chapter 21

While the two guards were having a great time dissing the ambassador, Stultus Est, Leonard decides to play a prank by just suddenly popped up in between the two of them and give the two a big surprise when their topic moving into that of his.

"Wah!" the both of them jumped in surprise when Leonard just appeared out from nowhere and gave them a jump scare.

"Who are you!" they went into alert mode and ready their weapon, which was a standard issued steel sword that anyone who joined the force was giving as a badge of office.

"...calm down, it's just a prank- oh yeah, the name Leonard, the same guy that the two of you are talking about of course." he shrugged as he stated his own identity.

"You lying! There's no way a scrawny kid like you can be the great hero, lord Leonard!" one of the guards shouted furiously.

"That's blasphemy!" another added.

"...how would the two of you describe him then…" Leonard asked out of curiosity, as he wondered- what the hell actually goes through these fanatic minds when the topic of him was brought up, so far he heard people describing him as a big and macho guy who took on thousands without having a scratch on his body.

"Of course he isn't someone a person like you! He's big...strong...full of ripe muscle, stood at least two meters tall…" one of the guards continued to describe Leonard through the most exaggerated tale possible.

For a moment he thought that the guy was describing someone like Arnold- but on steroid, he had an urge to vomit there.

"...Luminous...please, take over this topic of discussion, I think I'm ready to go in now…" Leonard turned to Luminous while having a nauseated face and a begging expression mixed into it as he asked her.

Sachi was just giggled at Leonard reaction, as it was too funny, the first time she saw someone who was about to vomit after hearing people praised him.

"Let us through, we have important business that requires the attention of Miss Ryan." Luminous took over the talking and discussed it with the guards.

Of course the moment she took over, the guard immediately allowed her and the both of Leonard and Sachi inside- but first, she told one of them to take the two mounts that Leonard and Sachi brought along and placed them in the nearby stable.

"Alright, let go in now, I'm sure the other would be happy to see that you have returned, they have been waiting for you for over a year already after all." Luminous quickly lead the both of them inside of the building.

Of course Luminous spoke loud enough for the two guards to hear on to their conversation.

"Huh? Returned after roughly a year?" one of them went into a moment of deep thought before came to a big realization.

"He's lord Leonard!!!" he shouted out loudly- which also caught the attention of his comrade who's struggling to held down the reign of the male Windshear beasts, when he heard from his comrade the man was caught off guard and was flung over by the beast and crashed into the dirt ground, hard- making him groan in pain.

*****

Inside of the town hall, Luminous was leading them through a wide hallway, brightly lit by the natural light of the sun through many of its windows.

As they continued down the hallway, door to door, Leonard could briefly hear some form of conversation at the final door that was located at the end of the hallway.

"Oh beautiful Miss Ryan, I have once again come to visit you today with gifts and flowers in hand~" a man voiced in the most cheesy tone possible sounded from the final door.

"...really? You're saying that he repeats that same line every single day for the last six month?" Leonard quickly turned to Luminous for an answer.

Only to see her nodding her head.

"How long does it usually take for it all to ended?" Leonard continued with his questioning.

"I say about an hours or two of pure nonsense and flattering…he's trying so hard." that was Luminous answer.

"...I'm starting to feel really bad for disappearing for so long now, she had to suffer her ears listening to him for over three hundred and sixty hours over the past six months." Leonard chibi let out a deep long sigh as he imagines Ryan dealing with that amount of pure nonsense.

"Right right, we get it! You think Ryan is beautiful and want her to give you a chance- whatever, just leave the gifts on that side of the room and be on your merry way, the both of us have a lot of stuff to busy ourselves with, if you don't have anything important from the Republic- please return to the embassy."

It was then that Leonard hears another familiar voice coming from the room.

It was the voice of Mavis, the "elf" or Elswynian, Leonard trusted aide when he need help in the "sweatshop" back in the day when they were still in Trier.

However next, he heard the enraged voice of the ambassador.

"Since when does a demi-human like you have the right to invade into the conversation of the two of us?!" his voice turned furious.

"Since when? Since the day I was assigned to be Miss Ryan helper, and as a helper and assistant, I have to right to stop you from wasting our precious time! Don't you know how busy and hard it is to maintain the settlement?!" Mavis retorted angrily as Leonard also heard her footstep walking closer to the ambassador's voice.

"You bitch! A demi-human like you are only fit to be a slave, I really don't get how anyone would be foolish enough to let a creature like you into this place!" it was then that he saw a collar like a tattoo imprinted on the neck of Mavis.

"Ah~ so you're just a slave after all...since your owner did not discipline you enough, I shall do it in his place!" Stultus Est raised his hand and slapped Mavis, and intended to "discipline" her further.

*Bang! It was then that the wooden door behind him was knocked down in an explosion.

"WHO!" he furiously turned his head, only to meet with the cold gaze of Leonard and Luminous.

"Who are you, people?!" Stultus dropped his hand and pointed at Leonard and co.

Leonard, of course, refused to say anything and remained silent went toward the man and gave him a hard slap infused with a fraction of his overall strength- which was enough to send him flying and imprinted into the wall.

"Since when did someone like you! An outsider- had the right to discipline MY people?" Leonard's voice was ice cold as he glances down onto the now disfigured face of Stultus, he can see that the jaw was completely broken, and half of all his teeth were knocked out, now his entire face was swelling up like a balloon.

"Leonard! You have returned!" Ryan stood up from her seat and shouted out excitedly when she saw his figure entered the room.

Mavis too was excited and had now totally forgotten about the slight sting that Stultus palm had caused her.

"Yeah, I'm back, sorry for vanishing and leaving you guys alone here in the middle of nowhere for a year or so…" Leonard returned to them with a bitter smile on his face.

"I-it's alright...as long as you're safe, it is all that matter now…" Ryan smiled back at Leonard while tears began to form on the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah, we can catch up on all of it later...after I do a little "discipline" to this one…" Leonard turned his attention at the half-dead Stultus who was laying on the floor now.