As he watched the final embers of life fade from Luca’ vessel, Leonardo seemed strangely at peace and he lapsed into deep thought.

This kill brought him a lesson Muchen’s hazy memories could not possibly give him. It was a primal awakening of sorts, something that could not be plainly copied down or described. The blood baptism of a blade for the first time, much like losing one’s virgin innocence, was a one in a lifetime experience that’s hard to convey.

He didn’t necessarily relish in the idea of murder, but it did unlock various notions previously inaccessible to him. His martial arts took a great leap forward in that instant. He finally realized just how fragile life was in the hands of a trained killer. And so, a layer of insecurity vanished like dust. Now withdrawn from its sheathe, the blade shone with unconcealed sharpness.

A shrill scream tore him away from his thoughts, and vanished just as quickly when he stood up and eyed the girl.

Looming over the corpse at dusk, he did paint an eerie scenery. Even in the lawless shanty town where combat was common, few people witnessed this kind of murder.

Often, it was people brawling for minutes following a moment of rash rage. This sort of spectacle however was never before seen. An instant was all it took for life to vanish. It was an execution more so than a fight, and the ease with which it was handled somehow made it seem even more vicious than gladiatorial combat.

It woke in them the insecurities of old. A reminder of just how fragile humans were in the jungle they falsely claimed to control. To them, someone who could kill effortlessly was a predator — A monster, even. It wasn’t so much a logical interpretation as it was an instinct. It was precisely this feeling that left them breathless and horrified.

“You could say that I slew him for you, so you must tend to the body and see it buried.”

With a serene voice, the predator’s voice finally woke the crowd from their stupor. Even grown adults dispersed to their homes, unwilling to stay in his presence a moment longer. Only the girl and her twin brothers remained rooted in place as if Leonardo’s amber gaze chained them there.

“You are... Tunisian?” as he explored the girl’s clothing and prior accent, he quickly identified her moorish descent. Somewhat curious, he did a double-take, which in no way pleased the urchins. He noted their auras shrivel in terror and his interest in them rose even more.

“You needn’t be afraid. I was mostly curious about your eloquence with latin. You seem well-spoken for a foreigner.”

Squinting his eyes in the night, he observed her features and noted she kept herself relatively clean despite her living conditions. This could likely hint at a noble upbringing.

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The moor girl remained silent, however. She merely stared at him with insecurity.

“Well, I shan’t pry further if you won’t speak… I have no interest in knowing who your family is or why you’re hiding.”

Playfully watching their auras fluctuate as he poked guesses at their origin, he pointed at the body and then set out for the depths of the woods.

“Come along then. Carry it over, we’ll have it buried lest it spreads disease and what not.”

Fino squinted his eyes in a failure to see and drew closer to Leo. It was already too dark to perceive their features clearly. It was also for this reason Leonardo didn’t feel the need to disguise himself.

Reluctantly, the group trudged in Leo’s footsteps and tried not to stumble over anything. Leonardo for his part seemed to see things clearly even in the dim moonlight as he led them along.

“Wait here.” Leaving the group in a glade, he wandered off in the darkness and promptly opened a ditch in the ground. Pressing his hands against the earth, he drew an odd sigil and caused it to soften at first, then lifted both hands. Obeying his whims, a stream of soil neatly parted on both sides, leaving a shallow opening in the ground.

The group remained silent and ill at ease with the corpse in their midst. Despite accomplishing the deed within seconds, Leonardo was unhurried and only returned some minutes later, putting the kids under serious psychological strain.

“I found a good place. Watch your step and follow along.”

As he led them even deeper into the woods, he also observed the trio more closely.

“The children of some fallen sultan, are you? Hmm. No. The sultan hasn’t changed in 40 years as far as I know. Oh! His grandchildren? A princely dispute? Aha!”

Much to their displeasure and horror, the devil kept getting closer and closer to unveiling their secret. Little did they know that it was precisely their reactions that screamed “warmer” and “hot” whenever he exclaimed a prediction.

Leonardo seemed to not notice that his guessing game caused them discomfort, or perhaps he didn’t feel the need to feign consideration for strangers. Either way, curiosity gave way and the insensitive teen kept poking for uncomfortable answers even as Luca’s corpse was tossed in the makeshift grave.

“Oh. He mentioned your mother was a prosti—”

“Enough!!!” The girl finally voiced a loud protest, its resonant echo startling everyone in the woods.

Yet, not a moment later she covered her mouth in horror, as if thinking she’d follow Luca into the grave for her discourtesy.

“I’m sorry…” she pleaded with a stammer, her eyes already forming tears.

“Oh? You think I’m that scary?” Leo’s brows rose, somewhat with amusement and somewhat with concern.

He didn’t seem to realize how apprehensive they were in his presence, and just how far he took his demon king role. It was only after her outburst that he stopped taking their terror for granted, and decided to stop poking.

“No, it is I who must apologize. I was inconsiderate.”

For some reason, the girl seemed even more frightened after hearing his apology, not buying his sincerity one bit. After all, he was in control, so this must be a ploy to loosen their guards before he struck!

“No, really… I shouldn’t have prodded. You can calm down, I couldn’t care less if you’re fallen royalty. Just take it for childish curiosity.”

Lamenting his failed efforts to calm them down and realizing logic wouldn’t work, he shrugged and gave up. Even with his Animus Dharma’s Aura Perception, he still managed to drive this conversation into the ground.

‘Spectacular move, Leo,’ he cheered himself with a sardonic grin.