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Allis

Allis could barely process the little speech and performance Leo gave her. ‘If it’s true he can kill a dragon, then I have nothing solid to hold over him. And if he has that much power, then what could I possibly even offer him that he couldn't manage to get on his own…’ She thought as her body was still racked with shock.

‘Will I never be able to make Taipa pay for what she’s done, to make her suffer the way I have? No! I don't care what I have to give, I want- no, I need to have my revenge! I'LL DO ANYTHING TO GET WHAT I-’ Her thoughts halted as a memory of her father agreeing to marry Taipa flashed across her mind.

Allis’s eyes widened as something began to crack, and she started to tear up at the building pressure. ‘I-I didn't mean- I can't become- No no no no no… I just wanted this feeling to go away, I didn't mean to…’

Not since her last year at the academy did Allis catch herself behaving this way, manipulating and exploiting people for her own end. In fact, the memories of all she's done up to this point seemed to burst like a dam, which began to wash away all of her teachings on being nobility. The overwhelming realization of what she'd become over the years caused a torrent of tears to fall down her face.

A horde of questions filled her thoughts, all seeming to repeat over each other for her attention. ‘What have I done? Did I really waste my time? Did I ruin my only chance at revenge? Do I even deserve to have it? Am I just going to have to go back home? Back to feeling hollow every time I wake? Will I continue to be alone with my thoughts? Wondering ‘what if’? Going back to rotting away on the inside? Will I eventually become her....’ Her gut sank, as something seemed to break.

Allis slid out of the chair and dropped to her hands, and with every fiber of her being she begged and pleaded for Leo to help her. She was on her hands, crying and begging like she was offering herself to a god. “Please, I can't! I need this! The feeling! Don't, Please!” She cried out to him incoherently.

Allis felt a hand on her shoulder not long into her groveling. “Allis, I didn't say no, so please calm down.” Leo consoled her as he knelt down next to her.

Allis looked up at him, her face filled with desperation, while Leo was looking down at her with a pitying expression. “Look, sorry if I scared you, but you kind of crossed a line for me. Will you please tell me why you want to go after this person, so that I might actually ‘want’ to help.” He asked with an expression of sincerity, as his calming dark brown eyes slowly brought her down from her panic.

Allis nodded sheepishly, and proceeded to explain everything to them.

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Leo

After doing a bit of damage control, Leo was sitting on the edge of the bed listening to Allis as she finished her story. ‘Damn I was such a shallow dumbass.’ He thought to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose, and was angry with himself for treating people as two dimensional.

‘I assumed that she was ‘just’ a manipulative high class bitch… I mean she kinda is- But Fuck, I need to remember that this is an actual world. Sure they'll be the occasional stereotype, but I can't just judge people entirely off them. Even though this feels like a fantasy, this is my new reality, so I can’t treat it like it's all fiction. God I feel like the blond shithead with the spear from that one anime.’ Leo mentally berated himself.

Leo Looked over to Elaria, who didn't move or say anything since they walked into the room. She gave him a uneasy look and shrugged. Looking back to Allis, she was perched on her coiled tail with her body slumped forward, looking all the world like her depression was somehow contagious.

An exhausted breath left Leo as his expression softened. “You know if you led with that, then I would have most likely helped you.” He admitted bluntly while Allis shrank in on herself even more at the response.

Closing his eyes, Leo placed his fingers on his temple. “Hypothetically, if I helped you get your hands on her with no repercussions, what would you do?”

Allis straightened up and looked Leo in the eyes. “Make her suffer for what she did.” She answered coldly.

Leo frowned at the very vague response. “Ok, how?” He asked, and Allis looked confused as she visibly seemed unable to find the words to respond.

Leo groaned. “How will you make her suffer? What exactly do you want to do? I mean you had years to come up with something. Did you really just spend all that time as a depressed wreck on the inside, while acting like a stuck up bitch on the out? Please tell me that you have some Idea?! ” Leo asked in frustration, and Allis tried to answer, but her mouth was just opening and closing as nothing came out.

“So let me get this straight, you attempted to blackmail me without even having a specific goal in mind. And what, you thought that I would have all the answers? Do they not teach you any critical thinking at this ‘prestigious” academy?” Leo lambasted her, making the previously snide selarin flinch, and Leo apologized for the outburst upon seeing her reaction.

Allis balled her hands, as her expression was that of complete regret. “Well nearly all of the curriculum for non-nobility is dedicated to noble practice and study.” She said with a downcast voice.

Leo slumped his shoulders, mouth agape as he started to internally wrestle with his thoughts. ‘Brainwashing too, fucking really!? Rampant corruption, regular and contracted slavery, wide spread exploitation, and systematic abuse of the lower class. I've nearly had it with just the selarin government, but if every kingdom's academies are indoctrinating people….. Damn it, this whole world is fucked! I just wanted to learn magic and continue my relationship with Elaria... But my tolerance for this world's bullshit is making me not just want to rock the boat, now I want to sink the motherfucker and rebuild it.’

Glancing between Allis and Elaria, Leo started to form an Idea.

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Elaria

Elaria remained a silent observer during Leo and Allis’s conversation, because her emotions and thoughts were all over the place since entering the inn. Allis found out Leo’s secret and Elaria had been initially terrified, believing that dragons would swoop in and kill them both. Though to Elaria’s relief and considerable annoyance It turned out that Allis, like every other noble, wanted to use someone to get what she wanted. Unfortunately for Allis though, Leo wasn't as helpless as she thought.

Elaria did have to admit that Leo’s performance was entertaining, and a little comical. She was also happy to learn that Leo held life in such high regard, not wanting to callously kill on a whim like some of the more cruel mages. When Leo finished speaking, Elaria thought Allis would just be a bit demoralized at having nothing to really hold over him. What Elaria did not expect was for her to have a breakdown, and start begging for Leo’s help.

Elaria didn't know what to be more shocked by, the fact that Leo swung the situation so far in his favor, or that a mage from the academy was on her hands begging for help. The state Allis was in brought on familiar memories for Elaria, and she started to feel bad for her, even though she called her a sleeve. After Leo knelt down to comfort Allis, she told them her tragic life story, and Elaria felt more pity for her.

'Does not excuse her for acting like a royal bitch though.' Elaria thought bitterly.

Leo seemed like he was wrestling with his thoughts, trying to figure out what to do. Elaria was at a bit of a loss as well, but she definitely did not want to get mixed up with the nobility, especially a regional one.

'Hell, if they got caught trying to kill this Taipa, then the dragons might be the least of her worries.' Elaria winced at the thought.

Killing such a high ranking noble has a long and literal torturous process of public humiliations, with any direct relatives sold into slavery. Elaria knew this because servants of nobility would often be accused of killing a noble when one had a convenient death that benefited the accuser.

After a few minutes, Leo spoke. “Allis, I need a moment with Elaria. I'm going to cast a spell to distort the sound around us so we can have some privacy, so just wait there a moment.” Allis nodded with an expression of surprise.

Leo spoke after the spell was cast. "So, I want to help her." He raised his hand to stop her protest. "That being said, I'm not going to run off and help assassinate a noble. This 'Lady Taipa' sounds like a real piece of shit, but she's not the only reason I want to help, nor is she the only thing that I want to help with." He finished.

Elaria looked confusingly at Leo. "I don't understand, what do you mean 'the only thing'?"

Leo took in a breath. "The reason I want to help is because of the way this world is run, it sickens me to my core. And I can't sit by and do nothing about it, as much as I would like nothing more than to buy a home in the countryside and live out the rest of my life peacefully.”

Elaria did not like where Leo was going with this. “Leo what are you saying, it's not like you could change the world….” Elaria paused, realizing that Leo had the power to try and do just that.

Leo put a hand on her shoulder. “Elaria, I come from a world that may not be perfect, but most natio- Er- ‘kingdoms’ have no where near the level of cruelty that the ones here have. The casual mention of slavery alone makes my stomach turn, and I've only been ignoring it because it seems so wide spread. Actually that's the excuse I used for all the sickening things that I've learned, but the pile of it has grown far too large for me to ignore.”

Elaria couldn't believe what he was saying. Change the world and get rid of it's cruel systems? That was not only insane, but literally impossible. Leo would have to go up against not just the dragons, but the might of entire kingdoms, armies, and academies.

‘That's just suicide!’

A slight tremble shot through Elaria as she took a step back, shaking off Leo's hand in the process. “Leo, what you're talking about doing, it's going to have you fighting against the world. I don't care if you're a summon or if you can casually kill dragons, you alone don't have the power to restructure how the world works. Even the summons before you had the backing of a kingdom, and even if you did the dragons along with all the other kingdoms would wipe you out!” She pleaded, trying to reason with him.

Leo just smiled, and Elaria wasn't sure if he heard a word of what she said. “ But I'm not going to go up against them all alone, nor will I be putting myself out in the open.” His smile grew even wider before he finished.

“Tell me Elaria, do you know what a revolution is?”

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