11 I want to trust you

Chapter 11: I want to trust you

[You have completed your quest.]

[You have received 10 000 EXP, 10 silver coins, and 10 stat points.]

[Your skill, Book of the Monster Collector, has received new information about skeletons from The System's Library.]

Leon was too exhausted to skim over those system messages, so he shoved them aside and sat down on the ground with his bare butt. Yes, all his clothes were gone, so Leon appeared like a pervert in the middle of the forest — a very odd one, for he looked as though someone had broken his heart.

In reality, Leon's black eyes simply revealed his tiredness.

"Master! You… Are you okay?" Louise asked after a brief struggle in her heart. She believed she wasn't in a spot to ask Leon about his well-being, for it was her fault he had been hit by the skeleton mage's skill.

Without looking at her, Leon flatly replied, "I'm fine. My body is tougher than it looks."

Having never seen a nude male body, Louise's cheeks flared, and she drew a full picture of her master's blessed body, then stifled those feelings as it wasn't time to get influenced by them. She dropped onto the ground, sat down with her knees pressing against each other and a straight back, and trained her eyes on Leon.

She wanted to apologize for being so doubtful during the battle, but her lips didn't listen to her, remaining shut.

"Why do you look like that?" Leon bluntly asked, looking for a straightforward talk simply because he had no strength for the usual conversation where he was conscious and careful of her feelings.

Louise's ears twitched, clearly bothered by his tone, and she faintly replied, "Master is in such a state because of me… I… I want to apologize."

"I'm just naked." Leon turned his eyes to her and stared at her with heavy eyelids. "I ought to apologize… You're a lady, so I'm sorry."

Louise didn't like his words, for she instantly snapped and shouted at him, "Why are you like that?! It was clearly me at fault! It's all because of me! Please, drop that act and tell me off! Punish me! I don't like it!"

She was so loud that Leon squeezed his eyes and tilted his head away. Her voice crammed his ears and mind, not letting him ignore this topic, and requested more than just words. But Leon grew irritated, owing to his poor state in which he couldn't appease Louise's broken heart.

He wheeled to her and glowered into her blue eyes. "If I wanted a tool to follow me around, I'd keep you in your card form and order you through your collar whenever I needed you."

Louise blanked and gawked at Leon.

He carried on, clearly influenced by his weak mind and soul. "You think I expected you to trust me on the first day? I spent a year with depression. I know it's not easy to believe someone, let alone yourself. But sometimes, it takes a spark to find hope. You wouldn't find it if you were in a card form. So, unless you ask me to do it, I'll keep you outside, giving you all freedom you deserve. And I don't want to be alone again."

Leon retracted his eyes from her, opened his system, and clicked on the system shop feature.

Clicking on the shop for newbies, Leon picked a few simple clothes for himself. Even without looking at the new system messages, Leon knew he had enough money to buy clothes, for killing the skeletons should have completed the quest. After paying for them, Leon opened his inventory.

Everything he'd bought was already in his inventory. Those clothes were light and of a weak grade, so they didn't take up much of his special feature space. His inventory still had a lot of room for more items!

Leon was soon in a black shirt and pants. For convenience, in case someone attacked him during his sleep, Leon equipped leather boots, too.

He glanced at Louise. "I want to take a nap."

"Yes." Louise nodded and reassured him she'd keep watch on their surroundings.

Not having any mental strength to stay awake, Leon went to sleep after thanking his party member.

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When Leon woke up, it was already dark. He was in the same spot as before, but his head had been laying on something comfortable and warm, clearly not the ground. Turning to the side, Leon found Louise's orange tail, which seemed thicker and longer, and he soon registered her smell.

Because of her, he'd slept comfortably, his head not aching and his mind clear.

Louise hadn't noticed that he had woken up. Her whole attention was on their surroundings, sitting straight with eyes all around her, except for Leon, who slept soundlessly close to her, his presence on her tail.

Deciding to take some time to recollect his thoughts, Leon recalled his talk with the fox girl after killing the skeleton mage, who proved to be a powerful existence.

'I was too straightforward, but that can't be helped… I didn't know controlling so many would put such a toil on me. But the more I use them, the better I will become, and I'll shape myself into stronger existence.' Leon understood that much. 'What's the point of having all this strength if you have no one by your side?'

Leon lifted his body, alerting Louise, who carefully and silently wheeled to him, and smiled at her. "I slept well because of you."

"I'm elated, Master," Louise replied with confidence, and her eyes shone bright like two beautiful lanterns in the middle of the night. "I've thought about us while you were asleep. And I want to trust you, Master. I'll ignore all my worries and follow you in your wake."

Leon gazed at her earnestly, his eyes turning Louise nervous, then he asked with a cheeky smile. "Am I surrounded by girls to have you follow me?"

Louise shook her head a few times, wearing a dazzling smile.

"Stay by my side, Louise. You've never been a slave but a partner." Leon extended his hand forward.

And it took just a second for the fox girl to grasp it tightly.