Frey looked at Leitaâs expression as they walked.
She had a slight smile on her face and seemed to bounce slightly with each step.
âShe doesnât know who I am.â
Leyrin was in the basement.
But it didnât seem like Leita was taking him there as a trap or to kill him.
At least, he could say that it was okay.
âItâs not that itâs not dangerous.â
Within Frey was divine power that once belonged to Indra.
That wasnât all.
The mask he obtained from Hector and the marble he took from Rikiâs ashes were also in his bag.
If Leyrin noticed any of these things, he would get caught, and she would try to kill him.
ââŠâ
But there was no way he could justify turning back at this point.
Frey clicked his tongue inwardly. The only way for him to overcome his present crisis was to adapt to the situation.
When they arrived at the final door in the dungeon, Leita stopped walking.
She then turned to Frey and spoke in a serious voice.
âInside this room is our Master.â
âBy MasterâŠâ
âLeyrin, the Demigod with the power of wind. The Emperor⊠no. Think of her as a being even higher than the Emperor, and pay special attention to what you say and do.â
âUnderstood.â
âGood.â
Leita nodded and opened the door.
All the rooms they had walked through so far had been dirty and gloomy, but this place was different.
It was clean and well lit. It was also quite wide.
The room wasnât luxurious, but it had all the furnishings one would expect to find.
It felt like someoneâs bedroom rather than a room in the basement.
A grey-haired woman stood in the center of the room.
âYou arrived early.â
âI hope we didnât disturb you, True Master of the Continent.â
Leita knelt down.
Frey also knelt down, following suit.
He felt offended by the title, True Master of the Continent, but he didnât show it.
Leyrin simply nodded her head.
Her youthful appearance was a stark contrast from those of the other Apocalypses.
Frey paid attention to her grey hair.
Grey hair that was unique to the Blake family.
That wasnât all.
Some of Leyrinâs features had some similarities to himself.
âPerhaps.â
It was highly likely that the genes of the Blake family had been taken from her body.
After all, the simplest way to obtain samples of divine power was to take them from her own body.
âNothing happened, right?â
âThanks to you, everything is fine.â
Leita was being extremely polite and there was no sign of her previous haughtiness.
Even when the Lady of one of the five greatest families in the empire bowed to her, Leyrinâs expression didnât change.
âThatâs great. Then Iâll listen to your report. How much Harkon have you collected?â
âWeâve already accumulated half of the target amount.â
âThatâs too slow. I donât think weâll meet the deadline.â
âIâm sorry. Plans are in progress to bring down the Third Princess. Please wait a while longer.â
ââŠThe Third Princess. Sheâs such a nuisance. If it wasnât for the Eleventh Tower Master and ParagonâŠâ
Paragon?
Frey tilted his head slightly at the new word.
Perhaps that was the group that the Eleventh Tower Master, Cairo, was a part of.
âIn any case, the recovery of my brothers is going better than expeâŠâ
It was then.
Leyrin stopped talking and turned her head to look at Frey.
âWho is this? This isnât Heinz⊠or Mischael⊠Ah. Really, you humans all look alike. Leita, who is this guy?â (TL: Author put âLeyrinâ here, but Iâm sure it was just a mistake.)
âThis is my third son.â
âThird son? You had three children?â
âThatâs right.â
ââŠâ
Sheâd never heard of this before.
The Blake family had never bothered to make a report about Frey, who had been branded as a failure.
Leyrinâs sharp gaze turned to Frey, and he bowed his head and said.
âTrue Master of the Continent, I am Frey Blake, the third son of the Blake family.â
Leyrin didnât respond.
She walked up to Frey and inspected him closely.
Frey bowed his head even more, the tip of his chin was shaking slightly.
Originally, he intended to act pressured by Leyrinâs aura, but when she did release her aura, he realised that it was much more bearable than he expected.
As soon as he had that thought, he subconsciously raised his head slightly.
It was bearable?
ââŠâ
Frey had fought many Demigods before.
Therefore, it was possible for him to gauge the power of Demigods by the density of the divine power they subconsciously released.
But now, Leyrin⊠didnât seem that strong.
All the Demigods classified as Apocalypses that heâd met so far. Nozdog, Agni, Ananta.
The aura they exuded showed their strength as transcendent beings.
Riki, who was much more powerful than them, didnât count.
However, even when compared to the other three Apocalypses, the divine power Leyrin was now exuding was not powerful.
No, to be precise. She seemed to be much weaker than she had been during the meeting.
âWhy?â
Leyrin grabbed Freyâs arm.
ââŠ!â
ââŠ!â
Shock appeared on both of their faces at the same time.
Leyrinâs jaw dropped.
âYouâŠâ
She noticed.
She felt Indraâs divine power flowing within him.
His head became cold as though someone had poured cold water over it.
His eyes and chin, which had just been âshakingâ due to the pressure, became completely still, and his confused mind calmed.
At his current stage, it was easier for Frey to stabilize his body and mind than flipping his palm over.
âThink.â
What was the best course of action he could take at that moment?
He had to do something to break out of his current situation.
Freyâs eyes turned to Leita.
If he killed her Apostle-
ââŠheâs a good material.â
Leyrin fixed her expression as she said those words.
But Freyâs expression became stiff as he heard that.
What did she just say?
âI believe he will be helpful in bringing down the Third Princess.â
Leita, who didnât seem to realise the tense situation that had just occurred between them, spoke gently.
âIs that so? Hmm. Heâs certainly more useful than Mischael. Well then, leave first.â
ââŠhuh?â
Frey was confused.
Leyrin shrugged.
âI have something to discuss with Leita, so leave.â
âAh. Yes.â
She was letting him go?
Despite knowing that he had Indraâs divine power in his body?
Why?
Was she playing with him because she could catch him later?
âThatâs not it.â
But I donât know why.
He didnât think that was the reason, but he couldnât find a better one.
Firstly, he needed to get out of his current situation.
Leita and Leyrin.
It would take a long time for him to organise his thoughts while staying on guard against them.
Frey bowed his head.
And then, without hesitation, he turned and left the room.
ââŠâ
Shortly after he disappeared, the smile on Leyrinâs face disappeared.
She quickly turned and spoke to Leita.
âI want to ask you one question, Leita.â
âP-, please ask.â
Her voice trembled slightly.
Leita could feel the anger hidden in her voice, and as Leyrin approached her, the pressure she released increased.
âThat guy named Frey. Has he accepted divine power yet?â
âH-, he hasnât accepted it yet. We only explained the secret of the family to him todayâŠâ
âYou stupid bitch.â (TL: choke)
Leyrinâs anger was palpable as she strode over and lifted Leita off the ground by her delicate neck.
âK-, kukâŠâ
âI told you. I donât care if you make ten small mistakes. But donât you dare make even one crucial mistake⊠you fool.â
âT-, thatâs right⊠kukâŠâ
Kurk.
The blood was gradually draining from Leitaâs face.
âTell me, Leita. Are you an idiot? Did I really take an idiot as my Apostle?â
âI, Iâm notâŠ.â
Crunch!
Leyrin grit her teeth and threw Leita to the floor.
Then, she looked at her with a cold gaze.
âIf you hadnât been my Apostle, I would have already chopped you into small pieces and fed you to a dog!â
âH-, huk⊠hukâŠâ
âShut up.â
ââŠâ
Leita couldnât imagine why her master was suddenly so angry.
This was the first time sheâd seen Leyrin, who was always smiling and cheerful, this angry.
Leyrin bit her nails.
This wasnât a situation that could be fixed with anger alone.