Vol. 6 Ch. 132

Dimo stood by the window, gazing at the weighty night outside. The chirping of cicadas echoed faintly, only worsening the melancholy mood that lingered in his chest.

By his estimate, it had been over half a month since Leon left the Golden Thunder Clan.

“With his intelligence, he should’ve deciphered the inscriptions inside the ancient tree long ago.”

So why hadn’t Leon come back to confront him?

In truth, Dimo’s mission—to investigate the Heavenly Sea of Stars—wasn’t all that complicated. It was merely a setup. By exploiting the asymmetric information between what he and Leon knew, Dimo had hoped to trick Leon into walking into the trap he and Karl had laid.

But now? Nothing. Not a word. No movement.

“Could he have noticed something…?”

Just as this thought crossed Dimo’s mind, footsteps suddenly echoed in the room behind him.

He whipped around—and nearly jumped out of his skin.

“L-Leon?!”

Every nerve in his body instantly tensed.

For one fleeting moment, the shock blanked his thoughts completely.

But the panic in his eyes disappeared in the blink of an eye. Dimo quickly composed himself, adjusted his posture, and looked at Leon with practiced calm.

“Leon, what a surprise… Weren’t you and your family continuing your journey around the continent?”

Though Dimo’s moment of panic lasted only a second, Leon didn’t miss it.

That flicker of fear—it wasn’t just surprise at seeing someone suddenly appear in his room. It was guilt.

And guilt like that wasn’t something you could simply will away.

Which only confirmed Leon’s suspicions: this old fox was guilty as hell.

“Apologies for the late visit, High Priest,” Leon said courteously.

Seeing Leon so composed, Dimo relaxed just a fraction. He then asked, cautiously probing:

“You must have a pressing matter, to visit my humble abode so late at night. Did something go wrong in your... travelogue?”

The old bastard was really trying it—acting like he didn’t already suspect anything.

Leon sneered internally. But his expression stayed sincere as he bowed slightly, voice full of apology:

“No, High Priest. In truth… my previous claim of traveling to write a book was a lie. I’m not a traveler, and I apologize for deceiving you.”

Dimo’s expression didn’t change. Not even a twitch in his brow or lips.

Then slowly, he smiled—a smile that looked like it said:

“See how omniscient I am? Impressed yet?”

So Leon played along.

“What? You knew my identity from the very beginning?” he asked, feigning shock.

“I’m not referring to the fact that you’re not a dragon, Leon,” Dimo said smoothly.

Ah. So the bastard had figured it out.

“I see. Then what do you mean, High Priest?” Leon asked, still playing dumb.

But Dimo didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked a question of his own:

“Before that—Leon, you still haven’t told me why you’re here. What brings you to my door at this hour?”

Still playing games, huh?

But Leon couldn’t break cover yet. He needed Dimo to believe that he was still in control—that Leon was walking willingly into his palm.

“I, like you and your kin, have been committed to researching the ruins left by the ancient gods—to reinforce the seal on the Void Gate,” Leon explained. “The guise of a traveling scholar was only to gather intel on the Thunder Spirit Crystal Core. Forgive me.”

Dimo’s eyes glinted.

“The Void Gate? What’s that?”

Leon almost applauded.

Well played, old fox.

Dimo had never explicitly stated the true purpose of the crown and crystal cores. Just that they were made to suppress “something.” If he now showed any recognition of the Void Gate, it would’ve exposed his lie.

So far, everything checked out.

Leon briefly explained the nature of the Void Gate and the danger it posed to the Samael Continent.

Dimo acted appropriately shocked. Offended. Grave.

“What?! I had no idea it was that serious... Then we truly are running out of time.”

If Leon hadn’t already seen Hera’s memories—hadn’t known the truth—he might’ve been fooled by Dimo’s Oscar-worthy performance.

“I’m sorry to be so abrupt, High Priest,” Leon continued. “But after we left, we traveled to my homeland as you suggested.

And there… we discovered something important.”

Dimo tilted his head. “And that is?”

“Before her death, Hera used the last of her strength to transform the Thunder Spirit Crystal Core into a human being.”

Leon paused—not to give Dimo time to respond, but to cut him off before he could react.

“I couldn’t find out who exactly this person was.”

He was baiting him. Laying the hook.

Dimo smiled knowingly.

So Leon feigned even greater confusion.

“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you, High Priest?” he said with a sheepish smile.

But Leon had experience in this game. After all, back when he and Rosvisser were first married, they put on a flawless act of being a picture-perfect couple every day.

“If you’ve figured it out already, Leon… then let’s stop pretending.”

Dimo walked back to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) his seat and sat down slowly.

“Let’s return to the topic at hand—your identity.

You are neither dragon, nor truly human.

Leon… perhaps it was fate. Or perhaps it was always meant to be.

You are the Thunder Spirit Crystal Core Hera transformed into a human being.”

Leon took a dramatic breath—and staggered back two steps, grabbing the edge of the table for balance.

In the span of a few seconds, he flashed back to all the inexplicable nonsense in his life:

Wait… so when I passed out back then, it was because of… this? I’m a crystal core??

Wait… didn’t my daughter once break a guy’s pelvis??

Wait… isn’t Constantine dead—again?!

Wait… is my wife ALSO a dragon?!

With the mental buff fully stacked, Leon now delivered a performance worthy of an award.

“Me? I’m the Thunder Core?!” he gasped. “How… how could that be? There’s no way it’s just a coincidence…”

“Coincidence or destiny,” Dimo said softly, “the result remains the same.”

He stood up and walked over, placing both hands gently on Leon’s shoulders—like an old friend.

“Luckily, Hera didn’t mislead you. She took the righteous path… and brought you here.

Leon—your existence is the salvation this continent needs.”

Here it comes. The brainwashing routine.

Leon lowered his gaze, feigning uncertainty.

“But… High Priest, how am I supposed to accept this? To realize I’m not even me—just a core… a tool… It’s too much.”

The best lies always contain a bit of truth. And Leon had mastered the technique.

Even now, he let Dimo believe he had total control.

“You don’t have to feel lost, Leon.”

Dimo squeezed his shoulders gently.

“You remember our clan’s sacred altar?”

“Of course.”

“That altar—left to us by our ancestor Zeus—can restore the crystal core to its original state. Which means… we can use it to extract the power of the Thunder Core from within you.

You’ll remain who you are—but the core will return to its rightful place. To suppress the Void Gate you warned me about.”

Dimo smiled slyly.

The fox had shown his tail.

“So—Leon…”

“What do you say?”