By Zephyria When all the situations were combined, there was a high possibility that the outsider’s statement that he did not know that the egg was in the bag was true. He had it because he didn’t know what was in the bag he was carrying, or what it was calling.
The scholar smiled and continued.
“It would have been cleaner and better if he had died as it was, but unfortunately, he seems to be still alive. I put a small tracker on that guy’s clothes, but the location keeps getting different. Ah, or has he already been eaten by a demon beast, so it’s tracking the location of the demon beast that ate him?”
He didn’t care whether the outsider died or not, but he didn’t think he should be so confidently saying that he regarded human lives like ants.
Leonardo, who had been listening quietly, made a slightly disgusted expression.
“He was a real psycho, this guy.”
Even at his heartfelt exclamation, the scholar smiled indifferently and said.
“You’re quite smart, so what are you going to threaten me with this?”
Leonardo, who was making a relaxed face or really didn’t have any impact, unfolded his frowning eyebrows and calmly replied to the scholar’s face, who seemed to be rather interested.
“There are many things to threaten. It’s over if I just go back to the Council ranks right now and tell the Legion Commander.”
“Threatening is just snitching?”
“……Those things in that location you want me to take you to. I can break them all so you can never find them again.”
“Do you know where that is?”
“A place where there is no X mark on the map. It must be one of them.”
“Wow, you saw that in the meantime? Amazing.”
The scholar smiled as if he was impressed.
“Okay, let’s make a deal. Of course, with the condition that you don’t reveal anything about me and that you don’t harm me even after the contract is fulfilled. This is the basics, right?”
Leonardo, who was about to recite more things to threaten, stopped. It was because he didn’t expect him to give in so quickly. As if reading his thoughts, the scholar added.
“I was originally going to make a deal. I was just curious to hear what you would threaten me with.”
“…….”
“Now that I see it, there were so many things to be threatened with, so it was a more profitable deal for me?”
Leonardo, feeling strongly that he was being teased, glared at the scholar with a ferocious face. The scholar smiled at him and then began to rummage through his backpack.
“Let’s see, the contract… where did I put it…”
“You must have something to threaten me with, too.”
The scholar’s hand stopped for a moment at the cold voice. However, it was only a fleeting moment that one would not know unless they looked closely.
When he was telling Kenneth about his colleagues earlier, Leonardo’s entire attention was focused on the scholar, who was being too quiet, rather than on Kenneth in front of him. It was because he deliberately let it slip. He thought that since the guy seemed to want something from him, if he knew something he shouldn’t know, he would approach him in some way and threaten him with the content.
However, the scholar took out the things in his backpack and said nonchalantly.
“Hmm? I don’t have anything like that.”
“…….”
“If I had to think of something to threaten you with… Leonardo Blaine knows that he’s not going straight back and is going to stray off the path with me for a while?”
The scholar said that and hummed a little tune. Leonardo, who had been crossing his arms, stared at the scholar, then took his back off the pillar he was leaning on and stood up properly.
Then, he stretched out his arm forward with his palm facing up.
“The contract is this.”
At those words, the scholar stopped rummaging through his backpack and turned to where he was. Then he let out a silent exclamation.
Dazzling light gathered on Leonardo’s hand stretched out in front of him, and a golden Magic Circle unfolded within it. A weak breeze blew, and the hair of the two people shook slightly. In the center of the rotating Magic Circle, a golden metal plate and a pen slowly revealed themselves as if rising above the surface of the water.
The scholar looked with slightly surprised eyes at the Magic Circle shining in the darkness and Leonardo’s clear Gold Eyes behind it.
The flames floating in the air gathered around the metal plate and began to engrave letters at a rapid pace. Soon, the clauses they had promised to trade were densely packed, and Leonardo’s signature was scribbled on the lower left.
Soon, the metal plate and the golden pen floated up and were pushed in front of the scholar. The scholar naturally grabbed the pen in his hand and briefly scanned the contents of the contract. Then he smiled at the last clause.
“Scary magic. Isn’t this Forbidden magic? I thought it had disappeared.”
“Stop talking nonsense and sign quickly. I don’t have time.”
Leonardo glanced at the direction where Kenneth was lying and lowered his voice a little. The scholar shrugged, scanning the clauses, and wrote his name in the signature box on the lower right without much thought. The part where the name was engraved as the pen tip passed by shone more clearly.
When the scholar, who had written all the names, put down the pen, the metal plate and the pen moved away from the scholar and flew in front of Leonardo. Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he immediately checked the signature box.
‘Alex Siles’
He expected it, but the name Simon was also a pseudonym. He glared at the scholar beyond the metal plate, but the other party still just smiled, as if he had no intention of making any excuses.
Leonardo sighed softly, wondering if it was really a good idea to trade with such a guy now.
However, even the self-deprecating sigh was only for a moment, and when Leonardo put his palm on the metal plate, the letters written there were distorted and began to be absorbed into his hand. The letters wrapped around his hand and emitted a strong light, and the contents gradually disappeared from the metal plate.
Leonardo held out his golden right hand, which contained all the clauses. The scholar, who had been watching as if it was fun, smiled and shook his hand. Soon, golden light spread from the hands of the two people, and a golden ring appeared on each of their wrists and then disappeared.
The scholar stared intently at the place where the disappeared ring was. Leonardo put down the scholar’s hand as if pushing it away and said while looking straight into the other’s eyes.
“Contract established.”
“But what are you going to do with that friend?”
Alec asked, putting the items he had taken out to find the contract back into his backpack. He was talking about Kenneth.
Leonardo glanced at that side for a moment and then turned his head.
“I have to leave him behind. That guy is also a member of the Council.”
“I thought you were quite close, but you’re surprisingly cold-hearted?”
“…The Council will come and find him in a little while. I deliberately didn’t erase the footprints near the swamp and left them behind.”
Alec stopped his hand for a moment when he heard that. Then he rolled his eyes and asked again.
“Wasn’t it this afternoon when you guys went out?”
If he had left footprints at that time, the Council would have already rushed in. Or they’re ambushing nearby. Leonardo, seeing that the scholar seemed a little nervous, sneered as if he was amused.
“Do you think I would have just left it behind? I hid it so that it would only be revealed after a certain amount of time, so it will start to appear soon. If they search the area, they will find this place soon, and it’s better to send that guy back to the ranks as it is.”
Alec let out a strange smile.
“But then, no matter how well that friend makes excuses, it will be that you escaped.”
“…….”
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.
He thought about leaving Kenneth’s footprints in the swamp and erasing his own, but in conclusion, he left both of them. It was because he thought he had to let them know if they were alive or dead.
If the time to find out whether they were alive or dead became longer, it would turn into guilt for someone that they couldn’t protect them, and Leonardo knew too well that it would create a big trauma.
Of course, if he becomes a fugitive, his treatment in the future will get worse.
‘He’s a guy who was caught after running away for three years, so what will happen if he runs away for a while? It’s still inside the peninsula anyway. I just need to go back and join them soon. Two days should be enough.’
Leonardo, thinking that way, glared at Alec, who was still packing his things, and said annoyedly.
“God damn it, hurry up. I need to finish my business and join you before I get branded as a fugitive. Do you know how sharp the Legion Commander is? Ugh, I’m going to get caught before I even leave.”
“Alright, alright. I’ve got everything now, let’s go.”
With the constant urging, Alec stuffed his luggage and backpack into the Artifact and slung a small backpack over his shoulder. Then, he smiled a little awkwardly and said,
“I’m a little scared of that guy too, you know.”
The guy who was always laughing suddenly said he was scared of someone, and Leonardo’s eyebrows twitched. Alec thought he didn’t understand and added,
“I mean the Legion Commander of the Central Branch.”
Leonardo thought, ‘So even this crazy bastard is scared of that person,’ but at the same time, looking back on Alec’s actions, he felt absurd.
‘So, am I not scary enough that this bastard keeps slacking off? This is fucked up, really.’
Alec leisurely brushed past him, who was distorting his face, and headed for the path leading to another cave. Leonardo glanced back at where Kenneth was and silently moved his feet as well. As he did, he recited a threat to the back of the scholar’s head, which was already bound by a contract and wouldn’t work.
“If you don’t move as quickly as I do from now on, contract or whatever, I’m dragging you in front of the Legion Commander you’re so scared of, so watch yourself.”
“Hey, cut me some slack. I’m not Dark Silver, how can I move that fast?”
At the sudden mention of the word, Leonardo abruptly stopped walking. The annoyance and irritation that had been in his eyes disappeared. Instead, a look of scrutiny and fierce killing intent flowed.
The gaze, holding its breath, relentlessly followed the movements of the figure slowly moving away. Thanks to that, Alec, who felt a chill on the back of his head, stopped walking and turned around.
“Ah, don’t worry.”
Alec said with a grin.
“I’m not so immoral that I’d mess with family.”
Having said his piece, his footsteps trudged away again. Leonardo stared at the other’s back with a chilling face devoid of expression.
Then, he let out a hollow laugh.
He had suspected it, but indeed, he had pretended not to know.
That bastard was smart.
He seemed to know that if he had brought up that story as a threat before the contract, he could have died.
As the two moved away, silence fell over the huge cave with the structure. Because of that, the sounds of insects and birds were unusually loud.
Kenneth, whose eyes were accustomed to the darkness, blinked slowly and slowly raised his body.
His gaze was directed towards the direction in which Leonardo and the scholar had disappeared.
Kenneth rubbed his eyes roughly with his sleeve as if he was about to cry. Then, sniffing, he cleaned up the spot where he had been lying and packed his things.