After the Bartfort battleship sank and could no longer fly, it had occupied itself with saving as many of those in the water as possible. Nicks took the helm and commanded the ship himself. Among the survivors their ship rescued, who sat on the deck with bandages wrapped all over their bodies, were Vince and Balcus. The two watched quietly as Nicks continued shouting orders to his men.
“You’re lucky to have such a good son,” Vince had said.
Balcus’s cheeks reddened at the compliment. His injuries had already been treated, but he was still too banged up to join Nicks. Word had reached him that Leon was on board. Worried as he was, he was in no condition to go see him. All Balcus could do was pray for his son’s safety.
“True. It’s comforting to know I have such a reliable son to take care of things,” agreed Balcus. “He and Leon are far more capable than I’ve ever been. But you have an incredible son yourself, Your Grace.”
Vince’s gaze traveled upward. The Redgrave ship, which commanded all the area’s allied vessels, hovered high over them. “He’d be fine without me, I’m sure. I may end up yielding the role of duke to him far sooner than I originally planned.” Sadness and relief filled his eyes in equal measure.
Balcus lowered his gaze. “I’m eager to give my position up to my son, personally.”
“Looking forward to a comfortable retirement? You sound just like your son,” Vince said with a hearty laugh.
Balcus’s smile drew taut.
“I’m sorry. Saying that was insensitive under the circumstances.”
“No,” Balcus said quickly. “I’m sure Leon will be all right. He’s always survived all the other impossible situations he’s been thrown into. Ever since he left home at fifteen to go on that first adventure, he’s thrown one surprise after another at me.”
That was how it’d all started. When Leon was fifteen, he went searching for a previously unexplored dungeon where he discovered countless treasures and an incredible Lost Item. In his short life, he’d accomplished more than most people did in a lifetime.
“Before I knew it, we stood shoulder to shoulder, and he surpassed me even more quickly. He’s reached the pinnacle at this point. As a father, I’m proud, if utterly confused.” Leon had seemingly grown out of reach. Any parent would feel pride over such an accomplishment, but Balcus worried for Leon too.
Vince glanced at the sky again, focusing on the Redgrave ship. “A new age is coming. An old man like me has no more reason to worry. I can retire in peace,” he chuckled.
“Well said. But you know, there is one thing I want to do before I retire.”
“What would that be?”
“I was so focused on surviving that I never got to enjoy being an adventurer the way I wanted,” said Balcus. “I’d like to experience that before I call it quits. Doesn’t have to be anything as grand as what my son’s done. Just something.”
Vince’s face went blank for a split second before he burst into laughter. “Sounds like an excellent dream to me.”
“This seems like a good time to do it. Nicks has a wife now, and he’ll soon have a child of his own.”
“Yes, isn’t he married to Earl Roseblade’s daughter?”
“Sounds like an interesting conversation you’re having over here, Your Grace,” interrupted a voice.
Stunned, Vince muttered, “House Roseblade’s—”
“Earl!” Balcus cried, finishing his sentence. “M-My Lord…”
Dorothea’s father Earl Roseblade had indeed come to join them, to the shock of both. He smiled wanly at Balcus. “After we were shot down, your son saved us. There’s no need to be so polite with me. We’re already family, are we not?” He motioned to Nicks. “My son-in-law is incredibly dependable, I must say. I couldn’t be prouder. But leaving that aside, you were speaking about adventure, weren’t you? I was thinking about retiring and settling down here myself soon.”
Surprisingly, once they began discussing adventuring, the conversation soon picked up.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Quickly, bring the medical pod!” Cleare darted through the ship. Numerous pieces of equipment were being carried into the medical bay, and several robots buzzed about on Cleare’s orders. They loaded Leon into a pod, beginning the healing process as quickly as they could.
“Wake up!” Noelle cried at him. “Please, Leon!”
Yumeria grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the pod. “Lady Noelle, he needs rest right now.”
As word reached them that Marie was safe, Kyle, Carla, and Jilk raced from the medical bay to see her. Angie and Livia were undergoing treatment in a separate room. Luxion’s beaten-up remote unit sat nearby, but it hadn’t powered back on, even after being recharged.
“Are you broken?! Is that why you aren’t responding?” Cleare screeched at him. “Without you, I have no idea what’s going on, you know!”
No one knew what had happened to Luxion’s main body either. Was it again unable to move after sinking under the waves, or still perfectly functional? If the latter was true, Cleare wished he’d hurry back to the surface and bring her one of the medical pods they’d received from Ideal.
Cleare studied Leon. They’d stripped him down, and he was linked to a number of machines. The gaping wound on the right side of his chest was horrific, but worse were his internal organs. They’d been pushed past the brink by the many doses Leon took of the enhancer drug.
“There won’t be any point healing his external wounds if he dies, but I can’t do anything to save him with the equipment we have on hand. If we’re going to pull this off, I need you, Luxion!”
Noelle snatched Leon’s hand. “Leon, I’ll never forgive you if you die on me here!”
Leon’s heart was still beating, thanks to the medical pod he lay in, but it could flatline at any moment. He was on the brink of death.
Livia and Angie burst into the room wearing hospital gowns. Noelle stepped away to give them room, and both girls flung themselves at Leon.
“Mr. Leon! Please open your eyes!” Livia cried.
“You big idiot,” Angie muttered. “If you die on us, this will all have been pointless!”
Leon’s eyes slowly cracked open. Livia, Angie, and everyone else in the room immediately smiled, but he closed them again and took a slow, agonizing breath. In the next moment, the heart monitor screeched as the line it displayed went flat.
Vexed by her own powerlessness, Cleare muttered, “Master, you fool.”
Everyone knew immediately what this meant. Noelle sank to her knees. Yumeria began wailing. Livia’s face went blank, tears still falling fast down her cheeks.
Angie clung to his body and wept. “Don’t leave me! I promised you, remember? I said I’d make you happy! Please don’t make a liar out of me…”
Noise erupted outside the room, but Livia paid no attention. She quietly stroked Leon’s hand, crying even as she struggled to put a smile on her face. “Mr. Leon, you can’t leave me behind like this. You just can’t. Please open your eyes. I want to hear you say my name again. Please.” Tears fell from her chin onto his face.
Leon didn’t move. Didn’t react at all.
Marie and the idiot brigade burst into the room, Marie shouting, “Big Bro?!” She raced to him and grabbed his hand.
“He just passed away,” Cleare informed her. She’d already given up on saving him now that his heart had stopped.
Marie’s eyes misted over, but she wiped away the tears as quickly as they fell. “Not yet,” she said. “We can still save him!”
Angie’s head shot up. “We can? D-do you really mean it?!”
Livia seized Marie’s shoulders. “Is there really a way?”
Her grip was so painful that Marie knocked her hands away. “Give me some credit! I know a decent amount about this game! There’s magic in it that only the Saint can use.”
Angie had no idea what any of that meant, but she didn’t care. The prospect of saving Leon had given her hope. “Magic that can save him even in this state? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“That’s because there is no such magic,” interjected Cleare. “I don’t think there’s any magic in the world that can save him. I looked into all kinds of things before this war even began. No miracles like that exist.”
“Calm down,” Marie said. “I’ll bring him back myself. But I have to warn you that there’ll be no hope for him if his soul already left his body. I’d prefer we had something to lock it in place, but we don’t have the necessary tool. Either way, we’ve got to hurry.”
Noelle rushed to Marie and leaned over her. “I’ll do anything—just say the word! What kind of tool do you need?!” Her brow furrowed in desperation.
Marie averted her eyes. “A tool to pin his soul to his body. I trust Cleare can do something about his physical wounds, but even I can’t help him if his soul’s gone.”
A bright light flashed on the back of Leon’s hand, and his heart monitor quieted as his heartbeat stuttered back to life.
Everyone gaped in disbelief at the Guardian crest, which continued to shine.
Noelle reached out and gripped his hand tightly. “The Sacred Tree’s trying to save him. It’s telling him to live.”