Chapter 444: Trust
Aria closed her eyes for a moment and leaned her forehead against his chest. Behind her, Lord Moon finally seemed to regain enough of himself to speak, "Young man."
Elion slowly looked past Aria toward Lord Moon, who stood there with a complicated expression on his face.
Elion smiled faintly, "Lord Moon," he greeted.
Lord Moon’s brow twitched. "You disappear for a month, return without warning, and the first thing you do is make my daughter cry in the corridor."
Aria immediately turned her head and gave him a displeased look, "Father!" Lord Moon immediately raised a hand to show that he meant no harm.
Aria’s mother gave another wry smile, "Elion, perhaps you should come inside first. It would be best not to continue this conversation in the corridor."
Elion nodded, "That is probably wise."
Aria held onto his hand tightly as they stepped into the suite, as though even that small contact was necessary. Aurora watched them enter, her curious gaze moving from Elion’s face to Aria’s hand wrapped around his. She could not seem to understand the reason for all this drama.
Once Elion had gotten comfortable on one of the plush seats with Aria in his arms, Lord Moon finally addressed the elephant in the room with a grim expression.
"Boy," he began seriously, "do you understand the gravity of what your return means?"
Elion nodded.
However, the motion only seemed to anger the older man.
"Clearly, you do not!" Lord Moon hissed. "Otherwise, you would not be strutting through this city so casually. Do you think those little physical changes will be enough to deter your pursuers!?"
His eyes sharpened, "Dawncrest wants your head, and I will be damned if your foolish actions endanger my daughter."
Elion watched Lord Moon go on his rant with a calm expression. He could not fault the man because he was right. Every point he made was valid.
In truth, Elion really should not be walking around so openly like this. At the very least, not without properly understanding the situation.
By the end of the rant, Lord Moon’s breathing had become slightly ragged. It was clear that he was not only concerned about the current situation.
After watching Aria so distressed for the past month, he was finally venting on the one responsible for her suffering. And Elion’s seemingly casual attitude toward everything had clearly flipped a switch inside him.
For once, Elion put on a serious expression, and then he did something he rarely ever did. He apologised.
He dipped his head slightly in a bow. "I understand that I have caused your family some trouble as of late," Elion said. "And for that, I apologise."
That was about all he did before lifting his head again.
When he looked up, he saw several shocked expressions. Clearly, none of them had expected such a thing from him.
However, Lord Moon quickly got his wits about him.
He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "If you think a simple apology will solve anything, then you are sorely mistaken. I want you to show me results. I do not care for your words; actions matter far more than simple promises."
Elion nodded in understanding, "You do not have to worry. I am only so casual because I am confident in my capabilities."
Lord Moon’s eyes narrowed.
"But I do not wish to waste your time with half-hearted words, as you said," Elion continued. "So I ask that you trust me and let me show you with my actions instead."
His expression became even more serious, "I would never intentionally put Aria’s life in danger. I truly mean it when I say that I love your daughter, and only wish the best for her."
Aria’s grip on his clothes tightened slightly; she looked up at Elion’s handsome face affectionately.
Lord Moon stared at him.
What Elion had said was the truth. He only acted this casually because he had the utmost confidence in Zenith.
She could appear before him at any time, and he had no doubt that she was tracking his every movement even now, making sure he was safe. Her power as a Saint was just universal and formidable enough.
Lord Moon studied Elion’s features for a long moment.
He saw no hesitation, deceit, or fear in Elion’s gaze or posture. In the end, he had no choice but to relent and save the boy some face, "Fine," he said. "I do hope, for your own sake, that you are not spouting nonsense."
Elion smiled, "I thank you for putting your trust in me. And before you ask, I suppose I should also set things straight."
Lord Moon raised a brow.
"Dawncrest’s accusations are no more than the empty words of a proud noble who wants nothing more than to practise his strength on a defenceless junior," Elion said calmly. "I was not prepared before, and I did not want to take my chances in the face of such shameless actions from an esteemed duke. Who knew what would happen next?"
His gaze sharpened slightly, "But now I can say with certainty that if the same thing were to happen again, the result would be vastly different."
Lord Moon and Aria’s mother both raised their brows in shock. Was the boy truly just bluffing? Or had something more than his physical appearance changed?
Even they could not say such a thing with a straight face. It was much easier to believe was doing little more than throwing around claims with the hope of pulling the wool over their faces, but his confidence was making it difficult to just brush him off.
It was shocking enough that someone’s height and build had changed so much in little more than a month, but as Elion said the last part of his unbelievable claim, he also let some of his presence leak out.
It was not overwhelming, and it was only directed at Lord Moon and his wife, but it was more than enough to make them glance at each other in shock.
They both seemed to have the same question written on their faces, ’The boy is a High Mage already!?’
Lord Moon suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahahahaha!" The sudden laughter surprised the rest of them.
Even Aria’s mother smiled, though her gaze remained fixed on Elion with clear curiosity.
Eventually, Lord Moon’s laughter died down, "I will admit," he said, "you are far stronger than any of us could have imagined."
He looked at Elion seriously, "No, in fact, I can safely say you are the greatest talent I have ever laid eyes upon. Perhaps even the greatest in the past ten generations."
His expression became serious again, "However, that is not enough."
Elion said nothing and waited for the man to continue, "Do you believe the strength of a High Mage is enough to topple a duchy?" Lord Moon asked. "If so, then noble houses would fall every day."
Elion smiled, "All I showed you was but a sliver of the power I currently command."
Lord Moon’s eyes narrowed.
"If it would put your mind at ease, then I am willing to reveal some of my trump cards," Elion said. "Though I would prefer to keep them to myself as things stand. I would rather we build our relationship on trust."
Elion smiled as he said this. Indeed, he was willing to gamble and reveal Zenith’s existence if it came down to that.
But his first reveal would not be Zenith; rather, it would be that treasure he had somehow cheated out of the trials.
Yes, cheated, because even he could not believe he had gotten something so heaven-defying from the trial.
One of the treasures he chose was heaven-shaking, fate-changing, overpowered... whatever word one wished to use.
Though he did not know the exact power the Philosopher’s Stone granted Zenith, Elion dared say that his reward was on the same level as that lofty stone. And by goading Lord Moon to trust him here, he was essentially questioning the man’s honour as a noble.
"Trust, huh..." Lord Moon considered it for a moment. In the end, he nodded, "Very well. I will agree to build our so-called relationship on trust."
His eyes narrowed, "However, if you let me down, boy, then you will have to face the wrath of an enraged father. Unparalleled talent or not."
Elion smiled. The threat aside, Lord Moon’s trust was enough for now, "I will keep that in mind."
Aria, who was still holding onto his arm, finally let out a relieved sigh. Her mother watched the two of them with a complicated but gentle expression.
Aurora, on the other hand, tilted her head again and whispered, "So Big Sister’s husband is very strong?"
The room went silent for a moment. Aria’s ears turned red, and Lord Moon’s face twitched.
Elion smiled brightly, "I like this child."