Chapter 17: Ecstasy
"Um... actually, I might have an idea," I finally spoke up, breaking the tension.
Leon glared over his shoulder before turning to face me again. "I might have an idea, but I highly don't recommend it. I mean, it's not exactly much different from Leon's," I cautioned.
"You do? Then what is it?" Don pressed eagerly.
"Before I share it, I'd like to say something first," I announced, meeting the gaze of each member of the party. "I still believe the best choice for us now is to return home. However, I understand that you've all decided to continue the search. I want to emphasize that my idea isn't without its risks, and I'm not fully endorsing it. But if you're determined to press on, then this could significantly increase our chances of finding Muffin."
"Ha! If it's such a bad plan that even you don't recommend, why are you suggesting it to us?" Leon spat out with scorn, his tone dripping with disdain.
Undeterred, I grabbed a fallen branch and thrust it firmly into the ground, using it as a visual aid. With my fingers spread out, I continued to explain my plan.
"Ten minutes. That's all we have. We'll split up, but in groups of two. There are six of us here, so each pair will separate and cover more ground."
"What? How's that much different from my..." Leon began, but I held up a hand to silence him, determined to see my plan through.
"The groups will search within a radius of at least five hundred meters, and within ten minutes, return back here to this exact 'checkpoint'," I explained, gesturing to the improvised flag I had created by tying a piece of my shirt to the branch I had thrust into the ground.
"If after ten minutes, fifteen at most, a group fails to return, we should assume something went wrong and quickly return to the village to get help. And if by any chance any of the groups come across a wild animal or a monster, they should avoid it at all costs. And if unable to do so..." I hesitated, feeling the weight of my own words.
"...Send at least one person back to get help," I finally forced out, the gravity of the situation sinking in.
As I muttered to myself, "I did say it was a bad idea," the tension in the air seemed to escalate. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Leon's rage boiled over, and his fist collided with my face with sudden ferocity. The impact sent me sprawling to the ground, my body twisting upon impact with the dirt.
The pain from Leon's punch was immediate, but before it could fully register, I felt myself being yanked up by the collar of my shirt. Leon's eyes blazed with fury, his grip on me relentless as he forced me to meet his gaze. The sharp intensity of his glare was matched only by the resounding thud as his forehead collided with mine.
"You fucking bastard! You expect us to sacrifice one of our own for survival?" Leon's words cut through the air, his anger palpable. His grip on my collar tightened, and he raised his arm again, ready to strike.
"N... no. Listen. I'm not saying we should..." I tried to reason, but Leon paid no heed, launching into a frenzy against me.
As I endured the blows, I attempted to put myself in Leon's shoes. He was only concerned about the well-being of his friends, and the idea I had suggested threatened that greatly. The notion that, in the event of encountering a monster, one of us should be sent back to the village to get help, while the other remained behind as bait, felt like an unbearable sacrifice.
Another punch crashed into my face before I could even finish my sentence, followed by another, and another. With each blow, the force behind Leon's punches seemed to intensify.
"Don't kid around. Heck, I know you'll be the first to run if it ever came down to it. You'll turn tail and run as fast as you can without looking back!" Leon's words cut through the air, filled with accusation and anger.
"No... that's not it..." I tried to protest, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, a different emotion began to churn in my stomach with each blow Leon delivered.
Irritation...
"H... hey, Leon!"
"Dude, cut it out!"
"That's enough..."
The other kids swiftly intervened, unwilling to let Leon escalate the situation further. Kyle and Trise grabbed hold of Leon's hands, pulling him away from me. Leon continued to curse at me, struggling to break free, veins bulging from his face.
Lia positioned herself between us, and Don extended a helping hand to lift me up. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I simply nodded and offered a small smile. Surprisingly, despite Leon's barrage, I realized I had sustained no injuries or wounds. The force of his punches seemed to have left me relatively unscathed, the pain fading quickly from my memory.
I released myself from Don's grasp and straightened my clothes, brushing off the dirt and dust. Slowly, I approached Leon, who still struggled against Kyle and Trise's hold.
He seemed like a caged beast, ready to pounce on me the moment he broke free. The intensity of his gaze was filled with deep-seated animosity.
I met his eyes with a calm expression, my reflection appearing softly against the surface. In the reflection of his eyes, mine looked empty and dark, hollow, as if all the coldness in the world had gathered deep within.
As I stared back into his eyes, I noticed a tremor in Leon's gaze, but for a reason different from mine. Yet, I couldn't find it in myself to care about the cause.
At that moment, the petrified faces of the kids from yesterday flashed through my mind. It dawned on me—it was fear.
Recognizing this, I fought back the strange urge to smile. Shaking off my brief reverie, I parted my lips and spoke, my voice monotone and strangely indifferent:
"An adventurer in the real world walks side by side with danger and sometimes even sacrifices. It's not something brats should mouth off about in pitiful claims of roleplay. People actually die. Many at young ages. Sacrifices are made, and in the end, they reap nothing. If you truly have any human sympathy deep inside you, don't insult those who have walked the actual path of life and lost their lives and countless other irreplaceable things. If you can't understand that, it just goes to show how truly immature you are."
As I spoke, I watched Leon's eyes continue to quiver. I glanced at the faces of Don, Kyle, Trise, and Lia. They all looked stiff and pale, as if the color had drained from their faces. Their widened eyes and trembling lips betrayed their shock.
It was then that I noticed the reflection in Leon's eyes—a reflection of myself, wearing an ecstatic smile twisted into a sinister angle.
In that moment, a gripping fear seized me, causing me to forget to breathe for a brief two seconds. Within that short span, I snapped back to my senses. The once twisted smile completely melted and vanished from my face, replaced by a lost expression.
'...Wh–what... was I just saying?'