"Are you Lumine's friends? Hello, everyone. You've worked hard taking care of my girl all this time. Don't be nervous—I'm not a bad person."
Leon said this with a smile.
There is no mask in the world more deceptive than a smile. For someone with decent looks, simply lifting the corners of their lips slightly is enough to make most people subconsciously believe they are a good person.
And if one were to judge character by a smile alone, then Leon was undoubtedly the finest "good man" in the world.
He looked at Lumine and her friends with a flawless smile, and with his sincere tone, he immediately lowered their psychological defenses.
"Lumine, why don't you introduce your friends to me?"
Leon raised his hand and gently patted Lumine's head. It had been a long time since he had last seen her, and he did miss her a little. Still, seeing that she was as adorable as ever put him at ease.
"Okay, let me introduce them. First of all, this is Nilou, the best dancer in the nation of Sumeru. She's scheduled to perform at the festival."
"Hello, Prince of Palettia."
The red-haired dancer spoke nervously.
Although what Lumine said about her being the best dancer in Sumeru was true, it also made Nilou feel a little embarrassed.
"Well then, hello. I look forward to seeing Miss Nilou's dance at the festival."
Leon looked at the dancer.
Wearing a black-and-gold headdress, a blue-and-white turban, and bold yet stylish dance attire, she exuded an exotic charm.
What kind of dance such a beautiful girl would perform was truly something worth anticipating.
"This is Miss Dunyarzad, and that is Dehya, her bodyguard. She's a powerful warrior known as the 'Flame-Mane.'"
"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of the Kingdom of Palettia. I've heard many rumors about you. Though my title of 'Flame-Mane' is well known, I'm still far behind you, the Dragon Slayer. If given the opportunity, I would like to seek guidance from Your Highness."
"Haha, I like you. I'm always willing to teach."
Leon smiled lightly.
Looking at this warrior with long black-and-gold hair, it was easy to see that she was the bold, cheerful type of heroine many men admired.
As for teaching—while she certainly possessed considerable skill, Leon was on an entirely different level.
That said, Leon now valued a person's convictions more than their raw strength.
After all, no matter how strong she was, she could never defeat him.
"But this young lady, Dunyarzad, seems to be in poor health."
"Well, she suffers from a very strange chronic illness called Eleazar. This disease only exists in the Sumeru region. Your Highness, could you take a look?"
"Alright."
Dunyarzad and Dehya were still somewhat hesitant.
However, after hearing Lumine mention that Leon had established a new medical field—Magical Medicine—they both showed clear surprise.
"Then please, we'll trouble Your Highness."
"It's no trouble at all. Since you're my friend, I'll help you as a physician this time. Don't worry—the fee will be deducted from Lumine's salary."
"Your Highness, you can't—!"
Amid the protests of the blonde girl, Leon examined Dunyarzad's body and discovered something that genuinely surprised him.
[Hmm? This isn't a forbidden curse? Dark purple scales appear on her body, and she grows weaker with every passing minute. So this is how a forbidden curse functions within the human body.]
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do at the moment."
"I see. Thank you, Your Highness, for helping with the diagnosis."
Dunyarzad said this with a wry smile. She wasn't surprised or disappointed by the outcome.
Her family was wealthy. In order to treat this illness, her parents had invited countless renowned doctors, all without success.
To the people of this world, Eleazar was no different from terminal cancer, and she had long since accepted her fate.
As such, Dunyarzad automatically overlooked the word "temporary" in Leon's statement. She had already given up on treatment and decided to enjoy what little time she had left.
"Don't give up, Dunyarzad. This isn't the end yet. There will definitely be a positive turn."
"Thank you for the encouragement. I'm fine. Let's continue with the introductions."
"Lumine…"
Lumine adjusted her mindset and continued.
"Your Highness, these three are Alhaitham, Cyno, and Tighnari."
"A pleasure to meet you. Well, I didn't expect you to have gathered so much talent."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Haha, you're quite capable of bringing so many officials to your side."
Leon gave Lumine a thumbs-up.
He had already learned about Sumeru's official positions through Alpha's briefing.
However, Leon felt that Lumine might have made a few mistakes in her introductions.
He had no idea that Tighnari was a forest ranger, and the official roles of the two behind him—Cyno and Alhaitham—had also been introduced inaccurately.
Cyno specialized in tracking down and punishing criminals.
Alhaitham was, quite literally, the official responsible for recording the sages' speeches during meetings.
…
[That Cyno seems a bit short. As for the man called Alhaitham—he looks extremely intelligent, but… does a secretary really need muscles that exaggerated?]
Cyno was small in stature.
Alhaitham was heavily built.
Had he somehow turned knowledge directly into muscle?
And thus, the introductions came to an end.
Leon looked at Lumine with approval.
"Well, now I can finally see that the friends traveling with you all have special abilities."
"Hehe! Of course. My talent for making friends is unmatched!"
"Yes, indeed. If one day you decide to stop traveling, I'll give you the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs."
He patted the girl's head again as he spoke.
After that, Lumine explained their plan to rescue Lesser Lord Kusanali.
They had joined a mercenary organization and planned to have themselves sent to Sumeru City as prisoners, waiting for the right moment to cause trouble inside the city.
The dancer Nilou would draw the attention of the people of Sumeru.
Meanwhile, Lumine, Paimon, and Alhaitham would sneak into the Grand Sage's office to find a way to free Kusanali.
If they couldn't find a solution, they would spread false news that Kusanali was already safe, lure the snake out of its hole, and then ambush and kill the Grand Sage.
"Excellent. There are basically no loopholes in this plan. Executed this way, there shouldn't be any problems. We can cooperate from the inside and the outside—it's double insurance, foolproof."
After hearing it once, Leon couldn't find a single flaw.
He nodded in agreement.
Although it was technically unnecessary, this was still fine.
It simply changed the original success rate from 100% to 200%. In short, the enemy was absolutely destined to lose.
(End of Chapter)