My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

Leon gently shook his head and turned to Athena, who remained seated in quiet meditation.

There was no surge of aura or burst of energy from her, yet Leon could sense a powerful force within Athena, quietly stirring—on the verge of awakening.

"It might take a while for Athena to wake up," he whispered softly, taking a slow step forward.

He sat cross-legged beside her, glanced around, and noticed that the place showed no signs of destruction.

That meant his assumption—that Altair's disappearance would affect this dimension—had been completely wrong.

"In that case, I should use this time to absorb the power Altair gave me," he muttered, clenching his fists.

There was a strange energy inside him, but it didn't feel dangerous. On the contrary, it was warm and comforting, like being embraced by something soft and gentle.

He was certain it was Altair's power—and he needed to assimilate it as soon as possible.

If he could do that, his strength would grow dramatically, and he'd be even more confident in facing the Evil God.

Without hesitation, Leon closed his eyes and pressed his palms together.

*Buzz!*

A bright green light flared from within him and wrapped around his body.

In contrast to the fierce and destructive nature of holy and chaos power, this light radiated calm and gentleness, as though soothing him and the world around him.

Alongside Athena, he was completely immersed in the process of absorbing the power that Altair had passed on.

***

"Can you sense their condition?"

Standing at the edge of the blood pool, Miranda gazed into the dense liquid below before finally turning her head to the dragon ancestor beside her.

With both hands clasped behind his back, the dragon ancestor gave a slow nod.

"Don't worry," he said with a faint smile. "They're fine. I can feel them absorbing the dragon essence from the pool. But since these two are far from ordinary, they'll draw in a large amount—and the process will take time."

Normally, an ordinary dragon would need two to three days to absorb the essence within this pool.

But things were different for Leon and Athena. One was the Fated One, and the other, the Dragon Empress of this era. Their potential was beyond imagination.

It wouldn't be surprising if the entire pool—five hundred meters deep—ended up completely drained by the two of them.

Well, even if that happened, he didn't mind. This pool—filled with the blood essence of fallen dragons—had been created for this very moment.

In fact, he hoped they would be able to do just that.

Hearing his response, Miranda exhaled softly and gave a small nod.

"That's good. Then let's wait patiently."

***

Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour—time passed unnoticed.

Since Leon's last training session, spring had turned to summer, and now summer had given way to fall.

More than four months had passed since Leon and Athena entered the blood pool, yet neither had shown any sign of resurfacing.

Even so, the dragon ancestor and Miranda remained calm. As long as the two continued to radiate life, there was no need to worry—they were safe, not dead.

In stark contrast to the stillness of this place, the world outside was constantly changing.

The nine months since Leon first entered Eryuentium had been enough to shift the balance of power.

During that time, the Holy Orthodox had extended its reach across the entire continent.

Though humanity had long been represented by two major forces—the Holy Orthodox and the Holy Empire of Elysium—the truth was that many smaller nations and kingdoms existed independently.

Each maintained its own system of governance, led by a king or head of state.

To maintain their power, most of these nations chose to pay tribute to either the Holy Orthodox or the Holy Empire of Elysium.

In doing so, they avoided conflict—gaining not only peace but also the possibility of protection.

However, following the fall of the Holy Empire of Elysium, these kingdoms and nations ceased paying tribute to the Holy Orthodox.

Instead, they grew arrogant and saw this as an opportunity to rise up.

Not only that, they began colluding with other small human kingdoms, aiming to undermine the Holy Orthodox.

The situation worsened as more and more people voiced their hatred toward Arshley and the new government she had established.

Many of them were high-ranking officials of the fallen Holy Empire, exiled after its collapse.

In addition, there were noble families who held deep grudges against Arshley, Albert, and the new regime.

Though they hadn't been severely punished, their lands and fortunes had been seized by the Holy Orthodox.

Left with nothing but freedom, they fell into poverty and resentment.

"How is the state of the border? Any signs of rebel movement?"

Seated on the throne, Arshley crossed her legs, resting the right side of her face against her palm.

Her face, hidden behind a veil, was downcast, eyes fixed on the floor below where the Guardians stood—Edward, Lucas, Louis, Victor, and Adam.

Beside them, Luna, Valen, and Albert stood silently, their expressions calm and their gazes indifferent.

In response, Edward stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully.

"The situation is worse than we anticipated, Saint," Edward replied respectfully. "The southern border is under constant attack. And with summer just behind us, many rivers, lakes, and springs across the region still haven't recovered."

"As a result, our troops are facing a severe water shortage. The drought alone has claimed over two hundred lives—not counting those lost in the ongoing battles beyond the border wall. Current estimates place total casualties at around a thousand, and that number continues to rise."

At the grim report, Arshley's brows furrowed.

"A drought? Have you tried redirecting clean water from any rivers or lakes that are still flowing?" she asked, her voice cold and sharp.

Edward shook his head slowly. "Not yet, Saint. The cost is extremely high and could place a serious burden on our finances. Besides—"

*Bang!*

The thunderous crack of Arshley's fist striking the armrest echoed through the chamber, making everyone flinch.

Her face, hidden behind the veil, flushed with anger as she shouted, "How can you talk about finances when our soldiers are dying for us? I don't want to hear any excuses! Get clean water to the border troops—immediately!"

Since her word was absolute, Edward didn't dare object and immediately replied with respect, "As you command, Saint."

Arshley then turned to Victor. "Take the high-ranking mages to every remaining lake and river. Restore the flow—I want no excuses. You have one week. Make it happen."

"Understood, Saint!" Victor answered firmly.

She continued, issuing a series of precise orders to those gathered before her.

"That's all. Carry out my commands at once," she said coldly. "You may go… except Luna, Valen, Lucas, and Edward. Stay."