You are all my wings...

That makes sense.

Iris felt uneasy, as if she had forgotten something.

"By the way, Leon is still in the guest room. Do you want to see him?"

Thump! Iris tried to get up from the bed, but she accidentally missed a step and fell off the bed.

Damn it, how could I have lost my composure for him! Was it because he defeated me last night and then held me tight at the crucial moment to prevent me from getting hurt? I've never been this intimate with a man before!

Calm down. He's so focused on his own agenda; maybe that's just a ruse. Don't let your guard down!

A slightly flustered Iris elicited another round of laughter from Granny:

"I admire this human's handsomeness, but I still advise you to be careful. After all, you are not as composed as I am. I am not afraid of being deceived, but you are easily deceived. Humans are the most intelligent race on the continent. Even though their overall status and strength are not as good as our elf race, they often covet our beauty and commit kidnapping and seduction."

"And you were just being so infatuated?"

Elizabeth was speechless.

“That’s two different things. Being deceived by a handsome man is not the same as being deceived by a bad person,” Granny laughed.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, "Be careful, you might get completely scammed one day."

She thought to herself that she did need to be wary of the possibility of being lured and kidnapped by Leon, but since she had made a bet with him, she could not break her promise, after all, she was such a trustworthy person.

I've never been to the dungeon with anyone other than my mother.

Let's probe his intentions first.

……

The reception room.

Lyon, dressed in a formal suit, sat on one side of the sofa, with Grani and Iris sitting on either side of him.

They each crossed their legs, revealing their long, slender, white calves and beautiful ankles.

Both of them were wearing light-colored slip dresses in a casual style.

Because of her beauty, she looks good in anything.

Grani's beauty is a blend of delicate charm and feisty allure, while Eliza's beauty is a blend of pride and coquettishness.

As for their posture and expressions, they can only be described as elegant.

Apart from that, there were no other expressions.

Of course, in Leon's eyes, who was familiar with the two characters in front of him, their 'elegance' had a slightly amusing element.

The orc maid brought over some black tea.

"This is a fine drink from the land of the East. Please enjoy it."

Grani gracefully extended her hand in greeting.

Elizabeth then gracefully expressed her gratitude:

“Leon, I want to thank you for healing my injuries yesterday and taking me to Grani’s place for care. I hope you won’t take my lapse in composure last night to heart. As promised, I will join your side.”

She was determined to find out if she had been scammed. Looking back, she gradually realized that there was something wrong with the check, but she lacked evidence, since the check had already been returned to Lyon.

Lyon was somewhat surprised that Iris had agreed so quickly before he had even brought it up.

Could it be that the 50% increase in favorability had an effect?

50% is indeed not bad, but it's not enough to transform into a romantic relationship.

A 50% rating generally indicates a high level of friendliness, but some people may be enemies but have mutual respect, and the rating could also reach 50%.

If the success rate is above 60%, there is a slight chance that they will become lovers.

However, due to personality differences, even with a 70% to 80% level of attraction, they may not necessarily become lovers.

With 80% favorability, a little push usually leads to them becoming lovers.

As for 90%, that's a standard that can only be reached by lovers who have gone through life and death together and have a long-term, loving relationship.

100% represents an unwavering commitment.

As for exceeding 100%, that would probably require multiple buffs and events to achieve.

For Leon, the main purpose of increasing favorability is to make it easier to complete tasks and to obtain various female protagonist talents after reaching 90%.

If possible, reaching 100% will likely generate some additional rewards.

This is his only cheat code, so he has to use it well!

Incidentally, this is a summary of a post that Leon saw on a game forum in his previous life.

A mysterious reward will be triggered if a character of C rank or higher has a 100% or higher favorability rating.

At the same time, the higher the importance of a character in the plot, the harder it is to increase their favorability.

B-rank characters, only a few players can successfully complete the romance.

I've never heard of anyone successfully winning over an A-rank character, whether it's a single A-rank character, or an A-rank character in terms of story or potential.

S-class, needless to say.

As for Grani, her character panel is not yet available, presumably because her story level is not high enough, or because she is a low-level character and requires certain conditions.

However, even without the character panel, Leon was quite familiar with Grani.

This is a popular supporting character.

She was Iris's colleague and "cousin," and was extremely polite to everyone, with exceptional social skills.

Among the elven diplomats of the Kingdom of Horshah, those primarily responsible for communication with the court held a very important position.

Of course, this is only Grani's apparent situation.

In reality, what lies beneath her polite exterior is a personality that is almost like a little devil.

She is very polite when interacting with outsiders.

She is extremely flirtatious with close friends.

When the time is right, they take the initiative and act aggressively, never faltering in crucial situations.

Her storyline, along with Iris's appearances, features her on stage in the first, second, and fourth installments.

After the final battle in the fourth book, he also gained a legendary epic for assisting Elise and the other heroines in their mission to save the world, thus becoming a seventh-order legend.

Of course, the world was saved, but most of the weak were also wiped out, so his goal remained unchanged: to become the strongest!

Even if it means growing more and more wings in order to become stronger, and accidentally getting caught up in a chaotic battle, I'm willing to do it!

"Leon, although it may be presumptuous of me to ask, are you really a first-order mage? Why is your magical power so abundant? Also, how do you manage to cast spells so quickly?"

Seeing that Leon seemed to be deep in thought, Elizabeth took the initiative to start a conversation.

She planned to subtly probe to see if the other party had any flaws or was truly suspicious.

Chapter Twelve: Leon's Lie

Lyon already had an explanation for Iris's questions.

"After all, I have two professions, so it's perfectly normal for my magic power cap to be increased, isn't it?"

"But your magical power is already close to the ordinary third rank, isn't it?"

"Have you forgotten that my second job was as an astrologer? That's also a job that focuses on increasing magic power and gives up on increasing other attributes."

This is a lie.

Although Iris's favorability rating has reached 50%, her reliability as a teammate still needs to be tested.

Lyon, of course, couldn't have revealed everything from the very beginning.

When necessary, he can also use the halo of trust to enhance the effectiveness of lies.

However, since we're just chatting now, there's no need for that.

Lyon is not so pathetic as to need skills to improve the credibility of his everyday lies.

"But how do you manage to cast spells at such a speed..."

“Elise, some things involve personal secrets, and even if you are Lyon’s friend, you should be mindful of boundaries.”

Granny smiled and stopped Iris from asking further questions, then gracefully apologized to Leon:

"I'm sorry, Lyon, but Iris is still quite young and doesn't understand these things."

"No, it's not really a secret. It's just a matter of practicing enough until you become proficient."

Lyon didn't mind revealing the reason for his fast spellcasting speed.

It's more accurate to say that as his fame grows, he will inevitably attract many people who covet his skills.

Therefore, it would be better to proactively mention some of the reasons and let them back down.

"As you can see, due to my background as a quasi-baron, I lack the funds to purchase magical items to advance to the second tier. Therefore, I can only delve into the field of spellcasting, waiting to raise enough funds or find suitable items in the dungeons. Fortunately, I have almost raised enough funds recently."

This is also a lie.

The truth is, Leon already had his sights set on the upgrade item. Obtaining that item would maximize the rank boost he would receive after his advancement.

Upon hearing this, Iris seemed thoughtful. Did he realize that she suspected him because he brought up the source of the funds?

It seems I need to act more normally.

Lyon continued:

"Because of a lack of money, I devoted myself to practicing magic. I slowly discovered the secret to high-speed casting: sufficient spellcasting practice and imagery training. As long as you do these two things, anyone can achieve no-cast magic and high-speed casting at the lower levels."

This is also a lie.

In fact, after Leon awakened his memories of the game from his past life, he knew that these two points were the most crucial.

What's missing is just some minor details and directional tweaks.

In Lyon's previous life, there was a so-called 10,000-hour rule.

The same principle applies to casting spells.

However, if you can't find the right direction to train, you'll often end up doing a lot of useless work.

Many people even give up practicing because they don't see results in the early stages.

Leon, on the other hand, used his gaming experience from his previous life and his exploration after awakening his memories to find the most efficient way to improve his proficiency.

First, through comparing and exploring the game and the real world, he confirmed the correct direction of his practice and determined that he would definitely achieve results in the end, so he was able to persevere.

Unlike many others, he lacks the unwavering confidence to keep training.

Secondly, there is imagery training.

After learning real magic using the magic books in his family, which he was born into as a baron, he began imagery training.

Leon then discovered that the more precise the magical imagery, the more mana it could conserve and the faster it could be activated.

Therefore, his training program included more practice in precision and speed.

For example, using simple line drawings and meditation to repeatedly improve the speed of constructing images.

After many attempts, he discovered that imagining the physical and chemical reactions of various phenomena produced the most outstanding magical effects.

Combining the above discoveries, he mastered the four conventional magic systems and quickly mastered them to the point of being able to cast spells without incantation.

Because he quickly reached the point where he could cast all four magic spells without chanting, the core skill he acquired when he became a mage was the extremely rare high-speed mana regeneration.

After becoming a mage, he was able to practice more basic spells by utilizing his high-speed mana regeneration skill.

And they strive to conceive of the physical and chemical reactions involved, and develop them into magical images that can be used instantly.

These processes, though seemingly simple, took him five years.

It also includes job training for the Shadowwalker second class, practicing the corresponding magic and combat skills, and physical training.

Of course, Lyon himself was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Compared to the impoverished baronial family and the various troubles of being targeted by old noblewomen because of his handsome looks, practicing magic was simply too much fun.

At this moment, Leon couldn't help but recall his past daily experiences of practicing magic and being moved by it, and a look of nostalgia appeared on his face.