You are all my wings!

"Artificial demon?"

When Iris heard this word, she had a bad feeling.

It was as if she had heard something similar deep in her memory.

"That's right, artificial demons are the product of fusing demons and humans, possessing both the immense magical power and vitality of demons and the high growth and learning ability of humans."

Demons are special monsters recorded in mythology, and they have been extinct for many years.

It is said that the demon was once the nemesis of the gods and caused the world to collapse.

Ultimately, it was the ancient Elf King Tigersius who found a magic that could counter the demon race, and thus successfully exterminated them.

Thanks to this achievement, the Elf race gained control of the Sacred Tree and gradually developed into the second longest-living species on the continent.

This part of history was briefly shown as background story in the four-part series "Sword, Magic and the Holy Land".

"Leon, do you mean that within the Astalia cult, there were those who attempted to recreate the race that once destroyed the world?"

"That's roughly the gist of it. In short, although they were close to success, they ultimately failed and were punished by the goddess Astalia. The masterminds all died. However, the research data was scattered into multiple parts and leaked out."

"My father was also likely implicated in this matter concerning the gods, and thus implicated and killed?"

"There are no other clues in the documents to prove this, but this is the only inference we can draw at the moment."

Iris calmed herself down and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Upon hearing the term 'artificial demon,' she felt uneasy, as if long-sealed memories in her subconscious were beginning to unravel.

But before she could recover that part of her memory, she felt as if she had forgotten something.

"Iris, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine, Lyon, but the thought that this could very well be the document that led to my father's death is making me a little uncontrollable."

Iris took the documents from Lyon, took a deep breath, and began to look through them.

After a long while, she put the document down.

She focused on the artificial demon part.

On the other hand, the section on synthesizing monsters, although more detailed, can only be skipped because many of the principles are incomprehensible.

"Leon, keep this document safe. I feel like I might need it someday."

Lyon was surprised: "I thought your opinion was to destroy these documents that are stained with blood and sin."

"Knowledge is innocent; the guilty ones are the masterminds."

"Iris said in a low voice."

Leon naturally reached out and patted Iris's head, praising her:

"It seems you've grown up, Iris. Compared to how naive and arrogant you were when I first met you, you're much cuter now."

"Nonsense, I'm not arrogant at all!"

Although Iris was in a low mood, she still blushed slightly and quickly brushed away Leon's head pat. Damn it, this guy must have realized that I like being patted on the head by him!

No, it's not that I like being touched by him, but rather that it feels very intimate!

Yes, it's so friendly!

I felt down when I saw my father's belongings, which is why I appreciated his kind comfort!

She explained it to herself in this way, and although she vaguely felt that it seemed a bit like self-deception, she still managed to suppress her distracting thoughts.

"Oh, you don't deny being naive, but you deny being arrogant?"

"So verbose!"

Iris swung her little fist and punched Leon.

As a pure-blooded elf of the third tier, even though physical training wasn't her primary focus, she still had 39 points of strength, 4 points higher than Leon.

But at this moment, Leon didn't use any strength at all; it was just his pink and shy little fists.

Leon let Iris hammer him.

This kind of lively fun is perfect for lifting your spirits when you're feeling down.

"Have you calmed down yet?"

"I'm fine now. That little thing is nothing, it's all in the past... By the way, didn't you say you had other plans coming up?"

"Yes, we need to purchase and upgrade our equipment, especially your magic wand. It's been used frequently, so it's best to replace it with a good quality magic stone, which can effectively increase your magic power. Also, you should collect your upgrade items as soon as possible."

Leon planned to talk to Iris about Hamra after he upgraded his equipment.

If she rushed over after hearing this, her current equipment wouldn't be enough.

"But isn't it very late now?"

“I know of a gathering of extraordinary individuals that only takes place at night. Let’s go there. By the way, I also want to get a better weapon, preferably a staff-sword or a magic sword, so that I can use the Shadow Walker skill and also enhance my magical power.”

"Indeed, your magical weapon is too ordinary; it would be better to change it."

"There's nothing we can do. That's just how it is for us country folk; we can't afford anything nice."

Lyon shrugged.

"No, Lyon, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to belittle you. I meant that I really admire you for being so strong under such difficult conditions!"

Iris looked up, and as she explained, she accidentally met Leon's gaze.

In the dim candlelight of the not-so-bright room, his eyes were as deep as a starry sky, and Iris was mesmerized by them.

A moment later, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

Is it just admiration?

"……Correct."

"That's really great, to be able to earn such respect from someone as arrogant as you."

Iris turned her face away; Leon's sarcastic tone was rather annoying.

But thinking about it carefully, I realize I was a bit arrogant before.

Fortunately, Leon didn't seem to realize that he had just been staring at him so intently. Sigh, why am I becoming so strange, blushing and having my heart race so easily?

Calm down, Iris!

She gradually calmed down.

Huh?

Her small nostrils twitched.

She was so engrossed in the documents that she hadn't paid attention to anything else.

But now, why does the house in Lyon smell both strange and familiar?

As a pure-blooded elf, she possesses 43 points of agility, making her extremely perceptive.

"Lyon, how come your house smells of Britta, the Holy Maiden of the Papacy?"

Her voice carried a hint of affected curiosity.

Bessie, who was watching from the sidelines in her transparent state, couldn't help but laugh. Leon, Leon, you didn't expect this, did you!

You can't hide it, you simply can't hide it!

Chapter Forty-Seven: Let Me Explain

Why does Britta smell here?

This issue requires careful explanation.

Because Iris had met Britta when she left the ball, she suspected that Britta was behind the bet she made with Lyon when they first met.

Although Leon and Iris eventually grew closer, this question was never completely resolved, and Iris never asked Leon about it in front of him.

Of course, there's probably another layer of jealousy involved.

After all, it has a favorability rating as high as 83%.

“Iris, you are indeed very perceptive. I was just about to tell you about this.”

Lyon grabbed Britta's letter and handed it to Iris, his expression completely calm and indifferent.

"She's trying to recruit me as her advisor, sending me letters every day to urge me on. You see, the way she's recruiting subordinates, she's probably in some kind of trouble."

Iris took the letters and carefully examined them, word by word.

"Then she found out you were back and came straight to visit, which is why I smelled her scent?"

"Correct."

Iris gave an "oh" and said with a subtle expression:

"I didn't expect you to be so charming, Lyon. Even a saintly woman from the Holy See would condescend to come to you, and she even came before me. It's strange that I didn't run into Britta when I came here."

The tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Judging from her expression, doubts still linger.

Lyon hadn't yet figured out exactly what he suspected.

However, this time Leon was certain of one thing.

Despite her usual arrogant and childish demeanor, Iris can be quite cunning in certain situations!

Her personality and her future aloofness have already changed considerably.

If Hamra's matter is resolved smoothly, it's quite possible that his personality will be set in stone.

"And then what, my dear commander, will you agree or refuse?"

"Iris, do you want me to say yes, or no?"

Lyon countered with a question.

Just kidding. Looking at Iris, if she directly says that she has already agreed, there will definitely be problems.

"They contacted you, why are you asking me?"

“You are my number one member and my most important teammate. Do you think I would make a decision without asking you?”

Leon grabbed Iris's shoulder and looked her in the eye, his gaze deep.

The gaze was so direct that Iris couldn't help but look away.

Bessie, who was in a transparent state, couldn't help but feel a chill: This is how you tricked me into coming here in the first place!

"Do you really value me that much?"

"Iris asked softly."

"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to have my familiar leave you a message. Think about it, we've been fighting in the dungeon for more than ten days, don't we need to rest for a day or two? If I didn't value your opinion, why would I have contacted you as soon as Britta visited?"

"Then why didn't you say this from the beginning?" Iris couldn't help but ask, even though she knew she had no right to ask, she couldn't control herself.

“I believe that in your heart, the matter of your father and mother is much more important than the matter of the Holy Maiden of the Vatican, so I brought up the document first.”

Iris was speechless, her tone tinged with shame:

“You’re right, thank you Lyon. I shouldn’t have asked such unnecessary questions. Actually, I’m very grateful that you showed me these important documents so quickly.”

She also felt that her reaction was a bit too much and too strange.

Why am I like this?

Could it be that I really...

Iris dared not think about it further.

Lyon, standing nearby, also breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly having temporarily avoided the problem.

However, the fundamental problem has not yet been solved.

That is, Iris still strongly resists Britta's existence!

If it were someone else, they would have managed to bluff their way out of this kind of question and then change the subject to end the conversation.