For a moment, Amanda didn't speak. The question still hung in the air—Who's Leo?—and it carried more weight than anyone expected.
She looked at Elois first. Really looked.
"Leo is Claire and Samuel's son."
Elois blinked.
Once. Twice.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. Then the memory hit her, sharp and uninvited. Her breath caught, and something behind her eyes cracked wide open.
"Oh."
She remembered Claire's announcement. Clear as sunrise, standing in front of the guild hall doors, hand on her stomach, face lit with a kind of joy they rarely saw in the field.
"No more frontline quests," Claire had said, laughing. "Not for a while."
The room had burst with celebration. Streamers, drinks, a cake someone somehow found last minute. Amanda had held the knife to cut it.
The memory flickered.
Elois' face folded in on itself. Her shoulders shook. Her hands trembled in her lap.
"I haven't thought of him in so long," she whispered.
Amanda's eyes didn't leave hers.
"We only saw him a few times," Elois continued, voice thin. "Claire would bring him by, that tiny thing, with this mop of dark hair and the same big eyes as Sam. He used to grip her scarf like it was the only thing holding him to the world."
She wiped at her face, but her hands weren't quick enough. The tears came anyway, rushing out in a single, helpless torrent. And then she was on her feet, crossing the space between them in two, maybe three steps.
Amanda didn't resist the hug. Couldn't have even if she wanted to. Elois clung to her like she was a tether, her words muffled against Amanda's shoulder.
"You raised him?" she asked, breaking just enough to look up.
Amanda nodded. "It was Sam and Claire's dying wish. I'm not here if it wasn't for them."
Suga shifted in his seat, confused but quiet.
Elois smiled, but it faded quickly. "After the incident… what happened? No one saw Leo after that. We thought,"
"We searched," she continued gently. "As soon as we heard what happened, we ran to the inn. Thought maybe he'd been left behind or," She stopped herself.
Amanda nodded. "I know."
"But the room was empty. The clerk didn't see anyone leave. Said the stay was paid up for three more months, so we figured… maybe someone got him out early. We hoped."
Amanda's voice dropped. "I did."
Then the floor creaked, and a heavy voice rolled into the room like gravel under a boot.
"Thought we lost the lad along with them."
Heads turned.
A man stood at the threshold, arms crossed, a scar peeking out beneath his beard. His voice was tired but warm, like an old song sung too many times.
Amanda's breath caught. "Boris!"
He grinned, stepping fully inside. "Nice to see you, Amanda."
She crossed to him fast, clasping his hand, her expression softening with something close to relief. "You're the last face I expected."
"Still kicking," Boris said, his grin stretching wider.
Amanda didn't waste time. "Why'd you give up being guild master?"
He chuckled—a sound deep enough to rattle the chairs. "It was time," he said simply, eyes glinting. "Guild needed new blood. I'm just an old man with creaky knees and better stories than strategies."
Elois leaned over, smirking. "He just hates meetings."
Boris threw his head back and laughed. "Alright, that's also true."
"Well, we've got a lot of catching up to do, and speaking of which, where are you living right now?"
"We're currently renting an inn across the street, but we'd prefer to buy a house instead," she replied.
"Do you know of any affordable houses nearby?"
Suga perked up, glanced at Elois. She shrugged, clearly not expecting the question. The rest of the table tried to chime in, but all came up empty.
"I might know a spot," Boris said after a pause, rubbing his chin. "Bit of land and quiet. I can take you there—three days from now, once I wrap up this quest."
Amanda's face lit up, something in her softening further. "That would mean a lot. Thank you."
"No trouble," he said, then added with a half-smirk, "Susan at the center mentioned you were back. Thought you might be heading back to your homeland."
Amanda shook her head. "Not yet."
Suga tilted his head, clearly trying to keep up. Boris gave him a hearty smack on the back that almost launched the poor man out of his chair.
Suga coughed violently. "W-what was that for!?"
Elois rushed to his side, wide-eyed. "You okay?!"
Talia let out a laugh. "He'll live."
Boris leaned back, arms folded again. "Elves hit a hard wall at level fifty. If they want to go higher, they need to return to their homeland and face the Elf God's trial. Amanda almost went, but then her party took that subjugation quest."
No one needed him to finish that sentence.
Amanda looked down, thumb brushing the edge of her dress.
Silence pressed in again. Then Boris, ever the breaker of moods, clapped once more. "Right! Plot of land. I'll take you there after my run. In the meantime, if you need anything, just holler."
Amanda nodded. "Thanks Boris."
As the voices around the table resumed, laughter returned in cautious waves, and Amanda allowed herself to lean back in her chair—just a little.
Elois chimed in.
"Where's Leo?"
Amanda stilled.
Not dramatically. Not in a way that begged attention. Just stilled. Eyes distant. A shift of breath.
Then her lips parted.
"Oh—gods."
She spun around, fingers twitching like they were about to grab something that wasn't there. "I forgot. He's fulfilling the Scourge Rite today."
That got everyone's attention.
"You forgot?" Elois asked, sitting up straighter.
Amanda was already moving, "Yesterday, when we went to the guild center. Susan brought up my request. The Orc Lord Subjugation."
Talia frowned. "I thought it was completed by Leo?"
"Yes." Amanda paused. Her eyes narrowed. "But no proof was submitted."
Suga scratched the back of his head. "Wait, why?"
She let out a breath through her teeth. "I forgot to remind Leo."
Talia raised an eyebrow. "So who's contesting the claim?"
Amanda didn't even glance up. "The Dragon Lord."
Everyone stared.
Then—
"What?!" Suga choked.
Talia blinked like someone had slapped her. "Seriously?"
Chairs scraped. Boris stood. Elois' jaw worked soundlessly.
Amanda shrugged.
Elois made a noise halfway between a laugh and a scoff. "It's the Dragon Lord. Amanda. The Dragon Lord."
Amanda just smiled, small, crooked. "I've seen what Leo can do. He completed it, he should be." She abruptly stopped. Hands are a bit shaky.
Elois didn't reply right away. She just looked at her. Really looked.
The line of her jaw. The stillness behind her eyes. The conviction that didn't need to shout.
And Elois understood it, Amanda hadn't stopped watching over Leo. Not for a second.
She sighed. "You haven't changed."
Amanda glanced over, a little softer now.
Boris grunted, scratching at his beard. "Does he know?"
She shook her head.
Talia leaned forward. "You think it's real?"
"No idea." Boris' tone was neutral. "But even the Dragon Lord won't dare cross that legend."
Suga squinted. "That curse thing? What's the deal again?"
"Some say it's some make-believe story," Talia said, leaning back in her chair, "to protect system users from turning to each other."
"But no one's proved it," Boris added. "The only thing recorded was that story about the Demon Invasion from the lost era."