The procession soon entered the cave that marked the entrance to the Fourth Peak. Though it was the fourth from the center, this towering mountain had dozens of large and small offshoots branching from it, making its scale incomparable to the others.
Minerals glittered from within the rock walls, embedded like stars, while the humidity deepened—but the air grew noticeably cooler inside.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, forming stalactites and stalagmites. It was clearly a lava-formed cave, yet the presence of limestone flows—normally only found in limestone caves—left geological investigators puzzled.
When Hugo looked back, the members appeared visibly fatigued, having maintained an unrelenting pace. The formation was also unevenly spaced. Thinking it best to reorganize, Hugo checked the watch on his wrist and opened his mouth.
"Attention. After the commanders check and report the personnel of each unit, put down your luggage. Investigators and scout personnel should immediately carry out their assigned tasks. The rest of you, take a break and reorganize. We reassemble right here in thirty minutes."
"Yes, understood!"
At his order, the lower-ranking commanders flew to the rear of the procession to deliver the message. Those at the front finally broke into relieved smiles, setting down their packs and resuming coordinated movement after the mid-level commanders completed their checks.
The investigators and scout teams gathered their sampling tools and dispersed to designated areas, trailed by their escorts. It wasn’t complete rest—but it was certainly better than endless marching.
Hugo, surveying the area, promptly flew to the back to assess the situation and check the rear personnel. But the escort unit for the rear had yet to arrive.
With Leonardo present, even a Sigal shouldn’t have posed much trouble. But as time dragged on, Hugo began to worry. Just then, as if to dismiss his concerns, voices echoed from the cave’s depths, steadily growing closer.
"It was incredible, seriously! Did you see that thing? It wasn’t even visible!"
"Commander, I get it—but you need to go report already!"
Delua's animated, high-pitched voice rang out, followed by Marlen’s tired tone. The 6th Battalion members and Leonardo were fast approaching at high speed.
They were chatting so cheerfully, it was hard to believe they'd just come from slaying monsters. But as they caught sight of Hugo, their mouths snapped shut. They swiftly landed and # Nоvеlight # lined up in formation.
Still, Delua, standing at the front, saluted Hugo with a radiant smile and an energetic tone.
"Loyalty! Sixth Battalion Commander Delua Rivera and 32 others. We were escorting the rear formation and have successfully exterminated approximately fifty Drocs and nine Sigals. I report our mission completed. Blaine blew them all away!"
Hugo glanced at Leonardo behind her, but the man at the center of the report seemed more interested in the sparkling cave walls, his eyes tracing the glittering minerals.
Then, as if realizing Hugo was watching, Leonardo quickly turned his gaze forward, only to avert it again, his face betraying brief embarrassment. Seeing that, Hugo quietly concluded that pairing him with Delua had been a good choice.
From what Hugo had observed, Leonardo never acted hostile toward those who praised or approached him with goodwill. Given Delua’s extroverted nature, she’d likely talk to Leonardo endlessly, helping him adapt to the group.
It seemed the pairing had worked as hoped. With a faint smile, Hugo addressed Delua, Marlen, some of the 6th Battalion's escorts, and Leonardo:
"Good work, everyone. That couldn't have been an easy fight. You handled it well."
Delua beamed at the praise, while Marlen, the deputy commander, glanced around and cautiously asked as he watched the scattered members at work ahead:
"Commander, forgive me for asking... are we very late?"
"Not at all. We’re currently conducting a brief exploration and reorganization."
At that moment, Leonardo, who had been looking elsewhere, suddenly turned to Hugo and said:
"Oh, then I’d like to do some personal exploration as well."
At the abrupt comment, Hugo raised a brow and looked at him.
"...Personal exploration? What do you want to do?"
"There are a lot of minerals here I’ve never seen before. I want to collect a few. Normally, since this is national land, we wouldn’t even be allowed entry—but considering we wiped out those monsters, it should be fine, right?"
Typically, when civilian mages or affiliated guilds participated in Council missions as a service, they were compensated at 1.2 times the standard rate. In Leonardo’s case, he had joined under the condition that his offenses in the Imperial Capital be pardoned, so no payment was involved.
Still, from an ethical standpoint, that detail weighed on Hugo’s mind. After brief consideration, he concluded it was fair to allow this small request and gave a slight nod.
"Alright. That much is acceptable. But you’re not going alone."
At that, Leonardo frowned faintly.
"Then?"
"I’ll go with you! Let’s go, Blaine!"
Delua beamed and clung to him cheerfully. Marlen, however, gave her a sharp look and said firmly:
"Commander, we need to stay and reorganize the battalion. That won’t be possible."
As Marlen shut her down, Hugo added supportively:
"Deputy Commander Diaz is right. Delua, handle your unit."
Though she looked a bit disappointed, Delua quickly accepted and replied with a relaxed smile:
"Understood. Blaine, see you later!"
Waving brightly at Leonardo, she rejoined the 6th Battalion with Marlen. Left alone with Hugo, Leonardo eyed him with a wary expression.
"Don’t tell me... you’re coming with me?"
"Why? Is there a reason I shouldn’t?"
"..."
As Leonardo’s expression soured, Hugo chuckled, clearly entertained.
"Unfortunately, I’ve got too much to do. I won’t be going. But I’ll assign someone else."
At the mention of someone else, Leonardo sighed in visible relief, as though narrowly avoiding disaster. Hugo eyed him, then pressed the button on his communicator.
"Flynn, report to the rear of the procession."
Leonardo’s eyes widened.
"You’re assigning him to watch me?"
"Yes."
Hugo replied matter-of-factly. Based on what he’d seen, Flynn and Leonardo had some degree of mutual tolerance—making Flynn the ideal candidate for this task.
Soon after, Flynn flew in from the front and arrived at the rear. He paused slightly upon seeing Leonardo but masked his reaction.
"You called for me?"
Flynn addressed Hugo as if nothing were unusual. Hugo casually pushed him next to Leonardo.
"Keep an eye on this one."
"...Pardon?"
Flynn blinked, glancing between Hugo and Leonardo. But Hugo continued, unconcerned:
"Flynn will accompany you to make sure you don’t do anything reckless—or wander too far. I’m putting you under his supervision. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll approve a reasonable amount of ore collection."
Though being assigned a monitor wasn’t ideal, Leonardo accepted the arrangement, since it allowed him to achieve his goal.
As he nodded, Flynn looked at Hugo with a face that clearly said, Wait—don’t I get a say in this? But Hugo only clapped him on the shoulder.
"Go on."
Flynn's lips twitched, as if holding back several thoughts. He glanced at Leonardo, who stood silently with arms crossed, watching him with complete indifference, and finally answered in resignation:
"...Understood."
