Rees slowly rose from the ground, his movements deliberate. Dust clung to his tattered coat, and as he straightened his back, he stretched his arms wide into the still air.
Leon frowned, watching him. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice laced with confusion.
Rees closed his eyes, inhaling deeply through his imaginary nose. “It’s been so long since I felt mana,” he murmured, his voice calm yet filled with quiet wonder. “I forgot how alive it makes you feel.”
’You are dead motherfucker.’ Leon thought in his mind.
Leon stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable. “Now that you’ve re-created your necroheart,” he said evenly, “how about you teach me some Voo-Doo magic?”
Rees chuckled. “Ah, of course. Just give me a moment—I’ll go grab the materials we’ll need—”
“Not today.” Leon’s voice cut in flatly. “It’s already evening. I’ve got somewhere to be. We’ll start tomorrow.”
Rees nodded. “As you say,” he replied, already turning toward the stone slab. “Then I’ll begin setting up the death traps instead.”
Without another word, Leon turned around.
“Take me out,” he muttered—and vanished immediately.
—
*Swish*
A gust of cold air hit him as he reappeared at the dungeon’s exit. The world outside had shifted into twilight. Shadows stretched long over the snow-flecked ground, and the bitter wind carried a promise of more snowfall.
Leon narrowed his eyes toward the horizon. “Finally… time to go home,” he said quietly, placing his hands in his pocket as he began walking out of the Vinceral Forest.
’It’s been a long day,’ he thought as he trudged through the woods. ’I spent all of it inside the dungeon. But it wasn’t a waste… Now that I’ve reinforced it with traps, I won’t need to check on it constantly anymore. I can finally focus on leveling up and building up my physique.’
His lips curled into a subtle smirk.
’And those wooden bombs—if Kai can craft small enough spheres, I could inscribe them with six hundred seals each. If I get even one fo those inside a monster… nothing of it will survive that blast and I will gain tons of exp.
I have to try this tomorrow and I should make a throw skill that can throw things with increasing speed.’
His mind buzzed with the possibilities, and by the time he reached the edge of the village, ten minutes had passed.
That’s when he noticed it.
The guards weren’t at the gate.
Leon slowed his steps. “Where did thses two idiots go ?” he muttered, his eyes narrowing.
As he entered the village, a commotion ahead caught his attention. A large crowd had gathered outside the village chief’s house. Tension rippled through the air.
He approached, and all at once, eyes turned on him—cold, hostile, accusing.
’What the hell is wrong with these people ?’ he thought, his brows furrowing.
At the front of the crowd, he spotted Elaine and Selene. Both stood with their heads lowered in shame. Julia stood nearby, calm and poised, her butler Charles fidgeting nervously beside her.
Leon stepped forward. “What’s going on herr?”
Kael Klen, the village chief, turned toward Julia. “Is he the one ?” he asked grimly.
“What—?” Leon barely got the word out before—
SLAP!
Kael’s hand cracked against Leon’s cheek, echoing through the silent crowd.
*Crack*
Leon’s fist clenched involuntarily, his knuckles whitening, bones straining with fury. He opened his inventory, preparing to draw the Nyxter, but—
“Yes, Father,” Julia said, pointing at Leon with unwavering calm. “He was the one who tried to rape me.”
The words froze Leon in place.
He stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, rage simmering beneath the surface. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Kael surged forward, grabbing Leon’s collar and pulling him close. “Listen to me, you filthy trash bastard. How dare you touch my daughter ?”
“She’s lying,” Leon growled, locking eyes with Kael. “I am not even attracted to her body.”
Kael turned to Charles. “You saw it too, didn’t you, Charles ?”
Charles hesitated. His gaze fell to the ground. “Y-Yes… Sir. I saw him. He tried to force himself on Madam Julia and I saved her.
He then ran away.”
The crowd erupted in furious murmurs.
Kael’s voice boomed over them. “This man is a threat—to your wives, your daughters. He’s like a wild animal.
That’s why I have decided to exile Leon Luster and his entire family from this village. Pack your things. Get out. Now.”
“Out with him!” shouted one villager.
“Monster!”
“Rapist!”
“Get lost!”
…
Elaine trembled, her voice cracking. “W-We’re very so—”
“Mom,” Leon interrupted firmly his face looking at the ground with a serious expression. “We’re leaving. Pack our things.”
“But—”
“I said we leave. Now.” He turned without another word.
Elaine and Selene followed behind, their faces stained with grief.
…
As they walked, Leon muttered under his breath, “I didn’t rape her.”
“We know,” they said in unison from behind.
He stopped with a shocked expression and turned around immediately, “What?”
Selene’s face was tight with frustration. “That bitch Julia came to our house after you left this morning. She was furious—rambling about making you her personal slave or something. Then she offered Mom a deal.”
Elaine nodded, reluctantly. “If you became her butler, she said she’d have her father exempt us from taxes—for life.”
Leon’s jaw clenched. “And you turned it down?”
“I turned her down immediately,” Elaine whispered. “I thought she’d leave after that. But instead she started threatening us—said she’d accuse you of rape and have us all exiled from the village if we didn’t agree.”
Before Leon could respond, another voice rang out from behind him.
“She still refused, Can you believe that? Your mother still refused even after i gave her such a huge threat.”
They turned to see Julia, standing behind them with Charles at her side, a smug smile on her lips.
Leon’s gaze sharpened. He stepped forward, with a serious expression on his face.
“P-Please stay back!” Charles stammered, lifting his wand in defense.
Julia waved him off. “Calm down, Charles. He’s just a poor, broken boy now. Don’t be cruel to him. It’s not like he is going to kill me, right ?”
Leon didn’t blink. “I never laid a hand on you.”
Julia tilted her head, her expression warped into a twisted grin. “I know. But you were supposed to be mine. The moment I saw you from my carriage, I wanted you—under my shoe, working for me. I gave you chances. So many chances. But you clung to your ego like a fool. Now your family will pay for it.”
She stepped closer.
“I could still help, you know. Right here, right now. Just kneel. Kiss my boots. Accept me as your master… and I’ll let you and your pitiful family stay in this village. Otherwise—well, I doubt you’ll survive a night in this weather.”
’This psychopath bitch.’ Leon thought in his mind.
“If I can’t have you, Leon… I’ll make sure no one will have you.” She spoke as she placed her fingers over Leon’s lips.
Leon raised two fingers.
Charles flinched, his eyes locked on the gesture.
Julia raised a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean ?”
Leon’s voice dropped to a razor’s edge. “Before the midnight bell rings… your family will be the ones outside this village.”
Julia sneered. “Are you insane? What nonsense—”
“If I fail…” Leon said, walking past her, “I’ll crawl back to you. And become your slave..”
He didn’t wait for her reaction. Elaine and Selene followed behind, silent but resolute.
—
Back at the house, they packed quickly.
“What now?” Selene asked, her voice tight with panic. “It’s already snowing. We won’t make it to the kingdom without a wagon.”
“Leo…” Elaine whispered with a worried expression. “What do we do?”
Leon looked at them with a smile, “Don’t worry… I will take you guys somewhere that you will completely forget this house.”
“Want to tell us ?” Selene asked with a curious expression.
“Nope. You will have to see for yourself.”
—
30 minutes later…
As all four of them walked out of the gates, villagers watched them with hollow eyes, as if watching ghosts disappear into the night.
“Come. Follow me, we have to get there before the snow settles down.” Leon said, his voice steady.
“Where are we going ?” Selene asked again.
“I’ll explain when we get there.”
He didn’t turn back and continued to walk forward.
In his mind, many ideas were hovering and mostly all of them were related to killing Kael and Julia.
’It’s good we’re out of that stupid broken wooden box. Now I can keep them inside the dungeon, a more safe place.’ Leon thought in his mind.
’But, that bitch Julia… She will pay for this. I could’ve killed her and her father right on the moment he slapped me but that would’ve been the stupidest move.
What fun is in killing someone if you can see them suffer for the rest of their stupid lifes and I am going to make her life so miserable that she will regret ever fucking with me.’ Leon thought with a serious expression as he continued to walk towards the dungeon.