Chapter 574 Going Back - 1
A/N: Thank you—Grapers—for the Magic Castle!
Bonus chapters will be published soon!
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Chapter 574: Going Back - 1
"What?" Gunther was baffled after examining Leo's mental state.
It was almost as if... There was no impact from the scene that Leo had witnessed. The only thing that seemed to have affected Leo was the demon itself, which was a normal defensive reaction from the body upon seeing a threatening individual.
Is he already accustomed to this type of scene from his home city? Gunther wondered before deciding to erase the memory of the scene nonetheless.
But—
"What the hell?" Gunther was taken aback.
His interference with Leo's soul was completely blocked. It was the same sort of reaction that occurred when the interfering individual's soul was weaker than the person being affected.
No... It's as if I literally can't reach his soul itself. Gunther seemed to be blocked by an unseen force that refused to let him get past a certain distance.
Being as smart as usual, Gunther didn't try to force his way through and simply cancelled his spell as everybody started to wake up.
Except for Leo and the servants, all the students lay limply in their chairs as they snapped their eyes open.
As for Leo, it was as if he had merely been daydreaming or zoning out. He simply came back to his senses and looked around.
"W-what happened?" People began discussing among themselves as they found something amiss in their memories.
They did recall something being played and even watching it, but they couldn't remember the scene itself or any sort of lingering feeling.
"Don't worry," Gunther addressed the crowd.
People's attention immediately turned to him, and they unconsciously straightened up when they saw Gunther's yellow badge.
"A-a Professor..."
"You all watched something that wasn't appropriate for you, so I had to restrict your memories. Don't worry. The moment you become eligible, you will recall everything." As he said that, he looked toward Leo.
'You handled the exposure quite well, so I didn't do anything.' Gunther's voice echoed in Leo's mind before he turned around and walked out.
Since Gunther had already revealed his presence, he might as well enjoy the desserts outside.
Leo's confusion cleared up after that.
I mean... it looked like a scene straight out of a zombie movie... Leo thought. But he also knew it was real. Even so, it hadn't affected him adversely because witnessing something on a screen is far better than watching it firsthand.
And Leo already had tons of firsthand experience on the battlefield, where the bodies of civilians, enemies, allies, and comrades lay scattered all around. He had personally towed countless bodies and witnessed many things that would break any normal person.
And after coming to this world, he had become even more rigid. So, even if the video was disturbing, it was still quite bearable.
He exhaled softly.
I don't want Lily to watch those things...
After that, Leo walked out of the blasted hall toward the appraisal area. He still had one thing left that needed to be appraised.
The [Earthpulse Lifecore].
Since it wasn't a treasure acquired from the Secret Realm, he hadn't been able to get it appraised earlier.
Thankfully, the area was still open for those who had hesitated until the very last moment to sell their acquired treasures.
When Leo placed the treasure on the table, the appraiser's first reaction was one of shock upon seeing him.
Is he not done yet? His attention was then diverted to the treasure resting on the table, and he was instantly captivated by the bowl-sized, round, bright yellow fruit.
Just looking at the treasure was enough to fill his body with brimming vitality.
"W-where did you get this?" he asked. Never in his life had he seen such a treasure come out of the Secret Realm.
"Is that relevant to the appraisal?" Leo asked with a side-eye.
"N-no..." The appraiser immediately called the specialist who could examine the fruit.
"A Mid-Purple Tier Earthpulse Lifecore! It can literally save any being below Mid 4-star on the brink of death!" The appraisal's hovering palm, radiating a bluish glow, revolved around the treasure as the collected data was processed by the computer beside it.
"Not only that, but it also increases foundational Vitality by a great degree and possesses the capability to heal even a Peak 4-star individual to a great extent!" He looked toward Leo, visibly excited.
"This might be your second-best treasure right after the [Sunblood Pearl]. At its base value, it is worth more than 3000 Gold Coins. But if you auction it in any inner or core city, its value might shoot up to 10,000 Gold Coins!"
Leo raised a brow.
That's like 25 million AC... but if I sell it in the Academy, the value would be just over 7.5 million... Damn, a 17.5 million loss. Now Leo understood how much the Academy profited. Even if it operated at a loss by selling students all sorts of materials at subsidised rates, it recovered that loss here.
When Leo was about to store away the treasure, he noticed the change in Thalvyr's expression, as if he wanted to say something after seeing the treasure, but refrained from it.
After moving to the side, Leo initiated a conversation with him.
"Thalvyr, we never had a proper talk about this, but now that we have some time, why don't we do it?"
Thalvyr looked at Leo and nodded.
"Alright. Now that you and your family will remain by my side for an indefinite amount of time, how do you plan to play your role?" Leo asked.
"Me... according to my wife, you are always in need of stronger defensive forces. I will be a part of that, and so will my daughter."
"That's correct. Your main focus will be defending my territory, since that's what your capabilities are best suited for. And how do you expect to be treated?"
"I..." Thalvyr looked into Leo's eyes.
"I want to be treated like a proper soldier."
Leo gave a sly smile.
"But you are a slave."
Thalvyr narrowed his golden slit eyes and looked at Leo intently.
"I trust my wife's words. You are not like that."
Leo was pleasantly surprised.
"Well, since you're so sure, so be it."
He turned toward Naelith.
"Be sure to tell him the basics, and have your sisters build them a proper family house... hmm."
Leo suddenly realized there was still a question he had been meaning to ask, but had been interrupted every time.
"What will happen when you're taken to a colder climate?"
"...Like a region covered in dark clouds and snowfall?"
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A/N: Sorry for the late chapters; there was an emergency.