The sound of rushing water came from between the huge trees where the fog was especially thick. The stream where Leonardo had washed off the monster’s blood earlier had split into several strands, carving a valley of considerable width.
However, steep slopes and jutting rocks in places churned the water into rapids, and the spray further obscured the view. It was a somewhat dangerous place to cross on foot or by swimming.
Because of that, two people were slowly crossing the valley by floating through the air with magic. Kenis was flying while gripping the sagging backpack straps with all his might, and Alec was dangling with both arms draped over the pack.
Kenis’s face and neck were flushed crimson, as if what he held was no ordinary weight. In contrast [N O V E L I G H T] to his struggling, Alec, who was hanging, looked rather comfortable. However, as his feet gradually lowered and were dampened by the mist hovering just above the surface, Alec lifted his head and said to Kenis,
“Kid, put in a bit more strength. I’ll fall in soon.”
“Hng... I’m trying my best! And why are you so heavy in the first place?”
Kenis retorted, losing his temper, unlike his usual self. Alec looked up at his flushed face, finding it amusing, then lifted the binoculars hanging around his neck to his eyes and scanned around.
“At this rate, we’ll lose the cutie. I can’t see him anymore as it is.”
Hanging there would have been irritating enough, but urging him on besides made Kenis feel like letting go of the backpack right then and there. However, he forcibly consoled himself, thinking he shouldn’t do such a thing because he was a kind and decent person—unlike this man.
After a while, they crossed the valley and drifted down into a dense thicket. Though they descended slowly, Kenis’s strength finally gave out, and they nearly crashed to the ground with a short scream.
Surprisingly, Alec landed cleanly without a scratch, and Kenis, who fell after him, fortunately scraped through branches and tumbled into the bushes, which softened the impact.
Alec stood upright, shortened the loose backpack straps, straightened his clothes, and said to Kenis, who was floundering in the bushes,
“Good work, kid.”
Kenis groaned and pushed himself up, brushing off the leaves that had flipped over him. Then, rubbing his aching lower back from the bad fall, he replied in a disgruntled tone,
“Please stop calling me that...”
Instead of answering, Alec grinned. It meant he would continue to do as he pleased from now on as well.
He immediately walked in the opposite direction of Kenis, pushing through the dense undergrowth. Seeing him leave first even though he had done all the hard work, Kenis thought him truly inconsiderate, but unable to just watch him get farther away, he hurriedly got up and followed without even having time to complain.
At the same time, he frowned and sniffed at the strange smell saturating the air, mixed with the brush.
The stench of rot pierced his nose.
When they quickened their steps and pushed through the last thicket blocking their way, they found Leonardo, who had arrived first.
His blond hair and the bright colors of his clothes drew their attention for a moment, but soon the crushed grass underfoot and the trees deeply cut, broken, and revealing their white insides came into view. Because of that, the atmosphere was even more ominous, as if a storm had passed through.
Something black was splattered over the place that should have been filled with deep blue-green. It wasn’t fresh, but had been there for some time.
Kenis stepped onto the flattened grass and frowned even more at the strong reek of blood. Still, he covered his nose with his forearm and slowly approached Leonardo.
In the middle of the gruesome scene, he was kneeling, his shining golden eyes quietly fixed on something in his hand.
Seeing what he held, Kenis felt a strange familiarity, and soon realized what it was, drawing a silent breath. His pupils trembled slightly with fear and confusion, and his heart pounded.
“That’s...”
Hearing that voice, Leonardo slightly raised his head and examined Kenis’s pale face. Then, he shifted his gaze back to his own hand.
What Leonardo held was an armband worn by Council commanders on their upper arms, indicating the wearer was the platoon leader of the 4th Platoon, 3rd Company, 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch.
It belonged to the platoon leader who, according to the liaison officer’s report—the one who had come looking for Hugo when Leonardo was with him earlier—had chased after the body of a member carried off by a dermocas and later went missing with it.
Remembering the liaison officer’s words, Leonardo stared at the armband, turned black and soaked in blood, with a look of heartache. All around, there were traces of fierce battle, dried black blood, torn pieces of combat uniforms, and a combat boot bearing distinct tooth marks from a monster.
It was as if he could picture the person’s final moments without having seen them.
Leonardo, blinking slowly, brought the clenched armband to his left chest. Then he closed his eyes, lowered his head, and paid silent tribute. Kenis, dazed by the shock, also shut his eyes and lowered his head, following suit.
In his heart, he prayed for the owner of the armband to rest in peace.
As the two became quiet for a moment, Alec approached them with more cautious steps than usual. Then he looked around once and said, with a whistle,
“Brutal, isn’t it?”
Even at Alec’s voice, they kept their eyes closed for a while, neither moving nor speaking.
****
Kenis walked, hugging a black bundle tight in one arm to his chest. Inside were the remains of the platoon leader who had died at the battle scene. The black cloth wrapping them was Leonardo’s cloak.
As soon as he finished paying his respects, Leonardo unfastened the cloak from his shoulders, spread it out, and gathered the armband and other scattered remains on top of it. Afterwards, he brought the ends of the cloak together, tied them tightly into a knot, and handed the bundle he had made to Kenis. He added that it should be delivered to the man’s comrades when they returned.
Kenis, unused to someone’s death, received it and didn’t know what to do. The arm holding the bundle felt unusually heavy, even though it must have been lighter than a sword.
Along the forest path, with an atmosphere as heavy as the weight of death in his arm, the cries and scent of ilaptors throbbed from all directions. Now, even just breathing drew the smell into his nostrils, making it hard to discern where it came from.
However, the place they had to go lay in the middle of the creatures’ den, and realizing he could no longer avoid it, Kenis was gradually adapting to that tension.
When the thick fog gradually cleared and a scarlet light poured in through the leaves, Kenis glanced at Leonardo, who was walking beside him. No distinct expression marked his face, tinged reddish, but those pretty eyes seemed slightly downcast.
And he thought the reason was the same as his own: because of the bundle in his hands.
While he had quietly paid his respects, Kenis had felt that he was sincerely mourning and sorry for the deceased. It made him realize that thinking he unconditionally disliked Council members had been an embarrassing misunderstanding.
Afterwards, the way he quickly collected the remains and organized the scene made it seem like he was quite accustomed to facing death.
Perhaps because he had been to war, he seemed to have encountered it many times. Thinking on it anew, the faded glory of his once being called a war hero resonated with him, indirectly yet strongly.
Even at this close range, he sometimes felt like a distant being.
‘If you only look at him like this, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of an age difference between us... But he’s much more of an adult than I am.’
Kenis carefully reflected on his past actions, which made him think about many things. As he glanced at his face like that, he found himself staring intently without even realizing it.
Sensing the persistent gaze, Leonardo glanced to the side, and Kenis, meeting his eyes, startled and turned away. The problem was that he did it so obviously it was unnaturally awkward—impossible not to notice.
At his transparent behavior, Leonardo stared blankly, wondering if he had something to say. However, as time passed and he said nothing in particular, Leonardo turned his head back to the front. Then, checking the coordinate system and the back of Alec’s head as he led the way, he opened his mouth as if he had something else to ask.
“There’s something I don’t understand.”
“Yes?”
Kenis turned his head again, thinking he was addressing him, but Leonardo shook his hand, indicating he wasn’t. Meanwhile, Alec, walking ahead, seemed to have cleverly noticed it was directed at him and turned around.
Looking at Alec like that, Leonardo asked,
“Have you ever actually seen the queen of the monsters?”
At the sudden question, Alec raised the corners of his mouth, tilted his head, and said,
“No?”
