Outside…
The moment Leo stepped beyond the threshold of the Crimson Lotus, two sharply dressed men intercepted him. Their refined appearance made them resemble elite attendants far more than ordinary guards.
One of them bowed slightly before speaking in a calm voice.
"By the lady's orders… you will be staying at the hotel tonight."
Leo paused for a brief moment.
Internally, he had no desire to accept.
Remaining under Noctra's roof meant remaining within her sphere of influence… within her game.
But he quickly realized that refusing would not come without consequences.
And those consequences might be far worse.
A quiet sigh escaped him before he finally answered,
"Fine."
And followed them.
—
The city's main hotel was a contradiction in itself.
As though a fragment of another world had been torn away and forcibly planted in the heart of Necthar.
Amid filthy streets and chaotic alleys, the building rose proudly like an untouchable palace—its walls carved with intricate patterns, its towering pillars coated in gold that reflected light with excessive brilliance.
Everything about it felt unnaturally clean.
Unnaturally quiet.
A place that simply did not belong in Necthar.
—
Not long after his arrival—
a knock echoed from the door.
Then it opened.
A group of elegantly dressed young women entered, each carrying carefully practiced smiles.
One of them whispered lightly,
"He looks young… this should be easy."
A faint giggle followed.
—
Somewhere unseen—
Noctra was watching.
A small transmission crystal had been hidden carefully within the room, silently relaying both image and sound.
But Leo had noticed it immediately.
From the very beginning, he sensed the faint fluctuation of mana—the quiet pulse of hidden surveillance.
Yet…
he did nothing.
He ignored it.
—
One of the girls stepped closer.
One step.
Then another.
Her hand reached toward his shoulder.
—
In the next instant—
Leo moved.
A sharp slap cut through the air.
The girl froze in place, her eyes widening in shock.
"Don't touch me."
His voice was cold.
Then, without even sparing her a glance, he added,
"Ugly."
—
A heavy silence filled the room.
The girls retreated awkwardly, panic and confusion written across their faces.
This was not the reaction they had expected.
He was not some naïve child that could be manipulated so easily.
"Leave."
Leo spoke calmly—
yet his tone left no room for argument.
The girls hurried out immediately.
Leo clicked his tongue softly.
"Tsk… such an obvious trap."
—
Elsewhere—
Noctra watched the entire scene unfold before letting out a quiet laugh.
"…Interesting."
This time, her smile was genuine.
It was not his rejection that caught her attention—
but the way he rejected them.
No hesitation.
No embarrassment.
Not even real annoyance.
Only a clear and absolute refusal.
—
That night, Elaria stayed in the room next to his.
As for Leo—
he remained awake for quite some time.
Silent.
Thinking.
—
The following morning, the two prepared to leave.
Their next destination—
Blumode.
The final city before the Elven Forest.
—
As they departed from Necthar, the noise of the city followed behind them.
Then—
it disappeared.
—
Footsteps.
Many of them.
Closing in.
—
But Leo never stopped walking.
Noctra's words echoed quietly in his mind:
"Don't use the shortest road."
—
So he changed his route.
Turning into a narrow side alley instead.
One step.
Two.
—
Silence.
—
Then—
the faint whisper of metal.
A blade slid out from the shadows.
Leo tilted his body slightly.
The knife passed harmlessly beside him.
—
And then they emerged.
Seven men.
Faces concealed.
Breathing heavy.
"Give up quietly…"
One of them spoke with a rough voice.
"And we'll grant you a quick death."
"Or what?" Leo replied calmly.
A short laugh echoed through the alley.
"You're not walking out of here alive today… Noctra's little toy."
—
Silence.
—
Leo looked at them slowly.
And then—
his crimson eye flared toward them with unmistakable killing intent.
"…You're late."
He did not sound surprised in the slightest.
—
The next moment—
he moved.
The air compressed violently.
—
The first man collapsed before he even understood what had happened.
The second lunged forward—
only to slam into the wall with brutal force.
The third took a step back—
but the ground crushed him down before he could react.
—
One after another—
they fell.
In an instant.
No resistance.
No real battle.
Leo needed nothing more than that.
"Damn—!"
one of them cursed, seemingly their leader.
"A Fifth Circle mag—"
—
His body suddenly lifted off the ground.
Then—
silence.
He crashed lifelessly onto the stone pavement.
—
Silence reclaimed the alley.
—
Leo never looked back.
He simply continued walking.
"Bad start…" Elaria whispered quietly.
"Or a good one," Leo replied.
"How?"
He paused for a brief second before answering.
"At least now…"
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
"I know who's watching me."
—
And so he continued walking through the shadows, the violet card still resting in his hand.
Behind him—
Necthar was no longer the same.
Because the city ruled by Noctra from the shadows…
was not ruled by her alone.
There was another force moving silently beneath the surface.
The Black Shadows.
The organization that shared control of the city alongside Noctra.
And after several of their men had fallen…
Leo was no longer just a passing traveler.
He had become—
a target.
And thus—
the real game had finally begun.