The mansion would be rebuilt, and it would take some time, so Leon went down to the underground area. There, he ordered that any trace of humans having ever been there be destroyed. Surfien would handle that, being the perfect person for the job, because ever since becoming Leon's main knight, he had been the one responsible for erasing traces, and over the years his ability to make evidence disappear had only improved.
[He even created a spell to erase traces, so he's really the perfect person for that]
Behind him, Surfien gave orders while inspecting every corner of the hidden base. Knowing there was no need to worry, Leon headed straight to his second bedroom in the mansion. The corridors were gray, like those of an old laboratory, but upon entering his room, a noble chamber was revealed, with a bed in the corner.
'First, I'll take a bath'
Removing his clothes, he turned off the system and stepped into the bath. The water was slightly hot—the way the original Leon liked it, even on hot days—and now Enrico liked it too. Running his hand through his hair as the water flowed, he looked toward the mirror, noticing that Leon had clearly trained that body well.
'At least he put in effort'
His expression remained cold, so placing a hand on his face, he focused. Enrico needed to show that this body now belonged to him, not the original Leon. It wouldn't be easy, since their personalities and habits were very different. The original liked cold meals, while Enrico preferred warm or hot ones. Leon liked killing some experiments every week to absorb their mana, while Enrico preferred training—even if he sometimes wanted proper rest.
"The problem is that I can't rest"
From his memories, Leon used to train his body and magic for two hours a day. As for his strength, it had grown over time due to three factors: he was a prodigy, his experiments, and the war that forced him to train harder to survive.
'That war was both good and bad for him'
Leaving the bathroom with a towel, Enrico analyzed some memories—especially from the past year of war. Many of Leon's companions had died, and he himself had nearly died multiple times on the battlefield. The only thing that kept him going was his memory of Elara, which only deepened his obsession.
'He was already committing crimes in secret, but after returning from the war, he would have gotten worse if I hadn't taken over'
After changing into different clothes, he dropped onto the bed. Now he had to think about how to deal with the two main problems in his life. One of them was an enemy of the kingdom—not as problematic as the others, since this enemy didn't know about Leon's crimes. That mage was simply too powerful to be left alive as a potential enemy.
'The problem is that he would join anyone just to kill me'
That person would have to be eliminated, just like the experiments. The other problem was his biological family. Those bastards already held about half of his crimes after investigating so much, and they would send him to prison—not because they were good people, but because they wanted to take advantage of the power they could gain. Their plan was to blackmail him first, extract as much as possible from Leon's influence, and then hand over the evidence to authorities or enemies, gaining reputation and money. One of those enemies was the same mage he had just mentioned.
'Right now, they probably only have ten percent of the crimes. I already know the rest, so I'll have Surfien destroy them before they get access'
If his parents allied with that enemy mage, things would become much worse. The best decision for now was to erase all remaining evidence, because even if they revealed what they currently had, it wouldn't be enough to imprison him—since those weren't the most serious crimes yet.
'It's better to eliminate the most problematic one first and leave the rest to Surfien'
The main crime he had committed—the one that would cause the biggest problem if revealed—was his attempt to seize the crown prince's throne. For years, Leon had gathered allies within the royal council: ambitious mages and knights seeking more power. In total, seven out of the fifteen council members had been swayed. Leon intended to convince the last one to join and prepare the coup, but all eight of them were loyal to the prince. He was betrayed by the very one he tried to recruit, and if Leon hadn't killed him, his plans would have been exposed.
'And my biological parents were the ones who proved Leon was the murderer… good thing that hasn't happened yet'
There was a way to deal with those seven easily and without complications, which was why he planned to personally eliminate that evidence. Closing his eyes, his entire body and mind relaxed immediately.
On the other side of the continent, in the enemy kingdom of Virellyn, a man walked silently through the main corridor. His name was Caelum Drazhar.
Tall, pale-skinned, with long black hair tied back simply, and gray eyes devoid of emotion. His body was well-trained, but nothing about him stood out—as if his very presence was meant to go unnoticed. Guards stepped aside without a word as he entered the throne room. The king sat there, reviewing documents presented by the chief advisor. This was the king of Virellyn—the strongest man on the continent—Halvor Edrik.
An older man with firm posture, controlled expression, and the demeanor of someone who didn't let emotions guide him. Caelum stopped a few meters away.
"The war remains stable on the western front. Losses are within expectations, but progress has been slower than anticipated."
"And the reason?"
"The enemy country has begun using high-rank mages more effectively, especially those at seventh rank and above. They are holding the line with eighth-rank mages and elite knights."
The king slowly raised his gaze, remaining silent as he observed his most loyal soldier—a man who would give his life for him, yet recently seemed irritated by something.
"Which ones are causing the most trouble?"