Leon told Aiden he got the highest rank and was in the top five strongest Protectors.

  Aiden stopped walking for a second. “You’re joking.”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  Aiden wasn’t sure what was more shocking—the fact that Leon was one of the strongest, or the fact that he never acted like it. Every noble he had ever met who had power funted it. Yet Leon… didn’t seem to care.

  Trying to process it, Aiden asked, “So what exactly is your power?”

  Leon lifted his hand, and in an instant, a glowing sword of pure energy formed in his grip. “I can create weapons out of raw energy. Anything I imagine, I can make.” He spun the sword once before letting it dissolve into nothing.

  Aiden stared. That was—

  Leon gnced at him. “And you?”

  Aiden hesitated before answering. “I… don’t fully understand my power yet. But from what I do know, when I touch someone, I can transfer my pain to them.”

  Leon narrowed his eyes. “That’s… interesting.”

  Aiden looked away. “Not really. It’s not as strong as your ability.”

  “Strength isn’t just about raw power,” Leon said simply. “It’s about how you use what you have.”

  Aiden didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if he agreed.

  Leon studied him for a moment before casually asking, “So, what’s your story? What do you want to do now that you’re here?”

  Aiden hesitated. He usually hated talking about this. But… there was no one else in the hall. And for some reason, Leon felt trustworthy.

  So, in a low voice, he said, “I was abandoned by my family. I’ve suffered every day since. And now… I want revenge. I want them to feel the pain they put me through.”

  Leon was silent.

  Aiden hadn’t even realized his voice had gotten angrier as he spoke. His hands had curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

  Leon finally sighed. “Sounds rough.”

  Aiden blinked, expecting more.

  Then Leon turned to him and grinned. “Guess I’ll have to make sure you get strong enough to do what you need to do, huh?”

  Aiden stared at him.

  Leon wasn’t telling him to let go of his anger. He wasn’t telling him that revenge was meaningless.

  Instead, he was saying, I’ll help you get stronger.

  Aiden exhaled. “…Thanks.”

  Leon just smirked and kept walking.