Leonel lost track of the days, causing the ladies within the carriage to almost become worried.
This wasn't because they were worried for Leonel and it wasn't because they were worried about their own safety having to sleep in the same region as a man either. After all, with Mistress Heira here, even if Leonel had evil thoughts, whether or not he'd be able to keep his life for more than a few seconds was the real question in such a situation.
What they were really worried about was cleanliness. They were very much worried that Leonel would ruin things with his presence. And, as though this wasn't bad enough, he hadn't moved in almost a week already.
But, as time passed, they began to realize something extraordinary. Despite not making any attempts to clean himself, Leonel actually didn't smell. In fact, he looked the exact same as he had when he began to meditate without a care in the world.
Not only that, but he didn't even try to strike up a conversation with any one of them. It made sense for him to maintain distance from Heira. After all, considering how much Syl's elder brother doted on his wife, he might very well kill Leonel just for being in her presence like this. But what about Rie and Syl?
The two women began to feel that there was either something wrong with them, or something wrong with Leonel.
"Hm?"
Leonel's eyes suddenly shot open. A piercing gaze seemed to tear through the air before him as the faint light of a spear shot into the void.
Mistress Heira didn't miss this subtle change. But, before she needed to act, Leonel snuffed out the aura himself.
Leonel sent his gaze out of the carriage window, finding an ever looming city quickly approaching. But, this city made the one he had landed in seem like a children's toy.
Its walls were hundreds of meters tall, projecting an air of not only strength but also artistry.
Leonel never thought that he'd be thinking such a thing about wall, but here he was.
The walls were a gentle gold color accented by a strong crimson red. Depictions of valiant warriors and magical beasts were etched across its surface, projecting a three dimensional landscape of war.
Just staring at the images made Leonel feel as though the clanging of weapons and the roaring of beasts were reverberating in his mind. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off of it.
He felt his blood boil, his eyes flickering on and off with a violet-red color that shrouded the carriage in an oppressive air.
This feeling… It was the very same feeling he had the first time he faced an army of demons.
Syl and Rie shivered, inching away from Leonel while lamenting that the massive carriage was still too small.
Mistress Heira's gaze trembled. She too felt her heart palpitate.
She could tell that this was the first time Leonel was seeing these walls. Usually, it was impossible to become so immersed during a second or third attempt. In addition, most would miss the opportunity and look away after losing courage, not knowing they were leaving an opportunity of a lifetime behind. holds text © rights.
Heira could have never expected that Leonel would not only keep looking, but he had even awoken from his meditation as though he had sensed it calling out to him.
"… This has no business on a Fourth Dimensional World…" Leonel suddenly mumbled.
The words were only meant for himself, but Heira's eyes widened when she managed to grasp them.
In the end, she smiled lightly. Though she did, with her demeanor, it was no more than the slightest curl of her lip.
"Leonel, you are quite patient. All this time, you haven't asked what it is you'll be participating in."
Leonel blinked out of his thoughts and looked toward the future Matriarch of the Keafir family. This was the first time she had spoken with him since he entered this carriage.
"… I figured you'd tell me when it was time." Leonel finally replied.
Heira's beautiful blue eyes fluttered. Then, without responding directly to the question, she looked toward the city in the distance.
"Do you know what that city represents?"
"Bravery." Leonel said without hesitation.
Heira seemed surprised by this answer before she smiled lightly. This time, her smile seemed much more obvious than it had been in the past.
"That's one answer." She said noncommittedly. "My answer, though, is even simpler than that. It's Survival."
Leonel's heart stilled for a moment. A flood of unknowable emotions surged through him, causing his blood to rumble once more.
"You say bravery because you have the strength to say as much. To those without power, it's never about something so idealistic. All they want to see is their next day, their next meal, their next breath. It's not about anything more than that."
Syl's eyes glittered as she looked toward Leonel. Is this boy really powerful enough to gain such an evaluation from her sister-in-law?
As for the simplest among them all, Rie, she almost couldn't refrain from harrumphing. She clearly didn't like anything that praised Leonel. What powerful man would bully a young, beautiful girl like her? More pointedly, what powerful man would have such a slave brand?
Leonel didn't respond to these words.
This wasn't the first time he had run into such a problem. His talk with Roaring Black Lion all those months ago still resurfaced in his memories from time to time.
"You could say that this is a matter of survival for our family. So, I hope that you'll treat this with the appropriate amount of seriousness."
It was only now Leonel realized that he was dealing with a mad woman.
This woman knew nothing about him. Yet, she directly snubbed a genius likely handpicked by their family in favor of him, a man branded with a mark that might as well have assigned him as a slave.
If she wasn't mad, then how else would you describe it?
Yet, Leonel couldn't help but find himself grinning.
If he couldn't find Aina, the next best option was to raise holy hell until she caught wind of him being here. If this place was really so important, wouldn't it be perfect for him?
He was beginning to think that Heira might have taken a liking to him because he too was a madman.