The Floating City

"Hmph! You ignorant bumpkin!"

Lucrezia immediately struck an operatic pose. Her red eyes, which had been dimmed by the cold, lit up once more at the mention of her pride.

She deliberately emphasized certain words, attempting to use her tone to mask the pathetic state of her mud-caked body.

"That is the 【Holy Land】 of all casters! The 【Floating City · Arcanum】 hanging high in the sky! It is hailed as the crystallization of mortal wisdom, the only 【Hall of Truth】 on the entire Valoria Continent!"

"Oh?"

Leo was genuinely interested now.

He tossed aside the wooden stick he had been drilling for ages—which had done nothing but make his palms ache—to the side.

"The Hall of Truth... that means a vast amount of advanced knowledge must be gathered there?"

He stroked his chin, a sharp glint flashing in his black eyes.

As far as he was concerned, his knowledge of this otherworldly common sense was a complete blank.

More importantly, there was that damned 【Life Link】.

For a modern person from Blue Star who valued freedom, the feeling of having his life held in someone else's hands was more nauseating than swallowing a thousand flies.

If that place truly gathered the truths of the world as the girl said, there might be a way to return to Blue Star.

At the very least, he might find a way to break this wretched contract.

"Fine, that'll be our next stop then," Leo decided firmly.

"Hmph! In your dreams! That's not a place a low-born like you can just waltz into!"

Seeing Leo's interest, a flash of cunning crossed Lucrezia’s ruby-like eyes.

She cleared her throat and did her best to puff out her 'A-cups,' adopting a haughty stance.

"But... I..." The corners of her mouth curled up high, like a little hen that had just won a fight, her small canine tooth glinting triumphantly in the setting sun. "I, Lucrezia Sylvania! My royal bloodline is the pass to enter Arcanum!"

"Without me, you won't be able to take a single step!"

She tilted her small chin up proudly, wanting to look down her nose at Leo, but the height difference was too great. She had to stand on her tiptoes, which instantly halved her imposing aura.

"Hmph! If you kneel and beg me now, I might show some mercy and take you inside."

Leo looked at the girl putting on airs and almost burst out laughing.

"With you, forget taking a single step; it'd be more like walking through a minefield."

Leo punctured her fantasy without hesitation, his tone lazy yet sharp:

"Get a grip on the situation, Princess. To this world, I—an alien from another world—am the definition of an undocumented immigrant. And you—"

Leo pointed his finger, gesturing up and down at her:

"A princess of a fallen kingdom, a continent-wide wanted criminal, a walking bounty. Do you think if you reveal your identity now, you'll be welcomed into a VIP lounge, or be gift-wrapped and handed over to the Holy Light Church for a reward?"

"You—! Achoo—!"

Lucrezia was about to argue back when a damp, cold swamp wind blew past, and a loud sneeze completely shattered her momentum.

She instinctively hugged her arms, shivering uncontrollably. Her small face, which had regained some color, instantly turned pale again.

In this gods-forsaken swamp at night, they would both die of hypothermia without a fire.

Leo sighed, his gaze quickly scanning her from head to toe.

It had to be said that despite her foul personality, this girl’s 'character model' was top-tier.

Even in this destitute state, the nobility ingrained in her bones remained.

Leo's gaze skipped over the few low-profile yet luxurious accessories left in her hair and finally stopped at the collar of her tattered princess dress.

There, several crystal buttons, meticulously polished and featuring beautiful multi-faceted cuts, stubbornly reflected the fading sunlight.

"Wh-what are you trying to do!"

Noticing Leo’s undisguised and somewhat aggressive gaze, Lucrezia became as alert as a cat with its fur standing on end.

She watched Leo approach step by step. The oppressive presence unique to an adult male made her instinctively shrink back, retreating into the corner of the tree roots.

This man... this barbaric, crude fellow... what does he want to do?

In the middle of nowhere, a man and a woman alone... could he be...?

"I’m warning you... don't try anything!" she shouted with false bravado, her voice carrying an unmistakable tremor. "If you dare touch me..."

Leo walked up to her, looking down from his height, a playful and rogue-like smile curling on his lips.

"Oh? Try what? You mean...?"

Leo’s gaze lingered on her flat-as-a-board chest for exactly 0.1 seconds before shifting away contemptuously, as if he had seen some tedious scenery.

"Heh, sorry. I have zero interest in a... well, 'pancake' like you."

"Pan... pancake?! You—!"

Though it was Lucrezia's first time hearing the term, Leo’s contemptuous expression and where he had looked made her understand instantly.

Shame and rage caused her face to flush crimson.

However, before she could scream an insult, Leo had already leaned down.

His large hand didn't strike her body; instead, it reached for her collar with speed and precision.

"Eek!"

Lucrezia let out a startled cry, instinctively trying to cover her chest.

But Leo was too fast and extremely accurate.

His fingers didn't touch a sliver of her skin; he simply pinched the first crystal button on her collar.

He exerted pressure with his fingertips.

Snap!

With a light sound, the thread broke.

"You—you vulgar bottom-feeder! Shameless thief! You're even stealing buttons now?!"

Lucrezia covered her chest with both hands, her cheeks turning beet-red in an instant, her eyes filled with disbelief.

This pervert!

He didn't do that, but he stole a button?!

What kind of weird fetish was this?!

Leo was deaf to her words.

He held the crystal-clear button up against the last remnants of the sunset, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

"Good texture, high transparency, and convex on both sides."

"A perfect convex lens."

Ignoring the "pancake princess" still muttering beside him, he gathered some dry tinder, adjusted the angle, and projected the weak but focused beam of light onto it.

This was middle-school physics, but in another world, it was magic.

A moment later.

Under Lucrezia’s gaze, which shifted from anger to astonishment, a wisp of blue smoke rose from the tinder.

Immediately following—

Whoosh.

A small cluster of bright orange-red flame rose from Leo's palm.

The sky had darkened completely. The orange firelight dispelled the surrounding chill and darkness, bringing a long-awaited sense of warmth and security.

...

As night fell, the Red Mangrove Swamp was filled with the chirping of insects and the occasional low growl of unknown beasts.

Leo sat cross-legged by the fire, drying his wet purple Kuromi pajamas while closing his eyes to meditate.

He could clearly feel that with every breath, the free-floating mana in the air was slowly being drawn into his body, repairing his shattered mana source.

Although the speed wasn't fast, it proved his hypothesis was correct—this body still retained the foundation of a "God of Magic."

At the same time, he was reviewing today's battle.

The sensation of "slaughter bringing power" was too real.

When he had used 【Arcane Explosion】 to blow up those knights earlier, the energy surging into his body hadn't just restored his mana; it had also brought a sense of gaining experience points.

'But that brother who took a hit for me at the end didn't give any experience...'

Leo analyzed silently in his mind:

'It seems just like game mechanics—you have to get the "kill" to trigger life-drain or gain experience? Simple "assists" won't cut it? Tsk, if that's the case, I'll have to start kill-stealing...'

Leo opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

On the grass mat opposite him, Lucrezia was also quietly warming herself by the fire.

She hugged her knees, the firelight reflecting off her delicate profile, making her look exceptionally fragile, yet a dangerous light flickered in those red eyes.

At this moment, a tidal wave was surging within Lucrezia’s heart.

Her father and mother were killed, and the fate of her two brothers was unknown... the hatred of her fallen kingdom gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.

The Holy Light Church... the Solan Empire...

She bit her lower lip hard, tasting blood.

'I must have my revenge!'

'But... with just me?'

Even though she had awakened as a dragon-blooded sorcerer, she was facing a massive empire and the number one religion, the Holy Light Church...

Lucrezia looked up. Her gaze passed through the dancing flames and landed on the man opposite her, who was currently frowning with a solemn expression.

The man wearing ridiculous pajamas, yet capable of instant-casting high-tier magic and even mastering spatial spells—a monster.

'If it's him...'

'If he is the blade...'

Lucrezia’s gaze shifted downward, landing on the back of her right hand.

There, three blood-red Command Seals loomed in the firelight, emitting an alluring pulse of mana.

A wild and bold idea took root in the girl's heart.