Logan was glad there was no dancing involved in the celebration. While the king enjoyed himself with his wives and mistresses, Logan and the three in his group were still busy eating and entertaining those who wanted to praise and speak with them.
Lisa and Rubina made no attempt to stand, as a line of admirers had ford—each waiting for the opportunity to introduce themselves and hopefully draw the won away from Logan's side.
Kai, on the other hand, was bombarded with invitations from won who couldn't get close to Logan due to the two beautiful girls seated next to him.
The only ones who seed unaffected by the lively atmosphere were the king's youngest children, Terry and Tess. Both were dressed for the occasion and sat in front of Logan, engaging in small talk. Terry, clearly impressed by the hero's display of power, couldn't hide his excitent.
"So, can I co to your kingdom soon, hero? I really want to see how your country looks! I'll also be getting my own wyvern soon—maybe my father will let ride it to your city!" Terry exclaid, grinning as he dug into a large drumstick.
"Err... sure, just make sure to get your father's permission," Logan replied awkwardly. Unsure what else to say, he decided to leave the matter to the boy's father. To ease the conversation, Logan showed Terry so of his video ga crystals, which quickly softened the boy's attitude. Logan had an ulterior motive: he hoped the kid would beco a future client for Marie's new gas. He was confident Terry would pay a premium for them.
The small party didn't last much longer. The king, thoroughly drunk, was dragged away by his wives to retire for the night. Logan, feeling drained, returned to his own room alone. Changing out of his formal wear, he eagerly prepared for what he hoped would be a long and uninterrupted night's sleep.
Logan's mana had risen to just over half of his capacity. With nearly 900 mana now at his disposal, it typically took around ten hours to fully replenish under normal circumstances. Not wanting to waste his mana-filled water or endure the long wait, Logan decided that sleep would be the best way to speed up his recovery.
He was just about to pull the blanket over himself when a sudden knock interrupted him.
"Who is it?" Logan called out, unwilling to leave the comfort of his bed. In his drowsiness, he missed how Ruri would usually handle such trivial matters for him.
"It's , Logan… or should I say, us," ca Rubina's voice, tinged with a bit of anger.
As the girl approached the door, she sensed another presence—a girl using invisibility magic, attempting to enter the room.
"Can you just leave us alone for one night?" Rubina said, her voice filled with frustration.
"Why should I? Anyway, what are you doing here?" Lisa retorted, her tone just as sharp.
Hearing the exchange of words and insults in his mind, Logan abruptly opened the door. Though he saw no one outside, he knew the two girls were there, using magic to conceal themselves.
"Just co in…" Logan said while sighing, too tired to deal with the situation while standing in the hallway.
Lisa stepped inside first, imdiately casting magic on Logan. Though it only healed his physical wounds, it did nothing to ease his ntal fatigue.
"Are you fine, Logan?" Lisa asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Yes, just need sleep," Logan murmured as he lay back down. The girls quietly closed the door behind them and entered.
Rubina, still a bit annoyed at having her ti with Logan interrupted, didn't know what to do as she saw how exhausted he looked. Lisa, on the other hand, felt relieved that she hadn't ignored the nagging feeling in her mind telling her to check on him.
They were about to speak to Logan but noticed he quickly drifted off to sleep.
"Guess we ca for nothing…" Rubina muttered, lightly tapping Logan's cheek.
"What did you want to do anyway?" Lisa asked as she settled comfortably next to Logan.
"Nothing—just talk for a while," Rubina replied before pausing.
"I did win the bet, right? I'm owed one date with Logan, and I wanted it before we return to Highrule again. You know why." She used their ntal link to avoid waking Logan, her tone sharper than usual.
"Yes, I know," Lisa responded, clenching her fist slightly. "I suppose it'll have to happen near one of the cities while we return. Ugh, why did I make that dumb bet? And why are the soldiers here so useless? Just... leave it for later, alright? I don't want to talk about the bet right now."
"Fair enough," Rubina conceded with a ntal sigh.
"So, what should we talk about? We only have... Logan, and, well, Logan in common as a topic. How about this: you tell about his past, and I'll tell you about his rise to power. Seems like a fair trade, no?" She tried to bargain, clearly curious to know more about Logan.
Lisa's eyes narrowed slightly. "You still owe . There's more to his past than just a few months of being here," she countered, her ntal tone sharp. "How about instead of his past, you tell about your story? I'd like to know why a half-demon is helping a hero."
"It's not so strange. Sure, I'm half-demon, but just like humans have criminals, I see demons who want to ruin this world the sa way. I'm only trying to protect my ho and those I love, like my father," Rubina explained, her voice softening as sleepiness crept in. Her eyes lingered on Logan, who slept peacefully beside them.
"That's all? What about your mother? She's the one with demon blood, right?" Lisa pressed, clearly wanting to learn more before delving into Logan's past.
"I didn't know her well—only the fleeting mories I can recall," Rubina admitted, her tone tinged with lancholy.
"I was too young to ask her about demons or what they were like. Honestly, I've always considered myself more human than demon in that respect. I don't know what they plan or think…" Lisa felt the wave of loneliness wash over Rubina through their ntal link, a sadness that the girl couldn't quite conceal.
"Fine," Lisa said, relenting.
"Let start by telling you how I t Logan. We were just neighbors—at least, that's where my mory begins. We used to play in this big playground near our houses, before starting elentary school. That's a school for kids around five to ten or eleven years old…" Lisa began her tale, recounting the adventures of their childhood—how they grew closer as friends and the mischievous tricks they played on an elderly neighbor, which she now looked back on with fondness and guilt.
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