In the presence of a power that bent nations to silence, fear was not a reaction.

It became an instinct.

Surrounded by the eighty-seven assassins stronger than him, Leon Valentine stood on a carriage.

He felt many eyes lingering over his face and body. Eyes that are remembered even from the lightest action Leon does.

Leon maintained Veronica's posture and attitude, he didn't act bothered by them any of it.

"My lady…?" Myra called out to him in confusion.

Leon gave her a brief stare, which made Myra flinch. It took her several seconds to realize what just happened.

Wearing Leon's dress, and even the same sword attached to her waist. It was not Veronica, but Leon.

He somehow managed to change his appearance, even his body to match Veronica.

Myra doesn't know how he did this, surely there exists few shape shifting skills, but she never saw her young master ever use any such skill before.

Myra gulped. 'This is…. Insane.'

The more he sees Leon pulling all this weird stuff, the more worried and terrified she gets.

Down to the last bit, Leon had copied Veronica with precise details. It's as if Leon knew every inch of her body.

"Hm? Why isn't anyone attacking?" Leon asked in Veronica's voice to the open area around him.

Attacking the carriage?

No one in their right mind would ever do that now.

A faint smile formed on Leon's lips. He slowly turned his body, letting Veronica's presence wash over the cross-section.

"Why?" he asked calmly, his voice flowed effortlessly through the silent street. "Aren't you all here to kill my little brother?"

His gaze locked onto a building to the right.

To the naked eye, there was nothing there.

But Leon could see them. Two yellow core assassins were hidden there.

Leon had just pulled one of the strongest possible moves.

He could have ordered Myra to rampage. With the knights assisting her, they could slaughter every assassin hiding in this district. That was an option.

But it had a fatal flaw. First, it would take time. And second…

If he chose that path, the noble houses behind this assassination attempt would simply send someone else next time.

And Leon did not want that future.

What he wanted was to implant fear so deep that targeting him would never be considered again.

And In this kingdom, only one person could accomplish that.

His elder sister. Veronica Valentine.

By using Mirage Persona, Leon replicated her face, and had created a scenario where Veronica herself was escorting him to Eclipse tonight. These assassins were not just witnessing power. They would all be left motionless, no one's mind would work properly.

And to them, harming Leon now meant challenging Veronica directly.

And no noble house was foolish enough to make that choice.

Until now, many believed that Veronica did not care much about House Valentine. She left the management of Valentine Dukedome to their parents.

She never took sides when Leon was treated harshly. She never intervened in any of their cases after she became the Tower Head. And noble houses even used this side of her to politically attack the House Valentine, which they all failed to accomplish.

But this single act from Leon just now, will shatter that assumption.

Leon understood that Veronica's true nature was difficult to predict, even for him.

She was not cold because she was heartless. She simply chose her steps carefully after analysing all possible futures.

'I just hope she does not scold me after this,' Leon thought. He could already imagine her staring at him in silence, in displeasure.

Leon lifted his gaze again and sighed lightly.

"Haah… really? No one?"

Nothing moved on the street below him.

The assassins were locked in place. Even if someone suspected this was an illusion of Veronica, they could not risk testing it. If they were wrong, death would be instant and unbearable. And if Veronica was truly present, then the noble house behind this attempt would be erased from existence.

Leon glanced at Myra and the knights.

"Looks to me we are wasting time," he said calmly. "Let us get moving."

He jumped down beside Myra.

The guards stiffened immediately.

"Y-Yes, my lady!"

It looks to him, not a single one of them realized it was Leon.

Leon entered the carriage and took his seat. Myra followed and closed the door behind her. She kept staring at him, as her mind was still struggling to catch up.

Leon ignored it.

The carriage resumed its movement.

A few minutes later, they passed the area completely.

"Is anyone still present?" Leon asked in Veronica's tone.

"No, m-my lady," Myra replied.

"Good to hear."

Fifteen minutes passed.

Leon sat quietly inside the carriage, still wearing Veronica's appearance.

The atmosphere inside was oddly tense. Myra was avoiding his gaze completely. She did not ask a single question, nor did she meet his eyes even once.

Leon noticed it.

Just as he was about to speak, Myra suddenly gasped and pointed at his face.

"W-What… is that?"

Leon instinctively touched his face, then his shoulders, his arms. He felt it immediately.

Something hot and uncomfortable began to melt over his body, crawling beneath his skin.

Leon frowned.

He turned his head slightly and looked at his reflection on the glass window.

Veronica's face was distorting.

Slowly, disgustingly, it began to collapse in on itself.

Leon watched the transformation in silence.

It took a full ten seconds.

Ten seconds of flesh reforming, bone adjusting, muscle tightening back into place. When it was over, Leon Valentine stared back at himself through the glass.

Leon clicked his tongue.

"I am drained."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his glasses, and slid them onto his face like nothing had happened. Then he leaned back comfortably.

He glanced at Myra, who was staring at him like she had just witnessed a nightmare.

"Well?" Leon asked casually. "How did I do?"

Myra blinked several times. Then she rubbed her temples.

"Young master," she said slowly, "do you enjoy messing with fire?"

Leon tilted his head.

"What? It was a good strategy. We avoided a mass slaughter and got out of there without fighting them. All it took was a couple of minutes."

Myra stared at his smug expression.

"Do you realize this will cause a huge uproar in certain noble factions?"

Leon nodded once. "Is that so? Well damn."

"Young master."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

Leon shrugged. "Well… My sister is not the only one who can pressure people mentally."

Myra sighed.

"Let me warn you then. My lady will not like this. She avoided taking part in House Valentine matters and even gave her position to Duke Orion to manage the house."

Leon waved his hand dismissively and joked. "Nah. She is just lazy."

Myra stared at him in disbelief.

"That is your conclusion?"

Leon grinned. "Efficient conclusion, actually."

She shook her head.

"You used her identity to send a political message. That is not something nobles will ignore."

"That was the point," Leon replied calmly. "Now they know harming me means challenging her. Next time they will think twice."

Myra paused. Then she frowned.

"…So you have a gender swapping skill?"

Leon's eye twitched.

"It is not a gender swap skill."

"You literally transformed into a fine looking lady such as my lady minutes ago."

"That was an impersonation skill," Leon corrected flatly. "Do not word it like that."

Myra looked unconvinced. "Your metabolism changed too, and your bone structure changed as well."

Leon sighed. "It lets me copy physical features and posture perfectly. The mana cost is insane though. But well, it's cool, right?"

Myra stared at him again. "You used a skill like that without hesitation?"

Leon smiled. "Because it works."

She leaned back slowly. "You know, young master, one day this brain of yours is going to get you killed."

Leon adjusted his glasses. "And today it saved me eighty seven times over."

Myra had no response to that.

The carriage continued moving through the quiet streets.

After nearly an hour, the carriage finally entered the road leading to Eclipse Institute.

The surroundings changed immediately.

Bright lights illuminated both sides of the road, as lamps embedded into tall steel poles.

Leon noticed heavy guards were stationed at regular intervals. This level of security was not normal.

It was the aftermath of the tiara incident.

"HALT!"

Several guards stepped in front of the carriage at once. From the window, Leon saw the insignia on their armor. Eclipse guards, wearing their official uniforms.

An elderly female officer stepped forward, holding a list and a pen. She walked up to the window and knocked once.

"Name," she asked curtly.

Leon lowered the window slightly.

"Leon Valentine. Open the gates."

The officer's expression stiffened.

She glanced down at the list, then back at Leon. For a brief second, her gaze sharpened, as if she was confirming something.

She straightened immediately after realization.

"Open the gates," she ordered.

The guards moved without hesitation. The barricades were lifted, and also the whispers spread quietly among them as the carriage passed through. Leon ignored the stares and all the murmurs.

He leaned back.

Moments later, the carriage stopped inside the institute grounds, near his dorm building.

Leon entered his dorm room all on his own, shut the door, and changed his clothes quickly.

He flopped onto the bed without elegance, staring at the ceiling.

Then he lifted his hand and stared at the spirit ring on his finger. With the other hand, he was holding the Elven Mana core.

"A true spirit huh..."

A grin appeared on his face.

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