By Zephyria “What would you do? Leonardo.”
Leonardo was curious about Hugo’s intentions in asking him.
He wouldn’t be asking because he really didn’t know, so was he giving him a choice or telling him to express his thoughts? Well, either way, he had no intention of turning back the way he came.
Instead of answering, Leonardo moved away from the dead-end wall and walked a little further back. Hugo watched him without saying a word.
Squad Leader 8 looked up at him from the side with a disapproving face at the Squad Leader’s actions, which seemed to give Leonardo the decision-making power.
She couldn’t understand why the Squad Leader, who had captured him directly, was letting him do as he pleased, even though he had been running wild in the capital. However, she soon thought that he must have a reason and decided to watch what Leonardo was doing as well.
After keeping a certain distance from the wall, Leonardo felt that the energy of the water had moved away appropriately. Soon after, he fearlessly reached out his hand towards the ceiling.
“Wait, then―!”
Just as Squad Leader 8 was about to stop him urgently, a red beam was fired from his hand and flew towards the ceiling. The beam pierced through the rock in a straight line, causing dust and a loud roar.
Flynn, worried that the cave might collapse, couldn’t take his eyes off the scene, but Leonardo deployed a barrier from below to prevent small debris from falling on his head, and fortunately, the cave did not collapse.
Before long, the rising dust subsided quite a bit, and Leonardo jumped up as it was and passed through the hole in the ceiling, going upwards.
The hole was pierced in a relatively clean circle according to the shape of the beam that had penetrated it, and the faint light that leaked in from there illuminated the inside of the cave.
Flynn and the members of Squad Leader 8 were just blinking in surprise. However, Hugo himself was looking around the hole and thinking about other things.
‘It’s much better than yesterday… but it’s not there yet.’
Originally, his sharp and well-refined magic would have created a perfect circle without leaving any traces around it, but the hole in front of him now had fine cracks on the edges, making it seem like it would collapse if given more impact.
At that time, Leonardo, who had gone out first, poked his head back in and urged them as if to hurry.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Seeing that, Hugo took a step forward and led the members.
“Let’s go too.”
Hugo was the first to follow Leonardo through the hole in the ceiling.
Passing through a large hole that could accommodate about five people at the same time, he was greeted by an open coolness that could not be felt in the humid cave. The clear sky with the moon and stars already visible as it was getting dark and the vast lake spread out before his eyes.
The members who had come up after Hugo seemed to be impressed by the magnificent scenery and couldn’t control their gaping mouths. Flynn, who came up last, also scanned the surroundings and widened his eyes, as if realizing why there was water in the cave right below.
“It was a crater.”
This lake was a huge crater formed on the top of a peak where volcanic activity had stopped. The altitude was high, so the water temperature in the crater was very cold, which created a cool atmosphere around it, and the high pressure created a clear sky without a single cloud.
If he had shot the beam towards the front wall when he was below, the water from this lake would have poured straight into the inside. And the hole that Leonardo had drilled in the ceiling was located at a reasonable distance from the point where the water was splashing.
Perhaps he had a rough estimate of how far the water was inside the cave.
Hugo looked up at the darkened sky and checked the watch on his wrist. He thought he had been in the cave for a long time, but time had passed much more than expected.
Moving his gaze to the side, he immediately checked the condition of the members. They didn’t seem too tired, but they had encountered a lot of demon beasts today, and fatigue must have accumulated from the battle and the long high-speed flight, so it would be better to set up a base camp here.
After briefly looking around, he immediately noticed a cave with a wide entrance not far away. Thinking that it was a size that could adequately block the rain and wind, Hugo moved his steps towards it.
“It’s a little early, but let’s spend tonight there.”
“Yes, I understand!”
* * *
Around the huge lake surrounded by rugged rocky mountains like a basin, there were sparse growths of tough, dry grass.
The members gathered dry grass and branches nearby to light a fire and set up tents inside the cave. The column was divided, and the number of people in this 1st squad was especially reduced, so today Hugo and Leonardo also decided to sleep in their own individual tents instead of a large tent.
As everyone finished their meals and was busy tidying up the surroundings, Leonardo, who had barely eaten a few bites of dinner and got up from his seat first, approached the lake in the center of the crater with the high-calorie energy bar he had received from Hugo in his hand.
The lake in front of him was extremely calm, without a single ripple. But that excessive calmness was giving off a bizarre feeling.
Moonlight was reflected on the surface of the water, shining brightly, but the places where the light didn’t reach were just rippling darkly. Even roughly, the depth seemed very deep, so it was impossible to estimate what was inside.
The surroundings were covered with sand and gravel that had been formed by sharp rocks being broken and eroded and ground for a long time, so perhaps that was why there was not a single blade of grass to be seen, especially in places very close to the water.
When he took a deep breath, he felt like his body was freezing from the cold air. Leonardo blankly bit into the chocolate bar and touched the water of the lake that was splashing at his feet. When the water touched his fingertips, he felt a chilling coldness.
“Leonardo.”
Turning his head at the sound of someone calling him from behind, he saw Hugo slowly approaching him.
Hugo frowned slightly at the energy bar in his hand and the chocolate on his lips.
He had been worried when he saw him not eating much earlier, and then he heard from Flynn that he had barely touched his breakfast either, so he couldn’t help but feel a little concerned.
But now that he saw it, it seemed like the energy bar he was holding in his mouth was partly the reason for that.
Hugo didn’t say anything because he wasn’t in a position to nag him, but he wondered if he had given it to him for nothing.
However, the words he had come to convey to him were not about that, so Hugo approached Leonardo and instructed him, who was stirring the water.
“Don’t go too deep into this lake, just in case.”
Leonardo blinked and looked up at him. Then, instead of asking about the reason, he shook off his wet hand and got up, asking something else.
“Can you measure the water quality too?”
At Leonardo’s question, Hugo glanced at the lake where his gaze had been and turned his head back to him.
“Yes, I can tell. This lake is first-class water. To be precise, it’s cleaner than that.”
“…Can living things live in such water?”
“It’s rare, but not impossible.”
Leonardo narrowed his brow and bit into the energy bar again. Then, he pondered over the meaning of his words along with the chocolate that was sticking to his mouth.
Hugo knew that the reason he had asked about the water quality was the same as what he had come to say, so he continued.
“I sent two members to patrol the area earlier to explore the vicinity. But do you know what they found?”
Instead of answering, Leonardo gestured with his eyes.
“They said there were traces of camping and abandoned luggage at another cave entrance. But they reported that it was quite a while ago. So, where did the owners of that luggage disappear to?”
Leonardo, who had been slowly moving his jaw, suddenly turned his gaze and looked at the lake he had been staring at earlier. After a while, he made eye contact with Hugo again.
Hugo, who had read his eyes, nodded once without saying a word.