Chapter 87 The Game Is On

Lexus glared at Leonardo's receding back with malice in his eyes. Leonardo dared blaspheme against his deity, which was unacceptable to Lexus.

Even if what Leonardo said is true, Lexus still believed that Leonardo was overestimating himself and those so-called tigers. After all, they were all mere mortals, what can mortals do in the face of a Goddess?

Lexus didn't know that the will of a planet was also bound by the world barrier and its laws. It can't directly interfere with the happenings on the planet or the conflict between the mortals, it could only act in cases of instinctive retaliation to imminent peril.

However, it can't be helped.

Blind faith had always been synonymous with madness in the books of history, and this is a prime example of why.

Only after Leonardo disappeared past the white ring of clouds did everyone realize that he hadn't explained how he'd handle the five agendas and the encroaching danger they represented…

…

Leonardo silently accompanied Juvia and Princess Veronica down the long staircase.

He silently thought to himself about how to explain this unexpected development to that petite woman. Even now, Leonardo was oblivious to her name, and he planned to keep it that way until she took the initiative to tell him.

The conversation from back then in the Exiled Paradise surfaced in his mind; she never thought of him as someone worthy to know her name. In fact, she believed that information to be redundant as their relationship was nothing short of a transaction.

Each gets what he wants, and then they part ways.

Hence, Leonardo instructed Pandora to keep silent about anything regarding House Hestia, she mustn't mention anything at all. Inside his spatial ring was a specific talisman linked to the teleportation portal in Nier's private residence on a floating island in the higher realms.

This was Leonardo's one-way ticket back. No matter when or where, as long as he was in the middle realms, this talisman would open a passage through the spatial nodes that would pierce the world barrier and allow Leonardo safe passage to the higher realms.

Luckily, the volume of the passage is enough to allow Leonardo and his company of Pandora, Juvia, Leona, and Kieran to ascend the world barrier together. First thing first, Leona and Kieran must make it into sainthood.

Since both of them are showing signs of a foundational framework of innate martial intents, achieving sainthood is but a matter of accumulating energy. However, due to their divine constitutions, accumulating energy to satiate their flesh, blood, bones, and meridians would consume quite the amount of time, especially if they're aiming to balance out their energies lest any deviations occur, resulting in an unfortunate detonation.

In other words, a painless death.

Thus, everyone is supervising the slow and steady growth of the two children to avoid any mishaps. This is also one of the reasons why Aria began to stick closer to Leona and Kieran instead of clinging to Leonardo as usual.

It just can't be helped, Aria convinced herself that by keeping the children safe, she'd score multiple affection points in Leonardo's books.

Since Leonardo was silent the whole way, Juvia didn't find it suitable to breach the silence on her own initiative. As for Princess Veronica, she too was muddled with complex thoughts about her past, present, and unpredictable future.

Before too long, Leonardo and Juvia were escorted into one of the lavish bedroom chambers. Once inside the room, Leonardo subconsciously walked over to a nearby sofa to sit, Juvia dutifully following behind him to massage his stiff shoulders.

After sorting out his thoughts, possible variables, and rational calculations on how to proceed forward, Leonardo exhaled a breath of turbid air before leaning comfortably into the soft texture of the sofa.

A trace of resolute determination flashed through his midnight-black eyes.

As he indulged in the sensation of Juvia's delicate fingers kneading his shoulders, neck, and cranium evenly, Leonardo closed his eyes.

"How positive are you that the Elven Royal Family will send down hunters to investigate your traces?"

"If things go as expected, they should be in Valdmor as we speak," Juvia answered after giving the matter some thought.

"What is your plan?" She inquired with a trace of bewilderment.

"Isn't it obvious?" Leonardo groaned lightly, "I want them to encounter Xavier in Valdmor. Five out of the six evildoers that disgraced your noble warriors have been arrested, the only one to escape is currently having some deals with the various human factions. Jeff already told me about these secret meetings, and it won't be long before the hunters deviate from their original investigation and notice his presence."

"According to Jeff, Xavier is a smart and steady person, the chances of conflict escalating between the two sides are minuscule. In fact, I believe that Xavier will use his background and the reinforcements on their way as leverage to work hand in hand with the Elven Royal Family to hunt us down."

Juvia nodded in understanding, but then she asked, "Why are you so sure that he will work together with my family? What if he doesn't?"

"Impossible," Leonardo shook his head, "Xavier doesn't have any other choice. After tonight, the factions he's trying to pull from the Human Domain will withdraw from this fierce battle between two factions beyond the scope of their comprehension. Humans don't care about disgrace and face, they're a profit-driven species."

"But the elves are different!" Juvia interjected, "To them, a former princess becoming someone's follower is a disgrace, a stain that must be cleansed at all cost, so they would rather hunt me down while they still can!"

"Exactly," Leonardo nodded lightly.

"If Xavier could convince them that he didn't indulge in any acts that disgraced the elves, and offered them enough sincerity and support to hunt me down while they focus on getting you back, they will find a common ground to stand on. Especially Xavier, with his forces wiped out, his only option is to rally the support of native forces."

"House Erudite is driven by their blind faith while the Elven Royal Family is driven by their blind sense of nobility. They are both easily manipulated forces due to their one-dimensional natures. Since I've already cut off Xavier's means of establishing a foothold in the Human Domain, his only option now is to establish a foothold in the Elven Domain."

"Then, what should we do now?" Juvia went around the sofa and plopped on Leonardo's lap, her delicate fingers tracing shapes across his chest.

"What else can we do now? Absolutely nothing but wait," Leonardo rolled his eyes, pecking Juvia on the lips lightly before sighing.

"The game is already on, the rules are set, and we can do nothing but wait for the developments. For now, we can only bunker down in Grace Imperial City, fortify the defenses, and work on your and Pandora's cultivation."

Leonardo smacked Juvia's plump rear, clutching at her tight and supple flesh with a flat smile on his face, "I can only rely on you two to make it to the second-cycle of sainthood as soon as possible, otherwise we'd really be done for when the time comes."

Since Leonardo can't wantonly embark on military campaigns now, he wouldn't be able to progress his bloodthirsty martial intent. As for advancing his cultivation base? That's even more of a joke.

Luckily, Pandora and Juvia are both reliable. Furthermore, there was a powerful thunderforce intent slumbering within his cells on the verge of eruption. It is but a matter of time.

Juvia gasped in surprise from the sudden spank to her rear, her heart skipping a beat as a lascivious yet bashful smile decorated her face.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Licking her lips, she lunged forward and joined her lips to Leonardo's, already feeling the heat in her abdomen and the nectar leaking through her thick folds below.

Of course, Leonardo wouldn't disappoint her as matters have already progressed to this point.

He hurled her up into his arms, entangling his tongue with her own as the young businessman carried the elf in heat onto the massive bed, their mature figures intertwined behind the curtains of the silky canopy.

"Ah!"

Juvia's sweet moan reverberated through the room along with the shuffling of clothes. From the cracks in the curtains, one piece of clothing after another were tossed outside.

Eventually, Leonardo embraced Juvia's naked, pale body.

Her massive breasts deformed out of shape against his chest, her colorless nails etching long scars across his back. Throwing her head back, she let out a heart stirring moan as Leonardo's erection pierced through her wet folds.

Leonardo groaned in absolute pleasure before locking his lips and teeth onto Juvia's exposed collarbone, forcibly silencing himself as the overwhelming pleasure racked his senses.

"Fuck… harder! Faster! Have no mercy!" Juvia cried out without thinking as Leonardo's pace increased and increased even further.

Pain and delight intertwined as her walls clenched him and her nails marred his skin, steering the pair into a direction of animalistic, primal sex. For the remainder of the night, the bed didn't cease bouncing, and the walls barely contained Juvia's sharp, high pitched moans and unrestrained tongue of vulgarities.

Outside the bedroom chamber, two innocent maids stood uncomfortably. Their hearts akin to wild deers in the open fields, not knowing how to spend their night waiting on Prince Leonardo and his attendant…