Thud!
Viscount Finn dropped to one knee, his right hand striking his chest heavily as he performed a knight’s salute. His expression was solemn and grave.
“Thank you, Master Leon, for healing this old wound of mine!”
“If you do not find me unworthy, I, Seth Finn, am willing to pledge my life and service to you as a knight! Until death do us part!”
For Viscount Finn, the injury at his shoulder had plagued him for countless days and nights.
Forget daily training and combat; even slightly larger movements during his nightly activities would cause the wound on his shoulder to seep blood, bringing significant pain and extreme inconvenience.
Sometimes, he even had to stop halfway through his nightly battles to staunch the bleeding, which invariably killed the mood.
But now, seeing this injury that had existed for years—one that even Diamond priests were helpless against—healed so easily by Leon’s hand, the old Viscount’s eyes welled with tears.
It was as if a thorn in his heart had been removed, or a mountain weighing him down had been shifted. He felt as though he had shed a suit of iron armor that had encased his entire body. He could move freely now without fear of the wound reopening and bleeding!
In a single phrase, it could be said that he had “regained his masculine pride in an instant”!
“I accept your gratitude,” Leon said with a smile, looking at Viscount Finn.
“As it happens, I will need your help to stabilize the situation in the Dusk Sea.”
Viscount Finn bowed deeply and responded solemnly, “Please give me your orders, Master Leon. I will do everything in my power to serve you!”
Leon nodded. “There is no rush. When the time comes for your assistance, I will send word by letter.”
After a few more pleasantries, Leon noticed that Viscount Finn could hardly contain his excitement, clearly eager to leave and share the good news with his family. Taking the hint, Leon saw his guest out.
Watching Viscount Finn’s back as he strode away as light as the wind—looking very much like a man in a hurry to go make a child—Leon shook his head and laughed.
Healing Viscount Finn’s injury and restoring his strength was also a good thing for Leon’s plans to reorganize the Dusk Sea.
It meant that Leon now had another powerful Gold rank combatant on his side.
Of course, Leon no longer wished to view a warrior like Viscount Finn—someone who had bled for the empire—solely as a tool or a combat asset.
Alicia’s reminder from yesterday had made Leon realize that by being too close to the Sage King, he had been infected by that pure political animal mindset that viewed everyone as a tool.
As the common saying goes: “Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles.”
And another saying goes: “The compassionate cannot lead armies; the benevolent cannot govern.”
However, those were the sayings of his previous life.
Nonsense like “necessary sacrifices,” or “those in high positions should treat all things as straw dogs,” or “being a tool is a mercy to them.”
Leon didn't want to hear any of that bullshit.
He was not the Sage King who calculated everything and treated everyone as a tool!
He was Leon Douglas. He didn't consider himself a saintly person, but he was willing to try to be a good one.
Therefore, he refused to treat people as anything less than human, or as tools to be calculated and measured by profit, regardless of how high-sounding the reason might be.
He was unwilling to lower his bottom line step by step for the sake of messy objectives and gradually lose the “humanity” that made him who he was.
In his previous life, Leon had been unable to stand many things, but he had lacked the power to change them; he could only try his best to remain unchanged himself.
But in this life, in this world where great power belonged to the individual...
A sharp light gleamed in Leon’s eyes.
“As long as I am strong enough, the world will change by my will.”
...
【Divine Art Casting Grade: Excellent】
【Light Prayer EXP +18】
【Healing Art EXP +18】
【Light Prayer Lv2 (252/300) → Light Prayer Lv2 (270/300)】
【...】
It wasn't until lunch that Leon remembered the panel evaluation he had received for treating Viscount Finn.
“270 experience points, almost there...”
Just 30 more experience points and he would reach Lv3!
After finishing lunch, Leon thought for a moment. Instead of immediately setting off for Eldenborg with the group, he wandered around the city and found the “Hearthstone Tavern” that the Coo Coo Merchant Association had just set up.
After several days of promotion and marketing, 《Hearthstone Spire Slay》 had gradually spread across the Heron Empire. The Coo Coo Merchant Association branches in every city-state had begun distribution operations.
Although it hadn't yet reached the level of a nationwide craze or become a household name, the “Hearthstone Tavern,” established specifically for playing cards, was already bustling with popularity.
Wearing a hood, Leon walked into the Hearthstone Tavern. Finding a seat that had just been vacated, he began playing 《Hearthstone Spire Slay》 against others.
One win, two wins, three wins...
Until thirteen consecutive wins, having defeated almost all the top players in the Stormveil City Hearthstone Tavern.
“Who is this person? He actually beat ‘Broken Hand Morgan’!”
“That 【character card: Leon Douglas】 of his is too broken! The single-card quality is ridiculously strong; anyone who faces it is dead!”
“The 【Leon】 card is strong, but his card-playing skills are even stronger! Among the thirteen experts he beat, it's not like none of them had the 【Leon】 card, but even when they used it, they were no match for him!”
“True! This person’s proficiency with the 【Leon】 card is too high, and his strategies are quite novel. He plays as if... damn, as if the real 【Leon】 himself is here!”
The surrounding crowd discussed animatedly.
At the center of everyone’s gaze, the young man in black clothes sitting at the wooden table had beads of sweat on his forehead. He stared at the cards with a cramped and nervous expression, his mind racing.
From time to time, he looked up at the hooded figure across from him.
The hooded figure’s strength and intellect were terrifying, as if his every move was within the opponent’s calculations.
He was being completely seen through!
The young man in black played a 【Defense card】 and then nervously ended his turn.
After his turn came the hooded figure’s turn.
The hooded figure unhurriedly played an 【Ability card】, linking it with the cards played previously, and then threw down several 【Divine Art cards】, each achieving a perfect effect.
In an instant, he tore through the young man’s defense, dropping his health to only 1 point.
The young man in black looked at his 1 health point, then at the hooded figure’s remaining 15 health points. His face instantly deflated, and he let out a heavy sigh, flipping his cards over and tossing them aside.
“I concede!”
With a loud clamor, the crowd in the Hearthstone Tavern erupted.
Fourteen consecutive wins!
This sudden hooded figure had utterly crushed all the top players of 《Hearthstone Spire Slay》 in Stormveil City!
And right at that moment, the hooded figure, who had remained silent, finally spoke:
“Well played. Are you interested in going to the capital to participate in the ‘Hearthstone Spire Slay Cup’ for fun?”
The young man in black gave a bitter smile. “I’d like to, but the cost of traveling to the capital... is simply not something I can afford.”
“You don't need to afford it. If you're willing, I can cover your travel and living expenses to the capital,” the hooded figure said.
Hearing this, the young man in black immediately looked up at the hooded figure, his face filled with skepticism.
“Are you... serious, or are you joking?”
“I am serious, of course.” The hooded figure pulled back his hood, revealing a clean-cut face with black hair and black eyes.
Looking at this handsome face, the young man in black felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Until the hooded figure pulled out a lollipop and popped it into his mouth.
“You—you—you—”
This action instantly made the young man realize something. He jerked his head down to look at the 【character card: Leon Douglas】 on the wooden table.
The image on the card was identical to the hooded figure in front of him!
Leon lit up a Light Prayer orb and said with a smile:
“I, Leon Douglas, never break my word.”
Rate on N.U.
