"When you come next time, try to bring a book either about Qi or Classes—especially the Saber Class. I've developed an interest in such matters," Leonard said.
Ariana heard Leonard's request. 'Saber?'
"If you don't mind me asking, why the Saber Class? What's so interesting about it?" Ariana asked.
"I just like how graceful sabers are said to be. It seems that you prefer another Class?" Leonard replied, asking his own question.
"Well, I don't hate the Saber Class, but I would prefer being an Archer over a Saber," Ariana answered.
'Smart choice.' Leonard also admired Archers more than Sabers, but he couldn't do anything about it, as he had been given a Saber Class instead.
Ariana stood up, took in a breath of fresh air, and spoke. "It's time for me to leave." She then added with a faint smile, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Leonard."
"Oh—" as if forgetting something, she quickly asked, "Is it okay if we meet at 13 AM?"
"Yes, I don't have a problem meeting at that time," Leonard replied.
"Splendid," she said, adding, "Until we meet next time." As she said this, she gave a small bow to Leonard.
"Until we meet next time," Leonard replied, giving her a small bow of his own.
After exchanging their goodbyes, Ariana left. Leonard didn't follow her. He didn't know how she got here from the royalty's side, but he assumed it had something to do with Melissa's sister appearing. He was sure she wouldn't be comfortable letting him see how she arrived, so he let her be without bothering her.
Once she was a distance away, he placed his palms over his face and breathed in deeply. Leonard's brown eyes looked tired. His body was in good condition, but his mental state was on its last breath. He had overdone it for one day; despite being a schemer, he couldn't scheme for long. If he did, his plans would become half-baked.
'What to do?'
With the connection to the mysterious royalty made, Leonard had obtained a source of knowledge he might not find in the library. He had also established a connection with royalty, which was part of his aim to get on their good side, but one question kept bothering him: 'Does she have a Class?'
If she did have a Class, Leonard would be exposed for having one as well. Despite having an advantageous connection, Leonard wasn't that enthusiastic. If their meetings were discovered, the royalty would most likely hold an investigation; after all, he was the son of a crazed killer—who knows what such a person would do to a royal girl? Leonard expected the royalty to hold an investigation regarding him at some point. He wasn't confident in keeping his Class a secret for long, but he didn't expect it to happen now. He could have rejected the girl's proposal, but accepting it had its advantages, especially the benefit of getting closer to the inner circles.
He looked up at where the crow had been, but he saw nothing; it seemed the crow had decided to fly away to wherever it wanted. With a sigh, he stood up and made his way home. While walking, his stomach made a noise signaling hunger. Leonard took a turn and went to a local bakery. He bought bread which cost him seven pounds.
'It would have cost five at the market.'
The bread was brown and looked fresh, but strangely it didn't have a freshly baked smell. It should be noted that there were no other customers at the bakery. He bit his teeth into the bread. 'The bread at the market tastes better.' The bread was hard; he had to rip it like meat to chew it properly. It had an overly salty taste, but still, he ate it until he reached his room. He had eaten a quarter of it.
Once he reached his room, he placed the bread on his desk. Leonard had always been a light eater; eating that bread relieved his hunger slightly. His room didn't have a stove; the residents all shared stoves found in a separate room. People would go there, cook whatever they wanted, and leave. But there was a first-come, first-serve rule; if someone was already using a stove, you had to wait for them to finish. This rule could be overridden as long as one had money. One also had to use their own coal for the stoves. Leonard had some coal somewhere in his room; cooking wasn't an issue for him, but he didn't feel like it because he was tired.
Shortly after arriving in his room, he left and headed for the kitchen. Reaching it, he smelled a fragrance of different foods being cooked. There were different people there: old, middle-aged, and young. Once these people saw Leonard, some cursed in their hearts, some were scared, and some were upset. Leonard walked to a lady who was seated at a table surrounded by different foods. Leonard looked at the various dishes served on tin plates.
"I'll have that one," Leonard said, pointing at a plate with chicken soup. "How much is it?"
"Nine pounds," the lady replied. Unlike most, she wasn't that scared of Leonard.
Leonard removed nine pounds and handed it to the lady. The lady took the money and handed Leonard the plate. He left the room without doing anything unnecessary, yet people's eyes were still glued to him. Only after he left did they breathe a sigh of relief.
He went to his room; there, he sat at his table and ate the soup in peace. It wasn't hot, nor was it cold. He wouldn't go as far as calling it a masterpiece, but still, he ate until he finished it. Once he finished, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, thinking over matters.
After five minutes, he stood up.