The door slammed softly.
Leo unceremoniously threw his shoes at the door, shuffled down the hall, then collapsed onto a chair, arms dangling.
— "I'm dead."
His head fell back with a long, ogre-like sigh.
— "Kragg made me lift a barrel twice my size… I think I grew an inch from that alone."
He hoped to hear laughter. A mocking smile. A tender "you're exaggerating."
But there was nothing.
He straightened up. And then, he saw her.
Aurona.
She was slowly leaving the room, wiping her hands on a rag.
But it wasn't fatigue in her eyes.
It was... something else.
Something hidden.
He stared at her.
"Mom? What's going on?"
"Nothing. Nothing important."
She smiled a little too quickly.
A smile that didn't work.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Liar. If you don't tell me, I'll steal your clinic nurse badge, and you'll cry to get it back. You know I'm unbeatable at hiding treasures."
She stared at him. For a long time.
Then... she sighed. And sat down.
"Someone came. Tonight. While you weren't there."
Leo frowned.
"Someone? Who?"
"A member of the Cattleya Guild. High-ranking. He's leading the investigation into Alfonso's death."
A shiver ran down Leo's spine. He said nothing.
Aurona continued softly:
"He said... he had proof. That the assailant had a powerful aura. And that he had done everything to... protect me."
She looked him straight in the eyes.
"He thinks the killer is someone close to him."
A silence. Heavy. Silent.
She gently placed her hand on Leo's.
"That man's name is Ruggero Martinez. Number two in the Guild. A genius. He hides his strength behind bizarre smiles, but he's dangerous. Very dangerous."
She squeezed his hand a little.
"Be careful, Leo. Don't provoke him. Don't give him any reason to notice you."
Leo nodded slowly.
But his heart was beating far too fast.
---
At the same time, in the Guild archives in the northern district, Ruggero grimaced as he flipped through dusty ledgers.
— "Dio… Diopez… Diodalgo… Diobonjour…"
He turned a page.
— "Aha. DioAngelo."
He stopped.
And his eyes widened.
— "Wait, wait, wait… no… no…"
He read the card three times.
> DioAngelo, Rowan — former Diamond-rank knight. Renowned for his exploits in the south. Known for having been referred to as "the only man who could rival Maria."
Ruggero slapped his forehead.
— "How did I not recognize that name! What an idiot I am!"
He bent over the next line.
> Spouse: Aurona (Healer, D-rank)
Child: Léonem Adrien DioAngelo — 12 years old.
A silence.
Then a long sigh.
— "...Then it's likely. Very likely."
He leaned back in the chair, arms crossed.
— "A son. Of a master fighter. With an aura so raw it left visible marks on the tiles."
He closed his eyes.
— "I'll provoke him. Just a little. If his aura reacts... then it's him. And I'll have my answer."
But deep down, something hesitated.
> A child. And yet... such strength.
Ruggero gritted his teeth.
He wasn't here to judge. He wanted the truth.
And he was going to get it.
The sun was beating down hard that midday.
Behind the Croc du Moa tavern, in their usual spot among the bricks and empty barrels, Léo and Eline were enjoying their short break.
Sitting side by side, they shared a slightly dry loaf of bread and an even drier story told by Léo.
— "And then, I swear, the guy slips on his own lubrication potion, and bam! Right into the pot of enchanted beans!"
Eline burst out laughing.
— "You're talking nonsense!"
— "If it makes you smile, it's because it's done."
He was smiling too. These kinds of moments... were becoming rare. And precious.
But he didn't have time to savor it.
Something moved behind Eline.
Too quickly. Too quietly.
A hand shot out, powerful, gloved, and grabbed Eline by the arm.
She cried out in surprise, then struggled immediately.
Leo jumped up.
"Hey! Let go of her!"
The man was wearing a dark, hooded coat. He was imposingly built, and unsettlingly calm.
Leo grabbed the broomstick left against the wall, holding it like a sword.
"Don't touch her!"
He leaped. He struck.
But each blow crashed into the air, as if an invisible barrier were absorbing his attack.
> As if... the air had hardened. Frozen.
The man dodged effortlessly, still silent.
Eline tried to claw at the arm holding her, but the assailant struck her violently in the abdomen.
A clean blow.
Sharp.
She collapsed without a cry, unconscious.
"ELINE!"
Leo froze, his hands trembling.
Then his gaze lifted, burning with anger.
"Let go of her... now."
The man finally turned his head towards him, revealing a half-masked face, expressionless gray eyes.
"Or what? Are you going to sweep my face off?"
Leo gritted his teeth.
He attacked with all his might.
A roar of rage, a direct strike...
But once again, the broom shattered against solid void.
And the next blow struck him square in the chest.
Leo was thrown against the bricks, crashing heavily.
He coughed up blood, struggling to breathe.
His vision blurred for a moment.
But he got back up.
Trembling. Sweating. Weaponless.
No aura.
Just standing.
— "I will... free her."
His voice was broken, but determined.
— "No matter who you are... no matter what you are... I will rise again until she is free."
He took a step.
Then another.
His body swaying.
His gaze burning.
And deep inside him... a throb.
Distant.
Muffled.
A crash.
The fall of a heavy body against bricks.
Kragg looked up from the main room of the tavern.
His old warrior instincts immediately screamed.
He grabbed a short blade hidden under the counter, strode out the back…
And fell into the middle of the carnage.
Leo, bleeding, standing despite his bruises.
Eline, collapsed in the arms of a masked stranger.
And a man with incomprehensible powers, surrounded by an invisible field as dense as steel.
Kragg didn't wait. He charged forward.
His enormous orcish fists struck the assailant with all the fury of a furious protector.
But the blow didn't land.
The barrier was still active.
The shock wave threw Kragg violently back, sending him crashing against a wall in a shower of dust and rubble.
He rolled to the ground, groaning in pain.
— "Fucking... stupid magic..."
Leo, panting, staggered.
But he got up again.
His legs were shaking, his chest bruised, blood trickling from his mouth, but his fist was clenched.
— "That's enough."
He ran, raised his fist, and hit the barrier with all his might.
A dull thud. Muffled. Like a hammer against nothing.
The man backhanded him.
But Leo came back.
Again.
And again.
Every time he was thrown back, he got back up.
Until, after a more violent blow, the assailant raised his arm... and struck.
The first blow threw Leo into the air.
The second, a precise combination, sent him violently against the wall.
His body was about to hit the stone...
But Kragg caught him just in time, wincing at the impact.
— "You're a damn knight... for a kid."
Leo spat out blood, but smiled nonetheless.
— "That's... my job."
Kragg, still on his knees, glanced at the assailant.
Still motionless. Still protected.
Eline hung limply from his arm, unconscious.
He gritted his teeth.
— "Okay. Kid. If we want to get her out of here, we have to force him to open a gap in his barrier."
Leo frowned.
— "A flaw?"
— "Yeah. Have you noticed? Every time he attacks you, he deactivates his barrier for a split second. Power must come at a cost."
— "So... if you take the hits... I hit?"
Kragg smiled, despite the blood flowing from his brow.
— "I take it. You aim for his head, or his arm, or even his foot. Just enough to knock him off balance. And we get Eline back."
Leo nodded slowly.
Then he clenched his fists.
His body was screaming.
His aura was silent.
But his heart...
burned.
— "I'm ready."
And the two stood up together.
A veteran orc.
A wounded boy.
An untouchable enemy.
But they weren't down yet.
Not while Eline was in danger.
To be continued