By Zephyria As soon as the cabin door closed, Flynn’s face contorted. He immediately groped his face in a panic, but it was difficult to maintain his appearance uniformly because the interior was full of unpleasant Magic Power.
“Damn it…”
In the end, instead of fixing his eyes that had returned to red, he took out a heavy stone from the Artifact and placed it close to the door. It was something he had picked up appropriately in the nearby forest just in case, and it seemed like he had done well to bring it. If someone suddenly tried to open the door and come in, this would block the entrance for a moment and buy him time.
‘Ice dares to imitate fire? You’re just raising the temperature. I’m going to suffocate and die.’
After that, he shuddered at the Legion Commander’s Magic Power, which had scattered a clumsy heat, and attached a piece of paper with red letters scribbled on a black background to the entrance.
The wooden house was not very soundproof, so it was necessary to block the sound from leaking out. Still, it was fortunate that if the sound was heard well, a strict guy wouldn’t be able to do anything stupid to the boss.
After finishing the basic settings for the sake of argument, he looked around once and then strode towards the deck at the edge where the white bedding was piled up suspiciously. On the way, he turned to the door once more for no reason and clicked his tongue.
“That’s why I can’t trust the Council guys. They’re too sloppy.”
The difference in physique between the target of the disguise and himself was so great that he was worried that he would be caught even while covering his body with a cloak and bending over. But this time, perhaps because he was borrowing the face of the Legion Commander’s adjutant, they just glanced at him and sent him away without catching him? If someone else had come in instead of him, what would have happened? It was funny, but his spine tingled.
Nero shook his head and put his knees and hands on the deck and climbed up. In that state, he lifted only his feet and crawled towards the thickly laid bedding.
When he stretched his neck and looked down at the figure wrapped in between, he felt relieved and a sigh of relief came out naturally.
A much more comfortable-looking face was closing its eyes under the orange light. It looked as if he was deeply asleep, and Nero’s stiff expression loosened at once.
“Ha… seriously, please don’t make me worry.”
When he collapsed into his arms soaked in water, he really looked like a drowned corpse, but now his complexion was better and his face was cleaner than then, so he looked at least like a person. He still looked a little sick… but he definitely looked better than before.
Nero, who was looking at Leonardo with tearful eyes, brought his hand to his cheek without hesitation.
As he muttered a spell and gathered Magic Power in his palm, a cozy flame slowly wrapped around Leonardo’s face. It was a warm heat that only a real fire Mage could create, which even an all-rounder whose main attribute was ice could not dare to imitate.
The energy caressed between the strands of golden hair and slowly went down towards the bedding covering Leonardo’s body.
But for some reason, the heat that had been trying to spread through the bedding was pushed outward all at once, as if blocked by something. Sensing something strange, Nero tilted his head and slightly lifted the bedding covering the captain’s body.
And at that moment, a short curse escaped Nero’s lips as he saw the scene before his eyes.
“What the f—.”
He quickly closed his mouth, trying to restrain himself from cursing in front of the captain. But looking at the clothes draped over his body, he simply couldn’t hold back.
“No, what is this? Out of all the clothes available, why this damn thing…”
The clothes the captain had originally been wearing were a magic robe, long since having lost its original color, covered in dust and blood. Even when he last saw it, it was already in tatters, so he had expected the Council bastards to change his clothes during the treatment process.
But he never could have imagined they would dress him in the Legion Commander’s combat uniform, of all things. Even after undoing a couple of buttons around the neck, the thermal jacket worn inside, the cotton innerwear, and the navy blue handkerchief tied around his neck—they were all the Legion Commander’s belongings.
Moreover, the vast Magic Power that had gone unnoticed when covered by the bedding now spread thickly in all directions, as if marking territory. This place was already filled to the brim with that person’s Magic Power, making it hard to breathe, and as an even stronger energy hit his face, Nero reflexively scowled.
Even the black hair he had maintained with Illusion magic instantly clashed with the opposing energy and reverted to red. His face flushed red with anger, and Nero was seized by the impulse to tear all of Leonardo’s clothes to shreds.
But if he carelessly tampered with them, someone might notice he had been inside. For that reason, he tried to calm his mind with deep breaths, but one thought he couldn’t shake off began to consume Nero’s mind.
“…….”
‘Nah, it can’t be. …No way.’
After briefly pondering something, he grabbed the edge of the bedding. Then he completely flipped it back, all the way under Leonardo’s thighs. After that, without hesitation, he unfastened the buckle of the captain’s pants, intending to grab the waistband and pull them down just a little.
It was a perverted idea, but he felt like he would go insane if he didn’t confirm whether the underwear was still the same. No matter how innocently one changes the clothes of an unconscious person, there are places one shouldn’t touch.
But if someone who wasn’t as close as family had invaded (?) that far… that would truly be crossing a serious line.
Nero himself didn’t quite understand what he was thinking, but he came up with all sorts of reasons and tried to check the situation inside Leonardo’s pants.
Just as he made up his mind and was about to pull them down just a little, suddenly, the sound of an unspecified number of people murmuring could be heard from outside.
‘……so, ……Commander…’
‘Hares… this way…’
The distance felt quite close, as if they were conversing nearby. In fact, it seemed like they were gradually approaching. Nero tensed up, his nerves on edge, and paused for a moment.
Rolling his eyes as if caught trying to do something bad, he held his breath and focused on the presence outside.
It seemed like the members who were passing by had stopped in front of the residence, as the number of people had suddenly increased. The footsteps of several people heightened the tension in front of the door, then quickly faded away again toward somewhere else.
Nero remained frozen, holding his breath for about 30 seconds. Only after confirming that no voices were heard for a while longer did he let out a small sigh and move his hand again.
But instead of trying to remove the captain’s lower garments like before, he fastened the buckle properly and straightened out the clothes. He realized now wasn’t the time to be idly rummaging through clothes.
‘If the real adjutant is just loitering around here, I’ll get caught. What am I doing right now?’
Scratching the back of his head nervously, Nero soon rummaged through his own pocket and pulled out two rings. One was the Dark Silver ring he had given to the captain earlier, and the other was a ring-shaped concealment Artifact.
Nero pushed the Dark Silver ring into the concealment Artifact, then placed the now ring-shaped object inside the clothes the captain was wearing. Since he had cast a spell on it, even if someone discovered it, they wouldn’t be able to open it easily. However, he thought that adding a resistance spell would only make it more suspicious, so this time he made it so that there would be no reaction even if others touched it.
Originally, he and the captain had promised to leave without looking back after defeating the monster, but there were matters related to Felix Montero to deal with, and he needed to observe the situation before returning, so he had been delayed for a long time. Of course, the biggest reason he still hadn’t left was because of the person before him.
Seeing the person who was stronger than anyone look as fragile as if he might break at any moment, the fact that he had to leave him behind kept holding Nero back. But more and more people were growing suspicious of his identity. It would be better for both himself and the captain to get out of this place as soon as possible.
“Things aren’t looking too good on either side, so I think I need to go first. I’ll come back for the ring later. We’ll be able to see each other again soon, right? …Promise me you’ll stay healthy until then.”
Muttering to himself like that, Nero hooked his own pinky finger around Leonardo’s limp hand. Then he grabbed his hand and fidgeted with it, looking as if he didn’t want to let go. At one point, he even bit his lip hard.
‘I wanted to stay until I saw him wake up.’
But he could no longer remain here. He didn’t have enough time left to wait for the captain’s recovery. Nero deeply lamented this situation, but he steeled his resolve, telling himself he had to leave for the sake of the captain and his comrades.
Soon after letting go of Leonardo’s hand, Nero neatly arranged the disheveled bedding. Then he checked if any footprints were left on the deck and put all the obstacles he had set up on his way in into the Artifact.
After standing in front of the door and taking one last look back at Leonardo, he once again covered his face with Flynn’s.
But the Legion Commander’s Magic Power was still interfering with the maintenance of the Illusion magic. If this continued even after going outside, it would be a big problem, so he scanned the walls and ceiling to see if there was another escape route, just in case.
Just then, his eyes—still unable to hide their red hue—accidentally discovered a window above. But at that moment, Nero’s expression couldn’t help but stiffen.
A plump, fluffy blue bird was staring straight at him without blinking once.
For a moment, a chill ran down Nero’s spine. Just as he thought, ‘What is that? Is it alive?’
Sensing the strange air current, the canary tilted its head and made a small sound.
Peep?