CHAPTER 156: EX 156. HUMILITY

Leon couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Sakura, the Supreme heir of the yakamoto Lineage, lay on the ground like a broken branch. Screaming once but silent now. Her pride cracked in places that might never mend. But Leon hadn’t done all this for pride. Not really. He did it to return a favor. To repay her for calling Nikko pathetic.

His eyes lifted, and there she was.

Nikko stood a few meters away, her smile radiant against the glow of the afternoon sun. She wasn’t trying to hide it, her satisfaction. The sight warmed something in Leon’s chest, something quiet and protective. His lips curved slightly. Just for a second.

Then the thought came, soft but heavy:

’This is why I need more strength. To protect smiles like hers.’

A rasping voice pulled him back.

"What... did you do... to me...?"

Sakura again. She was forcing the words out now, dragging breath through raw lungs as her strength slowly crept back. The backlash from losing her World Tree connection still had her shaking. Plus dragon Might didn’t just crush the body, it sank into the soul.

Leon turned his head toward her, his voice calm. "The same thing I told you before."

He stepped closer. His shadow fell over her trembling figure.

"I showed my strength. Are you satisfied?"

Silence clung to the training field.

But it wasn’t for her. No one pitied the fallen Supreme Heir.

It was Leon they were watching.

He had done what even the S-rank elites considered impossible, forced a Supreme Heir to her knees. Yet, through it all, he never lost sight of protocol. Never crossed the line. This had been a display, a sanctioned demonstration. He hadn’t humiliated her for the sake of cruelty. He’d followed the code and delivered his message.

Boniface stood frozen in the crowd, awe painted across his face.

’What am I doing... comparing myself to him?’

Colonel Leon isn’t like the rest of us. He’s destined for something far beyond this world.

Without thinking, Boniface raised his voice.

"I am satisfied."

Gasps swept through the soldiers near him. His squad turned, confused, until the look in his eyes told them everything.

One by one, they followed.

"We are satisfied."

"We are satisfied!"

It spread like wildfire. A chant from hundreds of soldiers, shouting not for discipline or tradition, but out of raw, shared truth.

"We are satisfied with your display, Colonel Leon!"

The sound rolled through the training field like a tide.

Leon didn’t smile, but he let it happen. He let the weight of their voices settle into the dirt beneath his feet.

Across the field, Arbiter George remained rooted to the spot. His eyes narrowed.

"He inspired them... with nothing but strength?"

He didn’t finish the thought.

Leon stepped past Sakura, but before he could leave her behind, her voice came again, quieter now.

"I... I am satisfied."

She sounded like someone who had finally seen her mistake. And that mistake was him.

Leon didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.

He just kept walking, his back straight, as the cheers echoed behind him. He’d made his point.

Today, the world didn’t just witness his strength.

They accepted it.

****

Leon stepped off the field, his boots thudding softly against the polished stone path as the echoes of the crowd’s chant still lingered like smoke in the air.

"We are satisfied."

He didn’t need their validation, but hearing it... it stirred something deep in him.

The stands loomed ahead, lined with high-ranking officers, nobles, and a sea of cadets. But Leon had eyes for only two, Elizabeth, poised and graceful even in silence, and Nikko, radiant in her golden-and-black uniform, her golden eyes watching him with something caught between disbelief and adoration.

He didn’t hesitate.

First, he reached Elizabeth. She didn’t say a word, just opened her arms as he stepped into her space. He pulled her close in a warm, loving hug, genuine, strong, and unhurried. Her face nestled into his chest for a moment, her fingers gripping the back of his jacket. No words were exchanged. None were needed.

Then he turned to Nikko. Her gaze held something different, an unreadable mix of pride, guilt, and lingering tension. But when he stepped toward her, arms out, she didn’t resist. She melted into his embrace, and though hers was more reserved, it was no less heartfelt.

"You didn’t have to do that... for me," she murmured quietly into his ear, referring to his decision to accept Sakura’s challenge. "I can take care of myself."

Leon leaned back slightly, just enough to look her in the eye.

"Nikki," he said, soft and firm, "you’re mine now. That means it’s my job to protect you. Whether it’s from swords or words."

Her cheeks tinted pink, not from embarrassment, but something sweeter, more vulnerable. "But... I’m stronger than you," she teased gently.

Leon grinned.

"Not for long."

A quiet, genuine laugh slipped past her lips. It was short, but real.

Elizabeth, standing off to the side, tilted her head and crossed her arms.

"Alright, alright. Why don’t we go get something to eat? Or do you two lovebirds want some alone time first?"

Leon turned his head toward her. The smug glint in her eye said she wasn’t serious,.but the slight jealous quirk of her brow said she kinda was.

With a playful smirk, Leon didn’t choose. He stepped forward and dragged Elizabeth into his right arm, holding her tight. Then he curled his left around Nikko again. Both women stiffened slightly, public affection from someone like him, in front of everyone?

But neither pulled away. They just blushed faintly as Leon declared,

"There’s enough room for everybody. Let’s go eat."

The crowd didn’t gasp. No one screamed or fainted. But there were murmurs. They all saw it. Colonel Leon, shoulder to shoulder with two of the most stunning women in the Federation. It wasn’t a rumor anymore.

Whispers spread like wind through grass.

"So it’s true... he’s with the Supreme Heir."

"And that other one—who is she? A noble?"

"No. She’s Elizabeth. She was in his squad."

"Damn... lucky bastard."

But under the envy, there was respect. Because Leon wasn’t just some flashy young upstart with girls on each arm, he was the man who brought a Supreme Heir to her knees... and still walked with ’humility’.