995: Sniping?

Sniping?

Miel frowned. If he had known that Aina was awake now, he would have never allowed Rychard to enter. It was only because he thought that his daughter was still in a coma that he had allowed Rychard to come under the latter's insistence. After all, as a Vassal of the family, there was still a small bit of due respect that he owed to the potential Heirs, especially since it seemed that Rychard had taken the secure lead in this aspect.  2

It could only be said that this timing was horrible. 

Miel didn't really care who did and didn't find his daughter attractive, he wasn't one to care about such things. The main issue was that he didn't want any undue influence on Aina's recovery. 

Rychard was a very intelligent young man, he most definitely already realized that there was something off about Aina's current demeanor. Though he likely wouldn't be able to guess exactly what had happened, he didn't need to do that in order to cause problems. 

Miel took a slight breath and shook his head. For now, pressing forward and rushing Rychard out would only make things seem more peculiar than they already were. He could only ride this out and hope that Aina didn't think anything too ridiculous out loud. 

Though he had a weird expression on for a moment, Rychard quickly recovered once again, giving Aina a light smile. 

"You've done a lot for me and I can say with great certainty that you are a large part of the reason I've almost secured the official position of Heir for myself. Since you've helped me so greatly, how could I not properly reward you? I've made sure to give you more than what you've asked for and if you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out."

Rychard's smile became more natural by the end of his words as he lightly nodded toward Yuri and Savahn before turning toward Miel. 

"I appreciate you allowing me into your home, Sir Brazinger. I won't continue to intrude and will take my leave now. If you need anything, you can feel free to contact me as well."

Miel nodded lightly but didn't say much. He knew that the reason Rychard insisted on entering his estate today was because he no longer had a reason to hide. 

Rychard had been away from Planet Viola for a long time before returning today. Yet, the first thing he had done was come here. He was clearly signaling to everyone that not only was he back, but that he had a powerful Vassal under his banner. 

Since Aina had almost died fulfilling his mission, even if Miel wanted to wash his hand clean of Rychard, he couldn't do so. By the time the details of what happened that night became clear, the Brazingers would be irrevocably tied to Rychard. 

"… Sorry, adoptive father. Aina just woke up and we couldn't stop her before she came out here." Yuri spoke after Rychard and his servant disappeared.

Miel shook his head, telling Yuri not to mind. He took a few steps forward and looked into his daughter's eyes but all he found was a hint of vacancy that made him sigh. 

Well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to Aina giving him a cold look back, but this was different. There was no frost here, it just bordered on indifference. In a lot of ways, this stung more than the former did and for good reason at that. 

Miel wondered if he should take Aina away from Planet Viola now, but in the end, he decided against it. Though the climate here was volatile, with her being forced to make so many decisions everyday, she would quickly come to reform her personality. If things took too long, she might never awaken to her former self ever again. 

"What is most important to you?" Miel suddenly spoke, his gruff voice being aimed toward Aina. 

This was the question he planned to ask Aina everyday. It was the only push he could give her without influencing her too much. 

"Ah… Logic… Battle… Resources!" Aina listed out three things, her list having increased by one. 

Miel nodded and didn't commentate. How this answer evolved would decide if his Aina would ever come back to him or if she was forever lost. 

Aina didn't seem to understand the complex emotions of her father as she pushed Yuri to the side and let her ax fall to the ground. With a childish excitement and the blanket around her almost falling to the ground, she rushed toward Savahn who was holding up the large spatial box. 

She was too excited to see what resources she would get. 

**

Leonel could feel himself getting closer, there was nothing capable of stopping him. Not only was his speed blinding, but his spear had increased its lethality by several folds. 

A road of starlight painted Leonel's path forward. His Speed Branch had long since evolved to this level and though it was most useful in the vacuum of space, that didn't mean it couldn't be used on land or water as well. 

'Just 20 kilometers away.' Leonel thought with narrowed eyes. '… 10… 5…'

This sort of range was ridiculous. To be able to control a storm from so far away… Just what kind of beast was he up against?

Of course, Leonel had a feeling that starting and maintaining the storm were two vastly different concepts, similar to his [Valiant Seal]. But, Leonel couldn't control his [Valiant Seal] from more than maybe a kilometer away before things became far too troublesome. And, even then, he would need to rely on his Divine Armor to boost his spatial affinity. 

Suddenly, Leonel came to a grinding halt. His stop was so abrupt that an ocean wave shot up several dozen meters. 

In that moment, a deathly silent arrow pierced through the wave and shot through the water just half a foot before Leonel. Had he still been running, at that angle, his forehead would have been pierced through cleanly. 

Several seconds later, a deep rumbling boom came from within the depths of the ocean causing the dark waters to surge. 

'Sniping me?' 

Leonel's palm flipped over, his sniper rifle appearing in his hand and whirring to life. 

…

Almost three kilometers away in the depths of the storm, a bowman with shimmering gold hair and eyes lowered his arm slightly, his expression of confidence being marred by a hint of confusion. 

"Is it done?"

Around the young bowman were several other youths with various colored matching hair and eyes. Together, they almost looked like a cosplaying rainbow. However, they didn't get the answer they wanted immediately. 

The young bowman's pupil constricted before a beam a golden light suddenly appeared right before his brows, causing his heart to freeze over. 

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