LUXION SURVEYED LEON as he slept the night away in his room at his parents'
estate. He looked genuinely happy, flopped across a mattress in his newly
constructed quarters. He'd hurled a stream of curses at Marie while awake, but
if his peaceful expression now was any indication, he would forget his anger by
morning and start playing around again.
"And after he swore to me that Marie wouldn't become the Saint… I'm
blessed to have a master that defies all expectation," Luxion said sarcastically,
even though Leon couldn't hear him.
The AI paused to reflect on the second term. "So much has happened…"
Leon had been especially busy during the school festival. Part of that was his
own doing, but Luxion doubted Leon realized that.
The incident with those pirates and the conflict with Fanoss had been a mess
as well. Leon's biggest mistake this time had been trying to push his
achievements off on others. He'd given credit for everything to Brad, Greg, and
Chris, then sent financial gifts to encourage their families to reinstate them as
heirs.
It had been quite the sum. The fortune he'd amassed from dispatching those
pirates was largely gone, though from Leon's perspective, it was nothing to bat
an eye at. He had Luxion on his side, and Luxion could supply most any resource
he would ever need. If they required money, it would be a simple matter to
produce more.
The people around Leon, however, didn't know this. As far as those people
were concerned, Leon had selflessly given credit to other children and provided
an honorable means of reconciliation. It had been only natural for them to treat
him with hostility after his extreme actions in the initial duel, but following such
a demonstration of humility and loyalty, the love interests' houses were put in
an awkward position. As much as it may have infuriated them, they were
compelled to publicly forgive Leon. So, they had written letters recommending
his advancement to show the rest of noble society that bad blood no longer
festered between them. It wasn't as if they'd done it out of any honest
appreciation.
"After everything that happened, he surely never dreamed he would be
awarded another title," Luxion mused.
Before Leon had realized it, he was a viscount with a lower-fourth court
ranking, one on a very short list of heroes in Holfort Kingdom's history who had
made such leaps in a single generation.
As Leon snoozed away peacefully in bed, Luxion worried as to whether his
master understood the gravity of his accomplishments.
"Oh, well, there's just one more—no, two more problems."
By becoming a viscount, Leon's list of marriageable candidates had expanded,
and two women in particular were at the top of that list.
"Clarice and Deirdre, hm? Making girls fall for you when you have no interest
in them… I'm not sure whether he's clever or an idiot."
Leon had won over Clarice by helping her resolve her issues with Jilk and
comforting her. Luxion was stumped when it came to Deirdre, however. All he
could say was the girl didn't hate Leon. Or perhaps she wanted Leon at her side,
serving her, precisely because she hated him?
Luxion opted not to think too deeply about it.
"Master will be even busier from here on out. The kingdom has averted crisis
for now, albeit barely, but I look forward to seeing how things will play out in
the future."
Although he surmised their days would be packed with more activity after
this, Luxion had no intention of making a move on his own. He didn't care if the
kingdom fell to pieces. If the worst came to pass, he would collect Leon—and
anyone connected to his master—and run.
After all…
"If he would only order me to do it, I would destroy this entire kingdom and
the principality in an instant. It would resolve every last one of his worries. Yet
he won't give me the order."
As a Lost Item created by the old human race, Luxion hated the new ones. He
would gladly annihilate their world, if only asked. Ah, well.
Luxion floated in the air, his red eye glancing out the window and peering up
at the moon hanging in the night sky.