14

"WHAT?!" Felt exclaimed, slamming her hands down onto the table as she stood up just as Leo finished explaining all of yesterday. "You did all of that and saved their asses so many times but now they think you're one of the bad guys?!"

"Miss Felt, please calm down." Reinhard said, "I must agree however that it is very concerning about the new opinion that people have taken."

"It's nothin' new," Rom said with a hardened expression. "This world's full of discrimination, they don't care you who are or what you've done for em. The moment they hear something about ya they don't agree with they're done with you."

"I mean… it's not like I wasn't aware of things like that… I was told it could happen but it still felt distant and now all of a sudden I might be becoming public enemy number one…" Leo replied, looking down at his plate with a troubled expression.

"For now it should still be just a rumour, if we take immediate action then things may still be able to improve, or else things truly might escape our grasp." Reinhard declared gaining the attention of everyone at the table.

"We've been thinking all night about this!" Cecily spoke up, raising a hand into the air whilst Kou floated beside her. "If there's no clear way to prove them wrong, then we just need to make them accept him instead!"

"But they all think he's affiliated with the cult or that he's a warlock, no one would ever accept someone like that." Felt pointed out with a huff.

"I believe the only option we have in this matter is to dispel the unrest that might be caused by Leo," Reinhard said.

"Isn't that just saying the same thing?"

"Not quite Miss Felt, before an individual can come to be accepted it's important that they at least do not cause a stir. Fortunately, there is an immediate response that can be thought of for this, however, should it fail to ease the public's nerves then I fear this is far more difficult of a predicament than I thought."

"Leave it to Reinhard to already have a plan in mind," Leo said.

"It is a rather simple one, we should merely make a public announcement about the rumors and claim them as false, alongside the primary causes of the rumor agreeing to such as well. By this, I refer to the prospect of getting those who initially revealed whatever facts that caused people to attain this misunderstanding to state the rumors as false alongside us."

"But everyone who was taking on the witch cult saw the effects of my authority from a distance, although they have no way of knowing for a fact that was me," Leo replied as he thought about the situation.

"Oh, but the Julius guy told everyone about your miasma!" Cecily instantly interjected. "He shouldn't have said anything, I thought he was nice before!"

"Julius is a good friend of mine, it's unfortunate that he happened to be one of those as the cause of this situation but I'm confident that he reported out of knightly duty upon discovering it. I do not when he may have learned of your miasma but I'm sure that he is someone willing to listen to us if we explain the whole situation to him." Reinhard replied with a troubled expression.

"The only time we've had any kind of encounter with him was on three occasions; one time we talked before the start of the royal selection, a brief run-in with you after he beat Subaru, and then when he came as reinforcements to hunt the witch cult whilst I started to head back," Leo said.

"His spirits must have told him, but he could have known since the start! He betrayed us!" Cecily declared to Reinhard's shock.

"I know Julius well, if he had felt that way about Leo since before the election he would have made the report immediately yet nothing like that has come in to the knights. There must be something else." Reinhard said. "Lady Cecily, may I ask that we hold off on such hostilities until we have had the chance to converse with him fully about the situation?"

"Personally speaking I'm not feeling enthused for this chat… he'd better have one hell of a reason behind it." Leo grumpily said, getting Cecily to firmly nod her head in agreement.

"I am sure he does, but for now might I suggest that you accompany me on my patrol today? We can take the time to observe the city and see what the common opinion towards you is. Should there be any kind of unpleasantries then I feel confident protecting you from them." Reinhard asked.

"I think getting me to potentially walk out into a hate speech is a big ask, but I get it…"

"I don't know what it's like to be treated like a warlock but if you lived in the slums then you'd always hear some asshole mouthing you off. You saw what all the stuck-up nobles were like with me, you've got to live strong and not let them get to you so easily big bro!" Felt said with a grin.

"Now Felt, the situation is a bit different to what we've gotten used to dealing with. If I were to give him some advice it would be to keep vigilant. If there's anyone with enough confidence to try something I guarantee you that it won't be pretty." The giant beside her added on.

"Once again, please fear not. I shall not drop my vigilance over this matter for a moment." Reinhard said one last time, now taking the time to do a cert bow towards both Felt and Rom.

"I'm going too!" Cecily proclaimed with complete determination as Kou returned to Leo's side once more.

"Of course, Lady Cecily. Shall we have your usual training before we leave then, Leo? I dislike the thought but your training might become increasingly more important in the coming days…"

"Yeah, it might be a nice way to distract myself as well," Leo answered with an awkward smile, concealing the heavy feeling that lay inside him as he looked back down at his usual grandiose breakfast, yet unlike before he could no longer taste anything…

Meanwhile, Flam and Grassis who were now sat to his right shared a troubled look before discreetly looking back at Leo, trying their best to hide their inner turmoil. "Later?" Flam carefully whispered to her sister.

"Mm…" Grassis hummed with a small nod, knowing what was on her sister's mind without need for words.

"I heard that news can spread fast but this is absurd…" Leo couldn't help but mutter to himself as the three of them walked through the city streets.

There were one of three different reactions from the public wherever they went; they either hid or went silent and cautious whilst there were some few who whispered amongst themselves.

"The situation certainly seems quite widespread already," Reinhard mentioned as they continued walking along, noticing multiple confused or fearful expressions on what few didn't seem to be trying to actively reduce their presence as much as possible.

'I wonder what they're talking about exactly, right now all I can tell is that everyone is afraid of me… I'm not sure if this is better than people hating my existence or not…' he thought to himself.

"What is he doing out here?" Leo suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice to his confusion.

"He couldn't possibly be capable of fooling the sword saint… could he?"

"Haven't you heard about the twisted powers of the cult and everything the witch did as well? He could be using some dark power to influence him…"

"He must be like the witch, I heard how his power laid waste to the whole of the Lifaus Plains in an instant by himself! So many of the returning caravans and even every trace of plant life had withered and died!"

"But why would he be one of the ones to defeat the white whale?"

"Who could possibly understand the mind of a monster? He could just be lashing out at everything around him on a whim!"

"Huh? Why can I suddenly just…" Leo mumbled to himself in confusion as he realized that he could suddenly hear the people's voices with ease before feeling a slight tug on his shoulder.

"It's El Akra, it boosts the senses so you can hear better." Cecily's voice responded in his mind. "What are they saying about you? Since I'm using it on you I can't cast it for myself…"

Leo didn't even reply as in response he merely whispered under his breath "El Akra", focusing the effects onto Cecily whose eyes almost immediately widened as a result.

"They're horrible! They don't even know what they're talking about, only the nice people at the meeting know it was your authority that did that!"

"But they don't know that other cultists were at the scene, all the soldiers that dealt with the majority of the witch cult are clueless to the appearance of the other cultists," Kou interjected, causing their faces to cloud over at the unfortunate facts. "Only the oni maid could testify to them being there due to the matter of wiped memories."

'Of course, because things were easy before…' Leo chimed in response.

"I apologize for the treatment they are giving you Leo, if you would like I could try to do something about it right now. It seems they are still viewing me in a positive light so I might stand a chance." Reinhard suggested with a troubled expression.

"No, it's… it's fine." Leo tiredly replied. "They think that I'm influencing you right now anyway."

"That seems to be the case…" Reinhard replied with an equally troubled voice. "Perhaps for now it might be best to finish with our patrol and make our way to the meeting."

"Meeting?" Cecily repeated, "You mean the traitor!"

"Ah, Julius, yes," Reinhard replied, unable to bring himself to refute the great spirit that had seemingly settled on calling his friend such a horrible name.

"You already got a meeting with him? When did you pull that off?" Leo asked.

"Ah, it is less that I have a meeting but knowing that I shall be meeting with him soon when I make the report about our patrol. Should Lady Anastasia not have any business planned for him then there should be the chance for us to have a brief talk with him."

"Ah, that makes sense," Leo replied as they continued to make their way along, making to do no more than Reinhard needed to help reduce the exposure that Leo had to the public, before long resulting in their arrival at one of the guard posts.

"It shouldn't take too long right?" Leo pondered aloud as he threw a glance behind him at the guard station Reinhard had entered before looking back at the public. There was no shortage of people looking at him with scorn or concern as they hurried away, even the nearby guards all seemed unsettled with his presence despite merely standing around.

"What a pleasant surprise to find you here, Leo." A voice suddenly spoke up, making Leo snap out of his depressed observations of the public and notice that the very person they were seeking had come to them instead.

"I would like to ask what you happen to be doing here as you are seemingly waiting for someone but I fear there is something that must be done first." Julius continued with a serious expression, leaving Leo just as tense as for what he would say.

"Leon Aries, I give you my most sincere apologies for what troubles I have brought upon you. It was never my intention to have brought upon such unfortunate circumstances. I merely tried to speculate the situation however it seems people started to perceive my words differently than as I intended. I know that excuses cannot be accepted in such a situation and I am willing to compensate you to the best of my ability." The knight apologized as he bowed before Leo and Cecily to the shock.

"Well if I could ask something immediately, it would be please stop bowing! People are looking at me with even more concern and confusion!" Leo frantically said, getting Julius to stand tall with an almost pitying expression.

"I suppose that such a reaction could be triggered by my gesture. They believe me to be first to oust you as a warlock or cultist and now they see me bowing to you." Julius said. "But do you not agree that this might help alleviate some of the scrutiny that you have been subjected to?"

"It would be nice, but people are already thinking I'm mind-controlling Reinhard and that's why he hasn't ousted me yet…"

"I have heard, and you worry that they might start thinking the same way about me?"

"At this rate, they'll start thinking that I'm just taking over the kingdom by mind-controlling all the powerful and important people…"

"I fear that you might be an exaggeration or at least pessimism. Some degree of action like this will be required for you to overcome this situation, likely followed by a show of goodwill once we can get the public to give you a chance."

"Julius!" Two voices interrupted the knight coming from either side.

"Lady Anastasia," Julius replied to one as he saw his violet-haired lady emerge from the crowds.

"Reinhard, are you done then?" Leo also said that his attention was captured by the red-haired knight's emergence from the guards.

"Yes Leo, I had just been asking about Julius's whereabouts but it seems that you found him first." Reinhard said with a warm expression, "And I wish you a good morning Lady Anastasia," he added on as he noticed the royal candidate approaching with Mimi at her side.

"Thank ya Reinhard, and isn't it the talk of the town Leo as well!" Anastasia cheerfully replied with a cheerful smile that she beamed towards the two.

"It certainly seems to be the case," Leo replied with a strained smile.

"It's boss bro one!" Mimi suddenly cheered as she dashed in to hug Leo's legs tightly. "You helped save Hetaro, didn't you? You must have!"

"I told Flam and Grassis to take him and run, did he manage to make it out with his memories?"

"With his memories? That's quite a question to suddenly ask, it seems to me that others might have forgotten a thing or two? I heard rumors of it but people seem to be talking about a certain someone a lot more." Anastasia chimed with a friendly smile. "Let's see, it was your little maids and Crusche that were there so did they start droppin memories then?"

"Aren't you eager?" Leo replied.

"Can ya blame me? Come on, why don't we discuss this somewhere else? Doesn't seem to be a thing to be discussin in the open now, is it? I'll treat ya!" Anastasia cheerful proposed as Leo, Reinhard, and Cecily all briefly exchanged glances.

"It would be our pleasure, Lady Anastasia," Reinhard answered for them with a smile.

It wasn't much longer after walking through town with the merchant princess that they had all managed to arrive at her grand residence, having been immediately led to her office.

"Feel free to have what you want," Anastasia said after they were all comfortably sat down on her two couches, the two parties facing one another as cups of tea and biscuits were sat on the table between them. "Please relax, it must be hard what with all those rumors floatin round about 'cha."

"You have no idea…" Leo replied, choosing to take a sip of the offered tea.

"It seems that you are rather interested in them yourself, Lady Anastasia, I wonder if you have heard more of them than we have," Reinhard said with a warm smile that Anastasia returned.

"Maybe we have, it's pretty hard to have not heard any of them especially if they're managin to reach the ears of whom they're about. Some people think Leo here killed off all life on the planes and is controlling ya you know, but that can't be the case, can it?"

"No, he's not! Master isn't like that!" Cecily instantly rebutted from Leo's lap.

"I also don't even have the means to do so," Leo added on.

"Thought so, it'd be pretty scary if that were the truth though."

"You're just gonna believe it? Not that I'm complaining."

"Well, if you could control the sword saint like that then wouldn't the kingdom be yours to take? You could get away with anything at that point yet you've done nothin with it, cept possibly live in a comfortable place with excellent training. It doesn't make much sense to control the sword saint and do nothin with it."

"Nice to know someone has a good head on the shoulders then, but I suppose a good merchant needs that."

"Thanks for the compliment!" Anastasia cheerily replied. "I've also heard about you being a cultist and some people are callin ya a warlock, but the sword saint wouldn't allow that right?"

"Leo is a completely innocent civilian, I assure you," Reinhard answered.

"Of course," Anastasia nodded in response. "But the problem here is that the public isn't belivin that. But do ya not have any kind of dark power at all? Some people are saying everything near ya dies, or that you control anything you want, there's even a little budding rumor that you treat life like it's your Lil' plaything."

"Huh? That last one's new…" Leo replied.

"Like I said it's only a budding one, but word is that the knights' captain has been telling everyone that."

"Father?" Reinhard questioned the moment he heard the princess.

"That last one is just someone hating my existence…" Leo mentioned.

"Apparently you were capable of healing someone from the sleeping beauty syndrome but chose not to, apparently choosing who should be healed or die and that he'd watched you do kill and revive things like that."

"It's not like I can't but when the hell did he see me reviving the dead?! The only time I did that was with the grass and he wasn't there for that!" Leo internally panicked at the news that the bitter man was spreading.

"You forget it was his residence, filled with his staff. Any set of eyes would have to catch you and he could ask." Kou mentioned.

"Yeah, didn't he drag you to that sleeping woman because of that?' Cecily said.

"Shoot…"

"Can't believe that father would go so far." Reinhard said in distraught, "This means that not only do we need to change the public's view but must fight against his influence as well…"

"Seems so, it's a hard place ya seem to be in," Anastasia said.

"If things continue to spiral out of control like this, it will only be a matter of time before the knights are called into action…" Julius added on with a troubled expression. "I fear that you would not be treated just and, despite my belief in our kingdom, receive dishonest judgment…"

"That's wrong!" Cecily exclaimed, "I won't allow it!"

"Neither shall I, great spirit, if there is anything that I can do to help dispel the unrest surrounding Leo then please let me know."

"Truly, Julius?" Reinhard said with joy. "Then could we trouble you to make a speech-" He began to say before he was suddenly cut off by the princess in the room.

"Sorry, sorry, but I'm going to have to interject on that," Anastasia said with a smile, not looking all that sorry. "Havin Julius here help you deny the rumours is naturally gonna start gettin me dragged into this mess of yours as well. It would cause immediate damage to my campaign and there's nothin to be gained from it either."

"Lady Anastasia…" Julius said with a troubled appearance as Cecily began to scowl.

"So you're going to let his life be ruined?!" The spirit shouted back.

"I won't deny that this situation is to my advantage as political rivals, but ruining someone's life like that isn't my aim at all. It's just risk assessment right now and even if there was a reward for this, the risk is pretty high right now. Even if you won't say what it is, we know you do have some sort of dark power and if that gets you proven a warlock then everyone involved is gonna struggle without some political maneuvering, not that there would be anything to save you."

"But why can't Julius just proclaim that he's talking as a knight, or even just as an individual who was the source of the rumors but misunderstood or something?!" Leo desperately pointed out.

"Because no one listens to things like that when the situation is scandalous enough," Anastasia replied simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Look how much people are talking and about how much the stories have grown in just a day, it can't be hard to believe that if given the chance people would spread it to include over camps as well, at the very least to make their own chosen camp look better."

"Is there nothing that we can request of, Lady Anastasia?" Reinhard asked again but she firmly shook her head.

"Nope, unless there's something worth it in for me then I'm afraid you're on your own." She answered, quickly earning a scowl out of Leo and Cecily at the ruthlessness that the merchant was saying that she instantly noticed. "I can understand your frustration but it really isn't anything personal, and it's not me you're trying to convince in the end. The truth doesn't matter in the slightest if you can get enough people to believe what you want."

"I think I'm experiencing that plenty enough…" Leo replied, doing his best to keep himself from grumbling.

"Try to cheer up a little bit, how are the other candidates like Crusche and Emilia reacting to this? I could easily imagine that Pricilla wouldn't care in the slightest, perhaps she would be willing to strike you down if the chance arose. Did Emilia declare that she would help you? You seem to have connections with them."

"What have they got to do with this?" Leo questioned, displeased at her sudden change in topic.

"It's to your benefit you know? I'm a business woman which means I calculate the risks, the more people willing to support you, the more likely you are to pull something off. That could sway me to allow Julius to help you know? And to the same point, if you could offer something to help sweeten the deal for me then that would help a lot as well, but it would have to be something pretty valuable."

"I see, well we thank you for your time Lady Anastasia but I believe that we should be taking our leave now," Reinhard said as he stood up in elegance before giving her a polite bow.

"That's a shame, but we were only here for a little chat weren't we? I hope that you manage to pull something off about this mess." Anastasia replied, aiming the last of her words to Leo who blankly stared at her as Cecily continued to scowl in disdain.

"I really do mean it you two, in fact, if you manage to pull something off then there might be a little request that I'll have for you that I'll pay for. Unfortunately, it's just not worth enough for what you're currently asking for. You can consider that knowledge a little freebie."

"Do you really think you can ask for anything?" Cecily rebutted.

"Sorry, sorry, but this really is just me weighing the odds, great spirit, if you can come up with something to make it worth it I'd be more than happy to help! But you should try thinking about things from the other person's perspective at times, it would help ya make better deals."

"Noted, we'll see if that happens then." Leo said as he took Cecily's hand, the two of them following Reinhard out of the room, the doors closing behind them as Anastasia's staff escorted them out.

"Lady Anastasia, was all of that truly necessary? I understand your points but this can ultimately be viewed as a predicament I caused and should set right. As a knight I feel poorly about allowing one to be incriminated out of false charges." Julius pleaded to his lady yet she continued to remain unbothered.

"I'd say it's because of his own suspiciousness. It would have happened sooner or later even if you hadn't said anything. It's interesting though…"

"What is?"

"First of all, his power. I believe that the stories Heinkel is spreading are actually true, at least pertaining to his power anyway. They didn't really give a response to it, and he seemed to have more of a reaction to it until Reinhard said something. And wasn't a power like that displayed at the plains?"

"Well… yes, Lady Anastasia. When we were returning from dealing with sloth, nearly all signs of life had withered away. The damage dealt to the caravans was quite likely caused by an attack on them, however, it wouldn't have explained for all the dead grass and plants."

"See? The easier thing to believe now is that it was his power. That miasma your spirits felt from him and everythin that died was because of his power."

"If so, that whatever ability he possesses must be truly powerful. It was likely the sudden wave of shadows we briefly witnessed from a distance, but to kill so much in an instant…"

"Mm, I think it's best to keep an eye on him."

"Is that why you turned him down? Because you believe that he truly is a warlock?"

"Well, it is a part of it, I don't think he can hide it anymore. But from the reports we have on him, I don't think he's a bad individual at least." Anastasia said, finishing off the last of her cup before getting up to move over to her desk. "I think it's likely that he also has Crusch's and Emilia's support. Having four camps support him is quite the powerful situation to be in but by not helping and having them fail would also be quite the leg up on the competition." She mused.

"I see… Very well, Lady Anastasia," Julius said as he bowed to his lady, managing to keep his facial features hidden from her…

"This is hopeless…" Leo huffed, unable to prevent his words from slipping out as they passed through the gates of the Astrea Manor again.

"Please don't give in yet Leo, we'll do everything we can to protect you from potential bad fates," Reinhard replied, worry covering his face as he couldn't take his eyes away from his stressed and struggling friend. "We shall not abandon you, we will find a way."

"Yeah! They don't know what they're talking about! Nothing bad will befall Master! I won't allow it!" Cecily cheered with a determined expression, tightly holding onto Leo's hand as he gently squeezed back with a weak smile.

"I'll be counting on you when the time comes then," Leo replied.

"Please don't make it sound like Leo…" Reinhard said.

"But you heard and saw them all, didn't you? It's like Julius said, it's only a matter of time…"

"And we will do all that we can before that to prevent such a fate, although to start with it may be best to keep you away from the rumors. I worry to think of how people might react if they continue to grow…"

"Where can I go then?"

"There were already plans to travel to and reside within the main Astrea Manor. Whilst we do also own the one that we have resided in thus far, we have primarily stayed here to be prepared and close to the royal selection for whenever it might have begun." Reinhard explained.

"Right, how could I forget the rich own multiple homes… Wait doesn't that mean that place will be even more extravagant?"

"It is built on private land owned by my family and is indeed the grandest residence that we possess. It isn't far from a town of which we control the land as the ruling lords there, making for a perfect place for Miss Felt to continue her campaign and improve her skills of running the land." Reinhard explained as they now finally reached the front door of the manor, the sword saint making sure to reach for the handle first and holding it open for his friends.

Yet just as Leo and Cecily entered the manor, before they could even think to thank Reinhard they were instantly greeted by another…

"I knew there was something wrong with you!" Heinkel practically spat out, leaving no time for anyone to process his sudden appearance, Leo to scowl whilst Cecily glared at the man that Reinhard could only hold an unreadable, yet tense expression.

"A filthy warlock living right under my roof! I won't have it any longer!" Heinkel proclaimed as he unsheathed his sword in frighteningly little time, already swinging for Leo's neck before he could bring himself to aptly act.

Yet his actions still weren't fast enough to perform the deed as Reinhard effortlessly caught the blade with his fingers. Even as Heinkel struggled in the attempt to either take back his blade or push it even further toward Leo's neck, Reinhard remained perfectly indifferent to his efforts.

"What do you think you are doing?! You would go against your superior, the vice-captain of the knights?! You are turning your back on this kingdom by protecting this monstrosity!"

"What do you think you're doing?! You're the monster! You're a horrible bad man! Attacking my contractor!" Cecily shouted back, having already lifted a glowing finger aimed at the crude man, clearly ready with a spell that sparked hesitation in him.

"That so-called master of yours is the monster! A monstrosity and calamity that will destroy the world just like the witch before him!" Heinkel attempted to argue back to the great spirit yet despite all the wrath in his voice, his eyes never left the sight of her pointed finger whilst flinching with hesitation. "And by being with him, you side with one of the greatest evils of the kingdom!"

"There is currently no proof that Leo is a warlock, it is merely a speculative rumor that is making its way around the capital. As of this moment, your actions amount to attacking an innocent civilian, a member of Miss Felt's camp, and a dear friend of mine. My apologies Father but I cannot allow this." Reinhard finally spoke up with an unwavering voice.

For a few moments, there was silence, as the three awaited whatever Heinkel's next action would be until he finally took back his blade. "Hmph, don't think you're safe, your time will run out and the knights will be coming for you!" He growled before forcing himself past the group, his loathing emotions on complete display as they watched him leave.

"I can't believe him! How can he be so horrible!" Cecily exclaimed as the door finally shut, clinging to Leo all the while. "Hey… Master?" She asked as he cast her gaze upwards, noticing the tense state of her contractor.

"Are you alright? I hope that my father hasn't affected you too deeply…" Reinhard worriedly added on.

Yet Leo merely stood there, his hands balled into fists that trembled slightly whilst his breaths were heavy and slow as his gaze remained fixed on the doors.

"Leo?" Cecily called out to him again as she gently tugged on his sleeve.

"Huh?" Leo finally replied as he snapped out of his daze, finally noticing the concerned looks from both his friend and spirit. "Ah, sorry, I'll be fine… I think I just need a break for today…"

"Of course, friend. You have already been through quite the ordeal today and the… developments of your situation." Reinhard said, "Please feel free to retire for the day, we shall continue to come up with a plan as you rest so there is no need to worry."

"Are you sure that's alright? I mean shouldn't I at least help out when it comes to things concerning me?"

"Please do not worry about any of that. I do not wish to see you pushed so much with everything going on."

There was a brief moment of silence as Leo looked back at Cecily and Reinhard before finally releasing a shaky breath. "Alright then… I… don't think I could do my best anymore today anyway…"

"I'm glad to hear that, please rest up as much as you can," Reinhard said with a relieved smile.

"I'll be in my room then,"

"Very well, I hope you start feeling better soon," Reinhard replied as he watched Leo slowly begin trudging his way back to his room as Cecily worriedly kept up with him…

"Are you alright?" Cecily asked after they had finally reached their room, making sure to close it firmly behind them as to offer the privacy that Leo likely needed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Leo replied as sat down on the bed but the spirit only frowned more in response.

"But you're still clearly affected… you seem really~ worn down… please don't try to hide it from me."

"Alright," Leo replied after a brief hesitation, giving in to the spirit's request. "To be honest… I don't know how I'm feeling, I just don't like it. It's just that something like this, everything that's happening, none of it's happened to me before. Hell, I didn't even think it could ever happen!"

"And it shouldn't be!" Cecily replied, "They should be praising you and thanking you instead! You helped beat the whale for everyone!"

"Honestly I don't know how I would handle that either, but it would be better than this…" Leo sighed, leaving the room quiet for a moment as Cecily carefully placed herself beside him.

"Um… what kind of life did you have before?" she asked.

"A much, much simpler one. I was a student, either learning in some form or fashion otherwise I was up to my own devices. I kept to myself but I also had some friends as well. Nothing wild happened, drama didn't happen to me, there were no struggles. In comparison, it was an incredibly easy life. Good things still happened, so did some troubles, but never did it ever get this catastrophically wrong…"

"I see… do you… miss it?" Cecily cautiously asked.

"Yeah… a whole lot. If I could go back to it, I'm pretty sure that I would in a heartbeat." Leo answered causing Cecily's to drop slightly as dejection set in, catching his attention. "Although, there might be a certain someone I'd like to bring along with me if they wanted." He tagged on to the faint joy of the spirit.

"Does that mean you would be willing to leave me behind?" Kou's voice echoed in his mind as the quasi-spirit made its appearance again.

"I would be happy for you to tag along as well if you wanted, honestly I would like it if I could just go back and forth. Like spending holidays here or something, keep my previous life but not lose anything here either."

"I wish for that too, then you could show us everything in your world and not just tell us stories about it." Cecily warmly replied as she leaned against Leo.

"That would be nice… although it's likely never going to happen unless she happens to tell me how to get back," Leo said.

"She?" Kou asked.

"The woman who brought me here and gave me my authority in the first place. I've only met her twice."

"The individual you mentioned before… I would be cautious if you ever think about confronting her over such a possibility."

"So far, she's the only potential option for going home…"

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know… I've got too much on my mind to think about that… she wants me to do something for her so unless I do that I likely won't be going home." He said as he began to clench his fists again in his lap, Cecily feeling his whole body tense up once again.

"There's just so much going on… a mysterious woman who gives out witch factors want me to do something for her but I have no idea what and yet she's my only chance to go home. Within the span of a few months I'm taken from being a normal person to having to fight some several centuries-old calamity, a whole city at minimum thinks that I'm the next monster on the rise, and seemingly no visible way to fix the situation as it just gets worse. Some rotten, ungrateful bastard has made it his life mission to ruin my life just because I couldn't quite heal his wife! I'm on the verge of becoming the most wanted criminal and likely on the run, I don't even know what to do in that situation! Where do I go?! What do I do?! It's even worse than the situation I started with, since everyone already knows and despises me with a whole country will be out for my head and there won't be any lucky breaks with time unless I manage to flee the country! But I don't even know if I can do that much without being taken in! I might praise my authority for making sure that I don't die but what if it gets to the point that I wish I could?! Dying is horrible! I can't properly describe it!"

"Leo" The two spirits called out to him as their contractor continued his downward spiral.

"When looking at any real chances, is there anything worth hoping for at this point?! The best I can hope for is-"

"LEO!" Both spirits yelled out, finally snapping him out of it as he realized Cecily was looking up at him with a worried expression with Kou beside her as silence hung in the air.

"You… We don't know what will happen, and that means you don't know if it will come to something as horrible as that." Cecily said, taking the time to wipe away tears that Leo hadn't realized were streaming down his cheeks.

"Not everyone is against you. I do not object that Heinkel is a horrible individual and that many others will oppose as he does for vain reasoning. But not everyone." Kou said.

"At the very least, as your contracted spirits, we'll be with you forever! You'll never be alone!" Cecily cheerily added on. "Even if you have to run… you won't get caught, because we won't allow it."

"If you were to purely focus on the prospect of escaping the country, you need to remember that you are far more capable than you once were. You have magic, skills in swordplay, spirits at your side of which Lady Cecily is a great spirit, and in dire situations your authority. Catching you should you not wish to be caught is likely a very difficult task. Especially since killing you is not an option, lest your authority instantly dispatch the threats."

"Right… right… I just, don't want it to come to that… I'm not used to anything like that, and I don't think I want to be." Leo said.

"Then we will have to work out whatever we can. I do not wish you see have to adjust to such a fate either. The mobilization of the knights will likely be the indication of time having run out, until then please do not give up faith. But for now, please rest."

"Ok… I'll try not to let desperation affect me," Leo said as the three finally began to settle down, Leo taking several deep breaths in an attempt to recollect himself.

Quietly, Cecily shuffled up to him before gently wrapping her arms around him, bringing him into a soft hug that Leo soon reciprocated, needing the support that it gave him.

A silence hung in the room for some brief moments as Leo remained in his thoughts for a few more moments until he finally relinquished them with one more steady breath to the relief of Cecily and Kou, giving a sense of peace to them that very quickly went ruined by the resounding noise of knocking at the door.

"Sir Leo, can we come in?" Grassis's voice asked through the door.

"Yeah," came the short reply after a moment's pause, resulting in the door handle twisting as the two twins cautiously entered.

"Um, Sir Leo, are we not disturbing you?"

"Grandma said you might be having a tough time…" The twins both asked him with small frowns on their faces.

"It's nothing worth worrying about right now, don't worry. Is there something that you want? Oh, did talking with your grandparents help you remember anything?" Leo said, making sure that he was smiling for the girls, hoping that they wouldn't pick up on any potential flaws that would hint at his previous messy state.

"No, nothing became any clearer after listening to them…" Flam replied, "Grandma told us that we shouldn't worry about that past too much and try to focus on the present."

"Mm, she said that we can try recollecting things later, or that it might come back over time," Grassis added on.

"Well, hopefully she's right,"

"But we were hoping to hear more from you, Sir Leo. Grandma said that we spent most of our time with you upon your arrival, so we were wondering if we could hear more from you."

"It wasn't like we've been together that long, although I guess it was still enough for you two to begin to change a bit," Leo said with some thought. "I was concerned about you two at first."

"Really?!" The girls replied in shock.

"Yeah, you were acting like the perfect little maids but where I'm from, kids shouldn't be working at all. I'm used to seeing them a lot more free, not so well molded into a serving role." Leo answered. "Over time you began to soften up though, but you really took your roles seriously before."

"But you were always excited for Masters stories!" Cecily cheerfully chimed in.

"That's true, I think it started with Felt making sure that you sat down with her to listen after she barged in on us, but eventually you became pretty eager to sit down and listen. It was a fairly regular thing for us, especially once you learned about where I and my stories came from."

"We sat down with Lady Felt and a great spirit to listen to you?" Grassis asked, seemingly in disbelief.

"Um, Sir Leo, can we ask where did you come from? It almost seems like a rather important place of origin…"

"As you all put it, I'm from beyond the great waterfall," Leo answered simply, merely calmly watching the girl's shock continue to grow in response.

"There are many amazing things about Master, and you knew most of them, you were there to witness him!" Cecily cheerily added on yet the girls still didn't seem to know how to react. "The nice knight confirmed it for everyone with his divine blessing if you're doubting us."

"Oh, no, we don't doubt your words, Great Spirit, it's just… it's shocking to hear all about… that we knew someone like you, and worked under you." Flam replied, struggling to find the right words to describe their thoughts.

"Um, Sir Leo, could we ask to hear your stories again?" Flam then asked.

"Sure, maybe I'll cut to the ones you liked the most," Leo said with a warm smile as the girls instantly brightened up. "Come on, I'll tell you some now."

Quickly the girls hopped onto the bed to sit beside him the moment they heard the offer, both as eager as the other to hear whatever magical tales they had unfortunately forgotten from an equally amazing person.

Yet Cecily and Kou merely watched the three for a bit, a small smile having formed from the great spirit's lips.

'This is an improvement.' Kou said to Cecily as she faintly nodded in agreement.

'I think he is happy to have a chance of how things were before.' She replied to the quasi-spirit.

'I do not doubt that, it would be natural to long for when things were easier. But it makes me worry about what should happen if he really should lose this.'

"I thought we weren't talking about stuff like that!"

"I do not wish to think of it any more than necessary, great spirit, but… can you truly deny that it isn't a possibility?" Kou asked the girl but she didn't respond. A heaviness took place in her heart but she pushed past it, wordlessly moving away to join the twins in listening to more of Leo's stories…