Chapter 166

In front of the eastern entrance of Peak 118 on the Elder Millie Peninsula.

Members who couldn't endure the suffocating high temperature and pressure inside were occasionally carried out.

The unit members waiting near the entrance quickly moved the patients, and the temporary tent where the medical team was stationed was so busy preparing beds as there were not enough cots used as hospital beds.

Meanwhile, as many new members had to be sent in from the standby group as those who came out, the commanders of each unit were busily going around checking the members to be additionally deployed.

However, even if they looked away for a moment, there were people complaining of breathing difficulties everywhere, so neither the selected members nor the selecting commanders were in a good mood.

The platoon leader of the 3rd Battalion of the Central Branch pressed his temple firmly with a pen cap while flipping through the hastily prepared list of platoon members. The members who had already been set aside for the rear group had all gone inside, but he had to recruit about three more people again because of pressure from above saying more personnel were needed.

However, more than half of the remaining personnel had been injured in long marches and battles and needed more rest, and most of the other personnel lacked combat ability or experience to be sent inside.

Sending in unprepared individuals was no different from driving them to their deaths, so the platoon leader, who was the decision-maker, was deeply troubled.

Trying to avoid his eyes, two people were hiding and passing between the tents, but they were caught at the right timing by the radar of the platoon leader who had suddenly raised his head.

"Rom, Jake. You two go in for now too."

The two members who had been walking stealthily with their bodies lowered stopped abruptly.

As if nothing had happened, they immediately straightened their backs and approached the platoon leader. Then, they pushed forward their shoulders and necks wrapped in bandages and pleaded.

"Platoon Leader... You know we haven't fully recovered yet, right...?"

"..."

"Even now, if I just move this arm, it makes a popping sound and my shoulder feels like it's going to fall off. If I swing a sword in this condition, it will be permanently dislocated."

"Please look at my neck too... I had a hard time earlier because of muscle pain when I turned around after someone called me. If I go in there and a monster suddenly attacks, will I even be able to counterattack?"

Their tongues were lively despite claiming to be in pain. However, it was true that the two were not in perfect condition, so the platoon leader who had called them over was not feeling very good.

However, the standby groups stationed near Peak 118 were not only providing additional support but also performing other tasks such as dealing with approaching monsters and guarding the surrounding situation. Because of that, excluding the personnel already assigned to each position, the two people in front of him were the most suitable.

The platoon leader, who had no other choice, sighed and opened his mouth.

"I know you haven't fully recovered yet. But right now, there's no one else who can go in besides you two. I'm sorry."

"..."

"But it's rear support, so there won't be many dangerous tasks. I'm asking just this once. Okay?"

The platoon leader spoke nicely while holding each of their hands once. Even his hands had bloodstained bandages wrapped around them, so the two members couldn't argue any further.

Rom and Jake, who had just seen the sight of their comrades suffering from heat-related illnesses, felt heavy-hearted and glanced at each other's eyes.

However, in the first place, they were in a position to go in without a word when given an order, so it was a better situation that they could at least grumble to a relatively good superior.

Soon, the two lowered their heads deeply and forced their reluctant mouths to speak.

"Yes... We understand."

The platoon leader tapped their arms along with words of gratitude. He didn't forget to mention that he would exclude them from guard duty after they returned.

Just when it seemed to be wrapping up warmly, Rom's eyes caught a member sitting far away on a flat stone, sharpening his sword blade.

He belonged to the same platoon as Rom, and his appearance of leisurely maintaining his personal gear without even wrapping a single bandage looked much more intact than them no matter how you looked at it.

Rom, who had been receiving encouragement from the platoon leader, pointed at that member behind him with his finger and asked,

"Platoon Leader, isn't that guy going in?"

The platoon leader, who had been smiling with one less worry, moved his gaze following the end of his finger. And when he discovered the member calmly maintaining his sword there, his eyes suddenly widened.

"Felix?"

He immediately let go of Rom and Jake's arms that he had been tapping and approached the member behind them with long strides. The member, who had been squatting, raised his head toward the shadowed head above as soon as the dirt-stained combat boots entered his sight.

"Felix, why are you here? When did you come out?"

The platoon leader asked with a face mixed with surprise and worry at his unexpected appearance. This platoon member in front of him was definitely the one who had quietly approached alone and volunteered when they first selected the personnel for internal deployment.

He remembered thinking it was unexpected when he volunteered at that time, as he often showed a sluggish and passive appearance in the past. Still, he had inwardly admired the platoon member who had volunteered alone for a position that everyone was reluctant to take, but seeing him outside Peak 118 instead of inside, the platoon leader was momentarily confused in grasping the situation.

The thought crossed his mind that he might have also been unable to endure it and came out midway, but if that were the case, the medical team would have already contacted him.

"Pardon? I've been on standby at the barracks without any separate orders, and I just came out a moment ago. Do you have any tasks for me?"

The member called Felix answered the platoon leader's question with a puzzled look. At that, the platoon leader's expression momentarily turned blank.

"What? You've been at the barracks all this time?"

"Yes."

"...Wait, did you go in and come out? Or do you mean you didn't go in at all because you didn't have my orders?"

"Pardon? What are you talking about?"

Felix asked back with a face that didn't seem to understand what was wrong. The platoon leader, who had been looking at him with a dumbfounded face, pointed at the entrance of Peak 118, where members were being carried out again, and said,

"What do you mean where? You volunteered, didn't you?"

Felix, who had turned his head to look there, blinked his eyes as if he didn't understand, and then suddenly waved his hands in surprise.

"What? Me? No, I never did that! Why would I...?"

He was about to say why he would volunteer, but he quickly closed his mouth as it didn't seem like an appropriate thing to say in front of his superior.

At that reaction, the platoon leader's face looked as if he had been hit on the back of his head. Dumbfounded, he hurriedly flipped through the list in his hand a few pages as if searching for evidence.

'Felix Montero'

It was definitely the name he had checked.

Even when he pushed the name marked on the list again, Felix only looked flustered and kept denying it. Seeing his appearance, the platoon leader became more and more dumbfounded.

Wondering if he was being mocked, the back of his neck felt stiff, but when he thought about it carefully, it wasn't important to determine the truth of this matter right now.

Even if one member was missing, it wouldn't cause any problems inside, but it was a huge deal that there was a discrepancy in personnel organization during the execution of the operation.

He gritted his teeth, recalling that Felix had been wandering around wearing only a combat uniform when he had come to him saying he would volunteer. Looking back at his more fidgety appearance than usual, it seemed like he had been half out of his mind as if he had drunk some hidden rum or something.

'I should have noticed it from the time he was walking around without his sword and out of his mind...'

The platoon leader, who had scratched his head as if annoyed, immediately turned around. Then, he glanced at Rom and Jake, who were standing awkwardly and looking this way.

"One, two."

Finally, he looked down at Felix again. His voice, which had fallen frighteningly, recited the numbers in a low tone.

"Three."

"..."

"Just right. You go in too, you bastard."

***

Thud-

Some of the place where he had stepped crumbled and fell. Leonardo reflexively stepped back.

Looking down, yellow smoke, whether it was sulfur or dirt, was filling a huge pit with no end in sight.

It was a scene that could stimulate fear, but it wasn't that scary.

It seemed to be because of the firm arm wrapped around his waist.

"Be careful."

A pleasant voice was heard in his ear. It sounded like a reprimand, but even that was gentle.

When he slightly turned his head, he saw Hugo's face with furrowed brows. Displeasure was evident in his expression.

Hugo slightly pulled Leonardo back, whose center of gravity seemed unstable as it was leaning forward. Only after both his feet properly stepped on safe ground did he let go of the waist he had been holding.

However, he still seemed anxious, so he grabbed his arm again and stepped back about two or three steps.

Eventually, looking into each other's eyes, he added a few words.

"You seem to be distracted since earlier."

"..."

"You know well, but it's dangerous to be distracted in a place like this. If it's because of symptoms like breathing difficulties or dizziness, tell me right now. It would be a big problem if you suddenly collapse."

One of Leonardo's eyebrows rose slightly.

Quite a few members had gone out unable to endure the volcanic gases or heat in between, so Agrizendro seemed to be concerned about that. However, from his perspective, the person who should be worried about right now was none other than the person in front of him.

His wet hair and cool-looking complexion made it instantly clear that his condition was not very good. However, based on his personality that he had seen so far, it was certain that he would never try to show it.

Leonardo struggled to swallow the words that had come up to his throat.

Instead, he shook his head and answered nonchalantly to Hugo's previous words.

"It's not like that. I was just thinking about something. And I'm probably the most intact one in here right now, you know?"

Then, he glanced at the edge of the cliff where he had stepped earlier.

It was unclear what was down there in the thick yellow fog, but it was certainly a very deep abyss. The sound of the rock fragments that had fallen off when he stepped on them still hadn't reached the ground.

Of course, even if he misstepped now, he could just use magic to float in the air, but he understood his concern since he had already experienced falling in front of him.

Eventually, looking at his face again, it clearly showed unpleasant emotions, perhaps because of his retort, and Leonardo unknowingly chuckled.

"Okay. I'll be careful."

Leonardo, who had smiled with curved eyes as if telling him to relax his expression, tapped Hugo's arm and passed by. Behind Leonardo's leisurely steps, which were the same as usual, his long cloak fluttered.

However, his back view, which uncharacteristically stumbled after stepping on the hem of that cloak, decorated the ending.

Hugo, who had been looking in that direction for a while, shook his head back and forth. He couldn't take his eyes off him.