"Then how do we heal her?" Leo asked, turning to Leon. From the way he spoke earlier, it was clear Leon had some understanding of the situation.

"Either we heal naturally directly through a soul healing treasure," he said,

"Or let her soul recover naturally in mana dense region so that her recovery can accelerate and return to a normal rate, which will take quite a bit of time. Though…"

Leon's gaze drifted to Miho's face, which had a deep gash across it.

He continued, "The scars will remain."

Lily's eyes widened.

"No!" she said sharply, shaking her head in denial.

"A girl's life would be destroyed if her face carried such a gruesome scar. Even if she will never show it, it would eat her alive from the inside."

"Leo, let's take her to the temple. They must have a way to heal a soul."

Leon shook his head again, more firmly this time.

"Soul healing isn't a child's game," he said. "They would charge at least 30 million AC. Even that low-quality soul-enhancing treasure costs around 15 million. And I can tell—even if you sold everything you own right now, it wouldn't amount to 30 million."

He paused, then added,

"That's the minimum. I haven't even seen soul-healing treasures inside the Academy. Outside, they're usually priced at double. Well, compared to the Academy's subsidised rates… it could be four or even five times higher."

Lily was taken aback.

But Leo had already thought of a solution.

He still had two Elasian Blooms left, which had soul-healing effects. Even though Miho had consumed a petal recently, she had lost a massive amount of vitality now. There shouldn't be any backlash, same like the time Leo was forced to consume one himself during the goat-horned demon incident.

"Don't worry," Leo said calmly. "I have a way." He glanced at Miho. "She's stable like this, right?"

Leon blinked, surprised. "Huh? Ah… yes. Her condition is stable. The bleeding has stopped."

Despite his answer, there was clear scepticism in his eyes.

Leo nodded. After feeding Miho some Bloodwarm Cherry, he quickly dialled Brok. With the help of Shyra and Niri, they carefully moved Miho outside so Brok could give them a ride back to their territory.

Lily followed closely behind. She trusted Leo—if he was taking Miho back instead of to the temple, then he must have a plan.

Leon, meanwhile, was unwillingly dragged along, as Miho still refused to let go of his hand. Shyra was visibly startled when she was asked to help carry another man, but she complied when Leo urged her. Miho's grip was so tight it felt as if her life depended on it.

While they waited for Brok, Leo turned to Leon.

"Though I'm not particularly interested," Leo said lightly, "may I ask why you're holding her hand?"

Leon flinched.

Then he coughed awkwardly. "It's not my fault. I was trying to alleviate her pain when she grabbed me. I'm not holding your girl by choice—she's the one doing it… and not letting go."

Leo nodded with exaggerated understanding, mirroring Leon's expression.

"For your information, though, she's not my girl."

"You have time for jokes, Leo!" Lily scolded.

"Cough. I'm just trying to lighten the mood," Leo replied. "Don't worry. Miho will be fine. I guarantee it."

He gently patted Lily's head.

"By the way," Leo added, glancing at Leon, "what were you doing at the arena?"

"I heard that a man had been beating students grievously from morning till evening," Leon explained.

"By evening, curiosity got the better of me, so I went to check. That's when I found them."

Leo nodded, though his eyes briefly flicked to Leon's wounds and scars.

Soon, Brok arrived. He froze for a moment upon seeing Shyra, but quickly regained his composure when his eyes landed on Miho.

"Boss! Should we head to the temple?"

"No," Leo said. "The location I sent you."

Just then, Brok's phone rang. After checking the coordinates, he nodded.

Before they could mount his beast, another, much larger presence descended from above.

Skyrend Eagle (Peak 2★) – Mortal Bloodline

The eagle was nearly double the size of Brok's previous mount. Its aura was strongeand even its bloodline was 1 rank above the earlier beast.

"Boss!" Brok said excitedly. "From now on, I'll always use this beast when you ride. Our travel time will be nearly halved!"

"And since it's a leader-type beast, it has an automatic wind barrier," he added proudly. "Now your miss won't have to trouble herself with slicing winds!"

Leo nodded, and they quickly climbed onto the eagle's back.

Leon frowned as he sensed the direction they were heading.

"That's… back to that druid's territory," he said slowly. "Did you establish your territory there?"

Leo nodded again.

"What?" Leon exclaimed. "It won't last a month before it's overrun by beasts! And don't tell me you left the Fluxsoil Heart exposed in the wild. Even if you have that Ancient Savage Beast, I'll still teach you a lesson for such stupidity."

He was completely flabbergasted. For someone like Leo, who looked calculating and cautious, this would have been a foolish move.

"Don't worry," Leo said calmly. "You'll see when we arrive."

Leon fell silent, but then he thought of something. His eyes shifted from Miho, still gripping his hand, to the setting sun bleeding orange across the horizon.

"Wait," he said slowly. "Don't tell me you're planning to leave me in the middle of a jungle at night?"

Leo didn't even look at him.

"Ah, don't worry. I'll provide you with a comfortable place to stay for the night," Leo said casually.

"Just don't go around stealing things from my territory."

"Tsk," Leon scoffed. "What do you take me for? I don't play dirty like you."

The bitterness in his voice made it clear—he still hadn't gotten over being outsmarted twice. First, when he was distracted by Miho, second, the dagger.

Leo guided Brok as darkness deepened and visibility dropped. Just then, a massive silhouette emerged ahead—the faint glow of the Titanbreath Lotus illuminating the land around it.

"There," Leo said. "Land near that tree."

Brok's eyes widened as he spotted the scene below.

Even Leon was stunned.

Just that morning, this place had been dense with towering trees and crawling with beasts. Now… much of it was gone, replaced by a mound. Though Brok didn't think of it much, leaving it to a missed detail, Leon was already guessing the exact thing that happened

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A/N: New Privilege Tier!

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