Leon almost cursed on reflex when he saw Lumine actually barking.
He realized—far too late—that he had gravely underestimated Lumine's integrity. In no scenario had he imagined that the girl would truly have the nerve to bark in front of such a large crowd, and worse still, to do it without the slightest hesitation.
"If I hesitate even for a second, that would be disrespectful to my hard-earned money!" the girl declared, placing her hands on her hips with an absolutely resolute expression.
"Okay… as expected of you."
Leon looked at Lumine, who now wore a proud, almost triumphant air, and responded with a discreet thumbs-up.
He had always known that there was something a little twisted about that girl.
But he really hadn't expected her to be this shameless.
"And…"
"If you don't want to deduct money, then don't, but I hope you can at least give me some money for the… ahem… effort."
"…"
"Kids these days…"
"Mommy, why was that girl barking?"
"Shh… pretend you didn't see anything."
Perhaps because she had shouted purely on instinct, Lumine had completely forgotten that she was now in a public place.
At that moment, because of her two consecutive "barks," the gazes of the surrounding audience—until then mostly focused on Nilou on the stage—began to slowly shift… until they settled squarely on her.
Although Lumine knew that her moral integrity wasn't exactly exemplary, she wasn't shameless enough to completely ignore that situation.
At least not to the point of being able to die socially without feeling anything…
At that instant, the cheeks of the yellow-haired girl were completely red.
The members of the audience wore all kinds of expressions—curiosity, surprise, envy—and even Nilou, still on the stage, shot her looks mixed with irritation and embarrassment.
The social pressure was so intense that Lumine genuinely wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
"Y-Your Majest— I mean, Leon!" she whispered desperately. "Leon, I remember you have that invisibility cloak, right? Lend it to me! It's urgent! Very urgent!"
"I refuse."
Leon refused with a calm smile.
But he was clearly not finished.
Ignoring the surroundings entirely, Leon wrapped an arm around Lumine's shoulders, pulling her close, and then whispered into her ear:
"You're responsible for your own actions. But now… I can give you another choice."
"What… what are you going to do?!" Lumine asked, sensing a bad premonition.
"Bark for me again," Leon said casually. "And I'll increase your money for this month."
He raised a single finger.
"Just this much."
That simple gesture was enough to make Lumine's eyes widen and her breath catch.
She still remembered perfectly how she had been bribed by him in the past. For an ordinary person, a single finger could mean ten square meters of property… or a million.
But one of Leon's fingers?
That meant tens of millions.
Maybe even hundreds of millions.
Lumine clenched her teeth, feeling her dignity being thoroughly trampled, and shot Leon a look full of disappointment and sorrow.
"How could you do this?!" "Am I really that kind of person?!" "Do you really think I would sell my self-respect for money?!" "You… you… you…"
"Ah… sorry, my fault," Leon replied immediately.
"You're an excellent judge of character!"
His tone changed so quickly that it almost seemed like he was genuinely remorseful.
Lumine, like a puppy clinging to its owner, rubbed her face against the palm of Leon's hand and then settled into his arms, whispering into his ear:
"Woof… woof… woof…"
The blood rushed violently to Leon's head.
The corners of his lips twitched uncontrollably.
He felt profoundly unworthy of that apology.
Even though he had overestimated Lumine's lack of moral integrity… he had never imagined that she had absolutely none.
Leon clenched his teeth, looking down at the girl in his arms.
She was beautiful.
Her large eyes sparkled like stars.
She was more beautiful than any doll, as perfect as a masterpiece sculpted by the gods themselves.
But…
But why on earth did he feel an uncontrollable urge to slap her?!
This was far too embarrassing!
"Tch! Louder!" Leon teased. "I can't hear you!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"…Okay. You win."
Was it true that someone with absolutely no moral integrity becomes invincible?
Leon sighed, watching Lumine completely carefree, and decided not to continue provoking her.
If her salary had to increase… then it would increase.
After that, when Lumine received her monthly payment, she realized that Leon had given her a whole gold coin.
An absurdly generous amount.
That made one thing very clear:
Leon still had some moral integrity.
Just… not much.
The two of them continued watching the red-haired girl's performance on the stage. Even after all that, they managed to act as if absolutely nothing had happened.
After all, the one who had embarrassed herself wasn't Leon.
And Lumine was, by nature, already a "broken pot."
But then…
"Is Mr. Zubayr present?" a stern voice announced. "We have an important notice from the Apostolic Council. The performance must be suspended."
A man wearing a blue scholar's robe stepped forward and abruptly interrupted Nilou's performance.
The entire venue fell silent.
"Since the Zubayr Theater has been disobeying relevant orders for a long time, we have officially decided to demolish this theater." "Operations must cease immediately, the staff is to be dismissed, and the person in charge must present himself to receive the appropriate punishment."
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Why… why is this so sudden?!" Nilou asked, visibly shaken.
Thus, due to that sudden disaster, the performance was cruelly brought to an end.
The staff of the Zubayr Theater and the audience gathered together, filled with dissatisfaction and anxiety.
Zubayr, the owner of the theater, confronted the scholars of the Order directly.
"This goes against the regulations!" he protested. "A demolition requires at least thirty days' notice and discussion!"
"The outcome will not change," the scholar replied coldly. "Your performance lacks the element of [Wisdom]. It is shallow and frivolous. Presenting something like this in a kingdom of reason and wisdom such as Sumeru is an insult."
"The 'wisdom' you want is stuffing the show with incomprehensible concepts?!" Zubayr shot back. "The audience of the Grand Bazaar aren't academics like you!"
"Hmph. We don't care. The theater will be demolished, whether you like it or not."
The scholar crossed his arms, looking down on everyone.
Leon blinked slowly.
Very few people dared to act with such arrogance in front of him.
"The theater is going to be demolished… what are we going to do?"
"Nilou, are you okay?"
"Lumine… Leon… you're here…" Nilou murmured, lowering her head. "I'm sorry… I… I don't know what to do now…"
She looked as though she were on the verge of tears.
In the past, the Academy had tried to pressure them many times, but they had always managed to survive.
This time…
It was a direct demolition order.
And the reasons, although questionable, were "plausible."
Leon understood immediately.
The attempt to hold the Festival had undoubtedly deeply angered those scholars.
(End of Chapter)