Chapter 198 - Leona's past

After finishing my battle with Grid, he led me to a room that seemed reserved for important individuals. Even some Demi-human guards were watching the entrance and gave a quick greeting to Grid as soon as they spotted him. By the way, due to the partial destruction of the arena, the continuation of the tournament was postponed to the next day.

I personally didn't see a problem with the decision, although I wasn't tired, it was true that it might not be the same for the girls. After all, we were just humans with powers, and it would be an exaggeration to expect us to have the same endurance as the Demi-humans. Before proceeding with Grid, I questioned whether it would be an issue to inform the girls about our whereabouts, as they might wonder where I was.

Grid assured me that it wasn't a problem, as they were my companions and lovers. So, I sent Shade to inform them about the situation. Anyway, as soon as we arrived in the room, Grid settled into one of the sofas and gestured for me to sit in front of him.

"Okay... now, where should I begin?" 

Grid said, with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few seconds of reflection, he turned his gaze towards me and started speaking.

"Since you're interested in Leona, you've probably heard of Darian, right?"

Hearing his words, I nodded, a frown forming on my face as I didn't particularly like him. Grid put a small smile on his face and continued.

"Darian is Leona's fiancé. Years ago, this marriage would have been impossible. Leona's mother was strongly against this union"

Hearing these words, I was momentarily confused. To me, everything seemed possible to be resolved in the coliseum. Grid seemed to notice my doubt and quickly dispelled it.

"I know what you must be thinking, but Darian's case is a bit special. Originally, he was a prisoner, although I'm not sure what his crime was at the time. Anyway, when Leona's mother died, there was no one left to prevent this marriage from happening"

Hearing his words, several thoughts crossed my mind. Firstly, I wondered why Darian wanted to marry Leona so much. Even considering that she would probably become the next leader, there didn't seem to be a reason for Darian to want to marry Leona. Moreover, from the few interactions I had with Darian, it was clear that he loved himself more than anything else.

"If it's as you say, how did Leona's mother manage to prevent this marriage for so long?"

Upon hearing my question, Grid smiled, as if reminiscing about something nostalgic.

"My father... the king, he loved Leona's mother quite a bit. In a way, most of the king's women were given to him as a symbol of the family, all except Leona's mother. They fell in love at first sight, and after some time, had Leona"

To be honest, I found it a bit strange that Grid was referring to the king's mistresses as if they were objects, but that was probably related to the culture of the Demi-humans, so I let it go.

"To this day, the loss of Leona's mother affects the king greatly, as well as Leona"

Hearing this, a question arose in my mind. Cautiously, I decided to ask Grid.

"I'm sorry if this sounds disrespectful, but... how did Leona's mother die?"

Upon hearing my question, Grid turned his eyes toward me, a certain gleam passing through them along with a melancholic and sad expression.

"She was attacked by humans while taking Leona to Arclight for a cultural trip"

Hearing this, the fact that Leona hated humans began to make sense to me.

"I'm sorry to hear that"

Upon hearing my apology, Grid let out a laugh.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault, you know? Besides, it's not like all humans are like that. Arclight executed the attackers, but even after investigating, we couldn't get anything"

After those words, Grid fell silent. Meanwhile, several thoughts began to cross my mind. The release of Darian, as well as the death of Leona's mother, honestly didn't sit well with me.

"Have you ever tried investigating Darian? Honestly, his release happened days before Leona's mother was killed. That, in itself, is quite suspicious" 

I said. Listening to my words, Grid pondered for a few seconds but eventually shook his head.

"Maybe, being human, you don't fully understand, but for all us Demi-humans, honor is of utmost importance. For us, losing honor is worse than death. Attacking one of the king's women or doing so without using our own hands is the worst disgrace that could happen to a Demi-human. Well, I guess in human language, anything considered cowardly would be equivalent to that" 

He explained. Hearing this, my surprise was palpable. Not investigating Darian just because of this was hard to believe. Maybe it was a matter of Demi-human perspective, but the strange timing of Darian's release in relation to Leona's mother's death raised suspicions. Grid's reaction indicated that he also found the situation suspicious but, for some reason, did not proceed with the investigation.

"Still, a Demi-human investigating another without concrete evidence would also be considered cowardly, as it would open the door to evidence falsification. Of course, this is specific to Demi-humans" 

Grid added with a smile, making it clear that, even without explicitly saying anything, he was implying that if I tried to investigate Darian, he couldn't do anything about it.

"I understand" 

I replied with a smile, closing my eyes.

"Well, anyway, it's getting quite late" 

I said, opening my eyes again and staring at Grid, who stood up while pointing his hand in my direction. Getting up with the gesture, I looked at him.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Makoto" 

Grid expressed with a smile on his face. 

"I hope you can take good care of Leona"

Hearing those words, I just nodded, a silent promise between us.