Chapter 60: Grief in the Rain
Leo Vance walked across the muddy courtyard stones, his dark coat parting the pouring rain. Behind him, Lady Elara Snowveil and Lady Celestia Raine maintained a shimmering dome of frost and arcane mana overhead, shielding the group from the storm.
Beside them walked Saintess Seraphina. Her golden eyes were fixed on the two soaked figures kneeling in the grass ahead.
Around them, hundreds of cadets were dragging heavy leather trunks toward the main carriage gates. Shouts from academy instructors and imperial guards echoed through the rain, but Leo’s group moved with steady, unhurried steps. Leo stopped five paces away from Valerie and Maya.
Knight Captain Valerie stood in the wet grass like an iron statue. Cold rainwater poured down her crimson hair, dripping from her chin onto her empty breastplate. Her fists were clenched so hard that her steel gauntlets creaked.
Beside her, Spiritist Maya was on her knees in the mud. Her delicate frame shook with uncontrollable sobs, her hands buried in her face. Saintess Seraphina did not wait.
She stepped out from beneath the protective mana dome, letting the cold rain soak her white church gown. Seraphina dropped to her knees in the wet grass and threw her arms around Maya’s trembling shoulders.
"Maya... please do not cry," Seraphina whispered softly, her voice filled with gentle, loving warmth. Maya pulled her hands from her face and looked up. When she saw Seraphina kneeling beside her in the mud, fresh tears spilled from her eyes.
"Seraphina..." Maya choked out, her voice cracking with heartbreak. "We were so blind... We swore our lives to a monster... We loved him, and he sold you for stats..."
Valerie slowly turned her head. Her crimson eyes were bloodshot and swollen from holding back her own tears. She looked down at Seraphina with deep, agonizing shame.
"We drew our weapons against the man who saved your life," Valerie said, her voice rough and broken. "We called him a brute, while we defended the coward who watched you in the dark."
"You did not know," Seraphina said gently, reaching her other hand out to touch Valerie’s steel gauntlet. "Noel fooled the entire Empire. He fooled the High Priests. He fooled all of us for years." Seraphina looked up into Valerie’s eyes with calm, unwavering certainty.
"In the church, Noel always spoke of holy martyrdom," Seraphina continued. "He made me feel like my body was nothing more than an empty vessel to be sacrificed for his glory."
"Whenever I was hurt, he never asked if I was in pain. He only asked if my holy aura had expanded." Seraphina glanced back toward Leo, her golden eyes glowing with pure affection.
"Leo is different," Seraphina said softly. "When the void hounds attacked in the dark archive, Leo did not watch from afar. He stepped between me and the beasts. He ripped away the burning acid robes and purified the dark poison with his own warmth."
"For the first time in my life, I was protected as a woman, not used as a holy tool." Lady Celestia stepped forward to the edge of the mana dome, her violet eyes soft with understanding.
"Prince Lucien treated me the exact same way," Celestia said, her voice clear and steady over the sound of the rain.
"I suffered from terrible mana fevers that were burning my body alive. Lucien refused to touch me or help soothe my pain, using his Purity Oath as an
excuse. He left me in agony just so he could show off a pure noble fiancée to the Emperor." Lady Elara nodded, her cold golden gaze resting on Valerie.
"And Caelum Voss traded my virginity on a signed contract to unblock his own sword core," Elara added plainly. "Arrogant men in this realm wear golden badges and holy cloaks, but beneath their titles, they are cowardly parasites."
Valerie listened to their words, every sentence hitting her heart like a physical hammer.
The three most desirable, high-status women in the academy had all suffered under the selfish greed of their betrothed leaders.
Valerie looked up from the mud, her gaze meeting Leo Vance’s calm, dark eyes.
Leo stood tall against the gray storm, his hands resting casually in his coat pockets. He did not look at Valerie with mockery or pity. His expression was as solid as a mountain.
"The Hero Party is dead," Leo said, his deep baritone cutting cleanly through the roaring wind.
"And this academy will remain locked down for months while the elders investigate the crypt collapse."
Leo took two steps forward, stopping right in front of Valerie and Maya.
"You have no master to serve, and no temple to return to," Leo continued calmly. "If you stay here, the Church will only blame you for Noel’s failure and strip your knightly titles."
Valerie’s jaw tightened. She knew Leo was speaking the absolute truth.
When the High Priests discovered Noel’s broken jaw and the disbanded party, they would make Valerie and Maya the scapegoats to protect the Hero’s holy reputation.
"What are you offering, Vance?" Valerie asked, her voice trembling slightly in the cold rain.
"Sanctuary," Leo replied without hesitation.
"I do not hide behind holy oaths or trade people for status. I protect everyone under my roof."
Leo extended his hand toward the two soaked warrior women.
"Pack your weapons and leave this ruined campus behind," Leo said. "Come with us to my family’s townhouse in the capital."
Valerie stared at Leo’s outstretched hand.
The broad palm was warm and strong, carrying the faint, reassuring heat of his core.
For three years, Valerie had carried the heavy burden of protecting a weak, cowardly Hero who hid behind her shield.
Now, looking into Leo’s fearless eyes, Valerie felt a strange, sudden weight lift from her shoulders.
For the first time, she was looking at a man who was stronger than her. A man who would never run, never hide, and never sacrifice his women for power.
Valerie reached out her armored hand and placed her trembling steel fingers firmly into Leo’s warm palm.
"I accept, Lord Leo," Valerie whispered, bowing her head in the rain.
Beside her, Maya wiped her tears, stood up from the mud, and took Seraphina’s outstretched hand with a grateful nod.
Across the rainy courtyard, two sturdy black carriages bearing the iron bull crest of the Vance family rolled through the academy gates.