lerbook Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163. Discussion
Bzzzt—!
A blue spatial gate tore open out of thin air.
Logaris West's trademark black trench coat had not even fully emerged before his voice came through first.
"Ale, I have something I need to discuss with you—"
Before Logaris could finish speaking, an overwhelming premonition of danger exploded through his mind.
The absurdly styled magitech gun in his hand instantly shifted into firing position.
Then his eyes landed on the old man seated in the place of honor.
In Logaris's spiritual perception, that seat was empty.
Even a stone or an ant would produce feedback under a spiritual scan. But that lion elder, sitting there alive and well, simply did not exist on the level of magic.
"Unobservable..."
Logaris's pupils contracted sharply.
That meant the other's level of existence had already risen high enough to fully assimilate with the surrounding environment.
Seventh tier.
Absolutely seventh tier. A being on the same level as his mentor, the Headmaster of Saint Arcadia Academy.
Without wasting a single word, Logaris slashed his left hand through the air.
Bzzz!
Three pale-gold barriers instantly unfurled around Alectos.
A Phase Shift Shield, a Kinetic Deflection Field, and a Spatial Anchoring Spell.
At the same time, the space around Logaris began to quake violently as a crack leading into the Void was forcibly torn open.
"Are all young people this hot-blooded these days?"
Leonard merely set the earthenware cup in his hand lightly onto the table.
Tap.
It was only the soft sound of the cup touching the tabletop, yet it felt like a heavy hammer striking the pulse of the world itself.
In Logaris's perception, that single motion had struck directly at the foundation that carried magic—the Aether.
With nothing but pure physical strength, Leonard forcefully disturbed the previously calm Aether Sea in this region, instantly washing away the spell models Logaris had constructed and causing those magical structures, stripped of the medium supporting them, to collapse on the spot.
The turbulent space fell silent at once, and even the layers of shields let out strained creaks beneath that invisible ripple.
This was the seventh tier.
A fine sheen of cold sweat broke out across Logaris's forehead.
This was the greatest pressure he had ever faced in his life.
"Do not be nervous, human mage."
Leonard finally lifted his head and looked at Logaris. There was a trace of curiosity in his gaze, and a trace of scrutiny.
"If I wanted to kill this boy, he would have been a corpse before he ever reached the doorway."
Logaris drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the instinctive terror rising from the depths of his being.
He pushed up his glasses, the reflection across the lenses concealing the emotion in his eyes.
"Uninvited guests are usually unwelcome. Especially on my turf."
Beside him, Ulzok frantically shot Logaris meaningful looks, his eyes practically rolling out of his head. The message could not have been clearer: Ancestor, please, say less.
"Your turf?"
Leonard laughed, revealing several fangs that were still sharp. "If I remember correctly, the northern side of Rimewind Valley still counts as our demi-human territory, does it not?"
Logaris did not respond. He slowly lowered the magitech gun he had been aiming, though his finger remained hooked inside the trigger guard.
Since the other side had not attacked immediately, that meant there was room to talk.
And if there was room to talk, then it was business.
"Go on, then. A great commander like the famous Heavenblade's leader is not spending his old age in the royal capital and running out to this godforsaken wilderness just to beg for a cup of liquor, is he?"
Logaris pulled out a chair and sat down across from Leonard with bold, expansive ease.
Just moments earlier, his thoughts had spun through countless turns—he had to figure out why this man had come.
A seventh-tier powerhouse was enough to crush the entire Rimewind Valley front as it currently stood.
That move left Kane staring in disbelief. Was this human's courage made of iron?
Leonard looked at Logaris, the approving light in his eyes growing stronger.
"You've got guts. Better than those two soft-legged cowards."
He pointed toward the two legion commanders standing punished in the corner. Ulzok and Kane lowered their heads even further, wishing they could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Leonard picked up his cup again, filled it to the brim, and tipped back his head to drain the fiery liquor in one gulp.
"Hah—"
He exhaled a wave of heat reeking of alcohol. His amber eyes narrowed, and even the wrinkles on his face seemed to relax.
"Strong stuff." The old lion smacked his lips. "What's this thing called? Distilled liquor? It's far better than the swill we drink over there. Who would have thought those barbarians in the south, who only know how to grow potatoes, could come up with something this good? Seems I've truly grown old and muddle-headed. I haven't gone out and seen the world in years—the times have changed so much I hardly recognize them anymore."
Logaris pushed up his glasses, the eyes behind the lenses flicking once.
"If you like it, I'll have two cartloads sent over later." Logaris set the magitech gun down on the table with a sharp smack, making his position clear. "Take it as a small gift of greeting from a junior to a senior."
"Two cartloads? Now that's more like it." Leonard grinned and began rummaging around inside his robe.
Ulzok and Kane, still standing there under punishment, felt their eyelids twitch wildly, afraid the old ancestor was about to pull out some terrifying weapon and blow that human brat across the table to pieces. But Leonard only produced a wrinkled parchment sheet and tossed it casually onto the table.
The paper drifted twice through the air before landing squarely atop Logaris's pistol.
Logaris lowered his eyes to look, and the corner of his eye twitched.
It was the duplicate copy of the frontline battle report Ulzok had submitted earlier.
Several thousand grandiose words sprawled across it, written in a style so exaggerated it could have shocked heaven and made ghosts weep. There were lines about the Winter Legion fighting a bloody battle for three days and nights, about both sides hurling forbidden spells until the terrain itself changed, and even about that woman named Sylvia on the enemy side summoning a meteor...
"This story is written quite well." Leonard tapped the sheet with a finger. "Especially this part—'They fought until dawn, both sides exhausting their magic, then engaged in hand-to-hand combat until rivers of blood floated the oars.' Looking at those soldiers outside, every one of them red-cheeked and glowing with health, never mind rivers of blood—I'd say not one of them even scraped a bit of skin."
Cold sweat streamed down Ulzok's chin, pooling into a little puddle on the floor.
"C-Commander! That was—" Ulzok could not even get his words out properly.
"Enough. Stop wailing like someone died." Leonard waved a hand, his face full of disdain. "It's not as if I said I was going to chop your heads off. If that battle report were true, I'd be embarrassed for you. Two main-force legions fighting a provincial army for half a month and still unable to break into a single Rimewind Valley—that would be the real disgrace."
The old lion set his cup down heavily on the table. Those cloudy old eyes suddenly turned bright and piercing as he stared at the reflection inside the liquor.
"That brat Remington barely has his backside warm in the seat, and he's already in such a hurry to hand knives outward. This war has no name and no cause. Aside from making that Regent Prince of his sound more imposing, does it bring our demi-humans even half a coin's worth of benefit?"
Leonard let out a scornful laugh, the kind born from utter contempt toward those in power above him.
"If there's no benefit, then we don't fight. You two did the right thing. Better to save the young men's lives than bury them in this cursed place. Better to keep that strength and go home to hold your wives and children."
The two legion commanders kneeling on the ground exchanged a glance, each seeing the relief of surviving disaster in the other's eyes. As long as the old ancestor did not lose his temper, then everything was fine.