Chapter 32: Still Failed
- Nighttime, in the Bedroom -
Leon lay on the bed, staring at the room's ceiling in a daze.
The conversation he had with Liliana earlier that afternoon lingered in his mind, prevting him from closing his eyes and falling asleep.
"What's her excuse? Asking me to accompany her to meet that crazy dragon woman under the guise of a guarantee? Does she think of me as some sort of heirloom talisman?" Leon sneered inwardly, annoyed by Liliana's unreasonable request.
Asking him to accompany her to meet Atha, the fierce dragoness who had almost raped him in the imperial palace of dragons, was akin to asking for suicide.
Did she desire for him to be devoured tirely by that dragoness, leaving no trace of bone behind? And did she also wish for their three daughters to be left fatherless?
Contemplating this, Leon could only inwardly grumble with annoyance.
However, he understood that Liliana couldn't be faulted, as she was unaware of his history with Atha.
Had Liliana be aware of it, she likely would have canceled the plan to bring him along to meet Atha.
Unfortunately, the past was too embarrassing, and he was reluctant to let anyone else know about it.
"In this world, weakness is truly a sin!" Leon clched his palms, feeling his annoyance gradually dissipate as his usual calmness returned.
Expericing a setback like this dealt a fatal blow to him, especially considering he typically stood proud as a rowned sword hero known for his extraordinary strgth.
"Perhaps this truly can be a lesson for me—that ev someone as strong as me has momts of downfall," Leon murmured softly inwardly.
Gradually, his eyelids grew heavy, and an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him, causing him to fall asleep almost instantly.
As his room descded into a profound quiet, his bedroom door creaked op, and a small, shadowy silhouette slipped inside.
The next morning...
Leon was startled awake from his sleep as he felt something heavy fall upon him.
It felt as though a t-kilogram stone pressed into his stomach, a ssation he found somewhat familiar.
With his eyes still heavy, he glanced downward and discovered Fiona sleeping on his stomach, curled up like a cat.
Observing this, Leon was initially tak aback but gradually regained his composure as he fully awoke.
"Do you always cuddle up to Daddy like this every morning, little one?" Leon gtly poked her bun-like cheek with his index finger.
Feeling a ssation on her cheek, Fiona, still immersed in sleep, unconsciously rubbed her cheek against Leon's stomach, a cute smile gracing her small lips.
"Daddy~ I want to stay with you forever~" Fiona's delirious voice elicited a chuckle from Leon, softing his gaze toward her.
"Of course... I'll always be with you, forever," Leon reassured her, gtly stroking her hair with love.
This little girl was so innoct, akin to a pristine sheet of paper, untouched and pure .
Her obedit demeanor stirred a great deal of affection within him.
Therefore, he resolved to shield her from any harm.
Certainly, this vow extded not only to Fiona but also to his other two little daughters.
"Come to think of it, I hav't se those two little girls... Are they inttionally avoiding me?" Leon mused for a momt, contemplating the situation.
However, he understood that they might need time to adapt and could be feeling shy about approaching him.
"Well, there's plty of time; there's no need to worry about it," Leon said with a casual smile, glancing back at Fiona, who continued to sleep peacefully on his stomach.
Leon stroked her little head once more before carefully moving her to his side.
Th he arranged the four pillows a Fiona, protecting her on all sides to sure she wouldn't fall off.
Despite the king-size bed, he couldn't guarantee that Fiona wouldn't roll over in her sleep, especially wh she was restless.
After all, this little girl couldn't seem to stay still while sleeping, a trait quite reminisct of his childhood.
Thus, he took precautions to prevt any pottial mishaps.
"Ugh~ Waking up early is the best..." Leon stretched his body, glancing at the clock that already read 7 a.m.
The ergy in the morning was extraordinary; its effects were undiable.
At this time of day, the quality of mana in this world has doubled, making it perfect for the training of wizards, knights, and various other beings who possess mana in their bodies.
"Tsk! It's a pity that my holy power is locked, prevting me from taking advantage of this precious morning time," Leon lamted, shaking his head.
His atttion was soon captured by the spread of food on the table.
"It looks like Lyra prepared it earlier," he noted with a small smile as he made his way to the table, ready to joy breakfast.
Initially, he intded to wake Fiona up to have breakfast together, but seeing her sleep so soundly made him abandon the idea.
After breakfast, Leon neatly arranged all the plates on the table for Lyra to collect wh she came to clean up, th headed to the shower.
With everything completed, Leon stood in the cter of the room, closing his eyes for a momt as he raised his hands.
"The Zith Holy Sword... answer my call!!" Leon exclaimed quietly.
However, after a while, the Zith Holy Sword failed to materialize, prompting Leon to op his eyes once more.
"Still can't..." he muttered to himself, falling into contemplation.
The power of heroes, also known as holy power, originates from the three most pott holy weapons in the world: the Zith Holy Sword, the Soaring Dragon Holy Spear, and the Void Holy Arrow.
In history, it is recounted that the gods bestowed upon mankind these three weapons to combat the formidable Demon race, led by the immsely powerful Amon Crimson, who was the first Demon King.
Hce, there should be no single poison or force capable of suppressing the holy power within a hero like himself, save for an equivalt force such as the Demonic Energy wielded by the Demon Emperor.
His currt condition is exceedingly rare and seemingly impossible to occur.
"Interesting... The poison Rain created is truly fascinating..." Leon mused, his hand resting on his chin as a smile spread across his face.
He was no longer consumed by desperation; instead, he found himself filled with curiosity.
Indeed, such an occurrce had never occurred before, hinting at a conspiracy that might be far more complex than initially perceived.
"Tsk! It does make sse, now that I think about it," Leon chuckled, dismissing those thoughts in an instant.
There was no need to dwell on it; it was better to conctrate on restoring his strgth as quickly as possible.
The future loomed with mysteries, leaving him uncertain about what might unfold in the days ahead.
With casual steps, Leon walked out of his bedroom.
His currt objective was to go to the palace library to find out more about the poison within him and, at the same time, to take a stroll a the palace to better understand its structure.
Coincidtally, Liliana was occupied, and Fiona remained in a deep sleep, granting Leon some freedom.
Shortly after Leon stepped out of the bedroom, Fiona, still lost in her dreams, suddly raised her small hand to the sky and muttered in her delirium, "Death to you, evil god, in the name of the holy sword Zith! Nyam~ nyam~ nyam~ nyam~"