Chapter 26: Midnight Visitor
The sharp sound of Leon’s hand making solid contact with Lady Seraphina’s midriff hung in the warm afternoon air like a death sentence. The elite knights and noble squires standing on the edge of the arena collectively stopped breathing.
Several of the heavily armored men instinctively reached for the steel hilts of their real weapons fully expecting the eldest daughter to instantly decapitate the insolent servant for his astronomical disrespect.
Seraphina stood perfectly still for three agonizing seconds.
Her violet eyes were wide and her breath hitched softly in her throat. The lingering sting of his firm slap radiated across her toned stomach sending a highly confusing and thoroughly inappropriate jolt of heat directly through her nervous system.
No man had ever managed to bypass her guard in a physical spar let alone possess the sheer suicidal audacity to slap her and insult her footwork.
Leon smoothly took a deliberate step backward and casually rested his wooden practice sword over his shoulder.
He relied heavily on his forty five Charisma points to maintain a relaxed and unapologetic posture even though his heart was hammering.
Seraphina slowly slowly turned her head to look at him.
The suffocating crimson aura that usually heralded her murderous rage did not materialize. Instead her passive Lie Detector aura wildly flared with brilliant flashes of overwhelming shock deep fascination and a terrifyingly intense competitive thrill.
A loud musical laugh suddenly burst from her lips and echoed beautifully across the training grounds.
"Sloppy footwork," Seraphina repeated breathlessly while lowering her wooden sword and shaking her head in genuine amusement. "For a servant, you have the arrogance of an imperial prince Leon. I have never met a man quite like you."
She tossed her practice sword toward the weapon racks and reached up to undo her high ponytail allowing her silver hair to cascade freely over her sweaty shoulders.
The elite guards relaxed their grips on their weapons and exchanged highly confused glances because they could not comprehend why the Silver Goddess was smiling at a commoner who had just publicly humiliated her.
[DING!]
[Quest Completed Successfully!]
[Your shoulders remain perfectly intact and securely fastened to your torso.]
[Distributing Rewards: Skill ’Sword Mastery (Basic)’ Acquired, +15 Agility, 150 Shameless Points.]
A sudden explosive surge of refreshing magical energy flooded directly into Leon’s brain as decades of foundational sword combat knowledge violently etched itself into his nervous system.
He instantly understood the complex mechanics of parrying thrusting and maintaining proper edge alignment.
The additional fifteen points of Agility cascaded through his muscles bringing his total up to a staggering seventy points. He felt so incredibly light on his feet that he believed he could probably outrun a galloping horse.
"We are finished for today," Seraphina announced while wiping a bead of sweat from her collarbone.
She looked directly into Leon’s dark magnetic eyes and offered him a deeply predatory smirk. "But you will return here tomorrow afternoon Leon. And I will not go so easy on you next time."
"I look forward to it Lady Seraphina," Leon replied with a smooth bow before turning around and casually strolling off the training grounds.
He left the noble daughter staring after him with an expression of intense lingering curiosity. He had successfully planted a massive hook in her arrogant pride and ensured she would keep seeking him out for future encounters.
Leon navigated his way through the opulent corridors of the upper wing until he reached his newly assigned private quarters.
Unlike the cramped squalor of the lower servant dormitories his new room featured a plush feather bed a heavy oak wardrobe and a private washing basin.
He locked the sturdy wooden door behind him and stripped off his sweaty tailored uniform feeling the deep aches and bruises blooming across his forearms from blocking Seraphina’s monstrous strikes.
He washed himself with cold water from the basin and collapsed onto the soft mattress allowing his enhanced body to properly rest.
He mentally opened his system interface and noted his impressive balance of four hundred and ninety Shameless Points. The currency was rapidly piling up and he knew he would soon need to purchase a major defensive item to survive the escalating danger of this brutal world.
He slept for several hours until the pale moonlight filtered through his small window indicating the arrival of the midnight shift.
Leon was just about to close his eyes and return to sleep when a faint scratching sound echoed from his locked door.
It was not the authoritative knock of the estate guards. It was a highly secretive desperate sound.
He smoothly rolled out of bed and utilized his massive seventy Agility points to cross the room in absolute silence. He pressed his ear against the heavy wood and heard the unmistakable sound of ragged erratic breathing coming from the hallway.
He slid the iron deadbolt back and slowly opened the door.
Standing in the dimly lit corridor looking absolutely breathtaking and wildly out of place was Elara.
The Head Cook had somehow managed to sneak past the lower courtyard patrols and navigate her way into the restricted upper wing just to find his room.
She was wearing a simple dark cloak over her usual black and white maid uniform but her hood was pulled down revealing her flushed mature face and her wide desperate amber eyes.
"Are you insane?" Leon whispered deeply while grabbing her arm and quickly pulling her inside his room before quickly locking the door behind them. "If the guards catch a lower servant wandering the upper wing at night they will hang you."
Elara did not seem to care about the lethal consequences.
She aggressively pushed him backward until the back of his knees hit the edge of his mattress forcing him to sit down.
She threw off her dark cloak and revealed that her tight uniform was already partially unbuttoned exposing the deep tantalizing swell of her generous cleavage.
"You did this to me Leon," Elara hissed softly while straddling his lap and wrapping her arms desperately around his neck.
Her body was burning with intense heat and her hips immediately began to grind rhythmically against his lap seeking the friction he had denied her in the parlor.
"You cannot just do what you did and walk away. I have not been able to think straight all day."
Leon smoothly wrapped his strong arms around her remarkably slim waist and pulled her flush against his chest.
The slow burn had officially reached its boiling point and the tyrannical Head Cook was practically begging him to shatter her remaining pride.
[DING!]
The crystal bell chimed beautifully in his skull and bathed the dark bedroom in a bright pink glow right above her desperate face.
[Main Target Escalation Quest Issued: The Boiling Point]
[Context: The proud Head Cook has risked her own life just to seek out your touch. Her defenses are completely shattered and she is ready to serve. Guide her hands and claim your prize.]
[Objective: Instruct Elara to use the pristine white apron she stole back from you to personally relieve your massive frustration while she calls you ’Master’.]
[Reward: +20 Strength, System Shop Item ’Aura Concealment Ring (Upgraded)’, 200 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will suffer a permanent and highly embarrassing magical curse that causes his voice to crack like a pubescent teenager every time he speaks to a beautiful woman.]
Leon stared at the digital text and a highly predatory smirk slowly spread across his handsome face. He gently brushed a stray lock of dark hair behind Elara’s ear and looked deeply into her glassy desperate eyes.
"If you want me to finish what I started Elara," Leon murmured in a deep magnetic whisper that made her violently shiver. "You are going to have to do exactly as I say."
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