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Bermuda Chapter 135
🕑 Added 2024-06-05 11:18:57 +0000 UTCChapter 135
The sound of rushing water was heard between the huge trees where the fog was particularly thick. The stream where Leonardo had washed off the monster's blood earlier had converged into several strands, forming a valley of considerable width.
However, there were steep slopes and protruding rocks in places, causing rapids to flow, and the splashing water droplets further obscured the view. It was a somewhat dangerous place to cross by walking or swimming.
Because of that, there were two people slowly crossing the valley by floating in the air with magic. Kenis, who was flying while holding onto the drooping backpack straps with all his might, and Alec, who was hanging dangling with both arms draped over the backpack, were those two.
Kenis's face and neck were completely flushed red, as if what he was holding in his hands was no ordinary heavy weight. Unlike his struggling appearance, Alec, who was hanging, looked rather quite comfortable. However, as his feet gradually lowered and got wet in the water mist spread just above the surface, Alec raised his head and said to Kenis,
"Kid, try putting in a bit more strength. I'll fall in soon."
"Hng..., I'm trying my best! No, why are you so heavy in the first place?"
Kenis retorted, losing his temper unlike his usual self. Alec looked at his flushed face from below, finding it quite amusing, then soon put the binoculars hanging around his neck to his eyes and looked around.
"At this rate, we'll lose the cutie. I can't see him anymore already?"
Just hanging still would be insufficient, but he even urged him on, so Kenis felt like letting go of the backpack he was holding right then and there. However, he forcibly consoled himself, thinking that he shouldn't do such a thing because he was a kind and good person, unlike this man.
After a while, they crossed the valley and slowly descended into a dense thicket. Although they descended slowly, in the end, Kenis's strength gave out, causing them to almost crash to the ground with a short scream.
Surprisingly, however, Alec landed cleanly without a single scratch, and Kenis, who fell following him, fortunately brushed against tree branches and tumbled onto the bushes, relatively lessening the impact.
Alec, who stood upright on his two feet, shortened the loose backpack straps, fixed his clothes, and said to Kenis, who was floundering in the bushes,
"Good work, kid."
Kenis groaned and got up from his spot, 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 in the future 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 he was truly inconsiderate, but unable to just watch him get farther away, he hurriedly got up and followed him without even having time to complain.
At the same time, he frowned and sniffed at the strange smell that filled the surroundings, mixed with the bushes.
The stench of rot pierced his nose.
When they quickly moved their steps and pushed through the last thicket blocking their way, they could find Leonardo, who had arrived there first.
His blond hair and the bright colors emanating from his clothes drew their attention for a moment, but soon, the crushed grass under their feet and the trees that were 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 all over the place that should have been filled with deep blue-green. It wasn't a fresh trace but one that had been there for some time.
Kenis stepped on the flatly trampled grass and frowned even more at the smell of blood that wafted strongly. Still, he covered his nose with his forearm and slowly approached Leonardo.
In the middle of the gruesome scene, he was kneeling with his knees bent, his shining golden eyes quietly looking down at something in his hand.
Seeing what he was holding, Kenis felt a strange sense of familiarity, and soon realized what it was, silently inhaling. His pupils trembled shallowly 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 was holding was an armband worn by the commanders of the Council on their upper arms, indicating that the owner belonged to the platoon leader of the 4th Platoon of the 3rd Company of the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch.
It belonged to the platoon leader who, according to the report of the liaison officer who had come to find Hugo when Leonardo was with him before, had chased after the corpse of a member carried away by a dermocas and later went missing along with it.
Leonardo, who remembered the liaison officer's words at the time, stared at the armband that had turned black, 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 with distinct tooth marks from a monster.
It was as if he could picture the person's final moments without even seeing them.
Leonardo, who had been blinking slowly, brought the clenched armband to his left chest. Then, he closed his eyes, lowered his head, and paid silent tribute. Kenis, who had been dazed by the shock, also tightly closed his eyes and lowered his head, following him.
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, whistling,
"Brutal, isn't it?"
Even at Alec's voice, they kept their eyes closed for a while, not moving or saying anything.
***
Kenis walked, hugging a black bundle tightly in one arm to his chest. Inside were the remains of the platoon leader who had died at the battle scene. And 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 he should deliver it to this person's comrades when they returned.
Kenis, who was not used 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.
On the forest path with an atmosphere as heavy as the weight of death in his arm, the cries and scent of ilaptors vibrated from all directions. Now, even just breathing made the smell enter his nostrils, making it difficult to even discern where it was coming from.
However, the place they had to go was right in the middle of the creatures' den, and realizing that 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. There was no distinct expression on his face, which had a reddish tint, but those pretty eyes seemed to be slightly downcast.
And he thought the reason was the same as his own, because of this bundle in his hand.
During that time when he was quietly paying his respects, Kenis could feel that he was sincerely mourning and feeling sorry for the deceased. And it made him realize that his thought of him unconditionally disliking the Council members was 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 the experience of going to war, he seemed to have encountered it many times. Thinking about it anew, his faded glory of once being called a war hero in the past indirectly but quite greatly resonated with him.
Even though he was this close, 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 me.'
Kenis carefully reflected on his past actions that made him think about many things. As he glanced at his face like that, he found himself staring intently without even realizing it.
Suddenly feeling the persistent gaze, Leonardo glanced to the side, and Kenis, whose eyes met his, was startled and turned his gaze away. The problem was that he turned his eyes away so obviously that it was unnaturally awkward to the point where it would be strange not to notice.
At his transparent behavior, Leonardo stared blankly, wondering if he had something to say. However, as time passed and he didn't say anything in particular, he turned his head back to the front. Then, looking at the coordinate system and towards the back of Alec's head, who was leading the way, he opened his mouth as if he had something to say instead.
"There's something I don't understand."
"Yes?"
Kenis turned his head again, thinking he was talking to him, but Leonardo shook his hand, indicating that he wasn't. In the meantime, Alec, who had been walking ahead, seemed to have cleverly noticed that it was directed at him, so he 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?"
Comments
Jesse Gibson
Ah this guy- Leo why did you allow a clause that says you won’t hurt him? He deserves the punch to the face, actually just ask Kenis to do it seriously 😒
