CHAPTER 208: LORIEL GREENS

The others present, those who had remained after hearing the words of the two women, began to leave. The strange black ball was releasing a terrifying energy that made them shiver.

The arena was already relatively empty, and only the prideful ones had stayed. But when Leon, the monster, decided to leave, none of them even bothered to keep up the pretense.

Their rushed steps hit the stairs quickly, and one after another, they began to run away.

Leon jumped to the edge of the building. Beside him was Seraphine.

From this height, the shattered arena stretched beneath them like a ruined battlefield, dark smoke still curling upward from the wreckage.

Looking down below, his voice calm, he called out to the four knights below.

"The four of you, quickly leave the premises and meet us back at our place."

After giving his orders, the knights started hurrying to leave as well. Seeing that, Leon jumped down from above, Seraphine following right after.

The earth quivered faintly beneath their feet—echoes of the collapsing dome still trapped in the ground.

As the wind hit his face gently, he noticed the green-haired girl from before—the one who had been with the shiny blonde-haired woman. But she wasn’t alone. Beside her were Liora and her father. The three of them were moving together.

How do they both know each other?

Leon was curious and decided to follow them.

Once both he and Seraphine landed on the ground with a resounding boom, Leon began moving in their direction.

Wind clawed at his face as the landscape blurred past, Seraphine’s footsteps syncing with his own in a steady rhythm.

It wasn’t the direction of their place, yet Seraphine, following beside him, didn’t say anything. She asked him calmly as their blurry figures traversed the land.

"Where are we going, Leon?" She had some idea, but she still asked.

"We’re going after Liora and the green-haired girl from before."

Seraphine went quiet for a second. He had said the girl’s name so naturally. Still, she didn’t say anything. He had already told her about meeting the girl inside the dungeon, so she had done her research.

However, she now questioned whether what he had told her before was the only thing that had happened or if there was something else going on between them.

The fact that Liora’s mother’s earlier display of prowess had already shocked her and made her previous research crumble like dust left doubt in her mind. Liora was clearly hiding something.

She had even reached the boss before Leon inside the dungeon. Her suspicions were mounting.

It didn’t take long—in just a couple of seconds, both of them caught up to the three ahead, as their speed was extremely slow compared to Leon and Seraphine.

Leon knew it was because of Liora. Her father was much stronger than she and could go much faster, but he was staying at her pace. The green-haired girl in a white cloak with shiny silver, green, and golden embroidery could move much quicker than both of them.

Once he was running right next to them, suddenly a high-pitched voice hit him.

"Leeeoooonnnn!!"

Leon hadn’t expected her to be that excited to see him. But when he looked beside him, the green-haired girl with emerald eyes that seemed to hold stars in them was far too excited.

What the hell? Why is she calling my name like this?

He felt a razor-sharp glare on his neck. As expected, when he looked to his side, Seraphine was glaring daggers at him with a questioning look. Great. Just what I needed. A mysterious girl shouting my name like we’re old lovers—right in front of Seraphine. Someone’s sleeping on the edge of the bed tonight.

He could only show a confused expression, yet Seraphine’s glare didn’t fade. He sighed helplessly, understanding why she was looking at him that way.

If it were Liora, I’d find her enthusiasm a bit overkill, since she was so reserved when we first met. I could still accept it, but how the hell is this happening? Seraphine is definitely thinking I’m some playboy... I might have a harem of beautiful women, but I’m not out here catching Pokémon left and right that I don’t even know about...

"Hey, why are you calling my name like this? I don’t even know you," Leon said bluntly.

Even Seraphine fumbled a bit. She was trying to remember where they might have met and what connection the girl had to Leon.

"Hehe~ Don’t worry about that. We’ll know each other soon enough. Just know that we are connected, Leon!" Lioriel said, looking at Leon with eyes full of excitement.

She wasn’t even watching the path ahead, just staring at him—the one who had a stronger connection to the God of Life than her. She was using her senses to traverse freely.

Connected to each other?

Leon wasn’t the only one having that thought. Everyone else—including Seraphine, Liora, and even Liora’s father—was thinking the same thing.

Liora kept glancing at him sneakily. Her mother’s words over the past week had affected her. She couldn’t even look at him properly without her face burning with red shyness.

She did feel that he and the boy she had met inside the dungeon were the same, but she still wanted to ask him directly. She was just too shy.

Liora’s father, however, was having a breakdown of his own. It had already been hard for him to accept the things Crystal, his wife, would tease his daughter about. But the way she was acting now—so shy—made him upset. His precious daughter should be nonchalant and cold. He didn’t like this reaction.

The day of his nightmare was drawing closer: his precious daughter would have a boyfriend and love her father less because of him.

He silently accepted it, knowing that day would come, whether he liked it or not. Just as he had found his lovely wife, his daughter would find a good and loving man, too.

The feeling would be bitter, but the happiness would make it sweet. However, right now, he was fuming as he glared at the silver-white-haired young man running beside them.

Seeing his flying long hair, handsome face, mystical eyes, and tall stature, Andrew understood why his daughter had fallen for this boy. Yet—

This slippery boy already has the Lightning Commander of the West as his lover...

It was a hard pill to swallow. But knowing Leon knew her before his precious daughter, Andrew was trying to accept it. He wasn’t the type to separate them; he only wanted the best for Liora.

However, now this? Andrew had had enough.

He knew where the green-haired girl came from and who she was. Yet this boy hadn’t even spared her.

Despite being so young, he was already pursuing three women—one of them his own daughter. That’s what he could see. Who knew how many more were hidden?

Gone was his understanding and acceptance. He couldn’t let his precious daughter Liora fall into this boy’s trap.

I will save my daughter from this beast at all costs...

Leon felt too many eyes on him. Seraphine was glaring. Liora’s father was staring for some reason. The green-haired girl hadn’t looked away once. And Liora—she was looking at him, then quickly looking away, a bit of shock on her face and a slight blush. Now Liora’s blushing too? Did I accidentally walk into a romantic side quest I don’t remember accepting?

Goosebumps crawled up his arms, an involuntary reaction to the overwhelming focus aimed in his direction.

He didn’t understand what was happening.

He only understood why Seraphine was glaring. As for the others, he was clueless.

Lioriel stopped, believing they had reached a far enough distance that the corruption wouldn’t affect them here.

When she stopped, Liora and Andrew stopped beside her. Leon decided to do the same and continued his conversation with the green-haired girl. He had too many things he wanted to ask.

The things he had seen inside the arena, and also why she was acting this way toward him. He also remembered what the shiny blonde-haired woman had called him.

Holy Son? He didn’t understand what was going on or who they even were.

"Hey, you, who are you and where did you come from? Why are you acting this way toward me? And why are you saying these weird things—that I’m connected to you? You’re causing a misunderstanding here," Leon said, his eyes darting to Seraphine for a moment.

He really wasn’t hiding anything from her. Why would he? She had already accepted the idea of him having a harem. He wasn’t a fool. It would make her feel worse if he hid things rather than being open and honest. He wasn’t that clueless an idiot.

Lioriel, whose gaze had been focused toward the arena as it was about to begin, turned her full attention to him upon hearing his voice. She had seen it many times before. Leon always needed a little more attention from her.

She answered his question with a proud look on her face as she introduced herself.

"I am Loriel Greens, the 37th Saintess of Life."

A soft floral scent—clean, fresh, and strangely calming—hung in the air around her, subtly out of place with the tension.