descriptive?"

Leon’s face darkened with frustration.

He extracted another 15% of her mana. At this point, Lucrezia’s mana pool was nearly empty, with only 25% remaining.

"Hold on tight."

Leon didn’t waste words, raising his hand toward the ceiling and firing a 【Shatter】.

Boom!

The ceiling was blasted open, revealing a hole through which starlight peeked.

Immediately after, ignoring Lucrezia’s cry of surprise, he scooped her up in a princess carry and stomped his right foot hard!

"Up!"

A thick pillar of earth and stone rose violently from beneath them like a spring bamboo shoot, thrusting the two of them straight toward the roof!

"Hey! Wait for me! I haven’t gotten on the ride yet!!"

Vespa was dumbfounded. Seeing the two of them already halfway up, she jumped in panic.

'This damn guy!'

The sound of footsteps inside the tavern became increasingly frantic. Her survival instinct kicking in, Vespa turned into a nimble gecko, using her hands and feet to cling to the rising stone pillar, scurrying up to the roof in a flash.

"That way! Run east!"

As soon as she reached the roof, Vespa started pointing the way before she could even catch her breath.

Just then, the old mage Ethan cast an 【Ice Shield】 on himself and led his men into the third floor.

Looking at the empty room and the large hole leading to the roof, he frowned.

"Good at running, I see. Hmph."

The old mage Ethan didn’t choose to pursue them onto the roof. Instead, he shouted to the soldiers below:

"Loose arrows! Blockade the roof! The rest of you, follow me down the street! Have the backup units intercept them from every direction!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!

A rain of arrows fell like locusts, covering the roof.

"Hold on!"

Leon gave a low shout, casting 【Lightness】 and 【Feather Fall】 on himself.

Holding Lucrezia—who was so embarrassed she buried her face in his chest while death-gripping his collar—he moved through the rain of arrows like a ghost.

Whenever an arrow was about to hit, he would casually throw a 【Gale】 to blow the arrows off course. When encountering a gap between buildings too wide to cross, his figure would flicker as he used 【Blink】 to zip across.

Vespa followed behind, watching Leon’s fluid movements with her jaw nearly hitting the floor.

'Is this guy really human?!'

'This level of mana control... and... the chanting...?'

'He couldn’t be a magical beast in human form, could he?!'

Under Vespa’s guidance, the three of them twisted and turned across the complex rooftops of Kent Town.

Although they had temporarily shaken off the main force, the long line of torches below followed them like maggots on a corpse. They couldn’t be shaken, and their numbers were even increasing, as if the entire town’s military force was surging over to surround them.

"This isn’t the way to the city gates, is it?"

Leon stopped by a chimney, looking at Vespa who had been leading him in circles. He frowned, his gaze turning cold.

"Stupid! The city gates were closed long ago!"

Vespa retorted righteously as she hopped between roofs.

But the little cat was secretly calculating in her head:

'With these numbers... the main force of the city guard should have been lured over. A-Ling should be able to make her move now!'

'Plus, this kid used so many spells just now; his mana must be running low.'

'Hehe, if I lead them to that secret tunnel entrance, they can help me lure away the pursuers while I take the chance to slip away and regroup with A-Ling.'

'Two birds with one stone!'

Leon narrowed his eyes.

He was quite confident in his ability to read people.

Although this little wildcat’s expression was naturally flawless, her eyes, which occasionally darted around during the journey, had long since betrayed her.

However... her intent to save him earlier had been genuine.

Leon recalled the seemingly "perilous" moment with the werewolf Kofman. This creature had lunged out with the werewolf as her target. If she hadn't stepped on a trap...

He looked down at the somewhat weakened Lucrezia in his arms, then at the city wall not far away.

Regardless, he had already placed 【Mana Threads】 on Vespa.

If this little thing dared to play tricks, he wouldn't mind feeding her a 【Pyroblast】.

"They seem to be surrounding us! There are people ahead too!"

Lucrezia suddenly cried out in his arms, pointing at the torchlight appearing ahead.

"This way! Don’t let them close the circle!"

Seeing this, Vespa didn't retreat but instead lunged forward, leading Leon’s group as she flipped down from a low roof and landed in a quiet, cluttered courtyard.

She skillfully pushed aside a pile of withered grass and flipped open a hidden cellar lid. A musty smell wafted out.

"Quick! This is a secret passage left by smugglers, it leads straight out of town!"

Vespa urged. Seeing Leon’s playful expression, she felt a bit nervous:

"There’s no time to hesitate! Get down there!"

"Oh? And you?" Leon asked with a half-smile.

"This... this kitty will... well, I’ll finish what I started!"

Vespa puffed out her chest with an air of righteous sacrifice.

"I’ll help you close the lid and lure them away! You guys go first!"

With that, she turned around, preparing to activate 【Stealth】 and bolt.

"Heh."

Leon scoffed, wearing an 'I knew it' expression.

He crooked his finger slightly.

【Arcane Binding】!

Buzz!

The 【Mana Threads】 he had previously planted on Vespa instantly tightened, turning into blue shackles that bundled her up like a zongzi just as she was about to turn invisible!

"Meow-eh?!"

Following that, 【Mage's Hand】 was activated.

An invisible large hand grabbed Vespa by the scruff of her neck, lifting her up like a kitten and dangling her over the cellar entrance.

"Trying to run? Did I say you could leave?"

Just then, the sound of relentless footsteps reached the outside of the courtyard wall.

"Lord Ethan, they’ve entered the courtyard! Their aura is inside!"