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C239 - No Man's Land

Leonel touched his sore bottom again. He had already lost count of the number of times he had done so, but the discomfort hadn't disappeared.

Seeing Leonel do this again, Lionus couldn't help but snicker. Though he quickly tried to hide it, Leonel wouldn't miss such a thing with how sharp his senses were. He could only send a glare toward the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately, this glare only made Lionus' withheld laughter burst forth like a torrential tide.

"If others knew the great Earthen Childe Leonel couldn't handle riding a horse for a few hours, just how would they react?"

Lionus' laughter continued as though he couldn't sense Leonel's piercing glare.

It had already been a few days since Leonel, Lionus and the rest of the expedition squad had set out to the Border Region.

Leonel still remembered his shock when he saw the teleportation arrays Camelot had built.. But, after a moment, it was relatively easy to accept. After all, if a Tier 9 Black treasure could provide a talisman capable of taking Aina to a new world, it wasn't too shocking that a world with several Magi could find methods to teleport within a world.

After his initial shock settled down, Leonel laughed at himself. He had seen all of the Mage Arts within the Magic Art Tower. Some of them had abilities he couldn't have even fathomed back when he was a normal human. Something like teleportation shouldn't have been so surprising.

Unfortunately, despite the existence of teleportation channels, Leonel had still had to ride a horse in the last few days.

For safety, the teleportation channels to Camelot and from Camelot stopped appearing frequently after the Red Mission Ring and there were sparingly few within the Black Mission Ring. As for the Border Region, there were none. So, after reaching the last channel, Leonel, Lionus and the rest of the group had to travel by horse.

But… Leonel hadn't even touched a horse in his lifetime before. In fact, he couldn't remember ever being close to one, let alone having to ride it uncomfortably for hours.

In truth, Leonel could just use a simple healing spell to stop the soreness, but after his conversation with the Pope, he didn't dare to use Light Elemental magic in public anymore. And, it seemed Lionus was too busy laughing at him to help out.

The rest of the squad seemed to be taking this quite well as well. It was rare to get some laughs during a Border Region Mission, so they felt a bit relaxed after making Leonel the butt of the joke.

Lionus smiled inwardly. 'What an interesting guy… I know he's not a person who gets embarrassed so easily. The only explanation is that he's becoming the butt of the joke on purpose to ease the tension…'

Lionus found Leonel to be an interesting character to analyze. Whenever he thought he understood him, things would turn out to be much different from what he had expected. Leonel had layers to him that were exceptionally difficult to peel back.

The team this time was formed by five members including Lionus and Leonel. Aside from them, there were three Leonel recognized — Mary, Theybul, and finally, Elys.

It was only after seeing them all that Leonel understood the true reason behind their robes lacking embroidery. Mages and Magi who frequented battlefields wouldn't give more information about themselves to the enemy than was necessary. In fact, Leonel realized that their robes might not even necessarily reflect their true levels.

Due to this reason, Leonel also wore plain blue robes without any embroidery and he understood just a bit more about the world he was in.

Suddenly, the laughing atmosphere grew serious. Lionus, the leader of this squad, didn't need to say anything. They could see by the land that stretched out before them that they were here.

The line of separation was so stark that it almost seemed surreal. On one side, there were blades of green grass. Though these blades lacked in health and were even browning in several spots, they were ultimately still blades of grass.

However, on the other side, there was nothing but grey, cracked lands. Every so often, there would be what seemed like patches of vegetation, but they all resembled weeds and were colored such a deep black that it was impossible to call them plants of any sort.

The world across this clear line was covered by a thin veil of fog. In the distance, sharp mountain ranges towered, piercing through the black clouds above. A light drizzle perpetually fell over the grey lands, yet its soil remained just as dry. In fact, the rain held an odd sent to it that made Leonel's nose twitch.

'It's acidic…' Leonel's frown deepened.

"Leonel, you take the vanguard. Mary, Theybul, protect his sides and flank our formation. Elys, take up the rear."

Leonel nodded. His arrangement made the most sense.

Since Leonel was an Earth Mage, it made sense for him to take the vanguard. His defenses and crowd controlling abilities were the highest. In addition, his Spirit Pressure was also the highest, so could scout ahead as well.

Lionus was their main healer, so he should be protected in the middle.

Elys was a Mental Mage, so her attack strength was the least. Taking up the rear allowed her to use her sharper senses to ensure they didn't get pincered while also allowing her the time needed to launch her assaults of the mind, just like her mentor Magus Aliard.

Mary was a Wood Mage while Theybul was a Wind Mage. Though their abilities didn't allow for a special allocation, this was the best place to put them.

Leonel took a deep breath and entered a focused state. The expressions of his teammates changed sensing the shift in his aura. They felt that it was slightly difficult to breathe, but they also sighed in relief when they realized the aura wasn't pointed toward them.

Lionus' eyes narrowed slightly, watching Leonel's back.

'He… isn't doing it on purpose… Just how many secrets do you have?'

Leonel took a step forward, crossing into the grey lands that bordered the two behemoths of this world.

An uncomfortable feeling seeped into his body immediately. It was similar to a muscle ache or a minor cold. Though it was nothing too severe, it still made Leonel all the more serious.

The light drizzle of rain rebounded across his body and robes as though trying to ebb away at his psyche.

Without a choice, he continued to walk forward.

What he didn't know was that there was a subtle change to his Segmented Cube.

All the while, sitting within Leonel's spatial bracelet, it passively absorbed energy. Even after Leonel stepped into this no-man's land, it never stopped. However, this energy was different.

It carried a tinge of blackness to it, seeping into the Lab Setting, toward the snowglobes, and into the resting place of the little mink…

To be continued