By Zephyria Silence flowed between the two after Leonardo Blaine’s confident words.
However, the intertwined gazes were not silent.
The flames and Light Ball floating in the air, sensing their two owners, moved on their own and stuck tightly to them. As the two faint lights merged and reflected off the Crystal Stone, the dark space was filled with light.
Thanks to this, the shadows flickering around their eyes were erased, and each other’s expressions became clearer.
However, Leonardo Blaine, who felt uncomfortable with the lengthening silence, frowned for no reason.
“I went out of my way to say that, why aren’t you reacting?”
There was a bit of embarrassment mixed in his blunt voice. Sensing this, Hugo Agrizendro’s gaze escaped from the Gold Eyes and turned to the handkerchief in his hand.
He held the dry handkerchief and pondered over Leonardo Blaine’s words. It seemed like a clumsy but sure encouragement, conveyed in his own way, as it would be too awkward to add any other frills.
Hugo Agrizendro’s lips gradually relaxed as he understood his heart. A subtle yet pleasant chuckle, only noticeable to the person he was facing, followed.
Soon, the blue eyes that had been lingering around his hand moved back to Leonardo Blaine.
“Thank you.”
At that one word, Leonardo Blaine’s crumpled brow melted away. It was a ridiculously quick change of expression, even by his own standards, but he couldn’t exactly frown at someone who was thanking him.
Hugo Agrizendro, looking at his relaxed eyes, conveyed it once more.
“Thank you, Leonardo Blaine.”
Leonardo Blaine moved his lips a few times, then rubbed his chin with his hand, trying to compose himself. In fact, he wasn’t that used to this kind of atmosphere, so he often found it difficult to know how to react whenever someone came at him like that.
Perhaps that’s why, as he searched for a suitable answer, he changed the subject in a slightly grumbling tone.
“You’re so good at treating other people’s injuries, why can’t you do anything about your own condition?”
Hugo Agrizendro’s eyebrow twitched slightly. It seemed like he was referring to the fact that he had treated the member with the swollen ankle earlier.
Suddenly, a question he had been trying to forget resurfaced, but he didn’t seem to want to bring it up now, so he didn’t show it and replied.
“I can take care of minor external wounds to some extent, but since it’s not my main attribute, I’m not very good at other things.”
“……”
“But now that you’re going to save me, wouldn’t it be okay if I can’t do anything?”
There was a faint smile on his lips as he spoke calmly. Leonardo Blaine blinked for a moment as he heard his words. Soon after, a dumbfounded chuckle escaped his lips.
It was strangely novel to see someone who seemed like he would never rely on anyone saying such a thing. Moreover, if the target was himself, anyone who knew the past relationship between him and himself would probably feel awkward.
Because of that, Leonardo Blaine subtly cast his gaze into the distance. His shoulders were unknowingly tense. He cleared his throat with a dry cough and glanced at Hugo Agrizendro with a sullen look.
“You’re not teasing me again, are you?”
Hugo Agrizendro asked back with a puzzled look at his sudden question.
“…Teasing?”
“You sometimes tease me by repeating what I said.”
Hugo Agrizendro paused for a moment to recall if he had ever done that.
He suddenly remembered that he had made a few puns with Leonardo Blaine, but he couldn’t agree with the situation, so he replaced it with a small smile.
“Of course not. Everything I said is sincere.”
“……”
Leonardo Blaine had a dubious expression. But soon, seeing Hugo Agrizendro’s softened face, he decided to let it go.
In the first place, he had said it to ease the heavy atmosphere and to relieve him of some of his worries, so whether it was sincere or a joke, he had achieved his intended purpose.
Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Leonardo Blaine smirked and habitually propped his chin and tilted his head slightly. Thanks to the exquisite angle, the light of the Crystal Stone slid down onto his hair and eyes.
“Me saving you is also sincere.”
Hugo Agrizendro felt as if he was deliberately trying to steal his gaze. Whatever his intention, as he faithfully responded to the attraction, he suddenly felt that the distracting thoughts that had been following him like a shadow had disappeared.
The situation hadn’t changed much, but each of his words made a corner of his heart, which had been heavy all along, feel at ease. Moreover, the fact that the target was Leonardo Blaine was something he couldn’t even imagine when he looked back at their relationship until just a while ago.
Leonardo Blaine, gazing at Hugo Agrizendro who was immersed in a new feeling, blinked slowly. Soon after, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
The Legion Commander showing a tired and struggling appearance also had his own human side, but
‘Still, a smiling face is better…’
Tok, tok tok, to-do-do-dok―
The sound of something like a pebble bouncing and rolling echoed in the quiet space.
It wasn’t a loud sound, but it was enough to cut off the gentle flow.
Before he could enjoy the lingering feelings of the conversation, Leonardo Blaine’s gaze immediately shifted to his feet. A small piece of Crystal Stone was lying alone next to his foot.
It definitely hadn’t been there until just now.
“……”
Leonardo Blaine, looking down at it silently, glanced at Hugo Agrizendro’s eyes.
Hugo Agrizendro, who had looked at Leonardo Blaine at a similar timing, then shifted his gaze to the direction from which the Crystal Stone was presumed to have rolled. Leonardo Blaine also followed his gaze.
Not far from where the two were sitting, there was a narrow cave shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
They had tried to enter it after seeing the sign they had left at the entrance earlier, but had given up, and they had already gotten lost once and entered it before, so the two knew for sure.
There were no Crystal Stones growing on the ceiling of that cave. Furthermore, it wasn’t an environment where something could break off and fall due to natural erosion.
In the first place, if this small piece had rolled all the way from there to here, it meant that it hadn’t bounced off after falling vertically, but that someone had bounced or thrown it this way.
Once he thought that far, he was convinced that there was another presence here besides the two of them.
If it was a Council member, there would be no reason to dare to do such a thing in the presence of the Legion Commander, nor would there be any reason not to reveal themselves until now, so the two’s thoughts were solidified in the direction that it was not an ally. Then, instinctively, their breaths were suppressed.
To-dok, tok, to-do-do-dok―
As if eager to announce its presence, another piece of Crystal Stone rolled out of the cave. The intention was unclear, but it seemed like it was trying to lure them into the darkness.
As the direction of the unfamiliar presence became clear, Hugo Agrizendro was the first to quietly get up.
Hugo Agrizendro sent a glance to Leonardo Blaine and slowly nodded. Then, as he approached the cave entrance, concealing his footsteps as much as possible, a chilling ice spear slowly formed in his hand.
His eyes were as cold as could be, as if the gently relaxed face from earlier had disappeared. His gaze was fixed on the being inside that had boldly shaken the atmosphere.
From what he remembered, there was a sharply curved corner not long after entering. Hugo Agrizendro guessed that something might be hiding behind it.
Following him, Leonardo Blaine also rose from his seat. If the presence inside was a demon beast, there might be a situation where they would have to chase after it immediately, so he also had to prepare for an attack in advance.
As he shook his hand once downwards, a blazing flame sword was instantly gripped in his hand. Leonardo Blaine, similarly on high alert, took a step following the leading Hugo Agrizendro.
But at that moment, that strange voice brushed past his ear again.
「Hungry.」
Leonardo Blaine, who had reflexively stopped, squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed his head. The voice he heard in his ear traveled up his eardrum and messed up his brain, to the point of crushing it.
‘Damn it, why again….’
On top of that, an unusual headache came over him, and his head throbbed. Leonardo Blaine gritted his teeth and stifled a scream. Because of that, Hugo Agrizendro was completely unaware of the situation behind him.
Hugo Agrizendro, not even using a Light Ball for fear of provoking the being, whatever it was, went deep into the cave and had already reached just before the curve.
The blue eyes, pressed tightly against the wall, shone quietly in the darkness.
Soon, he raised his arm slightly, gripping the ice spear again.
“How was it on your side?”
“There were no particular traces. The Commander wasn’t there either.”
At the answer from the Squad member who had rushed over, Squad Leader 8 turned her head to the right. Another Squad member, whose eyes met hers, gave the same answer.
“It was the same on this side.”
She sighed softly. In her hand, which was sweeping back her hair, was a radio with a cut-off connection.
“Where on earth did he go….”
For hours, the members of the Central Branch 1st Battalion had been searching for the location of the core while desperately looking for the Commander. This was because, after crossing the rift, they had only occasionally encountered him in the early stages, and no one had seen the Commander since.
Of course, since it was ‘that’ Commander, nothing could have happened to him, but if they had seen his face, which was paler than usual due to being soaked with sweat, they couldn’t help but worry.
Moreover, before entering Beacon 118, Flynn, who couldn’t keep up, had asked them to please assign at least two people to accompany the Commander if he tried to go alone, so Squad Leader 8 was worried in many ways.
‘I should have stuck with him.’
Seeing her biting her lip, a hesitant Squad member brought up a positive remark.
“Still, isn’t it alright since Leonardo Blaine is with him?”
Instantly, Squad Leader 8 turned to look at him with cold eyes. It was a look that said, ‘Are you really saying that now?’ The Squad member quickly shut his mouth, but some seemed to agree to some extent. Seeing this, Squad Leader 8 sighed in a different sense.
Then, she counted the number of gathered members with her eyes. After scanning the paths around her, she said in a weighty voice.
“Alright, listen up. The three on the left and the three on the right will go back the way they came and resume the search. The remaining five will enter the new path with me, and when we come to a fork, we’ll split up then. If you encounter the Commander along the way, be sure to request his company and create a wind to send me a signal. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
The Squad members, who answered her command, were about to quickly disperse and divide into groups. Squad Leader 8 briefly called them to a halt.
“Wait, always remember that you were instructed to move in groups of three, and if you happen to get lost, I’ll create a gust of wind every 30 minutes, so follow the direction the wind is blowing from.”
“Yes!”
The Squad members, who answered vigorously again, quickly moved in the designated direction at her gesture to go. Afterward, Squad Leader 8 looked back at the remaining five and beckoned them to follow.
The group, led by her, stepped toward the dark cave in front of them. Three Light Balls entered the cave first, illuminating the path they would take.
Between the rugged Boulders, Dregalianif leaves resembling acacia grew sparsely. Seeing the grass growing even in the barren environment, the members were newly amazed and couldn’t take their eyes off it.
Perhaps because their attention was slightly diverted, a suspicious shadow passed by in the distance of the wide-spreading cave.
Thud—
When the Squad Leader suddenly stopped walking, the others who were following behind her stopped abruptly. Before the member at the very back could ask what was wrong, she looked straight ahead and asked loudly.
“Who’s there?”
For a while, there was no answer. The two members right next to her reflexively reached for their swords. However, Squad Leader 8, with her gaze fixed, raised her hand to stop them.
Inside this Beacon 118, the power of the seal was stronger than in other places, making it difficult to sense the aura of demon beasts or the presence of others. Because of this, no one but her had noticed the existence beyond, but since the Squad Leader had asked who it was, they were assuming that it was at least someone who understood words.
A moment of silence passed, and then a sigh, seemingly mixed with regret, flowed out from the stillness. Squad Leader 8, narrowing her eyes, quietly watched the place where she felt the movement of the air.
Before long, someone who had been hiding at the corner where the path curved slowly walked out. The sound of dragging feet on the dirt floor and the listless movements gave the impression that they were coming reluctantly.
Squad Leader 8 sent the Light Balls a little further back to illuminate the feet of the approaching person.
After a while, a face, squinting from the brightness, was revealed under the Light Ball that had increased its brightness. She, who had been watching closely, momentarily wore an expression of disbelief.
“You are…?”
“Greetings.”
The man, who quickly smoothed out his brow and gave an awkward smile, was clearly a familiar face.
Where had she seen him? It was that member who had kicked the Dermokas and knocked him unconscious with a single blow when he had awakened earlier.
And it was also that member who had shattered the Commander’s ice with his bare hands.