5

Sunlight began to break through the gaps in the curtains and shine down upon Leo's face, getting him to shift slightly away from the light that had begun to pain his eyes. He continued to sleep on in comfort, with little sign of waking even when knocking sounded against his door until eventually, the nob began to twist.

"Sir Leo?" Grassis's soft and quiet voice ran through the room as she carefully looked inside, doing her best to make sure that she wasn't intruding on his privacy. The moment that his eyes wandered upon the bed she immediately relaxed and entered the room completely with her sister following her actions.

"Sir Leo, please wake up. It's morning and Sir Reinhard awaits you in the dining hall." Flam said as the twins worked together in gently shaking Leo awake, to which he slowly began to react.

"Mm, I get it…" Leo replied, his eyes finally opening and taking in his surroundings which were mainly the twins that were so close to him. "Good morning…" He said, pushing himself upright before stretching his arms out wide.

"Good morning, Sir Leo." The two twins repeated in unison to Leo's vague bother as he looked at the two innocent girls.

'I shouldn't have anything against this, should I? But… I'm just not sure I'm ever going to get used to a pair of kids treating me like this.' He thought to himself whilst doing his best to conceal his thoughts.

"Did you have a nice rest?" Flam asked.

"I'm still a little tired, but I'll be fine."

"We apologize for our late arrival last night," Grassis then replied as they gave him a small bow each, something that Leo couldn't help but sigh at.

"You know that there was no helping that," Leo replied with a weak smile. "There's no need to apologize for things out of your control." There was no way that he could possibly blame the pair for what had happened, they weren't even the ones who drove the carriage as they sat with him.

The time that they had indeed managed to arrive back at the manor it was already incredibly late, late enough that many of the manor's inhabitants had already gone to bed, making Leo decide on only a quick bath before going straight to bed.

"What about you two? It's more important for children your age to get a proper eight hours, you know?"

"Thank you for your concern but we are fine," Grassis replied, the pair of them smiling at Leo's concern. But their smiles didn't last for long however as they soon turned to confusion as they continued to look at Leo, or rather the second lump in the bedcovers beside him. "Um, excuse me sir, but what is that beside you?"

"Beside me?" Leo repeated as he followed their gaze. Right beside him was a lump in his covers that shifted slightly every now and then. It was shocking that he hadn't noticed it before with how close it was despite the size of his bed.

Gently did he reach a hand towards the lump before grabbing hold of it and slowly pulling it back to reveal the sleeping figure of Cecily right beside him, mumbling in her slumber, unaware of all the attention that she was receiving.

"The great spirit!" The twins exclaimed at the sight, shocked that she had chosen to sleep with Leo. "But, spirits don't even need to sleep…" they then murmured to themselves as they recalled the fact. As beings made of pure mana, they were hardly bound by many mortal constrictions like the need to sleep, illnesses, and more, and yet the spirit before them had still chosen to do so.

"Cecily? What are you doing in my bed? Do you have any idea how bad this can appear?!" Leo exclaimed immediately as he quickly got to shaking the spirit awake.

"Mm?" Cecily hummed as she opened her eyes slightly, looking back at the bewildered Leo that was looking down at her before breaking into a tired smile. "Morning!" she cheerfully said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Morning Cecily, but can you please tell me why you're in my bed?" Leo asked again.

"To sleep?" she answered innocently enough.

"But spirits don't usually require sleep, do they?" Flam spoke up, the twins likewise looking for answers get as much, if not more, than Leo. It had been clear the day before that the great spirit had indeed been quite taken with him, but was it just so at such a level?

"And I was asking, why did I have to be my bed? There are plenty of other guest rooms you could have used." Leo tagged on.

"But there was nothing to do, and you were sleeping as well. So I thought that I would join in!" Cecily replied. "And there really is no need for spirits to sleep on their own, so that's why I'm with you, it's nice like this."

"And if the wrong people come to wake me up there I'll be the one faced with all the problems!" Leo shot back, unable to work out how to handle the situation.

"I don't see why."

"I give up…"

"Um…" the twins said as they exchanged glances, quickly deciding to push past the current situation. "Sir Leo, perhaps you should talk with Lady Cecily later? Sir Reinhard and Miss Felt will soon begin their morning meal without you at this current rate."

"Ah, right…" Leo said whilst getting out of bed, "Alright, could you two leave please? And you as well, Cecily. I'll be out shortly enough."

"Yes sir." The maids said in unison whilst taking a bow.

"Alright," Cecily said, jumping to her feet as well whilst contrary to Leo's nightwear, was already fully dressed in her usual white dress, not having changed for the night.

'We might need to get Cecily some other clothes to wear if Reinhard doesn't mind.' Leo thought to himself as he watched the three girls leave the room before releasing a heavy sigh. He didn't waste any more time however, every second wasted would only likely increase the hard time that Felt would likely give him for his absence…

The moment the doors opened Felt's attention immediately darted to them as she intensely waited for a certain someone to come through. "Sorry, I'm late." Leo apologized for the moment that he stepped into the room.

"What took you so long?!" Felt snapped as she sprung to her feet with a scowl on her face, "I hope that you…" she started to say until her voice died out as she walked down the room towards him as she noticed the extra individual beside him.

"Leo, who is that beside you?" Reinhard asked with faint surprise as he noticed the extra girl that was beside his friend.

"You brought home another one huh?" Felt quipped, looking at him with a mix of disdain and amusement as she also took notice of the blond girl.

"I hope that you don't mind this but she's been rather attached since we first met," Leo replied.

"That doesn't mean you can take them home!" Felt exclaimed.

"It's not like that! She's the same girl that I told you about on my second day here, turns out she's a."

"She's a great spirit!" Reinhard suddenly cut in with renewed shock as he now stood up tall, clearly with respect to the spirit he had just identified.

"That's right!" Cecily cheerily replied.

"Wait, you mean that big bro immediately got a spirit to like him as soon as they met?!" Felt exclaimed.

"It appears so," Reinhard said with a proud smile, "Please, she is most welcome to join us, usually I don't get the chance to meet with spirits at all and so the chance to dine with a great spirit is an honor."

"Really? I thought that even spirits would be attracted to you." Felt quipped back down, not believing that the sword saint told them.

"I'm not surprised, there's no mana near him so I doubt that any spirits would feel comfortable near him," Cecily mentioned as she sat herself down on one of the many spare chairs, having pulled Leo along to the chair next to her.

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh, and Reinhard, are you sure that it's ok for Cecily to say here? I mean, I don't exactly want her kicked out but at the same time it's not our place to decide." Leo asked.

"Not at all, and I don't take any offense to her statement. After all, it is quite true and I have long been aware of it." Reinhard replied, now taking his own seat once again as the food began to be placed on the table by numerous servants. "I absorb all mana from the nearby atmosphere and it gets much worse when I fight, as a result, it can have quite a negative impact on spirits that are being made of mana. I'm even restricted from going anywhere that is reliant on magic because of it."

"Oh… I see…" Leo replied with a small frown. "Wait, does that mean that you'll be ok, Cecily?"

"I'm fine! Right now it's barely noticeable, but I wouldn't want it getting any worse, besides, your affinity does more than enough to counter it!"

"Wait, I thought that we needed to be in a contract to reap the benefits of my affinity?" Leo asked but Cecily just shook her head in denial.

"If your affinity is high enough then any spirit will feel some of the benefits just by being near you, it's why those with high affinity are often always surrounded by spirits in the area."

"How high is big bro's affinity?" Felt asked as she slumped against the table.

"According to Cecily and two other great spirits, the second highest they've ever encountered." Leo nonchalantly replied.

"That's incredible," Reinhard said. "You truly never cease to amaze me, Leo, I'm honored to be able to call you my friend."

"Nihi! He's the best a spirit could ask for!" Cecily said with a beaming smile.

"And I thought that Reinhard was ridiculous, is there anything else about you that we should know about?" Felt said with a huff, yet all Leo could do was chuckle back at her behavior, clearly unsure himself if there was anything else that stood out about him. "Well, now that you've been to big sis's place, you remember what you're doing next." She said grinning.

"Alright, alright. Just take it easy on me when the time comes."

"Not going to happen, big bro!"

"Ah, Leo, whilst you were at the margrave's, did you happen to learn anything about that ability of yours?" Reinhard then asked, shifting the mood at the table once again as Felt also joined in looking at him curiously quickly making Leo feel awkward inside as he froze hard in place.

It wasn't hard for Cecily and Reinhard to see this, whilst the latter was confused as to what would prompt the change in attitude in his friend, the former was quick to try and defend him against the questioning.

"He's really unique, the clown guy never saw anything like it before!" She said, doing her best to remain her cheery self as Leo tried to mask his shock toward the spirit. "He said it was a whole new power."

"Please excuse me, great spirit, but your second statement just then triggered my divine blessing of lie detection…" Reinhard then said, now making the spirit freeze up on the spot as she internally cursed herself for getting caught out so quickly, now she had only gone and made things even worse.

"Why would you lie about that? Is there something about big bro's power that you want to hide?" Felt asked.

"Well, Felt… Reinhard… you see…" Leo started to talk, struggling to find the words that would at least keep the reveal as easy as possible, but there was no need as an unlikely savior came to his aid.

It was at the same moment that the doors suddenly and quickly opened, revealing Heinkel who wasted no time, not even spending the time for a greeting, to walk straight over to Leo and stand above him.

"Father is there some kind of business that you have." Reinhard started to talk but he could barely get a word in before Heinkel silenced him with a disgusted stare.

The man hadn't even uttered a single word and yet everyone in the room felt their moods had been completely ruined by him as Reinhard sunk into his chair leaving Felt the only one with energy as she scowled at the man.

"Hey, why the hell do you keep treating your own son like that?!" Felt exclaimed.

"Silence! He is a monster, and that's all the reason needed! A monster whose actions might just be even slightly fixed now…" he said in a low voice, almost spitting out the words but Felt only seemed ready to pounce at what she was hearing, whilst Reinhard had gone white with shock.

It was a sight that Leo would have been amazed at and no doubt would question if he was willing, but he couldn't focus on any of that due to Heinkel looking down at him, expectations clear in his eyes. His mere presence was enough to already have Cecily move out of her set and cling to Leo's side as if to further show her protection for him and was the sole thing that made Heinkel hesitate.

"I heard from my staff that you have impressive healing abilities, impressive enough to even bring back the dead," Heinkel said as he maintained hard, locked eye contact with Leo. What he said was enough to work out what the muscular man was after, a request that he would have been more willing to entertain had it been made a mere day ago, as well as from a different person entirely.

"I would like you to come with me," Heinkel said, everything about the man's body language and aura screaming that he didn't have a choice.

'He's desperate…' Leo thought to himself in a sense of realization. Perhaps it was just a horrible personality, maybe it was the alcohol that could be smelt from him, but desperation was the first thing that his sheer insistence and determination suggested to him. 'He wanted me of all people, the one he heard could revive the dead, to do something… what are the odds he's taking me to a corpse?'

"You should ask nicely, and he can still refuse!" Cecily then spoke up, breaking his thought as everyone's attention fixed on the conflict between the knight and the great spirit.

Once again Heinkel showed hesitance as he looked at the spirit, clearly making her the only individual in the room that he would remain careful of. "I ask that the contractor of the great spirit would be willing to help me." Heinkel finally asked through gritted teeth as he looked at the glaring spirit and her assumed contractor.

Leo couldn't help but briefly look at Reinhard and notice the sense of horror, sadness, and regret that was on his friend's face. It was something that he had never seen, something he never thought he would see Reinhard express but it was clear that Reinhard had a good idea of what was wanted of him. And in the brief moment that Reinhard brought himself to look at Leo, he could sense a slither of hope emanating from him.

"Alright then, no guarantees about whatever it is, however…" Leo said with a heavy voice as he got to his feet.

"Then please follow me, and no one but the great spirit may accompany us." Was all Heinkel said as he started to lead the way out of the room, toward wherever he wanted Leo. Whilst being Cecily's contractor was a mistake he was hardly going to point it out now, after all, it seemed to be one of the only things helping keep Heinkel a little more in check.

The room was silent as Leo walked across the room after him with Cecily sticking to his side until Leo briefly stopped to look back at his friend. "I'll try my best, I mean it…" Leo said as he locked eyes with Reinhard before walking off.

It was clear that whatever this was about, it was important to him too, and on his gratitude to his friend would he try his hardest.

Meanwhile, Reinhard could only look on at the closing doors, silently praying for his friend's success…

"In here," Heinkel said as he pulled out a key, unlocking a door before opening it, waiting for Leo to head instead before him. Slowly he walked into the room with Cecily, the two carefully taking in the room, it was dark as the curtains still remained drawn whilst there was a large bed which upon it lay a single blond haired-lady.

"This is my wife, Louanna Astrea." Heinkel said, now closing the door behind them as he entered the room. "Seventeen years ago she was afflicted with the sleeping beauty syndrome, and I want you to heal her. Nothing, not even the Blue was capable of healing her, but you have done something far beyond even him."

'This is Reinhard's mother then…' Leo thought as he approached the bed, checking over the sleeping woman for any signs of her health. 'I'm no doctor, and certainly not to otherworldly illnesses and to top it all off, even the kingdom's greatest healer was useless.'

It was obvious that his authority would be his only bet, but it wasn't something that he could be certain of. 'But, I'm willing to try, at least for Reinhard. I still have extra od to give at least and I can go to a forest or something later…'

"Ok, I'll give it a shot…" Leo said, his gaze not wavering or leaving his patient. "But I mean that I can't say with certainty…"

Heinkel's gaze only sharpened when he said this, it was obvious that it was an outcome that he wasn't going to accept in the slightest but it was something that Leo couldn't make any certainties on, only pray that he could prevent things getting unnecessarily complicated. At the very least he had Cecily with him, together they could likely prevent the worse.

Gently, Leo moved over and sat on the bed beside the sleeping woman, carefully placing his hand on her shoulder. 'I've healed a gaping chest wound this way… I hope I can heal diseases as well.' He thought before finally beginning to use his authority on the woman.

He could feel himself slowly weakening as he poured his od into the woman whilst Cecily sat by his side and Heinkel eagerly watched on from the door, his gaze drilling into his back. "I can't see you doing anything," Heinkel said in a low, displeased voice.

"Let him focus! He's trying his best!" Cecily shot back whilst Leo did his best to restore the woman.

"How can be trying when there's no sign of him doing anything, not even a trace of healing magic!" Heinkel almost shouted back again, now taking a few steps closer. "I want him to heal my wife, I won't look like a fool to him!"

"SHUT UP!" Leo suddenly snapped back, "I'M WORKING ON IT!"

This response had momentarily made the knight stagger back until he pulled himself together, now furious at the treatment he had received.

"If your aiming to become a knight you should be a little more aware of who you're talking to!" Heinkel shouted back, now full-on storming towards Leo as Cecily quickly got to her feet, aiming a single finger at him that shone with light magic ready to fire.

But the spirit didn't get the chance to give her own word of warning back as an unexpected voice spoke out first. "Was that… you? Heinkel?" The sleeping woman, Louanna, asked, making the spirit and knight go silent as they immediately looked back to the woman on the bed.

She hadn't moved in the slightest, her eyes were still closed, but she had certainly just spoken.

"Louanna?! Are you awake?!" Heinkel cried out as he rushed to the other side of the bed to get closer to his wife, his eyes seemingly threatening to cry.

"It's… so… dark…" Louanna mumbled as her voice drifted off until Leo finally removed his hand from her, his own body now shaking.

'Shit… I think I gave too much… and all of that only to allow her to talk a little…' Leo thought to himself as Cecily quickly supported him until he recovered.

"Louanna? Louanna!" Heinkel kept calling out to the woman, but it was no use as she never responded back, the disease having claimed her once more. "Heal her, HEAL HER!" he suddenly shouted out with unbridled fury.

"You shall come no closer! He tried his best!" Cecily responded, once again pointing a finger shining with light at him, a shockingly cold glare on her face for her childish appearance.

"That fool is capable of curing my wife! I don't care what his methods were, but I won't let her remain like this any longer!"

"He is exhausted!" Cecily shot back, but it didn't stop Heinkel from approaching them with him looking like he was throwing away most of his rational in the moment.

"Father, please stop!" Reinhard's voice suddenly boomed throughout the room as he burst through the door, managing to momentarily freeze all the drama that was unfolding. "Leo has done his best and pushing him for anymore won't do anything! No one else in the kingdom has managed any near what he accomplished so you mustn't blame him!"

"What are you doing in here?!" Heinkel shouted with fury in his eyes as he turned to face his son, seemingly managing to make Reinhard show some hesitation until he pulled himself together with an unwavering, unfaltering expression of calm composure.

"I'm sorry for my entry, but I merely wished to prevent anything from going too far. I was worried that my friend would end up exerting himself too much and was unfortunately proven true." Reinhard replied but it did nothing for Heinkel's unbridled disgust.

For a few moments, father and son merely stared at one another as a suffocating atmosphere set in between the two. But it didn't bother the other two conscious people in the room as Leo was struggling to keep himself together as Cecily was completely occupied with his condition.

"Get out." Heinkel finally said as he went back over to his sleeping wife. "All of you, get out!" he shouted again.

Silently and quickly Reinhard reacted to this as he hurried to Leo's side before picking him up into his arms. No words needed to be exchanged between the sword saint and the great spirit as they merely nodded to one another before leaving the room, shutting the door to leave Heinkel alone with his eternally sleeping wife…

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that," Reinhard said as he and Cecily continued to walk through the corridors of the manor.

"It's fine…" Leo replied with an exhausted voice, fighting through his heavy breaths. "Sorry that… I couldn't help your mother… But I'm sure that… If I try again with more energy than… I can heal her…"

"I am honored that you would try so hard for my sake like that, but I would much rather wish that you don't risk your life like you have today. I recall the last time we spoke of the unique ability of yours is that you exchange whatever od you have within you when you use it for the benefit of others?" Reinhard said, his expression hard.

"You used lots and lots on her, didn't you?" Cecily then asked with a concerned expression. "If you did then you won't get any better until you gain more od again…"

"Ah… that's true…" Leo said as he felt himself getting weaker again.

"This is beyond troublesome, I can't possibly leave you like this but there is nothing that any ordinary being could hope to do for you…" Reinhard said with a grim voice, looking down at his friend's condition in his arms. It was clear to him that Leo surely had tried going above and beyond only to begin to pay the consequences for his actions.

"Take him to a forest!" Cecily suddenly burst out, confusing Reinhard for a few moments until he caught onto the spirit's way of thinking.

"I see, he did manage to take some od from the grass before, and I'm positive that it wouldn't be seen as too alarming should he be merely taking it from the forest." Reinhard thought aloud before making up his mind. "I shall leave for the nearest forest at once with haste. Please, great spirit, would you be so kind as to inform Leo's maid's our reason for leaving? They should understand everything if you do."

"But…" Cecily said as she examined Leo once again before coming to her decision. "Fine, but you must get him to a forest quicker than I could!" She exclaimed before leaving the two to return to the dining hall, the place where she was confident that the maid's and Felt still remained.

"As you wish, Lady Cecily," Reinhard replied whilst he lowered his head in her direction despite the fact that she was no longer looking at him.

It didn't take long for Cecily to make her way back to the dining hall, all the while in a huff which made her poor emotional state obvious to everyone as she entered the room, leaving the door to be closed by one of Felt's elderly attendant's, Grim.

"Huh? Where's big bro and Reinhard?" Felt immediately asked as soon as she realized that the spirit had come back along, getting her to stop having her own breakfast that she had nearly finished. "That other guy didn't do something or try sending them somewhere did he? That guy was such an ass! I don't get why big bro was willing to listen to him, he's too kind!"

"He is an amazing and perceptive person! He realized that it was the nice guy's mother and did it for him!" Cecily shot back whilst managing to shock Felt yet again at the news.

"Wait, he was brought to Reinhard's mother? I haven't seen or even heard of her, was she sick or something? I'm sure that big bro managed to heal her easily." Felt said with a cheery smirk, but it didn't change Cecily's behavior in the slightest, a sight that was beginning to feel slightly disturbing on the spirit that was usually all smiles and cheer.

"Please excuse me, Lady Cecily, but may I ask where our master's currently are? If that is the case they would they not have returned with you?" Flam asked as she stepped forwards, doing her best to make use of all her mannerisms.

"The horrible one made Leo overwork himself and the nice one is bringing him to a forest to recover." Cecily finally answered to the joined shock of the girls in the room as only Grimm and Carol didn't understand how Leo being brought to a forest would enable him to recover.

But for the younger maids and Felt who all better knew of Leo's abilities and the price of them, it was something horrifying to hear. "That's unforgivable!" Felt suddenly shouted out as she slammed her hands on the desk. "If big bro doesn't recover from this then I'll really make sure that he gets it! There won't be any mercy for him! Dammed, stupid knights!"

"Please calm yourself, Miss Felt!" The elderly servants stepped forward, making sure the young lady didn't start going on a rampage there and then. At the same time, they couldn't help but quickly look at their grandchildren as they continued to worry amongst themselves.

"Like hell, I will! I'm not doing anything until big bro is back and alright!" Felt shouted, now taking the chance to stamp her foot a few times in her outrage. While dealing with the feisty blond, things like escape attempts and semi-problematic behavior were something that wasn't new, it wasn't like she had every gotten this heated about anything with exception of the time when Reinhard has first brought to into the house.

With their grandchildren also shaken up at the news alongside an upset great spirit, the elderly couple could only imagine how such a hard situation suddenly emerged…

"Here, friend. I don't how you do it but please recover, we're somewhere where there won't be any consequences for doing so." Reinhard said as he finally came to a stop deep within a forest while lowering Leo to his feet yet not taking his hands off of him to continue supporting him. "Will you be alright to do what you need to do?"

"Just… peachy…" Leo replied through his exhaustion as he did his best to walk towards the nearest large tree but it wasn't long before he had someone escape Reinhard's grasp and collapsed to the ground as a result.

While Reinhard was quick to reach out towards his friend, Leo was likewise quick to motion his rejection of assistance as he half-crawled, half-dragged himself to the base of the tree. The moment that he placed his hand on its wood, his hand quickly darkened whilst beads of light emerged from the tree as they ran down its truck and into Leo.

"This certainly makes for a better example of your ability, does it doesn't make it any clearer as to what it is," Reinhard mentioned with a faint sense of awe at the sight of the rapidly dying tree. It was clear to him as he could even feel the vitality of the tree being stolen away whilst Leo's condition began to stabilize. "Did you manage to ask the margrave about when you visited?"

"Well…" Leo said, trying to keep the hesitance out of his voice. "There was no need to ask as Emilia and Subaru had already mentioned it to him. They brought it up themselves pretty quickly."

"I see, the margrave truly is quite insightful with magic to be able to so quickly discern what your ability is, but it also amazes me that it is something that has already occurred for him to be able to identify it."

"Well, it's not quite like it has already existed before exactly as it does now…" Leo mumbled to himself as he now found the strength to stand up by himself again, greatly enjoying having the strength to move his limbs again as he walked over to another tree to repeat the process.

"What do you happen to mean by that?" Reinhard asked, startling Leo as he turned around to view the sword saint with confusion on how he had managed to overhear his own musings.

"Well… it's a bit of a story that I think would be best explained with Felt present since she would also likely want to hear about this. Flam and Grassis know about it however, they were with me and all." Leo replied, simply opting to focus on draining the tree of its life to replenish his own.

"I see, well then I wait until then."

"But say… how many trees do you think are safe to drain?"

"Please don't worry, just focus on recovering. If there are any troubles then I will handle them as repayment for everything that you experienced this morning. I am thankful that you were willing to try so hard for my sake however I never would have wished for you to push yourself as far as you did."

"No, like, as much as I can drain life from the things that I touch, I can have no idea how much vitality I currently have…" Leo cut in as he looked back with a troubled gaze. "I might already have more than enough, I mean… I taking it from trees now…"

"I see… There are many trees that can live for hundreds of years so even draining one could greatly replenish you. I assumed that you could also detect how much od something has remaining." Reinhard said as he lapsed into thought.

"I mean… if I absorb enough couldn't it become possible that I could start living several hundred years instead of an ordinary lifespan?"

"The nature of your power does seem to suggest the possibility," Reinhard said. "But so long as you aren't lacking, is there any worry about having an excessive amount?"

"Not that I've experienced… not like I've really used my ability all that much either…" Leo said, bouncing between the possibilities in his mind. 'Am I a person able to completely escape death now? I'll only die when I'm accepting of it?'

Was it something that he wanted? It gave him so much more to think about whilst in this new world, so much more than just magic powers and abilities, more than taking on the title of warlock as a wilder of the same kind of powers that the calamities of the world once wielded. Now he was possibly also an entity that could go on to live as long as he desired.

So long as death was still indeed an option then surely it wasn't like there was a particular downside to it, right?

'The main downside would be being the only one to survive, but I wouldn't be the only long-lived person. Emilia is an elf, and the spirits made it sound like they could also live for an incredibly long time, I mean Beatrice made it sound like she had some experience with the witches when she spoke to Cecily in the library…'

"Well, I'm feeling pretty energized right now so I think I'm fine," Leo said, finally stepping away from the tree as he looked at it and the other dead tree that he had left behind. "If I need more I can just step aside somewhere for it."

"I see, I'm glad that you have already managed to recover. Since the great spirit was kind enough to relay a message of our departure I am sure that Miss Felt would likely be awaiting our return." Reinhard said with his usual smile finally returning to his features.

"More than waiting, I have a feeling that all hell could be breaking loose back home because of his morning… Felt is feisty but Cecily is quick to get rather upset whenever someone's treated me… less that kindly." Leo replied with a strained smile, making sure to not recklessly choose words to prevent more concern from Reinhard. The morning was already enough of a mess and he wasn't even done with telling Felt and Reinhard about his ability…

"I believe that you do indeed have a point. We shall make our way back home with haste then." Reinhard mentioned before closing the gap between him and Leo again to his confusion and soon alarm as Leo stepped back to preserve the distance.

"I'm not letting you carry me again. I'm perfectly capable of getting home on my own right now. I don't like the idea of being carried!" Leo immediately said, giving the knight a serious look.

"Ah, I see, but I am aware that this forest isn't a mere short distance back to my estate for most people… but if you insist then we can continue to walk there," Reinhard said with a faintly disheartened expression at the harsh shutdown.

"Look, sorry about the way I said it but… there are just some positions that I don't want to be seen in, and being carried like before is one of them. I mean, even if I was basically unable to stand before I still feel ashamed that I had to be carried like that to start with…" Leo apologized with some awkwardness, struggling to bring himself to look at Reinhard as his face slowly started to gain a faint shade of red. "But I am thankful."

"I see… you are welcome, Leo!"

"Well, now that's out of the way… just how long of a walk is it back to the house?"

"Roughly an hour and a half."

"Pardon?"

Upon hearing Reinhard's nonchalant answer Leo could only look at the knight with complete bewilderment at the answer. Maybe he didn't have an exactly good feel for the passage of time since he was barely alive only a moment ago, but it didn't take them that long to arrive here even while being carried, did it?

'How fast can Reinhard move? And how didn't he break a sweat or begin to lose his breath after all that?!' Leo could only internally question in his mind. 'Felt better take back her comment of me being more ridiculous than Reinhard because I think he's busted…'

"Ok then… what if the average person was to start running then?" Leo asked.

"Can you run for that long? I don't think you have shown that kind of stamina in our practice sessions…" Reinhard mentioned with some worry. "But usually most people can run up to three to four times quicker than they can walk. If you could manage to run non-stop then it would reduce it to a thirty-minute sprint."

"And what if I boosted my physical abilities with the light spell Akra?"

"You have learned to use some light magic? That is most excellent to hear!" Reinhard commented with a cheery smile. "Then I believe that making it home shouldn't pose too much of an issue, many knights can boost their physical abilities by channeling some general magic, but light magic excels at such skills."

"Then we'll do that, it'll make for some more practice as well," Leo said with a smile of his own before immediately beginning to prepare himself to cast the spell. "Akra!" he chanted, quickly covering him with a thin veil of light in the next moment.

The two men merely flashed a brief smile at one another before they shot off running at an incredible speed back towards the Astrea Estate…

By the time the two had arrived back home the panicked welcome was instant as the moment that Cecily had noticed their closing in presence she had wasted no time in getting to her feet and rushing to the front door, closely followed by Felt, Flam, and Grassis.

"Big bro!" "Sir Leo!" Felt and the maids worriedly called out to him as they hurried down the corridor and practically crashed into his frame leaving him silently thankful that he hadn't undone Akra yet as it was the sole reason he could take the impact.

"Are you alright? Cecily mentioned that the bastard pushed you too hard and still kept being a dick to you!" Felt said in a huff as she wore her usual thief's clothing with her arms crossed. "It's reason like that I hate the knights and nobility, they think they can do whatever the hell they want and trample on everyone else! Why did you even go so far like that, you should have at least pretended that you were useless!"

"If that man alone had been requesting then I might have considered it, but he wasn't the only person I was potentially helping then," Leo said whilst he continued to attempt to pacify the other worried girls, mainly Cecily who kept a firm grasp of him.

"You didn't have to go and nearly kill yourself over it though! You nearly gave us a heart attack!" Felt shot back whilst taking the chance to deliver a punch to his chest in her frustration.

"So concerned that you're willing to beat up the person who nearly died? I didn't know that was how people worried about the ill…" Leo chimed back with a grin but Felt just turned away in a huff.

"Well if you're talking like that then you must be fine." She said with a grin, simply happy that there was no longer any need for such concerns.

"Is that truly the case, Sir Leo? It might be advisable for you to spend the rest of the day resting in your room to make sure that you truly have recovered." Grassis said with a worried expression alongside her sister. While the pair had indeed been hurrying down the corridor and even bumped into him, it hadn't taken them long to quickly reel themselves back in and maintain a respectful distance between them.

"I'm perfectly fine now, you two ought to know better than anyone just how that… sickness, works. I can completely recover from most things in no time." He answered the two maids with a gentle smile.

'There's something refreshing about having so many people care so much, not that I want to make them this way either…' Leo couldn't help but think to himself, glad that all of the girls are so earnestly worried for him. 'Reinhard as well, I didn't think that I would so soon be in this position either, but I wouldn't want to give it up…'

"That wasn't a sickness, it was od depletion! No one should be suffering from that unless they got cursed!" Cecily pointed out, almost immediately restoring the somber mood amongst the group.

"Leo, you mentioned that you would explain your ability when we were back with Miss Felt, and I would like to try asking for that explanation again. You've already been in some concerning situations and I would like to better know about it so we can help you." Reinhard said making Leo flinch at the idea causing Cecily to gently hold onto him again in support.

Flam and Grassis likewise assumed a worried expression as they noticed their master's awkwardness, knowing the full reason for it much like Cecily. "Um, Sir Leo, I know that it might not be something you will be comfortable sharing but we don't think that there should be anything to worry about telling Sir Reinhard," Flam said as she took a step forward.

"I can see where you're coming from…" Leo replied as he looked down at the ground, gently holding onto Cecily who welcomed the gesture.

"I don't get it, is there something horribly concerning about big bro's power?" Felt asked, completely puzzled at the group's behavior to Reinhard's question.

"Sorta," Leo said with a melancholic smile before resolving himself. 'They're bound to find out sooner rather than later, and keeping it a secret might just make things worse in the long run…'

"Alright, I'll explain, but I want to do it in a room with just us. I don't want to be interrupted either." Leo said with Reinhard and Felt giving a firm nod in return, sensing the seriousness of the request…

"So… I guess I'll just start with how I even likely gained this power…" Leo said with a heavy voice as he sat down on a sofa with Cecily right beside him. True to his request, the group of them sat in a small room with no one else with added orders of no one disrupting their conversation.

Whilst Leo composed himself, thinking over his explanation Felt and Reinhard patiently waited in different armchairs whilst even Flam and Grassis sat down together on another smaller sofa. "To start with, I already basically told Reinhard this but, I'm not from this world. As you put it, I'm from beyond the great waterfall."

"WHAT?!" Felt immediately exclaimed at the revelation.

"That would explain a lot…" Flam mentioned whilst her sister nodded along in shock, even Cecily seemed stunned at the news but recovered by far the quickest. Reinhard however was the only one who remained calm, even as the various girls threw him the occasional glance with similar thoughts running through their minds which went reflected on their faces.

"It is true, on my first encounter I learned this fact, and is one of the reasons that I knew I needed to help him. I know so thanks to my divine blessing of lie detection." Reinhard then said, reaffirming Leo's words with confidence. For a few moments, there was salience in the room as they gave time for the fact to go digested by the girls until one spoke up again.

"Wait, does that mean you have that power because you're from beyond the waterfall? Does everyone have some kind of superpower where you come from?" Felt then asked but Leo merely shook his head.

"That would certainly be something, but no. In fact, it's quite the opposite, we have no magic, no divine blessings. Simply nothing but our smarts and intellect which for the record dwarfs anything and everything in this world." Leo replied, his voice in a rare turn being blunt and matter-of-fact.

"No magic?! At all?! That can't be true, no one can survive without magic, it wouldn't be that different from saying that you have no od!" Felt exclaimed.

"But… I detect no lies in his words… it truly seems that magic doesn't exist there…" Reinhard mentioned with plenty of disbelief in his words as he somehow found himself wondering if his divine blessing was somehow faulty. But it wasn't like it didn't work on Leo despite his otherworldliness, after all, he had managed to detect lies from him before.

"Well, that's not to say that there isn't some form of dormant mana or something. Just we're unable to make use of it normally." Leo mentioned.

"Well then, what's your next big surprise? How did you even get here?" Felt asked as she settled back down.

"Well, simply put I was summoned or teleported… I don't know the specifics of it but there was someone capable of pulling me here." Leo mentioned as everyone intently listened. "While she was short, her hair was platinum and long, and frankly the only way you could describe her was that she was beyond beautiful. Like if you looked up the meaning of the word you could find a picture of her there."

"It sounds like you just really fancy her." Felt quipped.

"As if I'd fall for someone so quickly no matter pretty they might be. I mean, there could be a viper inside" Leo shot back.

"A viper inside?" Flam repeated as she tilted her head in confusion.

"A viper is a poisonous snake, as for the expression it's just to say that they might have a horrible personality." Leo quickly explained with the maid nodding in response. "Anyways, she's also the one who effectively thrust something upon me which is, alarmingly enough, called a witch factor…"

Upon hearing this, Reinhard and Felt froze up yet again as alarm set into their features as soon as they heard the word 'witch'. "If you couldn't guess, those who possess witch factors manifest powers known as authorities, the very same powers that the witches of sin used…"

"Wait, so your saying… you're a witch?!" Felt said pointedly.

"Well, warlock would be the masculine term…" Leo nitpicked, "But yes, that's the case."

"So that's what your power is… your… authority…" Felt continued to mumble. "Did you three already know about this?" she then asked, her question directed towards the maids and spirit.

"Yes, we went with Sir Leo to visit the margrave and were therefore naturally present when he learned more about the origins of his own powers," Flam answered for them all as she did her best to remain as neutral as possible, not wanting to be the reason to fan the flames with more worry.

"It certainly makes sense why you would be so concerned about revealing the nature of your power, the kingdom would normally treat you like a member of the witches cult without any questioning, or perhaps worse…" Reinhard added on, revealing his own thoughts about the situation.

"You're not about to oust him, are you?! It wasn't like he chose this, and he's nothing like those cultists, he saved me for starters!" Felt immediately shouted at the knight who only raised a single hand in some attempt to get the blond to stop.

"Not at all, I also completely believe that Leo is of no threat to the kingdom and therefore it wouldn't even be a breach of my knight's code to keep this hidden." Reinhard replied, "Please, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to me, but…"

"But your father…" Leo finished for him, letting dread set in as everyone knew what would happen if Heinkel found out about the fact.

"There is no doubt in my mind that he would publicize the fact and get the whole kingdom to turn against you unfairly…" Reinhard explained.

"I won't let that happen!" Cecily shouted out, "I'll stop him, I won't let him continue like that!"

"What are you going to do should it come to that? Silence him for good?" Leo asked as he raised a brow, pondering over just what one spirit, even a great one, could hope to do in such a scenario.

"Well, he deserves it," Felt added on.

"Please don't so casually suggest such a crime, Miss Felt…" Reinhard said with concern on his features.

"I won't, I won't! Sheese, you need to relax some. I don't see how you're willing to defend him even a little bit, however." She said, settling into her chair with a huff until another idea suddenly crossed her mind. "Wait, you learned all this from that magic know-it-all-guy, right? Doesn't that mean everyone where big sis lives know all about you already?"

"That's true, but Emilia apologized for revealing my authority and promised to keep everyone from talking about it. Honestly, Emilia, Subaru, and the two spirits there seem believable enough that they won't go telling and I guess the maids won't if they obey their master enough but I just don't know about the clown…"

"Anyone who can smell your scent might also try reporting you, but they're rare," Cecily added on to more curiosity. "But it turns out the smell was less a smell and instead miasma…"

"Miasma?" Leo asked as he looked down at the spirit.

"Yeah, all the cultists have a certain smell about them but apparently the witches constantly emitted something called miasma because they possessed authorities," Cecily explained. "Their miasma could get so back that their mere presence could cause people to throw up and feel really, really bad."

"So… is there a way to stop it? I'd rather not have everyone who greets me throw up on prompt."

"I don't know."

"Great…" Leo said, almost deflating at the answer.

"Wait, but we're not feeling sick right now so doesn't that disprove it?" Felt pointed out.

"Not if his authority grows stronger," Cecily mentioned with a frown.

"Wait, so if big bro continues to get stronger with his authority, then we're all going to start feeling like shit?" Felt said, aghast with the possibility.

Cecily however merely shifted on the spot for a few moments, humming to herself whilst clearly deep in thought about the subject. "We won't, if you get used to the presence of miasma then you'll be fine."

"Well, that's something… I guess?" Leo pondered aloud in his own attempt to ignore the darker mood that had long settled in. For a while, however, no one said anything. There was too much running through their minds to say anything, and no one knew what to say anymore, the news was just too much to take in at once.

"I'm not about to ask everyone for their thoughts now but… are you guys… ok with me at least?" Leo eventually asked, grabbing everyone's attention from the ground as they looked up at him in shock.

"What's that supposed to mean? It's not like your suddenly another person now is it?" Felt snapped while looking as if he had said something ludicrous. "If anything, you just make the kingdom look even worse than it is, if a warlock is better than then."

"Miss Felt, I don't think that is something to be said so lightly…" Reinhard said with another troubled expression. "But it doesn't change the way that I think of you either, I promise that your secrets will be safe with me and I hope that we can continue our friendship."

"We already knew of your authority and learning of your origins hasn't changed my thoughts," Flam added on.

"And I feel the same, if anything knowing that you are from beyond the great waterfall is truly amazing to know about!" Grassis said with an excited little smile, unknowingly kicking her legs a little bit.

"And I'll stay by your side as well!" Cecily cheered beside him.

"Thank you… I mean it…" Leo said with a completely relieved smile. 'I know that there was little reason to worry about it but… it's still nice to not suddenly get turned on…'

"But big bro?" Felt then asked as she sat up. "What exactly does your authority do then? You used it to try and heal whoever that asshole dragged you off to right? And you said that you healed yourself before as well."

"Well, I'm not too certain as to all the details but… I know that I can drain life force and give it as well. And by bestowing it on someone or gaining extra for myself then they can heal from even previously thought incurable diseases. If I pour enough of it into them at least." Leo answered her with little thought. "Honestly, I haven't experimented much but doing so would be risky as it marks me as a warlock…"

"Wait, but does that mean whoever you tried to heal is going to live way longer now? Can that happen?" Felt asked, raising everyone's curiosity about the subject.

"Well…" Leo said whilst scratching the back of his head. "I don't really know but… when I tried healing her, it felt more like I directly aimed it at her disease… Maybe it was just me being hopeful and willing for it, but it clearly did do something for her. I can't say why, but I feel that most of the od that I gave her was simply used up attempting to fight the disease."

"So, she won't live longer then?" Felt asked, unable to determine what exactly she was being told.

"Maybe? Maybe not? I'm not experienced yet so I only have an impression, and it's leaning towards not really." Leo answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So you must first heal a person of their ills before you can extend their life?" Reinhard summed up the information.

"I suppose so… you can't exactly live longer if there's something hindering your ability to live in the first place. And as for healing, is it a shocker that the very thing that allows everything to live is capable of promoting life?" Leo thought aloud.

"I suppose not, I believe it to be a logical deduction," Reinhard replied.

"Who would have thought that something considered a witch's power would actually be something so positive?" Felt mused aloud.

"I mean, it's not all sunshine and rainbows but it's not like I would use it like that…" Leo pointed out. "But, are there any other questions?"

Upon his question everyone in the room remained quiet, some of them shaking their heads in response. "Well, then I suppose that's everything that I have to say, other than please keep everything we just spoke about to yourselves. And avoiding talking recklessly would also be appreciated as well…"

"If that is what you wish, Sir Leo," Flam replied with a small bow of her head.

"Of course not, that would be stupid to do so, you don't need to tell any of us that!" Felt snapped as she now jumped to her feet, clearly ready to leave. "And if we're going to be keeping secrets then we ought to be getting back to normal."

"So you're prepared to go to lessons then?" Leo asked, now making the blond freeze in her tracks.

"Dam it, can anyone really expect me to go through with any more of that today?! You just dropped several bombshells and I'm expected to be able to focus on anything else!" Felt shouted out whilst pointing an accusing finger at Leo. "In fact, shouldn't something else be taking place right now as we agreed on?"

"May I ask what Miss Felt keeps referring to Leo?" Reinhard then asked, his curiosity finally reading his limits. Before he had merely avoided bringing up the topic as it didn't seem to involve him, but despite that, it seemed that Felt continuously had no concerns with constantly referencing whatever it was they spoke about.

"Well, you're going to need to know about it sooner or later…" Leo replied with an awkward smile.

"Basically, I want out!" Felt snapped as she spun around to the sword saint with a heated glare.

"I'm afraid that I cannot grant such a request, Miss Felt. I still you to reside here until the time is right." Reinhard immediately answered her with a frown to Felt's continued annoyance despite the fact that she already knew what his response was going to be.

"I get that much, but you've kept me cooped up in this blood place for the whole week. You can't seriously mean that I can't walk around the capital anymore!" Felt shouted out.

"Isn't it possible for her to at least go accompanied in walking around and stretch her legs some? Unless you mean to say that she's under house arrest." Leo added on.

"Well, it would prove quite troublesome should anything happen during that time… in honesty, there is more important than simply having Miss Felt just reside here for the time being, but there are some individual's that she must be kept away from without them knowing who she is in turn," Reinhard said with a troubled expression.

"Just what kind of situation are you trying to drag me through?!" Felt shouted out in disbelief at the news.

"Please calm down, Miss Felt. I assure you that everything will make perfect sense when the time is right."

"What the hell?! Why do you have to be so freaking cryptic?!" Felt shouted back in frustration as Leo couldn't help but look away as he struggled with his own feelings on the situation.

'There's little doubt that it's all because Felt's a royal candidate, but I don't see why she can't be told about any of this… I need to talk to him about this later…' He thought to himself as he continued to ponder all the while listening to the two continuing to bicker before him. 'I mean, this is better than any awkwardness from my reveals I suppose…'

"Hey, come on big bro!" Felt suddenly said as she grabbed hold of Leo, violently shaking him from his thoughts and pulling him from reality.

"Huh? What's going on now?" Leo asked as a grinning Felt began to pull him along towards the door where Reinhard was already standing, holding open the door.

"I'm getting the day off, but you're not!" Felt said as they left the room, whilst Flam, Grassis, and Cecily happily followed behind…

"Oh, I see what you're after now…" Leo said as he stood within the courtyard, a wooden sword in hand, and Reinhard standing across from him, having discarded his coat with his own wooden sword in hand.

"Try not to get too badly beat up big bro!" Felt shouted out, a cheeky grin not leaving her face as she was clearly looking forward to whatever was about to happen.

"You could at least say good luck you know?" Leo quipped back before releasing a heavy sigh as Felt showed no sign of losing her cheery mood or swapping her words. 'I mean her way of thinking isn't wrong but it would be nice for someone to have a little more confidence in me…' he thought whilst taking the time to ready himself for what would inevitably be another beating at the hands of Reinhard.

Upon hearing the playful exchange between the two apparent foster siblings the maids decide to speak up instead, "We're sure you'll make excellent progress once again." Flam said with her sister nodding alongside her, hoping that their encouragement would be enough for their master.

"Have you witnessed Sir Leo and Sir Reinhard sparring before?" Grassis then asked the spirit that was sitting beside her who was swaying slightly from side to side as she carefully watched the two men.

"Yeah, I've watched all of their matches, the red-haired guy is super strong and super kind!" Cecily said with enthusiasm as they continued to eagerly wait for the match. "But this is the first time that I've watched from so close, however."

"Please feel free to use magic as you see fit, Leo. I hope that this can be training for all your skills, not just your swordplay. I would be glad if my divine blessing of training mastery would be able to fully assist you." Reinhard mentioned, pulling Leo's attention back to him. Unlike his opponent who already knew the need to fully ready himself for the fight, Reinhard remained lax and loose with unwavering confidence.

"If you say so, someone want to start us off?" Leo said, the last of his words aimed toward the watching girls.

"Alright then!" Felt shouted out just in time to cut off Cecily to her disappointment. "Ready… FIGHT!" she soon yelled out, throwing down a hand as if to better signal the start of the fight.

Immediately Leo began to make his way towards Reinhard who still remained perfectly still in place. 'I know that he has every reason in the world to remain that calm but… it's still irritating being treated this way.' Leo couldn't help but think to himself as he readied his blade for the first strike.

Pouring as much strength as he could into the blow whilst maintaining his form, it went completely blocked by Reinhard who merely moved his own blade in the way producing a resounding clack sound.

It didn't stop Leo from transitioning into a multitude of other blows that Reinhard continued to have no problem blocking without having to move an inch. One continued to shower the other in sword strikes whilst the other refused to show any sign of stress until he finally decided to change things up.

Instead of blocking an upward slash, Reinhard instead sidestepped the slash and counter back with an attempt to strike back at Leo's torso but his attack also failed to land. The moment Leo had failed to feel any connection with Reinhard's blade at all he had already begun to twist his body to perform a low spin to the ground allowing him to duck under Reinhard's sword and take yet another swing at him instead.

There was no delay as Reinhard quickly stepped back out of the sword's range but his smile grew slightly when he saw that Leo still wasn't done with his assault. "Fura!" Leo shouted as he swung his spare arm, quickly unleashing a wind blade that rushed straight towards the sword saint.

It was expected, however, that such an attempt was just as futile as any of his attempts before but unlike the rest, it provided better results than before. Leo held a faint sense of satisfaction as he witnessed Reinhard's wooden blade begin to glow with an ethereal light.

Immediately there was the sound is splitting wood without Reinhard even doing anything but whatever power he was putting into his blade was clearly more than it could handle. But despite the fact with a smooth gentle movement, the practice sword neatly slice through the wind blade as if it was just a gentle breeze, reducing it to just that…

"That was an excellent use of swordsmanship and magic just then Leo!" Reinhard praised as his sword lost its luster with the sound-splitting wood left with it. His own blade was clearly worn down and full of splits, no longer was it the smooth and well-crafted practice blade but instead covered in little sharp ends that would easily bestow plenty of splinters.

There were no words nor any hesitation for another servant to quickly approach Reinhard, with the two exchanging practice swords before hurrying off again, allowing for the fight to continue.

"Thanks, but it felt like something somewhat simple so I'm not sure how praiseworthy it is…" Leo replied as he prepared himself as Reinhard got his new blade. "Besides, I've easily got a lot more than that now. I'd much rather you keep compliments until I've really deserved them."

"But your actions have most certainly improved, your actions are now no longer ones of a novice and if you are able to refer to it as simple likewise shows your growth." Reinhard replied, "But if you have more to show then I would be most pleased to witness it all."

"I'd like to say brace yourself, but there's no way it'll ever come to that… either way, Akra!" Leo chanted, covering him with a faint veil of light at his magic activated. He didn't waste any time running back towards Reinhard, his enhanced physical ability allowing him to do so much quicker than before.

The two immediately clashed again as Leo swung his sword having leaped towards Reinhard but he didn't go repelled. Instead, making use of his enhanced strength he continued to push his blade against Reinhard's, lifting him into the air and behind the knight allowing him to aim a kick to the back of his head.

The kick didn't connect, however, yet there was little for Leo to worry about either as he continued traveling backward through the air until skidding to a stop on the ground. Once again he launched himself towards Reinhard, the sword saint already casually swinging his blade in his direction, yet it was obvious that it was far from anything lousy.

In the last moment, Leo summoned up the strength to leap again as he managed to barely clear the sword swing in time and make it over Reinhard's head where he swiped back at him.

Yet with a mere flick of his blade, the peerless entity had no issue with deflecting the blow, simultaneously disarming his practice partner and throwing him off his balance for Leo to barely stick the landing again.

'Dam it…' Leo thought as all motivation suddenly drained from his body as he saw his sword fall back down from the sky and into Reinhard's ready hand. 'It's already over?' he thought, seeing Reinhard already managing to come lunging in his direction with a single step with speed greater than he himself knew he could muster.

Yet the match didn't end when Reinhard brought down one of his swords and Leo found it in himself to narrowly dodge the first swing. "Fura!" Leo chanted again, unleashing a quick wind blade that would cover his retreat as he moved back. It didn't do anything against Reinhard, but it gave him breathing room at least.

Yet, it wasn't something that lasted for long…

There was nothing stopping the sword saint from rushing yet again, but unlike before Leo found himself completely unable to keep his eyes on his training partner. In mere seconds, Reinhard had managed to silently circle around him whilst swinging a sword that struck him in the back.

Managing to twist his body before he hit the ground, Leo managed to make sure that it was his back that he landed on allowing him to see the second and decisive sword strike. Almost instinctively did he reach out the oncoming blade and caught it between his hands.

For a few moments, there was nothing that Leo could do, struggling immensely to hold back the single blade with all his strength. Even with the magic that enhanced him, he could still feel his body breaking out into a desperate sweat with all the effort that he exuded at the moment.

On the contrary, however, Reinhard remained as calm as ever as he continued pressing the blade toward Leo. It was clear that he could channel far more strength and finish the match, yet he didn't. It was a fact that barely allowed Leo to fight against him until at last the blade they were struggling over abruptly snapped and burst into a bundle of bits of wood.

The moment that the sword was destroyed Leo hurriedly tried to get away from Reinhard once again, but there was nothing that he could do. Within a moment, a second sword came sweeping in from the side before suddenly stopping just short of his neck. For a few moments, Leo could only lay on the grass, his chest heaving with his breath as the two men knew that the battle was over.

"When did you learn to do all that?!" Felt's voice rang out as she got to her feet and hurried over to the two of them.

"It was a fine display of swordsmanship, you've certainly improved plenty more than I expected," Reinhard added on with a beaming smile, a sense of pride emanating from him as he took back his remaining sword and instead held out a hand.

"Thanks, honestly didn't think some of it would go that well," Leo admitted with a smile as he accepted the help back onto his feet, looking around just in time to see the girls approaching them, most notably Flam and Grassis that had his usual towel and refreshments.

"When did you learn all of those things? There's no way you got that good already!" Felt continued to speak in disbelief.

"But he is that good! You shouldn't underestimate him at all!" Cecily said with pride, puffing out her chest all the while as she was glad that Leo had successfully managed to amaze the other blond girl. "It won't be long before he'll be the best in the kingdom and the best spiritual art user!"

"I don't think I'm ever going to be the best knight you know, Reinhard makes a hard-to-surpass teacher." Leo chimed back, having accepted the towel from Flam and wiping away most of his sweat with it. "And I haven't done much work at all with the spiritual arts, thought it might be nice to try that as well."

"Improving at the spiritual arts as well would make you an incredibly diverse fighter, Sir Leo, but it would require you further learning to work with spirits and how to borrow power from them," Grassis said with a gentle smile, now taking her turn to offer up some water to Leo when he was ready.

"But if a great spirit such as Lady Cecily is willing to become one of your contracted spirits then I'm certain that you have a great chance," Flam added on.

"We'll be better than the elf girl and the kitty! And I'm sure that there will be other spirits willing to make contracts with you!" Cecily energetically said, seemingly getting excited at the prospect that she had just set before herself.

'She's getting slightly carried away with thinking that we're already in a contract, I mean I am interested in the spiritual arts but at the same time, when it comes to making contracts…' Leo thought to himself with almost a sense of exhaustion. Or perhaps that was exactly what he was feeling as his whole body felt like lead. 'That battle had more of an effect on me than I thought…'

"To best Miss Emilia and her great spirit?" Reinhard repeated, "I would imagine that the great spirit might know already, but Miss Emilia's contracted spirit happens to be one of the four great spirits of the world. It would be no small task to manage that."

"One of the four great spirits of the world? Do you mean that Puck ranks as one of the top four strongest spirits currently alive?" Leo asked as Reinhard nodded in response.

"While exceptionally strong spirits with a physical form, in general, are referred to as great spirits, such as Lady Cecily, there are four spirits of such exceptional power they stand far above even other great spirits. By my understanding of recent events, Miss Emilia's great spirit managed to best the previous great spirit of fire in a fight, thereby taking its seat as one of the four greats." Reinhard quickly explained.

"That tiny kitty? Seriously? Now I know why he said that calling him a kitty didn't exactly suit him…"

"You called one of the strongest spirits in the world a kitty?! How do you have the confidence to…" Felt burst out before her voice trailed off in realization. "Oh, you didn't know at all who you were talking to then did you?"

"At first, it was a floating cat, then a spirit, and only now do I realize exactly who he is." Leo nonchalantly replied, but his behavior simply left everyone except Cecily in disbelief.

"I assume as someone not from our world, Sir Leo doesn't have the same built-up image of spirits and the respect they usually deserve…" Flam commented with a sense of amazement that her master could be so calm and relaxed about such a subject.

"It's either that or he's a bit slow…" Felt added on.

"Hey, first of all, it's what Flam said, second of all, Puck's a nice guy. There was nothing to worry about." Leo immediately countered upon hearing the commentary about him.

"I would like to believe that it might also be a little due to your character as well, Leo," Reinhard said as well with an awkward smile. "But your position and bond with a great spirit yourself does change your positioning. In society being contracted with a great spirit can be similarly viewed as being their equal."

"There's nothing for him to worry about, I'm with him and his affinity is super high," Cecily said almost dismissively to the doubters. "I'm sure that he can get along with any spirit he meets, and there are some spirits that don't like being constantly treated that way."

"Well, if the spirits saying so," Felt replied, her expression almost blank as she thought about it. "I mean maybe big bro will come home with another spirit like you, he really seems to have a following starting already!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked Felt only gave him a quick grin before turning away, refusing to answer the question.

"Either way, I hope you can excuse me as my time is running short since there are still duties expected of me. For this day you can both consider yourself free to do as you please, Leo, Miss Felt." Reinhard mentioned, breaking the mood as he handed over his remaining sword to Flam before taking his bow to leave.

"See ya Reinhard, and thanks again for the session," Leo said to his friend, waving him goodbye, something that Reinhard returned with seeming enthusiasm.

"So then, you said that you would make things up to me," Felt said, getting attention back to her.

"It's not like I did anything wrong now is there? But if you want to do something then just say." He said, tiredly looking at her with the expectation of being dragged through hell. It was clear that Felt had some idea of what was on his mind but it didn't bother her mood, she was set on finally having some of her own fun now…

"Felt be really ruthless…" Leo said mostly to himself as he walked down the corridor despite the fact that Cecily, Flam, and Grassis were walking along with him after just finishing dinner. "And she's still planning on hounding me later…"

"I'm sure that Miss Felt would be willing to give you some time to rest," Flam said with her usual soft voice before looking out the window, briefly taking note of the shining moon that hung over them. "You have certainly been doing your best to entertain her whims and I'm sure she's grateful."

"Maybe? I'm sure she'll just tell me to be stronger or something… She cares but she's tough…" Leo replied, "But at the same time, I'm glad about the change with you two, it feels like you're finally opening up to me a bit."

"We're opening up a bit? Do you mean me as well?" Grassis asked as the two twins looked at him curiously.

"You two haven't realized the change yourself? I mean you've even begun dropping the sir." Leo pointed out with a faint smile whilst the two looked at one another, silently asking one another if it was really the case.

"So long as you are happy sir." Flam then said, the two of the shifting their gaze downwards slightly in awkwardness.

"Did that make you self-conscious now?" Leo chimed, unable to hold back a small smile at the sight of the two.

"What about me?" Cecily suddenly said, raising her hand into the air for added attention, "I've always been here before anyone else!"

"Well, the change with you is that you're now sticking to my side twenty-four seven, but… are you saying that you've been with me even before I first met Reinhard?"

"Yup!" The spirit cheerily replied.

"And you've never left me since then?"

"That's right! I'll be with you forever!"

"So… you were there when I was fighting for my life and others against the bowel hunter?" Leo then asked whilst looking down at her accusingly, making her suddenly claim up whilst looking away bashfully. "We ended up in some pretty dicey moments at times…"

"Well…" Cecily said, now desperately trying to avoid his gaze before realizing that the twin maids were looking at her just the same way driving her to desperately avert her gaze yet again until shame finally took over her. "I didn't know what you were like then… you were interesting! And you had such a high affinity! There was no way that I could ignore you but… there was your miasma about you…"

"Well… I can't blame you at all then. You were actually a bit more cautious than I gave you credit for." Leo said with a small smile, patting her on the head to her joy.

"I promise that I'll never leave you to fight alone like that ever again!" She said with burning determination.

"I'll be counting on you," Leo said, continuing to gently rub her head until a horrible sense suddenly overtook them.

"There you are." An all too familiar voice broke the atmosphere from behind. The moment that Leo heard the voice he could already feel himself tensing slightly whilst he could feel Cecily react just as, if not even more, intensely than before.

Slowly the two turned around, each doing their best to control themselves whilst Flam and Grassis were instant in completely composing their quiet and respectful personas, quickly resuming a respectful distance between them and their master.

"Are you still upset at my shortcomings today? I'm sorry but I tried my best unless I manage to improve beyond my current level…" Leo began to speak but he soon went completely shut down by the bulky man that had approached them.

"Don't remind me of your incompetence," Heinkel immediately snapped, "There is something else that I want you to tell me, how did you even begin to heal her."

Leo could feel Cecily begin to grip his hand and with a considerable amount of force as well when Heinkel continue to confront them, looking down at them with clear disgust and hatred, seemingly only bearing their mere presence for whatever reason he sought them out, to begin with.

"Well, I don't know what to say… It's just water magic and seeing the margrave recently helped with it. He himself took plenty of interest in it." Leo replied but his answer only seemingly further upset Heinkel instead.

"Don't try lying to me, there was no incantation or spell name, and there was no sign of magic at all. You've only recently started attempting magic against Reinhard and don't show any kind of possible skill that suggests you could be a halfway competent mage, never mind surpassing the blue…" Heinkel immediately shot back, almost yelling at the two. "I didn't notice it in the moment, but there's something different about you…"

Hearing this Leo could only hold his breath and desperately do his best to make sure that nothing showed on his face as he kept fixed eye contact with Heinkel, instead doing his best poker face to hide as much possible information.

Cecily's grip had likewise tightened at the question as it wasn't hard for her to realize the prospect herself yet unlike his poker face, she only continued to scowl at the knight. "What are you accusing him of?!" she challenged.

"That he's not normal… you hide secrets, are so rebellious, and used powers that defy anything ever known. Don't act like you're an innocent person!" Heinkel shouted before noticing Flam and Grassis. "You two have been by his side since he came to this house, haven't you? Tell me everything you know about him, who or what is he?!"

For a few moments, there was silence in the hall as all the attention shifted to the twins, as Heinkel remained furious Leo could only look on with a strained, desperate expression. Heinkel was, as Reinhard's father, in all likelihood more important than him to the maids and in the hierarchy and thereby someone they would have to obey.

It was a point where the only thing he could count on was their loyalty to him alone despite their jobs being something that would tell them to answer honestly to Heinkel and oust his secrets.

"We are sorry, but there is nothing that we could say about Sir Leo that you would be interested in him. There has been nothing that has stood out about him so far aside from his achievements." Flam eventually answered with a large bow while her voice remained completely monotone, almost as if she had reverted to how she was when Leo had first come to the manor.

Heinkel just intensely stared at her for a few moments before finally shifting targets to Grassis, wordlessly prompting her to talk. "I'm sorry but there is nothing more that I could add to what my sister has said." Grassis soon answered in a monotone voice, likewise having reverted to how she was when Leo had first met them.

"I'll oust you eventually, don't get comfortable." Heinkel spat in response, his words being his parting ones as he wasted no time in leaving the group, coming back from once he had come.

"Man… he's really had one hell of a character flip since the first day…" Leo couldn't help but think aloud as he finally realized his breath, slumping down as he could finally relax. "But, thanks a lot you two for keeping it hidden."

"Please do not worry, Sir Leo, we believe you are a good person and won't reveal your secret. You didn't have any choice and we believe that Sir Heinkel would do nothing more than simply try to ruin your life with it." Grassis replied with a smile, already having reverted back from her blank self from before.

"And thanks for standing with me." He then said his words aimed at Cecily whilst he gave a quick squeeze to her small hand, earning a beaming smile in response.

"Of course! I'm not going to let him get the better of you!" She cheerily responded until she calmed down again. "But… are you alright? You still look troubled…"

"Well, my mood certainly isn't the same," Leo admitted with another sigh, unable to deny the sinking feeling in his heart.

"Is there anything that we can do?" Flam asked as she stepped closer again, seemingly ready to do whatever was asked of her.

"Yeah, could you go and tell Felt what happened and ask her to give me a break for now? I wanna think some things over…"

"As you wish, Sir Leo." The two maids immediately responded with a small bow. "We wish you a pleasant night, and hope that you feel better in the morning"

"Thanks, and goodnight," Leo said, now watching the maids walk off ahead of them before glancing down at Cecily. "I suppose that you're going to try and sleep with me again?"

"Can I?" Cecily asked with rising excitement, "Then does that mean that it's alright if I stay with you?"

"Yeah, I think I'd appreciate it… There's something that I want to talk about…" Leo said, now beginning to walk down the rest of the corridor himself, heading straight for his room…

"Hopefully Felt got the memo," Leo said as the two finally entered his room, shutting the door behind him and turning on the magic crystal lighting system in the room, quickly illuminating the whole room.

Whilst Cecily hurried over to the bed and threw herself onto it, Leo made sure to remove his overcoat and lazily threw it over a chair before drawing the curtains closed, giving privacy to just the two of them.

"I can always tell her to leave." Cecily mentioned, "Unlike you, she treats me like most people so she should listen to me."

"Unlike me huh? You're making it sound like that I'm a really rare case in how I happen to treat you and possibly spirits in general." Leo mentioned as he sat down on the side of his bed Cecily crawled up beside him before laying there.

"But you are, super few people treat spirits like you do but that's perhaps because they better understand us than someone from another world," Cecily replied with a weak smile as she admired the man next to the. "Every day you keep becoming more and more interesting and amazing, I'm starting to feel like nearly anything could happen if I stay with you."

"I'm worried for the day when I'll finally come up short. I can only keep amazing people on such levels for so long, especially when they've all been lucky breaks so far."

"You don't know that, and I think you're plenty capable."

"Capable enough to gain achievements to amaze you even more?"

"Don't you have the means to do so? You're already building so many different skills and you have an ability unlike anyone else! And I'll help you along the way!"

"One of those things isn't exactly something that I should use too much you know?" Leo pointed out as uncertainty began to take over. "In fact, I don't think many amazing things will happen if the world happens to find out about it. Everyone makes it sound like something that I should just try to forget about and act like I don't have it but is that really the right thing?"

"What do you mean?" Cecily asked, completely confused as to what he was getting at.

"If you come across a bad situation, but you have the means to do something about it, especially when it wouldn't cost you anything to do it, then shouldn't you try to do something about it?" Leo asked. "But with my ability, it's something that maybe I shouldn't use, and I'm wondering how I should make use of such an ability. Wouldn't it be a waste to just completely ignore it?"

"It's a power born from a witch factor, a power that only you will ever have, so you're the one responsible for it right?" Cecily then asked.

"It makes perfect sense…" Leo replied, unable to get at what Cecily was angling at.

"Then it's your choice alone," Cecily mentioned. "It's your power, your responcibility, so it's purely your choice in when and how to use it."

"But I'm wondering when that is… it's easy enough to make sure that I don't start using it for bad things, but when do I know that I'm neglecting to do the better thing?" Leo then asked.

"Aren't you thinking too hard about this? You didn't seem to care too much before."

"I guess it's my simultaneous success and failure at healing Reinhard's mother." He answered, his voice turning glum as he now shifted his position on the bed to lie down on it instead as he mindlessly looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, my healing goes beyond what anyone else could hope to achieve. It makes it clear that there are some people that I and I alone can help, which makes the idea of abandoning the good people in need all the more painful."

"You did everything you could to save her, there was nothing more that you could do. You even went too far for her! I don't want to see you doing anything like that again!" Cecily said, quickly throwing herself onto Leo's chest and sitting on him, not giving him anyway to look away from her concerned face.

"I know, I know. I'm not beating myself up for that, there are always going to be some things that even I can't do, but when I can, when do I know I should?" Leo replied, "And when I do, what about the price that I might have to pay? It doesn't matter what I do there will always be some people willing to only look at the negative information, that I'm a warlock."

"I value myself, and that won't change. I don't want to give it all up for one person, but what are the times that I should make some sacrifices?" He continued, only able to look up at the great spirit for answers. Normally there was no way that he would ever open up to Cecily like this, she looked too young to be able to give proper insight, and yet he couldn't help but ask.

"No one knows that, the future could be anything." Cecily said with a strangely sagely look as she spoke with a maturity that she had never hinted at before, "But, what you can decide are the things that you will never sacrifice no matter what. But whatever you decide…"

"I've chosen to take your side no matter what happens as a result…" she said as she completely dropped onto his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck to embrace him to the best of her ability.

The action and redeclaration of loyalty had left Leo stunned for a few moments as the words managed to sink in until he eventually felt his arms moving to reciprocate the hug back. "Thank you. I'll make sure that I'll be someone that you can proudly follow then." He whispered back whilst they continued to hug one another on the bed in silence, whilst Cecily's face was hidden from his sight, Leo could still feel her smiling beside him.

"Then!" Cecily said as childish excitement finally found its way back into her voice as she sprung back up into a sitting position again. "Do you want to make a contract now?" she asked, her eyes whilst shiny with anticipation for his answer likewise looked akin to a sad puppy, seemingly silently pleading for her desired answer.

"Alright, I'll make a contract. But I don't know how to do this so you're going to have to tell me how it goes." Leo answered with a gentle smile whilst Cecily only seemed to grow impossibly more excited as she heard him.

"Yay!" She explained as she threw her hands to the ceiling. "You know, I've never heard of someone getting a great spirit asking for a contract before, it's usually the other way around! You're just that amazing you know!" she said with a cheeky smile before calming down as she reached out her hand to grab hold of Leo's, intertwining their fingers as she did so.

"I, Cecily, vow to always help you, to choose your side and stay with you, as your contracted spirit. I offer you my gate and magic, and only request your mana in return." Cecily calmly spoke as she focused on their linked hands with a graceful smile, seemingly trying to contain herself. The moment that she was done with her vows she immediately gave a small nod to Leo, with him catching the signal.

"I, Leo, vow to always protect and help you in turn, may we work together until the end," Leo said, making sure to do his best to follow Cecily's lead as he could only assume that she had immediately leaped into making the contact with him.

For a few moments, the two continued to hold onto one another until at last Cecily finally spoke again. "There! Do you feel it now? Our link?" she asked as she took back her hand. "From now on, I'm your contracted spirit on our agreed-upon terms and linked with you forever. Now we'll never lose one another as well!"

"Our link?" Leo repeated as he remained still, doing his best to feel any kind of change than before.

"Yup, try focusing on me, or try feeling for my presence," Cecily replied as she shifted herself to get off of Leo and stand up off the bed, taking the time to slowly walk from one side of the bed and around to the other. As the spirit did so, it made something clearer to Leo.

'It's subtle but… it's like I'm more aware of her presence now…' Leo thought to himself as he tried closing his eyes and yet despite seeing only darkness, he still felt like he knew just where Cecily was. He could feel her movement, especially when he could start to feel her getting closer and closer to him.

"See! You can sense me now, right?" Cecily asked, prompting Leo to open his eyes to see exactly what he had just been feeling, Cecily's presence had once again closed in on him as she was now climbing onto him again.

"Yeah, I can…" Leo replied, "And this also means that I can use your magic as well now?"

"Yup, by using my gate you can use fire magic now!" she said as she took hold of his wrist, quickly getting a small flame to sprout in the palm of the related hand before it went out. "And, you don't need to worry about magic complexity when using my gate. All that matters if it's magic that I'm capable of casting instead because it's my gate!"

"So… I could now cast Al Jiwald like you asked me to before?"

"Yeah, but I wanna see you cast it yourself though, without my help."

"Then you're going to have to wait until I work out how to improve my mana control." Leo sighed.

"But I can teach you, we both use light magic, remember?" Cecily pointed out with a tilt of her head, but Leo only seemed to look away with a conflicted expression.

"And I'm thankful for the offer, but… I have a sense of rather working things out for myself than being taught by someone much younger than me, I mean it kinda wounds the pride…"

"But I'm older than you?"

"Pardon?"

"I said I'm older than you, your human so you must be younger than a great spirit. Unless humans from other worlds can also live for hundreds of years?!" Cecily continued to answer him before gaining a thought that amazed her. "Are you already over two hundred before you got your authority?!"

"What? No! And wait, are you implying you're over two hundred?" Leo replied, stareing at the conclusions that Cecily was coming to on her own.

"Yup, it takes hundreds of years for spirits to form a then evolve all the way to being a great spirit. I'm currently over two hundred and fifty but since I only gained a will of my own after I evolved into a quasi-spirit so I'm even older than I'm aware of." Cecily said with pride.

"Wait, so does that mean everyone's respect comes from how old you are?" Leo asked.

"I guess so… but it's more than that. Very few spirits manage to become great spirits like me, and we're all old, powerful and since we're lived so long, we know plenty of things. We don't even age at all, that's why people respect us so much."

"Ah, now the respect starts making a little more sense…" Leo said, "But I'm hardly about to change how I treat you."

"I'm glad to hear it!" Cecily cheered, "But does that mean I can teach you light magic now?"

"Sorry but no, even if you're secretly a lot older than you let on, it still seems like I'm being taught by a child."

"Boo! You could at least change that thought!" she said with a short-lived pout as she began to change in mind, "But does it mean that I can still sleep with you instead? I have little need to but, it's boring at night. No one is awake and there's nothing to do!"

"Well…" Leo said, desperately thinking about the situation. "I have the feeling that nothing's going to stop you anyways, so sure."

"Yay!" The spirit exclaimed as she once again proceeded to glomp her new contractor, "Maybe I should call you master as well!"

"Hey! People are definitely going to scorn me for that!" Leo snapped in response as she just giggled away all the while, not showing much care for the suggestion or his reply. 'Hopefully, she doesn't actually start calling me that in front of people, she barely uses my name anyways…' he worriedly thought to himself all the while.

'I guess this is my life now though… she's bound to keep things interesting at least…'

Meanwhile, within a forest elsewhere in the world a hooded individual was bowing before a platinum-haired girl who looked practically radiant in comparison. "And that is everything, Lady Pandora." The hooded person said, not daring to raise their head as he had finished his report.

"I see, you may return to Sloth now," Pandora said, with only a moment going by before the hooded man managed to vanish before her eyes, leaving her on her lonesome once again.

"You have already made such wonderful progress, I'm already looking forward to what comes next…" Pandora spoke to herself as she looked up into the sky, silently admiring the moon and the countless stars in the sky. "I wonder… will you know any more about them than he did?" she couldn't help but ask…