That afternoon, after Ophelia left by ship, in the Temple in the Depths of the Labyrinth, Leon and Rena sat together in the rest area and talked about what had happened that day.
“An arranged eting?” Rena, who was pouring water, trembled when she heard Leon say that, and tea splashed onto the table.
“Yes, it was actually an arranged eting.” Leon calmly stood up and wiped the tea off the table with a cloth. “They said it was an inspection of the Labyrinth, but in reality, the Earl had his daughter co to inspect .”
“You rejected her, right?” Rena imdiately fixed her eyes tightly on Leon’s, anxiety filling them.
The inexplicable attitude Ophelia had shown toward the two of them, and her act of inviting Leon to dine alone, now had an explanation.
To beco the Earl’s son-in-law and inherit this Underworld kingdom together with the Earl’s daughter—such temptation was no small thing.
“I didn’t get the chance to say it.” Leon replied.
“What did you say?” Rena once again looked as though the sky had collapsed.
What did he an he did not get the chance to reject her? Was that not the sa as being unable to refuse?
Had this man ultimately chosen profit over loyalty, abandoning wife and child?
“Before I could reject her, Ophelia eliminated first. She couldn’t accept that I had feelings for you. She even emphasized that she was the one choosing , not the other way around. That woman has strong pride—she probably wouldn’t be able to accept being rejected by .” Leon said.
“So?” Rena blinked.
“So this matter should be over just like that.” Leon shrugged.
Rena finally let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that, but seeing Leon’s thoughtful expression, she grew suspicious again. “You… don’t tell you feel it’s a pity?”
“A pity?” Leon raised a brow at Rena, then burst out laughing. “Why would I?”
“Because if you married that woman, you’d beco the Earl’s son-in-law. You could inherit this enterprise too. You’ve now beco the Director of the Inquisition in the Church—if you also had this enterprise backing you, you’d have the chance to gain the sa status and power as the Earl, wouldn’t you?” Rena muttered softly.
“Ah!” Leon suddenly showed a look of realization and slapped his thigh. “That’s right! How did I not think of that?”
“Hey!” Rena widened her eyes.
“Just joking.” Leon grinned, then quickly withdrew his smile. “But inheriting the Earl’s enterprise? Gaining the sa status as him? If we’re talking about jokes, yours was far more brilliant.”
“What do you an?” Rena looked utterly confused.
“If I married Ophelia, that would be impossible.” Leon said seriously. “Rena, to be honest with you—even without you, I would still try my best to avoid getting entangled with that woman.”
“Really?” Rena clearly did not believe him.
“Ophelia already made it very clear. What the Earl wants is soone who can assist her, not soone to replace her as heir. She has been by the Earl’s side since childhood, building this enterprise with him. She is the second Earl! When speaking of Arend Island, she casually said she could kill Viscount Arend and his daughter to seize the land. She couldn’t accept that I liked another woman, yet she could accept using you emotionally. Do you think soone like that would be willing to share power with anyone?” Leon asked in return.
Rena was dumbfounded. Ophelia’s values were completely beyond her comprehension.
“Rena, how do you think the Earl treats ?” Leon asked.
“Not bad, I guess—he gave quite favorable terms. He fulfilled the support ntioned in your agreent, and even considered marrying his daughter to you. It feels like he appreciates you.” Rena answered hesitantly.
“Then why do you think he appreciates ?” Leon continued.
“Isn’t it because you’ve had similar experiences?”
“Are they really similar? Let’s suppose my experiences were truly the sa as his. If, at that ti, I had chosen to abandon you, and without you I no longer had the ans to operate the Labyrinth to supply Mana for him—if he found out that I was Fenrir, how do you think he would deal with ?” Leon stared into Rena’s eyes.
“Uh—” Rena was at a loss for words.
“There’s sothing I don’t think I ever told you. The Earl originally had a cadre in River Valley County, nicknad Jero. He was the Earl’s own nephew and, by all accounts, greatly trusted. According to Father Auden’s evaluation, Jero wasn’t particularly skilled in managent, but the Earl was still willing to use him—probably because of that blood relation. At the very least, Jero was trustworthy to him.
“But during the turmoil in Hal Town, Jero privately sent assassins to kill Potter, nearly disrupting the Earl’s plans. Because of that mistake, the Earl executed him. That’s how we ended up being assigned River Valley County.” Leon said.
“His own nephew? Executed?” Rena was stunned.
“Yes, his own nephew could be executed. So think about it—what would a son-in-law count for in his eyes?” Leon smiled faintly.
Rena had no response.
“Rena, the reason the Earl appreciates is because of my value. As long as my value is high enough, I’m considered talent—a handy tool. The only person he has genuine feelings for is Ophelia, so he wanted to hand this handy tool over to his daughter. But to them, the day a tool ceases to be useful, it is discarded on the spot.” Leon said calmly.
The Earl had spoken of appreciation, yet when it ca to which Church Leon should join and his dealings with Weiss, the Earl had simply issued orders through Bishop Beckett without even discussing it with him. A tool was not ant to possess independent will that contradicted its master.
Leon still rembered that the Earl’s deepest reflection on the story of Icarus was that one must neither fly too low nor too high.
In his internal conflict with the cadre Mr. Bar, the Earl and Bishop Beckett had chosen to stand aside and let him handle it himself. Thus, he had seized Mr. Bar’s goods to teach him a lesson.
For the Earl, the greatest function of such internal checks was to prevent any subordinate from growing too dominant.
That man would never allow those under him to fly too high.
Ophelia might have been sowhat immature compared to the Earl, but in essence she was cut from the sa cloth. She permitted him to treat Rena as a tool; viewed from another angle, Leon himself was rely a tool to her.
Ophelia had been frank with him, but that frankness stemd from the fact that she did not truly regard him as an equal. A tool in one’s hand would never pose a threat.
Completely attaching himself to them might bring temporary glory, but in the end, his fate would always rest in their hands. One misstep would lead to eternal damnation.
“Then it’s fortunate this matter ended safely—” Rena suddenly felt lingering fear.
“Yes. We can’t beco their enemies, but we shouldn’t get too close either. We must stick to our own goals.” Leon let out a long breath. “Now that this is settled, I should put the plan on the schedule. The day after tomorrow—will that work?”
Weiss’s dicine had been proven effective in reversing the illness in Magical Beasts. Next, it would be used on Sally, but before that, they needed to let Sally undergo the ritual to beco a Witch.
Now that Leon had beco the Director of the Inquisition and had quietly placed two of his own subordinates inside it, and with the local prison under his full control, arranging for Sally to complete the ritual—by making slight use of his authority—was achievable.
Rena also possessed the knowledge of the ritual to beco a Witch passed down from her grandmother. The conditions were essentially all prepared.
“Any day works. I’m just not very confident—I’ve never tried it before.” Rena still felt uneasy.
“There’s always a first ti for everything. Let’s try it first and see.” Leon smiled encouragingly.
Two days later, at the largest port in the Foyle region—Ronfuert Port.
Countless ships of all sizes gathered at the harbor. Vessels entering and leaving packed the water’s surface. From the perspective of a soaring seabird looking down, the ships resembled swarms of ants drawn toward a lump of sugar, clustering and crowding as they moved back and forth. The roads surrounding the port were likewise jamd with wagons hauling goods.
Ronfuert, a comrcial hub built single-handedly by the Earl Foyle, whose wealth rivaled that of a nation, was also the Empire’s largest port facing the countries and colonies of the Eastern Continent.
At the busiest hour, an ard cargo ship sailed straight toward the harbor, ringing its bell to warn surrounding vessels to give way. The other ships indeed parted, allowing it to cut in line and enter first.
Because the ship flew a flag embroidered with a sun emblem—the family crest banner of the Earl Foyle.
That ant it belonged to the local lord and master of the port. Naturally, it had the right of priority.
The Purple Thistle, bearing the sun-crest banner, soon docked. Shortly afterward, Ophelia, dressed in a long gown and wearing a veiled hat, disembarked under the escort of a team of attendants.
With attendants clearing the way, she moved almost unimpeded across the docks.
She passed through the port area and arrived by the main road, where a luxurious carriage was already waiting. A middle-aged gentleman standing before it like a butler imdiately smiled and bowed respectfully to her. “It has been a long ti, Miss Ophelia. The long journey must have been tiring.”
“All has been well, Bishop Beckett.” Ophelia nodded to him.
“Please, get in.” Bishop Beckett opened the carriage door.
Ophelia boarded. Inside the spacious carriage, the Earl Foyle sat with a cane in hand, his eyes full of mirth. “Ophelia.”
The pride that had never left Ophelia’s face finally faded. She smiled sweetly at him and took the seat opposite. “I’m back, Father.”
“You’ve t him, I presu. How was it?” The Earl Foyle imdiately inquired about the outco of this “arranged eting.”
“As you expected, he rejected . And before he could, I eliminated him first.” Ophelia said.
“Rejected, hm?” The Earl Foyle nodded without surprise. “That only proves he has the qualifications.”
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