Chapter 113

In fact, Hugo's thoughts were quite different from Liner's assumptions. However, when the gloomy atmosphere of the 1st Battalion members changed instantly upon hearing Liner's words, Hugo quietly kept his mouth shut for their sake and for one other reason.

A few hours ago, when they first discovered the traces scorched by fire underground, Hugo had felt greatly relieved, thinking like Liner that it was a trace left by Leonardo's magic. However, he had to feel a strange sense of unfamiliarity as soon as he swept his hand over that trace.

Until recently, Hugo had been on edge about Leonardo's control instability issue, so he had been closely examining all the traces left behind where his magic had passed. The impression Hugo had always felt about those traces was that they were destructive, yet very sharp and smooth.

In the case of the red beam Leonardo frequently used, although the range was not wide, it could concentrate ultra-high temperatures in a short time, so it was more appropriate to say that it annihilated what was in that spot rather than melting the target. It literally made things disappear without a trace.

Objects penetrated by that beam had a cylindrical hole with only the scorched edges remaining, and the surroundings were terrifyingly clean. So, the melted-looking traces seen in the tunnel could be said to have a quite different style from what he would have left.

Of course, it was literally just a different style, and it was an undeniable fact that the traces left behind were also traces of using powerful fire magic. In the first place, mediocre magic wouldn't even be able to melt rocks.

Moreover, at the time of the fall, Leonardo's mana was almost exhausted, and the situation was very urgent, so it was unreasonable to conclude that it wasn't him just based on the difference in traces. Circumstantially, it was also more rational to think that they were his traces.

However, there was a separate part that Hugo found suspicious.

When they dug under the pile of collapsed rocks at the passage leading to the other peak, there was a footprint that wouldn't have been noticed at a glance.

Liner seemed to think it was Leonardo's footprint, but for the footprint Hugo knew of his, the size was larger, and it was clearly different from the sole pattern of the shoes he would be wearing now.

The problem was that the footprint was blurred as if deliberately erased, and next to it, there were occasional drag marks as if something had been dragged along.

The front toe and heel of the Council's combat boots had a finely protruding saw-tooth shape, and the reason for this was to leave footprints by scraping the ground when in danger or being dragged while unconscious.

And those very traces were left along with the blurred footprint Hugo had found. It seemed like an attempt had been made to erase it by rubbing it with the foot, but some parts remained disconnected, probably due to lack of time to completely conceal it.

In other words, if that footprint didn't belong to Leonardo, Kenis was being dragged by someone else while unconscious, and since the traces of his military boots being dragged were not visible from the beginning but only found near that area, Hugo wondered if the person taking Kenis had used magic to block the path and briefly put him down on the ground to do so.

There were two hands, but the reason for having to put him down would be because both hands couldn't be used in the situation, and if so, there was a high possibility that Leonardo was being carried in the other hand.

In other words, it was true that Kenis and Leonardo had gone that way, but they might have been moved by someone else, and both of them might be unconscious.

Hugo, who had been quietly lost in thought alone, brought his mind back out and returned to the meeting scene where the discussion about the underground space and the missing persons was unfolding.

As he, who had been silently observing the situation, suddenly felt a gaze directed at him and turned his head, he saw the 8th Platoon Leader looking at him with anxious eyes.

Hugo, whose eyes met hers, rubbed his brow for a moment. Since she was intelligent and had good judgment, she seemed to have noticed the strange signs long ago after seeing her superior's expression.

Blaming himself for not being able to manage his facial expressions at all, Hugo turned his head back to the front to open his mouth to ease her anxiety.

"It's certain that the two are still alive."

At the words of the Commander, who had been keeping his mouth shut the whole time, the commanders stopped their conversation and all focused on him.

"And the direction we need to move forward has become clearer."

Hugo picked up a figurine placed at the edge of the table, put it on the map, and said,

"Battalion Commander Molten. You and the entire 9th Battalion will continue straight south as is and join the pursuit team chasing the Dermocas. Go and retrieve the bodies of the members and find the missing 4th Platoon Leader to find out what their purpose is."

At his long-awaited command, a spark flashed in Liner's eyes.

"Yes, understood."

As the refreshing answer was heard, Hugo immediately shifted his gaze to Delua and asked,

"Battalion Commander Rivera. Is Deputy Commander Diaz currently leading the main force of the 6th Battalion?"

"Yes, that's right. They are currently on standby near the plains and Peak 63 in the western sector."

"The 6th Battalion of the Central Branch will return to the main unit as soon as the day breaks and join them. Starting from the tunnels near Peak 63 and Peak 64, move in the southeast direction to conduct topographical surveys and nest searches. Immediately eliminate any monsters encountered, but if a nest is discovered, inform me through a liaison and wait nearby for a while. If the situation arises where you don't receive a response for more than three hours because the liaison can't keep up with the speed of me and the 1st Battalion, then follow the orders of Deputy Commander Amos at the border zone headquarters."

"Yes, understood."

After hearing Delua's answer, Hugo also briefly instructed the commanders of the other battalions on the future course of action. Then, he immediately dismissed the battalions whose orders had been issued, telling them to rest for the next day.

Afterward, the place his gaze finally turned to was where the 1st Battalion members were.

As the Commander's gaze reached them, the gathered 1st Battalion members stood in line with tense expressions. The 8th Platoon Leader was at the very front of them.

Hugo carefully examined their expressions, then checked the watch on his wrist, picked up the protective vest next to him, put it on his body, and opened his mouth.

"The 1st Battalion, including myself, will now change our primary objective."

At his solemn voice, even the commanders of the other battalions whose orders had been issued turned their heads back to where the Commander and the 1st Battalion were.

Hugo, who had fastened the buckle crossing his chest, pulled the strap of the belt to firmly secure it to his body, then said while scanning the number of members with his eyes,

"From now on, our primary objective is not subjugation, but to devote all our efforts to rescuing Leonardo Blaine and Kenis Weber."

The number he scanned with his eyes was short by two, and now they had to go find those two.

"We bear the responsibility of not being able to protect our comrades, and we will never leave them exposed to the heat of the peninsula and the quagmire of monsters. Finish all preparations within 5 minutes and depart immediately. The night will be long, so everyone be thoroughly prepared."

"Yes, understood!"

As he finished speaking, the members dispersed in unison with a vigorous answer as if they had been waiting.

They immediately began to pack their belongings and put on protective gear and equipment to begin combat and search operations. Hugo, who was looking at the dispersed members, shifted his gaze to the arm guards Flynn had prepared in advance to finish the remaining preparations.

And at that moment, the 8th Platoon Leader, who had remained in front without moving yet, caught his eye.

Unlike the platoon members who were moving busily, she had stopped there and was looking at Hugo. As one of Hugo's eyebrows slightly rose at that, the 8th Platoon Leader, who had been still, slowly opened her mouth.

"Commander."

She had been speculating the reason why the Commander's expression had not been bright. And that speculation gave birth to various hypotheses, reaching a single conclusion.

"By any chance, did you find the corpse of someone presumed to be the outsider at the bottom of the cliff?"

Even after asking the question herself, she unconsciously swallowed dry saliva. Nothing else came to mind as the source of this ominous feeling.

Hugo silently stared at her like that, then turned his head toward the distant collapse site and said,

"No, there was no such thing as a corpse at all."

At his resolute answer, the 8th Platoon Leader closed her mouth and sighed silently.

Her expression hardened in an instant, and her head gradually lowered. The unpleasant situations she had been constantly drawing replayed in her mind.

Hugo, who had been looking at the other side that had turned into a wasteland for a moment, turned his gaze back and picked up the protective gear placed nearby.

As he put on the protective gear on his right arm, which had undergone suture surgery earlier, he saw her expression that had hardened and opened his mouth again.

"Don't worry. It's just that no corpse was found, it doesn't mean that guy is with those two."

At Hugo's words, the 8th Platoon Leader looked up at him again.

"And even if he's alive, he'll be preoccupied with escaping."

The dark clouds that had been heavily hanging in the sky slowly moved, revealing the hidden moon. Thanks to that, the moonlight that descended to the ground illuminated the person in front of her eyes.

Hugo, who had finished his preparations by tightly fastening the protective gear on his right arm, faced the platoon leader who was looking at him head-on. The moonlight cast over his blue eyes, making them look fiercer and colder than their original color.

The 8th Platoon Leader felt a suffocating pressure from the man in front of her eyes. It didn't seem like that coldness was solely due to the moonlight. His face looking down was certainly calm, but the atmosphere was filled with brutality. What was surging in the eyes she was looking at was unmistakable killing intent.

At that moment, Hugo's stiff lips moved slowly, and his low voice recited as if making a vow,

"But if that guy goes beyond my expectations and harms those two..."

It was truly the first time in a long while seeing the angry appearance of her superior.

"Then, he will die by my hand."