What's the Point of Getting Stronger if You're Still Looked Down Upon?

Leon, who had been watching the spectacle unfold, shook his head when he saw Aurora fall silent. He turned to Miles and the other mages and asked, “Does anyone have a way to find the Black and White Hand?”

Miles and the rest of the mages shook their heads in unison.

Tracking and detection had never been the strong suit of priests.

And for these mages, if Advanced Element-Tracking Magic didn't work, they had no other tricks up their sleeves.

After all, the strongest among them, their captain, was only at peak Silver rank.

Even if there were other, more powerful tracking spells, they lacked the strength to cast them.

“Since no one else has a solution, we will do it my way,” Leon spoke up just as everyone was shaking their heads.

Viscount Finn's eyes lit up instantly. “You have a way, Lord Leon?”

Leon nodded slightly. “It is a crude method, but highly practical. My plan is simple—we conduct a carpet search of Stormveil City until we find the members of the Black and White Hand!”

“Ah?” Viscount Finn was taken aback, then let out a bitter laugh.

“A carpet search is indeed a method, but... it is too slow.”

“Moreover, it would consume too much manpower and resources. Not to mention, there are many places we cannot search, such as the estates of the nobility, or underground basements built by citizens beneath their homes...”

Leon nodded, acknowledging that a carpet search indeed had many limitations.

However...

Leon continued, “Therefore, we can start our search around the perimeter of the City Lord's manor. As long as we find a single lookout for the Black and White Hand, I can follow the clues and root out their hidden lair.”

Hearing this, Miles said, half-agreeing and half-doubtful, “That is indeed a way. But the area around the City Lord's manor is highly prosperous with heavy foot traffic. If we search on our own, it will be difficult to quickly identify who is the Black and White Hand's lookout.”

“But if we deploy personnel to search for them, it will inevitably cause a stir and alert the enemy, making it even harder to find them...”

Viscount Finn also felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If they deployed too few people, it would be hard to spot the lookout.

If they deployed too many, it would cause a commotion, and the lookout would simply slip into the crowd and abandon their surveillance, making them impossible to find.

“I have already taken this into account. You do not need to worry,” Leon said in a calm voice, seeing the worry on Viscount Finn and Miles's faces.

“There is no need to deploy any other personnel. I will simply go out and sweep the area with my perception, and I will be able to find the lookout.”

After advancing to the Gold rank, Leon's perception capabilities had improved tremendously.

At this moment, he could perceive a spherical area with a radius of two hundred and fifty meters centered on his location.

Furthermore, the precision of his perception was incredibly high. He could clearly sense even the disdain on Aurora's face and the grinding of her teeth when she saw him step forward to offer a solution.

Thus, as long as anyone around the City Lord's manor acted suspiciously, Leon could precisely lock onto them and weed them out!

Leon felt that with his current perception, comparing it to a cultivator's divine sense would not be an exaggeration!

“In that case, please help us find the Black and White Hand's lookout, Lord Leon!” Seeing Leon's composed and calm demeanor, Viscount Finn was overjoyed and spoke hastily.

Having known him for so long, Viscount Finn naturally knew that Leon was different from Aurora, who knew nothing but was full of self-importance.

When there was trouble, Leon would actually step up!

And once he stepped up, he would actually solve it!

“Tch! If I can't do it, what makes him think he can?”

Seeing the difference in Viscount Finn's attitude toward her versus Leon, Aurora's face twisted with anger. She muttered to herself in a low voice, her tone dripping with intense jealousy and dissatisfaction.

However, this muttered complaint fell well within Leon's range of perception.

“You seem highly dissatisfied?” Leon's voice rang out as his sharp gaze swept directly toward Aurora.

Hearing Leon's voice and noticing his gaze fixed on Aurora, the magic research team leader's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Lord Leon, Aurora didn't—”

“I was not asking you, Mr. Tobias,” Leon said, giving Tobias, the captain of the magic research team, a cool glance.

That single look caused Tobias's expression to freeze. The excuses he had prepared for Aurora died in his throat, and he dared not utter another word!

Just from that single glance from Leon, an invisible pressure suddenly weighed down on Tobias, causing his breath to hitch.

He had never felt such an overwhelming aura, not even when facing the green-robed mages at the peak of the Gold rank in the Ministry of Magic!

Leon withdrew his gaze from Tobias, turned back to Aurora, and said, “You seem to think that Viscount Finn valuing me and disregarding you is a great insult to you?”

“In that case, I will give you an opportunity to prove yourself.” Leon glanced at Alicia beside him and said, “It would be bullying if I fought you. Alicia, spar with her.”

“No need to kill her. Just break her legs.”

If Aurora was merely engaging in the Whisper of Jiahao, let her. Since she was immersed in her own world, Leon had no intention of bothering with her.

But... if her muttering targeted him, Leon could not simply turn a deaf ear.

Just as Aaron had said, if you are weak and still refuse to keep your head down, are you not just begging for a beating?

Leon did not care for excuses like “she's still a child,” “she's immature,” or “she was just talking.”

Since she chose to offend him, Leon would make Aurora pay a small price.

Otherwise, what was the point?

Was he supposed to play the weakling to catch the tiger, or act like some magnanimous saint who forgave all slights?

What a joke!

What was the point of getting stronger if he was still going to let people look down on him?!

Beside him, Alicia nodded slightly. She did not care what others would think of her sparring inside the conference hall; as long as Leon gave the order, she would execute it.

She took a few steps forward to stand in front of Aurora, drew the two purple steel daggers Leon had gifted her from her waist, and said, “Are... you... ready... yet?”

“Are you ready yet?!”

Alicia's words made Aurora feel deeply insulted.

That Leon Douglas actually dared to send a mere guard to spar with her?

And this guard could not even speak properly, looking completely dazed and foolish.

Having such a person spar with her was nothing short of contempt!

The more Aurora thought about it, the angrier she became. Gritting her teeth, she spat, “Break my legs, you say? Fine! Then I will break your guard's arms and legs instead. After all, you are a priest, so you can just use your Healing Art on her!”

With that, Aurora raised her wand and rapidly condensed a fire spell, blasting a Greater Fireball toward Alicia.

“So... you... are... ready?”

Alicia was puzzled, but since Aurora had attacked first, she supposed that counted as being ready.

In that case, she could make her move now, right?

With that thought, the arcane power within Alicia's body instantly surged forth.

At the exact moment Aurora unleashed the Greater Fireball, Alicia's figure suddenly vanished from her sight.

A cold, sharp gleam flashed through the air as the two purple steel daggers, enveloped in arcane power, carved a bizarre arc.

Two fair legs flew into the air.

Aurora only managed to catch a fleeting shadow in her peripheral vision before she suddenly felt her height plummet, sending her tumbling forward uncontrollably.

Only then did an agonizing, heart-wrenching pain surge up from below!

“Aaaaargh!!”

The excruciating pain assaulted Aurora's mind, making it impossible for her to even hold her wand as she let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

Meanwhile, under the horrified gazes of the mages from the magic research team, Alicia returned to Leon's side and nodded to him. “Did... not... kill... her. Only... cut... off... her... legs.”