All of Xyren's—the goat-horned demon's—tamed beasts had been fused into its body to strengthen its vessel and increase the power it could exert. Summoning a beast to fight would have been equivalent to splitting its own strength apart.

Other races could achieve something similar after soul-fusing with multiple beasts—but demonic techniques did not require special bonds or a deep understanding of the soul. The integration was forced the moment a beast was tamed, allowing demons to grow at an absurd rate.

And the method they used to cross planes was blood sacrifice.

Not just any blood—but the blood and flesh of intelligent beings.

That was why they ran rampant across the Empires of both Humans and Elves.

To this day, no one had discovered their true goal—other than the belief that it was nothing more than entertainment, a way to escape the boredom of existence in the barren Abyss, where the only sources of stimulation were war, slaughter, and endless conflicts.

After the lecture, both Lily and Leo walked out of the class with serious expressions. Neither of them spoke a single word until they reached the territory, their minds heavy as they contemplated the very existence of demons.

The moment they closed the door to their shed, restraint went lose.

They kissed each other fiercely, emotions spilling over as they clung to one another, making out until exhaustion finally dragged them down. They slept deeply, not waking until evening. By the time they stepped outside again, Miho had already prepared dinner for everyone, and Leon was the first to arrive.

"Leon, do you know about mental attacks?" Leo asked casually, scooping food from his plate.

"Mental attacks?" Leon replied, pausing mid-bite. "Yes. Singham has one—it induces fear in inferior enemies or those with low metal resilience."

"What about defenses against them?" Leo asked.

Leon raised his head, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Why are you asking? If I reveal everything here, I might have trouble winning the competition."

Leo sneered. "You're not winning either way."

Leon's eyes sharpened. "Oh? Then what's with this examination of my abilities?"

"It's not related to you," Leo said evenly. "We had an encounter with a peculiar group of girls. They seemed to affect us mentally while trying to extract information."

Leon listened intently as Leo continued.

"We can't be sure, but they appeared interested in us. Miho almost slipped up, but Lily arrived in time. With her mental protection equipment, she was unaffected—the same one that got destroyed when you used a mental attack during our first meeting."

Leon's expression turned thoughtful. He cast a sideways glance at Lily, whose mood visibly dipped at the mention of the shattered necklace.

"Ahem. I see," Leon said after a moment. "Information gathering… They were probably sent by some powerful family to investigate you."

Then his gaze shifted back to Lily.

"Especially her. With that conspicuous hair, she'd be easy to spot."

"So?" Leo pressed. "Protection against mental attacks?"

Leon nodded slowly.

"I do have a skill."

Leo's ears practically perked up.

"What is it? Can it work against them?"

"It can," Leon replied. "With [Lion's Heart] active, you'll be immune to any negative mental status from 3-star sources—since that's Singham's level. It should oppose effects up to High 4-star as well. Lions are known for their bravery, after all. But…"

"But what?" Leo asked.

"After I bestow the skill, it'll only last 30 minutes before I need to reapply it."

Leo nodded thoughtfully.

"Then it looks like we need to bring them here whenever they try to trick us again."

Lily nodded as well, her lips curving into a small smile.

"Don't worry. I've learned some new methods I'd like to try on someone. I think they'll be very helpful during interrogations, hehe."

Her innocent giggle sent a chill down both Leo's and Leon's spines.

After that, they finished their dinner quickly. Miho's eyes lingered on Leon's bandages once more.

"Brother Leon! You've overexerted yourself again," she said, worry lacing her voice. "The bandages are falling apart…"

Before he could respond, she grabbed him and dragged him toward his shed, which was still beside hers. Apparently, her planned shed relocation never happened—and she never mentioned it. Over the past week, Leon and Miho had grown noticeably closer.

Back in Leo and Lily's tent, the two snuggled beneath the blankets, bodies pressed together.

"It's starting to get cold," Lily murmured, rubbing her cheeks against Leo's. "I think winter is late here."

"That's even better," Leo replied, gently squeezing her cheeks. "I get to stick with you all day."

"Hehe, I can stick with you all throughout the year," Lily giggled. She kissed his head before straddling him.

They spent the time snuggling, tickling each other, and laughing softly. Since they had already gone all the way earlier in the evening, this moment was about closeness rather than passion. In truth, Lily was practicing some of the teachings Katherine had imparted during the Soul-Bonding class—one of which emphasized setting aside dedicated time to connect with one's partner.

Meanwhile, Miho carefully applied medicine and rewrapped Leon's arm with gentle, practiced movements. After more than a week, she had grown accustomed to Leon's bare upper body and now worked comfortably, reapplying bandages whenever needed. Her care seemed to be paying off—most of the cuts had scabbed over, and the skin had begun peeling in places. The broken arm, however, remained reinforced with metal rods.

"Brother Leon, how will you fight like this?" Miho asked softly as she pressed certain points on his palm. Since she wasn't using aura, the effect was limited, but it was good practice for her.

"There's nothing to worry about," Leon replied. "I can fight like this."

"No!" Miho said sharply.

Leon immediately backtracked.

"I mean—Singham can fight for me. He alone is more than enough to deal with anyone."

Miho nodded, though her worry didn't fully fade.

"What about Master Leo? He's strong. He won't go down with Mr Singham alone…"

Leon smirked.

"Heh. He'll see when the time comes. I haven't shown my full power yet."

Miho's eyes narrowed.

"So you will fight personally? Don't worry—I'll tell Master Leo not to take the fight seriou—"

"No," Leon interrupted firmly.

She paused.

"You'll see on the day of the competition," Leon continued, then changed the topic abruptly.

"By the way, why is Leo a 'master' to you, while I'm just 'brother'?"

Miho stiffened.

"B-because… he feels a bit distant," she said hesitantly. "But caring enough to address him as master. Even Big Sister said calling him master is fine…"

"And?" Leon pressed. "Why am I brother?"

Miho's face turned scarlet.

"I-it's just… it's just…"

"Just?" Leon urged.

"Y-you feel a bit close…"

"Close as in a real brother?" Leon said quickly, deliberately scrambling her thoughts.

It worked.

"N-no, you're—Not—AHH!" Miho yelped cutely after the misstep. Flustered, she waved her hands, hastily packed her things, and fled back to her shed with quick steps, her dress fluttering as she ran.

Leon shook his head as he watched her close the door with a thud.

"She is really cute... and beautiful."

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