Chapter 108: Marking The End Of The Monster Wave

Leonard remained motionless for a while.

Just from a glance, he knew that Damon was too dangerous and unpredictable. Acting against him outright would have put an end to his life.

After a few seconds, he gazed toward where Elizabeth had run off to.

"God damn it." He cursed bitterly as he followed after her.

Although she was usually careful not to leave marks where she tread, it seemed she hadn’t bothered to do so this time.

Soon enough, Leonard found her. Elizabeth was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, her head buried in her knees.

He prepared to get closer, only for her words to bring him to a halt.

"Don’t come any closer." Her tone didn’t carry her usual icy edge.

Leonard’s eyes narrowed.

"I just want to make sure that—"

"I am fine." She cut him off. "You are just an outsider to our family. Don’t think that seeing my father once gives you any right to judge his character... He isn’t always like this. He might be a little harsh sometimes, but he usually cools off fast. Most of his threats are just that... threats."

He shook his head.

"The way I see it, this was straight-up abuse. Why are you putting up with this?"

Leonard found it puzzling. They weren’t children but adults who could fend for themselves. Why was she putting herself through this?

"Why?"

Elizabeth chuckled in amusement.

"Because... he is my father. The only one I have. Is it so wrong to want him to acknowledge me? For once, to... make him proud of me the same way he is about my brother?"

Her voice shook.

"I just... never seem to get things right. I always screw up. So, can I really blame him? After I ended the life of my mother? Her death... it took its toll on him."

Elizabeth hugged her knees tighter, her legs trembling.

"It’s only given that he would expect the best from me. Sometimes I wonder how things would have been different if I had never been born, you know? But I shall never know. The world will continue to spin endlessly, and I’ll continue to fail over and over. Just like today, just like always."

She paused briefly, letting the silence settle.

"The last thing I want is for someone to meddle in my business. He is my father. I should be able to deal with him on my own... So please don’t act as if you know what’s best for me. Just leave me be."

Leonard stared at her back as she refused to face him.

"Can’t do that." He replied.

"Your father... He knows the reason why my father was executed. Damon is the only lead I have found so far, and I can’t just let that go. He said that you are unable to wield your scythe properly and promised that if I helped you, he would tell me the truth."

Elizabeth stood still for a moment before she began to laugh.

"Then I’m sorry to break it to you, but you got duped. Do you know how many people have tried to help me? Every single one failed in the end. Spare yourself the trouble and don’t bother."

A subtle frown etched onto his face.

"Not possible. Gideon was my father. Unlike you, I never had the opportunity to come to know my father personally, and I never will. Now, the only thing I can hope to do for him is bring justice for his wrongful conviction."

"..."

Elizabeth’s laughter ceased at once.

’God, I feel so stupid.’ She thought bitterly. Although the treatment from her father might have seemed harsh, Leonard had it much worse for a long time.

Before his awakening, he hadn’t possessed any strength like hers that he could rely on, nor the backing of an influential household.

Despite that, he had never despaired even once, while she was having a breakdown as though the problems of others were insignificant when compared to hers.

After a moment, she heaved a deep sigh, her shoulder slowly relaxing.

"Fine. Since you are so eager, you can try to help me. Just... not today, alright? Some other time."

Leonard lingered for a while, then nodded.

"Okay."

He turned to leave, only for her to add.

"Don’t tell a soul about what you saw today."

Leonard spared her a glance.

"I promise."

Elizabeth heard the echoes of his footsteps gradually fade away into the obscurity.

"Strange..." She murmured, noticing that at some point, her tears had stopped flowing. "I feel better after talking with him."

***

Leonard walked over to the corpse of the Crimson Snake, eager to see how much his familiar had progressed.

When his gaze landed on Callum, he saw the bird lying on his back, its stomach bulging from being so full, as though he were in a food coma.

Name: Callum

Familiar: Griffin [Level 1]

[Experience: 87/100]

Rank: Heavenly

Growing Stage: Fledgling [21% → 40%]

Condition: Stable → Dangerously Overeaten

"Does the little guy not know his limits? If I’m not careful what I feed him, he just might eat himself into an early grave..." Leonard noted, calling the familiar back into his soul.

Next, he crossed his arms as he scanned the monster thoughtfully, a problem emerging.

"The Crimson Snake is twenty meters long. It’s far too large to store in my Dimensional Storage." He exhaled somberly.

After some deliberation, he arrived at a solution.

With the help of his summons, they hacked the creature’s carcass into pieces. Then Leonard emptied his Dimensional Storage of its far less valuable goods and replaced it with parts of the Crimson Snake. Finally, he used the teleportation ring to get rid of the rest.

"Judging by how fast Callum’s growth is, the snake’s remains should be enough to allow him to reach his next evolution."

With all of his goals fulfilled, he marched away from the dark forest.

Navigating the wilderness, he eventually emerged past the trees and arrived at the place where the scholars had initially started the exercise.

Most of the scholars had already returned, with the rest making their way out.

The Monster Wave was officially over. It was now time to see the results...