Leo hastily returned to his starting point.. That was... The House!
Leo entered the house with a tired expression, his steps dragging slightly, "Man... that was so damn tense..." he muttered, rubbing his forehead with a pained look.
Visiting the police... failed!
No help!
Leo groaned inwardly and sank into silence before murmuring, "What the hell should I do now?"
He wasn't even sure where he really was anymore… and why so many strangers acted like they knew him while he had no memory of them.
'Sigh, Maybe I am stuck in another Leo--'
"MASTER!!"
Pride's voice echoed from within the room as she rushed out, appearing before him with a deeply worried expression. "Are you alright?! Did you get hurt?! Is there another Champion here?" she asked frantically, her words tumbling out. "Why did you leave me like that? The outside world is too dangerous!"
She was acting like a Mother!
Leo let out a long, weary sigh. "Please... just stop for a second... I'm already confused and completely lost," he muttered under his breath, not even looking at her. He clearly wasn't in the mood to answer her barrage of questions.
Pride froze in place, visibly flinching. She then quietly lowered her head and stepped back, her voice soft and apologetic, "I'm sorry, Master..."
Leo blinked, realising his own tone had been harsher than he intended. A stab of guilt twisted in his chest. He sighed again, softer this time, but his eyes suddenly caught something behind her—wounds across her back.
"You're hurt..." Leo muttered, frowning deeply as the memory flashed back—when she got wounded during the attack.
Pride looked at him calmly, her voice flat but unwavering, "Yes, Master. But please don't worry. I can still fight—"
"Shut up... That looks seriously painful," Leo cut her off, his face contorted with horror as he saw the deep gash across her back.
Even though Pride could recover through rest, it was far from instant. She had barely managed to heal two of the claw wounds, and now only left with only one claw wound. If Leo had seen the three of them, his knees might have given out right then and there.
Without another word, Leo gently grabbed her wrist and guided her to the living room. "Take off the armour on your back," he said firmly, his tone serious and unwavering. Then he walked over to the cupboard near the TV, opened the drawer, and pulled out the medical kit.
"I'll do the first aid for now… and after that, we should go to a hospit..."
But the moment Leo touched the kit, he paused. Something felt off. 'How... do I know this?' he thought, blinking with confusion. His body had moved on its own, like instinct… like muscle memory.
It felt so unnatural.
He shook his head hard, forcing those strange thoughts away.
Holding the kit tightly, he walked back to Pride—only to find she still hadn't removed her armour.
"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Leo frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.
Pride looked at him, then at the kit in his hands, and finally turned around. Without a word, the armour on her back shimmered for a moment before turning into green smoke, fading into the air like it had never been there.
Leo blinked in surprise, watching the magical dispersion. He let out a faint, awkward smile. 'Magic... right,' he thought. No matter how strange it was, he couldn't ignore the truth anymore, could he?
Then his eyes landed on the wound.
Leo winced immediately, almost doubling over from secondhand pain. "Seriously… how were you even walking around with that kind of wound?"
Pride turned her head slightly, offering him a faint smile filled with quiet pride. "Wounds like this are nothing, Master. Once you've grown used to pain, it becomes part of you."
Leo sighed, shaking his head slowly. He stepped closer and gestured, "Lower the cloth just a bit so I can see clearly."
Pride hesitated only for a moment, then glanced back at him one more time before lowering the cloth without a word.
Leo's breath caught.
Her skin—normally so pure and smooth—was marked, tainted with angry red wounds across her back.
He felt his heart clench in guilt. Despite the pain and danger she had been through, she stood there silently, without complaint.
He weakly smiled, pulled out some cotton from the kit, and dipped it in disinfectant. He gently pressed it against the wound, careful not to hurt her more than necessary.
"If your parents saw this," he muttered under his breath, "they'd probably lose their minds worrying."
Pride turned her head slightly to glance at him. Her face was unreadable, quiet… but not cold.
Leo said nothing more. With steady hands, he applied the disinfectant, followed by a thin layer of ointment, and carefully placed clean cotton pads over the wounds. Then, wrapping the bandage slowly and securely, he covered the injuries.
"Sigh... for now, this should hold," he said, letting out a weary breath as he gently patted her shoulder. But then a sudden thought struck him, and he froze mid-motion.
"Wait... didn't we get a healing stone? The one that the shrine lady gave us?" His hand shot up to his forehead as he facepalmed. "Shit, I completely forgot we could use it to heal you instantly, right?"
"Indeed, I know already" Pride nodded with a calm expression, as if she'd been waiting.
Leo blinked in confusion. "Then... why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Pride tilted her head slightly. "I believed you intended to reserve it for your own use," she said softly, her voice carrying no accusation.
Leo shook his head in disbelief. "I seriously forgot we even had it... damn. Anyway, let's use it on you. I want to see how it works, and more importantly, I want you healed," he said as he reached into his pocket to grab the small pouch. But just as he did—
"Are you certain, Master?" Pride's tone shifted into something steadier and firmer, "That artifact holds considerable value. It could restore your health five times amidst battle. Using it upon me now may be considered an inefficient use of our resources."
Leo paused, his hand halfway out of his pocket, and blinked. Still, he slowly pulled the pouch out. As he did, a small, folded piece of paper slipped out and fell gently to the ground.
He didn't pay attention to the paper at first. Instead, he focused on opening the pouch, retrieving the small green stone nestled inside. Holding it up, he looked at Pride and said, "I don't know what's coming next... or what's even really going on. But you got hurt because of me. And whether it's valuable or not doesn't matter. Compared to the person who saved my life... you're worth far more," he said softly, a small, genuine smile forming on his lips.
Pride looked at him, her eyes locking onto his for a few silent seconds. She didn't speak, but the way she stared said more than words could.
Leo let out a quiet breath. "So... how do we use this thing? Are we supposed to lick it? Or maybe rub it on your wound?"
Pride shook her head, a slight look of amusement in her eyes. "No, Master. The stone must be crushed for its magic to activate," she explained with gentle dignity as she extended her hand to receive it.
Leo placed the glowing green stone into her palm. Pride took a moment, then clenched her fist tightly around it.
Crack.
The stone shattered into a fine, shimmering powder, which immediately began to swirl around her body like a glowing mist. It clung to her skin, flowing over her wounds and seeping into her like magic.
Leo watched in awe as her body slowly lit up in a soft green hue, almost exactly like the glow she had when she first appeared before him. As he stared, the cotton tape wrapped around her back gently peeled off and slipped down to the ground. Her skin was smooth and unblemished again, fully healed.
"Super," Leo whispered with an amazed nod. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and wonder—he looked completely fascinated, almost like a kid seeing magic for the first time.
His face lit up with a mix of amazement and disbelief, that innocent sort of joy that comes when something truly special happens in front of your eyes.
"Pfft... hahah!" Pride suddenly chuckled softly. She covered her mouth but couldn't hold back the laughter. Watching his mesmerised expression, so pure and childlike, made her heart flutter for some reason. He looked... kind of adorable.
Leo's cheeks flushed red as he caught her laughing. "What? I'm just surprised, that's all! It's not like I see this kind of thing every day," he muttered defensively, scratching the back of his head.
But that was when he noticed something he hadn't before—she was smiling.
For the very first time, he saw her genuinely smile.
And it was...
"Beautiful," he whispered, the word slipping out before he even realised it.
"Huh?" Pride stopped laughing, blinking in surprise.
Leo nodded slightly, eyes still on her. "When you smile... it's beautiful," he said in a soft, sincere voice. Then, feeling suddenly awkward, he turned to look away.
As he shifted his foot, he accidentally stepped on something light. He glanced down and noticed the folded piece of paper lying on the ground.
'Did this fall from my pocket?' he thought, frowning slightly. He didn't remember having it there before.
He crouched down, picked up the paper, and stared at it with a puzzled look.
Behind him, Pride still hadn't moved. Her fingers touched her lips, feeling them gently. Her thoughts were scattered.
What did her Master mean exactly?
She pressed her lips together and then pulled at them lightly, trying to understand what he saw... doing strange little motions as if it would reveal the answer.
Meanwhile, Leo unfolded the paper carefully.
His expression suddenly changed. His eyes widened, the colour draining slightly from his face as he read the words written inside: