Chapter 57 - Lion’s Roar
Facing these two arrogant pricks with inflated ego, He would not be able to rest easy if he don't teach them a lesson.
Leon forcibly calm his violent urges.
"Mia, cover your ears."
With no questions asked, she obediently did as asked.
"Oi, did you hear what we said? Get lost, commoner!"
He looked at them coldly as he took a deep breath and circulated his energy to his throat to amplify his voice.
"IS THIS HOW THE DUKE'S HOUSEHOLD TREAT THEIR GUESTS? TO INVITE THEM OVER ONLY TO BE SHUNNED AT THE DOOR?" Leon's deafening voice traveled far and wide, shaking the entire mansion and shocking all its inhabitants like a lion's roar. The majesty and power of his voice was to be awed and revered.
Never in their entire life had they heard such a powerful and penetrating voice. No one would ever be able to come close to reproducing the same volume as Leon did.
It sounded incredible, yet it was only one of the more simpler application of energy to a divine practitioner.
The energy refined by a divine practitioner was mystical and had unaccountable number of uses and applications.
This could not be more true for spirit energy, which was the most gentle and malleable type of energy to all life. It could be transformed into practically anything like magic under the right condition and method.
His pseudo-Grandmist energy was slightly different in characteristics as it was heavier, tenacious and overbearing as his voice continued to echo out to the surroundings.
Leon was not giving the Duke's household any face at all with his action. However, he did not care. He had decided to stop being restrained by excessive concerns and live life unfettered like a proud warrior. Be true to his name's meaning, majestic and proud like a lion, the king of the jungle. He would tackle problems as they come.
Thanks to Leon's instruction, Mia was completely safe and sound from his Lion's Roar. However... the same could not be said for the two guards.
"Arghhhh!!!" The two had dropped to the ground rolling, while hugging their ears. They had suffered some damages to their hearing and mild concussion.
They were fortunate that Leon did not directly target them or their eardrums would have bursted.
"Who can tell me what happened here!?" Amelia Lancaster questioned, visibly shaken by the powerful voice. It was powerful enough to rattle the glass windows.
The entire mansion had been alarmed as everyone including the Duke's wife herself came out to assess the situation.
"You should ask your 'good' subordinates about it." Leon scoffed.
Amelia squinted her eyes and scrutinised him carefully. His stature was upright and he had an unyielding and proud disposition. If she wasn't wrong, the powerful voice should have belonged to this young man. But since when did they have such a figure in their kingdom? She sigh. Heroes indeed come from the young.
Rachel in her stunning white dress pushed her way through the crowd of servants.
"What are you doing, Leon? How can you be so rude to my mother?" Rachel frowned. What's wrong with him? Is this his true self or did he have an alter ego or what?
Leon glanced at her with some brief appreciation for her beauty but felt a bit awkward and his unyielding disposition collapsed. He was too agitated before.
He should not have been rude to her mother as they were friends, which made her mother his senior.
"I'm sorry, I should not have been so disrespectful." He apologised sincerely without any excuses. But inwardly reflected on the thought that perhaps he was a bit extreme due to the killing earlier and allowed the dense aura of despair and resentment to affect his state of mind.
"It's fine. Now can you tell me what happened here?" Amelia waved as she did not mind. She was quite open-minded. In her mind, Leon wasn't someone simple and was actually seem very extraordinary on the contrary. She should not bully him while he is young.
Rachel frown finally relaxed and sigh in relief when she saw that he admit his wrong so readily and became cordial. After all, she did not want her mother and Leon to be hostile to one another.
Little did she know that her mother looked him in another light precisely because he wield such disposition.
"What can I say? Your guards told us to get lost even after I stated my name."
"What? There was such a thing?" Amelia expression was stern as she turn towards her guards. "Is that true?"
"Your Grace, what did you say?" Their heads were ringing and did not hear properly.
Her expression darkened immediately. She would not repeat herself.
"Cripple them and throw them away. They do not need come back for work. How dare they treat my guest with such disrespect." Amelia ordered her steward. She had taken Leon's word to be the truth.
"Yes, your Grace." The steward complied and dragged them away.
Even if they were idiots they could tell things were bad for them by her expression.
"Mercy! Your Grace! Mercy! Arghhh!!"
Their painful cries rang out as they were dragged away and crippled.
Evidently, Amelia wasn't as affable as she seemed. It depended on who she interacted with.
All this while, Mia had been silently perched on Leon's shoulder like a canary as the adults do their talking. Rachel had been giving intermittent glances at her.
"Who is this adorable little girl?" Rachel finally couldn't suppress her curiosity anymore and asked. It couldn't be his child, could it? She hoped not.
Leon gave them a recap on Mia's condition and how he met her in the Lower North District. He had skipped over how he had decimated most of the Red Salamander gang.
"Oh heavens! You poor thing. Come, let big sister giving you a hug." Rachel's heart melted as she felt sorrow for the little thing. How could such a thing been happening right next to them without them knowing? She had forgotten they rarely ever visit the Lower District.
Mia's current appearance was that of a healthy clean little girl thanks to the healing pill, wash and new set of clothes.
It was a clear contrast to her previous dirty and sickly look. The difference was like heaven and earth.
Rachel found it hard to believe that the little girl could have undergone such drastic changes in such little time. Even if one were to place the two pictures in front of her, she might not believe it. But there was no reason for Leon to lie.
Mia felt her eyes glisten with tears as she accepted Rachel warm hug. In the end, she was still a 5-6 year old girl, who needed the comfort and love of others.
"Big sister, you are very pretty."
"Oh thank you. You are very sweet. I'm sure you'll grow up to be just as beautiful."
"Really?"
"Really." Rachel couldn't help but squeeze her cute cheeks.
"Hehehe."
Leon was amused seeing this side of Rachel. He guessed that no women could resist the temptation brought by cute things.
Feeling his weird gaze, Rachel flushed with embarrassment.
"Alright, let's talk inside. Everyone can return to what they were doing." Amelia Lancaster gestured.
"What about the guards, Your Grace?" Steward Sebastian asked.
"Find someone else to replace them. I don't want a repeat of what happened today." Amelia paused before continuing ahead.
"Right away, Your Grace."
A Duke's household is on a whole different level sure enough, Leon thought while looking at the receding crowd. Everyone of them was an awakener.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go." She hurried him, while carrying Mia in her arms.
"You're lucky the one you met today was my mother and not my father. My father isn't as easy going. If you said the same thing to my father, he would have you..." Rachel finished off with a threatening throat slicing gesture with her free hand.
Leon smiled and walked on ahead, paying no heed to her warning.
She stomped the ground in annoyance. She was just warning him out of goodwill. Does he not care about his own life? Her chest heaved up and down.
If he doesn't care then she wouldn't care either. Hmph! Why did she have to worry about him so much? Rachel threw her tantrum silently.
They entered the Lancaster Mansion and gathered around in the parlour. The servants tended to their own various work around the Mansion.
"Leave, I wish to talk to your friend privately." Amelia said to Rachel.
"Yes, mother." Rachel answered before turning to Mia with a smile. "Let's go, big sister will take you around to play and eat."
Mia didn't answer her immediately and stared at Leon and waited for his cue.
"Go on, she would definitely have nice things for you to eat. You must take advantage of that." He smiled.
His words made Rachel speechless.
Although Rachel was nice and warm to Mia, she was still more reliant on Leon.
Leon sat opposite of Amelia after the two left.
"Alright, what would you like to talk about?" Leon cut to the chase. His tone was neither servile nor overbearing.
He does not know the Crawford noble etiquettes nor was he a subordinate of hers. He neither cared nor required to address her as 'your grace' like everyone else.. He wasn't willing to lower himself below others.