n

n

nLeonel cleared his throat, taking back control of his body.

nPretending as though nothing had happened, he turned back and walked to his pants, put them on and looked into the distance.

n

"… Nice weather we're having today, right?

"

n

"…

"

n'He didn't hear what I said… right?

" Aina thought to herself.

nAina looked around and found where her ax had landed, trying to find something to distract herself from the awkward atmosphere. But, when she went to take a step forward, she suddenly stumbled and almost fell.

nHearing the sound of her tripping, Leonel quickly turned back and didn't hesitate to rush to her side.

n

"Are you alright?

"

nLeonel caught her arm, trying to make sure she stayed upright and didn't fall over.

n

"… I think I have a concussion.

" Aina said after a moment, bringing a hand to her forehead.

nThough she said it like this, she was already certain. Not to mention her ability, even if she hadn't awakened one, her Five Star Profession was more than enough for her to tell.

n

"How about the rest of your body, is it okay?

"

n

"… I'm fine.

"

nLeonel frowned. She was most definitely not fine.

nTaking a strike that powerful without putting up any defense would have been lethal for any normal human. It was already a miracle that she came out in one piece. A strength stat of 1.60, especially behind such a large fist, was more than enough to shatter every bone in her body. Had Baruke coordinated with the wererat and used his claws instead… Leonel didn't even want to think of the possibility.

n

"You don't have to lie to me, we're a team right now, aren't we?

" Leonel said.

n

"… We were a team in the France Zone too, but you still hid what that Force Art did to you, right?

"

nAina's glare made Leonel smile bitterly. He let go of her arm and scratched his nose, a bit of guilt welling up in his chest.

nHowever, this didn't change anything. Leonel could see by how gingerly she was moving that her effective stats were barely 70% of what they were meant to be. She might be able to hide her injuries from someone else, but Leonel's senses were too sharp. Even if by some miracle she didn't break any bones, she most definitely suffered from some internal bleeding.

n

"Alright, alright. I was wrong. But everything is okay now, right? I even got something out of it.

"

nIt was only now Leonel realized they never really resolved those matters. He never apologized to her and just kind of ignored the topic. It really did make him a bit of a hypocrite.

n

"Is it really fine?

"

n

"Yes, yes.

" Leonel crossed a hand over his chest as though swearing an oath.

"Even the scar has faded. It seems that whoever made the Force Art designed it to be used in the Third Dimension, so it lost its effects here.

"

nIn truth, this left Leonel feeling a bit disappointed. This Force Art was a double edged sword. The duller the danger, the less benefits he would receive.

nThe good news was that he could be considered to have solid fundamentals in Force Art now. The bad news was that all the Force Arts he knew, even if he drew them now, would have minimal effect at best and no effect at worst.

nThis was simply the laws of the universe. A Force Art designed to be used in a Fifth Dimensional World could likely destroy Earth in a single breath. But, one designed for a Third Dimensional one would have less of an impact that an ant.

nThose fireballs Leonel created to decimate the English would barely be enough to start a campfire here.

n'Well… At least I can use them in Zones? Not that I'll be able to enter one any time soon…' Leonel thought to himself.

nShaking his head, he came to once more. When he saw how Aina was still struggling to stand, he felt a pang in his heart.

nThat werewolf and wererat really got off easy.

n

"Let's return as quickly as possible.

" Leonel said firmly.

"You're in no state to continue staying in this place. And, there's no telling if they'll send another batch of them. I think they must have had a vehicle of their own to get here, we can see if we can use it to go back.

"

nAina frowned at Leonel's words, but she found it hard to refute.

n

"I'm sorry, I thought Yuri was exaggerating. I didn't really expect them to come and be so brazen…

"

nLeonel smiled and shook his head.

"Just find a place to sit and don't move around too much. I'm sure the keys are on one of them.

"

nThough Leonel said this casually, his mind was still churning.

nTo the Empire, characters like Aina and him were incredibly important. Yet, those six men brazenly tried to kill him. They didn't even hide their intentions.

nThis meant one of a few things, or potentially a combination of them.

nThe first was that Leonel had vastly overestimated the Empire's ability to monitor him. Maybe they still had technology, but not on a large enough scale to have no loopholes. In that case, the Brazinger family wouldn't be worried about their actions.

nThe second was that the Brazinger Clan didn't fear the Empire to begin with. This possibility made Leonel's blood run cold.

nThe third possibility was that the Brazinger family and the Empire were two halves of the same coin. It was possible that they moved forward and stepped back as one. In that case, the Empire might allow leeway to this family they didn't allow others.

nNo matter what the true reason was, the two of them were in danger. Somehow, those six were able to pinpoint their location and there was no guarantee that another group wouldn't be able to do it again.

nLeonel scanned the battlefield and eventually found the vehicle he was looking for. But, instead of leaving him with relief, it left him with a headache. Unlike the natural gas jeep they rode here, this vehicle was worthy of their 25th century.

nIt was a sleek shuttle that almost looked like a pod if not for its two fins. Leonel had no confidence in driving it.

nHe had been able to observe the Tier 3 Officials, so he had been somewhat eager to drive the jeep. But, who was he going to observe now?

nThough Leonel was a bit hesitant, he took out the dictionary his father left him. For now, their lives were more important. If he was questioned about its existence later, there were several excuses he could come up with.

n

"How do you fly this thing?

" Leonel asked.

nThankfully, by some miracle, the dictionary had an answer. However, the method by which he found an answer left his eyes burning with passion.

nNot unlike how it scanned Leonel previously, it also began to scan the shuttle. Only then did it output an answer.

n *Ping* Vehicle recognized as Air Shuttle Model X290. It is advised that Seed make use of autopilot feature.

n'It can scan things like this… I don't think dad would have filed in information like this, which means it analyzed and drew conclusions. It probably found the shuttle's name after scanning its operating software… Does that mean that this is the Zone Analysis treasure I thought that old man didn't leave me?'

nThinking to this point, Leonel sighed a breath of relief.

nNot even allowing Aina to resist, he picked up his things and swept her into his arms after finding the shuttle key on the wererat's body.

nHe seemed to be rushing without cause, but in a hidden place on Earth, an event was playing out that proved his actions to be the most logical.

nA young man sat before several monitors with a monocle over his left eye. Actually, one would be hard pressed to call it a monocle at all. It had eight lenses that seemed to hover in space in a circular formation. Countless bits of information flew by, causing his left eye to flicker from time to time. Yet, his right remained trained on the monitors before him.

n'The life signatures of rat 006 flatlined as well…'

nThe young man's eyes narrowed.

n