"You know how to defeat a Primordial-rank demon?"
Eula repeated Leon's question.
"I do."
He truly did.
Eula grew speechless. How can a man be taken seriously if he claimed that he knew something which hasn't been discovered yet?
They would just laugh in his face.
"You know," Eula said, "your manner of speaking feels so confident that sometimes I believe you know everything."
"Pfttt–" Leon laughed, "well, you're somewhat right, princess. There's no information left in this world which I'm unaware of."
"Hah, big talk," she grinned back, "go on, I'm listening…"
Leon shook his head at her reply. She still seemed unable to believe him.
"As I said, I know a method, and it can help you kill that demon."
"Oh," Eula interrupted, "you are saying, you can help me?"
He nodded.
Eula crossed her arms, "Hah, for what do I owe you that pleasure… clearly, you want something in return."
Her gaze intensified.
'She's smart.' Leon inwardly complimented.
Naturally, he couldn't just simply say that he wanted to kill off Lucian, to save his own life.
That would make no sense from her perspective.
"Of course, I want something in return. Nothing in this world is free after all."
"Alright then," Eula demanded, "state your price."
So far, Leon had offered her vulnerable information, that she couldn't seem to ignore. If she wanted to learn more about this demon, and about him too, then she needed his help.
And if she needed to spend millions for it, then so be it.
That amount of money was nothing for a princess of her standard.
"What I want in return is not money…"
But Leon had some other plan.
"Then?"
If he didn't want money, then what?
"I want you to make me a member of Twilight Order. From now on, every mission you work on, I want its details."
"..."
It took several seconds to comprehend what Leon just spouted.
"Ah…" a strange sound escaped her mouth.
Eula closed her eyes and rubbed her temples before speaking.
"Did you hit your head when you were a baby?"
"What."
"What my as—Agh..." she wanted to curse but held back, "...do you really think I would let you in that easily?"
It would be a foolish thing to do so.
Eula still hadn't fully figured out Leon yet, so she couldn't just blindly trust his words without him showing any real progress beforehand.
She was the leader of Twilight Order, and she had made some protocols which strictly needed to be followed.
Among them, there's this one protocol in which acceptance of a new member can only be done if, and only if, all the higher-ranking members agree upon.
"So, it's a no?" he said, making a sad face, "I think it's a very promising offer, you would gain all the intel you want from me."
It was indeed promising.
But the real problem was, Leon.
He was someone who outsmarted Eula in both negotiation and information gathering. He even rejected her [Command of Grace].
And that's something she couldn't ignore.
So, what's stopping her?
It was Leon's resistant nature. He wasn't someone who Eula thought she could handle.
Thinking along those lines, she looked back at Leon. His golden eyes, and those long eyelashes… it reminded her of Veronica.
They were equally mysterious. Dangerous even.
"Haaa…"
A memory flashed back in Eula's mind. She recalled someone dear to her. Someone whom she couldn't reach now.
Letting out a sigh, she stated.
"I can't accept you as one of us. Please consider asking something else."
She was requesting at this point, but she didn't lower her head.
A princess's dignity?
One of her trusted companions was missing, and who knew what condition she was in right now.
'They have no one except me.'
She would do anything to keep them and her kingdom safe.
Was this how a princess behaved?
No.
'I'm not asking for it as a princess.' She inwardly told herself.
"As the commander of Twilight Order," she said in her usual cold tone, "would you help me save my companion and the kingdom?"
Her eyes were fixated on Leon the entire time.
She saw his lips twitch, like he was about to say something.
But Leon's lips didn't twitch because he wanted to speak.
No.
Actually, he was shivering right now.
'This is it,' he thought to himself. 'This is what I wanted to hear.'
Princess Eula was always like that in the game.
She had that pride, that sharp intuition… but she tended to forget about it all when her people and kingdom were at stake.
It wasn't due to her soft nature. It was because of a promise she once made.
And this was a huge drawback.
Both for Eula, and Leon.
This habit of hers was what led to the Twilight Order's doom, and later turned her into a cold-blooded villainess.
But now, Leon wanted to change it.
'It would be a pity for such a group to suddenly vanish.'
And more than that…
'It would be a pity to lose her.'
And for that to be avoided, he needed to get accepted as one of them.
He lifted his gaze to her equal.
"How about this, princess," he said, "just this once, I'll do it for free."
"What."
"If you like my work, and if you feel like I earn your respect, then all I ask is for you to consider me as your member."
"..."
It was a tempting offer to her.
"Alright, we've got a deal," she said, extending her hand to him.
But as Leon reached out to shake it, she didn't smile.
"Don't mistake this for trust," she added, her voice low, "It's not an invitation."
There was no way he could impress the whole Twilight Order.
Eula knew that.
And even if he did somehow… then, she could always just reject him.
Leon, with a smile, shook her hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you, princess."
"Don't forget your role in this."
Leon chuckled, "Haha, I won't. And as for the method to kill a Primordial-ranked demon I was talking about, I'll start working on it today."
She nodded, and let go of his hand.
— — —
It was evening.
After making a deal with the princess, Leon wandered more in the campus till the sky turned orange.
Now, sitting on a bench, he gazed at the birds flying by.
'So much shit happens in a single day.'
He sighed.
His legs were hurting from all the walking.
"I'm tired." He muttered.
All the parents had gone back home, leaving their sons and daughters behind.
"What the hell is Myra even doing?"
It had already been four hours.
She had informed him that she would come back to him after she arranged his room.
"I'll go check myself."
With that, he stood up from the bench.