Leonis noticed that her fingers remained around his wrist for a few seconds longer than necessary.
At that exact moment, Rhea’s phone made a sound, and the girl pulled her hand back and turned on the screen.
The change in her expression was immediate. Her lips pressed together, and her eyes remained fixed on the message for a few seconds.
Then, she turned off her phone.
He noticed every detail.
"Rhea, is it your family again?"
She raised her head.
"What?"
"For the past few days, your expression has changed every time you receive a message."
"It’s none of your business."
Her answer came too quickly, and Leonis looked at her for a few moments.
"Maybe you’re right, but if something is wrong, you can tell me."
Rhea frowned.
"I said nothing is wrong!"
"And I’ve accepted your answer every time, but today, you couldn’t even focus on training."
"Why should I explain everything to you?!" The girl raised her voice this time. "Some problems have nothing to do with you, Leonis!"
The training ground fell silent for a moment. Leonis didn’t get angry or raise his voice. He simply kept looking at the girl’s face.
"That’s true. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to."
Rhea paused for a moment, but before she could say anything, he continued.
"But that doesn’t mean you can take your anger out on me just because you’re angry about something else."
The girl clenched her fingers into fists.
"You don’t understand at all! Some problems can’t be solved just by getting stronger or making a decision!"
This time, Leonis’s smile completely disappeared.
"Maybe, but I don’t even know what your problem is. I can’t solve something you’re hiding from me."
"Then don’t solve it!" Her voice trembled for a moment. "I never asked you for help!"
The silence between them lasted for a long time. Leonis could see the pressure and confusion in the girl’s eyes, but insisting in this situation would lead nowhere.
Rhea wasn’t ready to talk, and he didn’t have enough information to understand the truth. On the contrary, if he continued, he might only make things worse.
For the past few days, this girl’s mind had been somewhere else, and the situation was only getting worse.
So, he simply nodded.
"Okay."
Rhea looked at him.
"What?"
Leonis picked up his training sword.
"Whenever you want to talk, you know where to find me."
Without another explanation, he walked past her.
She remained where she was for a moment.
The sound of his footsteps echoed across the quiet training ground.
The girl lowered her head and looked at her turned-off phone again, her fingers tightening around it.
"Leonis..."
She said his name very softly, but when she raised her head, the boy had almost reached the exit of the training ground.
Rhea took one step forward... then stopped. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
How could she explain the truth?
How could she say something her mother had warned her for years to keep hidden?
In the end, she could only lower her head.
"Idiot..." she whispered.
But this time, it was unclear whether she meant Leonis or herself.
That night, Leonis sat in his private room. His sword was placed on the table, and the System panel was open in front of his eyes.
However, his eyes weren’t fixed on the stats. He was thinking about Rhea’s behavior over the past few days.
The secretive messages, the sudden changes in her expression, her lack of sleep, and the sharp reaction she had shown today were all different from the usual worries about an exam.
In terms of strength and student rank, she had no reason to fear her classmates.
So, the problem was related to her life outside the academy. And if this assumption was correct, the most likely cause was her family.
But what could be happening in her family that would leave her this troubled?
"Could it have something to do with why a demon family is living in our world?"
Leonis slowly placed his fingers on the table. He knew Rhea’s true identity, but the girl still didn’t know that he was aware of it.
If he revealed the truth now, it would probably not only fail to solve the problem but also create new questions.
How had he found out?
How long had he known?
And why hadn’t he said anything until now?
There was no need for such a conversation yet.
"When I don’t have enough information, taking action isn’t necessarily the best decision."
He shifted his attention to tomorrow’s exam.
His stats were much higher than those of most exam candidates.
However, he had no intention of showing all his power. At the same time, he had no intention of hiding it completely either. Although showing his strength might inevitably cause some problems, only a fool would hide all their power.
The importance of the exam wasn’t limited to obtaining an Exorcist License.
If he achieved a good rank, he would probably gain access to more valuable resources and missions in the future.
However, showing all his abilities without a good reason could also attract the attention of the wrong people.
Therefore, the decision was simple.
Get the best results while revealing as little of his power as possible. He was confident that by showing a reasonable level of strength, he could still secure first place.
Tomorrow would be his first real test, and unlike most students, who were probably too excited to sleep right now, he was thinking about only one thing.
How could he gain the greatest benefit from this opportunity?
On the morning of the exam, Avalon Academy’s large amphitheater was filled with students.
Hundreds of candidates from the regular track were sitting in their assigned seats, and the sound of their conversations filled the hall.
Some excitedly talked about the skills they planned to show, while others looked at their weapons with pale faces, as if they had only just realized that they would be using them to kill real creatures.
All the candidates were Level One. None of them had ever hunted a real Fallen creature before.
Of course, this didn’t mean their strength was equal.
Some students had been born with powerful Talents, some had trained under professional instructors since childhood, and others had access to better equipment and higher-quality skills thanks to their families’ resources.
But they all had one thing in common.
Today would be the first time they could face a creature that genuinely wanted to kill them.
Leonis entered the hall with calm steps.
Unlike most candidates, there was no particular excitement or nervousness on his face. He had already decided on his initial plan, and now he was more interested in examining the surroundings and observing the students’ behavior.
His gaze briefly moved across the exits, the officials’ seats, and the large screens above the platform before he headed toward the attendance registration area.
"I can’t believe he actually came too."
Leonis heard one of the students say.
"The last Habsburg? I heard he’s Level 1."
"We’re all Level One, idiot. The problem is that his Talent is Rank F."
Several people laughed.
Leonis didn’t even look at them.
In his mind, people who needed to mock others to prove their own superiority were usually not worth much attention.
However, before he reached the attendance registration area, a boy with black hair and amber eyes stepped in front of him. He was wearing the regular uniform and had a long spear on his back.
His smile looked a little too friendly.
"The last Habsburg."
Leonis stopped, and the boy glanced at his sword.
"I heard James nearly destroyed you. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d have the courage to enter the exam again after what happened."
Leonis briefly looked at his face.
"Nearly?"
The boy raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just thought that someone who had gathered so much information about me would at least have a more accurate report."
The boy’s smile faded slightly, and Leonis walked past him without waiting for a reply.
"Hey, wait!"
But he didn’t stop, and the boy gritted his teeth in anger.
"This bastard..."
"Marcus."
A calm voice came from behind him, and Marcus Vane turned around.
A boy with light silver hair and blue eyes was standing a few steps away. A long sword hung at his waist, and unlike Marcus, there wasn’t the slightest sign of anger on his face.
Kaelen.
Another well-known student in the regular division.
"You don’t need to waste your time on him." He looked at Leonis as the latter walked away. "If he’s really weak, the exam will show it."
Marcus laughed mockingly.
"You’re taking this too seriously. James already broke his Core. Even if that old woman repaired it, I don’t think he can compete with us."
Kaelen gave him a cold look.
"Lady Evernight."
Marcus paused.
"What?"
"If you still want to be in one piece after the exam, you’d better speak respectfully about her."
Marcus fell silent for a moment, then shrugged.
"Fine, fine."
Kaelen looked at Leonis again. Since arriving at Avalon, he had heard a lot about the last heir of the Habsburg Family.
Weak Talent, a broken engagement, a humiliating duel, and a Core that James had shattered during that same duel.
But the behavior of the boy he had just seen didn’t match that image. There had been neither blind anger nor fear in his eyes.
Strange.
He calmly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Someone who has come close to death usually doesn’t act this calmly around the subordinate of the person who put him in that condition."
Perhaps the rumors weren’t the whole truth.
A few minutes later, a short bell rang through the hall. The conversations gradually died down, and a young woman appeared on the central platform.
Her long black hair was neatly tied behind her head, and the dark formal uniform of the student council gave her an authoritative, almost military appearance.
Although her waist was especially slim, she had a well-shaped figure and a prominent butt that her uniform made even more noticeable. Almost every movement she made drew the attention of those around her.
Her gray eyes moved across the crowd without any hurry.
She didn’t even raise her voice.
Even so, her presence was enough to silence the last few whispers.
Celine Ardent.
The president of Avalon Academy’s Student Council.