I Guard The Book That Slays Gods

With his head thrown back toward the heavens, Leo's fist trembled from the force of his grip. "Pathetic. That's me, isn't it?"

The question seemed to come from nowhere, though with Raiden, nothing was ever truly random. He'd learned to simply listen and let him work through whatever was on his mind.

"I didn't expect to win against you easily." He turned toward Raiden, his voice cracking as his fists tightened. "I was expecting to hold my own, at least."

His eyes dropped to the floor, flickering with unshed tears as he sniffled silently. "But I couldn't last a minute in our duel."

Raiden wore a soft smile, finally understanding Leo's struggles. But at that moment, he felt no urge to manipulate Leo. His dark thoughts and twisted desires all felt distant the more he grew accustomed to Solace Isle's atmosphere. It was as if he were becoming a new person.

Yet at that moment, lying was unnecessary. The truth alone was strong enough.

He extended his hand and gently tapped Leo's shoulder, a calm smile on his face. "You did just fine, Leo."

Leo kept his gaze on the ground, as if he knew Raiden was just trying to make him feel better. But Raiden wasn't. He simply wanted to help Leo come to terms with what had happened that day.

"Thank you, bookkeeper." He forced a smile. "You're as generous as ever, I can tell… trying to help me feel better."

His rehearsed smile vanished instantly. "I worked very hard for that duel, but in the end," his tone dropped lower and began to crack, "I still wasn't good enough."

Raiden could feel the pain and disappointment in Leo's voice. The emotions pierced through his chest as if they were speaking directly to his heart.

He pressed a hand to his chest, clutching at the fabric. He had never felt this way before, not even for Jobe, his twin brother—the most important person in his life.

Is this the Sleeping Star's ability?—he thought to himself.

Throughout it all, his smile didn't fade but became more genuine. It felt like he was discovering the best part of himself, a part he had never been able to reach before.

"Do you remember moving at all in those few seconds when I defeated you?" Raiden asked, his voice calm.

Leo's eyes stayed glued to the ground, his somber mood darkening as his face twisted with sadness. It was as if his disappointment was consuming him bit by bit.

"I learned a technique on my journey called wind slash." He looked down at his gloved left hand, his eyes narrowing.

"I thought I'd mastered it, but unfortunately, that was far from the truth."

He dropped his hand and let out a painful sigh. "When I tried to use it… nothing happened."

The moment Leo finished speaking, Raiden burst into laughter. He tried to suppress it, pressing a hand to his mouth and doubling over, but the laughter kept coming.

Leo just stood there, staring at him with widening eyes, completely confused.

After a moment, Raiden finally got control of himself and composed his expression. "Ask yourself," he said, still holding his sides, "how was I able to know about it?"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, looking even more confused. But it only took a moment for him to connect the dots, and his expression slowly began to light up.

"You wouldn't have known I attacked if it didn't work," he said, voice trembling with excitement. "So it worked… I actually hit you."

Raiden gave him several gentle nods.

"It was so powerful I didn't realize it had happened until moments later." Raiden touched his chest as Leo turned to him, his expression brightening with relief.

"If it had been anyone else, they'd be dead before they even knew you'd attacked."

Leo let out a laugh followed by a scream of joy as he fist-pumped the air. But that very instant, realization seemed to hit him like a cold wave. Raiden watched with perplexed thoughts as Leo's expression darkened.

"The wind slash should have been able to wound you at least if not kill you." He turned to Raiden and locked eyes with him. "But you sustained no injuries."

Raiden shook his head in disapproval. "You did get me."

"Really?"

"Yes, but since you and I haven't spent most of our time together recently, you wouldn't have noticed."

He smiled. "I have a regeneration ability. The wound closed not long after."

Leo's expression shifted once more. "Thank goodness." He grinned. "My training wasn't in vain."

Raiden tapped him on the shoulder. "Your training was never in vain, Leo." He scratched the back of his head, his expression growing uncomfortable.

"I must admit, if it wasn't for my speed, you would have ended the duel easily."

He began to let out an awkward laugh. "You've really become very strong."

"I'm glad you still believe in me, bookkeeper," Leo said with obvious excitement. "I'll be forever grateful for all the things you've done for me these past few months."

He glanced at his left fist once more. "To think I have the ability to wound someone like you." He clenched his fist. "I never would have believed this a few months ago, before I became your apprentice."

Raiden had always viewed Leo in a different light compared to the others. Though he didn't have a contract with him, he had no doubt that Leo was his most loyal comrade.

But now it was different—he saw him clearly for who he was. Someone who would do anything to be by his side.

"You did everything on your own, Leo."

"You are so kind, bookkeeper," Leo said as he turned to their right. A distance away, Ash and Noelle ran playfully through the flowers, big smiles spread across their faces.

Raiden's calm expression dropped. He looked confused about what exactly Leo was staring at. He traced Leo's line of sight and found Ash and Noelle having fun.

His thoughts began to race from one to another. He couldn't fully understand why Ash was so drawn to Noelle now. She had been spending more time with her than she even did with him.

He clenched his fist and began to wonder if he was a bad master to her. Was Ash seeing Noelle as someone more fitting to be around than him?

Just as his mind wandered, Leo spoke up. "Now that I think about it—it's been a while since I looked into Ash's lineage." He turned to Raiden. "What kind of dragon is she?"

His words snapped Raiden back into reality. "Oh yeah, she's a moon dragon." He shrugged his shoulders. "Only God knows what exactly that means."

"I'm sorry; it's my fault for not researching."

"No, Leo. It's okay." The moment Raiden said that, his expression began to shift as realization dawned.

"Now that you mention it, I can ask her all these questions since she's human now." He slapped his forehead in disbelief. "Why did it take me so long?"

"Yes, she can speak and reason now." Leo turned to Raiden with a soft smile. "You can ask her everything."

"Yes," Raiden said with enthusiasm. However, for some reason he didn't want to approach Ash at that moment; seeing her so happy with Noelle hurt him somehow.

He needed to distract himself and wait for her to approach him rather than the other way around. "Tell me about your wind slash."

He dropped to the ground and faced the vast ocean before them. The wind felt gentle as it brushed against his face while the sun slowly began to set.

"Tell me how it works."

"I'm glad you asked," Leo said, joining him.

"It is very simple, but once mastered, it could be deadly." Leo raised his hand and began to concentrate mana into his fingertips.

"Like this, you just have to unleash the mana like the wind." Raiden tried to absorb himself in Leo's words and forget about Ash.

"That's all, but there are earth and water slashes too," Leo added.