Regina was sitting boldly on the edge of the bed, her abdomen wrapped in bandages.
Though injured, her presence hadn't diminished at all. Especially those beast-like amber-gold vertical pupils, imposing and commanding.
Total knockoff female bandit chief vibes...
Facing his unrestrained gaze, Regina felt somewhat confused.
With her temperament, people who secretly looked at her in the past all ended up in pretty bad shape.
But this person's gaze didn't make her feel that disgusted.
In those pitch-black eyes, she didn't see the familiar contempt, revulsion, panic, or fear.
Though there was curiosity, there was more... appreciation?
Regina wasn't quite sure, but she was certain this man's attitude toward her held no malice.
"Who the hell are you?!"
There was already some anger in Regina's tone. Even without hostility, nobody liked being stared at constantly.
"Let me treat your wound first."
That crude bandaging made Leon frown.
Regina was basically his person now, so naturally he cared about this woman's physical condition.
He casually sat on the edge of the bed. This overly familiar move actually startled Regina.
What's going on? He's not afraid of me?
"Don't move!"
A sharp command made Regina, who'd instinctively been about to dodge, freeze up. Leon had already unwrapped the bandages around her abdomen.
Inside were just some messy herbs stuffed in. Way too rough.
Disinfecting, applying medicine, Leon treated the wound all over again.
Throughout this process, both remained silent. Strangely quiet.
But Regina felt somewhat nervous and unsettled.
In her whole life, this was the first time she'd let someone touch her at such close range.
And a man, no less.
Of course, if not for Leon's different look opening the way, followed by proper medical treatment, Regina probably would've already struck him down with her halberd...
After finishing treating the wound, Leon stood up, pulled over a chair, and sat down about six feet from Regina, the two facing each other.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Leon. I'm a beast tamer. From now on, I'm your new boss."
After speaking, Leon pulled out a document and waved it around.
It was the "indentured" contract Regina had signed with the Black Thorn Arena.
Regina's eyes changed, and she smiled coldly.
"Beast tamer? What, you want to turn me into your contracted beast?"
She'd originally thought this man was a doctor, but turns out there was more to it. The slight good feeling that had risen in her heart instantly melted away.
Leon looked at Regina with a strange expression, somewhat speechless.
"Though your idea is very creative, I don't have such plans. I'm just here to hire you as a personal bodyguard."
"Not interested. You should find someone else." Regina coldly refused directly.
Leon didn't mind Regina's attitude and smiled, casually pulling out another document and reading:
"Regina, no father or mother, abandoned at an orphanage as a child, entered society at seventeen but couldn't find suitable work, signed with the Black Thorn Arena a year later, worked for four years until..."
"Enough!"
Before Leon could finish, Regina rudely interrupted him. With a crash, the base of her halberd struck the ground heavily, cracking it.
This woman was genuinely pissed.
"Calm down. Think about it from a different angle. I'm actually the first person to care and spend time learning about you. You should be happy, right?"
Leon said with a teasing smile.
"Smooth talker."
Regina glared viciously at the man across from her, but the atmosphere had eased considerably.
"What exactly do you want?" Regina questioned again.
She didn't believe he really came to find her as a bodyguard, because regarding her "social status," though Regina was indignant inside, she wouldn't deceive herself.
She'd sooner believe he came to use her for scientific experiments...
"I'm not lying to you. From start to finish, I've been completely honest. If you ask why I chose you, I can only say your price is relatively cheap and your cost-performance ratio is high."
Cost-performance ratio is high?
Seeing Regina's confused expression, Leon rubbed his nose and grinned.
"You can understand it as, I'm currently pretty tight on funds."
Seeing Leon's shameless look, Regina actually felt somewhat amused.
She also let down a bit of her guard.
"You should know about my identity." Regina said seriously.
But her slightly flickering eyes revealed a trace of nervousness in her heart.
"I know, but I've never cared about those things. I'm an illegitimate child myself. Skills are on your own body, dignity is earned by yourself. If I really cared about your bloodline issue, I couldn't possibly be standing in front of you today."
Leon's words made Regina completely quiet down.
She could feel the sincerity in his words.
Closing her eyes, Regina seemed to fall into thought.
Leon didn't rush her at all. He believed this woman would figure it out.
About a minute later, Regina opened her eyes and looked calmly at Leon.
"What can I gain?"
"Dignity and glory."
"Why should I believe you?"
"How about this, with a four-year time limit, meaning when I'm twenty years old, if..."
A bloody wind swept past, cold light met his face, and when everything stopped again, the halberd blade was less than an inch from his forehead.
But Leon, whose words were interrupted, still sat smiling in his chair, his expression calm and relaxed.
"If you can't fulfill the promise, I'll kill you myself."
"No problem. But what if I do fulfill the promise?" Leon smiled confidently.
"Then my life is yours to control. I'll serve you this lifetime, through life and death." Eyes meeting, Regina didn't back down.
"Deal!"
…..
After securing this Black Dragon Valkyrie, Leon led her back to Desolate Dark City without stopping.
First, he took care of food supplies. This area didn't cost much money. After all, it was just two people.
Then Leon got Regina a new set of armor.
Unfortunately, he hadn't scavenged anything suitable from the Mystic Ruins palace, so he had to pay for it.
A high-performance ornate armor set cost close to five hundred thousand.
Life-saving stuff, of course you spend big on it.
Save where you should save, but money that should be spent must be spent. Leon was always generous with his own people.
When she first received this runic armor, Regina didn't believe it was bought for her, but after confirming it was true, she looked deeply at Leon, then silently accepted it.
When Leon saw Regina change into her new armor, he was amazed.
Silver armor, silver helmet, blue cape, combined with Regina's impossibly tall and long-legged figure and aloof temperament. Perfect.
This full-body armor was nowhere near comparable to the beggar's outfit Regina wore in the arena.