Leon stepped out of his game room and found Freya sitting in the living room, her attention fixed on a TV show. It was Friday evening, and Lily still hadn’t come home from school.
He dropped onto the couch beside her, letting himself relax for a moment. Freya, sensing his need for a bit of quiet, didn’t say anything at first.
His mind wandered back to his first experience exploring the demon world-it had been a mix of awe and strangeness that still lingered with him.
“You looked like you were having fun,” Freya teased with a playful giggle.
“You’re great at sarcasm, you know that?”
Leaning back and closing his eyes, Leon began to recount everything that had happened. His voice was relaxed as he lazily highlighted the key moments.
“There was someone who suddenly appeared stealthily and took one slot of the portal,” he said, pausing briefly. “And then there was a slave market… Two women-a bunny-girl and an elf. The elf caught me checking her status and spoke to me telepathically. She threatened me… told me not to reveal her level.”
He trailed off, giving Freya fragmented pieces of the story, hoping she’d piece it together without him needing to explain too much.
Freya remained calm, listening intently as Leon shared his experience in a disjointed manner. She then showed something on his phone. Leon glanced at it-it was a series of photos she had taken inside the game. The images showed members of the Ass Guild in Slumdon Town: Maylock training the knights, Goldrich patrolling the town and flirting with women, Elincia returning from a mission, Livelywood, a few others, and Charmelyn sitting near a farming field, observing the workers.
“But why do you think members of the Ass Guild might have snuck into the portal to Hell?” Freya asked, her brows furrowed.
“I’m not sure,” Leon admitted, leaning forward slightly. “They were just the first ones that came to mind-people who would be bold enough to pull something like that off, following me and slipping into the portal without being noticed.” He hesitated before adding, “And they mentioned something about… Blade… Ghost?”
“Blade Phantom,” she confirmed with a giggle.
“Who is he or she?”
“No one really knows their true identity. Some people even say there’s more than one of them. But Blade Phantom is a mercenary usually hired by the wealthy.”
“It couldn’t be them, could it? I’ve never had dealings with someone like that.”
“Who knows?” Freya giggled at the question.
“You should give me a final answer. You’re my super assistant, right?”
“Yes, but I’m not a vending machine that dispenses all the answers, Mr. Sloth,” she teased. While the intruder could be connected to Leon, it might also have something to do with the Shadow Wolves themselves. Some people would surely want to seize the opportunity to enter Hell, knowing when the Shadow Wolves planned to do so, and sneak in. But there were so many unknowns and mysteries that Leon found himself too perplexed to figure it all out. “Throw the problem to Maylock; maybe he can provide some clues?” Freya suggested. “It’s no fun if you need him to solve every mystery, right?” he replied with a laugh. “So, an elf with telepathic abilities hiding her true strength?” Freya mused, leaning back. “Sounds like you’ve stumbled onto someone important… or dangerous. Did she give any clue why she didn’t want her level known? That’s not something people usually worry about.” She paused for a moment, then added with a teasing grin, “And why were you so fixated on checking the status of an elf slave, anyway? Are you interested in her? Planning to buy her, maybe? I know you’ve got plenty of money now-starting to think along those lines?”
“I was just using my perception skill, not for any particular reason,” Leon replied firmly. “Especially after encountering demons during the expedition with Princess Alora. I just wanted to stay aware of who’s around me especially suspicious NPCs. And it didn’t even cross my mind to think what you’re implying.”
Freya nodded slowly. “Just a day in that world, and you’ve already got two major issues haunting you, huh?”
Leon sighed, leaning back. “It’s probably more than two… I just haven’t realized everything yet.”
“What will you do about those two slaves? Save them just because they’re beautiful women?” Freya asked, a teasing edge to her voice.
“Not really… I don’t go around rescuing every person who needs help,” Leon replied, his tone neutral.
“But isn’t that what you did for Ivana and Princess Alora?” she countered with a smirk. “Really?” Leon asked, pausing as he thought about it. His mind wandered back to Ivana and how she ended up joining him on his journey. It had all started with Gia and how Ivana had supported him while working on his armor at Fokil’s place.
And Alora? Why had he supported her? He fell silent, reflecting on the situation.
“Princess Alora didn’t need help and wasn’t begging for it,” Leon finally said. “It was more that the chaos around her-the trouble caused by the people involved-made me itch to get involved in the conflict.”
Freya nodded. “But what if the Shadow Wolves end up killing those two slaves? Wouldn’t you be responsible for their deaths, too? If you hadn’t shared that information with Marlene,
maybe she wouldn’t have acted the way she did.”
Leon shook his head firmly. “Whatever happens, I’m aligned with the Shadow Wolves now. We’re in a situation where we need each other, and it benefits both sides. I’ve got the only chance to hatch the demon egg, and they might need my help with their mission, especially after losing people in that unexpected incident. If I risk everything by prioritizing strangers I barely know, that’s not a smart move. I can’t afford to let their fate affect ours.”
“You really are heartless,” Freya said with a small giggle.
“Am I?” Leon replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah… Those slave women were clearly from Yunatea. And that forest elf-wasn’t she from the same race as Princess Alora?”
“You expect me to buy every slave in Yunatea or what, Freya?”
She laughed softly. “But you’re the one who said NPCs have their own lives, and you respect
that, right?”
Leon sighed. “Yes, I did say that. But like I mentioned, I’m not going around helping everyone
who needs it.”
Freya giggled again. “That’s not very main-character behavior.”
Leon shrugged. “I don’t think I am one.”
Leon stood up and stretched his muscles. “Time for my daily self-torture-running, gym,
and training,” he said with a grin, then glanced over at Freya. “Wanna join?”
“Nope, I’ll pass.”
“How about after that? We can hang out at the rooftop café,” he offered casually.
Freya smirked. “Are you asking me out?”
“Yes, consider it a reward for all the hard work you’ve done helping me,” he said playfully.
“And I think that reward isn’t enough!”
“You said you don’t need money, right?” he chuckled.
Leon changed into his workout clothes, and together, they walked out of the room. As they made their way to the elevator, they joked and chatted all the way down to the lobby.