"Leon... are you serious?"
Orphans could barely contain his shock as he read the "Lawrence Family Destruction Plan" that he held with trembling hands. Without a second thought, he opened the drawer, grabbed a bottle of stomachache pills, and hastily swallowed one.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
His fingers could barely hold the paper; his entire body was shaking.
Panic consumed him… and, worse, a genuine fear.
Even looking at the young man in front of him — his own son — Orphans couldn't shake the suffocating sensation of terror.
"Do you realize what you're proposing? If you really go through with this plan… all of Mondstadt will be destroyed!"
Leon stared back at him coldly, as if they were discussing something trivial.
"And why not? Today's Mondstadt is nothing but a nest of parasites. Only by destroying everything will this land have any chance at a future."
His voice carried no hatred, nor hesitation. It was cold. Calculating. Inexorable.
Creation can only be born from destruction.
…
Creation can only be born from destruction.
…
Creation can only be born from destruction.
…
The words echoed in Orphans' mind like hammer blows.
Everyone present in the room was sweating coldly, their scalps tingling, and the air growing thin. The weight of those words was unbearable.
Yes, the Lawrence family was corrupt and cruel… but stupid, they never were.
If they had been, they would have never managed to crush the other two noble clans of Mondstadt, to the point that even the royal family was left powerless.
It had been generations of manipulation, intrigue, and accumulated power.
They had turned Mondstadt into their own backyard.
Even under the jurisdiction of the kingdom, Mondstadt barely suffered any direct influence from the capital. The Lawrence family lived in isolation, indulging in their decadent and arbitrary luxury.
Geography was their greatest ally: surrounded by lakes, easily defensible, and nearly impossible to conquer.
Moreover, being near the border, Mondstadt could trade directly with other countries, conducting its own diplomacy, importing and exporting as they pleased.
Easy to defend, hard to attack.
Self-sufficient.
Ready to rebel at any moment.
And it was precisely thanks to these three advantages that the Lawrence family had been able to thrive, living recklessly in that fertile land, openly ignoring the kingdom's laws.
But…
Leon calmly closed the plan and fixed his gaze on his father.
"If we want to get rid of them, we must act quickly and decisively. Without giving them any chance to resist. With absolute force, crush them before they can even react."
With a sharp movement, Leon drew a dagger and threw it at the large map spread across the table, striking right at the heart of Mondstadt.
The sound of metal tearing through paper reverberated through the room.
There were no flaws in his plan.
Completely ignoring all of the Lawrence family's strategic advantages, he had laid out a path of total destruction, relying solely on brute force and speed.
Even if the plan leaked now, it would only be a setback… victory would still be inevitable.
The purge had already been decreed the moment Leon decided to act.
"But… this is too extreme!" Orphans exploded, almost pleading. "Isn't there another way? A more... peaceful means? Without so much bloodshed… without destroying everything so... completely?"
Leon cast his father a hard, disdainful look.
"Indecision… is a taboo for kings."
"W... what?" Orphans could barely believe what he had just heard.
He was being lectured.
By his own son.
His eyes trembled violently, and the hand holding the plan felt as heavy as lead. A deep regret consumed him: he shouldn't have read that.
Leon turned away, lightly tapping the table, marking the end of the conversation.
"If we don't do this now… it will be too late."
Orphans stood up abruptly, desperately trying to find a reason, a loophole.
"What do you mean by that?"
Leon turned just enough to look at him in profile, his gaze icy.
"Those vermin have already betrayed the kingdom. They handed over the border defense map to the enemy. It won't be long before a full-scale war begins."
"...?!!!"
Orphans felt his legs give out.
Leon calmly handed him a letter, written in secret code and translated.
"Proof?" the father asked, his voice faltering.
"Direct information from our spy… Ye Lan."
Orphans widened his eyes at the sight of the seal.
The content was clear, irrefutable: the Lawrence family had contacted foreign envoys, handing over the border defense map to several small kingdoms surrounding Palettia.
The encirclement was set.
War was only a matter of time.
Those small countries would form a coalition and, exploiting the weaknesses revealed on the map, march their armies to seize vast portions of royal territory.
"This… this is impossible! We still have the Gunnhild family, right? Even if they're weakened, with the royal family's support, they can still resist the Lawrences!"
Leon slowly shook his head, expressionless.
"Father… unfortunately, the Gunnhild family was defeated… three days ago."
Silence.
Time seemed to freeze.
Orphans felt his chest tighten, as if he couldn't breathe.
The Gunnhild family… defeated? Just like that, so suddenly?
Leon continued, relentless:
"They had the support of the Palettia royal family… but the Lawrences also have allies: small neighboring countries, willing to do anything for a piece of our territory."
Orphans collapsed into the chair, pale as a corpse.
Only three days had passed since the Gunnhild family was defeated. Now, all its members were imprisoned, crushed by the overwhelming weight of humiliation and misfortune.
(Unlike in my previous life… The transmission of information in this era is so primitive that my father doesn't even clearly know the situation of each territory…)
Leon frowned, reflecting silently as he contemplated the young knight before him.
(This must be reformed in the future. There's no way to build a stable kingdom when information circulates so slowly and inaccurately.)
He took a deep breath.
In truth, even he wasn't sure if he could implement such a change effectively…
But at least now he had the Kingdom of Midgar.
A territory with social and political conditions similar to those of his own kingdom — the perfect environment to transform into a laboratory, where he could test new policies, laws, and administrative structures.
He knew: every experiment demands sacrifices.
But Leon firmly believed he could find the key to avoiding the worst of those sacrifices. He wouldn't allow lives to be wasted needlessly.
Plop!
Suddenly, a dry sound broke the silence.
The young knight, until then motionless behind Leon, faltered. The impact of the news was like a blade piercing her soul — her vision darkened, and without strength, she collapsed to her knees, her body trembling.
"My... my family... was destroyed?" Jean stammered, her voice breaking, as she pressed her hands to the floor, as if needing something to hold on to keep from collapsing entirely.
"They weren't destroyed..." Leon replied, his voice deep and direct, but not without a hint of compassion, "but they were all captured."
Jean raised her tearful eyes, searching for some hope in Leon's gaze.
"Your… Highness…"
Leon sighed quietly.
"These are the details of the whole situation, Jean." He handed her a letter, the seal broken, its contents heavy as lead. "You can read it yourself… but be mentally prepared. There's no immediate risk of death, but… your family's situation is far from good."
Jean remained still for a few seconds, paralyzed, before reaching out her trembling hands to take the letter. She gripped it tightly, clenching her teeth to hold back the tears, and began reading each line with wide eyes, as if wishing that what was written there was just a nightmare.
"Why…? How could this happen...?" she whispered, her voice breaking with each word.
The information was cruel.
Her father, brutally tortured.
Her mother, thrown into a foul, cold dungeon.
And all her relatives, subjected to merciless torment, as if the family's honor were an obstacle that needed to be broken.
But the cruelest blow of all: her sister, Barbara, turned into a bargaining chip… and set to be sent abroad in just a few days, as part of a filthy political transaction.
Jean clutched the parchment tighter, her hands nearly tearing the paper, as she whispered in despair:
"It's… it's already too late…?"
She had come to Leon initially seeking refuge…
To buy time. To gather strength.
And then, one day, to return gloriously to Mondstadt, to defeat the Lawrence family and restore the Gunnhilds' honor.
In a way, she had succeeded.
She had managed to establish the "Knights of Favonius," the kingdom's greatest cavalry, a symbol of her resistance and willpower.
([A/N: A small correction here — in the previous chapter, I wrote "Knights of the West Wind," but I didn't realize that was wrong.])
But… she hadn't expected it to be too late.
(…No. It's not over. There's still hope!)
Jean suddenly raised her face, as if a spark had ignited within her.
She fixed her eyes on Leon.
If it were him…
She hadn't realized it clearly before, but now she knew: if anyone could save her family… her sister… it was Leon!
"Your Highness… please…" Jean crawled closer, kneeling before him, and bowed her head in a gesture of supplication. Her voice trembled, but her determination was unbreakable: "Please… help me!"
Leon looked at her silently for a few moments, his piercing gaze analyzing every fragment of the wounded soul of that young knight.
Then, he gave a faint smile.
"Of course I'll help." His voice was firm, filled with a conviction that immediately ignited a flame in Jean's chest. "The Gunnhild family has always been one of the few truly honorable noble houses… generation after generation, producing exemplary knights, loyal, like you. I won't allow them to be ruined."
"Thank you… Your Highness…" Jean whispered, her eyes brimming with tears, but now filled with a renewed spark of hope.
Her heart raced, pounding uncontrollably against her chest.
Her family would be saved.
Her sister too would be saved.
However, at that exact moment, Leon leaned slightly forward and, with a provocative gesture, gently lifted Jean's chin with his fingertips, forcing her to look him in the eyes.
"Instead of simply being happy…" he murmured, with a suggestive smile, "I think you should carefully consider how you're going to repay me. After all… that's the law of equivalent exchange."
Jean widened her eyes, confused:
"Eh…?"
Leon tilted his head, feigning an innocent air.
"Isn't that how it works? I've already given you enough support up until now… but, in the end, it's me who'll have to act… alone."
He was referring, of course, to the day Jean officially became one of his subordinates.
Thanks to him, she had been able to establish the "Knights of Favonius."
Thanks to the power and strength Leon had granted her, she had turned a dream into reality…
But even so, it was too late for her to have gathered enough strength to face this situation alone.
And once again… she was asking Leon for help.
So… what could she offer in return this time?
Jean pressed her lips together, and even with her cheeks flushed, she raised her gaze with a determination that left no doubts:
"If… if Your Highness can save Mondstadt… and… and save my family…" she swallowed hard, her heart racing, "…then I am willing to dedicate everything I have to you. I know… I know that's not enough… that it's not equivalent… but… it's all I have right now."
Leon kept smiling silently, observing that young knight — so noble, so proud — now kneeling before him, offering everything she had, not out of fear, but with courage and loyalty.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."