Bermuda

After Leonardo's assertive words, silence flowed between the two.

However, their intertwined gazes were anything but silent.

The floating flame and light orb, as if responding to their owners, moved on their own and drew together. As the two faint lights merged and reflected off the crystals, the dark space was completely dyed bright.

Thanks to that, the shadows flickering around their eyes vanished, and each other's expressions became more distinct.

Leonardo, finding the prolonged silence uncomfortable, frowned for no real reason.

"I said all that, but why is there no reaction?"

There was a hint of embarrassment mixed into his blunt voice. Sensing it, Hugo's gaze slipped from the golden eyes and dropped to the handkerchief in his hand.

He slowly savored the words Leonardo had given him while holding and rubbing the dry handkerchief. It felt like a rough yet certain encouragement delivered in his own way, as it would be too awkward to tack on various side remarks.

Hugo's lips gradually loosened as he understood that intention. A smile that seemed indifferent yet pleased, which only the person facing him could notice, followed.

Before long, the blue eyes that had been wandering around his hands moved back to Leonardo.

"Thank you."

At those words, Leonardo's furrowed brows smoothed away. It was a quick change of expression, absurd even to himself, but it also felt strange to frown again at someone who had thanked him.

Looking at his now-relaxed eyes, Hugo spoke once more.

"Thank you, Leonardo."

Leonardo, who had been moving his lips a few times, rubbed his chin with his hand and arranged his expression into something more appropriate. In truth, he wasn't very used to this kind of atmosphere, so he was often at a loss as to how to react whenever someone approached him like this.

Perhaps because of that, as he searched for a suitable answer, he shifted the topic in a slightly grumbling tone.

"You're so good at treating other people's wounds, but how come you can't do it for yourself?"

Hugo's eyebrows rose slightly. It seemed to refer to when he had treated the member with the swollen ankle earlier.

The question he had tried to forget suddenly came to mind again, but since Leonardo didn't seem inclined to bring it up now, he answered without revealing it.

"I can treat external injuries to a certain extent if the range is not wide, but since it's not my main attribute, I'm not very good at other things."

"..."

"But now, you'll save me, so it's okay even if I can't do it, right?"

There was a faint smile on his lips as he spoke calmly. Leonardo, hearing his words, blinked once. Soon after, a chuckle that seemed to find it absurd slipped out.

It was newly surprising that someone who seemed like he would never rely on anyone could say something like that. Moreover, the fact that the target of those words was himself felt awkward to anyone who knew their history.

Because of that, Leonardo furtively cast his gaze into the distance. His shoulders had unknowingly gone tense. He cleared his throat with a fake cough and glanced at Hugo with narrowed eyes.

"You're not teasing me again, are you?"

At his sudden question, Hugo looked puzzled and asked back.

"...Teasing?"

"You sometimes tease me by repeating what I said."

Hugo thought for a moment about whether he had ever done that.

He did recall playing with words a few times with Leonardo, but he couldn't agree it applied in this situation, so he only smiled faintly instead.

"No way. Everything I said is sincere."

"..."

Leonardo's expression was half doubtful, half convinced. However, seeing Hugo's face, which had softened considerably, he soon decided to let it go.

In the first place, they were words he had offered to lighten the heavy atmosphere and ease his worries, so whether they were sincere or a joke, the intended purpose had been achieved.

Leonardo, who chuckled as if his plan had succeeded, habitually rested his chin on his hand and slightly tilted his head. Thanks to the precise angle, the light from the crystals gently settled on his hair and eyes.

"I'm sincere about saving you too."

Hugo thought he looked as if he had decided to steal his gaze. Whatever the intention, as he faithfully responded to that pull, he suddenly realized the lingering thoughts that had been trailing him like a shadow had somehow cleared away.

The situation hadn't changed much, but each of Leonardo's words eased the heavy corner of his heart that had been weighted all along. Moreover, the fact that the one doing so was Leonardo Blaine was something he couldn't even have imagined until not long ago, given their past relationship.

Leonardo blinked slowly as he gazed at Hugo, who was immersed in this new feeling. Soon, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Although the commander, looking tired and exhausted, had a certain human charm,

'Still, a smiling face is better...'

Tok, tok, todododok-

The sound of something like a pebble bouncing and rolling echoed through the quiet space.

It wasn't loud, but it was enough to cut through the gentle flow.

Without even having a chance to savor the lingering conversation, Leonardo's gaze immediately dropped to his feet. A small crystal fragment was lying beside his boot.

It definitely hadn't been there until just now.

"..."

Leonardo, who had been silently staring down at it, lifted his gaze to Hugo.

Hugo, who had looked at Leonardo at nearly the same moment, then moved his eyes toward the direction from which the crystal seemed to have rolled. Leonardo followed his gaze.

Not far from where the two were sitting, there was a narrow cave filled with pitch-black darkness.

It was the place they had tried to enter after seeing the mark left at the entrance but had stopped, and they remembered it clearly because they had already wandered into it once.

There were no crystals growing on the ceiling of that cave. Moreover, it wasn't an environment where something could break off and fall due to natural erosion.

In the first place, if this small fragment had rolled from there to here, it wasn't that it had simply dropped vertically and bounced. It was more accurate to assume that someone had flicked or thrown it in this direction.

Once their thoughts reached that point, they became sure there was another presence here besides the two of them.

If it were a member of the Council, there would be no reason for them to act like that in a place where the commander was, and no reason for them to hide themselves until now, so the two men quickly concluded that it was not an ally for the moment. Their breaths instinctively stilled.

Todok, tok, todododok-

As if desperate to announce its presence, another crystal fragment rolled out from the cave. The intent was unclear, but it seemed to be trying to lure them into the darkness.

The first to rise quietly was Hugo.

Hugo gave Leonardo a brief look and nodded slowly. Then he moved toward the cave entrance, minimizing the sound of his footsteps, while an ice spear with a sharp blade slowly formed in his hand.

The softly relaxed expression from just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen; his eyes were as cold as they could be. His gaze locked onto whatever existence inside had so rudely disturbed the atmosphere.

From memory, a sharply curved bend appeared not far past the entrance. Hugo's guess was that something might be hiding behind it.

Following him, Leonardo also rose from his seat. If the presence inside was a monster, a situation might arise where they had to give chase immediately, so he, too, needed to prepare for an attack in advance.

When he swept his hand downward once, a blazing flame sword instantly appeared in his grip. Leonardo, now fully on guard, stepped forward after Hugo, who was leading the way.

But at that moment, that strange voice brushed past his ear again.

"Hungry."

Leonardo flinched reflexively, squeezed his eyes shut, and clutched his head. It felt as if the voice at his ear was crawling up his eardrum, scrambling his brain, even smashing it apart.

'Damn it, why again...'

On top of that, this time an unusual headache rushed in, making his skull throb. Leonardo clenched his teeth and strangled the sound in his throat. Because of that, Hugo was completely unaware of the situation behind him.

Hugo, who had even dispelled the light orb for fear of provoking the presence inside—whether creature or something else—had already gone deep into the cave and reached the point just before the bend.

His blue eyes, pressed close to the wall, shone silently in the darkness.

Before long, he raised his arm slightly, tightening his grip on the ice spear.

*****

"How was it over there?"

"There were no unusual traces. The commander wasn't there either."

At the report from the platoon member who had hurried over, the 8th Platoon Leader turned her head to the right. Another platoon member who met her eyes gave the same answer.

"It was the same here."

She let out a low sigh. She held the radio, which had lost communication, in one hand as she brushed her hair back with the other.

"Where on earth did he go..."

For several hours now, the members of the 1st Battalion of the Central Branch had been desperately searching for the commander while simultaneously looking for the location of the mother body. It was because no one had seen the commander after briefly encountering him only in the early stages after crossing the crack.

Of course, since «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» it was "that" commander, it was hard to imagine anything happening to him, but if they had seen his face even once—paler than usual and soaked in sweat—they couldn't help but worry.

Moreover, before entering Peak 118, Flynn, who could not come along, had begged them to at least attach two people to him if he tried to go alone, so the 8th Platoon Leader was troubled no matter how she thought about it.

'I should have stayed with him.'

A platoon member, hesitating as he watched her bite her lip, tried hard to offer something hopeful.

"But since Leonardo Blaine is with him, wouldn't it be okay?"

For a moment, the 8th Platoon Leader turned to him with cold eyes. Her expression asked if he really meant to say that now. The platoon member, meeting her gaze, quickly shut his mouth, but a few nearby seemed to somewhat agree. Seeing that, the 8th Platoon Leader sighed in a different way.

Eventually, she counted the members gathered with a sweep of her eyes. Then, after scanning the paths spread out around them, she spoke in a weighty voice.

"Attention. The three on the left and three on the right will go back the way we came and resume the search. The remaining five will enter a new path with me, and if a fork appears, we'll split up then. If you encounter the commander along the way, make sure to request to accompany him and send me a signal by raising a wind. Understood?"

"Yes, understood!"

The platoon members, answering her orders, were about to quickly disperse as they divided into groups. The 8th Platoon Leader called them to a halt for a moment.

"Wait. I told you to always move in groups of three, so keep that in mind at all times, and if you happen to lose your way, I'll create a whirlwind every thirty minutes, so follow the direction the wind comes from."

"Yes!"

The platoon members, responding vigorously once more, moved swiftly in their assigned directions at her gesture to go. Afterward, the 8th Platoon Leader glanced at the remaining five and flicked her hand for them to follow.

The group led by her stepped toward the dark cave visible ahead. Three light orbs flew into the cave first to illuminate the path they would take.

Among the jagged rocks, Degalianif leaves resembling acacia grew sparsely. Seeing the plants thriving even in such a barren environment, the members were freshly amazed and couldn't take their eyes off them.

Because of that, their attention briefly slipped, and at that moment, a suspicious shadow passed by on the far side of the wide-stretching cave.

Tak-

As the platoon leader suddenly stopped, those following behind her halted in unison. Before the member at the very back could ask what was going on, she looked straight ahead and called out in a clear voice,

"Who's there?"

For a time, there was no reply. The two members standing closest to her reflexively brought their hands to their swords. However, the 8th Platoon Leader stopped them with a raised hand while keeping her gaze fixed forward.

Inside Peak 118, it was difficult to sense the energy of monsters or the presence of others because the seal's power was stronger than in other areas. Because of that, no one but her had noticed the existence beyond, but since the platoon leader had asked who it was, they assumed the other party could at least understand words.

After a brief silence, a sigh tinged with regret echoed through the stillness. The 8th Platoon Leader, narrowing her eyes, quietly watched the spot where she felt the air shift.

Soon, someone who had been hiding and concealing their presence at the bend in the path slowly stepped out. The sound of feet dragging along the dirt floor and the sluggish movements gave the impression of someone coming out reluctantly.

The 8th Platoon Leader sent the light orb a little farther ahead to illuminate the approaching person's feet.

After a moment, a face scrunching up from the glare appeared under the orb, which had grown brighter. She, who had been watching warily, suddenly made a face as if the thought had never occurred to her.

"You're...?"

"Hello."

The man who quickly smoothed his brow and offered an awkward smile was definitely a familiar face.

She wondered where she had seen him before, and remembered he was the member who had kicked the Dermocas and knocked it out in an instant when it had woken up earlier.

And he was also the member who had shattered the commander's ice with his bare hands.