The following morning, Leon woke up early, thinking he was the first to rise in the palace. However, as soon as he placed his hand on the doorknob and opened it, he found a servant standing before his room, who said: "Good morning, Master Leon. You may take a short stroll within the palace or the garden while breakfast is being prepared for you."
Leon nodded and gestured with his hand for the servant to move out of the way, then said: "Fine, I will go out for a short walk, so there is no need to look for me or wait for me for breakfast."
With that, Leon withdrew from the scene and headed out of the palace to take a tour of the back garden, where he and Alicia had fought yesterday.
What was striking in the garden was that small pond situated in its center. Leon sat near it for a moment before taking a sip from it; then, he wiped his face with the water until vigor began to show fully on his face. He then said: "Ahh, I feel a surge of energy. Well then, I shall set out on a simple exploratory adventure inside the city."
Once Leon decided this, he made his way out through the main gate of the palace walls. He began wandering through the neighborhoods, finding that most of those awake at this time were merchants busy arranging their wares in the markets.
Leon delved deeper into the streets until enough time had passed for the bustle to fill the city's streets once again. Peddlers began calling out at the top of their lungs while children ran through the alleys; it looked very beautiful—a peaceful sight that Leon had long missed.
By chance, Leon passed in front of a massive building that stood out from the rest, seemingly located on one of the main streets of the city. Written upon it was "The Adventurers' Guild."
Curiosity struck Leon slightly, prompting him to push the building's door and enter. To his surprise, dozens—nearly a hundred people—were lining up in front of what looked like a bulletin board.
Leon guessed that it was the place where missions were posted, but due to the crowd, he found no way to get closer to the board. Therefore, he turned to the nearest person who seemed free to ask some questions.
"Hey you, can you tell me what is going on here?" Leon began, feigning ignorance. The person, who was a young man, replied: "Ahh, it seems you haven't heard the latest news. It is said that an army of Demonic Golems is heading toward this city. Also, the governor of this city is offering vast sums of money to everyone who joins him in the fight. That is why you see these people so driven; they see it as an opportunity to make a name for themselves or to earn a wealth of money."
Leon rubbed his chin and then addressed the young man with an inquiring tone again: "And do you truly believe this news about the Demonic Golems?" Leon was surprised by the response of the young man, who said: "Hmm, in fact, I haven't seen those monsters myself, but I don't think the governor of this city would do all this for nothing. It is also said that there is a Great Wizard who warned Lord Albert of the coming of those monsters."
There was no doubt in Leon's mind that the "Great Wizard" referred to was himself, but he was surprised by how widely the news had spread; the city's inhabitants had only learned of the matter yesterday.
Driven by curiosity, Leon asked the young man about the identity of this wizard, pretending he knew nothing: "So, do you know the identity of this wizard?" The young man replied: "Actually, no. But according to the recruits who came yesterday, they said he is a young man; in fact, he defeated the dangerous earth monster—I mean that terrifying Giant Earthworm. Many men witnessed yesterday with their own eyes how he sliced that worm just like slicing through butter."
I won't hide it from you: Leon was slightly happy at this moment with these words. He felt a bit proud of himself after learning that he had become the talk of every tongue in the city. "So, do you believe there is anyone on this continent stronger than this wizard?"
Leon thought about it and concluded that asking this would be a way to gather some valuable information he might need in the future.
Before answering, the young man scratched his head and said: "Ahhhh, I don't think my opinion really matters; I am just an employee in this guild, and I haven't had the chance to see great wizards to be a witness to their power."
Leon did not expect to get a complete answer from the start, but he was disappointed that he didn't get any answer at all. However, when the young man saw his disappointment, he spoke as if he knew a little, saying: "Well, actually, if we look back, there are those known as the 'Baldays,' who are six powerful wizards, said to be the strongest wizards on the continent. Also, there are those known as the 'Baldair,' who are also powerful wizards working directly under the command of the Baldays. Furthermore, if we look more closely, there are the directors of the Magic Academy and the teachers there; they too are great wizards."
This was all the information the young man knew. Although it wasn't of great use due to the lack of details, it was important to Leon nonetheless. "Well, I'm sorry, this is all the information an employee working in a place like the Adventurers' Guild could know."
Leon replied to him: "It's fine. This information of yours is not bad; it will be of great help to me in the future."
After that, Leon departed quietly from the place, leaving the young man in a state of confusion: "Is there anyone on the continent who doesn't know who the Baldays are? Truly, this person's matter seems very strange."
As the sun intensified and the time approached noon, Leon found himself in front of Albert's palace gate once more. He entered without any issues with the gate guards. There was a field of flowers in the middle of which was a small seating area, containing a table surrounded by some chairs.
There was a lone person sitting in that place. Leon approached very closely, reaching a very near distance, where Alicia was sitting at the table contemplating the flowers, not even sensing Leon's approach.
As soon as Leon placed his foot on the wooden floor, the sound of his foot hitting the wood echoed. At that, Alicia turned around to find Leon, looking shocked, and then said: "What brought you here? And why didn't you join us for breakfast?"
Leon spoke in an attempt to respond to Alicia: "I was taking a tour inside the city, and I wasn't hungry either; I ate enough yesterday."
The mention of "yesterday" annoyed Alicia, who was trying to erase that night from her memory, but she couldn't. It was the first time her pride had been broken before someone. "Taking your words into account, I suppose the food pleased you last night."
Leon replied: "Indeed, it was perfectly prepared. Well, I won't lie, that night was truly entertaining. You were very stubborn yesterday, and as you can see, your stubbornness cost your father a doubling of my pay; therefore, I think it was a wonderful night."
It wasn't as if Alicia needed someone to remind her of that; she had barely slept thinking about the stupidity of what she had done. She had barely forgotten it only for this scoundrel to come again and remind her of the matter. For a moment, she looked as if she were about to lose her temper, but she restrained herself at the last moment, saying: "Well, let us see if you will live until then or not."
Unexpectedly for Alicia, Leon pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, then said: "Well, I am not very worried about my life, for I have the greatest chance of survival among you all. It would be better for you to worry about yourself first."
This was an arrogant and condescending statement from Leon, and that is exactly how Alicia understood it. She replied: "Then learn now, I am not in need of your protection. Even if my father hired you to fight on his side, I will also be among the combatants. Therefore, I have no need for anyone to protect me, especially if it is a scoundrel like you."
Leon smiled slightly, which provoked Alicia, prompting her to say: "What is it with you, provoking my anger so much?" Leon answered with what he believed: "Considering that you are your father's spoiled child, I don't think he will allow your entry into this war at all."
Alicia's voice grew louder after hearing this statement from Leon, as she replied: "What is this nonsense? I am the Flame Princess and the shining star of Novaris. I can never flee from a battle, and neither my father nor anyone else will be able to stop me from that."
Leon's smile intensified at this point, as he said very calmly: "Heh-heh-heh, unfortunately, I know someone who can do just that."
As soon as he said that, Leon stood up and left quietly, leaving Alicia in a state of shock, thinking to herself: Does Leon mean what he said? Upon re-examining his words, the only one capable of sidelining me in this city is this scoundrel mercenary. Could it be...
A massive shock swept over Alicia for a moment after she realized what Leon meant. Leon was hinting here that he was ready to carry out such an order if he received suitable pay from Albert, and knowing her father, she knew well that he was ready to do that in order to keep her away from danger.