Endless World: The Rise of Leonard Lawson

As Leonard hesitated over whether to shake her hand or not, Cassandra became more amused.

What Leonard failed to notice was that she had secretly used her charm magic.

So by theory, he should have been charmed or at least somewhat affected.

Yet not only did he remain unaffected, but he was also being very cautious of her actions.

’Did he have some anti-magic formation?’ Cassandra wondered silently.

”Are you really going to let my hand hang in the air like this, Mr. Vincent?” She raised the question.

The moment she raised the question, the snake coiling around her began to glare fiercely at Leonard.

”Miss must be joking.”

Leonard chuckled and extended his hand to shake hers. ”I was just skeptical that Miss would be willing to shake a merchant’s hand.”

”Oh, and here I thought it’s the opposite.” Cassandra smiled lightly. ”After all, someone of your stature should probably find a woman like me who dabbles in the slum as dirty people.”

”Now that’s a harsh accusation. Isn’t Ellie also someone from the slum? Do you see me treating her with prejudice?”

”Hmm, you have a point there. But then I’m more curious now why someone of your stature would want to take away my little sister. This little sister of mine is quite innocent and pure. I don’t wish for her to be stained.”

Soon, Cassandra released her aura briefly, seemingly giving Leonard a fierce warning to not have any nefarious intent toward Ellie.

In response to the released aura, Leonard narrowed his eyes and resisted it.

Their hands slowly start to tighten up, gripping each other as if they were in a competition.

Just when the tension was starting to rise, Ellie interrupted their conversation.

”Big Sister, Master, are we going to keep standing here and chat?” She asked and pointed at an empty table. ”We should sit over there to talk.”

With Ellie’s interruption, both Leonard and Cassandra promptly released their grip.

”You’re suggesting heading to the empty table because you want to sit down and enjoy the meat dish, right?”

Leonard teased, his eyes spotting Curtis from afar.

Cassandra also took note of Curtis’ presence.

’His aura... at least in the fifth circle class.’ She narrowed her eyes.

”This is?” Curtis returned with a large tray and glanced at Cassandra with a wary gaze. The aura she exuded gave him a sense of danger.

”She’s Big Sister!” Ellie exclaimed cheerfully.

”Big sister?” Startled, Curtis didn’t even get a chance to inquire when he noticed the large tray in his hand was already snatched away.

While Curtis missed Ellie’s movement, the same could not be said for Leonard and Cassandra.

’What a fast movement speed!’

The two of them glanced at each other briefly, clearly knowing Ellie’s value.

”Why is Master and Big Sister staring at Ellie?” She raised the question. She had already sat down, her mouth drooling at the aromatic fragrance from the meat.

It was clear that she wanted to dig in already, but was waiting for them to sit down too.

Upon seeing the scene, Leonard and Cassandra had a silent tacit agreement.

The two retracted their wariness and promptly took the seat next to Ellie.

Curtis, on the other hand, decided to stand behind Leonard. His action basically implied he was staying in his role as bodyguard and defending Leonard from any harm.

’What kind of guard is this, sharp and protective?’ Cassandra had her snake use their tail to pour over a cup of tea. She was suspicious and wary of Curtis’ posture.

This kind of positioning and demeanor was totally the kind that had been trained expertly.

Such a guard wouldn’t accept a commission or hiring from a gold-ranked merchant.

”Big Sister, here’s your portion.” Amidst her pondering, Ellie’s voice interrupted her.

Cassandra snapped out of her daze and glanced at her plate, which was filled with a large chunk of meat.

Her heart softened slightly as she extended her hand and gave her a soft pat on the head. Simultaneously, the snake also coyly rubbed its head against hers.

”Thank you for the meat, Ellie.” She said gratefully, grabbed a fork, and used it to eat the meat. ”Hmm, quite tender and juicy.”

”This meat is for you, Master!” Ellie flashed a wide smile and also picked up a similar-sized piece of meat for Leonard.

In response, Leonard also ate the meat and warmly patted her head. Once that was done, he quickly spotted Cassandra gesturing to speak privately. Her intention just matched his precisely.

”Curtis, watch over Ellie for now.” He stood up and explained to Ellie, ”The Big Sister and I wish to exchange a few items, so enjoy the meal.”

”Okay~” Not suspecting anything, Ellie swung her legs around excitedly and resumed eating.

”Sir!” Curtis wanted to stop Leonard’s rash action, but halted his movement when he noticed his stern gaze.

Without a choice, Curtis could only obey the order, but made sure to unleash his aura as a warning to Cassandra.

”Hmph.” Cassandra casually waved her hand and dispelled the aura from approaching her. The snake around her neck quickly hissed and wanted to retaliate, but she signaled for it to stay put.

”Protect Ellie on my behalf,” Cassandra whispered to the snake and released it to her seat. With the snake representing the Snake Faction symbol, those dwelling in the slum should know better than to avoid picking a fight with Ellie.

It was also an indirect response to Leonard’s action of placing Curtis on standby.

Neither of them should dream about snatching Ellie away without the other party’s notice!

Sometime later, Cassandra and Leonard stood near a discreet place with no patrol guards or people around.

”Speak, what are the Crown Prince’s people doing in the underground slum?” Cassandra exuded a dangerous presence as she questioned his intention.

”That guard of yours is most likely from the Crimson Guards, so don’t even bother deceiving me.”

Unfazed by the sudden interrogation, Leonard stood his ground and smirked.

”I’ve never intended to deceive you, nor do I have the intention of answering your question without getting anything in return.” He responded and made a suggestion.

”How about we do this? We each raise a question, and the opposite person must answer truthfully. Of course, you could also choose to stay silent. But that would be another question added in their slot.”