By Zephyria “Come here quickly.”
Because the only thing visible in the exit where light came in, in the narrow space like a prison, was Agrizendro reaching out his hand to him, Leonardo almost reached out his hand without realizing it.
However, he reminded himself of his duty once again by strongly grabbing the cold and smooth pillar with his fingertips.
He was going to return as soon as his business was over, but he couldn’t take that hand right now. Because he had to attract the attention and time of the pursuers until Kenneth reached the vicinity of the tunnel where he could hide and move with Alec.
It would be easy to break these weak Ice Pillars and get out, but that was why he had deliberately been captured quietly.
However, the look in his eyes as he looked at him now reminded him of when he had come to save him right before the fall, pricking his conscience. But at the same time, it aroused a strange sense of rebellion. To be honest, he still had a lot of resentment towards him due to the memory of suffering in the water and other complex emotions.
In the end, Leonardo spoke firmly, half for the purpose and half with sincerity.
“No.”
Hugo’s eyebrows twitched. There was a slight movement in his facial muscles, but he seemed to be trying not to show it. Leonardo, who had examined his expression, continued to speak.
“If I go… you’re going to put handcuffs on me again.”
He said with a wary look, glancing at him appropriately. He added a bit of acting as if he was agonizing over it, but his true feelings were not much different. Anyway, he would be handcuffed in the name of preventing escape if he went back, and he really wanted to avoid that.
To Leonardo, Hugo took out an answer that would reassure him, as if he had been waiting for it.
“I promise I won’t put them on. So don’t worry and come here, Leonardo.”
“…….”
He couldn’t be sure if those words were sincere or not, but Leonardo was inwardly surprised by the answer that came so quickly.
In fact, he had expected a fairly intense chase to occur the moment he found him. And he thought that he wouldn’t grant him anything he asked for anymore. Even though he was captured quietly, he was trying to persuade him with words rather than being coercive, which was unexpected.
Leonardo pretended to agonize over it a little more and asked to confirm the truth of those words.
“…Really?”
Hugo nodded once at that and answered again in a sincere voice.
“I promise.”
At least, he couldn’t feel any lies in his eyes and voice.
Leonardo quietly stared at the blue gaze before rolling his eyes once more and looking at the blocked left gap.
Considering Kenneth’s speed, he would have to buy more time, so he was very worried about whether he should take that hand as it was. However, he was also worried that if he ignored him and ran away again, his mood, who had kindly offered his hand, would be twisted and he would break his promise.
Thinking about this and that, he turned his gaze to him below again, and it was clearly visible that he was quite nervous whenever he did this. His expression, which was not as well managed as usual, was refreshing and funny.
Leonardo lowered his eyes and ridiculed Hugo without showing it. But soon, he lowered the corners of his lips in his heart and secretly sighed.
He blamed himself for not being able to be a little more ruthless inside.
Soon, Leonardo slowly took a step and went down through the narrow hole. Even at that moment, he was thinking about how he should lure him and the other pursuers after he went down.
Originally, according to his expectations, the entire 1st Battalion should have come here with the Legion Commander to capture him. But seeing that their presence was not felt now, they were either separated for other work, or perhaps they were chasing Kenneth and Alec.
If it was the latter, it was the worst situation, so he had to lure them in and buy time. Because if Alec Siles was caught and interrogated, the person who would be in the most trouble would be himself.
As he lightly grabbed the sharp tip while floating in the air and came out, the light poured down strongly, causing him to frown slightly.
He didn’t know when he was inside, but when he came out, the position where he was trapped was quite high. Because of that, even though he had completely escaped between the Ice Pillars, he was still far above the ground, and the distance from him was still quite far.
As Leonardo came out, Hugo straightened his bent knee, stood up, and took two more steps forward. Leonardo stopped in mid-air as he was approaching.
Hugo, who had not been able to bring his other foot from behind, also stopped in place because of his wary appearance. The two gazes that briefly met seemed close yet far, and a tense tension disguised as gentleness lingered.
“…….”
“…….”
In the silence, Hugo’s military boot heel lifted slightly. It was a subtle movement that would normally go unnoticed, but Leonardo, sensing his movement, lowered his gaze slightly to look at his feet.
And at that moment, Hugo, seizing the opportunity of his carelessness, kicked off the ground and charged straight at Leonardo. At the same time, he reached out his right hand to grab his arm in front of him.
Leonardo was slightly taken aback by the sudden action, but thanks to his excellent reflexes, he immediately moved backward. However, because he was floating in the air, he lacked relative propulsion, and as Hugo’s hand approached his chin, Leonardo twisted his body and leaned his head back, barely escaping his grasp.
The speed at which the hand brushed past was so fast that the whooshing sound of the wind could be heard right in front of his nose. The sound made his spine tingle, as if it meant he wouldn’t be let off easy if caught.
The two gazes that met in the air in that short moment were like a signal flare announcing the opening of the second act of the chase.
Kwaaaang—! Thump—!
Loud and small explosions echoed through the surroundings in succession from afar. The onrushing violent wind pressure was unusual, so two members and Squad Leader 8, who were searching for Kenneth in the forest, turned their heads in that direction. The two opposing Magic Powers spreading widely in the fog exuded their presence in all directions, threatening to devour each other.
One of the 1st Battalion members trembled and said,
“…Shouldn’t we support them?”
Then, Squad Leader 8, who was behind him, opened her mouth while fixing her gaze beyond the fog.
“Even if there’s a loud noise, he told us absolutely no one is to come. We’ll focus on our work.”
She said firmly, as if she didn’t care much. It was an attitude that was possible because she knew the Commander’s strength better than anyone else. The member nodded in agreement with the Squad Leader’s words, but he kept glancing back, still worried about the two energies felt far away.
Just as they were about to resume the search, Squad Leader 8, who had just said to focus on their work, suddenly sensed the energy that had been entangled far away approaching at a very fast speed.
At the chilling sensation, she turned her head again, and at that moment, she could see Leonardo passing by her side at almost the speed of light. And Leonardo, who had flown all the way here chasing Squad Leader 8’s Magic Power, also turned his head the moment he brushed past her.
“Huh?”
Leonardo, who slowed down after finding those he was looking for, immediately used Teleport to move right next to Squad Leader 8. The noticeably flustered Squad Leader 8 reflexively tried to grab him, but Leonardo lightly pulled his body back again and escaped.
He only circled around, not attacking with the Flame Sword he was holding, nor moving away. And that teasing behavior scattered the worries in her heart, reminding Squad Leader 8, who had been chasing him day and night until recently, of unpleasant memories.
“What is this—.”
Squad Leader 8, frowning, took out her sword and began to chase him in earnest to catch him. Leonardo, thinking he had succeeded in luring them, checked that they were following him and quickly increased his flight speed in the opposite direction.
As he was moving forward and constantly watching behind him, escaping through the fog, the energy coming from the front was so fierce that Leonardo instinctively slowed down again.
In the place he turned to look, Hugo with a terrifying face was approaching right in front of him.
He tried to avoid it immediately, but the speed at which they were heading towards each other was so fast that he couldn’t even recognize it in his head, so the two collided as they were. Unable to overcome the inertia, their bodies became entangled and flew away, drawing a parabola through the dense bushes before falling.
Although there were plenty of leaves piled up, Leonardo couldn’t easily recover from the impact similar to hitting a solid rock as he rolled on the forest’s dirt floor, which could never be called soft. He wasn’t even aware that Hugo’s entire body was pressed against him as they rolled on the ground together.
When the involuntary rolling finally stopped, Leonardo’s vision was a chaotic mix of the blazing twilight hanging in the sky and Hugo’s face on top of him.
And after a while, when he was able to distinguish between the two, he realized that his left forearm was firmly grasped by him and that Hugo’s other hand was supporting the back of his head.
The two men’s panting breaths mingled, and their shoulders and chests rose and fell rapidly.
Rough breathing filled his ears. Their gazes silently stared at each other.