Kael looked at the troublesome saintess in his arms. She had exhausted herself beyond her limits and had fainted as soon as Kael asked her to stop using her powers.

’It’s clear that I will need to teach her the meaning of self-restraint. But before that, I should get the other two settled in.’

Iris and Leon kept looking at Kael with expectations in their eyes, and Kael sighed before he gestured for them to follow him to the dining room.

He made sure to tuck Seraphina back into her bed before making his way down.

"Did you two want to talk about anything?"

Kael asked the pair, who looked at each other before Leon decided to take the lead.

"I don’t think the temple or the Cardinal will take this insult lying down. Do you think we should prepare for his counterattack?"

Leon’s expression looked mature, and it almost seemed like he had aged as well.

But as nice as it was to see Leon acting like an adult, Kael needed him to relax a little. So he reached out to ruffle Leon’s hair, which instantly made the serious look on Leon’s face become annoyed.

"There is no need for you to worry about all that. I know that the Cardinal will not take this insult lying down. But it is a problem that we need to tackle in the future. I will handle it myself, so there is no need for you to worry either."

Kael assured Leon, but Leon’s expression soured even more at those words.

"I know that you are strong, but I still...have a feeling that something bad will happen soon. I cannot explain why I am feeling like this."

Leon looked troubled, and Kael had a feeling he knew why Leon was feeling like this.

"You must be starting to awaken your senses. You already know why a hero awakens. It’s when corruption starts to increase in the world and upsets the balance. You will start to feel more and more of that imbalance as you awaken."

Kael reassured Leon while also telling him why he was feeling a sense of ’something being wrong’ with this world.

As a Grand Master, even Kael could feel the corruption spreading in this world. But his senses were much more dulled because he did not have much divine power.

But it would be a different case for Leon.

Leon had once told Kael that living in this world was like suffocating at all times. The more the corruption covered the world, the harder it became for Leon to breathe due to its aura.

This was just happening much faster this time because Leon was starting his awakening too quickly.

"I see. So you think I am feeling like this because I am the hero?"

Leon asked and Kael nodded.

"I am sure it is because of that. As for the temple, you can leave it to me. This incident gave me a lot of room for negotiation with the temple. I will also have the upper hand next time we talk to each other. So there is no need for you to worry."

At least not yet.

Kael did not say those last words out loud because he did not want to worry Leon. But he had a feeling Leon already knew that.

"Iris, do you not have anything you wish to say?"

Kael turned toward the physically oldest person in the room, but Iris had a tight expression on her face. She was also biting her lip to stop herself from cursing out loud.

"I...have nothing to add to this conversation. It will also be better if I don’t open my mouth right now because all I would say are things that would upset you."

Iris confessed, and Kael had a feeling he should pretend he did not hear her say anything.

His eyes moved to look outside, and he noticed how dark it was getting. It was time for everyone to have dinner and then head to their rooms. It had been a long day for everyone.

"We should get started on dinner now. Is there anything you both want to have?"

Kael asked the pair, and he instantly got two looks that told him they wanted to cause him trouble.

"If you are cooking, then can I get fried chicken with a side of sauce, fried rice, and a serving of creamy pasta?"

"I will take two servings of pancakes along with a serving of freshly baked bread and a glass of fresh juice."

The two people ordering had smiles on their faces that told Kael they were making such an order as revenge.

They had not said much about what happened today, but it was clear that they were not happy with how he handled things. His near-death experience must have been a traumatizing one for them as well, so he decided to overlook their indulgence this time.

After all, he had magic to prepare everything—

"Teacher, you will use your hands, right? You won’t use your magic and overtax your body today, right?"

Leon asked, his voice small and pleading. It was impossible for Kael to say no to him when Leon was asking like that.

But he could not back down either. There was no way for him to cook all that on his own in time without magic.

"Leon, let’s not be unreasonable—"

"I don’t think he’s being unreasonable. You already used magic when you transported that carriage back home. And now you are using even more magic when you should be resting. I don’t think Leon’s worries are unfounded."

Iris chimed in as well, and Kael realized that this was a joint effort to harass him.

He decided to pretend to give in for now and use his magic discreetly. For now, it was important for him to gain their trust.

"I got it. I won’t use magic."

Two pairs of suspicious eyes looked at him. It was confirmation that these two did not trust Kael at all.

Kael sighed and went to work, instantly beginning to use magic despite agreeing not to.

All three of them knew that he was using magic, but no one said anything. He knew this was going to happen anyway, so he kept cooking until he was finally done.

Dinner was over soon enough and everyone headed to their rooms except him.

Kael decided to check up on Seraphina first and then head to the demon queen’s room. He had a lot of work to do with her.