Grand Return System

The Flame of Ambition

"My two girls..."

He thought silently.

"They’ve both fallen for me..."

"And I..."

"...have already fallen for them as well."

His heart warmed.

He truly felt blessed.

In his previous life, he had never imagined someone like him could one day meet people who sincerely cared about him.

Now...

There were three.

Anna.

Maya.

Selena and Rias.

His feelings for each of them were genuine.

Yet he had deliberately kept those feelings buried.

Not because he was uncertain.

But because the time wasn’t right.

Selena and Rias were still his students.

They still had countless mountains left to climb.

They deserved time to grow stronger...

To see more of the world...

To decide with complete certainty whether what they felt was admiration for their Teacher or something deeper.

As for Maya...

She had already unknowingly occupied a special place within his heart.

One day...

When everything settled...

He would give all of them a proper answer.

Until then...

He could only wait.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I really am fortunate..."

"To have people who love me."

Not far away, Selena quietly watched Leon staring after Maya.

Her delicate eyebrows slowly knitted together.

Teacher...

Why are you smiling at Gurdian elder Maya like that?

Her lips puffed out slightly.

A faint trace of jealousy quietly appeared.

Beside her, Rias also noticed Leon’s expression.

She lowered her eyes.

Although she also felt jealous...

Unlike Selena, she simply smiled helplessly.

"...Teacher really enjoys teasing people."

She already knew.

Whenever Leon looked at Maya like that...

Nothing good was about to happen.

Selena slowly stepped closer until she stood beside Leon.

Without saying anything, she gently tugged on the corner of his sleeve.

Leon looked down.

"Hm?"

Selena avoided his eyes.

"...Teacher."

"You’ve been looking at Gurdian elder Maya for a long time."

Her voice remained calm.

But Leon immediately noticed the tiny pout she was trying so hard to hide.

He almost laughed.

"So..."

"My little Selena is jealous?"

He raised a hand and gently patted her head.

The familiar touch immediately caused Selena’s ears to turn pink.

Her dissatisfaction disappeared almost instantly.

She leaned into his hand ever so slightly before quickly realizing what she was doing.

She immediately straightened herself again.

"I-I’m not jealous..."

She muttered.

"I was only reminding Teacher."

Leon chuckled softly.

"Really?"

Selena turned away.

"...Really."

At that moment, Rias quietly walked over.

She looked at Leon before glancing toward Maya’s disappearing figure.

A playful smile curved across Rias’s lips as she glanced toward Maya’s retreating figure.

"Teacher..."

She tilted her head slightly, amusement dancing in her crimson eyes.

"You were teasing Gurdian elder Maya on purpose again, weren’t you?"

Leon merely smiled, neither embarrassed nor guilty.

"...Perhaps."

Rias let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I knew it."

She shook her head helplessly before looking in the direction Maya had disappeared.

"Poor Gurdian elder Maya..."

"She was probably expecting something completely different."

Although Rias was smiling, a tiny ache stirred deep inside her heart.

Teacher only enjoys teasing people he’s comfortable with...

I wonder... will he ever tease me like that one day?

She quickly buried the thought behind another gentle smile.

Beside them, Selena quietly folded her arms across her chest. Her silver-blue eyes lingered on the path Maya had taken before she looked back at Leon.

A small pout formed on her lips.

"...She deserved it."

Leon blinked.

"Hm?"

Selena turned her face away, pretending not to care.

"Who told her to keep looking at Teacher like that?"

"Teacher was only teasing her a little."

Even as she spoke, the faint jealousy in her voice was impossible to hide.

Rias glanced at Selena before smiling knowingly.

"Senior Sister..."

"You sound jealous too, aren’t you?"

Selena’s cheeks instantly flushed.

"I-I’m not jealous!"

"I’m just..."

"...protecting Teacher."

Rias blinked.

"Huh!!!"

Watching the two girls begin arguing over something so trivial, Leon couldn’t help laughing.

The heavy atmosphere left behind after the battle gradually disappeared.

For the first time that day...

The three of them genuinely relaxed.

Behind them, many cultivators were still cleaning the battlefield.

Broken weapons lay scattered among shattered stone.

Several elders coordinated the treatment of the wounded while disciples carefully transported the fallen.

Mike had already led the strongest experts toward Sky Breaker Academy.

The remaining forces were reorganizing everything left behind.

Smoke still drifted through the ruined landscape.

Yet...

Life had already begun returning.

Leon looked back only once.

The battle was over.

There was nothing left for him to do here.

His attention returned to Selena and Rias.

Originally...

He had planned to spend several days traveling with them.

To let them relax after experiencing so much danger.

However...

Another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

The Eternal Principle Summit Principle Discussion.

The greatest gathering within the Fallen Leaf Domain.

It would attract the finest young geniuses from countless Powerful Sects and ancient households.

If Selena and Rias wished to stand proudly among them...

There was still one thing they lacked.

Alchemy.

A smile slowly spread across Leon’s face.

"I know what we’ll do next."

The two girls looked at him curiously.

He dispelled his previous plan and said,

"Let’s go back to the Academy Premises."

"Huh?"

The two of them were stunned.

Rias blinked several times before asking in confusion,

"Teacher..."

"Didn’t you say you wanted to bring us out to relax?"

Her voice carried a hint of disappointment.

She had secretly looked forward to spending several peaceful days traveling beside him.

Selena also looked toward Leon with curious eyes.

Leon smiled apologetically.

"I did."

"But plans change."

He looked toward the distant horizon where the clouds gathered around unseen mountains.

"The Eternal Principle Summit Principle Discussion is imminent."

"We’ll save the journey for another time."

Then he added with a faint smile,

"Instead..."

"I’ll teach both of you alchemy."

The moment those words left his mouth...

Both girls’ eyes widened.

"Alchemy?"

Leon nodded.

"Before participating in the Eternal Principle Summit Principle Discussion..."

"I want both of you to become true alchemists."

"By then..."