The Weight of a Promise
"Senior Sister, what’s wrong? You don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?"
Leon’s voice was gentle—almost concerned. Almost.
But the faint curve at the corner of his lips betrayed him.
He already knew exactly what was wrong.
Maya’s fingers were clenched so tightly at her sides that her knuckles had gone pale. For soone who prided herself on composure, the crack in her expression was almost comical. Her carefully arranged sche had just collapsed in front of her—and she had no one to bla but the man standing before her.
Leon watched her with quiet, shaless satisfaction.
a but the man standing before her. Leon watched her with quiet, shaless satisfaction.
It had to be said—although Respected Zeon had only taught him for three short days before conveniently dying like a proper swindler—the treasures he left behind were unexpectedly useful.
The old fox might have been many things. Honest was not one of them.
But effective? Absolutely.
That lotus pendant alone had nearly stolen Amaya’s heart the mont she saw it.
Leon had noticed the shift instantly—the way her eyes lit up, the way her breath caught, the way her fingers lingered just a little too long when he placed it in her palm.
To him, it was nothing extraordinary. Just another trinket from a questionable inheritance.
But as a gesture? As leverage? As a quiet way to tilt affection and loyalty in his favor?
Extrely effective.
Maya finally snapped out of her frozen silence.
"I’m perfectly fine," she said stiffly.
The words were controlled. The tone was not.
A slight tilt of Leon’s head as he watched her closely.
"Are you certain?" he asked, voice smooth. "You look... distressed."
Her eyes fluttered open, shifting from one face to the other.
"Teacher, are you truly alright?" she asked softly. "You seem upset."
That did it.
Fists clenched, Maya fixed her eyes on Leon like he’d just stolen sothing precious. A cold stillness settled between them, sharp as broken glass.
Should glares hold power, the Guardian Elder might have crumbled into dust right then.
A gust caught her blue hair when she spun, sending strands slicing through the stillness. Her arms cut wide, fabric snapping like a flag in wind. Off she moved, silent now, boots striking stone with cold precision. Each footfall landed hard, as though punishing the earth beneath. Gone was any hint of softness - just motion, fierce and unyielding.
Out of habit, Amaya shouted the word - her foot already moving ahead. A single sound, sharp with urgency.
Yet Maya kept moving.
Back there went his hands, fingers laced as he stood still. Her shape moved away, shrinking into distance under his quiet gaze.
For just a mont, Amaya paused - caught between leaving or not. Back she swung to face Leon, irritation fading as sothing sparkly took hold, humming under her skin.
Starting off might be , Guardian Elder," she began, a grin spreading before she could stop it.
Heat filled the air at last. A question stirred in their eyes. What ca next held its breath.
"I’ll visit the Athyst Summit Division when I have ti," she added, trying - and failing - to sound casual.
A small shift pulled Leon’s eyebrows upward.
"Oh?" he said lightly. "You’re most welco. The Athyst Summit Division rarely receives such distinguished guests."
Amaya’s cheeks flushed faintly.
Her words ca out quiet, almost hesitant. Yet her grin stretched wider as she spoke them. A short silence followed before she leaned in slightly. The charm around her neck caught the light when she whispered, It ans more than I first let on. Appreciate it
Fingers curled slow around the lotus charm, grip firm yet gentle like breath on glass. Then stillness ca.
A flicker passed through Leon’s eyes, not warmth, yet sothing asured settling behind them.
"I’m glad," he replied calmly. "It suits you."
Her eyes lit up further after those few words.
A quiet sigh slipped out of Amaya, like a loose thread finally pulled tight.
"That’s settled then," she said, straightening. "I’ll be leaving now. Goodbye, Guardian Elder."
Out of nowhere, her fingers curled tight around the lotus charm, holding on like it could vanish in a breath. A quick wave slipped from her fingertips - soft, barely there - and off she went behind Maya, steps fast but quiet.
Leon watched them disappear into the distance.
And then—
[Ding...]
[You have gifted a high-grade treasure — Lotus Pendant — triggering a Ten-Thousand-Fold Return.]
Leon blinked.
"Hmm? That works too?"
His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
"System... are you mistaken?"
The Grand Return System responded instantly.
[Host, the system is correct.]
[Amaya is a student of Celestis Academy. The Academy chosen by the host is also Celestis Academy.]
[Any student of Celestis Academy can trigger a Ten-Thousand-Fold Return.]
Leon’s expression shifted slowly.
"Oh..."
Understanding dawned.
"So it can be used like this."
A faint grin appeared.
Didn’t that an—
He could stroll into other Divisions, casually gift treasures, and trigger returns regardless of whether he officially accepted them as students?
Even if he failed to poach them, he would still profit.
A guaranteed win.
However, Leon did not accept just anyone.
Character mattered.
He had no interest in raising ingrates who might later bite the hand that fed them. Cleaning up such sses would be exhausting.
[Do you wish to activate?]
"Activate."
[Ding... Congratulations, Host. You have triggered a hundredfold critical strike and obtained: Seven Petals Spirit Lotus.]
A faint glow materialized in Leon’s palm.
A jade-like lotus, translucent and radiant, with seven delicate petals layered in spiraling symtry.
"Seven Petals Spirit Lotus..."
He studied it carefully.
A vast amount of pure Mana pulsed within — deep, steady, refined. The aura alone was far more stable than ordinary spiritual cores.
With it on his person, cultivation speed would increase significantly. It also possessed detoxifying properties, capable of neutralizing potent poisons.
Leon’s lips curved.
"Interesting."
He chuckled quietly to himself.
"To receive sothing this good just by gifting a pendant and chatting with a beauty... not bad. Not bad at all."
He secured the Seven Petals Spirit Lotus within his robe, feeling the steady warmth of its energy settling against his chest.
Not far away—
Selena was still kneeling amid the ruins.
Ash drifted lightly in the wind.
Charred beams lay broken across the ground. The once-lively courtyard of her childhood had long since collapsed into blackened stone and silence.
She sifted through debris carefully, fingers brushing against splintered wood and cracked tiles. At last, she uncovered a small wooden box — half-burned, but intact.
Inside were trivial things.
A faded ribbon.
A chipped hairpin.
A fragnt of embroidered cloth.
Worthless to others.
Priceless to her.
She held them gently, lips trembling for a brief second before she forced them still.
After a while, she stood.
Her blue eyes lingered on the broken wall where childish ink marks still faintly stained the soot-black surface — clumsy characters she had written long ago.
Leon did not interrupt her.
He simply waited.
When she finally turned and walked back to him, her steps were steady.
"Teacher," she said softly, "let’s go."
Leon studied her face for a mont.
"Aren’t you going to continue searching?" he asked quietly. "Who knows when you’ll return next."
Selena glanced back one last ti.
The wind stirred the ashes.
The silence answered her.
"No," she said, voice firm despite the faint shimr in her eyes. "Father and Mother are gone. This ho is gone too. No matter how long I stand here... they won’t return."
She inhaled slowly.
"It only makes sad."
The determination in her tone surprised even Leon.
She had not broken.
She had hardened.
He gave a small nod.
"Yeah," he said gently. "Let’s go."
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