Escape (5)

[Scenario weight: 12.00%]

A crimson fountain erupted. The walls of the labyrinth turned into a scene where a child had spilled paint, and headless bodies collapsed and crumbled. Ashes began to scatter.

"Gasp, gasp…"

"Sigh…"

In the now quiet space, only the sound of breathing echoed. Monsters with familiar faces had withered away, leaving only bones. He lifted his head resolutely, making sure the floor didn't come into view.

Leonardo stood alone in the dark shadow, where black ashes fluttered like snowflakes.

His chest could be seen heaving violently. He approached slowly, like one would a beast. Breathing heavily, Leonardo, who was holding a sword at his side, slowly turned his head. His deep grey eyes were even clearer than usual.

Leonardo's eyes flickered with a strange light, like a beast excited by the hunt.

Something close to an indescribable excitement and pleasure flickered incessantly within his eyes.

Feeling a sudden rush of danger, I reflexively used the "Innkeeper's Insight" to confirm if he was still human. Of course, his information window was the same as before. Other than the name 'Leovald,' I couldn't read anything.

None of us spoke first.

Instead, I brushed his cheek with my thumb, just as I had done a few tens of minutes ago. His skin showed dark red marks, like tree roots under the surface, probably from the burst blood vessels due to the excessive strain on his body in such a short time. He looked wretched.

Certainly, what happened in the underground labyrinth must have been overwhelmingly taxing on the body of the berserker 'Leonardo Ertinez.'

"When we get back…"

Swallowing my tension unnoticed, I continued speaking.

"When we get back, you need to get some treatment too. I've taken care to keep your face smooth and shiny, and look at it now."

"..."

"Where did I put the leather water pouch the kid used…?"

Leonardo stared at me intently. The excitement or violence that had been flickering in his eyes gradually died down like dying embers. He stood there blankly, as if recalling a very old memory, and then calmly replied.

"If it's the water pouch, it's probably in the left cupboard of the kitchen."

"Really? You know better than I do."

"You're not good at organizing things."

"Yeah, yeah. But I'm good at finding employees, right? Seeing talents like you come along makes it worth having a hobby of picking up people."

I let out a chuckle and took my hand away from his cheek. I would have done so if it weren't for Leonardo catching my hand as I tried to pull away.

"I smell blood. Are you hurt?"

"Oh."

Blood must have been seeping from my wound. With all the blood around, how did he even tell? Maybe his heightened senses from his awakened state?

Leonardo squinted into the darkness, looking towards the direction of the foreman.

"I told him to guard properly. He couldn't even handle a simple task."

"No, it's not really that. I just needed a moment to get myself together."

"By yourself?"

His expression hardened. I understood what misunderstanding he might have, but there was no way I could explain, 'This didn't happen just now, actually, we've been reset before and this is a hint I left myself before our memories were wiped.'

Leonardo approached with a stern expression and grabbed my hand. With the shadows cast over his blood-splattered face, he looked ominously like a villain in a horror movie. I never thought I'd feel intimidated by him like this.

"Needing a device to regain a sense of reality doesn't mean you should harm yourself."

"I know. This time, it just happened that way…"

"Next time, it's better if you don't. It's best to prohibit that method. For now, be satisfied with this."

"Okay, got it."

Hey, it feels like my fingers are being squeezed to the point of breaking.

I barely managed to move my fingers, which were tingling from the lack of blood flow, and tapped the back of his hand. When Leonardo loosened his grip, blood started to circulate again.

He's really strict about health issues. If you take away the fantasy elements, he's no different from a chivalrous fitness fanatic. The only saving grace is that through this conversation, Leonardo has calmed down from the battle excitement.

Once the ferocious look disappeared, he returned to the gentle Leonardo I knew. It's kind of funny to talk about his usual demeanour when we haven't known each other that long.

"Do you sense anything else from them?"

"Right. The situation is resolved for now, but we should hurry before those things come crawling out again."

We headed back towards where the tomb raider was. The tomb raider flinched and mistook us for them, but upon seeing the remains of what Leonardo had brutally slaughtered, he quietly followed behind us.

The three of us carried the coffin and walked forward, finally emerging from the labyrinth that felt like an eternity. There were nine of us when we came down. When did it dwindle down to just three?

In this world, are extras merely expendable?

Before completely leaving the fourth underground floor, I quietly glanced back in the direction of the labyrinth, then turned my body. The closer we got to the surface, the lighter the air became, and the sound of water flowing through the canals bounced around.

It was a dark night outside. We had entered the underground canal last evening, so an entire day had passed.

Thud.

Finally, we set the coffin down.

[Scenario Sub-Quest Condition Achieved!: Escape (2/2)]

[Scenario Sub-Quest Condition Achieved!: Escape the Labyrinth (1/1)]

[Clear Condition Achieved!]

['Scenario Note #007' has successfully concluded. There are 「10 hours and 5 minutes」 remaining until the next scenario note assignment. Until the scenario assignment is complete, the characters will begin 'free actions' to fill in the empty spaces between the lines. Please act naturally so they do not notice the discrepancies in their world.]

Sweat poured down like rain, and the cool air slipping through the damp cloak felt refreshing. Carrying the heavy coffin together for a long time, climbing the slope was exhausting.

"Go and report to your master. The body has been safely recovered, so as we discussed before, we will take care of the storage."

"Understood. But it would be good if you could provide something as a token."

A token. What should I give? As I pondered, Leonardo quietly suggested.

"How about some hair? It's not a common colour."

With his permission and nothing else suitable, we decided to do that. As he said, Leovald's silver hair was indeed rare; I hadn't seen it around here.

Could it be that he suffered so much that his hair turned completely white? If that's the case, it's truly pitiful.

With a dubious heart, I cut a small lock of Leovald's hair with a dagger and handed it to the tomb raider. The exhausted-looking tomb raider then departed.

We, who were left behind, took a moment to catch our breath. Now, we needed to hide Leovald's body.

"Got any good ideas? I'm so tired I can't think straight."

"Taking it away right now seems difficult. Leaving it here might be better. There are plenty of places to hide it."

"That's true. But the first floor seems too accessible. How about the second floor?"

"I don't sense its presence now. It should be fine to leave it down here for a while."

So, Leovald's body was hidden on the second floor, in the model city of Sinistra. We also carefully placed his well-used sword back with him.

Exhausted, we returned to the inn, where Vittorio promptly came down the stairs to greet us.

"You said it would take a while… And, well, since no one came back during the day, I extended the inn's closure due to the owner's personal circumstances."

A day for visiting the market and church. Another day for finding the body underground. We've skipped two days of business. The inn is like my identity, and I've neglected it too much.

I smiled at Vittorio to show my gratitude.

"Thanks. You really saved us. Did you take care of your meals?"

"Yeah. You left a lot of stew… so I've been eating that."

Vittorio made a sheepish face, mentioning that there was still a whole pot of tomato stew left. Hearing about the warm stew made my stomach churn with hunger.

Come to think of it, we hadn't washed, slept, or eaten properly for almost 24 hours. We even broke a sweat carrying the coffin to the surface, making me feel all sticky and uncomfortable.

"…Shall we wash up and have a late-night snack?"

I looked at Leonardo for agreement. He nodded eagerly, his movements more desperate than ever.