Hearing that Leon forgave her made the woman's heart feel touched.

She had treated Leon badly, hurt him, and left him helpless at the hands of her friends.

But what Leon said now shattered her pride completely. She felt even more guilty and ashamed of what she had done.

If Leon had beaten her up, maybe she could have accepted it as even.

Leon earned respect for his wisdom, while the woman was left with a deep sense of shame she might never erase.

Yet deep in her heart, she felt grateful that Leon didn't choose revenge.

Ethan walked up to Leon, smiling as he patted his shoulder. Leon truly had a gentle and wise heart, and Ethan had known that for a long time.

Seeing Leon forgive the woman was exactly what Ethan had imagined.

He looked ahead, noticing the woman's face turning red with embarrassment.

"Good job, Leon," said Ethan.

He pulled out two level-2 HP potions and handed them to Leon.

Without hesitation, Leon drank both potions, healing his wounds and restoring his HP.

"I only did what I thought I had to do," Leon replied.

Ethan nodded. He glanced toward the party leader and told him that everything had been settled.

They were lucky Leon was forgiving—if it had been Ethan, he wasn't sure he could have done the same.

Ethan's pride was too big for an apology. If someone wronged him, his only way was to strike back, no matter the cost.

But Leon was different—he was like the bright side of Ethan, someone who could easily forgive.

Ethan was sure Leon would one day become a wise leader.

"Thank you for your kindness, Sir Leon. I won't forget what you did," said the party leader.

Leon nodded. The matter was over, and both he and Ethan prepared to leave.

"Wait!" called the woman. Leon turned around instantly, and Ethan followed.

"What is it?"

"Can we… be friends?" she asked shyly.

Leon glanced at Ethan, who stayed silent. The choice to accept her as a friend was Leon's alone. Ethan wouldn't interfere.

"Sure," said Leon.

The woman, who had always looked cold and unfriendly, now smiled warmly.

She opened her friend panel and typed Leon's username.

A friend request appeared before Leon's eyes. Her name was Licia (Lv. 41) from the Black Sword Guild.

On the other hand, Licia was shocked when she saw that Leon was level 43 and a member of LionArk. None of them had expected that.

"LionArk? The guild that rules Mavelard City?" asked Licia. Leon smiled and nodded.

"I-I'm so sorry. Truly sorry for my rudeness," said Licia, bowing her head.

Her whole party followed her lead. They were stunned and couldn't believe they had picked a fight with LionArk—the guild that once won the Thousand Stars Event and used to dominate the scene.

"It's fine. We've forgiven each other, so I hope there won't be any more problems between us," Leon said. Licia nodded obediently.

After adding each other as friends, Leon and Ethan left the place. Ethan explained that he needed to return to the inn—he didn't want to keep Risa waiting anxiously.

When they arrived, Risa rose from the bed as soon as she saw Ethan and Leon.

She had been waiting for hours, not knowing what had happened to Leon.

But since the matter was already resolved, Ethan felt no need to explain. Let the girl stay unaware.

"Have you eaten yet?" Risa asked.

"Speaking of food, I'm starving," said Leon with a small laugh.

"Get your own meal at the tavern. We'll head out for exploration at noon," Ethan replied.

"Got it. I'll eat quickly. Don't worry about me."

"Yeah, be careful, Leon," said Ethan. Leon nodded and left.

Now only Risa and Ethan were left. Risa seemed curious about what Ethan had said earlier, but he only smiled and refused to explain.

"It's nothing. You don't have to worry."

Risa stayed quiet for a moment, then sighed and nodded. Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched her—he had always been curious about her power.

"I've always been curious about one thing, Risa," said Ethan.

The girl instinctively grabbed her clothes and stepped back, keeping her distance from him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Not about that," Ethan said calmly, reassuring her.

"It's about your power—your magic."

Risa sighed in relief and stepped closer again.

"I have to admit, Nok's magic is impressive. But I don't know anything about yours," said Ethan.

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I can help you grow stronger. If I know your abilities, I can train you better," he said.

Risa fell silent, eyes wandering to the ceiling as if recalling something.

"I learned two spells once, but I didn't practice them seriously," she said.

"Are they strong?"

"Hmm… I guess so. One is a defensive spell, and the other is an attack spell."

Ethan nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. He didn't know much about magic or mages, but when it came to power and elemental affinity, he understood enough.

"Why do you ask?" Risa said.

"We'll face plenty of dangerous fights ahead. If you don't strengthen your magic, you'll get hurt easily," Ethan answered.

"I understand."

"Leon's probably still eating at the tavern. We've got time to shop," Ethan said.

"Shop? That's not necessary, Ethan. Really."

"No—you need it," Ethan insisted.

Risa couldn't argue. Deep inside, she was happy that Ethan cared so much about her, even in small ways.

No one had ever treated her with such kindness—not even the village elders.

It made her feel both touched and grateful.

They left the inn and headed for the item shop. Not the equipment shop, since Ethan needed accessories that could boost Risa's magic power.

He also wanted to know her elemental affinity—because as far as he knew, there was no such thing as a blood element.

By knowing her affinity and getting the right accessories, Ethan could decide what to buy for her.

People turned to look at them as they walked, and Risa could feel their stares. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Soon, they arrived at the item shop. The number of customers wasn't much different from that morning, which made the shopping trip calm and comfortable for Risa.

"Welcome, sir," greeted the shopkeeper.

Ethan smiled, stepped inside, and stopped at the counter while Risa wandered around, admiring the jewelry displayed on the walls—necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

To Risa, they were just pretty accessories. She didn't know they could boost magic power. It was understandable—she wasn't a player.

"Do you offer element testing?" asked Ethan.

"Of course. It costs 10,000 gold."

Ethan nodded, then called Risa over. She stepped beside him.

After completing the transaction, the shopkeeper asked the person being tested to place both hands on the magic orb.

Ethan encouraged Risa to do it, even though she looked a little nervous.

Slowly, the orb glowed bright red, bright enough to convince the shopkeeper.

"Her element is fire," said the man.

"Fire? Great for offense, bad for defense," said Ethan.

"Would you like me to recommend an accessory set that boosts fire-element magic?" asked the shopkeeper. Ethan nodded.

"I have sets in Uncommon and Rare ranks. Which one would you prefer?"

Hmm. No Epic set. That's fine—Rare is still valuable for Risa.

"I'll take Rare."

"Certainly, sir."

The shopkeeper tapped a few menus, and soon several items appeared on the counter—two earrings, a ring, a bracelet, and a necklace. All were red and feminine, perfectly suited for Risa.

"The total is 75,000 gold."

Ethan paid immediately. The transaction was complete, and he held the items in his hands before passing them to Risa.

Her cheeks flushed red, her heart racing as Ethan gave them to her.

"Since you don't have an equipment system, you'll have to wear them the normal way," said Ethan.

"Let me help you."

"Thank you, Ethan."

Risa slipped the ring onto her left middle finger, fastened the bracelet on her right wrist, and replaced her old bone earrings with the new ones.

Lastly, Ethan helped her clasp the necklace around her neck. Everything fit perfectly, and Risa looked delighted with her new look.

"So? Do you like them?" Ethan asked.

"I love them. I promise I'll take good care of them," said Risa, blushing.

"Good. Let's head to the equipment shop next and get your magic staff."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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