"It's time to go back."
Leon raised his right hand without looking back. A surge of magical energy condensed at his fingertips before shooting toward the orphanage behind him.
BOOM—!
In an instant, the building collapsed. All the sins and tragedies buried there were sealed beneath the rubble, along with the Demon King's followers, crushed forever — never to rise again.
"Alright. From now on, you're free to live your lives however you wish."
"Yes, Master Leon," the five girls replied timidly — Shao Fu, Rao Rin, Rion, Hakua, and Ren Ashbell.
The murderous intent and ferocity once burning in their eyes had completely vanished. Now, they were nothing more than frightened, beautiful girls who had just awakened — memories erased, confusion clouding their gaze.
From here on, they would go to work under Gama and Ningguang, the twin empresses of commerce, until they regained new memories and found their own way out of this haze of ignorance.
After that, whatever paths they chose — to stay, to wander, to build a new life — Leon would not stop them.
Alpha, standing quietly beside him, watched the five with a complicated look.
Though this decision came from Leon himself, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Unlike the other rescued assassin girls, these five were completely consumed — body and soul — by the poison of the Demon King's believers.
The others might one day rebuild their lives, walk new paths, perhaps even smile again. But these five…
Even if their memories were gone, their hands would still remember how to kill. Those instincts — carved deep into their bones — could not be erased.
Leon could wipe their minds clean, but he could not rewrite the instincts of assassins.
And yet…
[If it truly comes to that, then perhaps there's no need to worry… after all, the Master is here.]
Alpha's gaze softened as it fell on Leon.
If those girls were only capable of wielding blades, then so be it. Let them wield those blades for him — for their master.
To fight under his command, to build and protect the beautiful new world he envisioned — Alpha believed that too could be called happiness.
At the very least, Leon would never treat them as disposable killing tools, nor would he allow the blood of innocents to stain their hands again.
"Alpha, what are you doing? Let's head back."
"Ah— yes! I'm coming right now."
After entrusting the five assassins to the business empresses, Leon and Alpha returned to the castle.
And for the next two full days… the two of them did not leave their chambers.
When the sun rose on the third day, Leon finally stretched, feeling fully restored. He left the dormitory with a light step, refreshed and steady.
Alpha, however, was far from fine.
The once-composed, elegant elf lay sprawled across the wide bed in a completely unladylike posture, her golden hair a tangled halo. She had slept for two straight days before finally waking.
This — was the result of Leon's "mercy."
"The protection of a Dragon King… is it really this terrifying?" Alpha murmured bitterly to herself.
To even stand, she had to cast advanced healing magic on herself multiple times — mostly to reduce swelling.
Cleaning up the "battlefield" (or rather, the chaotic bedroom) took the maids tremendous effort, and each one of them worked with blushing faces.
When Alpha discovered that Leon had woken two days earlier and immediately went out monster hunting with Anis, she was stunned.
The blonde elf sank into deep thought.
[It seems I alone can't satisfy him… Well, that's only to be expected of the man I love. Next time… I'll bring another girl. No, at least two.]
Her mind immediately went to the other members of the team.
Though she could easily have chosen Euphilia, CC, or the others, Alpha decided the next time would involve the Night Raid girls. After all, they'd all had their eyes on him for quite some time — especially Beta, Epsilon, and Delta.
---xXx---
In a canyon infested with monsters—
"Haah!"
"Hiya!"
A dangerous place where ordinary people dared not tread.
Yet there, a black-haired, violet-eyed prince and a blonde, emerald-eyed princess advanced side by side, cutting through beasts with ease.
The princess wielded two magical swords, her graceful movements sharp and practiced. Every strike sliced clean through hardened monster hide; every kill was efficient and precise. She was clearly an experienced hunter.
The prince, meanwhile, moved as if on a leisurely stroll.
In his left hand, he held a sword as dark as obsidian — Vorpal.
In his right, a holy blade that gleamed with divine light — Terminus Est.
With those two swords, Leon was an unstoppable force.
No monster could withstand even a single strike. He didn't bother using sword techniques; a mere burst of sword energy was enough to annihilate A+ ranked beasts.
"Wow! Where did you find that sword? It's insanely strong! Can I study it later?" Anis's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she reached toward the blades — only for Leon to stop her.
"Probably not, sister. These aren't ordinary weapons. They're sentient — bound to me alone. No one else is permitted to wield them."
"A weapon with its own will? That's amazing!"
"Yeah… Leini found that out the hard way this morning. The moment she tried to touch one, it nearly cut off her hand."
Leon smiled wryly. The poor vampire had burst into tears as she regenerated her hand.
He brushed his fingers along the obsidian blade, admiring its ominous beauty. It matched perfectly with his alter ego — Midnight, the King of the Night who ruled the underworld.
The Vorpal Sword was equal in rank to Terminus Est, though their powers were opposites.
Where Terminus Est purified and destroyed evil, Vorpal enveloped everything in darkness. Each strike unleashed waves of dark energy capable of inflicting irreparable wounds.
"Alright, it's rare for us to go monster hunting together. Do you have a goal for today?"
"Yes! I recently became an S-Class adventurer, and while I was checking reports, I found mention of a monster in this area — a huge, powerful one!"
"How strong are we talking?"
"Maybe… strong enough to withstand two of your regular attacks!"
"Wow~ That's a tough one, huh? Not bad," Leon said with a grin.
A creature capable of surviving two of his strikes was indeed rare — almost worthy of respect.
Gripping the Vorpal and Holy Swords, Leon looked ahead, a faint thrill lighting his violet eyes.
Let's see, he thought — would this beast truly be able to withstand even a few of his blows?
(End of Chapter)
It's kind of annoying to admit this, but the updates will continue every two days until around January 2nd or 3rd.