Kweh-ehk—!
Leonardo stood deep in thought, gazing up at the massive monster that loomed over him, large enough to shroud his entire body in its shadow.
What could drive a Council battalion commander to take part in a high-risk scheme like illegal mining?
Scales or thorns jutted densely from the monster’s body, spreading outward as they trembled. Its form swelled as if in menace, and its gaping maw revealed a heaving throat that panted loudly.
Yet the creature wasn’t threatening him now. It was afraid.
The main goal seemed to be etaide. Does he know what it’s used for? If so, what in the hell does he plan to do with it?
Lost in thought, Leonardo leapt in a single bound to the monster’s height, twisting midair in a wide arc before slamming a kick into its head.
Kwajik—! Kwang—!
His foot smashed through its skull, bursting its brain. The half-caved head flew back and crashed into the cliff, leaving a trail of blood as it slid down.
Money? But the Clinder Marquis family has no shortage of legal means to make money. Is it really like they say—that the wealthy commit worse acts?
Watching the monster’s body twitch with fading nerve spasms, Leonardo dropped lightly to the ground. He frowned at his leg, now drenched in blood.
“Ah, damn it, got blood on me again.”
Kiaahk—!
A sudden cry rang out from behind. Another monster barreled toward him, claws gouging the earth as it charged.
Lowering his raised leg, Leonardo glanced back. An ilaptor—rarely seen until now—was racing at him with terrifying speed, froth and poison dripping from its gaping jaws.
“Oh.”
The exclamation was hard to tell as pleased or not. He sidestepped nimbly. Ilaptors were ferocious sprinters, but once locked in a charge they struggled to turn. That flaw was Leonardo’s advantage.
As the beast shot past, unable to change direction, he brought his fist down hard on the back of its neck.
Kwang—!
The ilaptor’s head smashed deep into the ground. Stunned, it twitched, then thrashed with all its might, tearing at the dirt with massive hooked claws. Its thick, whip-like tail lashed wildly, warding off any predator that dared approach.
But beside it stood the nemesis of all monsters, feared even by the peninsula’s top predators. Leonardo calmly seized the thrashing tail with one hand. With the other, he clamped down on its sturdy thigh—and ripped it off.
Kwadeuk—!
A muffled scream rose from underground. The severed torso and leg fell aside, spewing some unknown fluid, but Leonardo’s flames seared the wound shut.
He hefted the powerful leg with its huge claws, testing its weight, then waved it toward the two onlookers in the distance.
“Hey, this looks useful. Want it?”
The leg twitched grotesquely, its nerves still alive, claws flexing as if to grasp something. Kenis, gripping his sword so tightly his hands had gone white, shook his head violently, his face as pale as his knuckles.
At the clear refusal, Leonardo muttered that it was a waste to toss away and tucked it under his arm. “Then I’ll have to use it myself.” With that, he drove the claws into the buried beast, ending its life for good.
Nearby, in the undergrowth by a gravel patch, a stream steamed faintly. Leonardo settled on a low rock, scooping water into his hands to wash the monster’s blood from his face. He scrubbed his hands and legs clean, then dipped the red-stained sleeves of his mage’s robe into the current.
As he did, he studied his reflection, distorted by ripples. Brushing aside his wet bangs, a thought from earlier flashed back, startling him.
Meterion Clinder is one of the nobility faction.
A droplet slid down his cheek, clung to his chin, and fell with a quiet plop.
Could the nobles’ supposed plan Andrew uncovered... be tied to this?
Leonardo’s blank stare at the flowing stream hardened. He spread his fingers and began counting, folding them down one by one. After folding and unfolding the same finger twice, he was interrupted by approaching footsteps.
The long, confident strides halted behind him. Then, in a tone halfway between a murmur and a remark meant to be heard, Alec said,
“Wow, at this pace we won’t need two days—we’ll be there before sunset.”
Leonardo stopped counting and turned. Alec stood ten steps away, peering through binoculars while holding a map. Still looking through the lenses, he grinned at Leonardo.
“Thanks to you, we’re making great time. As expected of an S-grade.”
The destination had been estimated at two days’ travel, but now it had been cut to less than one. Such was the sheer ability of an immeasurable S4-grade who had regained his vast mana and fine control.
Leonardo had teleported all three of them in succession, carrying Alec and Kenis across the peninsula ridge by ridge. The speed was unimaginable for an ordinary mage—but for one with his immeasurable title, it was merely possible.
What struck Alec even more was how composed he looked after fighting countless monsters bare-handed. His mana was overwhelming, but his body was just as formidable.
Through the binoculars, Alec let his gaze drift from Leonardo’s battered face to the black choker clasped at his throat, zooming in. If he could do this much while wearing such a shackle... imagining him unbound sent a tremor of excitement down Alec’s spine.
Leonardo noticed Alec suddenly grinning and scowled, his disgust plain.
Just as he opened his mouth to demand why he looked so idiotic, Alec lowered the binoculars and said,
“Now then, before we arrive—shall we handle the second clause of our contract?”
Leonardo Blaine’s second request of Alec Siles: to explain everything he knew about the egg in the bag, the outsider who had joined them, and the Elder Millie Peninsula.
He had already heard about the outsider. Two matters remained.
But before Alec could go on, the bushes nearby tore apart with a violent rustle. A presence surged toward them, the tall grass bowing aside, and from between the trees a figure burst forth.
“What clause!”
It was Kenis. He wedged himself between the two as if to block Alec, glaring at him like he was the villain himself.
“You—you’re trying something shady again, aren’t you?”
Alec chuckled softly. Kenis, bristling with wariness, looked like a tiny pup trying to guard the S-grade weapon behind him from Alec’s grasp.
“Shady, you say. That stings. To think a friend [N O V E L I G H T] who used to follow me so eagerly, calling me ‘Mr. Scholar’—”
“That was because I thought Mr. Scholar was a good person back then.”
“I still am a good person.”
At his shameless insistence—this man who treated people as test subjects—Kenis was beginning to grasp the harsh truth: not all humans had a good foundation.
Leonardo simply watched, blankly, as Kenis stood his ground, bickering with the scholar. He’d only been sent to patrol briefly, yet the moment a single word about the contract reached him, he had rushed back here. His hearing was truly sharp.
Since Leonardo had never explained the contract’s terms properly, Kenis seemed to regard it as the root of all evil.
“Did you do what I asked you to?”
Leonardo spoke mildly, trying to calm Kenis’s growling back. Kenis, mid-argument, instantly turned and sat down, meeting his eyes.
“Yes, of course!”
