"Umm... What?" Leon asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.
"We're here to take you to the Class Awakening Ceremony. Do you have trouble hearing?" one of the guards asked, matching his perplexed expression.
"No, I heard you the first time," Leon replied, shaking his head. "But I don't understand—why would the Royal Guards come all the way here just to pick me up for the ceremony?"
The guard scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, kid. We're not here just for you. There are other children from this village, as well as six others, waiting in those wagons." He gestured toward the line of carriages outside.
"By the King's decree, we are to collect all young talents from every village and ensure they attend the ceremony. The kingdom needs every capable pair of hands on the battlefield. The war against the elves isn't going to win itself."
Leon's gaze flickered toward the wagons as he processed the words.
For the past ten years, humans and elves had been locked in an unrelenting conflict ever since the Elven Queen discovered that humans had been capturing and enslaving her people—turning them into laborers, concubines, and worse.
Elf slaves fetched a high price, especially the women. Some traders even bred ogres with female elves to produce dark elves—prized for their fertility and tight puss—
"Oi! What the hell are you spacing out for? Get in the damn wagon!" A guard's sharp voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, right." Leon quickly shook off his daze and stepped toward the carriage.
As he climbed in, his eyes landed on the three girls sitting inside.
"Oh? Is this a girls-only wagon?" he asked with a playful smile.
"What? No." One of the girls responded, her dark eyes meeting his with amusement. She had long black hair and a medium build, her expression carrying a hint of curiosity.
Leon's lips curled slightly. 'If it's not, then how could I possibly let such an opportunity go to waste?'
He settled himself inside with a relaxed grin.
"Are you sure you want to sit here?" another girl asked. She had twin ponytails, baggy clothes, and a book in her hands.
Leon tilted his head. "Huh?"
Before she could elaborate, the third girl spoke up. "We're the daughters of Sir Belvered."
Her voice was firm, her short black hair neatly framing a serious expression. Unlike the others, her toned arms suggested she was no stranger to hard labor.
Leon's brows lifted slightly.
'Sir Belvered... A thug. Or rather, a bandit. He runs a small gang in a nearby village, extorting merchants who pass through his territory. His reputation isn't exactly stellar, and that stain extends to his daughters as well. People avoid them like the plague—no one sits with them, let alone speaks to them.'
His eyes flicked outside the wagon, catching sight of a boy in another carriage absentmindedly picking his nose. Latest content publıshed on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
'But honestly? I don't give a damn. Between sitting with three cute girls and enduring a ride with those nose-digging idiots, the choice is obvious.'
He leaned back, glancing at the girls with an easy smile. "Sounds like an interesting ride."