Sael froze.
That wasn't what she had meant at all. All she was trying to say was that if Leonel left now, it wasn't exactly easy for those not of Valiant Heart Mountain to see Peak students. Unless Aina left on her own accord to go and see him, it would likely be a long time before they could see one another.
But, after several weeks of observation, it was clear that they often got lost in their own worlds. In fact, part of the reason Sael hadn't intervened with the Leo the Cuck posters was firstly because she was busy with her own matters and hadn't even been aware of it until recently, and secondly because so much time had passed since the initial action versus when she found out that she thought Leonel simply didn't care about any of it.
Sael couldn't figure out where everything went wrong. She thought that she had been as accommodating as she possibly could be. Was it her fault that the higher-ups had chosen to keep his identity under wraps? Was it her fault that Aphestus felt his authority had been subverted? Was it her fault that Leonel offended Hero Peak so severely that even those of the Peak that hadn't been involved previously, like Sarrieth, had chosen to get involved?
None of these matters were her fault. She was trying to make do with a situation that only seemed to become more volatile with every passing day.
Seeing the expression on Sael's face, Leonel finally frowned.
He knew Sael's strength. He had experienced it personally. If she wasn't already in the Fifth Dimension, then she was very close. One only needed to look at the violet belt around her waist to understand this.
Leonel had seen it too many times. When people of this level of strength acted, it usually had very little to do with logic.
Just take Aphestus for a moment. Was it really about Leonel's lack of talent? Of course not. It was never about that. Once again, anyone who thought such a thing was nothing more than an absentminded fool.
What had exactly happened that day?
If one thought about it, Aphestus hadn't even insulted Leonel. Rather, he insulted the four youths who failed to climb up the mountain pass and ignored Leonel. Leonel hadn't even been on his radar.
One might think this was a version of underestimation, but this was a level of arrogance that shot past narcissism. Who was Leonel that he deserved to grab everyone's attention just by standing there?
As far as Aphestus was concerned, Leonel was just a person who hadn't taken the mountain pass challenge. It wasn't until he stated that Aina would be the only student they took in, and she then proceeded to challenge him on this fact, that he became enraged.
Once again. From beginning to end, it had little to do with Leonel's talent. If it was about that, the moment he defeated those three floor sweepers, he would have been admitted.
This was about nothing more than authority.
But, it was exactly all of this that made Leonel's aura suddenly deflate seeing Sael's reaction. He felt like he was missing something, as though there was a massive piece to this puzzle that hovered right in front of him, yet he had no ability to grasp.
Sael didn't look angry, she didn't look like she was holding back her rage in the slightest either. With Leonel's senses, he would have most definitely been able to pick up on it.
No… She just looked… Defeated.
Why would someone so powerful feel defeated? If she was going to threaten him, why would she reel it back now? She should feel that she was powerful enough to squash him beneath a single finger. And, honestly, Leonel wasn't convinced that she'd be wrong in thinking that.
If he wanted to fight Sael or someone of her level, he would definitely have to go all out. Not only would he have to use his Divine Armor, but his Quasi Silver spear couldn't remain dormant either.
The only reason he challenged her so boldly was because he refused to let anyone talk ill of Aina or threaten her. He didn't care even if she was a monster of the Sixth Dimension, she couldn't just say whatever she wanted to say before him.
But…
At that moment, Leonel was just as confused as Sael had been previously when she read disappointment on his face. Neither of them could understand the other.
And, as fate would have it, Leonel had picked up on Sael's previous confusion as well. It was just that he was in the middle of a battle and didn't have the time to spare her so he had ignored it.
Leonel's frowned furrowed tighter and tighter.
'A misunderstanding? But a misunderstanding where? And why?'
Arcs of lightning flashed throughout Leonel's mind and his memories continued to spin.
Maybe someone else would have continued to allow this misunderstanding to go unchecked. In fact, maybe the only reason Leonel had realized this disconnect earlier was because he had let his emotions cloud his judgment. If he hadn't allowed his anger to get the best of him, Sael's actions after he put those three Hero Peak experts up in the tree would have been enough to tip him off.
'… The root of this… My talent assessment?'
Leonel's gaze flashed.
That was right. Sael began treating him oddly the moment his talent was assessed. But, he was so happy about seeing Aina again for the first time in months – more than a year if he counted what he experienced in Camelot – that he didn't have the mind to care about anything else.
However, none of this changed the fact his memory was impeccable. He could practically rewind all of Sael's mannerisms from that day in his mind.
All of this might have taken a while to explain, but in the real world, only a blink of an eye had passed since Leonel's rage fueled sentence was spoken.
And in that moment, the other Valiant Hall members who had been holding back for the sake of Sael's orders couldn't do so any longer.
Once they got over the shock of Leonel's aura, they felt nothing but fury.