You are all my wings...

"Can you break my soul contract?"

She once again revealed a pitiful, teary-eyed look, her little hands tugging at Leon's badly tattered magic robe.

What do you think?

Lyon chuckled and retorted, "This guy definitely has an ulterior motive."

"Hmph, I knew it wouldn't work. I shouldn't have asked you for help. You're stingy and miserly!"

Machiru's expression immediately changed, and the wet tears in her heterochromatic eyes vanished in an instant.

“It’s not something we can’t consider when I’m two ranks higher than you, but let’s forget about it for now.”

Lyon shrugged and walked toward the sacred mural.

Maqilu's eyes lit up, realizing that things weren't entirely hopeless, and she quickly said:

"Oh, how ignorant... Oh, dear and venerable master, this is a sacred mural! Don't you really want me to tell you how to decipher it?"

“If I wanted to know, I could have easily used the force of contract magic to compel me, but I didn’t because I respect the rare knowledge you possess, understand, Macchiato?”

Maqilu was slightly taken aback by what she said, as it seemed to make some sense.

"As the holder of rare knowledge, I would be happy if you were willing to share it. If you are not willing to tell me, I will not force you to give it to me. Consider this a favor I am giving you."

Without turning back to say those words, Lyon had already walked to the front of the sacred mural.

Maggie gazed at Leon's retreating figure, her feelings a complex mix.

Preferential treatment? Does my current situation qualify as preferential treatment?

Being a slave seems to offer relative freedom.

I also felt like I was being treated as a teammate.

It seems...not bad at all?

Leon decided to follow Britta's experience and first meditate on the magical imagery that might be relevant.

The murals depict a variety of scenes, which can be roughly divided into themes such as clouds reaching the sky, ancient beasts, gods in the clouds, heroes underground, and all living beings from left to right.

Considering that conventional four-element magic is usually derived from the skills of monsters, Leon decided to start with the various ancient behemoths in the picture.

My current best intermediate spell is Hurricane Bullet, followed by Cold Tide and Tornado.

Hurricane Bullet is the signature move of the Rank 4 Salamander, Frost Tide is the move of the Rank 4 Yeti, and Tornado is the move of the Rank 4 Lake Fairy. All three are ordinary monsters.

Ice-based magic originates from the White Unicorn, while fire-based acceleration magic originates from the Cosmic Moss.

Lyon looked around and found several images of giant beasts that appeared to be close relatives of the salamanders. There were also similar images of the Yeti and the lake fairy.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a single image of a powerful monster in the picture.

According to the history of monsters, wouldn't the more famous ones be more likely to be recorded on sacred murals?

Is it because the sacred murals hold some hidden secret, or is it that powerful monsters were deliberately omitted from the record?

Lyon didn't think much of it and meditated first.

Each of them was also searching for a picture that they could understand.

The sacred murals are very large; by simply gazing into a small area, one can discover a wealth of tiny scenes hidden within.

The crowd was dazzled by what they saw.

Seeing that Leon had already begun meditating on the sacred murals, Bovary thought for a moment and decided to follow his example. He chose a picture that appealed to him, sat down, and began practicing his breathing techniques.

Iris didn't look at Lyon. She felt a mysterious attraction to the sacred mural. She walked to the far left and looked at the incomprehensible cloud patterns. A glint seemed to flash in her eyes.

"I feel like I can connect with this thing."

As she pondered this, Iris also entered into meditation.

The group gradually entered a state of breathing exercises or meditation.

Some people genuinely felt something, while others were simply so startled by their complete lack of clues that they quickly sat down to try it out.

Machiru glanced at Britta subtly, thinking to herself:

"She is the person most connected to this sacred mural. I only need to get close to her to slowly receive the overflowing sacred energy, which will cleanse my body! This is an excellent opportunity to suppress the bloodline of the demon! As for Leon, hehe, although what you just said was cool, I'm sorry, I'm going to enjoy this sacred energy all to myself!"

According to Macchiato's knowledge, only those who are connected with the gods can receive the sacred murals as a gift.

The so-called "comprehension of sacred murals" may be possible, but the chances are extremely slim.

Those who claim to have learned something from sacred murals are either capable of understanding something themselves, or they are pretending to know what they don't.

One in ten thousand people can learn something from it.

Therefore, Macchiato's initial plan was to hitch a ride on Burelita's express lane and absorb the divine energy overflowing from her body.

Although she benefited far less than Britta herself, she believed that only Britta was above her, and that she was by no means inferior to anyone else!

Chapter 136 The Deceptive Scheme and a Glimmer of Understanding

More than four hours had passed since Lyon entered a meditative state.

The darkness outside remained unchanged. From outside the valley, the roars of monsters could be heard from time to time, causing great tremors and rolling sand and gravel. It was mostly a battle between fifth and sixth-level monsters, but fortunately, it did not affect this area.

During this time, Bovary gained some insight into loneliness, and then went to replace Karl.

However, the two female protagonists, Berylita and Iris, seemed to have gained something from the mural, completely absorbed in it.

After Leon emerged from his meditative state, he glanced at the group and noticed that Macchiato seemed to have grasped something as well, unlike someone who was trying to understand something without actually comprehending it.

"It seems that people of higher status have an advantage in understanding sacred murals."

Leon didn't think much of it. After all, Macchiato was a future legend with the potential to enter the epic realm, and she even claimed to have mastered the method of enlightenment, so it wasn't surprising that she had gained something.

Her potential is at least S-, or even S-.

However, her plot weight is only B+, meaning she doesn't have much screen time in the main storyline.

Now that she has indirectly joined the female lead's team, it's hard to know what changes will occur in the future.

As for Leon himself, he meditated for four hours, and it seemed that there was a change, but it also seemed that there was no change; the feeling was very subtle.

Moreover, while they were meditating and training outside, everyone was watching, and Iris didn't dare to kiss him, hoping to improve Leon's efficiency.

Therefore, Lyon could only regretfully conclude that he seemed to have no connection with the sacred murals.

But since it was a sacred mural, he decided to continue trying his own way. After all, even if he didn't gain any enlightenment, he could still hone his original intermediate magical imagery, so it wouldn't be a loss.

This was originally a gambling den.

He took out a dried, tender trunk from the pseudo-wisdom tree, chewed it a few times, and then continued into a meditative state.

As long as this place remains temporarily safe, he is prepared to continue to live here.

Given enough time, even if Princess Ophimaso fails to suppress the monster uprising, other powerful figures should step in.

Of course, this would take longer, and the risks are unknown.

If possible, he would certainly hope that Orpheus would perform well this time.

……

The time has come to the twelfth hour of everyone's contemplation of the sacred murals.

"Sigh, is it almost at its limit?"

In the dim light, Machiru opened her eyes and looked at Britta next door.

The saintess was still in a meditative state, but she herself had already reached her limit.

This is not to say that Macchiato is weaker than Berylita, or that she can't even maintain a long period of meditation.

Rather, it is the demonic bloodline within her that limits her capacity to absorb divine energy.

This thing can help her suppress the restlessness of the demon bloodline, but it's not a case of the more the better.

Too much of it will disrupt the balance of her two blood vessels, causing her body to lose control.

At that time, it's impossible to know what problems might arise.

If the enemy is in a state of shock, it's quite possible that even high-level or king-level healing magic cannot repair it.

As the world's only artificial demon, she appears arrogant and domineering, but in reality, she lives a life of constant anxiety.

All the performances and struggles are just a way to survive and fulfill one's dreams.

She never boasted about how much pain or torment she endured every day.

Because she knew from a very young age that people's joys and sorrows are truly uncommon.

Ultimately, it is impossible for two people to understand each other at the level of the soul.

As for Lyon, this cheap owner?

She thought to herself that he was barely better than her mentor and those guys like Utaman; at least she didn't have to worry too much when talking to him.

……

The time has reached the twentieth hour.

The four knights have already rotated through the ranks.

When Mark and Miro handed over the work, he asked:

"So, did you learn anything?"

Milo shrugged: "Not even a single pubic hair. It seems that although we are quasi-paladins, we have no connection with the sacred murals at all."

Mark: "Maybe it's because you're so foul-mouthed that you can't feel the sacredness of this thing and can't understand anything about it."

Milo: "Hmph, at most my mouth is dirty, but your heart is dirty."

"What?"

"You dare to break the taboos for men and develop feelings that are not approved by God, how can you not be considered filthy inside?"

Milo sprayed it directly.

Mark trembled with rage: "Hmph! Milo, you should know that some things can be said, but some things cannot be said!"

Milo smiled slightly: "Don't provoke Mark. I'm just reminding you to be careful as a long-time partner. Don't fail to become a paladin after winning the selection. That would be a disservice to the Holy Maiden's training. You should know who pulled us out of the mire."

Mark calmed down: "You don't need to say anything more, I'll be careful myself!"

"That's good. I'm going to keep watch now. Good luck."

Milo patted Mark on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Mark watched as Milo walked out of the inner circle of the valley, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

Just then, Leon emerged from his meditation and happened to notice the minor conflict between the two.

Mark.

"What is it, Your Excellency? Do you have any instructions?"

Mark was second only to Bovary in respect for Leon among the Four Horsemen.

This turning point came when, during the earlier attack on the Radiant Moss, Leon paired Mark and Carl together.

After that, he became much more flattering.

"It's nothing. There was a problem, but I thought it wasn't my responsibility, so I'll just forget about it and pretend I didn't say anything."

Lyon's attitude, however, made Mark more concerned.

He asked repeatedly:

"Your Excellency, do you also disapprove of my... feelings for Karl?"

Leon: "You're overthinking it. I'm not interested in other people's quirks."

"Then why did you hesitate to speak just now?"

"I can only tell you one thing: if you want to break some taboos, you have to become the taboo yourself, understand?"

"To become a taboo?"

Mark was stunned.