Seeing Leon innocently singing the anthem, she forced herself to join back in, though she absolutely couldn't make direct eye contact with him anymore.

This was too sudden. Such a big move on his part.

However, she'd been developing genuine feelings for Leon, so she didn't protest or pull away.

I want this. I want him to hold my hand.

They maintained their hand-holding throughout the entire remainder of the song, their grip never wavering.

After the anthem finally ended, everyone raised their ceremonial glasses together in a unified toast:

"TO PYRRHA! TO SURVIVAL! TO STRENGTH!"

CLINK! DRINK!

And then the feast officially began in earnest.

Leon moved through the celebration with Ira, still holding her hand continuously. She hadn't said anything to suggest he should stop, and he could feel her grip was mutual—she was holding him just as firmly as he held her.

Though she does seem notably more shy than usual. That's endearing.

The drink they'd been given, Leon discovered through tasting, was definitely alcoholic—quite potent, actually.

Strong. Very strong.

However, the intoxicating effect lasted only a millisecond before being naturally purified and neutralized by his enhanced Divinordial physiology, or it could be his all elemental affinity.

No effect on me whatsoever.

The monster meat turned out to be genuinely delicious, which surprised Leon considerably. He'd been skeptical initially, having learned that monster flesh was typically inedible due to its corrupted, impure mana contamination.

But their special fire somehow purifies it during cooking. Makes it safe and actually enhances the flavor.

The meat had been seasoned with salt and various other spices he couldn't identify, but the combination tasted remarkably good—rich, savory, with complex undertones.

This is actually excellent cuisine.

He ate substantial quantities, enjoying the exotic flavors.

From time to time during his eating, Leon received subtle system notifications indicating his maximum mana capacity was increasing slightly—not dramatically, but measurably.

The purified monster meat actually provides permanent stat increases. Valuable.

They continued drinking moderately between bites of food.

Some Pyrrhans had begun dancing in coordinated groups, moving to the rhythm of the ongoing music.

STOMP! SPIN!DANCE!

Leon decided spontaneously to take Ira along with him to join the dancers.

"Come. Let's dance."

PULL! LEAD!

It was even more adorable seeing how red her face became during the entire experience, her cheeks flushed deeply.

She's embarrassed but happy. I can tell.

Still, she maintained a faint, genuine smile on her face the entire time, clearly enjoying herself despite the self-consciousness.

The traditional dance was relatively simple in structure: one hand remained intertwined with your partner's while the other rested on their waist, and you moved together fluidly to the rhythm of the music.

SWAY! TURN! STEP! FLOW!

Leon found the dance pleasant and intimate without being overly complex.

From the top level of the arena, faint laughter could suddenly be heard echoing down, along with a distinctly masculine grunt of disapproval, too far be heard by the celebration going down.

HAHA! GRUNT!

The person laughing was Archon Vyrra, clearly amused by something. The one grunting in obvious displeasure was Korvek—Ira's father—who was currently holding a massive jar of strong drink and gulping it down steadily.

GULP! GULP! GULP!

Both their eyes were fixed on Leon and Ira, who were dancing together like an obvious romantic couple below.

Archon Vyrra commented aloud—ostensibly to empty air, but her voice was deliberately loud enough to easily reach Korvek, who was sitting several meters away from her:

"Our Ira is so lucky! Haha! What a fine match!"

Her tone was genuinely pleased and approving.

To which Korvek grunted even harder, his displeasure palpable:

"Let me drink in peace, sister-in-law. I don't want to hear anything about this right now."

His voice carried profound frustration.

Archon Vyrra only laughed harder, completely unconcerned about the fact that he'd dropped all honorifics in his irritation.

He's suffering seeing his daughter, Ira, loving the outsider. But he'll accept it eventually.

Despite whatever her brother-in-law was going through right now, Vyrra was really loving this all. She had thought she had to do something, make a plan to set them up together; however, everything happened so naturally without her intervention. She just loves this.

Leon and Ira had eventually drifted away from the crowded main celebration area out of the arena, finding a quieter section with multiple benches arranged throughout—some sort of contemplation garden or rest area.

They were now sitting together on one such bench, still holding each other's hands naturally.

This feels right. Comfortable.

Leon looked directly into her eyes. She seemed considerably less shy now than before, having gradually adjusted to the intimacy.

He said with deliberate mischief in his tone:

"Ira, are you not going to release my hand? You're gripping it so passionately now."

His words were teasing, testing her reaction.

Ira, hearing his unexpected statement, stuttered in sudden panic:

"W-what?! I'm not—"

She immediately began trying to pull her hand away, genuinely worried she'd been too forward or clingy, but by now, in her hand, they were not just simple stranger no more.

He wants me to let go? But it felt so good holding hands with him—

However, Leon was smiling as he deliberately tightened his grip, preventing her escape.

GRIP! HOLD!

She couldn't pull away at all against his strength, which was just her own mental wall, as Leon was currently weaker than her; if she tried, she could easily take her hand away.

Leon decided to shift the conversation, bringing her attention to something else he'd been genuinely curious about for quite a while now.

"Ira, what are they doing exactly? I've been observing that strange phenomenon for some time."

He gestured subtly with his free hand toward one of the other nearby benches where a Pyrrhan couple was sitting together.

POINT!

Both their hands were intertwined intimately, similar to how Leon and Ira were holding hands, but only one. But there was something distinctly different happening with this pair—a strange red glowing hue surrounded both their bodies, pulsing rhythmically.

GLOW! PULSE! SHIMMER!

Above them hovered a peculiar flame that appeared to be a mixture of both their individual special fires, swirling together in patterns that seemed almost alive. The flame contained an otherworldly strangeness, colors shifting and blending in ways that defied normal fire behavior.

SWIRL! MERGE! DANCE!

The couple themselves weren't even consciously focusing on maintaining this phenomenon—it seemed to be occurring naturally, autonomously, as they sat together in intimate stillness, seemingly lost in each other.

What is that energy? It's not just their normal racial fire. Something deeper.

This wasn't the first time Leon had witnessed this particular phenomenon. He'd actually seen it quite frequently throughout the festival—multiple couples exhibiting the same glowing aura and merged flame manifestation.

But I never asked about it because I was too preoccupied enjoying the celebration together with her.

Now, his analytical curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.

Hearing his innocent question, Ira's words caught abruptly in her throat.

GULP!

She remained completely silent for an extended, awkward moment—several seconds that stretched uncomfortably.

Why is she hesitating so much? Is this taboo to discuss?

Finally, she replied in an extremely meek voice, barely louder than a whisper:

"They are... they are making love."

Her words were so quiet Leon almost didn't hear them over the distant festival music.

WHISPER...

Leon immediately understood the full meaning and cultural implication of her words.

Oh. OH. That's what that represents; they really are a different race. The merging of their fires is... intimate. Very intimate.

Meanwhile, Ira's internal mind was absolutely screaming in mortified panic:

WHAAAAT?! Why did he ask me THAT?! Of all the questions! Does he understand what he's asking?! Does he know what it means that we're sitting here alone holding hands like this?! Is he—does he want—NO! Focus! Don't think about it! Ahhhhhh!

Her face had turned an even deeper shade of crimson than normal, visible even against her naturally red Pyrrhan skin.

FLUSH! BURN!

She couldn't bring herself to look at Leon's face at all, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground between her feet.

I can't believe I just said that out loud to him!

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