"A Blessing! Truly a Blessing."

"This won't end anytime soon, isn't it?"

"I just… I just can't seem to forget. It is stuck in my brain. I look everywhere and I still see it. It is like… it is like being in the embrace of a beautiful woman for an eternity… like being in an endless orgasm between the thighs of your lover locked in a heated sway… like being…"

"Nope, not going to end."

Zal was no longer in his right mind, he felt like he would explode from happiness as he entered the zone of art. In his words, an artgasm.

Leon couldn't be more satisfied with the result but Zal took it too far, he was in a state of mind that he hadn't experienced in years.

A Reawakening… no, a Rebirth.

———————————

[ Zal ve Lanus - Lv.8 Hunter ]

- Age: 32

- Titles: {Expert Painter} {Monkey}

- Skills:

- Proficiency: (Talent: 41%)

———————————

"Zal." Leon spoke.

"Ye… Yes. I apologize, your Grace. I was extremely excited."

"Congratulations." Leon said as he patted Zal's shoulder.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Zal humbly bowed to Leon and accepted his congrats.

Why?

Because the Pride of Del Mar was recreated.

"Your Grace… no, My Lord. Thank you. I, Zal ve Lanus, shall forever be at your beck and call."

Even though he still looked like a vagrant, a Monkey of the Twilight Syndicate, Zal was now filled with both pride and grace.

He is the Fool no more. He may not know it yet but he will soon know.

"I would love to use the services of a capable Artist such as you, Mr. Zal, but I am in no position to do so." Leon said, "I guess it is no secret that I am being hunted down by people I don't have the power to oppose thus associating yourself with me will bring disasters upon your talented hands."

"My Lord, your praise brightens the world for me."

"So, the painting is ready?" Leon hurriedly changed the subject.

"All it needs now is time. The pigments will soon dry and I will apply the Varnish. The keys will be in place and the skeleton will be reinforced. Finally, the frame will be put and it will be presentable."

"How much time?"

"The temperature is good today so as soon as you get to that issue in the Honey Saloon, it will be in a good state."

"Great." Leon nodded and looked at the painting Zal just finished.

He then turned around to the other one which had a big terrible hole in the middle.

"What about that one?" Leon asked.

"I will keep it, I will keep it maintained and in a good state. If by any chance we get our hands on the missing part, I am going to put it back. I am sure I can." Zal said.

"Nice." Leon was happy about this, "Once everything is done, secure it and bring it to the location we agreed upon."

"By your orders. But… are you really planning on doing that?" Zal asked.

"Yes, my job before is my job now. I return things to their owners… and I think we… I made a grave mistake that one time." Leon patted Zal on the shoulder and turned away, "Take care, Mr. Zal."

"You too, my Lord."

Leon finally removed this heavy feeling from his heart. There's no guilt… actually, there is. He will never forgive the Bull for what he did.

As he walked outside the warehouse, Jessica met him outside.

"You were right, some good clothes were lying around in the crates." She said as she displayed her dress.

It was short, a mix of dark and red colors which held together pretty well but still had a tomboyish vibe to it.

For some reason, it fit her.

"You can run?" Leon asked.

"Not sure." She said as she put her hand on her side.

"You just need more rest. Don't worry, you'll get plenty of that once we get rid of Ruth." He said and started walking down the street.

It was evening now and this night was just fit for doing a lot of mischief. Leon had a plan laid down in his mind and he knew exactly what to do. Once he reached the location he was heading to first, Leon spotted Jordi standing among five men.

Leon and Jessica approached them as Jordi seemed to be speaking to the men telling them that this (Leon) is the guy who asked for a meeting.

The location was basically the side of the street. The city may seem a little bit quieter but Karanberg is a sleepless city thus the street wasn't an ideal place for conversation.

"I hope you prepared a good place for discussion?" Leon said.

"Hands where we can see them." One of the men raised a knife at Leon.

"You sure about that?" Leon asked.

"We make sure you are no part of those Knights scum then we'll talk." The man said, still holding the knife up.

"Sorry, Leo. This is how they do things."

Leon did a reading on the five men and they were hopelessly weak. He sighed and just played along. He was searched and took a small knife he was keeping in his side just to not look too clean. Once he gave them the knife without questions, they told him to follow them.

"Where are we going?" Jessica asked.

The men looked at her then at each other and didn't reply.

"To whoever's running the shit show." Leon said lazily.

He was relaxed as he was casting Magic since the start. That Vocalized casting is way too subtle compared to the Somatic casting. Rather than doing a suspicious fast move, he can't take his time muttering words in a low tone without anyone noticing.

Right now, he was making the wind do his bidding and through the spell [Air Magic - Aero Detection], he deduced the location of many people surrounding the place while just acting regularly.

And so after going through the alley, they ended up in a vast yard between the buildings where more people gathered. The place was utterly unclean and the people around looked like thugs but none of them was a member of the Syndicate despite the shown hostility.

Leon walked in without hesitation with a head held high until he stood in the middle of the scene with Jessica and Jordi behind him.

"So…" He said and kept waiting.

A few moments passed until someone in the crowd walked up to him. Leon didn't even spare that guy a glance and walked to the side eyeing everyone up and down.

"For a freedom fighter, you like to stay behind the scenes." He said, "Smart."

His words provoked the man that walked to him first as he immediately spoke to Leon.

"You said you have business with us, mate. You better spit it out or you're in for a world of trouble."

"Hmmm." Leon finished his tour eyeing around people and casually returned to the center, "Alright, if you lot are starting it like this, I can feel that I am not being taken seriously here. Like I am not getting enough respect. I don't like that, my employer doesn't like that. It's bad for business."

His words didn't make sense to anyone around but they were still provocative to some extent. The man in front of Leon didn't like the tone and started raising fingers.

"You listen here, mate, and you listen well. We only…"

"Ronnie, that's enough." Finally, a voice came from the building nearby as an old man appeared.

His appearance didn't sit well with the people around as they all seemed protective of him but he still was greatly respected among the people.

He was wearing an old but clean suit whose colors started to get plain due to time. Still, the old man kept his charisma by maintaining his appearance well, especially his clean shoes and his thick beard. While the hair seemed to have receded a few inches back on his head, his appearance of a man in his early sixties kept it all together in a hint of dignity.

The fellow named Ronnie resembled the man a little bit but he was a ginger and a head taller. He immediately walked to the old man and whispered.

"Uncle, those are just some kids. It looks like a scheme."

The old man nodded and patted his nephew's shoulder before walking forward to Leon.

"I believe we have never met before so forgive my rudeness by not receiving you properly." The man said, offering a handshake.

"The hospitality is warm nonetheless." Leon replied as he accepted the handshake.

The two of them lagged for a few seconds before breaking their handshake.

"Buying and selling weapons is not our thing. We are peaceful protestors." The man said.

"Things get out of hand way too often. There is no harm in having some firepower on your side…"

The man tried to say something but Leon raised his hand.

"Nothing too lethal."

"You understand that if the protests show a certain level of ferocity, the Knights and the Guards will respond with the same violence?" The man said.

"Of course." Leon nodded. "And by the looks of it, both sides have been in a stalemate for too long. The Aristocrats have already imprisoned most of the Key Figures behind the protests. The slums are getting more violent with the food stock drying out, people are starting to scatter from around you."

"So you're saying that with your little weapon, you can make a difference?" The man asked.

"Tell me, how long has it been since the protests started?" Leon asked.

"Years." The man replied, "My nephew here was just an infant when he lost his parents, my brother and sister-in-law in the chaos."

"So I guess more than twenty years." Leon said, "Twenty years you have been struggling and pushing through but all you have been getting is the short end of the stick. It is frustrating, I despise it as much as you guys do and so does my employer."

"Your employer." The man interrupted, "Tell me about him."

"He or She is a mischievous fellow… or a group."

"You don't know your employer?"

"You don't choose everything in life, mister. Secrecy has kept us alive and safe so a nameless pawn such as myself is only allowed to know that much. We can refer to my employer as 'They' from now on then."

The man couldn't really judge the careful attitude since he himself was in a similar situation.

"Go on."

"I can only give you a name." Leon said and presented a card.

Funny enough, the card was made of paper and on it was the drawing of a cobra. On its other side, the words "Black Cobra" were written.

"A Twilight Syndicate member?" The man asked in an angry tone.

"We have all casts of society as far as my knowledge goes. We don't believe in class."

The first words seemed to upset the man but the latter ones made him look more willing to hear more.

"I heard of the name." The Man said, "Whispers carried it to me the other day of a thief who stole a painting and raided a hunting camp of the aristocrats in the forest."

"True, the last few days were too busy." Leon nodded with a tired face, "I hope that our name brings good tidings."

"That will be to judge later on." The Man returned the card to Leon, "So, what does your suspicious group want from a band of liberty seekers like us in exchange for your weapon?"

"Hmmm… we need to secure some ground in the district. While you people cause a scene, we will clear up some of our political enemies. And as a sign of good faith you will get the payment in advance along with the formula to create more."

The words were almost unbelievable.

He just wants them to cause a scene then he will give them a weapon and the way to produce it.

"The location is the riverside avenue near the Honey Saloon. The destruction of any property or harming any civilian is ill-advised. On the other hand, you are free to chase away any member of the Syndicate from the designated perimeter. Furthermore, we will trade a secret with you as a bonus if you guys want to do… extra mischief."

"I don't like the way you present things but if it benefits our cause and deals with the brute knights, I am willing to assist you." The man replied, "Now, can we have a demonstration? You brought that weapon, right?"

The man clapped and two of the young men standing around brought a roughly-made figure of a man created by nailing some wood pieces together. They also brought the things that were confiscated from Leon, Jessica, and Jordi when they entered this place.

"They are hopeless." Leon sighed in his heart.

"You may want to take that thing a little bit of distance to the back and… prepare a few buckets of water in advance." Leon said.

The young men looked at each other but the old man rushed them to it.

"You heard the man. He knows better." He said.

Leon nodded to him in a gesture of thanks.

"But isn't it strange?" Leon said.

"Hm?" The man looked at him.

"I mean… you showing up between those young men even though they seemed overprotective of you. They look at me when I talk to you as if I am insulting you with every breath I take."

The man smiled as he stroked his beard.

"That's the energy of youth. While reckless, it is devoted. It looks for what's right and is guided by it." The man said.

"You mean yourself?" Leon asked.

"I am not right, I never claimed I am." The man refuted, "Being right is subjective and it is a concept of the many."

"Even if the many are wrong?" (Leon)

"Then wouldn't it be right for the many to decide the laws in which they want to live by rather than a few who, if even right, will limit the freedom of the many." (The Old Man)

"Your logic is flawed." (Leon)

"I never said I was right." (The Old Man)

"Then wouldn't it be better for the many to be provided with the intellectual means of figuring out what is right and what is wrong?" (Leon)

"What makes you decide that those intellectual means are planting the right thoughts?" (The Old Man)

"If the intellectual minds are willing, they can create such means." (Leon)

"But that takes effort." (The Old Man)

"What doesn't?" (Leon)

A crossfire of intense opinions was exchanged between Leon and the Old Man in mere seconds as if they had all the questions and all the answers. Leon didn't really like the man and it was safe to say the feeling was mutual. Even the liberal thinking was divided.

As Leon secretly learned the man's status, he was disturbed by a few things. This man doesn't seem to be that big of a talent or even a strong individual. He has some skills that would be seen on a regular soldier but he had a lot of experience in drafting and writing.

A thinker, a free thinker with extreme opinions even though he calls for peace.

"I think we're ready." The man said pointing at the dummy.

Leon didn't even break eye contact with the man but he clearly moved and everyone saw him do. Something flew out of his coat with a spark catching it and as it hit the dummy, it broke and instantly spread fire on it.

The eyes of the men widened, no one thought a weapon would be still on him but that fire, those fast moves, the ruthlessness of the firepower… all the bystanders felt the threat of this young man standing next to their leader.

The Old Man felt taken by the power and the sound of the shattering glass.

"Alchemy product?" He asked.

"Kinda… but barely. The components are very mundane." Leon said.

"I can imagine. Reminds me of the fire bags we used in the army during the war." The Man asked.

"Fire bags? Oh, those ancient things filled with Alchemist Fire. Similar in theory." Leon had to admit it.

"But… those weapons melt the skin of the faces, the armor of the wearer… they are terrible weapons."

"So no deal?" Leon asked.

"I didn't say so."

The pushing and pulling were effective thus far and despite the tenderness in the voice and the skin, the young man baffled the old man. Actually, Leon looked more like a kid, a kid who should carelessly play in the streets with his friends rather than selling such weapons.

What has the world gone to?

"How much do I expect of your weapons?" The man asked.

"A dozen pieces once your boys grace us with their presence… along with the manufacturing method."

"Agreed."

Manpower for Weapons, of course nothing was so simple and both sides knew they should make plans if things didn't go right.

And to end things, a handshake.

"I didn't quite catch your name." The old man said.

"Oh, it depends on the day… my friends here call me Leo." Leon said.

Obviously a fake, or that's what he conveyed, everyone sure fell for it especially with the smoothness it came out with. A double lie, a truth, the greatest deception.

"And what about you, sir?" Leon asked back.

The man smiled.

"Eden." He said, "Eden Newman."