Chapter 53: Rushed Departure
The warm steamy atmosphere of the luxurious bathing chamber evaporated the moment Leon read the tiny rolled parchment.
The heavy silence in the room was only broken by the soft trickling of water sliding down Lady Seraphina’s flawless pale skin.
The eldest daughter of House Sterling sat up in the porcelain tub and watched the attendant with wide violet eyes. The news of a siege on her ancestral home sent a violent shockwave of pure adrenaline crashing into her exhausted system.
"The Patriarch poisoned," Seraphina repeated in a hollow breathy whisper. Her brilliant tactical mind struggled to process the sheer scale of the disaster. "The grand library breached. The Eclipse Syndicate has mobilized a full invasion force while I am trapped hundreds of miles away in a remote outpost."
She tried to stand up from the soapy water but her depleted magical pathways screamed in vicious protest.
Her athletic legs buckled beneath her and she fell back against the edge of the tub with a frustrated splash. Her aristocratic pride waged a desperate war against her physical limitations. She was the Sterling daughter and her family was being slaughtered but she could barely lift her own arms.
Leon did not waste a single second offering empty platitudes. He crushed the tiny parchment in his fist and turned his dark magnetic eyes toward the struggling noblewoman.
The crystal bell chimed beautifully in his skull projecting a glowing pink text box right above the steaming bathwater.
[Emergency Escalation Quest Issued: The Royal Dresser]
[Context: The fierce noble daughter feels powerless and vulnerable while her home burns. She needs a sturdy pillar to lean on. Strip away her remaining aristocratic distance and prove you are the shield she desperately requires.]
[Objective: Lift Seraphina out of the water, dry her bare skin with a towel, firmly strap her into her dark leather combat suit, and whisper that you will personally slaughter anyone who threatens her family.]
[Reward: +20 Mana, Skill ’Aura Infusion (Basic)’, 300 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will suffer a massive debilitating cramp in both calves rendering high speed travel physically impossible and dooming House Sterling to total annihilation.]
Leon smoothly rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a thick white towel resting on a nearby wooden rack. He closed the distance to the porcelain tub and leaned over the warm water.
He did not ask for permission to invade her personal space. He reached down and firmly wrapped his large muscular arms around her wet waist before effortlessly lifting her dripping wet body entirely out of the bath.
Seraphina let out a soft breathless gasp as she was hoisted into the air. Her bare breasts pressed lightly against his damp tailored tunic and the intoxicating scent of his clean linen mixed with the steamy floral soap.
She instinctively wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders to steady herself. She expected to feel a deep sense of outrage at being handled so casually but the overwhelming magnetic gravity of his dominant protection simply melted her protests into nothingness.
"I cannot fight Leon," she confessed in a highly vulnerable whisper while he set her gently onto the tiled floor. Her violet eyes shimmered with a rare trace of genuine fear. "If the Syndicate sent a full invasion force they will have multiple Grandmasters."
"Then I will fight them for you," Leon murmured in a deep resonant tone that vibrated heavily against her chest.
He wrapped the thick white towel around her shivering form and began drying her pale skin with slow methodical strokes.
He utilized his Basic Caress skill to send soothing waves of relaxing energy into her tense muscles. He dried her toned legs and her sculpted midriff before reaching for the heavy basilisk leather combat suit resting on the wooden stool.
Seraphina stood perfectly still and allowed the rugged servant to dress her. He slid the dark leather over her generous curves and expertly fastened the thick iron buckles securing the armor tightly against her athletic frame.
His knuckles brushed intimately against her collarbone and the sensitive swell of her cleavage causing a furious red blush to paint her cheeks.
Leon leaned his face close to hers until his lips hovered mere inches from her ear.
"Do not despair Lady Seraphina," Leon whispered fiercely projecting a heavy unyielding confidence. "I will personally slaughter anyone who dares to threaten your home."
[Quest Completed Successfully!]
[Your calves remain perfectly relaxed and ready for the grueling journey.]
[Distributing Rewards: +20 Mana, Skill ’Aura Infusion (Basic)’ Acquired, 300 Shameless Points.]
A sudden refreshing surge of cool magical energy flooded his chest expanding his core capacity significantly.
The newly acquired Aura Infusion skill burned its intricate mechanics into his brain granting him the vital ability to transfer his internal kinetic mana into external objects or living creatures.
Leon grabbed his leather satchel and led the noble daughter out of the luxurious suite. They marched down the wooden stairs of the manor house and stepped into the muddy courtyard.
Captain Thorne was currently barking orders at a squad of spearmen but the arrogant officer instantly silenced himself when he saw Leon approaching.
"Captain," Leon ordered sharply projecting his Intimidation Aura to ensure absolute obedience. "We require maximum rations and immediate clearance at the main gate. The Sterling estate is under siege."
Thorne turned pale and scrambled to obey. Within five minutes Leon and Seraphina were mounted on the broad back of Stormfang.
The giant armored wolf sensed the frantic urgency of its master and let out a deafening howl that rattled the wooden palisades of Oakhaven.
Leon sat directly behind the noble daughter and wrapped his strong arms firmly around her narrow waist. He closed his eyes and activated his new Aura Infusion skill.
He channeled a steady stream of pure kinetic mana directly from his core into the massive beast beneath them. Stormfang let out a surprised rumble as the foreign energy fused with its own dormant lightning.
"Hold on tight," Leon advised just before the giant wolf exploded forward.
The beast tore through the main gates and hit the dirt road with terrifying velocity. The infusion of kinetic mana practically doubled Stormfang’s natural speed.
The landscape blurred into a chaotic streak of colors as they raced back toward the capital. The journey that had taken them a full day would now be crushed into a matter of hours.
Leon tightened his grip on the Silver Goddess and mentally prepared himself for the brutal war waiting for them at the end of the road.
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