"Hm? The Sword Princess?"
In the middle of pouring down firepower like a madman, Leon caught a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye as a figure barged into the battle.
His hand froze mid-motion, and he forcibly aborted the attack.
If his Magic control hadn't improved quite a bit, he would've nearly hurled a Fireball straight into the intruder's face.
Her arrival caught everyone off guard, including Jeanne in the thick of combat!
Then, after a closer look, oh, it was the Sword Princess?
Never mind, then.
Skssh skssh skssh!
Sword light blurred into afterimages, ruthlessly carving apart the monsters' bodies.
Clean, decisive, one-two-three. The already-dwindling monster pack was completely wiped out within a mere half a minute.
With the fight over, Leon halted his motions.
He planted his staff on the ground, eyes turning to the corridor entrance.
If Ais was here, that meant...
"Ais! Apologize, now!"
Before Leon's group could even open their mouths to greet Riveria, they heard the elf royal sternly scolding her very own "problem child."
"Hmph."
Ais turned her face away and let out a small, sulky huff.
Everyone: "..."
This "mother-daughter" exchange was kind of entertaining.
Leon shook his head with a quiet laugh and took the initiative, stepping forward a few paces.
"Lady Riveria, we meet again. Though I never imagined we'd bump into each other this way."
There was a thread of good-natured teasing in his tone.
There was no way the elf royal missed the implication in his words. A barely noticeable flush crept onto her cheeks, and she shot a fierce glare at the problem child who was currently puffing air at nothing, before quickly apologizing to Leon's party.
"My sincerest apologies, everyone. Ais is too impulsive a child, and I've been lax in disciplining her, which is how she ended up intruding on your battle uninvited."
As she spoke, she swiftly produced a Magic Stone Pouch from her person and held it out directly to Leon.
"Consider this a small compensation from us. Please, do accept it."
Leon's gaze flicked over the bulging, satisfyingly heavy pouch. Outwardly, he kept his composure and waved a hand casually.
Inwardly, he was already counting the valis.
Jeanne stepped in before Leon could get himself into trouble.
"Lady Riveria, compensation really isn't necessary. We didn't suffer any real losses, after all. It was only a few monsters."
Seeing that Jeanne had stepped forward to handle the negotiation herself, Riveria shot a thoughtful glance at the "composed" Leon beside her, and something stirred in her mind.
"How can that do?"
Riveria's tone brooked no argument.
"Rules are rules, and besides, this is hardly anything to us. Please, take it."
Refusing to hear another word on the matter, she shoved the Magic Stone Pouch directly into Jeanne's hands, then turned her head and issued Ais a severe warning:
"Ais! Every single thing you earn from the Dungeon today is confiscated! Consider it a lesson!"
And then, in front of everyone, Riveria launched into a long-winded sermon at Ais, whose small face was set tight with obvious indignation.
The relentless stream of citations and airtight logic carried enough force that even Leon, standing off to the side, found himself taking mental notes.
It took a good long while before Riveria, faced with Ais's will-to-live-drained expression, finally wrapped up this "spiritual baptism."
Leon quietly pulled out his brass pocket watch to check the time and suggested at just the right moment:
"It's getting late. We should head back too."
Jeanne, along with the two elf girls who had spent the entire lecture gazing up at Riveria's preaching with adoring eyes, all nodded numbly.
"Lady Riveria, then we'll take our leave!"
Laurier and Aura finally snapped out of it, rushed up to her excitedly, and bowed in respectful farewell.
"Heading back?"
Riveria returned the two fellow elf girls' gestures with a gentle smile, then turned to Leon to ask:
"If you don't mind, how about we travel back with you?"
"If it's the two of you, of course, no problem at all."
Leon agreed readily.
...
With Riveria and Ais joining in, the little party expanded from four to six.
Even though they walked together, from an observer's standpoint, you could tell the "composition" of this temporary team at a glance.
Along the way, Ais's expressionless face kept turning toward Leon, those sharp golden eyes glinting with a probing light.
What's she staring at?
Leon grumbled inwardly. The Sword Princess's gaze was uncomfortable.
While Leon was internally griping, and while Laurier and Aura were buzzing around Riveria like little starstruck fans, whispering excitedly, and while Jeanne kept up her watch on their surroundings...
Ais quickened her steps a few paces, expressionlessly trotting up to Leon's side. She tilted her head up slightly and, in that cool, flat, yet piercingly clear voice of hers, threw out a question that left Leon gaping:
"You, why are you all dressed the same as the Evilus people?"
Leon blinked. That was a question he hadn't expected.
He glanced down at his signature cloak, hood, and mask.
"This... where does this look anything like Evilus?! Look closely, this is genuine salamander wool! This is high-end stuff!"
"Then why are you covering your face so shiftily!?"
Ais refused to back down, those golden pupils fixed intently on him, her tone ironclad!
"You must've done something with a guilty conscience!"
"..."
Legendary swordsman's intuition, huh. Nothing to feel guilty about, sure. Just a few secrets that can't see daylight.
Leon flicked a glance at Riveria. The elf royal was busy chatting with Laurier and Aura, paying them no attention. Good.
He shot back:
"I, what do I have to feel guilty about? I'm just keeping a low profile."
"Besides, I'm not the only one who likes to dress this way. Don't the elves dress like this too? They're wrapped up even tighter than I am, not a strip of skin showing."
"Take, for example, that rising star who's as gifted as you are. The Gale of Astraea Familia."
At that, Leon seemed to remember something fun. The corners of his mouth curled up wildly as he feigned an offhand, just-thought-of-it air:
"Oh, that's right! I heard recently... Lady Gale is about to be promoted to Lv. 4? Sure, she's a few years older than you, but that level-up pace, though..."
"!!!!"
Ais's previously expressionless face snapped tight in an instant. Those golden eyes went wide, her pupils quaking, and a sharp surge of shock, disbelief, and fierce competitive spirit erupted uncontrollably from her petite frame!
That reaction, struck a nerve, didn't it...
Leon clicked his tongue quietly. Just as Ais was about to lose it completely, he pivoted smoothly, pulling a wrapped bundle of food from the belt pouch at his waist.
"Lady Ais, surely you wouldn't want to lose to your rival when it comes to leveling speed, would you?"
"Ta-da! Now then, I'm honored to grandly present to you our familia's secret specialty!"
"Monster Hunter Special!"
...
...
[Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]