My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"Master... that crystal—it's one of the Crystals of the Three Emotions. The Crystal of Anger!"

Leon froze in disbelief. His eyes widened, and his chest tightened.

"The Crystal of Anger? Are you sure, Miranda?" He asked quietly, his voice heavy.

The Three Crystals of Emotion were legendary artifacts said to restore the Holy Sword of Zenith to its original form.

Ever since obtaining the Crystal of Sadness from the First Elder, Leon had made it his goal to find the other two.

By coincidence, the Crystal of Happiness was located in Dwarven territory.

That was the main reason he chose to head for Mount Durnhak instead of going to the land of the Spirit race.

Unfortunately, the situation among the Dwarves had turned out to be far more chaotic than he expected. Their king had died, and the throne had been seized by that damn dwarf—Barbarossa.

On top of that, Leon had been forced to battle a Hydra—a fight that ultimately left him stranded in this place.

Fortunately, the Dwarven race had already migrated, and Leon was confident that Elina and the others had made it out safely.

Considering the vast hidden wealth of the Dwarves, he couldn't imagine they didn't have a special method to transport all of it with them.

Therefore, he wasn't too concerned about the Crystal of Happiness.

He was certain it was either in Morgrim's possession or hidden among the Dwarves' treasure hoard.

"I'm not mistaken, Master," Miranda replied solemnly. "What you're holding is indeed the Crystal of Anger—I can guarantee it."

Leon fell silent, staring blankly at the red crystal in his hand.

"How could something like this happen?" he wondered in disbelief.

He remembered a news story from his previous world—about a man who found forty kilograms of gold buried in his backyard.

At the time, he believed the man was the luckiest person alive. But after this? He knew now—he was even luckier.

The Crystal of Anger, the very one that had troubled his thoughts throughout his journey to the Dwarven place, had been hidden in a remote place... behind a seashell?

If the First Elder or Astra ever learned about this, they'd be absolutely stunned.

"Leon, what's wrong? Why are you so quiet? Do you not like it?"

Jasmine's concerned voice pulled him out of his daze.

He took a deep breath, then gently clasped her left hand, replying with a wide grin, "Not like it? Are you kidding? I love it! I have you and your father to thank for this incredible gift."

"You probably don't realize it," he added, opening his palm to gaze longingly at the red crystal. "I've been searching for this crystal for a long time. I never imagined I'd find it here. Truly, I'm deeply grateful to both you and your father. I swear I'll repay this debt someday!"

Jasmine felt embarrassed by his exaggerated excitement. She glanced at their tightly clasped hands, and her face grew warm.

Even so, she didn't pull away. Instead, she whispered softly, "You don't have to act like that, Leon. That crystal was a gift from my father—a token of gratitude for protecting us from Merzen. Now that the monster is dead, our tribe can finally live in peace… without sacrificing two virgin women every month."

Only she truly understood how dire things had been. Every month, two young women were offered to Merzen. It was a nightmare.

The toll it took on their people was devastating—the population had been cut in half.

There had once been over a thousand of them. Now, barely five hundred remained—all because of the sacrifices.

Two years ago, they believed they had killed Merzen but later discovered it had only been a fake.

If Leon hadn't intervened when he did, the tribe might have been wiped out.

Even if Merzen had been willing to negotiate, the price of peace would have gone up—and she was certain she would've been next.

Leon could hear the sincerity in her voice. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply stayed silent.

As for Merzen, Leon had already heard the full story from Elaruk.

Only then did he truly understand the pain and suffering the tribe had endured while the monster still lived.

And in that moment, he realized that what he had seen as a "small favor" meant the world to them.

The same was true in reverse—the Crystal of Anger, something Jasmine thought was worthless, turned out to be incredibly valuable to him.

It taught him an important lesson: everyone values things differently. What seems trivial to one person can hold deep meaning for another.

"Since you've said that, I won't argue," Leon said gently, slipping the crystal into his pocket.

Of course, those words were only meant to ease Jasmine's mind. Deep down, he had already decided—if fate ever brought him back to her tribe, he would repay this debt.

"Good!" Jasmine nodded, satisfied.

After that, the two continued chatting casually.

With Leon set to leave soon, Jasmine didn't want to waste the little time they had left together.

After all, chances were they would never meet again. As her grandmother once said, some people are separated by something called... fate.

***

The night gradually gave way to a bright morning, bathed in warm, golden sunlight.

By then, all the tribe members had gathered.

Some wore expressions of excitement, while others looked sad or reluctant.

All eyes were fixed on one tall figure standing proudly—Leon.

"Take care, Leon," Elaruk said gently, giving his right shoulder a firm pat.

Elaruk was tall—about 1.85 meters—but still a little shorter than Leon.

"Thank you for your concern, Chief," Leon replied politely with a faint smile.

Although they hadn't known each other long, Leon could sense the chief's sincerity since the moment they met yesterday.

His gaze then shifted to Jasmine, who stood beside Elaruk. She smiled at him, but Leon could easily tell it was forced.

"Master, it seems she's in love with you, but she's hiding her feelings," Miranda spoke into his mind.

Leon smiled quietly but didn't respond. With his experience, how could he not notice something so obvious?

Sadly, he couldn't return those feelings.

It wasn't that he disliked Jasmine—far from it. But she was just an ordinary person.

If she became part of his life, it wouldn't bring her happiness. It would only bring pain.

That's why it was better to end things here, before her feelings grew any deeper.

"Jasmine," Leon called softly, reaching into the inner pocket of his robe.

He pulled out a sleek, jet-black dagger. Its blade was etched with a fiery red lightning bolt motif—beautiful and intimidating all at once.

Leon rubbed the blade gently before handing it to Jasmine. "This dagger is for you."

Jasmine froze for a moment, then accepted the dagger. It felt incredibly light in her hand—so light, it was as if she were holding nothing more than a wooden spoon.

Yet she knew it was real—and sharp enough to take a life with a single strike.

"That's a weapon I prepared for you," Leon said quietly. "You might not believe it, but that dagger is extremely powerful. I've infused it with my own power. With just one slash, it could kill a hundred monsters as strong as Merzen. So take care of it... and use it wisely."

Last night, he had struggled to think of a way to properly repay Jasmine and Elaruk.

Once he left, chances were they'd never cross paths again.

In the end, he chose to give her his dagger. Although Leon primarily fought with a sword, this dagger was his secondary weapon—and one he truly valued.

It was the only dagger he owned, and he had imbued it with chaos power, amplifying its strength a hundredfold.

After all, chaos power was the most aggressive and destructive force in existence.

"Did I hear that right? That dagger can kill a hundred monsters like Merzen?" one of the young men shouted in disbelief.

The others were just as shocked. Had Leon made that claim a few days earlier, they would have laughed it off as nonsense.

But after witnessing him effortlessly slay Merzen yesterday, none of them could doubt his words. He clearly wasn't just an ordinary man.

"No, Leon. I can't accept this. It's too valuable," Jasmine said firmly, trying to hand the dagger back. But Leon quickly stopped her hand.

"Take it, Jasmine," he said earnestly. "I made it for you. If you refuse, you'll break my heart."

Jasmine fell silent. His words struck something deep within her, and her resolve to refuse slowly faded.

She hugged the dagger tightly to her chest and said with quiet determination, "Then I'll accept it… and I'll keep it by my side forever."

Leon let out a small sigh of relief, then gently patted her head without thinking.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

Jasmine's cheeks flushed red, but she didn't pull away.

From a distance, her grandmother watched with a complicated expression—a mix of worry and sorrow.

"Sigh... she's fallen too deeply," she murmured, shaking her head in quiet despair. "I can only hope she won't suffer because of it."

"Then, I'll be going," Leon said as he took a deep breath.

"Mm! Take care," Jasmine replied with a soft, bittersweet smile.

Leon returned her smile before turning and walking toward the dense forest about three hundred meters to the north.

As she watched his figure fade into the trees, Jasmine's face showed a complex mix of sadness and longing. But when her gaze dropped to the dagger in her hand, her eyes turned resolute.

"I know this hurts… but I swear, Leon—I'll never forget you."