Chapter 67: Leo shining (2)

“Whoaahhhh!”

Albert’s hair stood on end, regaining its golden hue, and his ice-blue eyes held an undeniable murderous intent. Seeing this, Lena screamed inwardly.

Moreover, the man who had been slammed to the ground, Alir Ad, slowly rose and began to laugh menacingly.

“Hahaha, you have arrived late, Prince of Weitz. By now, your beloved has either been ravaged by lowly men or choked on her blood!”

“What!?”

“Stop it!”

Albert seemed to understand the rapid Elrandic language perfectly, and Lena saw the light around him intensify, almost causing her to hold her cheeks in shock.

“She’s not dead! She’s not dead at all! He was just trying to make money! It was just a pig slaughter! Please, don’t lose control!”

The beautiful young miser you loved is now nonchalantly muttering, “This seems bad…!”

Lena wanted to plead with all her might, but no one could hear her internal screams.

As for Alir Ad, instead of making excuses, he seemed to be stirring the prince’s wrath even more. Does he not fear for his life?

But he, under the influence of the incense, had lost his senses and gazed out the window in a daze. He then fixed his eyes on the dark, somber sky before dawn, and an expression of joy crossed his face.

“Just a little more… Just a little more… Once the ritual is complete and the girl dies, the great dark spirit will appear! The sky will fill with lightning, and under the power of the spirit, dark clouds will blanket the continent! Then all power will be mine…!”

Following Alirl Ad’s gaze, Lena looked at the sky beyond the balcony and felt cold sweat trickling down her back. She tried to convince herself everything would be fine.

“Everything’s going to be fine… The ritual has failed. Once the sun rises safely, everyone will regain their senses.”

But then Leo muttered, “Oh, it flashed.”

CRACK!

At that moment, dark clouds covered the sky with incredible speed, and thunder roared.

“Noooo!”

As Lena cried tears of blood, she realized that Bruno was in the midst of trying to appease the dark spirit—a sign that the spirit had temporarily manifested and was growing stronger.

“Brunoooo! Your timing couldn’t be worse!”

She cursed the absent stoic boy, but of course, no one would know.

“Leo…!”

On the other side of the spirit veil, Albert had connected the ominous weather with the worst possible outcome. His eyes widened in shock.

He raised a hand to his face, and when he lowered it again, his entire body was enveloped in blue-white sparks, reminiscent of lightning.

Crackling, unsettling noises echoed. His swelling magic clashed with the spirits trying to contain it.

“This is bad, bad, bad…!”

Lena’s knees trembled as she estimated the power that would be unleashed.

It wasn’t just a matter of the room blowing up. If things went wrong, all of Elrand could become scorched earth.

“Le… Lena… Isn’t this bad? The prince’s hair color changed, didn’t it? And isn’t he glowing?”

Beside her, Leo tugged on her sleeve, offering a shaky smile and a belated question.

Lena grabbed his arm and shook him vigorously.

“It’s very bad! We need to stop him! Leo, do something about it!”

“No way! That’s magic, isn’t it? It’s about to explode! I don’t have the skills to stop magical explosions!”

“Even without skills, use your willpower! This is your fault! He’s all worked up worrying about you!”

The two pointed at the prince and whispered fiercely.

Was it right for an entire nation to fall because a miser only played at a pig slaughter?

No, that was unacceptable.

Lena made a difficult decision and spoke to Leo.

“Leo… go out there.”

“What?”

“Get out there now and say, ‘I’m alive!’ Snap the prince back to his senses!”

This meant giving up on escaping. Leo’s eyes widened in shock and confusion.

“What? But… Can I really stop him?”

“You have to! It has to stop!”

“Okay, but–“

Lena grasped Leo’s face with both hands, staring intensely at him.

“Listen. The prince cares about you. He’s worried sick because he loves you. You are driving him to the brink of madness. Do you not feel guilty for driving someone to the point of a magical outburst?”

“Ugh…”

Leo’s eyebrows lowered in embarrassment.

“Being loved is… something I’ve never experienced. I can’t understand it.”

It seemed he still couldn’t believe he was loved.

Given that they were both men, it might be understandable, but—

“By the way, if the prince’s magic explodes, your plan to start a tourist business in the lower town will go up in smoke!”

“That’s terrible! I’ll go right away!”

Irritated, Lena added more to her demands, and Leo made up his mind.

His expression tightened, and he showed more resolve than even Lena.

“Leave it to me. I’ll make sure he knows I’m okay and stop him!”

“And—don’t end up kissing the prince by accident!”

“No way! I’ll make sure to firmly reject him if he tries!”

Was it just her imagination, or did overly confident people make her more anxious?

Lena tried to avoid potential pitfalls.

“Just make sure to let him know you’re safe, okay? Don’t talk about the ritual’s details, the injuries you sustained, or anything gruesome.”

“Got it, I’ll keep it brief.”

“Don’t mention ‘Mistress’ or anything similar! Those words usually cause misunderstandings!”

“Not sure what you mean, but I’ll do as you say!”

What did he mean by not knowing but agreeing? It made her uneasy.

Lena considered other options but then heard Albert mutter in a flat tone.

“Unforgivable…”

He seemed to have lost almost all reason.

A bright flash of light crossed the sky, and Lena made up her mind.

“Okay… I’m counting on you…”

The escape plan was abandoned, and future escapes would be nearly impossible. But staying alive was the priority.

She crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.

“Wait, please!”

The beautiful young miser swept the spirit veil aside and rushed into the room with a clear voice.

In the darkness, illuminated by the lightning, the girl stepped forward, and everyone in the room gasped.

“I am alive! Please, calm down!”

Even in the dark, her fair skin, black hair, and amethyst eyes were apparent. She carried herself confidently, a beautiful young woman—Leonora von Hakenberg.

“Leonora!”

Albert’s eyes widened as soon as he saw her, and he quickly approached. He hugged Leo tightly.

“Thank goodness!”

He shouted hoarsely.

“Leonora! I was so worried! What happened—”

But as he released her and tried to look into her eyes, he froze.

Her delicate frame was covered in red and black liquid, and there were visible injuries on her ankles. Her hair was disheveled, and bruises marked her neck.

“What is this…?”

The most shocking sight was the blood that continued to drip onto the floor.

Albert suppressed the light radiating from his body but trembled with rage.

“What does this mean…?”

(Oh no!)

Leo reflexively flinched at the intensity.

But he told himself that many lives were at stake in Elrand’s lower town, not to mention the success of his planned tourism business. He steeled himself and placed his hand on the prince’s arm.

“I… I am fine! I was indeed locked up in a dungeon, but I managed to escape and am completely fine! No dark spirit was summoned!”

He followed Lena’s advice, keeping his explanation brief and straightforward.

“But this blood… is it not yours?”

“Ah, no, it’s… well, I’m fine.”

He avoided details and stayed concise.

“Were you not gravely injured?”

“I’m perfectly fine!”

He remained direct.

However, in doing so, the person didn’t realize that they seemed to be merely pretending to be uninjured while actually suffering severe injuries.

(Leo…! You… idiot…! Absolute fool…!)

Behind the spirit cloth, observing the exchange, Lena was pale due to Leo’s incompetence.

“Even though she says she’s fine… Even if there are no wounds, she must have been terribly frightened…!”

Of course, no one could hear the cry from her heart, and Albert, with a thoughtful frown, gripped the girl’s shoulder, attempting to assess her condition.

Leo, thinking he wasn’t showing enough signs of being okay, decided to add one more comment.

“I’m fine. I have Ka… uh, no, Lord Al here with me.”

He added a smile to emphasize the sense of relief.

Remembering the directive not to mention Lord Ka, Leo quickly replaced it with the golden spirit, Lord Al, but then realized that they were unfamiliar with Alta. Shocked, Leo covered his mouth.

“Oh, no! I mean… Lord Al is—”

“Leonora… It’s enough.”

But, of course, the situation made Leo look like a bashful, pure-hearted beauty who had mistakenly called the prince by his nickname in front of everyone.

Albert wore an expression that seemed either pierced through the heart or tightly clenched, trying to hold himself together.

He said, “That’s enough. Just… Let me feel that you’re truly unharmed.”

With that, he gently embraced the girl.

(Leo…! You… Leo…!)

Lena, watching them, was beginning to equate the name “Leo” with “idiot.”

She was sure that Leo’s mention of “Lord Al” had nothing to do with Alberto, and was instead related to something about money. The look of confusion on Leo’s face as she glanced over Albert’s shoulder seemed to confirm that suspicion.

Lena wanted to shout, “What’s going on here? Why is this happening?”

But she thought to herself, it was better than dying. It was better than starting a war or destroying a nation.

She tried to calm her breathing, telling herself that this was just one more episode added to the chronicles of the foolish money-hungry saint.

At that moment, Safita, who had been standing in shock, staggered over.

“You… You’re safe…!”

His face was pale as he scanned Leo’s body repeatedly, then fell to his knees.

“I’m so sorry…! Priestess of Weitz, what have I done to you…!”

His beautiful face twisted with remorse, and he cried out, blood in his voice. Leo could only feel confusion.

After all, it was Alir Ad who had abducted her to offer as a sacrifice to the dark spirit. Safita had been a bit unpleasant at times, but he hadn’t done much else.

(Is he trapped in another round of self-reproach, blaming himself for everything?)

Thinking of how some people blame themselves for their subordinates’ mistakes, or believe the existence of evil is due to their own incompetence.

Leo had once consoled him for a corrupted spirit, yet it seemed Safita’s suffering ran deep.

So Leo subtly pulled away from Albert’s arm and hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Well, I don’t blame you for anything, Safita. You already have your own burdens… Please don’t push yourself too far.”

When Leo soothed him in her native tongue, the reassurance seemed to resonate with Safita. His eyes widened, and he shook his head in awe.

“Such… kindness…”

He was deeply moved by Leo’s patience in enduring unimaginable ordeals while considering the weight of Safita’s duties.

“Leonora… What are you talking about?”

Albert seemed lost, unable to grasp the context around the “orb.”

Leo realized she couldn’t discuss such personal matters, especially under these circumstances.

“Well, I can’t really talk about it here…”

“No, it’s alright, Priestess of Weitz.”

But Safita interjected.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the spirit orb, placed on the pedestal in the center of the room. The orb, which had grown murkier as dark clouds spread across the sky, held his gaze.

“I no longer believe the orb’s corruption is due to Weitz’s magic. I was foolish. I won’t attack wrongly again.”

Safita believed Leo had considered the international repercussions, choosing not to lash out at others. However, Leo thought he was simply abandoning his previous aggressive stance.

“Is that so? You’re considering your surroundings and facing forward now.”

“Yes. Your words opened my eyes.”

Their eyes met, and they nodded in agreement, but their thoughts were miles apart.

“Why…?”

A cracked voice cut through the air.

It was Alir Ad, restrained by Gustav. His once well-groomed hair was disheveled, and his eyes glinted with madness as he stared blankly at the sky beyond the balcony.

“Why… Why is she alive… Was the ritual a failure…? Impossible…”

But he heard the thunder that tore through the sky, followed by the cries of the people below. He smiled, lips foaming.

“No… That’s not possible… The spirit has already manifested…! Daughter of Weitz! You may be standing there, but surely your body has been defiled…!?”

“How dare you—!”

Gustav immediately pushed Alir Ad back down, but Alir Ad thrashed, raising his head and shouting.

“That’s right! The sacrifice was your virgin suffering, that’s why you’re alive, isn’t it!? Hah! The black clouds that appeared that night are proof!”

He glared at the dark, ominous clouds spreading across the sky.

It should have been daylight by now, but the sun was still obscured by darkness, creating a night-like atmosphere. The crowd, gathered at the shrine, reacted in shock.

“Leonora…?”

“Priestess!”

The men looked at her in a panic, but Leo was even more anxious.

(Alir Ad, you fool! You’ve ruined my attempts to prove I’m alright!)

Leo glanced at Albert, who was radiating magical energy, stunned by the turn of events. Leo paled.

After all, this was Lena’s body, and it couldn’t be defiled without her consent.

Panicking, Leo shouted, “Don’t believe him! I told you, I’m fine!”

She clenched her fists and rushed to the balcony to find evidence.

“Look, calm down and observe. Do you see any dark spirits? It’s just a bit of bad weather; this is purely coincidence.”

She opened the window and stepped onto the balcony.

Leo, who grew up predicting the weather for her family’s sales, was confident in his ability to forecast.

Suddenly, the wind slammed into her, and she heard the shrieks of the people below. The unexpected size of the crowd was startling, but she focused on proving her innocence.

Unaware that Bruno was indeed summoning dark spirits, Leo firmly believed the dark clouds were coincidental.

“Look! The dark clouds will soon clear, and the morning sun will shine! A dazzling light—”

But then something unexpected happened.

“Light!”

As Leo raised her voice and pointed to the sky, a blinding light burst forth.

The dark clouds vanished, and sunlight bathed the area.

Bruno had successfully summoned and calmed the dark spirits, causing them to disperse. This timing made it seem like Leo had banished the darkness and called upon the light.

(Bruno! Your timing is too perfect!)

Lena, still hiding behind the spirit cloth, collapsed, scraping the wall.

But the irony didn’t end there.

As the dark spirits left, taking away any malice and impurities with them, the dark clouds dispersed, and the orb cleared.

Leo’s blood-stained clothes miraculously turned back to pristine white.

“Leonora…!”

“What…!”

Her clothes, stained with pig’s blood, transformed into a pure white priestess outfit, as if freshly laundered.