RSTUM 108 (Patreon)

108: Trouble in Paradise

Sorry about this chapter not released in order. Totally didn't notice it.

While the three ladies were conversing, Leon and Vadim had their tug-of-war game with Vadim's beard.

"I said guns! Show me guns!" Leon shouted.

"I don't keep 'em in ma beard, ye rascal!" Vadim held Leon's arms and brawled him into leaving his beard before throwing him a few meters in the air.

Elegantly and skillfully, Leon used the "Double Jump" and fixed the way he was falling before landing on his two feet quite masterfully.

At the edge of his eyes, Annabelle was smiling and clapping lightly for him. She was still in the middle of her talk with Erielle and Eleanor, and so he decided to stay quiet for now.

Vadim, on the other hand, asked Leon to follow him across the garden.

"I heard ye were late to arrive here last night. Ye even snuck in the dead of the night." Vadim said.

"I couldn't risk coming here without knowing the lay of the land." Leon replied and continued, "I left my horse and some equipment at the end behind the Mercenary Hall here in the city."

"Were having cold feet, havencha?" Vadim asked.

"Not in that sense as…" Leon said and then shook his head, "Who am I kidding? Of course I was."

"Yeah. I thought that would happen. Still, glad ye're here."

As they took enough distance from the ladies, Vadim turned to Leon.

"So, what's on yer mind?" Vadim asked.

"A very broad question." Leon replied.

"Lad, y'know what I'm talking about." Vadim said with piercing eyes, "When ye spoke to yer mother… remembered anything?"

"Not the slightest." Leon shook his head.

"And that rotten feeling ya always spoke about?" Vadim kept asking.

"She had knowledge of what it is or what its nature can be. We haven't gone into details about it, though." Leon said.

"Strange!" Vadim narrowed his eyes, "I was certain ye'd leave the moment ya figured out there is not much use of staying here."

"Hmmm… you figured me out that well, didn't you?" Leon asked.

"I know how yer rotten head thinks, at least." Vadim replied, "So, what made you stay?"

"Are you worried that I am playing house with Leon's mother?" Leon asked.

"Don't ya put it that way." Vadim seemed disturbed a little by what Leon was saying.

"Fine." Leon inhaled deeply and looked at Vadim, "I don't understand what happened either. I changed my mind after I met her."

"Like kinship? Yer jellies know she's yer mum?" Vadim asked.

"What jellies? No… not a feeling like that kinship either." Leon said with a disgusted face, "It's something else."

Seeing Leon brood away under a tree in the garden like that, Vadim felt he was onto something with Leon.

"Well… ye let her get ya suited and booted. I thought y'd never look like a noble one day in yer life back when ya came to me in the Hall." Vadim laughed a bit to ease it off for Leon.

Leon, however, wasn't laughing, which left Vadim to end the laugh awkwardly.

"Do you know this rotten feeling I get when I feel like I am having old grudges, hate, despair, and all the negative shit in the world just piling up my chest and the back of my head… pulling me closer and closer to this darkness?" Leon said then he stopped talking.

He seemed unable to find words, but then he continued.

"Imagine if you were the only person without an arm in this whole wide world." Leon said.

"That'd suck!" Vadim replied.

"Alright… Imagine then, that after struggling through this and getting depressed over this disability for some time, you would run into the only person in the world with this same disability."

"Wait… yer saying…" Vadim wanted to conclude something, but Leon turned to him.

"Then imagine that this other person has had it way before you ever had and been through hell with it, and then your presence near them takes their disability away." Leon said and started looking at his arms: "It is like they have the left arm and I have the right arm, and we can do things with two arms now like normal."

"…" Vadim kept silent while looking at Leon and thinking.

"But instead of it being our arms or limbs, it is here." Leon pointed at his head, "And here." Then at his heart.

The two just remained silent after that. Leon sat on a stone that's probably part of a Boulder Golem, and Vadim sat on the other side.

A minute later, Vadim started to smell smoke, and as he turned to Leon, he found him burning some golden leaves in his smoking pipe.

"I can swear every time I smell it, the aroma of your leaves always smells as good as fresh ones." Vadim said.

"They are always fresh in the Storage." Leon said.

"Ah, right. Storage." Vadim nodded and took out his pipe and his tobacco.

After another minute of silent smoking, Vadim spoke.

"So… Now that ye're staying, I'll return to being yer bodyguard." Vadim said.

"You're too good for me, Vadim." Leon said.

"Thanks."

"Like… I'm saying that's too much to ask from you." Leon turned to him and asked, "You married?"

"Yes."

"Have children?"

"Four of 'em."

"Why aren't you going to see them? You said your cave country is around this region." Leon asked.

"I go back every three months." Vadim said, "The wife and the whelps know what I am doing is important."

"I once knew a guy who I had a great deal of respect for. We called him the Elder, but I would always tease him and call him Geezer. He meant a lot to me and my friends, and we meant a lot to him too, so much so that he started neglecting what was important. Fast forward a few years, and he had to make a sacrifice and choose between his loved ones and his duty. He chose his duty. Maybe it was for something noble, but some consequences got some people killed after that."

"Ye're telling me to get ma priorities straight, huh?" Vadim said.

"Just focus on what's important for you. You know I can take care of myself." Leon said.

"Right." Vadim nodded and looked down.

A minute later, he jumped off the stone and walked in front of Leon.

"Wanna see a gun, lad?" Vadim asked.

"Oh, hell yeah." Leon's eyes lit up.

"Come visit me at Dandarus then. Just head back to the road we traveled yesterday and go north towards the Blackwood Estate. Ye'll see the gates of Dandarus from there, and ya won't miss it." Vadim said.

"Will I be received with a feast?" Leon asked.

"Nah, lad. With bombardment! We receive our guests with the thunder of our cannons." Vadim spoke with blazing eyes and offered Leon a manly handshake.

"Great Uncle Vadim! I knew we had some sort of connection." Leon replied with tearful eyes and accepted the handshake.

As they had an upward handshake, the two firearm enthusiasts promised that one day they'd shoot Dwarven Firearms together.

***

As Leon and Annabelle sat down together, with the rest going to catch some sleep, the two were now in a calm and collected emotional state.

Still, it was a state hard to maintain.

"You look dashing in this suit." She said.

"It is too old-school for my taste. I prefer light and loose clothing." He replied.

"I won't force you to wear anything you hate then. However, today will be a formal meeting with the Elders and as you said, they are waiting outside."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Seeing how Leon seemed to have some complicated emotions about something, she nodded at him to ask away.

"Right now, we… our…" Leon was struggling to find the words.

"Relationship?" She asked.

"Yes… I believe we were too emotional, but I believe there are a few points that I need to be straightforward with you about." Leon said.

"I am happy to hear that." Annabelle smiled, but deep down, she was a bit startled.

"For the most part, I am not your son. I am simply inhabiting his body." Leon said.

Annabelle paused a bit and nodded.

"I do respect that you are the mother of the real Leon. I would give anything to unite you with your son, as I am familiar with the feeling of being separated from my mother." He said.

"I feel that you know." She said, "I also know that I can't ask you to give up on yourself. I know my son has experienced something… tragic… and part of you is remnants of him."

"Yes." Leon nodded, "I was called by a different name in my past life, but that isn't fully who I am now. My name was Shady and I came from a different world."

"How different?" She asked.

"Totally different universe. I guess! There are some links between this world and the one I came from… I think the past Leon was one of the links. There is this ring too that I am currently wearing on my finger but only I can see it. And there are remnants of an ancient civilization from my old world crossing paths with an ancient civilization on this world… Does this make any sense to you?"

Annabelle rested her back and thought for a few seconds before speaking.

"In theory, it can make sense. But it explains a lot." She said.

"After waking up in Leon's body, I found that he… probably died of poison." Leon said this and waited for her reaction, which was a solid one, but he could feel her getting angry.

"You awakened new talents because the basis of the soul changed then." She said.

"That's what I could gather, but it seems that what remained of the old soul of mine and Leon's formed a very strong talent together. With the power behind this transmigration, I received aptitude in both the Magic Art of Knowledge and the Element of Space-Time."

"This is… fascinating." Annabelle couldn't hide her amazement.

"I can see my status and change my classes on a whim. And it is not what you can call a normal status either."

"If you don't mind, can I see it?" She asked.

Leon nodded, brought out the ID Plate, and handed it to her.

————————————————————

[ Leon Dark ]

Level: 22

Race: Human

STR: 32 (10) [(Athletics) (Blades)]

END: 33 (11) [(Woodworking) (Pain Res.) (Poison Res.)]

AGI: 33 (11) [(Acrobatics) (Riding)  (Stealth)]

WIS: 33 (11) [(Archery) (Artillery) (Reflexes)]

INT: 38 (16) [(Heresy)]

Charm: 67%

Class: Rogue [The Rogue excels at stealth and finesse and employs them to deal with any trouble the fastest and most lethal way possible. (+10% AGI)]

Class+: Mage [The Mage exceeds any other class in the ability to manipulate the Magical Energies and apply them to Magical Arts and Elements (+10% INT)]

————————————————————

Talent: EX

Magic: (Space-Time Element [F]) (Knowledge Arts [F]) (Arcane Arts [F]) (Martial Arts [C]) (Shadow Element [E]) (Light Element [E]) (Fire Element [F]) (Air Element [D]) (Earth Element [C])

Titles: {Black Cobra} {World-Class Thief} {Unholy Thief} [Slayer] [E-Rank Mercenary] [ [Rabbit]

Perks: (Ring of Relife) (Unrestrained Magic)

————————————————————

As Leon handed Annabelle his Identity Plate, she was greeted with Leon's true status screen. Something that can make people speechless.

To the people of this world, there were a few established rules for logic and common sense, and it was those rules that Leon's status obliterated.

"Charm? Class +? EX-rank Talent?" She simply looked at Leon and then back at the tablet a few times, "Ring of Relife and… Unrestrained Magic?"

There are a lot of things to note here. Leon's status was full of oddities and things she couldn't even fathom just from a glance, but once she saw the skills under Leon's END (Endurance) attribute, Annabelle's eyes started to tear for a bit.

It was the "Pain Resistance" skill, a skill that rarely appears in those who go through harsh situations, bear insufferable wounds, or undergo hellish torture.

It was a skill the past Leon had and Annabelle knew what it meant.

"So…" She spoke, but her voice was choking on itself, so she cleared it and acted as naturally as she could, "Your talent is unprecedented."

Leon nodded and kept looking at her as she kept going.

"I have no idea what Charm is.

Classes modify the efficiency of some actions and skills, so having two of them is really something unheard of; it means you can mix and benefit from multiple classes at once. My money is on the fact that you have two soul traces within you, and that's why you have twin classes.

The highest talent rank known is the S rank. Having an EX rank is new, but it means you have exceeded the threshold of S rank. This alone is already way too grand, and I have no explanation for it.

As for your magic, I see that you have learned all the elements except for water. Your overall ranks are below average though, but the weird thing about your magic isn't what you can do; it is how you can do it.

This takes us to perks; aside from the "Ring of Relife", which is assumingly the proof behind your revival as Leon, the "Unrestrained Magic" is a legend among legends. If you have this degree of magic mastery, which is way above and beyond the magic you can do, I assume that you have acquired this thanks to your revival as well."

"Actually, you are wrong with that one." Leon said.

"How so?" Annabelle tilted her head in confusion.

"I gained the Unrestrained Magic after a few days of my revival while I was studying magic in the Arcane Theory book." Leon said.

"That can't be true." Annabelle laughed, "Many esteemed Wizards have wasted their lives chasing after the way to achieve this level of mastery, and you are telling me that it was in the Arcane Theory all along?"

"Yes." Leon said, "I have a spell called Read…"

"Erielle informed me about it. Some sort of advanced form of the Identification spell." Annabelle nodded.

"Well, that's what I told her. Still, the application of the spell can literally encompass all there is to the term "Read". For example, an entire book in one go, a sealed letter, and also the things that can't be understood easily. Of course this is beside identifying things and analyzing magic spells before teaching them to me, but they have already seen that part with Eleanor's Barrier Spell."

Annabelle widened her eyes while hearing him, but she started thinking.

"This is truly incredible." She said, "Apart from showing you the System and allowing you to change your class on a whim… Leon, some of these functions can't be used by man."

"Meaning?"

"Changing the Class by yourself is one thing. I've also seen you use this spell, which can store things in a magical dimension, which is also something that can't be learned by man. These magical functions can only be enchanted on items." She said.

"An item, you say?" Leon asked, and all he could think was to look at the Ring around his finger.

"Probably that invisible ring of yours. It is now a part of you, it seems." Annabelle said.

"So if I cut my own finger, I'd…"

"HEY!" Annabelle shouted at Leon, "Don't ever… think of harming yourself."

"… Yes…"

Annabelle took a deep breath and apologized for shouting at Leon before returning to their conversation.

"So far… All I wanted was to give you an opportunity for a good life regardless of talent, but now that you have exceeded every known norm we know about talent, it is time we face the truth." She spoke.

"What truth?" He asked.

"You are in the middle of a war, one that my friends and I started for our own purposes. The reason you were taken away is because of that war, and that is the reason why those Elders out there are gathered to take you from me once again." She said.

"You want me to fight for you?" Leon asked.

"No." She shook her head and said, "I'd rather you do no such thing. Be free of these conflicts we greedy ones have brought upon ourselves."

"I like to do my own thing too." He said and then smiled wryly, "But I don't think I'll be left in peace."

"Right… That's why I intend to teach you all you need before I set you on your own path. Do you trust me with this?"

"I've only known you for less than a day so trusting you… I don't know why it comes naturally to me." Leon said.

"That's…" Annabelle was a little touched and broke into a smile that she tried to resist, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either, but I'll do my best to uphold your wishes." He said.

"Good." Annabelle seemed relieved that Leon wasn't going against her wishes, "Once you learn the basics from me, I will send you to the Silver Peaks Academy on the Orcish Mountains." She said.

"Isn't that… outside the duchy?" Leon asked.

"The Dark Duchy is not safe. Unlike the Merlin and Godfrey Duchies, we have a lot of Crown presence here. The Silver Peaks Academy is located in a central area between all the duchies, which we consider neutral ground. Not only is it protected by a treaty, but the Academy is also neighbored by the Eastern Regional Temple." She said.

"The Temple has already shown interest in me… Isn't this the opposite of being safe?" Leon asked.

"As I said, there is a lot you don't know about how the world works, son. Since you have escaped from the Royal Academy, which is mandatory to attend for all the members of the Second Estate for our Noblesse Oblige, you have to be registered at a facility of education in order to complete your military training."

"Damn… this is almost like the Mandatory Conscription from where I came from." Leon exclaimed.

"It is exactly mandatory conscription." She said, "One that you must undergo by Royal Law and breaking it is…"

"Draft Evasion."

"Treason."

"Sheesh!"

"They would have all the legal reasons to drag you back to the capital and put you in jail." Annabelle said, "Right now, Lara is out there attempting to get this matter legally done."

"So I can't just stay by your side?" Leon asked.

"Believe me, I would love nothing more." She said, "Don't worry though, the Academy's rule can be bent a little after ensuring you are under our protection. As for the Light Temple, Lance is going to investigate that, but don't worry, they can't target you in the light. All the Aristocrats of the Kingdom are already desperate for one reason to make trouble with the Temple because of some border issues far west."

"I am thankful for all that you are doing for me." Leon said.

"It is simply the duty of a mother." She replied.

He may have all that is left of her son, but she'd still do anything for him. She would pass on all the knowledge he needs to him and make sure he could survive the coming storm.

"So…" Leon tried to change the mood a little bit by asking, "What will you be teaching me? Magic? Warfare? Survival?"

"Survival?" Annabelle laughed, "No, before I teach you how to survive, I will teach you how to live first. You need to learn the mentality of a noble, how to act, react, and carry yourself in a gathering of nobles. Show confidence because your lesson has just arrived."

She pointed in the gate's direction, where Leon could see a few men walking inside the palace's garden with dangerous looks in their eyes. Leon's first lesson on nobility is no less than that of the Elders of the Great House of Dark.