Chapter 11: Leon's Regrettable Past and the Truth Finally Revealed
"There was actual significance in what I said... Leon Kruger, the incidt four years ago in the town of Artamonth on the border region of mankind—do you still recall it?"
Liliana sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, turning her head slightly to look at Leon as she asked in a calm tone.
Her bloodshot eyes subtly concealed a hidd fluctuation, and the question she posed carried an air of nonchalance.
Yet, as Leon processed her words, his bewildered expression morphed gradually into one of horror.
His eyes wided as he stared at Liliana, as though he had just glimpsed a ghost.
"You... You..." Leon stuttered, as if each word he intded to say carried a heavy burd, rdering him unable to articulate them.
Upon seeing his reaction, Liliana only smiled faintly and shook her head slightly.
"No need to be so anxious," Liliana remarked, cutting off his words.
"I'm just asking casually, and you just need to answer my questions, Leon Kruger," she continued, and the smile on her lips gradually vanished, replaced by her usual cold expression.
"I... I..." Leon attempted to respond to the question, but inexplicably, his neck felt constricted, impeding his ability to articulate the words.
The ssation was suffocating, and the subtle pressure exerted by Liliana compelled him to bow his head.
The incidt in Arthamonth Town four years ago, on the border of human territory—how could he forget it?
It remained a knot in his heart until now because, for the first time, he had violated his own principles.
The incidt was marked by the commission of the most heinous and, simultaneously, the most hateful crime in his life, involving the rape of a woman in Arthamonth Town within the human border territory.
In his previous life, at the age of , he had a traumatic counter wh he almost got raped by a maid in his mansion while his parts wer't there.
Fortunately, he survived the incidt, but the trauma he expericed left a deep imprint.
Ev after being reborn into this world as a sword hero, the lingering trauma persisted, embedded in his soul.
However, due to the incidt four years ago—precisely a month before he gained recognition for the holy sword—he also committed that heinous act against an unknown woman.
Certainly, he did not inttionally commit the heinous act, as during that time, he was gaged in an imperial mission to pursue a top-level fugitive.
However, he was caught off guard wh the fugitive employed Aphrodisiac powder as a sneak attack.
The powder's effect quickly spread through his body, leading him to inadverttly harm an unknown woman.
The impact of the incidt nearly drove him to despair, and the hatred reflected on the woman's face vaguely lingered vividly in his mind.
Ev though such crimes were commonplace in this fantasy world and his action was uninttional, the undiable reality remained that he had committed the act.
He attempted to bury the memory deep within his heart, but Liliana's words brought it rushing back, causing a suffocating ssation to gulf him.
As he tried to suppress his guilt, a sudd thought flashed through his mind.
"Wait a minute! That incidt happed four years ago; how does this demon woman know about it?" Leon immediately snapped to atttion, ssing an irregularity.
After all, the details of the incidt should only be known to him, with the unknown woman as the victim.
He was certain that no third person knew about this; th, how did this woman know?
Inevitably, he lifted his head, locking eyes with Liliana, who was also watching him inttly.
As if deciphering his expression, Liliana smiled faintly and inquired, "Are you puzzled about how I'm aware of this?"
Leon did not provide an answer; instead, he remained silt, clearly indicating his desire to know it.
It appeared impossible for anyone to be aware of the incidt, and ev if they were, there was no conceivable way this fierce woman could be privy to it, right?
Nonetheless, he tertained a few unreasonable guesses but quickly dismissed them as impossible.
Yet, Liliana's next response almost made his soul escape from his body.
"What if I told you I was the woman you attacked?" Liliana stated with a cold tone, a faint yet powerful aura emanating from her.
"Impossible!" Leon exclaimed loudly, firmly rejecting her claim.
It seemed impossible and highly unlikely that the Liliana standing before him was the same woman involved in the incidt four years ago.
Moreover, ev under the influce of Aphrodisiac powder, with his consciousness blurred, he still vaguely recalled that the woman in the incidt four years ago had long jet-black hair and ordinary black eyes—distinctly differt from the blood-red eyes of Liliana before him!
"Why are you claiming it's impossible? Isn't my knowledge of the incidt clear proof that I am the woman?" Liliana raised one eyebrow, her tone dismissive.
A faint undercurrt of restmt was evidt in her response to his dial.
"No! I refuse to believe that because that woman had a completely differt appearance from you. Moreover, the incidt occurred within the town in humanity's territory, and you, being a demon, could not possibly have tered it." Leon shook his head, struggling to accept her words.
His statemt was quite reasonable, giv that on the border wall of Arthamonth Town, there existed a high-level magic barrier specifically designed to prevt the try of the Demon race.
The stronger the demon, the more intse the pressure exerted on those attempting to force their way in.
Hce, it was implausible for Liliana to ter without being affected or detected by the imperial palace.
"Huh! I appeared differt because I was in disguise at the time, due to a problem in the Demon Race's territory. The reason I could ter Arthamonth Town was because I used special magic; however, the effect of that magic also instantly weaked my strgth." Liliana snorted coldly, the mere recollection of that incidt fueling her fury.
If it wer't for the conflict back th, requiring her temporary retreat into humanity's territory and the subsequt weaking effect following the use of such special magic to infiltrate the town, she wouldn't have found herself in that unfortunate condition.
Moreover, within the town of Arthamonth, there is also high-level magic that suppresses her power, and her strgth at that time was not as formidable as it is now.
Upon hearing her explanation, Leon fell silt, unsure of how to refute her claims.
In the beginning, he had sought out the woman, driv by guilt and a strong desire to make amds for the incidt.
Ev after four years had elapsed, he had invested considerable effort and resources in gathering intelligce to discover her idtity.
However, the results were consisttly null, as if she never existed.
Now, ev though he still struggled to believe her words, deep down, he had begun to believe her.
From Liliana's inexplicable hostility in their previous confrontation to her knowledge of the incidt four years ago, everything formed a clear and interconnected narrative.
Ev someone with an offline IQ could likely comprehd the truth.
Leon took a deep breath, gradually calming his racing thoughts.
However, ev if he attempted to ease his mind, it proved challging to calm down after learning this fact.
Certainly, dying was also futile, and he could only sigh.
After a few minutes, he turned his gaze to Liliana, and a subtle change appeared in his expression.
"Liliana Crimson, ev though it's challging for me to fully accept your words, deep down in my heart, I've already come to believe them. Honestly, I acknowledge a significant mistake on my part back th, and it might be unforgivable. For the past four years, I've actively sought you out to make amds.
So, I sincerely and earnestly apologize to you," Leon stated with conviction and seriousness, leaving no room for hesitation.
Witnessing Leon's unexpected reaction, Liliana, for the first time, was stunned and rdered motionless.
Her gaze couldn't divert from Leon's serious and handsome face, while a faint blush adorned her cheeks, reaching up to the base of her ears.
"Huh! I don't need your apology; I need your actions," Liliana retorted, looking away to the side in an attempt to conceal her embarrassmt.
For some reason, her face suddly grew hot upon seeing Leon in this manner.
"Action? What do you want me to do?" Leon asked hesitantly.
"My earlier request remains—to take care of my three daughters," she replied coldly, still avoiding eye contact in embarrassmt.
Both of Leon's eyebrows shot up immediately as he recalled her previous request to look after her three little daughters.
'(Oops! I forgot that this woman has three little daughters, and I also feel a bit guilty towards her husband.)' Leon felt an overwhelming sse of embarrassmt and awkwardness upon learning the complete truth.
It felt as if he had unwittingly placed a "gre hat" on her husband's head—cough!
"Alright, I agree to your request, and I'll apologize to your husband later." Despite his aversion to small childr, he couldn't help but agree.
Upon hearing the word 'husband,' Liliana's little ears twitched, as if she were processing something unfamiliar.
"What? Husband?" Liliana looked at him in immediate confusion, a question mark hovering above her head.
"Cough! Yes, your husband... I will apologize later." Leon's face flushed slightly, feeling quite embarrassed after making this statemt.
Liliana instantly grasped his implication, and her face flushed red, as if she were holding back her fury.
"What are you saying!? Since wh did I have a husband!? You foul man! They're your childr, you bastard!"