(Sorry about the inconsistency of updates lately. My second younger sister is sick after her wound from tooth removal is infected and I have to take care of her. Then my third younger sister needs to be picked and sent to school because my mom can't. I need to go to the school by 10 am and wait until 12:30 pm because the damn school has to be located in a place with atrocious road planning. Like 5 separate schools all using this one fkn road and if I didn't go there early, no Grab driver would accept the order because the car jam can literally last an hour long.
Anyway, here is yet another shitty chapter from me.)
When morning arrived and a great uproar spread to all magical communities around the world. Meanwhile the culprit is calmly brewing coffee in his apartment like nothing ever happened as he is doing his morning routine.
With coffee in hand, Leo sits on the table and goes through thoughts in his mind.
"Oi, kid. Where is my portion?" Voban smacked the table, feeling outraged that his master made coffee for himself.
"Pfft! Cough! Cough!"
"Who! How! How are you still alive!" Leo jumped out of his seat and the Saw Cleaver appeared in his hand.
"Look at this guy, not even a bit of gratitude after I helped you last night." Voban snorted and leaned his head on his arm while he looked at the kitchen. "Liliana, make me a cup of tea."
"Y-Yes, Duke Vobanβ¦" Liliana suddenly appeared and Leo didn't even sense her previously. She quickly get to work with Voban's order.
"Now, take a seat. I am sure you have plenty to ask." Voban looks at Leo's confused face with a sigh. His personality is vastly different from last night, mellowed down into almost a grandfather figure rather than bloodthirsty Campione.
Leo looks wary but he nods and sits down after sensing no hostility from Voban.
"So, what happened last night?" Leo asks while he is also trying to recall the memory.
"You defeated me in battle after your spear pierced my heart. Like, what is that spear and how could it negate my regeneration?" Voban asked, sounding like he was dissatisfied with the results of their battle.
Leo tried to remember and he recalled he cannot defeat Voban because the werewolf transformation gives Voban a powerful regeneration. So, Leo places a curse on the spear that turns lifeforce into poison which means the more Voban regenerates, the more he harms himself. Also, that is just one of the dozens of curses and enchantments he placed on the Light Spear.
Leo explains it to Voban which made the old Campione laugh very hard which confused Leo.
"Ho. So that is how I was defeated. You can analyze my power and create countermeasures even amidst battle. Truly, I have been bested." Voban sounded satisfied with his defeat this time for some reason.
Liliana serves Voban his tea before she retreats away while she is obviously in fear. But at who? Leo glanced at her and she was also stealing a glance at him. She immediately flinched and quickly lowered her head⦠submissively.
Leo quickly turns back to Voban.
"So, explain you are still here when I remember very clearly I killed you." Leo demands an answer as he is sure he killed Voban as he can feel the Old Campione's Blood Echoes in his body.
"Heh. I'm not the only one with necromantic authority. That's how." Voban replied with incomplete answers which didn't take much to figure out.
Leo immediately remembers the Attendant of Persephone authority that let him command the dead. Could it be that after Leo killed Voban, he got raised as an undead? But Voban looks like a human. Not dead corpses or skeletons.
"That is rude. Of course I wouldn't be a pile of bones or dead corpse. I am a Campione and even after being raised as undead I remain a Campione. Although I am more of a ghost that has a physical form because a Campione's soul is very powerful." Voban shows how his body turns half transparent for a moment and his hand phases through his cup.
Leo ignores how Voban read his thoughts and asks, "So, you gonna listen to my order or what?" He doubted Voban would cooperate and not escape. Leo still didn't have full mastery of his authorities yet especially the Attendant of Persephone.
"Of course I will. I lost fair and square to you. Naturally, I will serve you, my young King." Voban replied.
"Call me Leo. It feels weird to be called King." Leo feels a shiver when called as one.
"Anyway, what will you do now?"
"Hmn⦠Good question. Since I am defeated by you and decided to become your retainer, my duty should be assisting you to the best of my ability. However, I must learn your ambitions and goals first."
Ignoring all previous prejudice, Voban is literally the man he needed the most. Leo lacks common sense, knowledge and experience as a Campione. Who else but the oldest Campione is more appropriate to help him in this regard? None! Voban is literally the best one available.
But before he can trust Voban. There is one thing he has to make sure.
'System, can you confirm that Voban cannot break free from my authority's effect?'
[π]
'Is that supposed to be yes?' Leo asked again because his System is using emoji instead of words.
[π]
'Okayβ¦'
[π]
Leo thinks his System is broken.
Anyway, Leo finds Voban trustable and explains his main goal is to get stronger. Voban also agrees and supports wholeheartedly. But Leo's secondary goal is to keep humanity safe from the threat of Heretic God. Voban frowned on this one, stating "Why should a Campione like you bother with the peasants? They should be happy and die serving us."
Leo wanted to argue back but Voban said. Campione took the risk to fight against god and give peace to the human. In exchange, the human should serve the Campione. It's a simple and logical reasoning that even Liliana agrees to. That is just how this world works.
But just because it is, doesn't mean Leo will accept it. He remembers his Hunter's Oath and a Hunter hunts to save. He will keep doing so and his ways will not change.
"Hmn. Suit yourself, you are the King and I am just your servant. Anyway, if there's nothing else. I would like to return to my territory in Balkan. I can already imagine the chaos when I die." Voban shrugs and doesn't bother to argue before his eyes land on Liliana. "As for you, Liliana Kranjcar. I will hand you over to our King. Serve him well."
"Now, if you would excuse me." Voban turns into half transparent and summons a little girl dressed like a witch that cast a teleportation magic before he disappeared along with the witch girl.
Now left only Leo and Liliana in the small apartment.
A simple glance at Liliana already enough to make her shaking in terror like a newborn calf. Leo wonders why she is terrified of him.
(Bro, you gave her a ptsd with your killing intent that every times she sees you, she get Vietnam flashback and you have the audacity to ask why she is terrified of you.π No wonder the System left for a vacation.)
βββ
After Voban left, Leo left with Liliana. He is unsure what to do with her after Voban just throws her into his hand.
Leo just sits in silence as Liliana also stays mute, not daring to disturb his thoughts.
Leo was contemplating his life. All that he did since he arrived in this world, other than killing Hecate and now Voban. He hadn't really done anything much to achieve his goal of growing stronger.
In fact, Leo basically just procrastinates. He uses the excuse to spy on Godou so he can say he is doing something when he actually isn't.
The fact that he learns more in a short talk with Voban and Liliana than what he gets after more than a month investigating.
It begs a question in Leo's mind.
'Do I really have time to waste doing useless things?'
Leo has people he needs to return to, enemies to fight. Yet he spends his time doing near useless things.
Why? Why is he like this?
He didn't really have an answer to it.
He has one but that didn't really answer the question.
Leo didn't want to go down the darker path, obsessed with chasing after power and forgetting the important things in his life.
He saw or rather, learned what obsession can change a person into. They turn people into monsters and Yharnam has plenty of examples there. Leo guessed probably that's the reason why the test exists before he is given his inheritance. To let him see the consequences his power can bring if he were to use it incorrectly.
Leo wants strength not for an ambition or dream he has like most fictional protagonists would. He wants strength just to survive in this messy world he stumbled into and protect what's matter to him. That's all and it will never change. Hopefully.
Leo never lived life as a rich person, life as a powerful and influential person. But he understands that those lives will be filled with challenges and trouble just like those fictional protagonists have.
He didn't want those trouble and would prefer the life of a hermit. A simple and carefree life without needing to worry about the world outside the confines of his own little world.
Yet, karma is a fickle mistress. She likes to throw curve balls when you least expect it and the result is this.
From an orphan to ex gang member then to whatever he currently is. A Hunter? Godslayer?
All his problems can be condensed into these few words, he lacks power. Yet, power is the last thing he wants to get.
The reason why he dislikes power so much can be explained by a simple quote, 'With power comes responsibility'. An adage heard throughout times and the most popular example is the Sword of Damocles. The power he is given will also demand something back from him. The power he gained isn't given for free, suddenly just fell off the tree.
Yet. All this didn't answer the question.
He hadn't answered why he would procrastinate to grow stronger to return to Mittelt, Ophis and Ravel. Why would he procrastinate to defeat this hidden enemy that wanted to ruin his life.
The answer that he didn't have and there is a reason. A matter that is more important than the previously mentioned.
Leo just understood and noticed something during his arrival in this world. A piece of the puzzle that is missing.
A RAY is a clone of a powerful being that at some point, conquered the Omniverse.
They are existence rejects from the Cycle of Reincarnation. Meaning, their soul will not be cleansed and reborn anew as a new person.
A RAY cannot die and it's a fact. He died twice and he was revived in another world with intact memories and power.
If so, how come he possessed a childhood? A parents?
How come he didn't have any memories prior to him being born?
If he is a clone of a powerful being, how come he was a human without any power prior to his first death?
It's obvious to Leo. Something had happened to him. His soul was probably tempered. That's why he has no memories of anything prior to his first life that he remembered.
However, Leo tried not to think about it. He feels that they are removed for a reason. A reason he didn't want to find out.
Leo didn't care about it nor did he want to find out about it. He tries to keep himself busy with a routine. He distracts himself by investigating this world and meddling with it. Giving himself a goal to distract his mind from searching for the truth.
Yet, it does bug him a lot. Although not yet to the point of crippling.
But he can hear the imaginary whispers like a devil in his mind. Sweet words like dripping honey. Too sweet that's sickening to hear.
The voice tells him to uncover the truth. Telling him he would regret not doing so.
It keeps giving him countless incitements to learn about the truth. To pursue the truth. To unravel the truth.
It's maddening, yet there is nothing that he can do to shut the voice up as it is constantly whispering inside his head.
"κκκ‘κ κ΄κκ‘ κκκ κκ‘κ¦κκ κκ κ¦ κ κ‘κ κκκκ§κκ. κκκ‘κ κ΄κκ‘ κκκ κκ‘κ¦κκ κκ κ¦ κ κ‘κ κκκ£κ‘κ§κ΄κκ. κκκ‘κ κ΄κκ‘ κκκ κκ‘κ¦κκ κκκκ κκκ‘κ§κ£ κ κκ κ‘κ κ£κ£κκ κΊκ‘κ κ κκ κ¦."
The maddening yet inciting gurgle of voice in his head. Words he shouldn't be able to comprehend yet alone understand. But he did instinctively.
βββββ
(Damn. I can't get this right with my subpar writing skill. I'm trying to portray Leo's internal struggle, if that isn't obvious enough. He wants a simple life but he was killed by an unknown guy and sent into a rollercoaster ride into another world filled with supernatural things he never wanted to yet was forced to face.)
If you readers feel generous or want to appreciate my work and effort, feel free to tip me here.
https://ko-fi.com/lazy_kat_aoi