Tens of millions of silver coins and ninety-nine gold talents went into Leon’s soul realm. Accompanying them were more than a hundred different gems, from the most valuable diamonds and sapphires down to more mediocre amethysts. He had enough gems to independently power all of his enchanting work for a long time to come.
Once his vault was emptied, Leon and Ajax arranged to have all of tho...
[Maia, did you ever tell Emilie or Elise about that darkness mage you killed in Emilie’s estate?] Leon asked her, speaking into her mind.
Maia glanced at him, understanding blossoming on her face, followed quickly by embarrassment and slight shame. [No… I didn’t…] she replied.
Leon was momentarily irritated, but given they slept together almost immediately after he...
Teira was much the same as it had been when Leon last passed through it. The Julian Road was flanked by large marble statues of heroic figures, all of which were painted. The entrances to the city proper were gates built into triumphal arches, and everywhere Leon looked, he could see evidence of the city’s prosperity. That it had been the site of bitter fighting when Brimstone and Minerva had...
2020-08-07 15:01:05 +0000 UTC View PostLeon wasn’t going to pretend to anyone that seeing the executions of Duronius and dozens of other nobles who had thrown their lot in with Octavius wasn’t satisfying. However, he didn’t revel in it, and Elise, who had accompanied him to the throne room to witness it, had even less enthusiasm for it than he did. As a result, they soon took their leave, meeting up with Maia who had waited in...
2020-08-05 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
A week passed in relative silence after the King awoke. The capital remained largely under lockdown, despite all military forces save for the 1st Legion departing the city to return to their assigned positions. The noble armies were disbanded and ordered to return home, the most rebellious of the nobles were arrested, and all-in-all, a period of relative peace settled in.
... 2020-08-03 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThese were tough to finish, and even now, I think I could spend another week looking them over. Hell, I could spend a lot longer than that, but I don't want these this revision process to take forever. I can always come back and give them another pass.
I think I'll just drop the chapters right here and save my thoughts for after. As always, let me know what you ...
2020-08-02 19:07:25 +0000 UTC View Post
As Leon leisurely strolled through the grounds of the Royal Palace, his thoughts eventually turned to what to do next. He had no timetables, no responsibilities that forced him to be somewhere, he was well and truly free to decide what to do next.
Or, at least as free as Elise and Maia would allow him to be, and he’d still have to inform Valeria and Alix that the King...
2020-07-31 15:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAfter Elise and Valeria left him and Maia, Leon didn’t go looking for them for a few hours. He didn’t want to interrupt anything they might be discussing, and he wanted everything that had been talked about in their previous conversation to have its chance to sink in.
It wasn’t because he was nervous about facing Elise after the way she left, after facing such dangers in the civil w...
2020-07-29 15:01:07 +0000 UTC View Post
As Leon woke up with Elise and Maia snuggled up against him, he couldn’t help but relish the moment, not wanting it to ever end. If any concept of heaven existed, Leon figured that he was living it right now.
Having both ladies in bed with him wasn’t anything new, he’d experienced this same exact scenario many times before Maia left. However, now… it was something els...
“So, where were you?” Elise demanded of Maia, her voice even and carefully measured, her attitude imperious and demanding. Leon could tell that she was trying to project authority as she suppressed both her joy and anger at seeing Maia again.
She, Leon, and Maia were now alone in Elise’s room, with Anzu moved to Emilie’s stables, and Alix and Valeria shown to guest rooms in Emilie’...
[Maia, I’m on my way out,] Leon whispered into Maia’s mind, a smile gracing his lips as he reveled in the bond that they shared.
It took a moment for the river nymph to respond, and when she did, even in Leon’s mind she sounded breathless. [Ah… we’ll… be ready…]
‘She sounded a little… strange…’ Leon thought. ‘Probably shouldn’t have used her na...
2020-07-22 15:01:06 +0000 UTC View PostReleased the revised version of Chapters 59-60 last night! Check them out here!
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The King opened his eyes excruciatingly slowly, but Leon could tell that even then, it took his mind a few extra minutes to catch up. His gaze was hazy and unfocused, his blank expression barely changi...
2020-07-20 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post5,868 words. That's how long these two chapters used to be. I almost cut them in half during my revisions. I think that's going to be the main theme going forward as I tend to this arc: cutting and consolidation more than actual rewriting. That isn't to say there aren't any rewrites in this chapter, there certainly are - I probably cut more than half of both chapters, bu...
2020-07-20 01:48:27 +0000 UTC View PostThe Sapphire Paladin’s heart raced in her chest. It was midnight, and she hadn’t been able to sleep for almost a full day—there was just too much going on, and even in the few hours she had to rest, sleep wasn’t coming. How could she? After all, August would arrive in the city by morning, and their defenses were not anywhere close to being finished. Cold dread had long settled into her ...
2020-07-17 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostLeon breathed in the cool morning air, grateful to finally stand upon solid ground again. It had been a long trip up from Calabria, almost a week from the city whereas it only took a couple of days when he’d last sailed down the river.
But now, after almost six months, they were back. He was back. He could see the capital about a dozen miles in the distance, just waiting for the A...
Bonus chapter 3/3
Please be sure to leave a rating or review on Royal Road! Could definitely use them right about now!
Thank you for all your support! =)
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August arrived in Calabria only three days after Leon, sailing in with a fleet so large that many of its sh...
2020-07-13 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostBonus chapter 2/3
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The Earthshaker Paladin was dead, his body charred to ash. Leon was still standing, his aura mighty even as his mana reserves dipped perilously low. The noble armies that had accompanied the Earthshaker in his attack on the fleet were surrendering, and as Leon glanced around the deck of his ship, those who didn’t surrender quickly leaped over the edge,...
2020-07-13 14:58:01 +0000 UTC View PostBonus chapter 1/3
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Leon had no armor, he had no real defenses. So, Leon had to rely on the speed and devastating power of his lightning magic and his family’s powerful offensive fighting style. He didn’t discard thoughts about his defense entirely, but he committed to the idea that if he didn’t want to be hit, then he’d have to put enough pressure on the Earthshaker Paladin to ...
Thanks to all of you spectacular people, there're 3 bonus chapters releasing alongside this chapter!
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Maia collapsed into bed next to Leon, a sigh of satisfaction escaping from her lips. Both she and Leon were in his relatively small bedroom in the leading ship of the fleet doing their best to make up for every second they’d lost when they’d been apart. When they were alone, clothe...
Leon breathed in the cool, salty air of the Gulf coast. He was as happy as he’d been in a long while. He had Maia back, he and Valeria had made some measure of peace, and now, finally, it seemed like the civil war drawing to a close. August, once he had gotten the formal oaths of support from those who had verbally agreed to his declaration a week ago, had ordered his army to begin t...
2020-07-10 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostAugust couldn’t help but feel energized as he rode into the rocky natural harbor in which the Consul of Discord’s armada had been stationed. Laid out in front of him was the armada, well over a thousand ships strong. To his right and left, Duronius’ Legions, which had surrendered once they realized they’d been caught between his army and the fleets. Behind him were his followers, number...
2020-07-08 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIf you missed it, I released another set of revisions on Saturday! You can check out the new Chapters 56-58 here!
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“Ahh, Sir Leon Ursus,” the hulking giant whispered from behind his desk. He was easily seven feet tall, and with a physique that Leon had only ever seen exceeded b...
2020-07-06 15:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostThis new round of revisions won't go live for quite some time, so if there's anything at all that you don't agree with or feel needs to be improved, don't hesitate to leave a comment down below!
For Chapter 56, I didn't find much that was in need of revision, so it remains largely unchanged compared to some of the other revisions I've made.
Speaking of which, Chapters 57 and 58 were...
2020-07-05 00:01:14 +0000 UTC View PostIf you can spare a few seconds, please head over to Royal Road and leave a rating or review!
=)
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Aulius Arrius Abronius was in a terrible mood. This was a rather stark departure from his usual professional stoicism, but he felt like his current mood had been well earned.
The...
2020-07-03 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post“So, what’s up with the name thing?” Leon said as he and Maia entered their ‘room’. The tent that August’s adjutant had shown them to was quite large, as befitted Leon’s status as one of the champions of August’s army, with separated sound-proofed sections for the resident leader and their knights. But his retinue was so small that Leon barely filled the place, with more than ha...
2020-07-01 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostI started the revision process for the first half of the Knight Academy arc last night. Ch. 56 was all right, it didn't need much work, and the changes I made didn't warrant a post of its own here on Patron. 57 was another thing entirely. That one's going to need some serious work, enough that I pretty obviously didn't finish it yesterday. Should be done sometime over this upcoming weekend, tho...
2020-06-29 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post My name isnt Naiad. My real name is Maia.
Naiads words had an immediate effect on Leon. Firstly, hed never heard her voice before, and in fact, didnt think she could even speak like humans could, since she never did so without using her mental communication technique.
Secondly, it caused the power shed left within him when they had made their contract resonate in a ...
2020-06-26 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostIt took Leon a few minutes to get control of himself again. He spent those minutes holding Naiad close and desperately trying to keep his crying to a minimum. But it was a bright spot in what had otherwise been a terrible half year, and the sheer joy of her return combined with the grief of losing his unit and the giants prevented Leon from staying as stoic as he wouldve preferred.
For ...
2020-06-24 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIn case you missed the announcement, my revisions of chapters 46-50 went live on Saturday! They can be found here. I'll start revising the first half of the Knight Academy arc soon!
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Leon and Valeria had reached something that resembled an agreement. Shed co...
2020-06-22 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostLeons return to consciousness was slow. His senses came back a little bit at a time, with the relatively soft feeling of bed sheets as his first sensations. Next came a burning perfumed candle that had the familiar scent of pine assaulting his nose. Then was his hearing, with the muffled sounds of conversation just outside of whatever room he was resting in finding its way to his ears....
2020-06-19 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post