Leon remained in the room longer than necessary, not because of physical exhaustion, but because he needed to organize his mind better before dealing with anything else. The training had been interrupted the moment he realized his concentration was no longer stable enough to maintain the technique without flaws, so he decided to stop there and avoid wasting mana for the rest of the day, since he didn't know if he would be called somewhere that could be attacked.
'If this continues, it won't be useful at all'
He was sitting at the edge of the bed, his body relaxed only as much as necessary while analyzing the results of what he had tried to develop. The reproduction of the environment had improved compared to the last attempt, but it was still far from ideal. The biggest problem remained the consistency of the opponent, which still showed predictable patterns after a certain time in combat.
[You're demanding too much from something that just stabilized]
'I have to be demanding if I want to survive until I complete this dungeon'
He rested his elbow on his leg, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought about the next adjustments. He would need to improve the variation of the projection's behavior, perhaps incorporate reactions based on movement reading instead of fixed patterns. That would require more control and more mental processing, but it was necessary if he wanted to make the training truly useful. Before he could continue developing the idea, a light knock on the door caught his attention.
"Come in"
The door opened carefully, revealing one of the house's maids, who gave a slight bow before speaking to him. She was one of the head maids Rebecca had requested to bring after a few days.
"My lord, new information has arrived from the battlefield"
"Go on"
"Enemy forces have launched new attacks in other regions, including the western zone. Two of the five elementals have already been sent to contain the advance"
He nodded slightly, absorbing the information without showing any exaggerated reaction. The war had expanded faster than expected, but this was already within what he considered possible after recent events.
"Understood, you may leave"
The maid left without prolonging her presence, closing the door behind her. Leon remained silent for a few seconds, reorganizing the information in his mind. From his perspective, these attacks seemed somewhat desperate, or perhaps part of some bold plan by that new king.
'They're accelerating the pace'
[Which means they'll pressure multiple points at once]
'Yes, and that's why I need to get stronger. To face that king, I need to reach rank eleven'
He slowly walked to the window, observing the exterior of the estate while thinking. The attack at the border had not been an isolated event, but the beginning of a larger movement. That indicated the enemy kingdom had already decided to act more aggressively from that moment on. They wanted to weaken the forces to make invasion easier, but since they failed, things had become more difficult for them.
'This is already affecting the rest of the story, so…'
[Are you thinking about her?]
Without realizing it, the memory of Elara crossed his mind for a brief moment, but it was quickly pushed aside. That could not be his priority right now. He felt the urge to protect her, but he had to move on to another phase of his plan.
'If everything has already changed… then there's no point in following what I remember'
[Are you going to rewrite everything?]
'I never intended to follow it'
[Just don't ruin my story, you bastard]
He looked away from the window and walked to the door, leaving the room without haste. His physical condition was stable enough to act again, and staying still wouldn't help at all. As he walked down the corridor, he noticed more activity than before. Some knights were organizing information, others preparing for possible orders, while the maids maintained the normal functioning of the house. It seemed that since Rebecca arrived, things had become noisier.
'I like what she's doing'
[That's only because her ability is affecting you, so don't lose yourself, Enrico]
'I know, but it's difficult'
He grabbed his chest as if making a great effort not to praise everything Rebecca did. Surfien appeared a few meters ahead, stopping his movement upon seeing Leon.
"My lord, I received confirmation about the attacks in the western zone"
"I've already been informed"
"Do you wish for me to prepare deployment?"
Leon shook his head slightly. It was better to wait and see how things unfolded. You never know when another attack might occur. That's why he chose not to train anymore that day.
"How is Rebecca?"
"She is in the designated chambers. She requested some materials and access to certain areas of the house"
"That's fine"
"Yes, my lord"
Leon continued walking, letting Surfien head toward where the head maid was. The two had been communicating well these past days, which made Leon think that perhaps they could start some kind of relationship.
"My lord Leon, someone wishes to see you"
Stopping, he raised his left eyebrow upon seeing Trevon approach. From what he explained, it was someone Leon supposedly knew. If questioned too much, she had asked to be brought directly to him.
"She knows some of our secrets, so it's possible she's one of the people we made a deal with"
"What is her name?"
"She didn't say"
Leon narrowed his eyes with suspicion. Someone who knew his secrets and refused to give a name? That should be impossible, since he had eliminated everyone who knew about that body's crimes. From the way Trevon spoke hesitantly, it was quite possible that this person truly knew something.
'Who—'
When he arrived, he came face to face with a hooded figure, but he immediately knew who it was from the visible part of the face. This was the reincarnated protagonist.
'Valeria Duskryn'
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Leon Solfyr"