Vol 7. Chapter 5: A Very Powerful Friend

Empire — Lionheart Order Headquarters.

In the sealed chamber, Leon and Rebecca stood beside the crystal coffin that imprisoned Hera.

Leon stared silently at the long-haired beauty inside. His mind swirled with conflicting emotions.

He was someone who usually kept things close to the chest, but at this moment, his feelings were plainly written on his face.

Rebecca glanced sideways at him.

“The Arcanist Division studied the mana fluctuations around the crystal coffin. They estimate the seal will lift in at most forty-eight hours. Captain, this woman has been separated from the world for over thirty years. Wherever she wakes up, she’ll be a stranger. Have you figured out how to help her readjust to this world?”

This was one of the many reasons Leon felt so anxious and powerless:

How to help Hera adapt to the present.

Of course, that wasn’t the only problem. There were many equally important issues.

Like how to communicate with her. How to gain her trust. How to explain everything that had happened over the past thirty years in a way she could understand quickly.

And most importantly—Leon didn’t even know what identity he should face Hera with.

Ever since he glimpsed Hera’s memories beneath the Sacred Tree and learned the truth about himself, this question had already gripped him.

Rosvisser had tried to help shoulder this burden. But even as his wife, she couldn’t truly help him solve it.

Which only proved how difficult it was for Leon personally.

After a moment of silence, Leon let out a breath and shook his head.

“I haven’t figured it out yet.”

He pressed his lips together, then continued,

“We know almost nothing about Hera. We don’t know her personality. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) We don’t know her habits. We don’t know how she views the world. The only thing we know... is that she was a dutiful and responsible guardian. Knowing she was a good person isn’t enough to build a connection with her.”

Rebecca understood.

To put it plainly, the difficulty stemmed from not knowing what kind of person Hera really was.

Why did she choose to sacrifice her magic to protect Leon instead of treating him as an enemy from the beginning? There was no doubt she genuinely wanted to do good.

But as Leon said, that alone wasn’t enough.

A whole person was complex—flaws, virtues, life philosophy, morality, values—everything influenced how one interacted with them.

And even beyond that, the most crucial point was the relationship between Hera and Leon—

Creator and created.

Or, more simply—mother and child.

If Leon were still young and ignorant, still exploring the world, then of course he could welcome Hera’s awakening with open joy.

But now, he had lived over thirty years in the human world.

He had a wife, children, friends, a master, and even maids who were like family.

His thoughts and worldview were set. He was already emotionally mature enough to feel anxiety over serious matters like "family."

No one else would consider that a problem—but those who knew Leon understood just how much he valued emotional bonds.

Which was why Rebecca asked if he’d thought about how to lead Hera into this world.

That question carried an implicit meaning:

Are you ready to face Hera?

“The people of the Golden Thunder Clan must know her pretty well, right? After you learned the truth about the beast summoning, did you ask them?” Rebecca asked.

Leon nodded.

“I asked. But without exception, to those who have cleared her name, Hera is the silent hero who bore her sins in solitude. Every single one of them praised her with nothing but glowing words.”

He sighed, his gaze toward Hera filled with both sorrow and regret.

“But not a single one of them could tell me what kind of person she was before she took on that burden—what food she liked, how she got along with people in the clan. I really do want to learn more about her before she wakes up.”

That wasn’t just about establishing trust.

There was also the fact that Leon had seen Hera once before, in his consciousness.

It was back when he had fused four elemental lightning cores—his body collapsing under the backlash from destroying the Thunder God. He was on the brink of death.

At that moment, Hera appeared in his inner world, pulled him back from the edge, and told him, “You can do this.”

That encouragement had felt... different from anyone else’s.

Warm. Empowering. Like the comfort and motivation his master had given him as a child—but also something deeper.

All of Leon’s doubts and fears seemed like they could be answered in Hera.

That was why he was looking forward to her awakening—with both anticipation and unease.

Sensing the mood had grown heavy, Rebecca gently changed the subject.

“Well, there’s still two days left. No rush. Anyway, where did sis-in-law and my three adorable goddaughters go?”

Leon pulled his thoughts away from Hera.

After adjusting his mood, he turned and walked out of the chamber with Rebecca.

“She said she wanted to take them out to play. Said last time wasn’t enough, and this time she wants a proper day out.”

Rebecca folded her arms across her chest and strolled lazily.

“That’s nice. I’ll send a few people along to act as guides.”

“No need. Let them wander freely—it’ll feel more relaxing.”

“Alright, fair enough.”

“I heard from your folks that you and Martin plan to get married this fall?”

At that, Rebecca’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded proudly.

“Yup! I’ve already met his family, and they really liked me. Oh Captain, you don’t even know how hard it was acting like a sweet, obedient little lady. Good thing I pulled it off convincingly.”

Leon chuckled. “Now that’s the Rebecca I know.”

As they talked, Leon suddenly stopped in his tracks, frozen in place.

His eyes shifted slightly, as though something had just hit him.

Rebecca took a few more steps before noticing and turned around.

“What is it, Captain?”

“...Just now, you mentioned goddaughters...”

Leon stared at her.

“When exactly did you convince them to start calling you godmother?”

In the future, ten years from now, Leon did know the girls had taken Rebecca as their godmother.

But in this timeline—when had it happened?

“Hm... probably when your whole family first came to the Empire.”

Rebecca said, “And it wasn’t all of them, technically. Strictly speaking, only your third one and her two sisters were willing to call me godmother.”

“Why—”

Leon didn’t even get to finish his “why” before going silent.

He blinked, and with a helpless sigh said,

“You must’ve bribed her by offering to tell her some of my embarrassing stories, right?”

“Wow Captain, you’re so smart!”

“How are you this skilled at bribing my daughters?!”

“Oh don’t worry, I bribed your wife way before you guys even had your third daughter.”

Leon: “?”

“No wonder Rosvisser kept giving me that weird look a few years back...”

“There you go! That was when she just found out you defected back in the day! But calm down, calm down—”

“Wait, that means Aurora wasn’t lying when she told me that...”

“Wasn’t lying about what?”

Little miss oblivious Rebecca was still clueless—but she didn’t realize she was about to die.

Leon cracked his knuckles, flexing his fingers one by one, and slowly walked toward her.

“‘The Stay-at-Home Husband’s Life Guide’ and ‘How to Start a Whole New Life After Being a Jobless Married Man’—those were your ideas, weren’t they, Re-be-cca—”

The gun-girl backed away step by step, matching Leon’s pace, waving her hands in defense.

“Those were just my tiny suggestions for your life post-thirty-two...”

“Then let me offer you some advice before you and Martin plunge into the grave of marriage, Rebecca. For example—”

The shadow of the demon loomed over her. The battle-hardened little terror curled up in the corner, trembling.

Rebecca shut her eyes tight and shouted,

“Captain, I’ll never cause trouble again!—”

But a few seconds passed. No forehead flick, no punishment.

Rebecca peeked open one eye and saw Leon... holding out a photo.

She blinked in confusion and took it.

It showed an elderly couple—frail and wrinkled—supporting each other quietly, watching the sunset by a lakeside.

“Whose photo is this?” Rebecca asked.

“Yours and Martin’s.”

Rebecca froze. “Huh? What kind of joke is that? We’re both still young—this is clearly just an old man and an old woman.”

“Exactly. That’s you two, after many, many years of marriage.”

Leon stuffed his hands into his pockets, smiling.

“Think of it as my engagement gift to you guys. One-of-a-kind in the whole world. Treasure it.”

The more Rebecca listened, the more uneasy she felt. She immediately grew tense and asked,

“Many years later? That’s impossible! Captain, how did you do this? Who gave you this photo?”

Leon stepped forward and patted the top of her head.

“I asked a very powerful friend. She gave it to me.”