Bermuda

The place where Hugo and Leonardo were walking was the interior of the crack they had discovered earlier, or to be more precise, beyond the towering wall where the crack was located.

Huge crystals that had grown under high temperature and pressure were protruding from all directions, and if they took their eyes off the path for even a moment, they would be greeted by a cliff with no room to set foot, so it could be said to be a very rough and rugged place.

According to the commander of another battalion, that crack was created when a perfectly fine rock wall suddenly collapsed. It led to speculation that the wall near there was unusually weak or that there was a powerful energy concentrated beyond the wall.

In fact, the energy detector was ringing incessantly, so most opinions leaned toward the latter, and with the 8th Platoon Leader's claim that the identity of the energy was the mother body's ultrasonic waves added, the other side of the crack was selected as a new route to search for the mother body.

However, in case this choice was not right, they decided to leave some standby groups and move by selecting specific personnel. The two people who ended up at the forefront of this rugged path were Hugo and Leonardo, who could be said to be the most powerful in the subjugation force.

As he quietly moved his steps along the path illuminated by the light ball, Hugo's face gradually turned paler as time passed. His combat uniform was soaked, making his whole body heavy, and the deeper he went into the crack, the more he lacked oxygen, making his head feel dull.

He could have rested for a moment, but the reason he couldn't do so was largely due to the exhausted members. Once they found the target mother body, they could execute the main operation or not, but he couldn't help feeling impatient as members were losing consciousness one after another before even finding the creature, and the morale of the entire force was declining.

In the meantime, Hugo occasionally glanced at Leonardo's back as he walked ahead. It was because Leonardo had often stumbled after crossing the crack, getting caught on crystals or rocks.

Of course, with his innate reflexes, he wouldn't fall or get seriously injured, but sometimes he misstepped into dangerous places, so it was inevitable for the observer to feel anxious.

Moreover, Leonardo had asked him once more if he didn't hear any strange sounds, so that also played a part in his concern. Although he said he was fine, Hugo was worried that he might be seeing things or hearing auditory hallucinations due to prolonged exposure to the heat.

If that was the situation, he had to be even more alert, so Hugo wiped the sweat from his eyes with his gloved hand.

With renewed determination, he proceeded forward, but his steps stopped in place after not going far. An unwelcome mark had appeared in front of him.

That mark, scratched on the cave wall, was left a few minutes ago when passing a forked path to avoid getting lost.

He had thought the same path kept appearing, and now there was clear evidence that they were wandering around.

"...Leonardo."

Leonardo, who had been walking about five steps ahead, abruptly stopped at Hugo's call. When he turned his head back with a face that seemed to ask why he was calling, Hugo gestured with his chin toward the mark in front of him.

"It's the path we came from."

Leonardo, who looked ahead again, quietly stared at the traces left on the wall. His turned shoulders slightly rose as if sighing and then dropped weakly.

"What should we do now?"

Leonardo, who looked back again and asked, had a hint of fatigue on his face, although he didn't show it.

Hugo, who met his eyes, opened his mouth after a few seconds of silence.

"Let's rest for a bit."

The two sat on the floor that had been flattened by burning it with fire, keeping a slight distance. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Even so, it was a distance that could be reached by stretching out an arm, but the one who kept the distance first was Leonardo. It was out of concern that he might interfere with Hugo's breathing, who was constantly emitting cold air and creating a space to breathe within a certain radius.

Hugo, who was sitting, narrowed his brows and clicked the button on the radio several times. However, the fact that there had been no response for several hours meant either there were no members within close range or the radio had completely malfunctioned.

It had been precisely since they entered the interior of the crack.

"Still not working?"

Leonardo asked casually, resting his chin on his hand. Hugo affirmed with a nod without answering.

There was no point in staying in here for a long time as it would only consume stamina, so Hugo had the members disperse and move for a slightly faster search.

However, as he and Leonardo, who had overwhelming mobility and combat power, moved at a fast pace, the distance between them and the other members who were searching the surroundings inevitably widened quickly. To make matters worse, they lost their way in the middle, and the two were isolated.

When there was no response from the radio no matter how much he touched it, Hugo clicked his tongue and put the radio back into the pocket attached to the back of his waist. Then, he opened the cap of the water bottle and drank about half of the remaining water. He intentionally offered the remaining half to Leonardo.

In an environment with harmful gases mixed in the air and not even 1g of moisture to be found, it would be difficult to immediately create clean water, so it was best to conserve drinking water as much as possible.

Knowing this, Leonardo hesitated for a moment after receiving the water bottle, but his throat was also burning as his body temperature rose, so he soon tilted his head back and poured all the remaining water into his mouth. As expected, Hugo's hand quickly approached to refill the insufficient water, but Leonardo shook his head as if it was enough.

"What happened with asking the liaison?"

At his question, Hugo, who was retrieving the empty water bottle, recalled the report that a member of the 1st Battalion had come and delivered before entering the crack.

"He said there was no unusual movement. Neither the Dermocas nor the other creatures."

"...Really?"

Leonardo tilted his head at the unexpected answer.

He had clearly seen the creature's lump twitch from behind during the brief commotion that occurred when the Dermocas woke up, so he was worried that other fellows might flock to this place in response to their companion's call.

Of course, it was literally a brief moment, so it was rather fortunate that a report came back saying there was no unusual movement.

However, if the wind blowing from the crevice of the crack was caused by the mother body's ultrasonic waves, it would have been reasonable based on the reasoning so far that at least the other monsters nearby should have shown some reaction.

The fact that there was no reaction from the creatures, contrary to expectations, made him think of the possibility that the range of the ultrasonic waves had significantly decreased as the mother body weakened. If that happened, it could disrupt the current operation of stimulating the creature to gather the monsters in one place.

"Hmm..."

As his mind became complicated, Leonardo, who had been constantly suffering from a headache, leaned his body back and let out a deep sigh. Seeing his appearance, Hugo put his hand behind his head, worried that the back of his head might touch the sharply protruding crystal, and asked,

"Why, are you worried that the creatures won't move according to plan?"

Leonardo, who felt the sensation of a large palm, straightened his body forward again. He stared blankly at the hand that had fulfilled its role and was being withdrawn, and then answered as if mind-reading was no longer surprising.

"Of course. Aren't you worried?"

Hugo's eyes blinked slowly. He remained silent for a moment and then turned his gaze to the ceiling where countless crystals were embedded.

The cross-section of the crystals reflected Leonardo's and his own faces in different ways. Which one of them was closer to the future that would come, he couldn't tell at the moment.

"...Usually, there are more things that don't go according to plan than those that do. Especially in complicated matters like this."

Soon, Hugo lowered his eyes. Then, he continued, focusing his gaze on the yellow smoke rising from below.

"But once things flow, they tend to get resolved somehow, so don't worry too much. We have also prepared countermeasures in multiple stages for that... And worrying doesn't solve anything."

Leonardo felt his words were somewhat ambiguous.

It sounded like advice from a senior in life, but it also sounded a bit irresponsible compared to what he usually said.

On the other hand, it seemed like he was trying to ease his worries, but it also sounded like he was talking to himself.

Leonardo, who had been observing the corners of his eyes where a hint of fatigue flowed, soon shook his head inwardly.

As if he had learned mind-reading by being with him, he had a feeling that he could read his inner thoughts.

'He's worried himself.'

When there was no particular answer, Hugo took out a spare handkerchief from his inner pocket.

Even though he kept emitting cold air, he could barely maintain his body temperature, but he couldn't prevent ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) the sweat from forming on his forehead. He even broke out in a cold sweat. Leonardo courteously turned his eyes elsewhere, hiding his strenuous appearance.

Then, when the prolonged silence felt awkward, he abruptly held out his hand to him.

"Give it to me."

Hugo, who glanced to the side, looked at the outstretched hand and his handkerchief that his gaze was directed at. He soon answered with a slightly troubled nuance.

"It's very wet."

"It's okay. It's clean. Give it to me."

Leonardo flicked his wrist again, but Hugo had no intention of handing it over, probably because it was a handkerchief soaked in sweat and he didn't know the reason for asking for it.

However, that was only for a moment. Unable to bear it, Leonardo snatched the handkerchief in the blink of an eye. Then, he casually touched the wet cloth and lightly waved it in front of him, saying,

"Can you even fight monsters properly like this? I think you'll collapse first from dehydration before that."

Hugo only watched what Leonardo was doing without answering. However, there was a hint of bewilderment in his eyes with one eyebrow raised. It seemed that he had hit the point he wanted to hide, Leonardo thought.

He glanced at him with a knowing look and then unfolded the wet handkerchief.

As much as it was soaked in this handkerchief, it was clear that Hugo Agrizendro was more engrossed in worries about the success of the operation than anyone else.

The stamina of the members and himself was gradually decreasing, but the mother body, let alone the tail of a monster, was nowhere to be seen, so it would be stranger not to worry.

However, he understood that he couldn't easily reveal his inner thoughts because he was strong enough for everyone to rely on and was in a high position. If the commander showed signs of struggle, the anxiety of the members who believed in and followed him would only intensify.

Feeling that agony with his fingertips, Leonardo slowly wiped the handkerchief spread on his knees with both hands. As his heated hands passed, even the creases of the folded parts smoothed out cleanly.

In the center of the neat pattern, the crest of the Agrizendro family was embroidered. Leonardo, who had his gaze there, spoke again.

"But, well... It's okay for you to whine a little."

Hugo's gaze, which had been fixed on his hands, turned to Leonardo's face. It sounded a bit out of context.

Leonardo, who had folded the handkerchief back into a square, placed it back in Hugo's hand. Then, he curled up the corners of his mouth and said, looking into his eyes,

"If anything happens, I'll save you."

The refreshing smile spreading in the hot air provided a momentary sensation of clearing the airway. Hugo's eyelids moved slightly as he looked at him.

Unlike a moment ago, the sensation on his fingertips was fluffy.

The wet cloth had somehow dried up completely.