The archer lay on the cold, unforgiving ground, his wrists and ankles bound tightly by coarse ropes that bit into his skin.
A bitter taste filled his mouth as he glared up at his captor, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and defiance.
"Tch...you bastard," he spat, the words dripping with venom as he struggled futilely against the restraints.
His chest heaved with each ragged breath, his muscles coiled with tension as he searched for an escape, even as he knew it was futile.
"An experienced archer, huh?" Leon muttered, brushing dust from his coat.
A crooked smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Sure enough, they would pay that much to kill me."
He laughed softly—cold, humorless, and far too amused by the thought.
Felix stepped forward, loyal as always, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. His gaze never left the archer's prone form.
"Master," he said, voice calm, "shall I kill him?"
Leon raised a hand to stop him, the smirk deepening into something far darker. "No," he said, "I have a job for him."
The archer's wrists strained against the bindings as he lifted his head. Dirt clung to his cheek, but his spirit had yet to break.
"Job?" he spat. "You think I'll follow you?"
Leon crouched to meet his eyes, that same evil smile widening—one that made even Felix stiffen for half a breath.
There was no anger, no urgency, only the pure enjoyment of control.
"Oh," Leon murmured softly, "you'll do more than follow me."
His gaze sharpened, cold and absolute.
"You'll work for me. You'll do exactly what I say, exactly when I say it."
The archer tried to look away, but Leon tilted his head, forcing the eye contact back with nothing but presence alone.
"And," he added, voice dropping to a silken threat, "you'll do it with a smile on your face."
The smile that followed was nothing short of wicked—one fit for a villain who already knew he had won.
Leon's grin widened, a razor‑thin slice of amusement cutting through the stale air. "Felix, beat him until he swears his loyalty," he murmured, the words dripping like cold oil.
Felix lunged, iron fists crashing into the archer's ribs, the sound echoing off the stone walls.
The bound man's scream was swallowed by the clang of metal—"Wh…what!? What are yo—"—before Felix's boot slammed into his jaw, silencing the half‑formed protest.
Minutes blurred into a brutal rhythm of punches, kicks, and grawling ropes tightening around wrists already bruised.
Blood smeared the grass, painting a grim mural of pain. When Felix finally stepped back, the archer lay crumbled, a pulp of flesh and fury, his eyes burning through the haze.
"You…you would regret it! You don't know who I am!" he rasped, each word a ragged shard.
Leon tilted his head, eyebrows arching in mock curiosity. "Who are you then, huh?"
The archer forced his swollen lips into a defiant snarl. "I am Kylus el Lysandreil!"
Leon's smile froze, then shattered into a low, incredulous chuckle. "Lysandreil!?" he repeated, the name reverberating like thunder.
"Lysandreil!?" he barked, eyes flashing emerald. "Isn't that one of the Five Noble Elven families?"
Nox's eyes widened.
"Elven families… they still exist?" he asked, half‑curious, half‑skeptical.
Leon's shoulders squared, pride swelling beneath his silvered armor.
"Yes. Five great eleven houses that rule The Kingdom of elves,Silvaris.They are Lysandreil, Vyrnith, Thalor, Eldarion, Miriel. Each a powerhouse in Silvaris."
A ripple of disbelief crossed Nox's scar‑lined face.
"Wait… Kingdom of Silvaris? I don't recall you ever mentioning it!"
Leon blinked, then let out a short, exasperated laugh.
"What?"
Nox's tone sharpened, recalling a prior conversation.
"When I asked you about this world, you said there were only four continents, each ruled by four empires."
Leon's brow furrowed, then he sighed—a sound that seemed to carry the weight of centuries.
"Four empires per continent? Are you a fool? You think one empire can swallow a whole continent?" Asked Leon.
The words hung heavy, each syllable echoing through the forest.
"How can someone like you be a Demon Emperor?" Leon said with a grin.
Nox's scar‑lined visage flushed crimson, veins of fury pulsing beneath the ink‑black tattoos that traced his jaw. He lunged forward, fists clenched, voice cracking like thunder over the Starlit Grove.
"But… but you were the one who told me, remember!?" he roared, the echo bouncing off the ancient trunks.
Leon's emerald like red eyes narrowed, a flicker of amusement cutting through the tension.
"When?" he asked, voice steady as a river stone.
Nox's anger surged, his breath hot enough to steam the dew‑laden air.
"When!? You told me in that damn village!" he snarled, pointing a trembling finger toward the memory of the old village they used to live with Leon's parents.
Leon's smile softened, a rueful tilt to his lips.
"Oh, that… I meant each continent was dominated by those four empires," he clarified, the words rolling like a gentle tide. "Not that they owned every inch of soil."
Nox's fury simmered, eyes burning with a mixture of betrayal and curiosity.
"Then… how many kingdoms and empires are there?" he demanded, the question hanging heavy between them.
Leon inhaled, the scent of pine and distant sea filling his lungs, and spoke as if reciting an ancient scroll.
"There are ten empires, nine kingdoms, and fifteen other nations—each carving its own identity in the records of this world of Elarion."
Felix blinked slowly.
"…So the world is big," he declared at last.
"What?" Asked Nox.
Felix scratched the back of his head like a student who definitely didn't study.
"This world is very big right?." He asked.
"Uhm...Yes you can say that." Replied Leon confused.
"Then it means this world is basically full of villains hiding in shadows, wars between kingdoms,Areas infected with apocalypse,Rampage of Demon,secret organizations,Evil, and political assassinations… right?"
Leon stared at him.
Nox stared at him.
Even the tied-up archer stared at him.
Felix tried again, with way more confidence than accuracy.
"Oh! Then it's a world where the strong manipulate information, the weak get spied on, and everyone is one bad rumor away from civil war!"
Even Leon blinked at that one.
Nox slowly dragged a hand down his face.
"…What the hell are you spouting..."
Felix nodded, satisfied anyway. "Close enough!"
Nox stared at Leon with a deadpan expression that could kill half an empire.
"Leon…Isn't he from the novel you wrote...just how have you written him?!"