Outside the conference hall of the City Lord's manor in Stormveil City.
“Shadow Watch!”
Arcane power surged from Alicia's body, and like merging into the shadows, she leapt directly into Leon's shadow.
“Everyone, proceed according to plan.”
Leon reminded them once more, then took out his wand. With a gentle tap of his toes, his body quickly floated upward and soared into the high sky.
Having memorized the map of Stormveil City long ago, Leon quickly oriented himself and sped through the high altitude.
Below.
“Young Master Leon's presence... is getting stronger and stronger. Even as the City Lord, I found myself instinctively following his commands...” Finn said.
Beside him, Miles nodded. “After all, Priest Leon is just that kind of person. Back in Soleneum, when he was still only Bronze Rank, he dared to drag me into the Gray Fog to repair the barrier...”
“Bronze Rank...” Viscount Finn suddenly chuckled. “Hahaha! By the way, Miles, did you see that? It looked like Young Master Leon just flew into the sky to leave?”
Miles was silent for two seconds. “I think you can leave out the words 'looked like'.”
“My goodness!” Viscount Finn laughed again. “You priests sure are amazing, being able to fly high in the sky at the Silver Rank...”
Miles fell silent for another two seconds. “A Silver Rank priest cannot master a flying Divine Art... Do you think there's a possibility that Priest Leon has actually promoted to the Gold Rank?”
“Haha! Miles, you must be joking...”
Viscount Finn laughed a few times, and then fell into the same silence as Miles.
After a long pause, Viscount Finn said, “If... and I mean 'if'.”
“If my senses didn't play tricks on me just now, I think I felt the aura of a third Gold Rank expert besides you and me.”
“If my directional sense is correct... that aura seemed to come from Young Master Leon.”
Miles sighed. “I think you can actually leave out the word 'if'.”
Viscount Finn: “...”
“Is he even human?!” Staring at the sky in the direction Leon had gone, Viscount Finn felt an urge to vent:
“He's a goddamn monster!”
He had lived for so many years and was still lingering at the Gold Rank.
While Leon... how old was he?
He wasn't even eighteen yet!
Was Gold Rank a realm that a young kid should be able to reach?
Logically speaking, shouldn't he be the one patting Leon on the shoulder and saying, “The future is yours, but for now, leave it to me”?
Why didn't he follow the script!
Furthermore, he promoted just like that, and even hid it without saying a word!
If Leon hadn't shown a flying Divine Art just now and exposed his Gold Rank aura, he and Miles would still be completely in the dark.
They wouldn't have noticed at all that Leon had already promoted to the Gold Rank!
Miles looked at the speechless Viscount Finn, falling into the same silence.
As an "old priest" who had accompanied Leon all the way from the Bronze Rank to this day, Miles had once thought that at least until he himself promoted to the Diamond Rank, Leon's rank would not catch up to his own.
He had once sworn an oath under the Sacred Light to always stay by Leon's side and protect this chosen one of the God of Sacred Light.
But now... since they were both at the Gold Rank, could he really still protect him?
Given Leon's abnormal combat power compared to others of the same rank, if Leon encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat, Miles would probably stand no chance either.
“Miles, what do you think...” Viscount Finn suddenly spoke up:
“How about the name Leon Finn? Would it suit my unborn child?”
Miles's face darkened with exasperation.
“Priest Leon is strong not because his name is Leon, but because he is Leon.”
“In my opinion, you might as well name your child Leon S. Finn. At least that name sounds like it can take a beating.”
Viscount Finn was startled. “Leon S. Finn? What's the story behind this 'Leon S.'?”
“During a casual chat before, Priest Leon told me that people named Leon S. have very tough backs and can withstand a lot of attacks...” Miles said.
On the other side of the conference hall entrance.
The members of the magic research team walked out the door and also saw Leon floating up and flying into the high sky.
They stared in the direction Leon had departed, speechless for a long time.
They only cast strange glances at Aurora.
Aurora's face turned pale as she muttered:
“The one I looked down on... is a Gold Rank priest who isn't even eighteen yet...”
...
Ilya Street, Stormveil City.
Deep inside a magnificently decorated manor, in a dimly lit room.
“God of Sacred Light above... I beg of you... Please have mercy and send down a divine decree... Save your devout believer... I, I don't want to die...”
In the corner, a young girl dressed in a red deacon dress curled her body, tears falling like broken pearls as she trembled and prayed in her heart.
Her name was Maeve, a young lady from a noble family.
A day ago, she had left her family's manor with her maid and guards to attend a noble friend's birthday party.
However, on the way, she was ambushed by a group of frenzied thugs.
Her maid and guards were brutally murdered right before her eyes, and Maeve herself was abducted, bound, and brought all the way from Grape Town to this manor in Stormveil City.
From the fragmented conversations and the markings on those thugs, Maeve identified their identities: cultists of the Black and White Hand!
It was said that these people planned to sacrifice her to the Gray Fog in exchange for the so-called "peace in the next life."
Fear coiled around Maeve's heart like a venomous snake. She wanted to resist, but after a day and night of starvation and torture, her body was already incredibly weak, and she had lost even the strength to stand.
Now, she could only curl up in the cold corner, sending her final prayers to the only light in her boundless despair.
“O God of Sacred Light... Your devout and humble believer begs of you... Please bestow your divine grace... Save your believer... She serves your holy icon daily, praying morning and night without fail... She devoutly participates in every Mass, never missing a single one... She really... really doesn't want to die...”
Her voice was as thin as gossamer, blending with her trembling tears.
However, in this dark room, there was no one to answer Maeve's prayers.
There was only the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.
Along with the approaching footsteps and the voices of the cultists conversing from outside.
“Big brother, do we... do we really have to do this? If we get caught, Christopher will beat us to death!”
“Beat us to death? Would Christopher dare do that to a meritorious contributor like me, who gathered all the materials to summon the Fire Giant?”
“Besides, according to our doctrine, everything in this life is an illusion, and only the next life is real. In other words, any sins we commit in this life won't affect the next!”
“But...”
“But what! Don't tell me you don't want to enjoy a noble young lady? We've never had a taste of such a little beauty before!”
“Besides, this life is an illusion anyway. If we let that noble lady enjoy herself before she dies, maybe she'll even thank us in her next life!”
“Moreover, once we're done enjoying ourselves, we can just wash her, knock her out, and send her to the living sacrifice. Who would ever know we touched her?”
The voices outside the room grew louder, and the footsteps drew closer. The despair in Maeve's eyes deepened accordingly!
Rate on N.U.
