At the entrance, as evening settled in, the trio was still chatting and waiting for Scarlet when it happened.
Leonida's gaze slid over to Silver, and a sly smile spread across her face. Silver instantly felt uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because," Leonida said, standing, "I just had a brilliant idea."
June's ears perked sharply.
Too late.
WHOOSH!
Silver barely registered her movement. One moment, he was beside the twins; the next—
THUD!
He was flat on his back in the grass.
"What the—?!"
Before Silver could make a move, Leonida casually pressed him down with her weight, holding him effortlessly in place, the picture of confidence that knew he wasn't going anywhere.
He struggled against her grip.
No use.
It was like pushing against a mountain.
Leonida rested her cheek against one fist, gazing down at him with a tremendously pleased expression.
"Gotcha."
"Let go of me!"
"Nope."
Julie stared.
June stared.
Silver looked toward them desperately.
Leonida glanced at the twins.
"Don't interfere. Your friend and I are having an important diplomatic negotiation."
"This isn't diplomacy!" Silver snapped.
"I'm the Queen. If I say it's diplomacy, it's diplomacy."
Silver stopped struggling.
"…That's an abuse of authority."
She seemed completely unconcerned, as if his opinion didn't matter to her in the slightest.
Leonida called out toward the Fox Family compound.
"SCARLET!"
Silence answered her.
She grinned.
"I HAVE YOUR NEW DISCIPLE!"
Silver's eyes went wide.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Leonida looked down at him with pride.
"Good plan, right?"
"This might be the dumbest plan I've ever been part of."
"Still going to work."
June hurried forward.
"Leonida, Master Scarlet is going to be furious!"
Her grin only widened.
"That…"
She cheerfully reached for her mace.
"…is the point."
Silver went still.
Oh.
She's insane.
Julie crossed her arms.
"You know you're basically using Silver as bait, right?"
Leonida paused to think, then glanced down at him.
"Are you good bait?"
"I hate you all."
"Perfect bait."
And then—
A sigh escaped from behind them.
"Stubborn numbskull."
Everyone went still.
Leonida's eyes sparkled, like a child unwrapping a long-awaited gift.
Silver slowly turned his head to find Scarlet standing at the edge of the courtyard, her expression calm—too calm. Leonida instantly let go of him and sprang to her feet, while Silver rolled away in a panic. Scarlet's gaze flicked from him to Leonida, then to the massive mace.
Her eye twitched. Leonida hefted the weapon onto her shoulder, a wide grin spreading across the Demon Queen's face. "Finally."
Silver crawled toward June and Julie, while Scarlet stepped up and Leonida tightened her hold on her mace. Years of nagging, endless challenges, and countless times Scarlet had turned her away.
And somehow—
Silver glanced between them.
Leonida's crazy plan had actually worked.
Scarlet's gaze shifted from Silver to Leonida, her expression calm—far too calm. "Follow me." Leonida blinked, then her eyes widened. Without another word, Scarlet turned and walked deeper into the Fox Family compound.
Leonida watched her go, and slowly, a grin spread across her face. "No way…" Julie let out a sigh.
Leonida yanked her mace from the ground.
"She accepted!"
She dashed after Scarlet like an overexcited child.
Silver slowly pushed himself upright.
"I was just used as bait for a fight."
June gave his shoulder a pat.
"Good bait."
The Fox Family arena lay deep within the compound—massive, circular, hewn from dark stone and ringed by towering stands.
As soon as Scarlet stepped onto the arena, darkness surged around its edges.
WHOOOM.
A translucent black barrier shot upward, sealing the arena from the sky down.
Silver came to a stop beside the twins.
"That barrier…"
"To keep the fight inside," June explained.
Silver's concern spiked. Scarlet strode to the center, Leonida trailing behind, idly bouncing her mace on her shoulder.
Scarlet finally turned to face her. "You really want a beating"
Leonida set her mace down. "For years."
Scarlet's eye twitched. "You really think I'll have any patience left for a fool like you after you took my grandson hostage?" Leonida froze.
"…Wait."
She slowly turned to face Silver.
He instantly sensed danger.
Leonida pointed at him.
"You're her grandson?"
Silver hesitated.
Leonida's head whipped back toward Scarlet.
Her eyes went wide.
Realization struck.
"Oh."
Silver covered his face.
oh no
June's ears flattened.
Don't.
Julie stepped back a few paces.
Leonida's lips trembled.
Then—
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
She bent over, laughing hard.
"That makes you a grandma!"
Silence settled over the room. Scarlet's five tails went still. Silver leaned in and murmured, "She said it."
June nodded gravely.
"She said the word."
Julie backed up even farther.
"She's going to die."
Leonida kept laughing.
"Scarlet, the Crimson Devil! Scarlet, the slyest fox! Scarlet, the grand—"
The arena burned crimson as heat surged outward, and the stones beneath Scarlet's feet began to glow. Leonida's laughter died away as her gaze locked on Scarlet, whose smile was far from kind.
"Done?"
Leonida straightened, fully aware of her actions. She wasn't clever like Zerath, but she wasn't foolish either. She knew Scarlet all too well—and exactly how to push her buttons.
Leonida rolled her shoulders.
"Yep."
Scarlet's five tails spread behind her.
"Good."
Leonida tossed her mace aside for a moment and cracked her knuckles.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Her grin became enormous.
"FINALLY."
Darkness erupted around Leonida.
Earth followed.
The two attributes twisted together, coating her body in a dense layer of dark earthen aura.
Silver's eyes widened.
The sheer pressure made his skin crawl.
Leonida crouched low.
Scarlet stayed perfectly still.
Then—
BOOM!
Leonida lunged forward.
The arena floor cracked under her first step.
In a blink, she closed the gap, mace already arcing through the air.
But the nearer she got to Scarlet—
The hotter it became.
Her earthen armor began glowing.
Then cracking.
Then—
HISSSSS!
It melted away.
Leonida's eyes widened.
Scarlet stepped forward.
One fist moved.
BANG!
Her punch struck Leonida's mace.
The weapon violently changed direction and slammed against the darkness barrier.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire arena trembled.
Silver stumbled backward.
Julie caught him.
Before the mace had even fallen—
Leonida charged forward once more, and Scarlet met her head-on. Fist collided with fist—BOOM! Another strike—BOOM! And again—BOOM! Neither woman gave an inch. Leonida lashed out, but Scarlet blocked and followed with a sharp punch.
Leonida responded. Each collision sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, and Silver could hardly keep up.
Yet Leonida—
Was laughing.
"HAHA!"
Another blow.
Her grin widened.
"Yes!"
Scarlet's fist grazed past her defense.
Leonida immediately countered.
"Again!"
Silver stared.
"She's enjoying this."
Julie crossed her arms.
"She's a battle freak."
Leonida grew more cheerful with each exchange. Every hit Scarlet landed only seemed to thrill her further, and every time she was pushed back, she came charging forward with twice the enthusiasm. Scarlet, on the other hand, was growing more and more irritated.
"Would."
BOOM!
"You."
BANG!
"Stop."
CRASH!
"Grinning?"
Leonida laughed.
"NO!"
Scarlet's eye twitched as Leonida swung again. She ducked swiftly, then her hands shot upward. Silver blinked in surprise.
Scarlet had grabbed Leonida—
By the horns.
Leonida's smile vanished.
"Uh—"
Scarlet yanked her downward.
Her knee came up.
THUD!
Leonida let out a startled gasp as the blow sent her stumbling. Scarlet held on tight. She twisted, and Leonida crashed onto the arena floor.
BOOM!
Dust exploded outward.
Silver stared.
"…Ow."
Julie nodded.
"That's gotta hurt a lot."
Scarlet loomed over Leonida.
"Stubborn," she muttered, bringing her fist down.
BOOM!
"Numbskull." Another punch followed.
BOOM!
Shockwaves reverberated through the darkness barrier.
Again.
BOOM!
Again.
BOOM!
June winced.
Silver stared.
Julie counted quietly.
"…Four… five… six…"
Eventually—silence. Dust floated lazily across the arena. Scarlet stood at the heart of the fractured battlefield, her five tails flicking in irritation. At her feet lay Leonida, unmoving. Scarlet let out a long breath.
"Are you finally content?"
A hand slowly rose from the crater.
Thumbs up.
Leonida's exhausted voice followed.
"…Completely."
Scarlet stared at her.
Leonida's hand dropped.
Scarlet rubbed her forehead.
"Stubborn numbskull."
Silver glanced at the fallen Demon Queen, then shifted his gaze to Scarlet. He had come all this way just to ask her to train him, but for the first time, he was genuinely questioning his life choices.
Leonida woke a few minutes later to find Scarlet already gone. She groaned, grabbed her mace, and somehow hauled herself upright with its handle. Her whole body swayed. Silver stared, then let out a sigh and rushed over.
"Here."
He helped Leonida to her feet, and she cast a lazy glance down at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Helping you get home."
One eyebrow arched, followed by a sly grin. "Oh?"
Silver instantly regretted it.
"Did you fall in love with me, brat?"
"What?"
"Planning to marry me?"
Silver's jaw dropped.
Leonida nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes. That's a good idea."
"What part of that was a good idea?!"
"If I marry you…" Leonida's grin widened, "…then I'll be family with Big Sister Scarlet."
Silver stopped walking.
Slowly, he looked up at her.
"Big Sister Scarlet?"
"Mm."
"Twenty minutes ago you called her Grandma."
Leonida nodded.
"And she beat you into the ground."
"Mm."
"Why are you suddenly talking about her so respectfully?"
Leonida's teasing expression faded slightly.
"Because she's strong."
The answer was immediate.
Silver blinked.
Leonida leaned more heavily against her mace.
"For the Demon Bull Family, strength is everything."
She pointed lazily ahead.
"The Four Noble Families all have something they're known for."
She lifted one finger.
"The Crows are prideful."
Another.
"The Snakes are greedy."
Another.
"The Wolves are arrogant."
Another.
"And the Foxes…"
June and Julie leaned forward.
Leonida stared at them.
"…are annoying."
"HEY!" both twins shouted.
Leonida ignored them.
"But we of the Demon Bull?" She tapped her chest. "Strength." For once, her voice held no trace of humor. "We value strength above titles, wealth, bloodlines—above everything." Leonida glanced back at the arena, her grin slowly returning. "I challenged Scarlet because everyone said she was stronger than me."
Silver frowned. "And now?"
"Now I know." No shame, no hesitation. No wounded pride.
If anything, Leonida looked happier admitting defeat.
"She beat me," she said, tightening her grip on the mace.
"So she's earned my respect."
June smiled. "That's surprisingly mature."
"Want to fight?"
"No."
"Then stop talking."
June went silent at once. Silver chuckled as Leonida limped forward.
"We Demon Bulls are always challenging each other. Every day, without fail, someone's in a fight with someone else."
"Every day?"
"Of course. Nothing brings more joy to our souls than the sounds of battle."
"Why?"
Leonida looked honestly puzzled. "To see who's stronger." Silver kept her eyes ahead.
Of course.
Leonida suddenly leaned closer.
"So, about our marriage—"
"Stop teasing me!"
Her laughter echoed through the compound as Silver reluctantly continued helping the battered—and apparently happiest she'd been in years—Demon Queen home.