Leonidas was well aware that he had made numerous enormous leaps in logic. However, many of these holes he was filling in currently relied entirely on Scholar’s Eye and Lady Eve’s subtle changes in expression. He was about 90% certain that he had gotten much of it correct.

Much of this speculation was built on the back of Father Barat’s odd actions. Leonidas had never offended the man in any way, but he had seemed eager to indict him. No Apostle would be foolish enough to try and bribe a Father so the only explanation was that these had to come from Barat’s own personal feelings.

For Father Barat to start off so hostile and suddenly change his tune on a dime could only mean that he had resigned himself. He had tried to take the easy path in getting rid of Leonidas first, and when he realized it was impossible, he chose to follow through with a favor someone dear to him had asked of him.

As for who this person was, Lady Eve’s absence was glaring. There was no mandate to attend an Apostle’s trial, but it still felt odd for an Apostle to be missing during such a grand event. It was almost as though Lady Eve was sparing someone’s feelings, and that person was most definitely not Leonidas.

This still left too many questions. Why was Father Barat unable to control his emotions? Why would Lady Eve feel guilty, if it was that all? A woman like her feeling guilt, was that even possible?

The answer to all of them tracked back to a singular understanding. Lady Eve was relentless in her pursuit of power. She wouldn’t allow anything to stand in her way, even past affections. And, right now, Leonidas had suddenly become as wide and bright a path as she had ever found.

Lady Eve had no way of knowing for sure, but whatever treasures she had missed out on in the Fallen Apostle hideout were almost certainly in Leonidas’ hands. This was a secret only the two of them shared, and it was something that left Lady Eve at a loss.

She had invested so much into that mission, only to come out with nothing. In the end, she had even ruined her advancement into Level 3 Apostle, leaving her vulnerable.

Without the backing of a family, she was the only Apostle outside of Leonidas who had to gather Blessings for herself. It had taken her years to reach her current Level and she was running out of time. Her youth was waning and very soon her ambitions would become nothing more than that. This setback was too large a blow for her to take… But, there remained a chance.

If she could share in Leonidas’ gains, there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.

However, could she? Why would Leonidas need to share with her in this way? She had lost much of the leverage she had and he seemed to be improving at breakneck speeds.

And, even if she could, should she? She knew well that nothing came for free and the kind of sacrifices she would need to make to seal such a deal would make her feel as though she had returned to that very same trapped woman, suppressed beneath the thumb of a man.

So, she remained quiet. In these past months, she had hardly even left her home. Faced with what seemed like an inevitable failure after a failed gamble, she was forced to gaze upon her own weakness.

And then Anabel had come. Face covered in sweat, hair clinging to her forehead, chest heaving for breaths, she knocked at her door, holding an enormous saw blade three times too large for her petite frame.

Like this, Leonidas and Lady Eve had suddenly become two lone wolves, facing the ire of the noble families of Violet Waters.

Leonidas’ slow steps came to a stop. This time, he had closed the distance between himself and Lady Eve until there was nothing more than a fraction of a foot between their chests.

Deacon Bruthers wasn’t a fool.

It was likely he was already aware that his useless son had fallen at the hands of his aunt, it was just that he didn’t have any proof just yet. At the same time, to the Rardins, Lady Eve had always been a thorn in their side.

If at any point she decided to return to the Bruthers family, they would pour every last cent they had into converting her Class from Fighter to Healer. The moment this happened, whatever monopoly the Rardins had had would vanish into the ether.

Then there was Leonidas. His tome had been stolen, his mother’s corpse had vanished, and it all seemed to have been done by the Rardins. At the same time, the Bruthers family were likely eyeing his Apostle position, hoping to deal a blow to the Rardins by flipping the tables and reclaiming a slot for themselves.

There was only one real path for both of them.

“I will be your business partner, not your sex toy. We will do this only once.” Lady Eve spoke evenly as though she was talking about a person other than herself.

Unlike Fathers and Mothers, Apostles were under no chastity requirements. However, there were a different set of rules when it came to relations between two Apostles. So long as both Apostles served the same God, their union would be considered a form of consummation. In the eyes of Yves, the two would be joined at the hip and be Blessed as husband and wife.

This change in relationship status came with many added conventions and its own restrictions. As such, though there were no rules against Apostles sleeping with one another, these added shackles made it functionally as though such rules were in place. In addition, such rules tended to change depending on the God and what they wanted to represent.

Luckily for Lady Eve, they were under a female Deity known for her kindness and healing. As such, her contract with Leonidas would be relatively equal. If not for this, even if a knife hovered before her throat, she would absolutely refuse to do such a thing.

“So long as you do not betray me, I will have no reason to betray you,” was all Leonidas said in response.

Leonidas’ hand reached for Lady Eve’s chin. For a moment, she was stunned by the softness of his hand, only now remembering that it was this very weakness that had crippled him for so long. However, before Leonidas could lean down to kiss her, he found a forceful palm on his chest.

Lady Eve’s brows were furrowed tightly. “Is there a need for this? Just fuck me and get on with it. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

Leonidas’ crimson irises looked into her bright brown eyes, his expression not wavering in the slightest. Even now, the lingering effects of Berserk hadn’t quite faded away, giving Leonidas a strong bestial sort of front that left a hefty masculine scent in the air. To Lady Eve, it felt like she had been overwhelmed by the scent of fresh pine and rushing waters, Leonidas’ cleanliness even after two days in a dungeon stunning her. Of course, she had Goddess Yves’ Ambrosia to thank for this.

“You will be my first woman,” Leonidas spoke evenly. “If I can only do this once, I plan to savor it appropriately. As for a few minutes? We will see.”

Lady Eve was so stunned by Leonidas’ candid admission that she couldn’t react before a pair of lips that felt several degrees too hot smothered her own.

At that moment, Lady Eve felt as though her heart had leapt out of her chest. Leonidas might have been inexperienced, but War Cry and Berserk, combined with his inherently handsome features, was a lethal attraction even to a woman like Lady Eve.

A pulsing heat had already begun to course through her limbs.

Lady Eve snapped awake, her head reeling back. Her eyes seemed to fuse with a hazy sort of anger.

“Don’t cross my bottom line,” she hissed.

This matter would get out, it was only a matter of time, Lady Eve knew that. However, she didn’t care what people thought of her. She had already been sullied once before. As a woman in this world, the only way to erase such a thing was to wield more power than those who slandered you.

This was to say that when Lady Eve acted, she didn’t care to consider the opinions of others, but she still held herself to a certain standard. Even behind closed doors, she wouldn’t allow that line to be crossed.

That lofty arrogance in her eyes was still there. Leonidas could see the picture of the woman who had stared at him with a polite smile that held no depth to it, the kind of smile one gave for the sake of appearances but lacked any sort of deeper respect.

Leonidas remembered a simple hope of his from back then, one that he would be able to gaze upon this woman with the same degree of unabashed confidence she had.

Lady Eve suddenly found her backward retreat stalled. Looking to the side, she found that Leonidas’ tail had actually stopped her from taking a second step. With a slight nudge, she found herself in Leonidas’ embrace once again, his chest pressed flush to her own.

The feeling of Leonidas’ large hand pressed firmly upon the small of her back was akin to hot coals, though it was difficult to tell if this was just her perception, or if Leonidas’ body temperature was really running that hot.

“I’ve yet to repay you for running a blade through my chest.”

Leonidas’ fingers latched onto the thread that tied Lady Eve’s leather armor down. With a strong tug, it unwound, splitting it down in two. A dull thud resounded as he allowed it to fall to the ground.

Hearing such words, Lady Eve’s tone seemed to shift. The coarse linen cloth that covered her upper body hung loosely above her shoulders, not restraining what was most definitely a free pair of breasts beneath.

“For a virgin, you talk a lot.”

Leonidas didn’t immediately respond, removing his hands from Lady Eve’s body to pull his tunic from his body. His bare torso rippled with a healthy strength. He hadn’t become shredded in such a small time, but Yves’ Blessings and the added potions had helped his chest and shoulders to fill out to an astonishing degree. There was no doubt he looked like a real man.

He untied the straps that held his pants up, letting them sink, but not enough to fall from his hips.

“I spent almost two decades living in a brothel,” Leonidas said slowly, stretching out a finger that lightly graced Lady Eve’s collarbone, “listening to women complain about poor lovers and fat bastards. A normal housewife whose husband can’t please her will just make sex a rare occurrence. Out of sight, out of mind. But, as you might imagine, for a prostitute, this isn’t possible.

“You can probably guess the frustration. Being forced to be stimulated again and again by men who could care less about your pleasure, without even the chance to refuse. What kind of sexual tension could build after months, years, decades, of that?”

Leonidas’ sharp claw caught the collar of Lady Eve’s loose shirt, tearing into it with an undisguised ease. In one motion, it had been split in two, revealing a powerful, trained torso and two delicately bouncing orbs pointed by beautiful pink protrusions.

Leonidas stared unabashedly, the heat of his lower belly slowly rising. A pair of breasts alone wasn’t enough to arouse him. However, the owner of them was a different matter entirely.

Lady Eve observed Leonidas’ expression, unmoved as the fabric slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor.

“Not to sound vain, but with this face of mine, a building filled with sexually repressed women is a treasure trove of information. I may have never fucked any of them, but the information I have is far more valuable than that.”

Leonidas unbuttoned Lady Eve’s tight cargo pants. Soon, even they had fallen to the floor, revealing a tan pair of form-fitting panties. They hung high on her hips, curving down her groin and caressing the tender lips between her legs.

“As for what this thing can do…”

Lady Eve’s eyes widened, her expression faltering when Leonidas’ pants fell as well.

“… We’ll just have to find out together.”