By Zephyria “Fuck, what are you doing without my—”
Leonardo stopped mid-sentence and covered his mouth with the hand that had been reaching to grab the scholar’s collar. Because he suddenly felt sick.
It felt like everything he had eaten earlier was about to come back up. He covered his mouth and took deep breaths.
‘No. Don’t think about it.’
At Leonardo’s behavior—suddenly turning his pale face away and saying nothing—the scholar, who had been watching curiously, narrowed his eyes. Soon, after observing his condition, the scholar seemed to realize something and finally spoke.
“I’m sorry for administering it without permission, but I can’t exactly wake up an unconscious person to ask. It’s nothing strange, so don’t worry. Why would I do something unnecessary when I gain nothing from it? Can’t you trust my goodwill a little?”
‘Goodwill my ass.’
Looking at the scholar spouting nonsense, Leonardo cursed him with his eyes, but thinking about the worst-case scenario only made him feel sicker, so he tightly closed his eyes and tried to think positively.
Right, if he had administered something strange, he would have noticed earlier. The scholar bastard was an asshole, but thanks to whatever it was—the Stabilizer or whatever—it seemed true that the flow of Magic Power had returned to normal.
He had been fine since waking up until now, and although he was carrying Nero’s Ring, he had been somewhat puzzled as to why his Magic Power was this stable.
But hearing that bastard’s words, it finally made sense. Though it was quite unsettling, the effects were indeed certain as described.
Whether it was the effect of that mental control or not, as Leonardo gradually calmed down inside, he let out a small sigh and lowered the hand covering his mouth. Then, glancing at the scholar, he spoke coldly.
“If there’s even the slightest abnormality in my body, know that you won’t leave this peninsula alive.”
“Even after helping, I get threats.”
Despite the still-present smile, a hint of displeasure could be felt in his tone. Leonardo glared at the scholar and tried to put the filter back in his mouth, but perhaps because the nausea from earlier remained, the taste of the cigarette had completely vanished.
It seemed like a sign to stop smoking, so he ended up burning the barely-smoked cigarette again and spoke, as if mocking the scholar’s displeasure.
“You think you helped me for no reason?”
Kenneth had said that the scholar felt responsible for their being caught in the explosion as an outsider ran off with the bag, but Leonardo thought differently.
People whose faces he didn’t even know. If he just left them behind, the chance of being discovered would decrease, so why bother? Clearly, the bastard must have needed something too, which is why he approached.
The scholar smiled broadly and replied.
“I didn’t help for no reason. I’m very interested in pretty people, like you.”
“……”
Thinking that acting like shit as easily as breathing was a talent in itself, Leonardo furrowed his brow and silently stared at the scholar.
At that moment, the scholar’s hand suddenly approached his neck without hesitation. Leonardo immediately grabbed the scholar’s arm and looked at him with a slightly flustered expression, as if asking what he was doing. But the scholar, unconcerned, spoke with a very interested face.
“I heard from that friend Kenneth that the instability of your Magic Power is due to the Council Handcuffs. Hmm, something’s strange, I tell you. Wasn’t this originally one of the causes of instability? It’s quite a complex curse-like thing.”
“……”
“Who did this to you? Do you have a master with remarkable tastes? Then again, with this face, I suppose even non-existent tastes could be created.”
“Hey.”
Leonardo tightened his grip on the scholar’s wrist as if to crush it and warned.
“Are you deliberately doing this because you want to get beaten up? Even when I’m trying to let it slide, you keep crossing the line.”
Perhaps because the grabbed spot was painful, the scholar’s expression twisted slightly. Leonardo stared at him menacingly and said.
“Cut the useless chatter and speak plainly.”
He had no intention of listening to any more frivolous talk.
“What do you want?”
With his words, a strange silence flowed.
The scholar’s frowning face gradually smoothed out. Soon, his long eyes narrowed like slits and curved in a creepy manner. As if he had been waiting.
In contrast to the smiling scholar, Leonardo’s expression gradually contorted. Because he could no longer find any pain on the scholar’s face. Even in a situation where a little more force could break a bone.
“Want to make a deal with me?”
The one who spoke first was the scholar.
Hearing that, Leonardo couldn’t readily respond.
A deal is something that materializes when both parties have something they want from each other. But whether this bastard knew that he had something he wanted, or knew something he shouldn’t know—he couldn’t judge.
Then, the sound of footsteps approached the two. At the gradually nearing presence, Leonardo roughly released the scholar’s arm he had been holding. The scholar, still smiling, rubbed his wrist, which had turned purple from lack of blood circulation.
The owner of the approaching footsteps was Kenneth.
“Blaine, sir?”
At the unfamiliar sight of the two standing quite close together, Kenneth looked at them with a puzzled gaze. Leonardo, who had been glaring at the scholar, relaxed his expression appropriately and turned his head to Kenneth as if asking why he called. Kenneth, trying to gauge the atmosphere, alternated looking between the two before barely swallowing his puzzlement and speaking.
“I’ve packed all the luggage. When shall we depart?”
Meaning it was time to return and rejoin the ranks.
In fact, this was the natural course of action. He had regained consciousness and was in an unharmed state, so returning to the original ranks was correct. But…
“……”
Silently staring at Kenneth, Leonardo suddenly turned his head to look behind him. The broadly spread structure, creating an eerie atmosphere, filled his view.
After briefly resting his gaze on the pillars erected at regular intervals and the crumbling stairs, he this time raised his head toward the dimming light seeping in through the cave ceiling. The angle of the light, which had been falling straight down, had tilted, and the short, condensed shadows had become long and loose.
Soon, he shifted his gaze to the scholar. Whether he had been expressionless during the brief moment he turned his head, upon making eye contact, the scholar was only then in a smiling posture.
Leonardo briefly agonized. Then, he looked at Kenneth one last time.
Piyooooo—
Pitch-black darkness fell over the rough mountainous terrain. The sky, which had cleared after the rain, was brief; before anyone knew it, clouds had gathered again, and the cry of a raptor echoed through the exceptionally dark night sky.
The hawk that had been circling the sky flew into a deep valley somewhere, riding the wind as it slowly descended. Then, flapping its bluish wings, it reduced speed and landed on the solid forearm of someone standing at the edge of a cliff.
As soon as the hawk landed on Hugo’s arm, its form blurred and was immediately absorbed into him. Because it was not a real hawk but a Divine Beast created by Hugo.
A Divine Beast is Magic Power that falls away from the body and maintains a fixed form; it is a different concept from summoning magic and moves based on the caster’s consciousness and commands.
However, when separated from the caster, it must judge and act on its own will, thus continuously consuming Magic Power. Therefore, unless one possessed a large amount of Magic Power, one could neither easily create nor handle a Divine Beast.
Additionally, absorbing a Divine Beast made from one’s own Magic Power did not transfer what the Divine Beast saw and felt directly to the caster. However, one could hear the words the Divine Beast wished to convey to its master. The hawk that had just been absorbed by Hugo was now saying this to its master:
‘Footprints estimated to belong to two individuals discovered near a swamp approximately 6 miles southwest from current position.’
Hugo’s eyelids, worn out with fatigue, twitched slightly. Because traces of the two people he hadn’t been able to find for two days had finally been discovered.
Having barely slept or eaten, his face was quite haggard, and stray hairs fell over his forehead, which was always neatly swept back and cleanly exposed, giving a slightly disheveled impression. But upon hearing the Divine Beast’s words, his eyes immediately sharpened and gleamed.
Two dark shadows appeared near Hugo. One was a member of the 1st Battalion, and the other was Squad Leader 8. Squad Leader 8, who seemed to have urgent news, strode quickly closer, gave a light bow to Hugo, and spoke.
“Battalion Leader, we’ve received a report that traces of someone presumed to be an outsider were just discovered. They’re reportedly moving southwest.”
At her words, Hugo’s eyebrow twitched. He thought it was merely the same direction and likely unrelated, but the fact that they were discovered around the same time was quite bothersome. After glancing sideways, Hugo turned his gaze southwest again and said.
“Traces of two people were discovered in the swamp area to the southwest.”
Squad Leader 8 opened her eyes wide and asked.
“Are you referring to those two people?”
“Yes.”
Squad Leader 8 followed his gaze and looked southwest. She too looked much more tired than two days prior, but upon hearing about the two people, her expression changed instantly. Hugo asked her,
“On your side, is it certain it’s that bastard?”
“Yes, when the outsider was first discovered, a member who directly confirmed his appearance and characteristics along with Kenneth reported it, so I believe it’s certain.”
“Then attach three tails to follow that side. Don’t pounce yet; there might be accomplices, so order them to maintain distance and only follow from behind. We’ll head to the swamp area first and conduct a search. If we don’t find the two people, we’ll expand the possibilities and chase that bastard’s trail then.”
“Yes, understood.”
Squad Leader 8 and one member disappeared swiftly from the spot after replying. Even after they disappeared, Hugo’s gaze remained fixed southwest. After staring there for a moment, he suddenly raised his head and looked at the moon hidden behind the clouds.
The hidden moon glowed faintly, pale and barely visible, but soon, moving clouds obscured it, causing even its weak light to vanish.
His eyes looked complex, filled with tangled thoughts.
His gaze, which had been chasing the vanished moon, soon turned toward the bandages wrapped around his bare left hand, the gauntlet removed.
“…I’ll believe you’re safe.”