Leon’s villa was alive with conversation and gentle music. Several hundred of the most important people on the plane were in his home, with guards and adjutants of their own, all technically gathered to celebrate Leon’s thirty-eighth birthday and his ascension to the ninth-tier, though in reality were mostly here to meet and talk with Leon and one another. Despite this, Leon was still a little surprised when he walked out into his villa’s biggest courtyard and a great cheer arose.

“There he is!” Narses shouted. “The man of the hour!”

The crowd of attendees responded with another roar, most of them holding up drinks in Leon’s direction.

Leon, taken off guard, froze for a second as all the eyes in the courtyard swiveled in his direction, but when Elise took hold of his arm, he smiled and raised his other arm, waving to the waiting crowd.

“Thank you all for coming!” he called out. “You honor me and my house with your presence! But please, though it's my birthday, see to your own entertainment first and foremost!”

As he trailed off, the first of Elise’s planned entertainment features walked out: two dozen of the finest theatrical dancers in the Ilian Empire, dressed in loose, flowing, colorful clothes. Accompanying them were half a dozen men dressed all in black holding magic lanterns of varying colors, using them to shine on the dancers as they began their impressively complex routine. At the same time, an orchestral band began playing something tasteful and classy, though Leon didn’t have enough of an ear to tell more than that.

But Leon didn’t have much of an opportunity to take in Elise’s chosen entertainment, for as the dancers came out, he realized that most people were still staring at him, instead. He didn’t even have time to grab himself a drink before Anastasios came waltzing over, his presence the only thing that got almost everyone else to begrudgingly look away.

Still, Leon noticed Penelope, the Director, and the Grand Druid all huddled together, whispering conspiratorially about something or other.

“Leon,” Anastasios drawled as he wrapped an arm around him. “I have to congratulate you! Ninth-tier! At your age! Even for a man with your… resources, that’s a startling rate of advancement!”

“Thank you, Lord Protector,” Leon said as he nodded to Valeria and Maia, wordlessly telling them that they didn’t have to follow him around anymore. “I try to keep an eye on my fitness.”

“Ha! ‘Keep an eye on my fitness’, he says!” The Lord Protector gave a booming guffaw before looking around at the way the courtyard had been decorated.

In the past few weeks, Elise had much of the courtyard’s marble polished and shined, and the columns of the peristyle plated in gold leaf. The walls, meanwhile, were covered in silver reliefs of birds in flight, dodging and weaving around bolts of blue lightning, rendered in lapis lazuli. Leon appreciated that latter addition, and even had the figure of a stone giant, represented in the same material, added to one of the reliefs.

“Lady Elise, your decorations are delightful,” Anastasios said.

“Thank you, Lord Protector,” Elise beamed.

“How do you know it was just her, huh?” Leon playfully asked.

“Please, Leon, give me some credit. I’ve spent enough time around you to know that you have the aesthetic sense of a half-blind magpie.” Anastasios gave Leon a cheeky wink, ensuring that his words weren’t taken too seriously.

Leon chuckled and shrugged, then said, “It really does look great, love.”

Elise smiled lovingly at him and pressed herself closer against his side.

“Leon,” Anastasios said, drawing Leon’s attention back to him, “We should speak later, but not now. It’s not of great importance yet, but it’s still something we should discuss in private.” The Lord Protector’s expression was grave and serious, and Leon responded with a similar attitude.

“Then please, Lord Protector, stay and enjoy my hospitality, if you’re able. Your room is still as you left it, save for a bit of cleaning.”

“An offer gladly received,” Anastasios replied. “I have some business with this city and will try and speak with you in a few weeks, but for now, that bastard Narses looks like he’s digging into the good stuff, and he could use a lesson in sharing…”

Anastasios disentangled himself from Leon and hurriedly made his way in Narses’ direction, who Leon saw had cracked open a large, elaborate bottle and was doing his best to copy the moves of the twelve male dancers that Elise had hired. He was failing quite spectacularly, but both Alcander and Sofia, along with a small crowd, were there with him, cheering him on.

Once Anastasios left him and the Grand Druid made no moves to take his place, it seemed that the floodgates opened. Over the next hour, Leon was like a rock on the shore, withstanding waves upon waves of bureaucrats and dignitaries, all hoping to exchange words with quite possibly the youngest ninth-tier mage on the plane, and certainly the youngest member of Heaven’s Eye’s board. Had Elise not been there with him, taking much of the edge off their incessant congratulations, Leon felt like the waves might’ve carried him off into insanity after the first few minutes.

Or so he muttered to Elise, anyway, to her amusement.

“It’s a good thing that just about everyone’s had some words with you, then. Save for the Grand Druid, of course,” she whispered back.

“Have they?” Leon asked, noting that of the hundreds of people in attendance, only a fraction had come to speak.

“Those who’re of any note have,” Elise clarified.

“Good,” he said with a covert sigh.

“Don’t look so glum, love,” Elise murmured. “So many have come to pay you respect, this is something that countless people have dreamed of and never obtained.”

Leon struggled to maintain a smile and didn’t respond. His eyes drifted around the room, stopping on no one in particular for a long moment, at least until he finally saw him, the man he’d been dreading to see for years, a man he’d have been happier to pretend didn’t exist.

Justin Isynos.

Valeria wasn’t with him, instead choosing to spend her time talking and laughing with Cristina and Asiya, and it seemed that no one else had approached Justin, either. The man was sitting alone in a corner, by one of the smaller bars that Elise had set up for this party, quietly drinking some dark liquor. He was holding himself up with perfect posture despite the drink in his hand and the festivities around him, but one look at his aura showed just how weak he truly was.

His aura almost seemed to flicker and sputter, barely able to maintain Justin’s fourth-tier strength. The man’s hair had lost much of its luster, now appearing more gray than silver, and there were a few more lines in his face. In short, it looked like he’d aged at least twenty or thirty years by mortal standards from how he’d appeared in Leon’s memory, now well into middle-age rather than looking fairly youthful.

With another sigh, Leon disentangled himself from Elise, giving a meaningful nod in Justin’s direction as explanation. Elise just squeezed his arm one last time, then went to link up with Valeria, Cristina, and Asiya.

Leon walked in Justin’s direction, ignoring the eyes that followed him everywhere in the courtyard. He sat down next to Justin at the shady end of the bar, surprising the man a bit, it seemed.

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“Ah! Leon!” Justin exclaimed, almost spilling his drink.

“Careful there,” Leon responded, “that looks expensive.” He nodded to both the drink and to Justin’s blue tunic, made of silkgrass and trimmed in silver—a strange combination of colors, though Leon supposed Valeria had sported them even before becoming involved with him.

“It’s… nothing,” Justin said as he quickly put his drink down and took a moment to regain his composure. Leon waited for several seconds for Justin to fully turn towards him and say, “Happy birthday, Leon Raime. Here’s hoping for many more.”

“Thank you,” Leon said with little sincerity. “Thank you for attending.”

“Such an invitation can hardly be refused, when coming from my beloved daughter,” Justin remarked.

Leon let a small smile play out over his lips for a moment at the mention of Valeria, before his expression turned neutral again. “How has your recovery been going, Justin?” he asked, trying and failing to sound casual.

Justin frowned and bitterly said, “About as well as I can expect. Not well, but even that’s more than I deserve.”

“You’ve managed to regain at least a little bit of power, it seems.”

“A little bit, yes, but hardly a drop in the bucket of the ocean I once commanded.” Justin seemed to catch himself and hurriedly added, “Leon, I hope we’re not going to make this discussion entirely about me. This is a day dedicated to you, after all!”

Leon smiled, though there was no warmth in the expression. “Then we ought to discuss topics I want to talk about, shouldn’t we?”

Justin gave him nothing more than a political smile.

“I’ve wondered for a long time how to deal with you, Justin,” Leon said. He almost brought up more personal details, but he was still aware that, despite the relative privacy of their place in the courtyard, there were still a great many eyes turned in their direction, and even more ears. “Wondered if the decision I made back then was the right one. What are your thoughts?”

Justin seemed a little perturbed when Leon suddenly asked his opinion, and took a moment to reply. “I… I am grateful that I get to watch my daughter grow up,” he said, his voice breaking slightly near the end. “I’ll admit that in my darkest moments, I never thought I’d live even this long. And it’s not something easily forgotten when someone like you… makes the decision you made.”

The man seemed like he had more he wished he could add, but he, too, was conscious of their onlookers.

Leon sighed again. “I’ve had cause recently to reevaluate my decision. I’ve come to the conclusion that I wasn’t wrong then, but such conclusions aren’t set in stone. But for now, I want Valeria to be as happy as she can possibly be. I want her life to radiate joy in all directions.”

“We’re in agreement there.”

“Good. Then it seems that you have to keep on living for a while longer.”

Justin, whose eyes had wandered back to his drink, snapped his gaze back to Leon.

Leon gave him a sly smirk and said, “You look like you’re counting the days till you’re in the grave, Justin. The day you’re buried is the day Valeria’s life is made irreparably darker. So I won’t let you die on us. Besides, I think we’ve still a great many conversations to have about our future.”

Justin seemed to deflate slightly, but a moment later, after a quick glance at Valeria, still locked in intense discussion with Asiya, he seemed to grow a bit more of a spine. He sat up straighter and nodded to Leon.

“You shame me, Leon,” he whispered, “and you’re right to. Valeria and her mother mean the world to me. All others who could’ve claimed such importance in my life are gone. I would not want to inflict such pain upon my daughter. But…”

“Then don’t,” Leon said as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “I think we should speak a little more later, so don’t just leave without saying goodbye.”

Leon, unilaterally deciding that their conversation was over, stood up and walked away, leaving Justin alone to think about things. As he did, Leon felt Valeria’s eyes finally turn in their direction, and seeing him walking away from her father, she whispered something to Asiya and Cristina and moved in his direction.

“Everything all right?” she whispered as she drew close.

“Everything’s fine,” Leon replied. She smiled, kissed his cheek, and then moved in Justin’s direction, while Leon made his way over to Cristina, taking the seat Valeria had just vacated.

Cristina and Asiya weren’t alone, but when Leon sat down, many of those around them seemed to give them a bit more of a berth. Elise, Leon noticed, was not among them, his wife having moved on to mingle just before Valeria left.

“Look at that, Asi,” Cristina said, “he just arrived and already he’s driven off all our suitors!”

“Bad Leon! Bad!” Asiya playfully scolded, though the wide, tipsy grin she wore took any unintentional anger out of her statement.

“Not my fault if they stop lavishing you two with all the praise you deserve,” Leon said, matching Asiya’s tone. “Though, I have to ask, are you sure you want their attentions?”

Leon had noted that most of those driven off by his presence were men, and Cristina and Asiya were sitting particularly close to each other…

Of course, from Elise and Valeria seeing them regularly, he also knew that the two young women had started a romantic relationship with each other.

“Attention is always welcome, so long as it’s the sort worthy of a Princess!” Cristina declared, seriousness absent in her tone.

“Then I apologize and humbly ask forgiveness,” Leon mockingly stated.

“Hmm,” Cristina hummed, making a show of thinking it over. “Very well. Sir Leon, I forgive you your heinous transgression against my Royal person.” She looked like she was about to say something more, but whatever that might’ve been was cut off by a furious bout of giggles.

“In all seriousness, Leon,” Asiya said as her Princess struggled to regain her self-control—the copious amounts of alcohol she’d apparently already consumed not helping matters, “thanks for remembering us. It’s been a while since we last spoke, and it’s good to catch up.”

“Same here,” Leon replied. “How’s your mother?”

“Mom’s doing well,” Asiya said. “I’ve been making plenty of money for both of us as Cristina’s personal guard—” She paused a moment to glare reproachfully at Leon as he lightly laughed—the Princess’ lover, of course, was flush with financial resources. “—But,” Asiya continued, “she insisted on paying her own way. She got a job with a local bank run by Heaven’s Eye in a wealthier part of Ilion. Even rose to become its manager.”

“Wow,” Leon said appreciatively. “Please pass on my congratulations.”

Asiya nodded just as Cristina seemed to regain control of herself.

“And you, Princess?” Leon asked once he was sure the Princess was checked back into their conversation. “I would’ve congratulated you on your power had I known about it. It feels natural to me, not like you binged on potions to get there, like your brothers did…”

“Of course I didn’t,” Cristina practically spat with disdain. “I may not be the most disciplined when it comes to training, but I wasn’t about to take the easy way out. It’s either the natural way, or no way at all!”

“Sure,” Asiya sarcastically agreed, “for a given definition of ‘natural’.”

Cristina glared at Asiya for a moment, but did nothing more than throw her arms around her dusky-skinned lover. In response to Leon’s questioning look, the Princess explained, “I’ve made several trips back home in the past fifteen years. My father’s granted me resources that have allowed me to acquire a few things that have made the journey more bearable, and I’ve brought quite a few things home with me to help the Bull Kingdom magically advance. In recognition of the work I’ve been doing for the Kingdom down here, he awoke my bloodline.”

Leon’s eyes about popped out of their sockets in surprise. As far as he knew, Cristina hadn’t expressly renounced her claim to the throne of the Bull Kingdom. Awakening her bloodline thus essentially turned her into a potential claimant against August…

‘Although,’ Leon thought, glancing at the Princess’ arm wrapped around Asiya’s shoulders, ‘if she doesn’t have any children, then it isn’t that big of a problem. With her so far away from the Kingdom, she can’t gather supporters for a potential coup or civil war, either…’

“It may seem a strange choice,” Cristina said as if she could hear what was going through his head, “but one he made with great thought. He knows what he did, and though he didn’t pull a renouncement of my claim from me, he still didn’t do this until after I revealed what I had with Asi.”

Leon nodded, feeling a little more relieved that King Julius hadn’t been quite so cavalier with his Kingdom as he’d feared.

“He had to ‘make those shits in the south take my daughter more seriously’,” Cristina quoted, putting on her best imitation of her father. “Given how much technical knowledge I’ve had to buy, and how much has opened up to me with my greater power, it’s a good choice.”

“Oh? What exactly are you sending back north?” Leon curiously asked.

“Oh, you know, stuff,” Cristina mysteriously replied, and Leon recognized that as an end to that conversation, though from the way she blatantly winked at him, he didn’t think it was anything illegal, at least.

“Well, it was good speaking with you two,” Leon said as he got up, “but I’ve more people to speak with, I think. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to catch up again soon.”

“Sure!” Asiya said with a spirited wave.

“Of course,” Cristina said with a nobler nod.

With that, Leon turned around and went over to the closest bar where he took a few moments to order something weak as he glanced around at the courtyard, wondering who he ought to speak with next. The order he’d talk to people would definitely be noticed, and he also realized that after he left Cristina and Asiya had attracted a larger group of people wanting to chat. It seemed that Justin had a few people hanging around, waiting for Valeria to leave. It seemed that just having Leon talk to them was enough for people to take notice and think these people worth making connections with.

“Good party,” said someone to Leon’s left, almost making him jump out of his skin. He’d been quite certain that no one was there just a moment ago.

Leon glanced at the man and froze, immediately recognizing the man sitting at his bar, quietly sipping at some glowing blue drink and staring at Leon, a smile of amusement on his face. Leon felt his heart rate skyrocket.

“Ambrose…” Leon whispered. “Good to see you…”