Chapter 81 — The Sealed Supreme Relic
For five consecutive days, Leiya chose to ignore Elias.
She said nothing, deliberately treating her personal guard as nothing more than a moving wooden post.
In Elias's eyes, these were all signs of impatience.
Then, late on the fifth night, he heard someone enter her room.
"What's wrong, my precious daughter?"
"Pierre mentioned that you haven't been in good spirits lately."
Elias immediately shifted his perception and saw Theodore standing by the bedside.
Leiya clutched her pillow, lifting her damp eyes with a dejected expression.
"Father… if you were being watched all the time, you wouldn't be happy either."
"—Watched?"
"You mean Elias?"
Theodore smiled calmly.
"Elias is simply protecting your safety. Being able to stay by your side at all times is proof of his diligence."
"—But…"
"I don't like him at all!"
Theodore sat down beside her, asking gently, "Oh? Why is that?"
Leiya took a deep breath.
"Everyone says he's handsome, but to me he's just expressionless!"
"His aura is gloomy, his personality cold—he doesn't even care about his own friends!"
"And those brutal methods of his… just thinking about them makes my scalp crawl!"
"Not to mention…"
"He follows me around like a ghost, all the time!"
At this point, Leiya tightly gripped Theodore's hand, her voice filled with urgency.
"Father, please revoke Elias's Special-Grade Guardian Medal and expel him from the manor!"
The moment the words "expel him from the manor" left her mouth, Elias let out a cold laugh from next door.
So she'd finally lost patience…
Was the dog finally jumping the wall?
Theodore reached out and stroked her hair, his voice heavy with concern.
"Leiya, I understand how uncomfortable you feel."
"But Elias's appointment ceremony was conducted in front of the nobles."
"The sapphire on his medal was personally selected—and bestowed—by you."
"To go back on it after just a few days would not befit the conduct of a military family."
"Moreover, given your current condition, you need someone truly powerful to protect you."
"—Heh… hehehe…"
Leiya suddenly brushed Theodore's hand away, shaking her head as cold laughter escaped her lips.
"Father, if I hadn't fallen gravely ill, why would I need anyone's protection?!"
"It was you who insisted—who forcibly sealed Arisols—"
"—Enough!!!"
Theodore roared in fury and rose to his feet!
An overwhelming surge of magic erupted from him!
Elias instantly sharpened his focus.
Arisols.
The Cole family's supreme treasure.
A legendary magic said to alter the very form of living beings.
And also the true objective behind Elias's infiltration of the military.
No wonder he had searched the entire manor without finding a trace of it.
It had been sealed.
Theodore took a deep breath. When he turned back, his eyes were filled with helplessness.
"Leiya… my poor daughter."
"No one could have foreseen what would happen inside the seal."
"Arisols is the Cole family's greatest treasure—and also our curse."
"At this point, all I want is for you to live safely… and happily."
Leiya laughed with open mockery.
"Safe, perhaps. Happy? Not even close."
"Since Elias isn't leaving, then let him escort me to the hunting class six days from now."
"—The hunting class?"
"But your health—"
"Father," Leiya interrupted calmly, "didn't you say Elias was strong enough? Then let me see it for myself."
"I haven't attended a hunting class in a long time. Even just watching will be enough."
After a long pause, Theodore looked at the disappointment in her eyes and finally relented.
"Very well. I'll allow you to attend."
"With Elias present, nothing should go wrong."
Moments later, Elias watched Theodore leave the room.
A hunting class…
So she was planning to make her move.
But what exactly was the seal on Arisols?
And what did it have to do with Leiya's illness?
And that earnest tone just now—
That expression of something resembling resentment…
For a fleeting moment, a terrifying thought crossed Elias's mind—
What if that wasn't an act?
What if it was Leiya herself, expressing her true feelings?
He even began to question something more unsettling.
Even if Gralossam could read the host's memories…
Was this truly a state of manipulation?
With those doubts in mind, Elias became even more cautious in observing Leiya.
She, meanwhile, seemed to have made up her mind—giving him no opportunity to speak at all.
---
Six days later, dozens of young lords and ladies gathered at the manor gates, preparing to head out for the hunting class.
When Leiya descended the steps and appeared before them, murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.
"Why is Lady Leiya here?"
"Isn't she in poor health?"
"Exactly—General Theodore only allows her to attend literature and potion classes. What's she doing at a hunting lesson?"
At that moment, a red-haired youth stepped forward.
With an obsequious smile, he bowed deeply toward Leiya.
"Lady Leiya, I've long admired you~"
"I'm Brian, son of General Mordo of the Northern Continent."
"I hear your health is fragile. Allow me to protect you during today's hunt~"
The lustful gleam in his eyes made his intentions painfully obvious.
Elias stepped forward without hesitation, looking down at the red-haired youth.
"My apologies, Young Master Brian."
"I am Lady Leiya's personal guard. Her safety is my sole responsibility."
"Tch."
Brian sneered and turned his face away.
"So you're Elias?"
"You do have some skill, earning the position of her guard."
"But let me warn you—Lady Leiya is of noble status. Don't you dare harbor any improper thoughts!"
Elias replied coldly, "The one with improper thoughts is someone else."
"You—!"
Brian raised a finger at Elias, but after gritting his teeth, withdrew it.
"Hmph. I won't stoop to arguing with servants like you."
Turning back to Leiya, his smile instantly returned.
"Lady Leiya~ I'll be watching over you the entire time today. I won't let you suffer even the slightest harm!"
Leiya ignored him completely and boarded her private carriage.
That was when Elias glanced aside and caught sight of a familiar green silhouette.
Frieren…
Did she really think dyeing her hair green would make her unrecognizable?!
A hunting class for noble heirs—and she decided to tag along?!
At that moment, Frieren was holding modified potions, dyeing Zannie's, Yuna's, and Camilla's hair red, blue, and yellow respectively—
Perfectly matching their ball gowns.
The four of them stood before a mirror, giggling foolishly together.
Elias truly couldn't understand it.
After the snot explosion incident, their friendship had somehow grown even closer?
What a bizarre phenomenon…
Elias stepped into the carriage.
The very next moment, the red-haired brat climbed in after him and sat down beside him.
"Get out."
"And who do you think you are, ordering me around?"
Leiya finally spoke, exhaling softly.
"Let him stay, Elias."
"At the very least, he might be more entertaining than a block of wood."