Leonel felt as though his grandfather's every word was grating on his soul.
But he still stood there, his mind wrapped in a steel cage, clearly unwilling to accept the things he was hearing. A part of him would have rather ignored it all.
As quick as Leonel's mind was, if he wanted to come with excuses to ignore valid points, he could run circles even around this grandfather of his. His mind was simply too nimble and quick. And, as expected, that was exactly what he did. In no more than a breath of silence, he had already come up with several rebuttals.
His father? Wasn't he just restricted by the same things the hidden families were? How could he have interfered if he had rules he wasn't allowed to break?
His treasures? If he had handed them in, would they really have helped his friends? Trusting Supreme Monet with his things, would that have really been an intelligent thing to do?
Pisces? That backstabbing bitch? Was she really the same as the weak? Why should she be categorized as such?
The worst of it all was the fallacy of Emperor Fawkes' argument. He and Leonel weren't even remotely in the same position. One of them hadn't even known of their noble status until a few weeks ago while the latter was an Emperor of a world. There was a very clear dividing line in their responsibilities. There was no way Leonel should care more about the citizens of Earth than their Emperor.
Even if Leonel was the most selfish individual there was… So what? His burden wasn't the same as this supposed Emperor. Why were they even being compared?
However, in the breath it had taken Leonel to think of these things, Emperor Fawkes had continued speaking as though he had never taken a pause to begin with.
"Those were the last words I'll say on the topic. If you feel that you would be a better Emperor, I am right here. If you can defeat me, the throne is yours."
"Imperial Father!"
Leonel's expression finally cracked, replaced by something other than indifference for the first time.
This man before him felt like rolling hills that extended to infinity, like an endlessly rising land that shot into the skies, like a lurking beast slumbering as though there was nothing that could gain his interest.
Emperor Fawkes ignored his son.
"But the weight of this crown isn't something you can carry. You're weak. And worst of all, you don't seem to know that you are."
The Emperor looked toward Leonel as though he could see through him completely, even down to all the rebuttals he had at the tip of his tongue. But, true to his word, he didn't speak a single word about the topic again.
It seemed he wasn't lying. He really did disdain to explain himself. If Leonel felt like he could still squirm his way around his words as though this was a debate rather than real life, that only meant that Leonel was even weaker than even he realized.
He had already explained things once. He wouldn't do it again. He had no need for the useless and foolish.
"The matter of Shield Cross Stars," Emperor Fawkes continued, "You will be safe as long as you are on Earth. My dignity isn't something that can be encroached upon, Shield Cross Stars, or any other."
The indifferent declaration seemed to caused the winds to shift. It felt as though the world itself acknowledged The Emperor's words as infallible.
Leonel couldn't help but think that it was precisely this old man who had earned the World Spirit before he was born. But, he had no way of confirming such a thing.
Then again, the thought that he could display such power without the World Spirit was even more shocking. So, shouldn't he just accept this?
"When you leave Earth, though, you will be on your own. I doubt that Shield Cross Stars will be as blatant as they have been to this point, but with the death of that Commander Scithe, their approach will be more subtle this time."
Leonel didn't even know who this Commander Scithe was. But, for some reason, hearing his name made him feel as though he was falling further and further into this quagmire that was his grandfather.
Those who understood the backstory of this matter would most definitely be shocked beyond belief. Commander Scithe had been biding his time to strike at Leonel, yet he had died… Just like that.
As though that wasn't shocking enough, Commander Scithe was a Fifth Dimensional existence!
"The bounty on your head won't be changing, nor will your fugitive status. That said, that only matters to those who know of it. When it comes down to it, you will have to protect yourself."
Leonel felt as though his head was spinning.
He had a bounty on his head? But only some people knew about it? He had a fugitive status? But it only mattered to those who knew of it?
What did any of that mean?
Was he a criminal, or wasn't he? Would he be hunted down, or wouldn't he? What was the truth?
The crux of the matter was that as Heira had alluded to, the universe was a vast place. Even with Shield Cross Stars acting as the police force of the Dimensional Verse, even they didn't move as one unit. They were split into countless quadrants which were even further separated into several overarching factions.
Commander Scithe's quadrant was on full alert, the very same quadrant Terrain and Earth were located in. Logically, as a person who was now a Tier 3 Criminal, Leonel was only just shy of the true scum of the universe. Yet, due to Scithe's actions in deploying the Decree, Leonel's status had become more like a ticking time bomb than a falling meteor.
If anything, maybe Leonel's most immediate threat was Heira…
Unfortunately, Leonel didn't have enough information about the universe to complete such thorough analysis. Even to this point, he had no idea how powerful Shield Cross Stars was. He could only find time to interrogate the dictionary.
But, he was so lost in his own thoughts, that he didn't even react as he was being escorted out the Palace. Even to the end, Emperor Fawkes really couldn't bother to explain himself in full. The fact he said anything at all was only a testament to the fact Leonel was his grandson. Nothing less, and definitely nothing more.
However, as Leonel stood in a daze at the palace gates, his uncle seemingly couldn't continue to bite his tongue.
"Try not to die." He said coldly. "And, while you're out there, try and think of why in a war of such concentrated Force, not a single Invalid horde appeared from start to finish."
The words were like a bomb going off in Leonel's mind.
His head snapped backward, but all he saw was his uncle's backview and two large doors slamming shut.
BANG!