Visilia left the dungeon with a completely distraught expression; she had never expected Leon to reject her.
Perhaps if she had acted coquettishly or pitifully toward Leon, he might have been unable to refuse, but she was Visilia—such things were absolutely impossible for her.
After stepping out of the dungeon, Visilia propped herself against the wall with one hand, feeling an inexplicable tightness in her chest, followed by a rising sense of panic.
She was afraid that Leon had truly been taken away by Elvi.
It was like when you’ve raised a puppy for a long time, only for it to run away—and then shortly after, it finds a new owner and purrs at them.
Exactly.
In her eyes, Leon was nothing more than a runaway puppy.
“Rejected… no, it has to be that woman’s fault!”
Visilia quickly pointed the blame at Elvi.
She had a strong premonition that Leon’s refusal was mostly related to Elvi.
***
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon.
Leon felt somewhat confused.
He hadn’t expected the heiress’s reaction to be so intense, and even her coming to look for him today was beyond his expectations.
What exactly did she want?
Could it be that she wanted him to join her in that role-playing game?
If that was the case, he really had no interest in participating.
The collar still hung around his neck—Visilia hadn’t had the chance to take it off.
But knowing her personality, once she gave something away, she probably wouldn’t take it back.
Gahalard’s gaze was complicated as he looked at Leon.
Picking up the collar from the ground, he thought this young man was a huge troublemaker.
A titled knight, and the daughter of a duke involved—he really couldn’t afford to punish him by force.
“Um… you must be Mr. Gahalard, right?”
Leon spoke up, pointing toward the dungeon entrance.
“If there’s nothing else, can I get some rest? Could you please close the door for me?”
A vein throbbed on Gahalard’s forehead.
This guy really treated this place like his own home?
He narrowed his eyes.
No matter how many vouched for this youth, Gahalard still trusted his instincts—the person before him was definitely connected to the evil god aura from earlier.
“I suggest you get some good rest while you can.”
With that, Gahalard left.
The cramped cell fell into silence.
Leon lay down on the bed and slowly closed his eyes.
Just a moment ago, the instant Visilia had fastened the collar onto him, the long-silent simulator had suddenly reacted.
【New anchor point unlocked】
【Anchor Point: Collar】
【Please begin your second simulation】
【Start simulation?】
Without hesitation, Leon chose “Yes,” keeping his original name as his nickname.
【Character background: Your name is Leon. You are an orphan…】
The orphan start remained the same.
Leon tugged at the corner of his mouth and continued reading.
【At age eight, you were adopted by an old man and lived with him ever since.
But at sixteen, the old man died of illness, leaving you only a potion shop.
Fortunately, thanks to your time with him, you have some skill in brewing simple potions, just enough to get by.】
【Route 1: You have no magical talent but seem gifted in potion-making. Please develop potioncraft. The more influential your potions are, the greater the rewards in this simulation.】
【Route 2: As usual, you went out to collect potion ingredients, but you found an injured succubus north of the city’s wasteland. This succubus carries the bloodline of a demon lord, once a demon princess, now betrayed and gravely wounded by her own elder sister. Please heal her and help her awaken the demon lord bloodline. The stronger the bloodline’s awakening, the greater the rewards.】
【Simulation attempts: 2】
Leon glanced at the number of simulations, surprised there was an extra attempt this time.
Then he began weighing the pros and cons of the two routes.
The first was definitely simpler, but since both were available, he might as well challenge the harder one.
So Leon decided to pursue both routes simultaneously!
Unlike the time with Elvi, the two routes this time weren’t contradictory.
“A succubus… this is the first time I’ve seen one. In reality, demons have long vanished from the Empire’s borders, let alone succubi.”
Curiosity sparked within Leon as the simulation began, and a familiar white light appeared before him.
The image distorted, revealing a small little shop.
He took a quick survey—the shop wasn’t large, roughly a few dozen square meters.
The shelves behind the counter held only scattered potions.
Leon examined them; most were basic mana recovery and healing potions.
The intermediate potions the old man left behind had long been sold out.
A chill crept into his sleeves.
Leon shivered and looked outside.
It was winter.
Snow blanketed the street.
Winter sunlight filtered down, and many people were already clearing the snow.
Several shops had opened for business.
“Well, I need to figure out how to save our demon princess first. The northern wasteland… I hope she can hold on.”
Leon put on a thick coat and stuffed a few bottles of healing potions from the shelves into his backpack.
He wasn’t sure if basic healing potions even worked on demons.
No matter—he needed to see for himself.
“Little Leon, aren’t you opening the shop today?”
The bun vendor next door poked her head out, curious.
“Good morning, Aunt Kalasha,” Leon greeted politely.
He remembered this kind lady often fed him, and when he ran out of money, he relied on her buns to survive.
“I’m going out to collect materials. Please watch the shop for me.”
“All right, leave it to me. Be safe!”
Aunt Kalasha smiled warmly.
Watching Leon’s retreating figure, she worried, “Little Leon is so handsome; I hope no one kidnaps him. I was even planning to introduce my daughter to him.”
***
Solaris Royal Capital, inside the Court.
In the main hall, an elderly councilor was reporting to the dignified Emperor.
“Recently, pressure on the border with the demon clan has been steadily increasing.
Several border forts have requested reinforcements from the capital.”
After hearing the report, the imposing Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on the councilor.
“Has that demon queen given any explanation?”
“No…” the councilor hesitated.
“But according to records from previous years, that demon queen seems to exert pressure on the Empire’s borders roughly every hundred years. The reason remains unknown…”
“I’m not here to listen to your nonsense.”
The Emperor slammed his fist on the armrest heavily, his solemn expression causing the atmosphere in the Court to drop sharply.
“We need not pay attention. It currently appears they have no intention of starting a war!”
Sweat beaded on the councilor’s forehead.
He bit his lip and spoke up.
“However…”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded slightly.
He then turned his gaze to a middle-aged man in silver armor standing to his left and said, “Gahalard, I heard you have a report regarding the evil god?”
Gahalard immediately stepped forward, dropping to one knee and performing a knight’s salute before speaking slowly.
“Yes, the suspect has been captured. He is a youth named Leon.”
“Leon? What is his full name?”
Gahalard respectfully replied, “His name is Leon Reinhardt.”
At the mention of this surname, many present fell silent, their eyes filled with shock.
Because that surname belonged to the traitorous duke from years ago!