Chapter 208: The Mermaid Emperor’s Inheritance Trial

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: The Mermaid Emperor’s Inheritance Trial

Leon’s terrible condition forced the other four present to focus their attention on him.

Jeremy initially intended to ask clearly for the reason, but Leon didn’t want to say much, merely stating he didn’t have any major problems and could accept the Mermaid Emperor’s inheritance trial at any time.

Looking at his appearance, how could Jeremy be at ease? After sending a message to notify Griffin, he forcibly took Leon to the infirmary.

However, the academy diagnosed nothing unusual, only stating it was a deficiency of qi and blood, and that he would recover after a period of rest.

Jeremy didn’t quite trust this conclusion. After letting Leon and his teammates disperse, he directly contacted someone from the Magic Tower to investigate everything that had happened to Leon recently.

The mages of the Valmont family held quite a few positions within the Magic Tower, and a few had even climbed into the high-level management tier. Thanks to this, by the very next morning, Jeremy had grasped all the information he needed.

What shocked Jeremy was that the cause behind Leon’s terrible state... was actually because of Kathy.

Not because the Blood Oath battle took place earlier than anticipated, but because during the past year, specifically four months ago, Kathy and several mages from the Magic Tower had infiltrated the Demon race. Although they obtained the ruin key and brought it back, she was severely injured to the point of near death.

Only by exchanging her blood and supplementing her soul could a sliver of hope for survival be snatched back.

At that exact time, Leon had just happened to complete his inheritance trial and successfully awaken his god-bestowed Holy Covenant.

Kathy’s soul entity was the Profound Yin entity, while Leon was the Yang Soul entity.

To Kathy, Leon’s existence happened to form a mutually complementary dynamic.

Therefore... the Magic Tower forced Leon, who was already heavily injured after his inheritance trial, to serve as "nutrients" for Kathy.

Exchanging blood for her, and also... supplementing her soul.

Based on the fusion of Leon’s vitality and soul magic power along with many other elements, plus the Magic Tower’s secret arts, they could execute a fate transfer.

If not for Leon luckily awakening his god-bestowed Holy Covenant and receiving the deity’s protection, during this process of trading lives, his mortality rate would have been 99%.

However, even though he luckily didn’t die, his life was bound to Kathy.

A unilateral binding.

Kathy could absorb Leon’s vitality to continue surviving, while Leon could not cause any negative impact on her.

Precisely because the price of this secret art was too immense, coupled with the injuries from the trial period, Leon fell into a coma lasting several months, only waking up a few days ago.

But ridiculously, the so-called compensation from the Magic Tower for his sacrifice for the greater good was simply dissolving the Blood Oath between Leon and Kathy.

Previously they refused to dissolve it, stubbornly waiting until Leon awakened his god-bestowed Holy Covenant, becoming a life-saving medicine vault for Kathy to live on before finally agreeing to dissolve it.

...Who exactly this matter was calculating for, even an outsider clearly understood in their heart.

Currently, Kathy still hadn’t woken up; the entire Magic Tower was feverishly worrying about her.

Compared to Leon, she would forever be the existence favored by the Magic Tower crowd.

With the dissolution of this Blood Oath, the competition for the Magic Tower heir position also lacked any suspense, because... Leon had proactively given it up, and simultaneously proactively severed his relationship with the Master of the Magic Tower, who was also his biological father.

It was unknown whether it was due to thorough disappointment to the point of his heart turning as cold as ashes, or if he inherently hadn’t had the slightest bit of interest in that heir’s seat.

However, regarding this action of Leon’s, the Master of the Magic Tower paid it no mind whatsoever. Including the majority of others, they all considered it merely petulant words spoken in a moment of anger and capriciousness. It could be said that almost no one cared about the so-called "severing of relationships." Yet, they took Leon’s proactive relinquishment of the Magic Tower inheritance rights as truth; internally, it was already assumed that Kathy was the new heir.

As for Kathy, because she was injured at the hands of a mutated magical beast fused and cultivated by the Demon race along with two Demon race Palace Masters, even though she had undergone a blood-exchange fate transfer, she still required a long period of treatment before she could wake up.

As for what her thoughts would be after waking up, no one knew.

Finishing reading the letter’s contents, Jeremy choked on a lump of anger in his chest.

He felt speechless toward the Magic Tower, while simultaneously finding it truly ridiculous.

The damage Leon suffered was irreversible, and currently, there was no way to treat it either.

Jeremy suppressed his emotions, sent the investigation contents to his other teammates, then contacted Leon, planning to have a frank talk with him.

The garden near the mountain behind the dormitory was a place Griffin had personally created during the first semester of their second year. His residence lay underground, while the garden was built above, often used as a resting place.

This place had a special magic barrier established; aside from himself, not even the headmaster could enter.

However, during the second semester of their second year, he had granted access rights to his team, so this plot of land also became a secret base and a similar meeting room for Jeremy’s group.

At this moment, in the garden pavilion.

After all teammates had gathered, Jeremy frankly stated the contents he had investigated.

Originally, he didn’t want to casually interfere in other people’s private matters, but with the current situation, if he didn’t interfere, Leon would only become a pitiful child left for others to trample upon.

However... Leon’s answer was:

"Whether it was saving Kathy or giving up the Magic Tower heir position, it was all of my own free will."

His complexion was still pale; although he tried to act as if nothing had happened, compared to before, his state was truly much worse.

His answer made Evelyn fall silent for a moment, but in that instant, she still couldn’t understand, directly asking: "Why?"

Clearly in a competitive relationship with Kathy, and also being the one exploited by the Magic Tower, yet he said it was all done voluntarily?

"..."

Leon lowered his eyes and chuckled softly: "Compared to me, she is more suitable to be the Master of the Magic Tower. Besides, right from the start, I haven’t had half a hint of interest in the so-called heir position. As for why I chose to save her... probably a sudden burst of compassion."

Having known Kathy for many years, friendship or familial love couldn’t be counted on. Initially, after the Blood Oath battle was set, he had long accepted that he was the one who had to die, so he didn’t have any overly immense emotions regarding this Blood Oath.

But when he truly saw Kathy’s dying appearance, in his heart he constantly recalled the image of the little girl many years ago during training in the demon cave.

Despite being heavily injured herself, she still smiled and offered her only piece of candy to him.

Perhaps... it was because that piece of candy was too overwhelmingly sweet.

So sweet it made it hard for a person to forget.

So when the Magic Tower crowd suggested using him as nutrients to save Kathy, he couldn’t utter half a word of refusal, willingly accepting it.

But... that was all there was to it.

Everything in the past, whether with the Magic Tower or with Kathy, he no longer owed any debts.

From now on, there would be no more entanglements or connections whatsoever.

Seeing the four of them were all silent, Leon thoroughly shook off his stray thoughts, putting on his usual lazy demeanor and saying: "It’s not a big deal anyway; I didn’t die and even escaped their control. Let alone the Blood Oath has been dissolved; everyone also doesn’t need to worry about me dying under Kathy’s sword blade sooner or later anymore. Shouldn’t you guys be happy for me?"

The four of them simultaneously threw glances at him devoid of any ripple of emotion.

"Why are you looking at me like that..." Leon knew their concern and indignation were all for his sake, and the frustration from the past period also gradually subsided.

"Speaking of which, the Mermaid Emperor’s inheritance mark has always been urging us. If the instructor has given us time, why not take this opportunity to start the trial right away?"

He changed the subject rather awkwardly, but Jeremy’s group saw that he truly didn’t have half a hint of expression of being forced to sacrifice, and the indignation in their hearts also faded slightly.

Jeremy asked in a flat tone: "With your current state, stepping into the trial is definitely fine?"

Leon shrugged: "Of course. It’s just that my state looks bad, but actually there’s no major problem; I’ll be fine after a while."

"No need to bother about me. Furthermore, if we don’t start the trial we’ll be dragged off to train anyway, might as well resolve this matter early to be free of debt."

This sentence of his sounded very realistic.

Seeing him insist so much, Jeremy also didn’t refuse anymore, asking for the opinions of the others.

The answers received were almost unanimous: Right now.

Since everyone was in agreement, Jeremy also went along with their wishes.

"To start the trial, we just need to drip blood onto the mark."

After sending a voice transmission to notify Griffin, Jeremy set the example first.

The exact moment his blood merged with the mark, a pale blue light enveloped the entire garden.

In just a few short seconds, Jeremy vanished from the garden, appearing in a different anomalous space.

The other four also consecutively followed suit.

After the five reunited, in this void space flooded with white light, a stairway to heaven leading who knows where abruptly appeared...