Chapter 2488: Defector

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it. Those are the money makers," James leapt back, coughing lightly.

Leonel sent him a side glance, but rather than shrinking back, James laughed.

"This is too funny."

James plopped down on a nearby piece of grass, having a good 'ol time all to himself. He had never really seen Leonel get angry about anything.

No, it was more accurate to say that nothing really got to Leonel in the usual sense. Usually, if you made Leonel mad, you were just screwed. But this time Leonel wasn't just mad, but he didn't have a counter punch to throw. He seemed so human for the first time.

It wasn't like he could continue crossing that line and humiliating his father-in-law. If he did so, he would be screwed to live a life of misery. Who knew, it might even end in him losing Aina.

Miel was Aina's only family remaining; Leonel couldn't just ostracize him. If he was a bad father, that would be one matter. But he was a man who had done his best. Eviscerating him would feel good for a moment, and then cause years of distress afterward.

The only answer to the problem seemed to be for Leonel to take a step back, but in his mind, that was tantamount to losing. He didn't want to do that.

"Just using Aina to deliver a letter was enough to piss him off even though it had been his idea. Let alone this."

"I'm glad you're having a great time," Leonel mumbled.

"Really?" James replied cheerily. "It doesn't sound like you really are. Say it again if it's true."

This, unsurprisingly, earned James another glare. To which, he, of course, laughed again.

"It's not all bad, you know. It could be worse."

"And how's that exactly?"

"Well, there could be a mother-in-law involved too, then you'd be really screwed."

Leonel was speechless. Was he supposed to take solace in the fact Aina's mom was dead? The worst part was maybe that James was correct. At the very least, he could exchange some fists with Aina's father; if it was her mother instead, where would he have vented his frustration?

"Anyway, the way I see it, neither of you two is going to have something akin to a healthy relationship. So instead of doing all that, just show him you're not the person you think he is. Simple enough, right?"

Leonel shook his head. Anything he did now would come off as a power play to Miel. And honestly, he couldn't defeat Miel in a straight-up battle even if he wanted to. The only person who could do that was Aina, and he wasn't going to make Aina fight her father.

If he followed James' suggestion and just forcefully took the people of the underground city away, it would definitely end in a battle. And unless he was willing to kill Miel, which he wasn't, it was a battle that he would ultimately lose.

'Annoying.' Leonel thought to himself.

Leonel sensed something else. He looked over and found that Aina had floated by his side.

A bittersweet smile spread across both their faces before she spoke.

"You can take the people away."

"Hm?" Leonel asked.

"I convinced my dad. We have to move now, quickly. Or else we might not get another chance to."

"Ah..." Leonel nodded somewhat absentmindedly.

He hadn't even thought of this possibility, but he guessed that it was for the best. At least for now, Aina would just have to be the mediator so that things didn't explode.

At the very least, he appreciated her approach, and though he couldn't read Miel's mind, he was sure that he did as well.

Leonel stood. "Let's go then."

...

The next few days were hectic. However, the process of actually convincing everyone wasn't as bad as it seemed.

These people had no real loyalty to the land they lived in. If there was any reluctance at all, it was toward the idea that the place where they were going would be even worse. After all, even in this relatively "stable" city, the living conditions were horrible. They barely got enough food and water, and the streets were rife with crime and underhand dealings.

But all of this went out the window after they actually saw the land they were moving into.

Anastasia's world was truly a paradise, and they almost couldn't believe that they had the luck to receive such an upgrade.

Leonel watched all of this without saying a word, but he knew that things would only remain simple for only so long.

Humans were humans, after all. Maybe soon, the peace would give way to hierarchies, to entitlement, to troubling political stratospheres and class divisions.

They would probably even start now, not from the people themselves, but rather the higher ups that ruled them.

In the beginning, the Slayer Legion upper management might feel even a hint of gratitude toward Leonel for providing this opportunity, but it would only last for so long.

These people got into this rebel army for the sake of their ideals, but too long had passed since then. They had now gotten used to being at the top and wielding power.

What power could they wield if their citizens were under Leonel's control?

There were six Slayer Generals, and Cidra and Miel were just two of them. There were still four others. Plus, Leonel knew nothing about Miel's character, for all he knew, Miel would be the first to stir trouble.

Leonel felt a pat on his shoulder.

"Regardless of our differences, thank you for this, Leonel."

A man who looked to be in about his fifties patted Leonel's shoulder. He had a large belly and, quite frankly, if Leonel dressed him up in red and rosed his cheeks a bit, he would be the perfect Santa Claus.

Even so, there was a lot of heft and weight to his pat. His body was extraordinarily powerful.

Leonel knew him as Slayer General Yonku, a defector of the Three Fingers Cult.