V4.C19 Hearst is adventuring? Confession
Evening of the same day,
Leo gave Shizuku a treasure trove ring filled with mass-produced artifacts for her classmates, it also had a telepathy skill carved to contact him in any danger. He already created a Japanese double-edged Katana, much to his own displeasure. He knew it would only increase her feelings, but he wasn't an asshole to let her die just for liking him. Thinking it would neutralize the hate he gathered for the teddy prank he pulled off.
At first, everyone was surprised by the sudden change in Eri and Shea appearance. But they blamed it on the Demon King's skills and decided to ignore it. Leo didn't know he was nicknamed 'Maou' by students. His brutality left a deep scar in their hearts.
Standing in front of the Royal palace, he looked at Eri hugging the now crying Suzu while talking to her. Kaori also apologized to Leo after noticing her mistake and thanked him for the gift he gave to Hajime.
He waved her off like a nuisance, his eyes searching for Hearst. She should've known about the time for departure, but she was nowhere to be seen until now.
He glanced at the map displaying a chibi version of Hearst moving outside the Heiligh Kingdom forest. The new function of Minimap allowed him to track his Vassals everywhere. Even the ones he gave Evil Pieces appeared on Minimap.
What is she doing there? Don't tell me…
He noticed her icon returning at extreme speed, surpassing his own flying speed by leaps and bounds.
Not long after he noticed a black dot coming from far away. In a few seconds, it landed in front of him. The burst of wind generated by it caused the students to take a step back.
"Master!!! I'm sowwy!!!"
He stared blankly at Hearst, casually riding on the black dragon, Tio Klarus. She jumped from her back and landed in front of him, her hands clutching a bag of some sort.
He snatched the bag and opened it, inside it was filled with mana crystals. A black cocoon made of mana enclosed the dragon's body before it cracked and Tio came out of it.
The students that were scared before were now awed by her badass transformation. He shook his head and looked at Yue tugging his shirt.
"Let's take her with us."
"Why?"
"...She can be useful... we'll need allies to fight Ehit and Apostles."
Yue, despite being a little creeped out, respected Tio's race. If what Tio said was right then their enemy was one and the same, Ehit.
Irene also came out of the Royal Palace and stopped in front of Leo with a serious expression.
She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "Take me with you, no, I'm coming with you... because I love you."
Eri tugged his right side and whispered, "Can we take Irene? We can use another capable mage."
He also leaned a bit toward Eri and whispered, "You are saying this despite knowing her feelings for me?"
"Yeah… I won't tell you to accept her or anything. But I promised her this much before."
He looked at Irene's poker face, her eyes containing a bit of anxiety and sadness. He still owed her 4000 Lutas, just thinking about his early days in Tortus brought a nostalgic smile on his face. The way they roamed around this very Kingdom on dates, that very kind woman was standing in front of him asking for something. He would be an ungrateful bastard if he rejected her now.
'Before that, Analyze'
[Irene Verglas]
Level 75 (Tier 2)
Age: 20 Female
Race: Human
Title - The Abandoned Child, Talented Mage, Unemotional Girl, The Crippler, Ice Princess, Poker-faced Woman, Lazy Girl
Personality - Cold, Kind, Lazy, and Loyal
Likes - Leo, Eri, Shea, Myu, Yue, Remia and Tio.
Hobbies - Cooking, Training, Sleeping, Stargazing.
Stats:
Strength: 200
Vitality: 300
Defense: 240
Agility: 270
Magic: 1500
Magic Defense: 1200
Skills: [Ice Magic Affinity] [+Decreased Magic Consumption] [+Increased Efficiency] [+Increased Duration] [Spirit Eyes] [+Soul Perception]
Her stats were pretty good considering she was a native of Tortus. She was on par with some of the strong Otherworlders. But the last skill of hers grabbed his attention.
[Spirit Eyes] (Active/Passive skill)
Allows the user to detect emotions of the target in form of Aura.
[+Soul Perception] (Active skill)
Allows the user to directly gaze into the target's soul. The user might face a backlash if the target is too much stronger.
'What the!? Detect emotions… She can directly see the emotions and souls of people… Isn't this incomprehensible?'
(Yes. Matters of souls are always complicated. It's your luck for finding a girl this useful in this world.)
Irene had her poker face on full display, her heart was full of doubts. She had decided to not force him if he declined her after noticing the look of hesitancy in his eyes. She made up her mind to just watch over from distance if she couldn't accompany him. Although she said a lot to Shizuku, she herself was anxious after seeing a lot of beautiful and strong women around him. They were all kind and dependable.
A sigh leaked past Leo's lips before a soft smile formed on his face.
"Let's go… you too Tio."
Irene's calm face crumbled as a surprised look replaced it. Tio smiled elegantly, completely different from her perverted one.
"Leo!"
She jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his chest.
"Leo, Leo, Leo, Leo."
She repeated it like a broken record as she rubbed her face on his chest like an affectionate kitten.
He raised his hands and looked back at the girls with a helpless expression. Eri folded her arms on her chest and turned her head with 'hmph'. Deep inside she was a bit happy for her friend's success.
Yue had a frown on their face, her jealousy was resurfacing again. I'll suck more blood this time as his punishment, she thought.
Shea, on the other hand, gazed at them with a cheerful smile. She truly respected the blue-haired mage after watching her hopeless battle with the four-eyed wolf. Despite having way lower stats than the monster, she was able to wound one wolf with her overwhelming magic and wits.
Hearst, well, her trust in Master was higher than heavens. She'll never question any of Master's decisions.
Leo sighed and lowered his hands and brushed her hair. A satisfied smile crept on Irene's face as she released him.
"Leo, let's go~"
"Hah, Neglection play is too much for this one."
He ignored the pervert and opened a gate outside Reisen Gorge. Feeling something amiss, he looked around and found nothing.
"Am I missing something?"
He whispered and stepped inside the gate. One by one, the girls also followed him to enter the gate.
Around 200kms away, a burly middle-aged man was wiping tears from his face.
"These damned Haulias are causing too much chaos here…"
He whispered with a helpless expression.
