Anabel looked terrible.

The circles under her eyes were darker than her pants, her usually lovable and adorable features were marred by soot and grime, and her posture seemed to slouch, the light in her eyes seeming several shades dimmer than it usually was.

She stumbled after Leonidas and Lady Eve, realizing that they were likely in grave danger. But, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

She had really outlived her use. Lady Eve’s appearance only seemed to affirm that.

She might have been out of the loop, but she still had a woman’s intuition. Lady Eve seemed far closer to Leonidas than she should be, and there wasn’t a hint of discomfort in the former’s expression.

And now, she had been swept away by the Rardin family for so many days. Who knew what Leonidas thought had happened to her? Whether it was the truth or not didn’t matter, sometimes reputation and perception were all that mattered.

Anabel thought that maybe things would be alright. After all, nothing had happened. She had been humiliated and worked like a dog, but her chastity was still intact.

Of course, that was mostly because everyone thought that Leonidas had already had his way with her, so they only saw her as a pawn to slap Leonidas’ face with and nothing more. But still, it was the truth.

If Leonidas didn’t mind taking Lady Eve as his woman despite her having been married once before, maybe he would also be alright with whatever stain to Anabel’s reputation this caused…

‘Who am I kidding… Lady Eve is a powerful Apostle while I’m just a little Knight, she has connections to the Bruthers family while my family’s Paladin has a foot in the grave… How can I compare us?’

Anabel took deep breaths, her eyes feeling heavy. She had taken too many Fatigue Potions over the last several days and she hadn’t been allowed to sleep. The accumulated toxins in her system were getting bad. If Leonidas had found her a day later, there would have probably been nothing more than a corpse left.

Anabel suddenly stumbled. Too weak to catch herself, she found the ground rapidly approaching.

Just then, she felt something strong, sturdy, and soft wrap around her waist, stopping her fall.

“Are you alright?” Leonidas looked down toward Anabel.

“Ah… Yes, I’m—I’m sorry, Lord.”

Leonidas gazed toward Anabel deeply.

“Use my tail as support. I know you’re tired, but it’s too dangerous to rest here. Drink these.”

“I… I can’t. I’ve—I’ve had too many potions in the last few days.”

Leonidas’ expression darkened, beginning to understand some of what the Rardins had put her through.

Potion toxins were a huge problem to contend with, it was the reason why only a limited number of a single type of potion could be taken within a certain frame. But, if that limit was surpassed, even taking other potions could prove dangerous.

This truth was the reason why Healers were so invaluable. Potions could only take you so far.

“Alright, no problem. We’ll find a method to deal with the toxins once we return. For now, lean on my tail. Just keep your feet moving and I’ll do the rest.”

“Ah… Yes… Yes, Lord Leonidas…”

Anabel hiccuped beside herself, biting down onto her lips, hard. She had never known that Leonidas’ tail could be so soft, but it seemed that if you stroked with the grain, it felt like a puffy cloud was holding her up.

She was trying her best not to cry. She was already being this much of a burden, she couldn’t be any more of one.

Still, the tears fell uncontrollably from her cheeks, her breathing coming out ragged.

She had to be strong. She had to be strong so that she could pay her family back for everything they had given her. She had to be.

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Lady Eve turned back. She knew that if she could pick up Anabel’s silent sobs, Leonidas most definitely could. But, he chose to remain silent, allowing Anabel to hold onto and protect her dignity as a Knight.

There were certain things that Leonidas wouldn’t say if he knew he didn’t mean them. He could easily shower Anabel with flowery words or change his tune about not allowing women to dictate his life from here on, but that wouldn’t be him. He preferred to use his actions to speak.

He wouldn’t be some loving partner to Anabel, nor did she expect such a thing. But, he was more than able to give her the security she was looking for.

Leonidas continued to follow after Lady Eve. She was clearly familiar with these tunnels as she had likely frequented them for her missions.

His ears continued to twitch, picking up faint sounds here and there, but finding it quite difficult to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from.

The tunnels were becoming more complex and the diverging pathways seemed to only be increasing.

As they traveled further, Leonidas noticed that everything was becoming decidedly more man-made.

There were fewer ores, wooden archways began appearing to brace the walls, and soon even some artificial light fixtures and torches lined them as well.

Leonidas took mental note of this.

‘There are probably only two possible explanations, but I don’t know enough about mining to conclude one way or another.

‘Let’s focus on returning first, making it back to Violet Waters before the Rardins can will make things easier and cut out a lot of hassle.’

***

Deep within the network of mines a solitary figure stood.

The Deacon of Swallowing Tusk didn’t seem like a normal Lower Ogre at all. Although he stood at eight feet tall, he was much skinnier than your usual Lower Ogre, and his skin was much greyer than it was green. Thanks to this, if not for the prominent tusks that jetted out from his jaw, he could almost come off as a sickly, tall human.

What was even more interesting about this Deacon was his style of dress. Though there were still patches of the beast-skin cloths usual for Lower Ogres, there were also some more delicate and thinner fabrics.

He looked like what one might assume a wild scholar to look like, aside from a contradictory oxymoron, that is.

He stood in silence, his sunken emerald eyes staring deeply at what was nothing more than a dead end.

A step behind him, another ogre stood respectfully, not minding the steeped silence.

It was unknown how long he stood there. Maybe even he, himself, was unaware.

Deacon Ezor suddenly turned, his movements akin to a statue shaking itself awake.

A grey and large palm slid along the walls, his nose tilted up slightly as though he was enjoying some kind of aroma.

He came to a stop, his palm gliding across the very same spot again and again.

BANG!

Deacon Ezor’s palm smashed against the wall with a heart-quaking forcefulness, causing a piece to fly out, tumbling toward the ground.

However, before it could, he reached out deftly, snatching it from the air and observing it in silence.

His nose tilted again as he sniffed lightly, his pores seeming to relax.

“What pure Mana.”

The voice was gentle and soft, but simultaneously a deep, rumbling bass. It was the kind of voice one would love to fall asleep to, even though it spoke a language one might not understand.

“One of my kin? Swallowing Tusk has found itself a genius that has accomplished something that I could not? But where is that little runt hiding?”

The brows of the ogre following Deacon Ezor shot up upon hearing these words.

Deacon Ezor tossed the stone up and caught it again before slotting it directly back into the wall.

He took a breath and blew toward it.

“Disperse.”

What should have been colorless air gained a greenish hue to it. If Leonidas had been there, he would have immediately sensed the flow of Mana.

Deacon Ezor… was actually a Mage!

“The plan seems to be working just fine. A day ago, these tunnels were not here. Whatever protections are left are crumbling. I need more battles, more violence here. Only with enough volatile energy will the final barriers break down.

“… Very soon, our decades of effort will pay off, old friend. After that, we can get rid of some useless pawns.”

Deacon Ezor clasped his hands behind his back, beginning to stroll away.

The ogre following smiled. But, somehow, it seemed to hide a hint of sadness.

***

Leonidas carried Anabel into his living quarters. She had started dozing during the ride back. The two of them had shared a horse and she ended up falling asleep on his chest.

He didn’t bother to wake her up. After being force-fed so many Fatigue Potions, she was bound to need a very long natural rest.

Compared to the mess Leonidas’ living quarters were in before, it was now as spotless as before the attack. Of course, Leonidas wouldn’t have wasted his time fixing furniture and broken floorboards.

Since apparently the rules of the Church could be so easily bent, he left the mess and moved into a new room, leaving the mess for someone else.

This room was even less personalized than the last one. Leonidas had realized that he couldn’t trust this place.

The loss of his tome had been a reality check. It was no wonder no Apostles lived here other than himself.

In the future, he would need a home he could properly modify and protect.

Leonidas hesitated but still ended up putting Anabel on his bed. He didn’t like things dirtying such an important area of his, but he decided that given Anabel’s previous mental state, he couldn’t do something as petty as placing her on a couch.

“What were you thinking?” Lady Eve finally couldn’t hold back, following in after Leonidas.

“I just failed to kill an annoyance, that’s all,” Leonidas said plainly.

“That was far too reckless.”

Leonidas turned back and met Lady Eve’s gaze.

“Probably.”

Lady Eve raised an eyebrow, but Leonidas didn’t explain any further.

“It’s about time. I’m going to Promote, don’t let anything bother me. Watch over Anabel as well. With an elevated level of toxins in her system, she’s likely to vomit in her sleep. I don’t want her to drown in her waste.”

Lady Eve’s gaze flickered, but she nodded in the end.