Chapter 42: Don’t Leave Me, Please

Of course, they found nothing at Leon’s house.

The middle-aged man, whose attitude had been fairly mild at first, suddenly lost all restraint and grabbed Leon by the collar.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know.”

Leon lowered his eyes and looked at the man’s furious yet terrified gaze, speaking calmly.

As a result, Leon was immediately arrested and locked inside the Interrogation Room.

For the following two days, it seemed as if he had been completely forgotten, trapped in the dark Prison Cell with no one paying any attention to him—not even bringing food or water.

It wasn’t until the third day that the pitch-black door of the Interrogation Room was pushed open.

By then, Leon’s condition was dire.

Prolonged hunger and thirst had withered his appearance, leaving him weak and emaciated.

“Leon! Tell me the truth—where exactly did you hide that Demon Clan member?!”

The Vice City Lord burst into the room like a madman.

Now, his appearance was almost sinister—his hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and all traces of his former gentleness were gone.

Leon raised his head, seeing the man’s state, and the corner of his mouth twitched into a faint smile.

The man’s agitation meant they hadn’t found Lyas.

She had escaped.

The tension in Leon’s chest suddenly eased, and with a hint of mockery, he looked at the man on the verge of breaking down from fear, weakly uttering two words.

“Guess.”

“You—!”

Those two words shattered Leike’s composure instantly.

He roared and lunged forward, landing a heavy punch on Leon’s abdomen.

The already feeble youth felt his stomach churn violently under the blow, curling into a ball like a shrimp and collapsing onto the cold floor.

Yet a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Seeing that smile, the Vice City Lord’s anger boiled over, and he raised his fist to strike again.

But his movement was abruptly stopped.

“Leike, stop!”

His action halted as he saw the man behind him.

His mind immediately calmed, and he froze.

“Duke Seretes.”

The man standing behind was the true master of Yongshuang City—the City Lord Seretena.

Leon’s gaze was steady as he looked at the commanding middle-aged man at the door.

He had deliberately provoked the Vice City Lord earlier because he didn’t believe the Human Race’s leaders were fools who thought handing over a Succubus could buy peace.

On the contrary, they must have realized how important Lyas was.

A Succubus who could cause such a stir among the Demon Clan must be someone of extraordinary status.

Rather than handing her over, it was better to keep her under his control—that was the only way to truly threaten the Demon Clan.

As for the talk of war?

The Human Race would never fear that!

Leon still remembered—Solaris III, the current ruler, was an extremely warlike emperor.

The Vice City Lord, who was so afraid of dying, was just a test directed at him. From the start, Leon knew they wouldn’t kill him.

Because his survival brought more benefit to the Human Race.

Two knights stepped forward, helping Leon to his feet before retreating, leaving only Duke Seretes.

“You’re quite something, kid. Even my wife has been pleading for you. How about we make a deal?”

Duke Seretes spoke first.

Upon hearing this, Leon knew he was safe.

The connections he had built up by selling beauty cream were finally paying off.

He forced a smile and said, “Thank you for the compliment, Lord Seretena. But I’m a bit hungry now.”

***

After eating his fill, Duke Seretes revealed his purpose and reached a cooperation agreement with Leon.

It wasn’t just because of the beauty cream, but also Leon’s development of the Intermediate Healing Potion.

With the impending War, Leon’s healing potions had become extremely valuable.

Seretes demanded that Leon publish the recipe for the healing potion freely and teach a group of people how to make it. In return, he would drop all charges against Leon for letting Lyas escape.

Additionally, he wanted to supply the City Lord’s Wife with beauty cream free of charge.

Leon agreed—or rather, he had no other choice.

This was already the best possible outcome for him.

Only, it would be some time before he could go find Lyas.

***

Meanwhile, on the Western Wasteland.

Inside a Cave, a red-haired young Succubus sat dazedly, staring at the drifting snowflakes outside.

The girl curled up on a stone, hugging her knees with her chin resting on them, gazing blankly at the pure white world before her, waiting for that figure.

He had promised he would come find her, so she would wait here for him.

And so,

One day, two days, three, four days passed…

Lyas just sat there waiting, hungry, catching a few rabbits to eat, thirsty, licking snow.

The snow rabbits around her were nearly all gone, yet he still hadn’t come.

Lyas didn’t dare leave the Cave.

What if he came looking for her and couldn’t find her?

He would surely be worried.

“He will come find me, right?”

Lyas took out a pack of Candied Fruit from her arms, which Leon had given her before. She hadn’t dared to eat them.

But Leon had said if she finished them, he would buy her more.

So the girl gently picked one candy and put it into her mouth.

The sweet flavor spread across her tongue.

She savored it, holding the taste until it dissolved completely before reluctantly swallowing.

Then, she carefully counted the remaining Candied Fruit and carefully tucked the paper package back into her arms.

Whenever missing Leon became unbearable, she would take out one candy.

Yet the number of candies in her arms gradually dwindled.

Over ten days later, she opened the paper pack again—it contained only a single lonely candy.

Lyas froze.

She didn’t eat the last piece, instead placing it back.

A sudden, inexplicable panic surged in her chest, and she clutched her heart, whispering, “He definitely won’t be in trouble, right? He promised he’d come find me…”

On the twenty-fifth day, foolish Leon still hadn’t come.

The endless blizzard seemed to have completely cut the girl off in this tiny Cave.

On the twenty-sixth day, Lyas grit her teeth and shouted into the howling snowstorm, “Leon, you liar! Big liar! I never want to see you again!”

The wind and snow mercilessly swallowed her shout, soon dissipating into the depths of the wasteland.

Yet she still sat every day at the Cave’s mouth, staring blankly, going nowhere.

She had said she would wait forever…

The twenty-seventh day passed, and he still did not come.

The twenty-eighth day…

Countless mornings and nights passed.

She stubbornly waited there, as if she would not stop until that figure appeared.

Until the twenty-ninth day.

“Leon, have you… given up on me…?”

The Cave echoed with the girl’s choked voice.

She buried her head in her knees, tears quickly soaking the edge of her clothes.

The whistling wind sounded like her cries, yet also seemed to soothe her crumbling emotions.

Only the girl’s murmured words remained like a dream.

“Don’t leave me… please…”