Grand Return System

The Price of Crossing My Students

Leon continued,

"However..."

"Never mistake determination for recklessness."

"The Eternal Principle Summit Principle Discussion gathers the greatest talents of an entire generation."

"There are ancient bloodlines."

"Hidden prodigies."

"Exceptional geniuses who have trained since childhood."

"You’ll face opponents unlike any you’ve encountered before."

His tone remained calm, yet every word carried the weight of experience.

"If you win..."

"I’ll be happy for you."

"If you lose..."

"I won’t blame you."

"What matters most..."

"...is that both of you return safely."

The two girls stared at him.

Neither spoke immediately.

Instead...

Their hearts warmed.

That was the kind of Teacher Leon had always been.

He never demanded perfection.

He never treated them as tools to earn glory.

He simply wished for them to become stronger while staying safe.

To anyone else...

Those words might sound ordinary.

But to Selena and Rias...

They meant everything.

Selena lowered her head respectfully.

"Teacher..."

"I won’t disappoint you."

"No matter who stands before me..."

"I’ll give everything I have."

"I’ll bring honor back to Amethyst Summit Division."

"And..."

Her voice softened.

"I’ll make you proud."

Leon looked at her quietly.

His eyes filled with relief.

"My innocent little Selena..."

He couldn’t help smiling inwardly.

"She’s always the easiest to motivate."

"Once her heart catches fire..."

"Nothing can stop her."

He almost laughed.

Whether I can proudly boast about my students during the gathering...

...will depend entirely on the two of you.

So don’t let your Teacher lose face.

Of course...

He wisely kept those thoughts to himself.

Instead, he smiled warmly.

"I’ve never doubted you."

Rias stepped forward beside Selena and raised a determined fist.

"Teacher!"

"Senior Sister and I will definitely work hard."

"We’ll bring back results that won’t disappoint you."

Leon nodded with satisfaction.

"Good."

"Confidence is important."

"But remember..."

"Confidence must always be matched by effort."

He glanced toward the distant horizon where the Eternal Principle Summit awaited beyond countless mountain ranges.

"So..."

"From today onward..."

"The two of you will have no time to be lazy."

Rias blinked.

"...Eh?"

Selena suddenly had a bad feeling.

Leon smiled.

"The moment we return to Amethyst Summit Division..."

"Your alchemy lessons begin."

"We’ll be training from dawn until nightfall."

"...Every day."

The smiles on both girls’ faces froze instantly.

Leon folded his arms, trying very hard not to laugh.

Only moments ago they had been overflowing with heroic ambition.

Now...

Reality had finally caught up to them.

Looking at their stiff expressions, Leon almost burst into laughter.

Even so, his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.

This...

This was the peaceful daily life he wanted to protect.

"Yes, it’s a good thing to be determined."

"Let’s go."

"We should head back while we still have time."

Leon turned and prepared to leave.

"Wait, Teacher..."

Just as he took his first step, Selena’s gentle voice suddenly stopped him.

Leon paused and turned back. The faint smile that had rested on his face softened as he noticed the hesitation in Selena’s expression. She rarely stopped him unless something truly mattered.

He waited patiently, allowing her to gather her thoughts.

After a brief silence, Selena lowered her gaze before speaking.

"Teacher..."

"I think... you should visit the Taylor family."

Leon frowned slightly.

"The Taylor family?"

The words immediately stirred something in his memory.

His purple eyes swept across the battlefield once more.

Only then did he realize an important detail.

Harry Taylor...

Where was Harry?

Since the battle had begun, he had never once seen the cheerful young man who was always eager to greet him.

His gaze moved across the scattered cultivators from every Powerful Sect.

There were survivors tending to the wounded.

Elders discussing the aftermath.

Students helping clear the battlefield.

Yet...

There wasn’t a single member of the Taylor family in sight.

A faint sense of unease quietly settled in his heart.

His expression gradually became serious.

"What happened to the Taylor family?"

Selena took a slow breath before explaining everything from the beginning.

"Teacher..."

"When the Martial Emperor Tomb first opened..."

"Rias and I had just left the Academy Premises."

"Before we could enter, members of the Prison Holy Sect deliberately blocked our path."

As she spoke, Leon remained silent, listening carefully.

Rias stepped beside her Senior Sister and nodded.

"It happened so suddenly."

"They clearly intended to provoke us."

Selena continued,

"At that moment..."

"Harry stepped forward to help us."

"He only tried to reason with them."

"He didn’t insult anyone."

"He simply said what was fair."

A trace of guilt flashed through her blue eyes.

"But..."

"That elder from the Prison Holy Sect became furious."

"He struck Harry without hesitation."

Leon narrowed his eyes.

The surrounding air seemed to grow noticeably colder.

Selena lowered her head.

"Harry was seriously injured."

"Guardian Elder Shera arrived just in time."

"Otherwise..."

She didn’t finish the sentence.

She didn’t need to.

Everyone present understood what those unfinished words meant.

Leon asked quietly,

"What about you?"

His voice remained calm.

Too calm.

That calmness was far more frightening than open anger.

"Did they hurt either of you?"

Selena and Rias exchanged a glance before shaking their heads.

"No."

Rias answered gently,

"Guardian Elder Shera arrived before they could."

"He stopped them."

"Otherwise..."

She looked toward Selena.

"Senior Sister would have been in real danger."

Leon remained silent.

His eyes settled on Selena.

She smiled faintly, trying to reassure him.

"I’m fine, Teacher."

"Please don’t worry."

Rias continued explaining,

"Before the elder intervened..."

"Senior Sister fought Lavish from the Prison Holy Sect."

"She defeated him."

"No..."

"He was completely overwhelmed."

"The elder couldn’t accept that one of their own had lost."

"He wanted revenge."

"He intended to settle the score with Senior Sister personally."

Her voice became colder as she remembered the incident.

"Harry only spoke a few words in our defense."

"And for that..."

"He was struck down."

Silence followed.

The breeze that had been gently blowing across the battlefield suddenly felt strangely cold.

Leon lowered his head slightly.