After listening to the recount of Faelyn's discovery inside of the Heart of Spring Chamber below the Elder Tree, Leon's brows were furrowed.
"I see… Your eldest brother and second eldest sister were both infected by Demonic Energy while cultivating… I'm sorry for your loss… and for making you recall this," He said before continuing to frown in thought.
"Don't be." Faelyn shook her head with a sad but helpless look. No matter what, she cannot change what had already happened.
Seeing Leon seemed to have something on his mind, she could not help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
"I think I am starting to understand King Erendriel's series of actions now. He was actually a good and wise king, wasn't he? Your father, that is." Leon shortly spoke.
Faelyn's eyelashes trembled along with her heart.
She had not intended to tell anyone about her father's good deeds and keep the secret buried in her heart.
It was better if the elves never learn the truth and have their hearts aligned with the Supreme Elder and humans. Otherwise, her father's efforts and sacrifice would be in vain.
However, it seemed as though Leon had understood something about her father without her telling him about it.
"You… What makes you say that? You don't dislike my father after how he treated you?" Faelyn queried with a slightly trembling voice while doing her best to hide it.
Leon nodded and said, "If we think about it, the plan to relocate the elves to the Human Domain had proceeded far more smoothly than I would have hoped. There should have been some elves that are reluctant to leave…"
"…But thanks to your father's act, he had pushed all his supporters to the Supreme Elder's side instead. This seems far too convenient to be a mere coincidence…"
"…On top of that, your father did not seem to have pulled have sharp punches at the Supreme Elder when they battled. While it seemed like he was out for the Supreme Elder's blood, he had only used blunt attacks…"
"…Another thing to note is that I've found an incredible amount of Demonic Energy inside King Erendriel's head. Such quantity should have made him berserk, but he was able to retain his sanity for so long due to the defense he constructed around his mind…"
"…Alas, he must have known that it was only a matter of time before he went pletely berserk due to his flawed defense. This must be why he concocted such an elaborate plan to gather hatred onto himself and force everyone to leave…"
Of course, the tribe can be forced into leaving with their sheer strength and authority, but the tribe would not be as united, leaving behind a seed of trouble and dissension for the future.
However, thanks to King Erendriel's actions, Leon would not have to worry about the elves causing trouble while integrating them into the Crawford Empire. He would only need to worry about the human's side.
"…Everything makes sense if we follow this line of thinking. Your father should have been quite the wise ruler for decades. It makes no sense for him to suddenly stumble at the last moment due to prejudice against humans…"
As Leon continued to speak, he was still unsure if King Erendriel had also predicted the rat tide using the subterranean passageways to arrive in the tribe.
If King Erendriel had known this and made use of the information by giving the tribesmen first-hand experience of the danger, which forcefully raised the elves' awareness of the threat underneath the tribe and pelled them into leaving, then King Erendriel's foresight was simply too terrifying.
"…Towards a king who thought and sacrificed himself for the wellness of his people while knowing his time was limited, I only have admiration and respect for such a person," Leon stated.
Alas, if Elf King's symptoms were realized sooner, he could have removed the Demonic Energy and cured the Elf King.
However, King Erendriel had most likely chosen this path of self-sacrifice after losing his will to live. The depression that came from the loss of his wife and the killing of his two children must have broken the person.
"Uh… What's wrong, Faelyn?" Leon asked after realizing silent tears have been dripping down from Faelyn's cheeks all this while.
As he wiped her tears, Faelyn grabbed his hand and held it on her cheeks before smiling brightly, "Nothing… I just think I really like you now… like a lot!"
His words had brought her great consolation, and at the same time, touched her heart greatly.
Knowing there was at least another person who recognized her father's deed and sacrifice gave her heart some peace and fort.
If she had heard Leon's words of respect after explaining everything about her father to him, then the impact would not have been significant.
However, it was precisely because Leon understood everything on his own that his words had a significant impact on her heart.
Leon was taken aback by Faelyn's words before asking intriguingly with a grin, "Now? What happened to saying that you liked me earlier then?"
"Uh… I don't know what you are talking about. We have been inside the warm bath for a long while now. W-We should leave." Faelyn said as she changed the topic and got out of the bath to leave.
However, Leon grabbed her hand and gave a sudden yank, causing Faelyn to fall back into the bath with a splash as she cried, "Kyaaa!"
"What are you doing, Leon?!" Faelyn asked with a reproving gaze. Her hair had bee soaked in the bathwater.
Leon suddenly pulled her closer before he whispered into her ears, "On second thoughts, I'll have you help me relieve this little brother down here."
"W-What?" Faelyn herself away slightly with an angry blush before she hammered his chest, "You're a rogue! I thought you were a gentleman."
"A gentleman is when courting women, while a rogue is after having courted women," Leon grinned before standing up.
His bulging dragon was shown in the full display after the towel fell loose.
"Kyaaa!" Faelyn immediately exclaimed after taking a glance. Her face became deeply flushed as she cried, "Don't show me such a thing!"
"Are you saying you don't want to help me?" Leon asked slyly after seeing Faelyn peeking between the gaps in her fingers. "Just your hands will do."
"F-Fine…" Faelyn shortly agreed in defeat.
A brighter flush of embarrassment was hung on her face after knowing her sneaky peek was found out.
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