My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"This..." Leon snapped back to reality as the fairy completely vanished from his sight.

The shock on his handsome face, however, lingered.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"She called me the Fated One... Does that mean she knows who I am?" Leon wondered inwardly, still in disbelief.

Although he had made his presence known to the entire hidden race, most had never seen him in person. Stay updated via empire

Additionally, he was disguising his appearance and aura, making it difficult for even those who knew him to recognize him.

Then how did the fairy recognize his true identity? Was it because of the fortune-telling ritual earlier?

Leon racked his brain, but no matter how hard he tried, the answer eluded him.

"Leon, are you alright?" Athena's concerned voice cut through his thoughts, pulling him from his confusion.

"Sorry for worrying you, Athena. I'm fine," Leon responded softly, shaking his head.

Athena's brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't press the matter and merely nodded.

Meanwhile, Elina, who had been silent up until now, regarded Leon with a newfound admiration.

"Sir, earlier... did you communicate with the fairy?" Elina asked, her fingers nervously intertwining.

"Yes, I did," Leon answered with a slow nod, then added with hesitation, "Is there a problem with that?"

Elina fell silent for a moment, her expression shifting from playful to serious as she spoke. "Sir, did you know that the fairy race is incredibly arrogant? Especially that one. She has an indifferent and aloof nature toward everyone around her. In fact, even though I've been friends with her for a long time, we rarely exchange words—only on certain occasions."

"So..." Elina paused, her gaze narrowing as she studied Leon carefully. "There must be something special about you that caught her attention."

Though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what that "something" was, she had a strong suspicion. After all, she knew the fairy's nature well—indifferent, aloof, and detached.

Leon was slightly taken aback by Elina's insight, and admiration glimmered in his eyes as he looked at her.

Despite her small, childlike appearance, Elina was sharp, observant, and clever—qualities that earned her his respect.

With a small nod, Leon chuckled lightly and replied, "Yes, you're right, Elina. There is something special about me that caught her interest. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what it is. My apologies."

Considering that Elina was both an elf and the younger sister of the current leader of the elves, Leon had no intention of revealing his identity as "The Fated One."

His decision was not without reason. He didn't want to involve the hidden races yet, especially before settling his own affairs.

Moreover, he was unsure of their attitudes or feelings toward him. Seven thousand years had passed since they isolated themselves from the world, and the seeds of rebellion or betrayal could have grown into something far more dangerous.

Therefore, caution was crucial. Every detail needed to be meticulously planned before he could meet with them.

Though Athena said nothing, she silently nodded in agreement with Leon's decision.

Her ancestor had once warned her that the hidden races were not fully loyal to the foretold figure—the Fated One.

Some among them harbored rebellious intentions, and the worst-case scenario involved attempts to suppress or even kill the Fated One—who, of course, was Leon himself. For this reason, being vigilant was essential for Leon.

Elina pursed her lips, remaining silent, only letting out a soft sigh.

Initially, she had intended to ask Leon what made him so special that the fairy was drawn to him. However, Leon's earlier words had completely dissuaded her, and she would have felt embarrassed to press him further.

"Well," Elina said, glancing at the two golden papers on the table. She quickly shifted the topic, "Would you like me to read the results of the fortune-telling?"

"Of course, please go ahead," Leon replied, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Although he tried to appear calm, his unease was clearly evident on his face.

Elina nodded slightly and carefully unfolded the two golden papers.

As she read their contents, her brow furrowed, and an expression of astonishment spread across her round, chubby face.

"This... how is this possible?" Her mouth opened and closed as she held the golden papers, her hands trembling.

Noticing her strange reaction, Leon's nervousness intensified, but he fought to keep his expression composed.

"How did it go, Elina? Is it good or bad?" Leon asked, his teeth slightly clenched.

Athena, too, appeared tense, her hands tightly interwoven as she anxiously looked at Elina.

Elina bit her lower lip and glanced at Leon, shaking her head slightly.

"The results are neither good nor bad, because both papers are completely blank," Elina replied, turning the two papers toward them.

Leon and Athena stared at the papers, which should have contained the fortune-telling results, now empty except for a large, pitch-black circle.

"How did this happen?" Leon was stunned, staring at Elina in bewilderment.

"I don't know either. This is the first time I've encountered something like this," Elina replied, her expression filled with difficulty.

She eyed Leon with suspicion and added, "However, I have a bold theory: Your future has deviated from its original path and is now heading in an unpredictable direction. It's possible that a powerful figure is influencing it, but I'm skeptical—only a being with the power of a god or greater could cause such a shift."

Although most of humanity worshiped the gods, their belief was often weak, and many doubted their true existence. In contrast, Elina and the rest of the elven race were certain that the gods were real.

However, they did not view the gods as great or honorable, but rather as evil entities. This belief stemmed from historical records of a god descending to the world, causing chaos and inflicting severe damage on the World Tree, their sacred tree.

As Elina recalled the god's terrible deeds, as written in the ancient texts in the elven palace library, she clenched her hands into fists, her expression darkened with hatred.

Leon, unaware of the shift in Elina's emotions, processed her words—"only a being with the power of a god or greater could cause such a shift"—and an unsettling thought crossed his mind.

"Could that middle-aged man named Nolan be the culprit?" Leon silently wondered, his heart pounding with the possibility.

The mysterious white-haired, middle-aged man with a blindfold covering both eyes was an enigma. Not only did he possess extraordinary strength, but his power was beyond Leon's comprehension. Even after regaining his full strength and earning the recognition of the Great Sword of Chaos, Leon could still sense a faint yet dangerous aura emanating from the man.

If what Elina said was true, Leon was certain that the middle-aged man was the one responsible.

"But what could his purpose be? And how did such a powerful figure manage to interfere with my life?" Leon pondered, his mind clouded with confusion.

Instead of answers, however, a sudden sharp pain and dizziness overwhelmed his head.

"Don't dwell on it, Leon. Elina is just speculating, and she might have made a mistake."

Athena's soothing voice reached him, causing Leon to sigh softly and nod slightly.

"You're right, Athena," Leon replied with a wry smile. He then turned to Elina and said, "Well then, we'll be on our way, Elina."

With that, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a heavy coin pouch. Anyone who saw it would immediately recognize it as containing a substantial amount of coins.

"This is your payment, as promised," Leon added softly, handing the pouch to Elina.

Elina's eyes brightened at the sight of the pouch, but as she remembered the vague results of the fortune-telling, her expression dimmed once more.

With a downcast gaze, she shook her head, biting her lower lip. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't accept your payment. The results of the fortune-telling were unclear, and I can't even explain them. As per our agreement, I have no right to it."

Though she tried to hide her feelings, Leon could see the sadness and distress on her face.

Leon chuckled softly, about to speak, but was quickly interrupted by Athena sitting beside him.

"Since Leon wants to give it to you, you should accept it," Athena said casually.

She took the pouch from Leon's hand and gently placed Elina's right hand on top of it.

Elina froze, startled by Athena's unexpected action, and immediately shook her head to decline. Before she could protest, however, Athena's cold voice cut through the air.

"If you're still being stubborn, don't blame me for using force," Athena warned, her eyes flashing with a chilling intensity.

Elina shivered at the sight of Athena's gaze—especially recalling the terrifying aura she had released earlier.

"I—I'll take it," Elina stammered, nervously holding the pouch.

The cold gleam in Athena's eyes softened, and she gave a satisfied nod, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

She had done it on purpose, making sure Leon wouldn't try to persuade Elina too kindly, which could have caused unnecessary complications—like the elf girl developing feelings for him.

Leon chuckled but said nothing. Though he didn't fully understand why Athena was acting that way, he could feel an undeniable aura of jealousy radiating from her.

"Women are really troublesome," Leon muttered helplessly.

Afterward, Leon quickly stood up, followed by Athena.

"Then, we'll be going first, Elina," Leon said with a slight nod.

Elina hurriedly rose, her expression a mix of relief and sadness, and softly replied, "Um! Thank you for coming to my place."

"You're welcome," Leon answered casually.

Without another word, Leon and Athena turned and left.

As their figures disappeared from sight, Elina felt an unexpected sense of loneliness.

"Huh..." She sighed deeply, quickly tidied up her place, and then sat down to check the pouch.

"This pouch is so heavy... how many silver coins are in it?" Elina swallowed nervously.

One gold coin was equivalent to one hundred silver coins, meaning that with five gold coins, she had five hundred silver coins!

Her heart raced, and a joyful smile spread across her face.

"That's amazing! I won't go hungry for the next six months!" Elina cheered with relief.

She eagerly pulled the string to open the pouch, but when her eyes fell on the contents, her expression froze in disbelief.

"These... these... these aren't silver coins... they're gold coins!?"