Leonel and Sael gazed toward each other somewhat awkwardly. Well, Leonel seemed to still be trying to get a read on Sael with the latter felt as though she was walking on pins and needles.
At this moment the both of them were in the private room of a nearby restaurant. Usually, only seniors of high standing would be able to come to this place, but with her standing, it wasn't a difficult task to get Leonel in. Though she had to withstand quite a number of odd looks, she was still able to brave through it.
Finally unable to take the silence any longer, Sael finally spoke.
"Are you from the Seventh Dimensional Morales family or not?!"
She spoke all these words out in a single breath, the tension she was under carrying a palpable weight.
Leonel blinked slightly. So this was indeed the case, it seemed that his deductions were correct. This made everything make much more sense.
If this was the case, then in all likelihood, Gersan hadn't been there to help Thetris, but had rather been there to either monitor or protect him. It seemed he had jumped to conclusions.
That said, he didn't feel very bad about teaching Gersan a lesson. At worst, the young man would suffer a mild concussion. This sort of injury for someone in the Fourth Dimension might as well have been non-existent. His worst injury was definitely to his pride. But, who asked him to speak such venomous words?
"No." Leonel finally responded.
This response seemed to be enough to deflate Sael completely. Had she really done all of this for no reason?
But in that case, then didn't how was this situation supposed to be handled? If she began to punish Leonel appropriately now, what kind of message would that send?
Everyone wanted to claim to be upright and morally superior, but when you were facing a behemoth like the Morales family… Was it really possible to hold onto your ideals?
In the face of absolute power, there were very few that wouldn't bend. And, those brave enough not to were either courageous beyond belief or were just as stupid. In all likelihood… It was both.
And of course… Such people were also likely dead.
Sael sank into her seat, feeling as though all her world views had shattered. Her situation only seemed to become worse when she heard Leonel's next words, though.
"But my dad is. So, that's likely where the confusion comes from."
Sael froze before her lip started to twitch. She looked up from her hands to meet Leonel's placid gaze. For some reason, she really wanted to strangle this handsome boy to death at this very moment.
However, she managed to calm herself. This hardly changed much of anything if she was being honest. The fact that Leonel seemed to indeed be related to the Morales family made her previous actions warranted. But, this didn't fix her almost existential crisis.
It really grated on her conscience to not be able to follow the rules.
She loved Valiant Heart Mountain. If she didn't, she wouldn't have been so eager to gain Leonel's help. She thought that meeting him with a light at the end of the tunnel… It wasn't until she spoke to her master and the other elders who were far more wise than herself that she remembered nothing ever came so easily…
If one wasn't strong enough to achieve your dreams on your own… Then it was best to accept that they would never happen. Relying on someone else was no different from selling your soul.
"Is there a difference?" Sael replied, trying to curb her sharpness.
"Yes, there is." Leonel nodded in affirmative. "I have never stepped foot onto the Morales family lands a day in my life. I am not even sure if they're aware I exist or not. I was raised on… another world from birth to this point.
"I might be aware of them, but this doesn't mean much of anything."
Hearing these words Sael was stunned before she finally came to an understanding. So, from the very beginning… This was all a misunderstanding!
"You… You're saying that you're not affiliated with the Morales family and they might not even be aware you exist?"
Sael's breathing grew hurried.
"That's right." Leonel said, raising an eyebrow. Why did she look so excited?
"And you came here of your own free will? Just to join us?"
Sael's face flushed. Out of context, this was really too precarious a situation. She looked as though she had been through… Well, Leonel didn't even want to finish the thought for fear that it might manifest in the universe.
"… Well I came here for Aina's sake… But… Yes?"
It shouldn't have been so difficult to say yes, but Sael's gaze seemed to put a heavy pressure on him. This girl seemed to have forgotten how powerful she was. If it wasn't for his strong mind and body, Leonel would have collapsed. Any other freshman in his seat would have definitely drowned their seat in sweat by now.
Leonel felt as though Sael had become a beast stalking her prey. If he didn't know better, he would have thought she was a cougar with a youthful taste.
He didn't know how old Sael was, but she definitely had to be at least a few decades older than he was… At least that was his guess…
"Hm?"
Leonel blinked. For a moment, he swore he could sense killing intent in Sael's eyes. It can't be that she could read his mind right? Or were women really so sensitive?
But it disappeared as quickly as he saw it.
"This is great news! Excellent news! Couldn't be better! HAHA!"
Leonel was taken aback by the sudden outburst. He could only watch on in a daze, certain that if Sael jumped around any harder… Her chest band definitely wouldn't be able to hold up anymore.
"Wait!" Sael stopped dancing and turned back toward Leonel. "So you really have no idea about the Heir Trials? Be honest with me."
Leonel blinked. "Heir Trial? What's that?"