Leon moved briskly through the alleys of the workshop district.
He pulled his hooded cloak tight, kept low, cut left and right at irregular intervals, sometimes pausing to scan his surroundings warily before slipping back into the shadows.
This cautious, furtive posture really didn't fit someone who'd just smashed an Evilus attack.
Too many secrets is its own headache, Leon grumbled to himself as he hurried along.
To dodge any unnecessary suspicion or attention, he took a long detour along the edge of District 1 before circling back near Tsubaki's workshop.
Before stepping inside, he looked carefully both ways. Aside from the Ganesha Familia's military police in their "elephant" masks occasionally passing through the street, none of the figures he didn't want to see were around.
He let out a breath of relief, then with a light push of his legs vaulted straight over the courtyard wall.
Tsubaki, who'd been standing in the yard with her hands on her hips, sighing, whipped her head toward the sound, her sharp eye snapping to the source.
Once she saw who'd dropped down from the wall, she relaxed.
"You little punk, ever heard of using the front door? Nearly gave me a heart attack. Try reading the room for once!"
She rolled her eye, tone sour.
Leon pulled off his hood and mask, gave an innocent little shrug.
"I didn't know you were back, how was I supposed to know? Why else would I be sneaking around?"
Catching the hidden meaning in his words, Tsubaki raised an eyebrow, gave him a long, loaded look, then jerked her chin toward the building, signaling that they'd talk inside.
...
"Spill it. What exactly went down that nearly took my whole workshop with it?"
Tsubaki took a swig of water and dropped into a chair with a wide-legged, commanding sprawl, her one eye fixed on Leon in a threatening glare, like she was going to demand full compensation if she didn't get a satisfying explanation.
As a business partner, she knew this man's style too well. The moment money was on the table, he was easy to back into a corner.
Her strategy landed dead center.
Leon read between the lines immediately. If he didn't explain this cleanly, a big compensation bill was coming his way.
Not happening on his watch.
His eyes darted, and he put on a wounded expression.
"Ahem... you've already guessed most of it, haven't you?"
Leon cleared his throat and kept going.
"This attack, I'm the unlucky bystander who got caught up in it. Those lunatics came charging straight for your workshop. They obviously weren't after a nobody like me, were they? Besides, me being here today was a last-minute call. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to run into the wrong people having an episode. Coincidence, pure coincidence."
He opened his mouth and shoveled the blame smoothly onto Evilus's shoulders.
As for the damage his own magic caused? Not a single word on that.
Either way, the losses were on Evilus. Nothing to do with him.
Don't ask. If you ask, it was Evilus's doing.
They're a major syndicate, after all. When they come out to cause trouble, one of the squad leaders having a fire-type magic sword on hand? Perfectly reasonable, right?
Sure, they were being hounded ragged by the Order Faction, but Evilus was still one of the named powers in Orario, the number one enemy of both the Order Alliance and the Guild. They had the resources to throw around. Damage on this scale was par for the course.
Plus, didn't they routinely stir up indiscriminate chaos with the whole goal of tearing down Orario, cracking open the Dungeon's lid, and dragging the world back into the age of chaos?
That was common knowledge in this city, right?
Tsubaki studied this man who was rattling on with barely a sentence of truth in it, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper, her face thoughtful.
Magic sword?
Since when did Evilus have the budget to hand magic swords out to grunts and squad leaders?
Did he have any idea what a magic sword cost?
Other people might not know, but she did, as a top-tier blacksmith.
On the market, the cheapest small magic swords, the kind with no more than five uses, roughly dagger-sized.
They went for a casual one million valis apiece. Let alone the large magic swords with serious firepower, any decent Lv.3-grade piece started at ten million valis, easy.
Evilus had the spare cash to hand those out to small-fry leaders as toys?
What kind of joke was that?
One look at the craters and shattered stone on the walls and ground outside, that destructive force, that scale. No way a small magic sword produced that. She'd used them before. And counting the number of craters...
How many magic swords would that have burned through? Did Evilus have a stroke? Spending that kind of money just to blow up her workshop? She didn't think she rated that kind of clout.
Maybe Arachnia had been drugged by the Hero, because this was a spectacularly stupid plan.
So not a single punctuation mark of what Leon was saying was going to fly with her.
But she was certain of one thing. The trash who'd dared attack her workshop had all been cleaned up by the innocent-eyed, wounded-faced man in front of her.
She hadn't forgotten the carnage in her yard when she'd first raced back.
Remembering it, even she, the "Lady T-Rex," felt her stomach turn.
This bastard Leon looked like a steady, careful, calculated type who always left himself an exit.
But when the fighting actually started, his hands were vicious. Brutal, decisive, no hesitation whatsoever.
You ever seen someone open a street fight with a massive fireball?
Not even Evilus was that trigger-happy.
"Tch tch..."
After running the analysis through her head at light speed, a huge grin bloomed across Tsubaki's face. She reached out without warning, hooked her arm around Leon's neck and yanked his head down, grinning wide.
"Fine, I'll stop asking. You'd just feed me more nonsense anyway. You did good work this time, didn't let those Evilus trash get what they came for. But let me get this straight ahead of time..."
She leaned in closer, her one eye glinting sharply, voice low.
"Even if you cleaned up those bastards for me, there's not a single copper in it for you over here. Get my drift?"
Leon rolled his eyes inwardly and caught her subtext in a flash.
I'll keep your identity sealed up, save you a mountain of trouble. You killed the Evilus trash for me. That makes us even, nobody owes anybody.
Catching that trade, Leon winked at Tsubaki and returned a knowing grin.
"Brother!"
"Who's your brother?!"
Tsubaki released him like he'd burned her, rolling her eye.
"And I'm warning you, next time you come to me for weapons or gear, discount? Not a chance!"
...
Outside Tsubaki's workshop.
Deal struck, Leon left the workshop in a content, springy step. The 300,000 valis commission reward would come through Tsubaki once she'd submitted it.
As for that fight with Evilus?
Aside from that professional Assassin who nearly got the jump on him, none of the rest of the mooks had registered as a threat, including that supposed squad leader.
With his cheat-tier Instant Cast combat style, so long as he didn't underestimate his opponents, basically nothing in his level range could threaten him. Unless... the other side was also running a cheat.
If that happened, it'd come down to a real slugfest.
That said...
"Monster?"
Thinking about what the guy had called him, Leon pressed his lips together.
Honestly, the Evilus squad leader calling him a monster had stuck in his craw a bit.
Everyone knew that in this world, every word associated with "monster" carried an instinctive revulsion baked in. That was just the environment. Force of nature.
Me, a monster? In his eyes, am I that terrifyingly strong? Did I really put that much pressure on him? Come on... that can't be right.
Instinctively weighing the power of his fireball, the smile on Leon's face froze.
"Wait."
"Come to think of it, after leveling up, have I actually done any real testing on my new stats?"
After casting his mind back a moment, the corner of his eye twitched hard.
Seems like... from the moment he'd leveled up, he'd plunged headfirst into the swamp of his Familia's miscellaneous business, and completely forgot about it.
Even the body-mind adjustment issues that usually followed a level-up, he'd shoved to the back of his mind.
After all... money came first.
But who could've guessed Evilus would pick right then to crawl out and pull their nonsense, and walk right into his line of fire.
And in the end... they'd had the honor of serving as perfect "training dummies" for his new strength.
All of that had happened without him even realizing it. If he hadn't reviewed the fight now, he wouldn't have caught on.
Damn it. If it weren't for the control issues, there's no way that ambushing bastard would've sliced my cloak!
That thought alone put him in pain.
As a magic enthusiast, owning a cool cloak outfit had been a long-standing dream of his.
He'd worn this cloak since his earliest days as an adventurer. Bought it, wincing at the price, with his first paycheck in this world. He treated it with kid gloves, couldn't even bear to get dust on it.
And now... it got damaged by Evilus!
"Whichever idiot planned this whole operation better not let me find out who they are, because I am remembering this one."
Cursing under his breath as he walked down the street, Leon rounded a corner and walked straight into the Astraea Familia group and the Varma sisters, returning from wrapping up the battle site.
Leon: "..."
The Astraea crew had, of course, spotted him too.
"Oh? Isn't that Mr. Leon!"
Alise planted her hands on her hips and greeted him with full energy, looking so lively you'd never have guessed she'd just been through a brawl with Evilus.
Did she have nerves of steel, or was her emotional reset just that good?
Classic Alise.
"Uh... what a coincidence, haha."
Leon let out an awkward laugh, then quickly pivoted.
"Didn't expect to run into you all here. You're... on patrol?"
"Patrol, huh? Yeah, that's about right."
Alise nodded, her expression turning serious.
"There was a serious attack near here just a little while ago. It's dangerous. We haven't finished our sweep, and there might still be Evilus stragglers hiding. For your safety, you should get out of this area right away."
She warned him solemnly.
"An attack?"
"So that's what it was. I heard explosions from way off earlier. I didn't think it was those Evilus lunatics again."
Leon's face ran through a perfectly timed flicker of realization and distaste, his disdain for Evilus on full display, showing zero trace of the "lethal operator" who'd just finished wiping out an Evilus squad.
"Exactly. They launched another indiscriminate attack. Disrupting order, sowing chaos, collapsing the city. That's the twisted goal they're chasing."
Kaguya picked up the thread, her sharp gaze sweeping over Leon, her hand tightening unconsciously on her sword hilt.
Her inner turmoil was clearly far less calm than she let on.
Leon caught the little tell, and the realization clicked.
Looks like this indiscriminate Evilus attack caused more damage to the city than anyone anticipated.
"Understood."
Leon nodded along obligingly.
"Since you're still on duty, I won't keep you. Catch you later."
"Sure."
With a brief farewell, Leon strolled casually past the women.
What he didn't notice was that in the instant they crossed paths, Ryuu, who hadn't said a word the entire time, had her gaze locked on him from beneath the shadow of her hood, filled with deep suspicion.
Only after his figure turned the corner and vanished completely did she slowly pull her eyes back, sinking into thought.
That subtle familiar feeling. Was it him? No, it can't be. The fight back there, the intensity, the damage... that had to be at least a Lv.3-grade engagement. It couldn't have been Mr. Hart.
"Ryuu, let's go! What are you spacing out for!"
Her companion's voice called from ahead.
"Oh, coming!"
Ryuu answered, pushing the question down, and jogged to catch up with the group.
...
Never mind that Leon had once again snowed the justice envoys with his polished acting.
Shifting the view to the depths of the Dungeon.
Floor 13.
Jeanne's squad was locked in combat with a pack of Hellhounds.
"Laurier, protect Aura."
"Aura, start the chant."
"Don't worry. Rose and I will step in if things get critical."
Jeanne directed calmly.
At that moment, Jeanne and Rose were holding the bulk of the Hellhounds behind their defensive line, leaving the scattered stragglers that broke through for Laurier and Aura to handle.
The strategy was specifically to forge the two of them under real combat pressure, honing their fighting resolve and battlefield ability.
You could drill technique all day long, but if it didn't translate in real combat, it was worthless.
Now that both Jeanne and Rose had hit Lv.2, with strength significantly up, they had enough margin for error on Floor 13 to guarantee the party's safe retreat. It was the ideal moment to temper the rookies.
"Got it!" Laurier answered, voice crisp.
"Run wild!"
Whoosh.
A blue gale wound itself around Laurier, forming an invisible wind armor over her body.
The next second, she leaned forward, kicked off with her boots, and shot out in a blur.
Shhk!
The silver edge of her saber traced a flash of white, opening a long crimson gash on the Hellhound lunging at her.
Beside her, Rose was easily holding off the surge of monsters, her smile warm as she kept an eye on the two elf girls. Catching Laurier's sharp offense and clean tactics, her eyes lit up and she called out in praise.
"Nice, that's the way, beautifully done, Laurier."
"Hehe..."
Laurier's cheeks flushed pink at the compliment. Getting praised left her flustered, and for a beat her rhythm slipped.
"Laurier, focus!"
Jeanne's sharp shout hit like cold water.
Bam!
Almost in the same breath, Jeanne's Banner Lance swept across, knocking away a Hellhound that was about to breathe fire on the distracted Laurier.
"S-Sorry! Sister Jeanne!"
"Keep your mind like still water in battle. Don't panic when something happens."
Jeanne reminded her, her voice steady even as she fought.
"Stay calm, watch the enemy's every move, apply the techniques and tactics you've learned, and you'll beat them."
"Yes!"
Laurier's eyes hardened as she pulled herself back together.
Meanwhile, behind the formation.
Aura spread both arms wide, staff raised high, her clear chanting cutting through the clamor of battle.
Ancient hunger buried beneath fertile earth! Entwine, evergreen thorns! Let agony be your wine, let wailing be your song!
Hummm.
The air quivered under the swirl of Magic. Something, vaguely, was gathering toward Aura.
Within this cage of mine.
Roots, pierce their flesh! Vines, crush their bones! Drink deep the surging heat!
Sip the scattering light! With your very life force.
As the chant built toward its crescendo, the mounting pressure of Magic sent the monster pack into agitated frenzy.
"Keep going."
Jeanne knocked another monster back that had tried to leap the line to reach Laurier and Aura, her encouraging gaze turning to the two in the thick of it.
Watching her two sisters stand unshakable among the monsters, Aura's blood began to boil in turn.
I can do this!
She drew a deep breath, her eyes steady.
Her staff jabbed forward, the last words of the chant and the spell's name ringing out at full voice.
Nourish my body, feed my soul!
Feast of the Bacchanal Harvest!!!
"Hyah!"
In an instant, the ground roared and quaked violently.
...
...
After leaving the workshop, Leon detoured to District 1 and slipped into a familiar tailor's shop with practiced ease.
"Sir, mind patching this tear for me?"
He handed over his beloved, damaged cloak.
Credit where it's due, the elf owner of this tailor shop was the real deal.
The cloak, repaired by his deft hands, had no trace of the damage left. It looked brand new, leaving Leon marveling.
"Sir, this craftsmanship... is something else. You aren't a former upper-tier Adventurer who changed careers, are you?"
Leon fished half-jokingly.
The shop's owner was a male elf with a tailor's glasses on his nose, a measuring tape in hand, an apron around his waist, various sizes of shears tucked into the apron pockets. Every inch the seasoned veteran tailor.
"Ha. You can tell?"
The elf owner took the cloak back, looking Leon over with amused interest.
"Ah, I just thought it was too impressive..."
Leon gave an awkward laugh as he pulled on the repaired cloak.
"Tch... if you want to fish for info, just ask directly."
The owner shot him a look, then went on at a leisurely pace.
"I really am Lv.2, but not the kind of Adventurer you're thinking of. I was a warrior in my homeland for a while, spent my days fighting monsters that attacked the village. Never expected I'd level up in the process."
Leon: "..."
"Heh, as you can see, the Development Ability I picked up when I leveled up was Sewing."
The owner shrugged.
"After that I left the village to travel, and eventually settled in Orario, opened this shop."
He rubbed his chin, a trace of nostalgia passing through his eyes.
"Come to think of it... that was over a hundred years ago."
"Tch, back then I was a fiery young thing, just like you..."
Leon: "..."
A hundred years ago?
Good lord. Unbelievable.
Long-lived species, living up to the name.
Leon's mouth twitched, sighing internally.
But compared to the owner's "glory days," what really caught his interest was that Development Ability called Sewing.
Was Sewing a Development Ability similar to Smithing?
Leon mused.
It took some doing, but he managed to chat with the owner for a bit, and endured the man's droning reminiscences of his "glory days."
Only then did Leon find an opening to take his leave.
"Tch, would you look at me. Get old and you get chatty. Didn't mean to hold you up so long."
The owner seemed a little embarrassed too.
Leon cleared his throat and got to the point.
"So... sir, how much do I owe you?"
The owner pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and tossed out a number casually.
"Ten thousand valis."
Leon's expression soured.
...
Wincing as he paid up, Leon headed for the shop door.
He'd just pushed the wooden door open a crack when, looking up, he spotted a hand suspended in midair, every knuckle well-defined, the kind of hand that clearly belonged to someone strong, apparently just raised to push the door open.
Tracing the hand upward, the instant he got a clear look at the face, his pupils contracted sharply.
Standing outside the door was a male elf.
The most striking thing about him was the head of dazzling golden hair that seemed to flow like molten gold even in the dusk, paired with an exquisite pair of glasses resting on a high, straight nose bridge.
Holy shit. Freya Familia's Hildrsleif, Hedin Selland?! What's he doing in this backwater... wait, this shop owner's homeland, could it be...?
A flash of an idea crossed his mind.
But before Leon could dig into the thought, the man pushed up his "indestructible" glasses with the exact same motion as the tailor owner, and said in a tone so even it carried no hint of emotion:
"Excuse me, you're blocking the door."
The cool voice snapped Leon back. He quickly stepped aside, wearing an apologetic look.
"My apologies. Just, seeing you here, it was... rather unexpected."
"Oh? You know me?"
Hedin asked, his tone more a statement than a question.
Commander of Freya Familia, one of Orario's handful of Lv.5s. He knew exactly how recognizable he was. The question was a formality.
Leon matched it with the appropriate deference.
"Hildrsleif of Freya Familia, Sir Hedin Selland. Any adventurer in Orario knows you."
"Is that so."
Hedin gave a noncommittal reply and stepped toward the shop.
But in the instant they passed each other, those eyes behind the lenses, the kind that seemed to see straight through people, tilted slightly to the side. His peripheral gaze lingered on Leon for the briefest moment, then the corner of his mouth tugged upward in a faint, almost imperceptible curve, and he chuckled softly.
"Nice mental fortitude."
Leon kept his expression steady until Hedin was inside.
...
...
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