"Hello, I'm Victor Leon."
Leo stepped forward and shook the man's hand firmly.
"I'm Victor Black. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Victor offered a warm smile and gestured toward the chair in front of the desk. "Victor isn't the most common name—you're actually the first person I've met who shares it." As he settled into his own seat, his tone turned businesslike. "So, tell me, how can I help you?"
"I'm looking for the Avalon Pirates," Leo said calmly.
Victor tilted his head slightly. "Avalon? And may I ask why?"
Leo gave a faint smile. "I want to join them."
Victor raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "Join them? That's not something you hear every day. To my knowledge, Avalon doesn't recruit—at least not in any formal way."
"He'll recruit me," Leo replied, his tone unwavering.
"You're quite confident," Victor observed, folding his hands on the desk. After a short pause, he sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't share anything about them, but Gerard spoke highly of you. I trust his judgment. The Avalons are currently out at sea."
Leo's brows furrowed, disappointment flickering across his face.
"I'm not finished," Victor continued, noticing the change in expression. "They've been gone for a while now, which likely means they'll be returning soon."
Leo leaned forward slightly. "And how will I know when they're back?"
"I'll let him know you're looking. If he's interested in meeting, he'll find you."
Leo gave a curt nod and rose to his feet. "Then I won't take any more of your time."
Victor nodded in return and looked toward Fabio, who immediately stepped forward and opened the door for Leo.
"I'll walk you to the gates," Fabio said politely.
As he walked through the office, Leo paused at the threshold and turned back toward Victor.
"When you see him, tell him… his father sent me." Without waiting for a reply, Leo turned and followed Fabio out, leaving Victor staring after him, clearly caught off guard.
As they descended the steps, Fabio spoke up with sudden enthusiasm.
"Mr. Victor, you're a warrior, right?" he asked with a grin.
"Something like that," Leo replied with a faint smile.
"I could tell! Your build's impressive. I'm an alchemist, like my master." He suddenly looked sheepish. "Oops—I probably shouldn't have said that. Please don't tell him I mentioned it."
"I won't," Leo assured him.
Fabio relaxed. "Thanks! What rank are you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm C-plus." He held up his hands nervously. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Leo sighed lightly. "B-rank."
"B-rank?" Fabio's voice lifted in awe. "That explains it—I felt this heavy pressure around you. Your mana's really dense."
"Pressure?" Leo repeated with curiosity.
"Yeah, your presence… it's strong. I could feel it the moment you walked up to the gate."
They soon reached the mansion's outer gates.
"If you have free time later, let's hang out," Fabio said with a cheerful smile.
Leo gave a polite nod. "Sure."
Finally free from conversation, Leo made his way back toward the tavern. As he entered, Gerard's voice rang out.
"Victor! How was it? Did you find what you were looking for?"
Leo gave a slight shrug. "He said he'll contact me. Thanks again, Mr. Gerard."
"I was just returning the favor," Gerard replied with a wave.
Leo nodded and headed toward the stairs. "Then if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
He entered his room and sat in the chair, letting his mind settle. Thoughts began to race. Soon, he would meet Arthur—but more importantly, there were key things he needed to do moving forward.
First, he needed to increase his strength and rank so he could gain access to deeper knowledge about domains. Second, he needed to keep an eye on the three individuals he had already marked as potential members of his domain. And third, he needed to find a way to make contact with this world from his domain, if someone asked for help during the upcoming meeting and he couldn't respond as a god, it would raise suspicions.
To start, he decided to get new training bracelets. The ones he currently wore had become too light since turning half-vampire. His enhanced strength made the old ones nearly useless.
He also planned to buy a new spellbook—something suitable for his rank. Practicing and casting new spells would be a great way to further increase his mana and control.
He spent the next few hours in his domain, casting spells and training to improve his control. He only stopped once his mana reserves were nearly depleted. After leaving the domain, he made his way to a shop Gerard had mentioned.
It took a bit of wandering to find it, but eventually, he arrived. Inside, he purchased two bracelets, each weighing 110 pounds—the heaviest the shop offered. Once activated, they added a total of 220 pounds of weight. He strapped them on without hesitation.
He also bought a B-rank spellbook focused on enchantments. It cost a considerable amount, but Leo still had around a thousand coins left.
After returning and having something to eat, Leo entered his domain once more and started reading his new book. From the various spells listed within, he chose two that stood out to him. The first was Weight Enchantment, which would allow him to enchant his own items with increased weight—ideal for training and strengthening his body. The second was Gravity Trap, a spell that could increase the gravitational force within a designated trap zone, useful in different situations.
Thankfully, now that he could use his own blood, he had far greater flexibility in spellcasting—especially for enchantments that required precise carvings or markings on items or surfaces.
Once he finished studying, he used the Mirror of Truth and spent the rest of the day observing the three individuals he had marked as potential members of his domain, watching them carefully from afar.
…
Oryu stood in his room, gazing out the window at the endless expanse of snow that blanketed everything in sight. The cold outside mirrored the stillness within, a moment of quiet before the storm to come.
A sharp knock broke the silence. A moment later, a man in a sleek black suit stepped inside.
"Sir, Lord Iralian Desimus is waiting for you in his chamber."
Oryu gave a single nod. "Then let's not keep him waiting."
He followed the man down a series of dim corridors until they reached a heavy door. The man knocked once, then opened it. They stepped inside.
The room was spacious but unsettling. Lord Iralian sat in a large, imposing chair behind a dark wooden desk. Shadows clung to the walls like living things, a void-like darkness that seemed to shift and ripple, as if unseen creatures moved within. Oryu caught the motion in the corner of his eye but chose to ignore it.
He walked forward until he stood before the desk and gave a respectful bow. "You summoned me?"
Iralian nodded. "Yes. We've received our new orders."
"So he has finally made his decision," Oryu said, referring, of course, to the God of Madness. "What is his will?"
"The plan to assassinate the Pope is officially underway," Iralian replied.
Oryu's eyes widened in shock, and then a twisted smile curled across his face. The excitement in his expression was unmistakable.
"Don't look so pleased just yet," Iralian said sharply. "There are steps to follow. This mission cannot, must not, fail."
"What do you need from me?" Oryu asked, tone eager.
"There's a list of high rank artifacts we must acquire first." Iralian tossed a folded parchment across the desk.
Oryu caught it and unfolded it quickly. As he read, his eyes grew even wider.
"These... all of them are connected to the God of Light?"
"Exactly," Iralian confirmed. "Each one is a key. When we collect them all, we'll be ready for the final phase."
Oryu stared at the list, then grinned darkly. After all this time, they were finally on the path to bringing down that sanctimonious old man. And when it was done, he—the faithful servant of the God of Light—would claim his place as the most devout of all.
…
Leo spent the next day much like the previous one, with a few additions. He went for a morning run, the weight of his new bracelets pressing heavily against his limbs, pushing his strength further. After breakfast, he continued reading his spellbook, training with his newly learned spells—Weight Enchantment and Gravity Trap—and carefully observing the three candidates he had marked using the Mirror of Truth.
He also made several attempts to use his domain to interact with the real world, but every effort ended in failure. Whatever barrier separated his domain from the material plane remained intact.
That night, unable to settle down, he decided to go for another run before bed. The streets were quiet, almost eerily so. He passed through a few dimly lit alleys, his senses alert. He could feel eyes on him—lurking, watching from the shadows.
As he entered the next alley, three figures blocked his path at the far end. He stopped. A second later, four more figures stepped in behind him, sealing off the exit. Among them was a familiar face—Juri.
A tall man holding a mace stepped forward from the group ahead.
"I heard you beat the shit out of our boy here," he said with a cocky grin.
Leo stood firm. "You heard right."
Though he answered confidently, his mental defenses were already up. Juri was a C-rank. If he had backup, Leo had to assume at least one of them was stronger.
The man's grin widened. "Either you don't know who he is, or you're just an idiot. He's from the Galious family."
He took another step closer. "But I'm a patient man. Drop to your knees, beg for forgiveness, and I'll let you walk away. I'm a man of my word."
"I refuse."
The man's face darkened. "Is that so?"
Without warning, a werewolf launched from behind the leader, claws outstretched, aiming straight for Leo's throat. But Leo had already seen it coming—thanks to his vision spells. His right hand snapped up, palm facing the incoming beast. In an instant, the Thorn burst from his hand, piercing deep into the creature's body mid-leap. The werewolf crashed to the ground, thrashing in agony as its body began to wither and dry. In seconds, all that remained was a mummified husk.
Leo calmly pulled two small vials from his bag. He collected the blood still dripping from his blade into them, sealing them tight.
"This could be useful later," he muttered.
The leader gritted his teeth. "Kill him!"
The rest of the group charged—warriors, assassins, even a caster among them. But Leo, whose power now neared A-rank, was more than prepared. The fight lasted only minutes. He moved with lethal precision, dispatching them one by one until the alley was littered with the fallen. Juri, who was watching, started running when he saw the slaughter.
Only one enemy remained—another werewolf lurking at the far end of the alley. But before the beast could react, a sword thrust through its chest from behind.
The figure behind the kill stepped forward, emerging from the shadows. Leo immediately recognized the man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with short blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and the confident air of someone born to lead. Arthur Avalon.
"I heard you were looking for me, Mr. Victor Black," Arthur said, lowering his weapon.
Leo gave a small smile. "Yes, I was. Your father told me to find you." He took a step forward. "And you can call me Leo."
"Leo?" Arthur repeated.
"My real name is Leo Mantine. I'm from Flesa."
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. He then turned to the trembling leader of the attackers, still alive and frozen in place.
"Tell your family leader," Arthur said coldly, "that this man is one of my crew. Come for him again, and I'll wipe out all of you."
The man nodded frantically and bolted down the alley.
Arthur turned back to Leo. "Don't get me wrong—I don't fully trust you yet."
Leo gave a knowing grin. "Then should I call you by your full name, Mr. Champion of the Light?"
Arthur's expression hardened. "Don't call me that." He turned and began walking. "Follow me."