Grand Return System-Chapter 44: Pride Before the Fall

Pride Before the Fall

"Tsk tsk..."

The mocking click of a tongue drifted through the heated air.

Harry Taylor didn’t even need to turn his head.

Freddy Lavahound.

Of course it was him.

The smoke stung long before the fire reached them, heavy in the throat, yet Freddy’s words turned it sharper. A slow breath came out through flared nostrils. Tension locked into Harry’s jaw. Response delayed on purpose - no quick win for that voice.

"Useless," Freddy sneered, strolling forward with deliberate arrogance. "The great Young Master of the Taylor family actually flattering someone? I must have witnessed history today."

He moved without rush, each step like a scene from a play, heavy soles crushing cracked ground. Wind howled past, fanned by the far-off blaze of Inferno Kong, making his robe snap loud behind him. Two masters from the King Realm held position at his back, silent but radiating weight. Their presence pushed into the air, thick and unhidden, spreading out in deep pulses that pressed on the chest.

With that backing, Freddy’s spine seemed to grow twice as straight.

Why fear anyone?

The truth was simpler—he saw Harry afraid of Leon.

And he wanted to press that wound.

Harry finally turned his head, just enough to glance at Freddy from the corner of his eye. His expression remained controlled, but there was something tight beneath it.

"You talk a lot for someone hiding behind others," Harry said flatly.

Freddy laughed. "Hiding? No, no. This is called having status. Something you used to understand."

A faint twitch crossed Harry’s brow. Used to.

Leon, who had been standing a short distance away, watching the Inferno Kong’s distant silhouette tear through the battlefield like a blazing catastrophe, shifted his gaze at last.

He looked at Freddy as if he were mildly interesting. Nothing more.

Leon glanced at him lazily, purple eyes half-lidded.

"Oh?" he said, tone calm yet edged with quiet amusement. "So you’re very brave?"

There was no mockery in his voice. That somehow made it worse.

Freddy smirked, lifting his chin. "Please. I’m super brave."

Leon’s lips curved faintly, almost thoughtfully. "Is that so?"

The two King Realm experts behind Freddy subtly released more of their aura, testing, pressing. The ground beneath their feet cracked slightly from the weight of their presence.

Harry felt it immediately. His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t step back.

Leon didn’t move at all.

Instead, he tilted his head a fraction, studying Freddy like one might study a curious animal that wandered too far from its cage.

"Then let me understand something," Leon continued lightly. "You saw him speak to me... and decided that was weakness?"

Freddy shrugged. "If the shoe fits. The Taylor family bowing its head? That’s weakness. Or desperation. Hard to tell."

Harry’s eyes flashed. "Watch your mouth."

Freddy’s gaze slid back to him, sharp and amused. "Oh? I thought you were done talking."

The heat from the Inferno Kong flared in the distance, a violent burst of orange lighting the sky. The reflection flickered across their faces—anger on one, calculation on another, and quiet indifference on the last.

Leon finally took a single step forward.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.

But the air shifted.

The oppressive aura from the two King Realm experts seemed to hesitate for half a breath.

"You rely on them," Leon said softly, glancing past Freddy to the two experts. "That’s sensible."

Freddy’s smirk wavered for just a fraction of a second.

"But bravery?" Leon’s eyes returned to him, that faint amusement deepening. "Bravery is what you have when they’re not standing behind you."

Harry’s lips almost curved despite himself.

Freddy let out a scoff, louder than necessary. "You think I need them?"

Leon didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at him.

The silence stretched.

It wasn’t heavy.

It was humiliating.

Freddy felt it. And that feeling irritated him more than any insult could have.

He stepped forward, chin raised higher. "Don’t misunderstand. I’m not afraid of you."

Leon’s expression didn’t change.

"Good," he replied mildly. "Fear clouds judgment."

Freddy’s smirk returned, though it no longer looked as effortless. "And I don’t make mistakes."

Leon’s gaze flicked briefly toward the raging Inferno Kong in the distance, then back to Freddy.

"That," he said quietly, "is usually the first one."

Freddy smirked, lifting his chin. "Please. I’m super brave."

Harry nearly burst out laughing.

Yes. Yes. Keep going.

Provoke him properly.

I’ll watch you walk into your own grave.

The flames below roared. The Inferno Kong pounded its chest, fire spiraling skyward like a pillar of destruction. Heat licked across their faces.

Then—

Another presence descended.

Soft.

Graceful.

A streak of sky-blue silk cut through the crimson air.

Maya.

Her long blue hair flowed like a waterfall beneath the burning sky. The layered robes of the Holy Water Division wrapped around her slender waist, silk hugging her curves before cascading downward in elegant folds. Her eyes—deep, luminous—reflected the flicker of firelight.

The moment she appeared—

Freddy and Harry both forgot to breathe.

"F*ck..." Harry muttered under his breath. "Too beautiful... amazing... Another peerless beauty."

Then a bitter smile.

"What a pity... I have no fate with her."

He knew better now.

Some flowers were not meant to be touched.

Freddy, however, was not burdened by such clarity.

The urge to impress surged violently within him.

He straightened his back and turned toward Leon with exaggerated disdain.

"I think you’re nothing," Freddy said sharply. "Just a pretty boy putting on airs. You probably don’t even know who I am, right?"

He stepped closer, voice rising proudly.

"I am the Eldest Young Master of the Lavahound household of Ashford City! Freddy Lavahound. If you know what’s good for you, come bow before me. If I’m in a good mood, I might even accept you as my underling."

Silence.

Wind.

Distant flames crackling.

Leon blinked once.

"Take me in as your underling?"

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

He had heard of rich heirs who mistook privilege for power.

Now he was seeing one in full bloom.

"What if I refuse?" Leon asked quietly.

His tone was cold now.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just cold.

Freddy’s expression stiffened.

Behind him, the two King Realm elders shifted subtly.

Maya, standing nearby, took a calm step back. She folded her arms loosely.

She had no intention of interfering.

This... was interesting.

"Not willing?" Freddy’s eyes darkened. "You dare refuse?"

Before Leon could reply—

Maya’s voice chimed in sweetly, almost lazily.

"Oh my... how frightening. Is this handsome young master scared?"

Her tone was innocent.

Her eyes were not.

Leon’s mouth twitched.

This woman really wants to set the world on fire.

Freddy’s pride ignited instantly.

"Scared? Me?" he snapped, chest heaving. "I want to see who exactly makes Harry not even dare to speak! Kid, let me tell you—if Harry fears you, that doesn’t mean I do. I, Freddy Lavahound, don’t know the word fear."

He pointed at Leon.

"If you have the guts, tell me your name!"

The heat of the battlefield seemed to quiet for just a second.

Leon tilted his head slightly.

"Me?" he said calmly. "Celestis Academy... Leon."

The words dropped like a stone into still water.

Ripples spread instantly.

Freddy froze.

The two elders behind him stiffened.

Even Harry’s breathing hitched.

Celestis Academy.

The colossus of the Eastern Wasteland.

A name that could silence kingdoms.

Freddy felt his throat tighten.

Celestis Academy...?

His heart pounded.

Regret crept in.

Too late.

He forced himself to steady.

He must be an ordinary student.

Yes. Just a student.

"Hmph," Freddy snorted loudly, masking his fear. "You think dropping the Academy’s name will scare me? You’re just some ordinary student. If you die here, the Academy won’t even blink."

Harry held his breath.

Maya’s lips curved faintly.

Then she spoke.

"No, little handsome brother," she said gently. "He’s not an ordinary student."

Her eyes flicked toward Leon, amused.

"He’s one of the Seven Division leaders of Celestis Academy. The Division Leader of the Amethyst Summit Division."

The words struck like thunder.

Freddy’s mind went blank.

That’s it.

He knew.

He had just kicked a mountain.