Before Aurelia could say anything more, Loriel stepped forward from behind her chair, her usually jolly face showing genuine concern.

"Please," Loriel said, her voice softer than anyone had heard it before. The Saintess of Life actually bowed slightly toward Leon. "We truly need your help. I'm not trying to impress you or offer you riches. We genuinely need someone of your capabilities in the Higher Domain. Please, would you reconsider coming with us?"

The sincerity in her voice was unmistakable. Unlike Aurelia's authoritative approach, Loriel's plea came from a place of genuine need rather than pride or position.

Leon's expression softened slightly. The condescension from before vanished, replaced by something more respectful, which was not all; he also remembered being too harsh on her before, which made her quite upset with him, even so, she had forgotten everything.

"I appreciate your honesty, Loriel," he said, his tone notably warmer than his previous decline. "But I must still refuse. I prefer to move at my own pace."

He paused, then added with a slight smile, "I'll reach the Higher Domain much sooner than you might imagine. However, when I do, it will be on my own terms, through my own journey."

The difference in his responses was noticeable. Where Aurelia had received a cold dismissal for her grand offers, Loriel earned polite consideration for her genuine request. The message was clear—Leon responded to sincerity, not status or promises of power.

Loriel straightened, disappointment clear in her eyes but also understanding. She had tried, genuinely and without pretense, and that seemed to matter more than the outcome.

"I understand," she said quietly, stepping back to her position.

Aurelia's grip on the table slowly loosened. The anger that had flashed through her began to ebb, replaced by something else—realization. She looked between Leon's respectful treatment of Loriel and his dismissal of her own offer, and the truth became clear.

I approached this wrong, she thought, her golden eyes losing their hard edge. She wasn't used to being rejected—in the Higher Domain, her position as the 36th Saintess of Light opened every door, commanded every room. But here, her status meant nothing. Her grand promises and displays of superiority had only pushed him away, while Loriel's simple, honest plea had at least earned his respect.

Her outburst, her anger—none of it was valid. She had acted like a spoiled noble denied a toy, not like the Saintess she was supposed to be.

Slowly, Aurelia sat back down, her posture more composed now, the trembling fury completely gone. She had learned something valuable today, even if it came through rejection.

Aurelia turned her attention to Liora, who had been standing frozen since the discipleship offer.

"Well then, Liora? Will you accept my offer to become my disciple?"

Liora fidgeted, her face flushing as she struggled to find words. She glanced at her mother, then back at Aurelia, her voice coming out broken and shy.

"I... I'm sorry, but I... I already have a master," she managed to say, barely above a whisper. "My mother... she's already promised to train me."

The garden fell silent again. Two rejections in a row.

Then, unexpectedly, Aurelia laughed. Not a bitter laugh or a mocking one, but genuine, rich laughter that rang through the garden.

"Of course!" she said, shaking her head with amusement. "Both things I wanted were rejected completely. And yet..."

She looked at Leon with understanding in her golden eyes. He had said he would reach the Higher Domain soon on his own terms. That was enough. If he had said he had no desire to go there at all, that would have been devastating. But knowing he would arrive eventually, even without her help, was oddly satisfying.

And she knew with his strength, it would be long before he would arrive there.

As for Liora, well, her mysterious mother was at Master rank herself—perhaps even slightly stronger than Aurelia. It made sense that the girl would choose family over a stranger, no matter how prestigious.

Leon stood up, Seraphine rising immediately beside him.

"We'll be leaving now," he said simply. The meeting had been underwhelming for him—he had expected something more substantial than recruitment offers and basic information about domains he already knew existed.

"Wait," Aurelia called out, reaching into her robes. She pulled out a scroll—an ancient-looking map sealed with golden thread. "Take this. It will be helpful to you when you make your journey."

Leon paused, then walked over and accepted the scroll without examining it. A simple nod of acknowledgment, then he turned to Seraphine.

This simple act and her deamour had made Leon have a better image of Aurelia now than before.

In a blur of movement, both figures vanished from the garden, leaving only displaced air and swirling flower petals in their wake from the flower around him.

Whoosh

The remaining people sat in silence for a moment, processing everything that had just occurred. The meeting that was supposed to establish Aurelia's influence had instead become a lesson in humility, while the Leon had departed as enigmatically as he'd arrived.

Loriel stood lost in her own thoughts, her gaze fixed on the spot where Leon and Seraphine had vanished. Something about him lingered in her mind, though she couldn't quite place what.

Andrew, Crystalline, and Liora rose to leave as well, but Aurelia's voice stopped them.

"Crystalline, wait. I'd like to speak with you privately."

Crystalline paused, considering for a moment. Then she turned to her family. "Andrew, Liora, go ahead. I'll catch up soon."

Andrew stood immediately, ready to leave without question. But Liora remained seated, her arms folding across her chest as she glared at her mother with stubborn determination.

"I'm not going anywhere," Liora declared, her voice firm despite her young age. "There have been too many secrets you've kept from me. The Higher Domain, Master rank, who knows what else. I'm staying."

Crystalline sighed deeply, recognizing that particular expression on her daughter's face—the same stubbornness she herself possessed. There would be no moving her without causing a scene.

"Fine," Crystalline conceded, settling back into her chair. "You can both stay."

Andrew sat back down with a slight shrug, while Liora's defiant posture relaxed slightly, satisfied with her small victory.

Aurelia observed the family dynamic with interest, preparing to begin whatever conversation she had intended for Crystalline alone, now adjusted for a larger audience.

----

Meanwhile, far from the Royal Palace...

Leon and Seraphine moved through the landscape at incredible speed, the world blurring past them as they traveled. The wind whipped through their hair as they left the kingdom's capital far behind.

"That was... fun," Seraphine finally said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

The only thing fun about the meeting was the way Leon had introduced her as his wife; everything else she didn't even pay much attention to, other than just listening.

Leon glanced at the scroll Aurelia had given him, still sealed in his hand. Whatever their destination, it was clear that the meeting in the Moonlight Garden had set larger events in motion, even if it hadn't gone as anyone had planned.

The kingdom grew smaller behind them as they pressed forward into whatever awaited them next.

As they continued their journey through the landscape, Leon turned to Seraphine with curiosity in his voice.

"How far is the awakening dungeon from here?" he asked, noting the confident direction of their travel.

Seraphine's lips curved into a pleased smile. "About twenty minutes at this pace. There's an active one in the eastern province of the Kingdom of Shampain."

Leon raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "You already gathered information about the active awakening dungeons in this kingdom?"

She nodded, a hint of pride in her purple eyes. "I mapped out all four currently active ones while you were dealing with your problem inside the dimensional space. This one has the most stable entrance and is closest to our current location."

"I didn't even ask you to do that," Leon said, his tone carrying genuine appreciation. "You anticipated what we'd need and acted on your own initiative."

Seraphine's cheeks flushed slightly at the praise, but she kept her eyes forward. "Of course. Those people in the dimensional space... they've been waiting six years. I wanted to make sure everything was ready for them."

In all honesty, she cares little about the people than the Leon praise in comparison.

"Very insightful of you, my lovely wife," Leon continued, his voice warm. "Having this information ready saves us considerable time. You've been thinking ahead, my wife."

The way he said 'my lovely wife' with such natural warmth made Seraphine's heart skip. She had acted, hoping to be helpful, but hearing Leon acknowledge her foresight and praise her efforts made every bit of preparation worthwhile.

"There will be guards," she mentioned casually, "but that hardly matters."

Leon chuckled softly. "No, it doesn't. My reputation should be sufficient."

Indeed, tales of the silver-haired youth who had killed a king were already spreading like wildfire through the kingdoms. His mere appearance would be enough to make any guards step aside—none would be foolish enough to challenge someone with such a terrifying reputation. And even if they were that foolish, neither he nor Seraphine would have any difficulty simply taking what they needed. Their combined strength was beyond anything this kingdom could muster against them.

They traveled in comfortable silence for the remaining hours, the landscape shifting from cultivated fields to rougher, more wild terrain. Mountains began to rise in the distance, and the air grew thick with ambient mana—a sure sign they were approaching their destination.

Finally, as they crested a rocky hill, the awakening dungeon came into view.

A massive blue portal stood before them, fully formed and stable, its edges crackling with energy. The portal was perhaps twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide, its surface rippling like water but glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. Large mana fluctuations rippled outward from it in waves, making the very air shimmer and distort.

Around the portal, a contingent of guards had established a perimeter. Perhaps thirty soldiers in total, wearing the standard armor of the Kingdom of Shampain, stood at various posts. Some manned hastily constructed watchtowers, others patrolled in pairs, and a few sat around campfires, trying to stay warm in the energy-charged air that seemed to drain heat from everything around the portal.

The guards noticed their approach immediately, hands moving to weapons as two figures appeared on the hillside above them.

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