Leo stood his ground, though his arm was already beginning to protest the weight of the sword.

Holding a cool pose was significantly harder when your triceps were screaming that they hadn't signed up for a gym session mid-kidnapping.

Valeroth's face went through multiple shades, shifting from a pale rage to a vein-popping purple.

"You... a mere ant... dare to threaten me with my son's life?"

'Your son?' Behind the mask, Leo's grin widened.

He knew that the captive was someone important to the Nephilim, but he hadn't expected him to be a prince.

Didn't that mean his bargaining chip had become much stronger in an instant? With that realization, his confidence shot through the roof.

Beside him, Kaelus adjusted his grip on the unconscious young man, accidentally bumping the hostage's head against his knee.

Thud...

"Oops," Kaelus whispered. He quickly shrugged and pretended like nothing had happened, whistling innocently.

Selene, who had been standing nearby like a spectator, watched the scene in silence. Her expression still held some confusion, as if she were trying to puzzle something out.

The only thing she felt relieved about was that her daughter wasn't the one who had been caught.

Valeroth's aura flared, the ground beneath his boots cracking. It looked like smoke was about to come out of his ears.

His stern face even made Leo wonder if the man truly didn't care about his son. 'Should he have kidnapped Lyra after all?'

Fortunately, after a period of silence, everything became clear as Valeroth clenched his fists. Even though he didn't make it obvious, he really did care for his son.

Even though he could likely free his son with ninety-nine percent certainty, that remaining one percent was what held him back.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand, revealing a reinforced glass box containing the Celestial Lotus. "Fine! I will give you what you want! Just release my son!"

He tossed the glass box toward Leo, and it landed right at Leo's feet.

Leo's lips trembled fiercely. 'You fool, I'm trying to sell this thing! Why would I want it back? I would rather have the credits!'

Unfortunately, these words remained in his thoughts, and he didn't utter them out loud.

One thing made him feel a little relieved, though: his bargaining chip was indeed effective. Leo glanced at the glass box containing the Celestial Lotus he had originally offered to the Auction House.

In any case, since it was at his feet, he might as well take advantage of it. After all, the lotus was already sold.

If Valeroth took a lotus that belonged to someone else and gave it away, wouldn't he need to compensate the auction house? In that case, Leo's money was still safe.

Leo reached out his hand and touched the glass box lightly. His storage ring activated, and immediately the Celestial Lotus was brought back where it belonged.

"I have two more demands before I can release your son!" Leo said aloud.

"Don't push it!" Valeroth exclaimed, his fists clenching even tighter. It was as if he really wanted to release his giant form and stomp Leo beneath his feet.

After taking a deep breath, he released the pressure in his fists and asked, "What are those demands? As long as they are reasonable, I'm willing to listen."

"My first demand... a clear passage back to Necropolis for us. After we reach home, we will release your son."

"How can I believe that you will actually release my son?"

"Because we are not warmongers like you, who attack someone without even letting them speak?!" Leo exclaimed, revealing his frustration.

"Unlike you, we have dignity!" he added.

"We do?" Kaelus tilted his head sideways, genuinely confused by Leo's words.

Leo really wanted to smack the back of Kaelus's head, but he ignored the comment.

"Fine! I will hold Necropolis to their word. But just know that if anything happens to my son before he gets back to me..." Valeroth said through clenched teeth.

"Don't worry. You have my personal assurance. Nothing will happen to your son until he is back with you," Leo said, puffing out his chest, unaware of how those words were going to bite him in the back.

"What is your third demand?" Valeroth asked.

"My third demand... I want the person who struck me brought here!" Leo said in an extremely serious manner.

"What?" Valeroth raised a brow. "Why do you want him?"

"Do you want a reason, or do you want a son?" Leo asked in return, his hands genuinely itching to repay the debt of that one strike to the back of his head. Even though he had to leave, he at least wanted to settle the score.

Valeroth's lips twitched as he closed his eyes before shaking his head. "That person has already left. I'm afraid I can't fulfill that request even if I wanted to."

'The heck? That person escaped? Is he serious? Then what about my revenge? I didn't even get to see his face! I have to pay him back at least once! How can he run away when he was so eager to deal with me?'

Leo's expression shifted from shock to anger and back again.

"He probably saw that you kidnapped my son and realized your intentions. In this regard, he is quite clever," Valeroth added, his hands tightly clenched behind his back.

"Fine! Then tell me his identity!" Leo said, his voice growing louder.

"His identity...?" Valeroth went silent. He looked at Selene, who also didn't react. It was as if both of them were hesitant to speak about the identity of the person in question.

This made Leo even more surprised. Just who was this person that even these two didn't want to talk about?

If the person was scared of Valeroth after the kidnapping, it meant he clearly wasn't stronger than Valeroth. But still, the two of them treated him with such caution? It was confusing.

The other reason Leo was certainly that the person wasn't even close to as strong as Valeroth, was because his strike, although managing to pass through the defence of his robe, wasn't enough to knock him out.

He was clearly stronger than an ordinary hero, but didn't appear to be strong enough to play in the bigger field. So why? Why was he able to talk with Valeroth like an equal, and then run away when the situation turned sideways?

"Maybe you should ask Voldred about him... I'm sure he will be more than willing to answer. Just mention his title to Valeroth. We call that person... Traveler."

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