Left alone in the room, Leorino shivered from the cold. Zweilink was freezing.
It was no wonder. He was much farther north than the royal capital, and wearing nothing but the loungewear intended for a heated mansion. Underneath his soft, tight-fitting jacket, he wore only a shirt, and on his feet, soft slippers.
He breathed in the icy Zweilink air. His heart and mind wanted to scream in fear, confusion, and anger, but slowly, he calmed down.
He wondered if Erina was all right after he pushed her. That was not an appropriate way to treat a pregnant woman. He wondered if there had been any other way to handle the situation, though it hardly mattered now.
But at the time, it was all he could do. If she had been brought to a freezing war zone so close to term, the lives of both mother and child would have likely been in jeopardy. If the soldiers tried to hurt her, the lives of both Erina and her child, the hope of the Cassieux family, would have ended far too soon.
Please be safe.
He brought his hands together and prayed.
Leorino stood up and approached the cold window. Outside, the familiar shadows of the Zweilink plains he had seen in his dreams were dimly lit by braziers. Judging by the height, he must have been on the third floor.
He heaved a shaky breath and a white cloud formed before his eyes.
He placed his hand on the dagger on his chest. It was thin, small, and sharp. The man likely hadn’t expected to find a weapon in Leorino’s possession, given his helpless appearance. It was a small mercy that he hadn’t inspected Leorino’s belongings.
His only hope now was this dagger. He didn’t think it would be enough to kill the man with the same ability as Gravis. And even if he got out of here, the enemy army—led by Gdaniraque—would already be in control of the outer fortress, if the man’s words were to be believed.
But Leorino couldn’t just sit and wait for the enemy to act.
He would fight. Fight as hard as he could, keep himself alive, survive until…he could see the man he loved again.
For Gravis’s sake and his own, he would not die here. Never.
No matter the humiliation he would have to suffer, he would survive and see Gravis again, alive. Leorino didn’t care if he didn’t get to marry Gravis; he would hold on to his life until they met again, and in his last moments, he would be by Gravis’s side.
This was what he had to do to protect Gravis’s heart, after he had already watched Ionia die once.
…I won’t let anyone break Vi’s heart.
Leorino steeled his resolve to fight.
True to Smirnov’s words, an enemy soldier arrived with a jug of water and a cup. He was a boy who looked younger than Leorino. In Fanoren, he would have still been in school.
The thought that Gdaniraque would let even such a child work as a mercenary broke Leorino’s heart.
The moment the boy soldier saw Leorino, he was stunned into awe and stood dumbfounded in front of the door for a while.
“You…”
The boy rushed to lower his eyes as he approached Leorino, avoiding direct eye contact. His pure reaction nearly brought tears to Leorino’s eyes.
What Leorino had to do to escape. What it would mean for this boy soldier. Leorino was horrified by how easily the thought came to him.
Help me… Ionia, give me the courage to fight like you.
He frantically prayed in his heart.
He couldn’t let himself think about it as he desperately tugged at the memory, somehow managing to stay calm.
He remembered his training with Josef. Leorino had neither strength nor skill—he could only aim for his opponent’s vitals from up close. If he couldn’t finish the boy off in a single blow, Leorino would have no hope of getting out alive.
He made up his mind. He couldn’t let fear get in the way of the fight.
“…Thank you for the water. Could you bring it over here?”
“…?”
Leorino extended his hand. The boy soldier tilted his head. It appeared that he did not understand Fanorenese. He murmured something in response, but Leorino couldn’t understand him at all. Leorino didn’t speak his language either.
Captivated by Leorino’s beauty, the boy soldier swallowed as he approached.
Leorino’s heart was pounding with stress and fear. Still, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his hidden dagger.
Josef, lend me your strength…!
As the boy soldier handed him the cup, Leorino grabbed him by the arm and pulled. He was lucky that the boy was not very strong yet. Even with Leorino’s lacking strength, the boy soldier lost his balance. Leorino immediately wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him close.
“…!”
The boy soldier tried to shake Leorino off.
The next instant, Leorino was thrusting his dagger into the boy’s thin neck. He immediately closed his eyes.
“…Agh! …ghh!”
The boy soldier held his neck, arching his back. He could still move.
Leorino had failed. He couldn’t destroy his vitals in a single blow.
The boy soldier couldn’t have expected this. He looked at Leorino in disbelief, his eyes wide with fear.
No, one more time. This time he had to strike true.
“…gh…gghh!”
Blood bubbled out of the boy soldier’s mouth.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
Through tears, Leorino plunged his dagger into the boy’s neck once more. Clinging to his body, Leorino dealt another blow. This time, he felt the blade sink deep.
The boy soldier’s body spasmed violently. Each time it did, Leorino was sprayed with the blood gushing from the boy’s throat.
“…hhh…”
The boy soldier collapsed, convulsing, and finally died with his eyes wide open.
I killed him.
Leorino brought his blood-soaked fist to his mouth, desperately choking back sobs.
“What have I done…?”
He was an enemy soldier, but he was just a boy who had brought him water. He killed someone so innocent just so he could escape.
He had just decided he would do anything—he couldn’t fall apart now. But even with that thought in mind, he couldn’t stop the tears.
Leorino recalled Ionia’s memories. The nightmares Ionia had ever since he used his Power against a person came back to him all at once.
At the same time, Leorino realized just how coddled he had been until now.
But I’ve decided to protect Vi’s heart, so…no matter what it takes…I’m going home alive.
Leorino wiped his tears.
He’d killed an enemy soldier. This was war. Now was not the time to think about anything more than that. He had no time to wallow in pity.
I must go.
Leorino calmed his trembling breath and began to work his hands mindlessly. He removed the overcoat and gloves from the dead boy soldier’s body. He may have been just a boy, but undressing him was no small feat.
In addition to the smell of blood, his clothes had not been washed for a long time and smelled acrid, which made Leorino nauseous.
But in order to escape, he absolutely needed to shield himself from the cold. Not to mention his current attire would be too conspicuous.
Leorino stripped the boy of his overcoat and pulled it over his clothes. Finally, he removed the boy’s military boots and put them on over his indoor shoes, and still they were loose. He stuffed fabric into the gaps. It made it hard to walk, but it would prove invaluable out in the cold.
Leorino kept moving his hands in silence, not letting his mind wander. He hid his conspicuous platinum hair by wrapping it in fabric he obtained from ripping the sheets on the bed.
Looking through the window, the moon was quite high.
Leorino fought to dig up the structure of the outer fort from his memories. He would somehow have to escape the fortification teeming with enemy soldiers.