Chapter 19: Shattered Focus
The highly expensive wooden splinters of Julian’s magical focus rained down onto the pristine marble floor and echoed loudly in the absolutely silent grand library.
The searing orange fireball that had been rushing toward Leon’s face simply sputtered out of existence leaving behind nothing but a faint trail of smoke and the pungent smell of burnt ozone.
Julian stood completely paralyzed with his mouth hanging wide open in pure unadulterated horror.
He was a noble squire who had spent years cultivating his volatile fire magic and he firmly believed his destructive spells were completely unstoppable against commoners.
His brain utterly failed to comprehend how a scrawny floor sweeper had just casually reached directly through blazing magical fire to crush solid enchanted oak with a single bare hand.
Leon did not give the arrogant squire any time to recover his shattered wits.
He completely ignored the faint singe marks on his leather glove and aggressively stepped right into Julian’s personal space. His forty points of Strength heavily anchored his boots to the floor making him completely immovable as he reached out and firmly grabbed the front of Julian’s expensive silk robes.
With a simple effortless flex of his enhanced muscles Leon violently yanked the squire forward and forced him directly onto his knees.
The loud crack of Julian’s kneecaps hitting the hard marble floor was incredibly satisfying.
The young noble let out a pathetic squeak of pain and desperately tried to pry Leon’s iron grip off his clothing but his frail aristocratic fingers were completely useless against Leon’s monstrous physical power.
"I believe I told you to lower your voice Julian," Leon stated in a deep chillingly calm tone that vibrated heavily in the squire’s chest. "You are currently throwing a childish temper tantrum in front of the Head Maid and it is completely unacceptable. You are going to apologize to Lady Beatrice right now."
Julian looked up at the terrifyingly handsome servant with completely wide panicked eyes.
His passive Aura Sight clearly showed Leon that the squire’s orange magical core was violently flickering with absolute terror and completely losing all of its structural integrity.
"I am a noble of House Vance!" Julian screamed hysterically while desperately struggling to break free. "You cannot touch me you filthy magicless rat!"
Leon simply tightened his grip and slightly lifted Julian entirely off the floor by his collar completely cutting off his air supply. The squire’s face rapidly began to turn a highly unflattering shade of purple as his legs kicked weakly in the air.
"Apologize to Lady Beatrice," Leon repeated smoothly without a single ounce of hesitation.
Julian frantically nodded his head and desperately gasped for air the moment Leon lowered him slightly back to the floor.
The squire turned his eyes toward the fiercely strict Head Maid who was currently watching the entire scene unfold with absolute shock.
"I apologize Lady Beatrice!" Julian sobbed pathetically while rubbing his bruised neck. "I apologize for raising my voice in your presence!"
Leon casually released the silk robes and allowed the crying noble to completely collapse onto the polished marble.
Julian did not wait for another warning. He frantically scrambled to his feet and sprinted wildly out of the massive library completely abandoning his shattered wooden staff and his pride in the process.
[DING!]
[Quest Completed Successfully!]
[Your hair remains beautifully dark and completely non radioactive.]
[Distributing Rewards: +10 Mana, Skill ’Mana Skin’ Acquired, 80 Shameless Points.]
A sudden explosive surge of refreshing cool energy violently flooded directly into Leon’s chest and rapidly expanded his novice magical core.
He physically felt his magical capacity double in a single instant making his entire body hum with deeply concentrated power. His newly acquired Mana Skin skill activated passively completely wrapping his internal muscles and external flesh in a highly durable invisible layer of magical armor.
He realized he could finally take a significant hit from an Aura Knight without having his bones instantly shattered into dust.
He casually brushed some invisible dust off his tailored uniform and turned around to face Beatrice.
The Ice Queen was staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes completely wide and her strict professional composure hanging by a highly fragile thread.
Her passive Lie Detector aura was practically blinding his vision with wild chaotic flashes of intense curiosity deep respect and incredibly flustered heat.
She had brought him to the upper wing completely expecting him to cower before the magical retainers but he had just effortlessly completely dominated a noble squire without breaking a single sweat.
"How exactly did you do that Leon?" Beatrice whispered softly while taking a highly cautious step toward him. "Julian’s fireball was highly concentrated and you simply crushed his enchanted staff like it was brittle glass. Yet I still cannot sense a single drop of aura or mana inside your body."
Leon heavily relied on his newly acquired forty five Charisma points and his reliable Aura Concealment Ring.
He offered her a dangerously smooth highly magnetic smile that immediately caused a faint pink flush to rapidly creep up her pale neck.
"I simply possess incredibly fast reflexes Lady Beatrice," Leon lied flawlessly while maintaining unbroken eye contact.
"Julian is a highly predictable caster and his wooden staff was clearly of very poor quality. I merely stepped inside his guard before the spell fully materialized."
Beatrice violently adjusted her wire rimmed glasses and completely crossed her arms over her chest in a desperate attempt to shield herself from his overwhelming confidence.
She was a master tactician and she knew he was not telling her the entire truth but the sheer physical reality of his dominance was undeniably intoxicating.
"You are playing an incredibly dangerous game," Beatrice warned him in a low serious voice.
"Julian will absolutely run crying to the estate administrators and claim you assaulted him. I will file an official incident report stating he violently attacked you first and you simply defended yourself in my presence. But you must understand that the true noble family members will not be so easily disarmed."
She stepped incredibly close to him and the completely suffocating freezing temperature of her natural aura delightfully washed over his skin.
"Clean this massive library perfectly and completely organize the eastern archives by sunset," Beatrice commanded sharply while refusing to look away from his dark eyes. "And do not cause any more trouble today Leon or I will personally lock you in the disciplinary cells."
She spun on her heel and aggressively marched out of the grand library leaving behind a highly lingering trail of freezing mist and completely unresolved romantic tension.
Leon watched her elegant figure disappear down the golden corridor with a massively satisfied smile completely plastered across his face. He checked his system interface and noted his highly impressive balance of three hundred and forty Shameless Points.
He was rapidly accumulating the currency needed to purchase major survival items.
Leon picked up a highly expensive feathered duster from the supply closet and completely threw himself into his new job.
His thirty five points of Agility and forty points of Strength made the completely backbreaking labor of cleaning a massive multi story library feel like a highly relaxing morning stretch. He seamlessly leaped up the towering wooden ladders and rapidly cleared decades of accumulated dust from the ancient magical tomes.
He utilized his passive Aura Sight to marvel at the vast collection of highly concentrated magical knowledge hidden within the glowing books.
The Sterling family possessed terrifying resources and he knew he needed to safely acquire some of these combat manuals if he wanted to eventually conquer the incredibly dangerous women of this estate.
Exactly three hours into his shift the heavy gilded doors of the library slowly creaked open and completely shattered the peaceful silence of the room.
Leon was currently standing near the top of a twenty foot wooden ladder casually dusting the highest shelf of the restricted historical archives.
He smoothly paused his movements and utilized his enhanced hearing to track the incredibly light perfectly rhythmic footsteps completely echoing across the marble floor.
A suffocating wave of pure overwhelming crimson aura suddenly heavily flooded the entire library and instantly dropped the ambient temperature by twenty degrees.
Leon felt his newly acquired Mana Skin entirely subconsciously flare to life just to resist the sheer terrifying gravitational pressure of the newcomer’s magical power.
He slowly peered down over the edge of the wooden shelf and his heart violently skipped a massive beat.
Walking down the central aisle was Lady Seraphina Sterling.
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