Chapter 265
Chapter 265. Latent Heat (2)
"The batteries aren't here yet — why?"
"In order to reach you quickly, Lord Enoch, I departed ahead of the team transporting the batteries."
"So the batteries are still on their way here?"
The Saintess straightened her posture and nodded.
"That is correct. I'm no expert on the matter, but I was told the procedures for air-transporting the batteries without corrosion are quite complex."
"I see......"
Enoch furrowed his brow without meaning to.
"And the estimated arrival time for the shipment?"
"I was told it would arrive just barely before the operation time you've all planned."
"Let's hope there are no setbacks."
An uneasy premonition crept in, but Enoch shook his head and forced the thought away.
He glanced out the window to check the time — the dazzling morning sun was rising. There was still quite a bit of time before nightfall.
It was too early to be anxious.
Enoch sat there with his head bowed and arms folded, mulling it over, when he suddenly noticed the soft swell of white vestments approaching the edge of his vision and looked up.
"Lord Enoch."
Right before him, Amelia was gazing up at him with her eyes slightly narrowed.
"If something goes wrong with the shipment and it doesn't arrive on time...... that's what you're worried about, isn't it?"
"The situation doesn't exactly allow me not to worry."
Enoch admitted, lost in thought.
He traced his lips with a finger as he considered.
Without the batteries, the searchlights were useless. Naturally, pinpointing the enemy's position during a night operation would become extremely difficult.
Even if Enoch could somehow operate at night using his Sense of Mana, the other freelancers were the problem.
There was no guarantee they could face Anarchilon's forces while effectively blind.
And if their allies couldn't break through, the fundamental premise of Operation Piercing Thrust would collapse.
If, in the worst case, the batteries didn't arrive on time, this operation would......
"......This could become quite a headache."
Enoch sighed and naturally settled onto the sofa in front of him.
He tried to organize his thoughts, but it wasn't easy.
He was still mid-erosion. There was no telling when the Sword Saint of the Waves might seize his consciousness again. Perhaps because of that extreme situation, this unexpected development on top of it all inevitably made him restless.
"......?"
Just then, a clicking footstep approached from beside Enoch as he sat rubbing his chin, and something alarmingly soft pressed against the back of his head.
He glanced behind him and saw Amelia, having drawn close.
"Saintess?"
Only then did Enoch grasp the situation.
At some point, she had circled naturally behind the sofa and was cradling his head against her bosom, gently stroking his hair.
Amelia, in that posture, brought her lips close to his ear and whispered softly.
"It will be all right, Lord Enoch."
Her long hair trailed down and tickled the nape of his neck. The clean, sweet scent teasing the tip of his nose had him tensing slightly without meaning to. He glanced at Amelia.
Inwardly startled by her boldly close proximity, he watched the Saintess lean her upper body over him. She let the corners of her eyes curve gently and added.
"I'm certain it will work out. I will help."
Enoch let out a sigh.
"I truly hope so."
He said that and considered pushing away the hand stroking his head, then stopped.
It felt somewhat like being treated as a child, but the hand was so soft and warm that it seemed liable to break under the grip he normally used for a sword. Better to leave it be.
The memory of when he had first accepted her commission flickered through his mind, and Enoch nearly let a wry smile slip.
Back then, their Follower Family pact had been forged purely on mutual interest. Yet now, here he was — head cradled in the Saintess's arms, being stroked while trying to figure out how to break the current deadlock.
Does joining a squad always end up like this?
He didn't know.
"Oh, oh my...... S-Saintess?!"
Just then, a flustered voice came from the side, and he turned to find Lily staring at them both.
The young nun's face, sleeves of her habit clutched tight, had turned an incredible shade of scarlet.
Lily, fidgeting and at a complete loss as she stared, came trotting over. Then she weakly tugged at the long sleeve of the Saintess's vestments and protested.
"U-um! Even if he is your Follower Family, being that close to a man......!"
"There is no problem. It is also my duty to properly check whether Lord Enoch's body is recovering well after receiving my healing."
Instead of responding to Lily, the Saintess glanced her way and smiled as if teasing her.
"Oh my. Sister Lily, unless that's not it — are you perhaps suggesting that what I'm doing right now with Lord Enoch is something unbecoming of a Saintess? Heh heh."
Saying that, Amelia narrowed her eyes pointedly and leaned her upper body over Enoch's shoulder, pressing herself lightly against him for all to see.
The soft, weighty sensation and smooth skin settling against his neck and the back of his head, and the tickle of long golden hair brushing his cheek, made Enoch glance up at Amelia.
As she deliberately pressed close to Enoch, watching Lily with a gaze that blended mischief and allure in a way utterly unbecoming of a Saintess, the young nun's head seemed to go POP as it overheated entirely.
"Aaah! Th-that's not it, but! It's just!!"
Lily's face blazed red as she waved her hands frantically, looking back and forth between Enoch and Amelia, then hesitantly retreated a few steps.
Then she stared blankly at them for a moment before turning her head away with a sulky expression.
"Wh-what is this. You're both way too calm. This just makes me look like an idiot......!"
No, she's clearly just being teased.
As Enoch thought that and peeked at Amelia, sure enough, she met his gaze, let out a few suppressed giggles, and shook her head lightly.
"What's the verdict? Quite innocent, isn't she?"
"The teasing definitely lands well."
"Heh heh. Isn't she adorable? Of course, what I just said wasn't a lie."
Enoch tilted his head.
"What you just said — you mean checking my physical condition?"
"That's right."
Amelia lightly moved her fingers to rest them on his shoulder. Then she leaned her ear a bit closer and whispered quietly.
"The healing magic I cast on you, Lord Enoch, should still have lingering effects. Any injuries you sustain going forward should be healable through the end of this morning."
"A sustained effect — impressive as expected."
She kept her delicate hand on his shoulder, her long lashes half-lowered with an expression of concern.
"Honestly, I was quite worried, Lord Enoch. If I had arrived even a moment later, in the worst case, you might have died."
Enoch nodded quietly at that. He knew. It had been that dangerous.
Amelia fixed him with an imploring gaze.
"Please, do be careful going forward, Lord Enoch. No matter how skilled I am at healing, I cannot bring the dead back to life. It's less an ethical issue and more an impossibility beyond my abilities."
"I'll bear that in mind."
He already knew this well from the original work, but hearing it from her own mouth gave it a different weight.
Then Enoch glanced to the side at the Saintess, who was pressed close right beside him, and averted his eyes.
Her vestments were already quite revealing, and the exposed side of her chest right next to his cheek left him unsure where to look. He had no choice but to turn his head toward the window for a moment.
And the next moment, Enoch's eyes went wide.
Through the hotel lobby's window, he could see someone walking with her head bowed.
Long ash-brown hair trailing behind her. A girl in the Dragoons' black uniform and red skirt — Alicia.
Enoch followed her retreating figure with his eyes for a moment, tilting his head as he murmured.
"......Alicia?"
Something about her seemed slightly off.
***
After excusing himself from the Saintess and Lily — both of whom seemed somewhat reluctant to let him go — Enoch followed Alicia. Before long, he arrived at the temporary rally point where the Interims had gathered.
Ahead lay an area strewn with all manner of tents.
Carefully avoiding drawing attention from the people coming and going, Enoch raised his head to look. This was where Alicia had entered.
There stood a massive container building that appeared to be serving as a makeshift supply depot.
He quietly turned the door handle and stepped inside. A slight chill brushed his cheeks.
Between the morning sunlight streaming through large windows, a maze of stacked supply crates spread before him.
Walking through the long shadows the walls of crates cast across the floor, Enoch spotted something right beside him and stopped in his tracks.
Alicia was there.
Knees drawn to her chest, she sat curled up between the crates. She was staring up at him with a startled expression. Her eyes went round as she asked.
"Oh, Lord Enoch! N-no way! How did you find this place?!"
"Ah. Just happened to."
Enoch slid his gaze away and didn't answer. He had followed her because something about her demeanor had seemed different from usual — but he didn't say that.
With the operation ahead, Alicia's role was critical. Any wavering or change of heart on her part right now would be unacceptable.
As a crude example, if she threw a tantrum like "I'm just goin' back to my unit and not comin' back!" — that would be its own headache.
"Mind if I sit?"
Enoch walked over and sat down beside her.
Glancing at Alicia, she had her eyes squeezed shut and was averting her gaze. Her cheeks were flushed scarlet, too — apparently embarrassed at being found.
Enoch stared at her.
......Well, judging by the state of her, the worry about her suddenly deserting the front was clearly unnecessary.
Then again, he knew better than anyone that the Dragoon girl before him was the type who would never do something like that even if it killed her.
After sitting beside her for a moment, Alicia, still looking embarrassed, murmured.
"U-ugh. I didn't want to show you this side of me. It's just, my heart's been a little heavy......"
Enoch gently asked the embarrassed girl.
"Heavy heart — why?"
"W-well."
Alicia glanced at him. Then she lowered her head and murmured quietly.
"I put too much on you alone, Direct Lineage. I'm a squad member and a Follower Family, and yet you got hurt that badly......"
"That's not something you need to worry about. You did everything you were supposed to do, too."
"Not somethin' I need to worry about?!"
Alicia's eyes flew wide as she looked at him. Something soft touched his hand, and he looked down to see Alicia's hand, hurriedly placed, resting atop the back of Enoch's hand.
But Alicia paid that no mind and leaned toward him, shouting.
"You pushed yourself alone again this time!"
"I had to at the time. It doesn't matter."
"It does matter!"
Tears had gathered at the corners of Alicia's eyes.
Alicia seized the sleeve of Enoch's uniform and cried out with a pained expression.
"When I really thought you were gonna die! D'you have any idea how panicked and sad I was?! I thought you were dyin' right before my eyes!"
"Alicia."
Enoch leaned his upper body closer and gazed calmly down at Alicia, who was looking up at him.
The Dragoon girl, as if pouring out words she had been holding back, clutched at Enoch with tears in her eyes and cried.
"Even if you were tryin' to save people, that was too much! Gettin' torn up that bad, honestly......!!"
Enoch looked down at her and said.
"Your dialect's showing, Alicia."
"Ngh—!"
Alicia seemed to realize it only then, clapping both hands over her mouth with wide eyes.
With tears still gathered at the corners of her eyes, the added embarrassment turned her face instantly crimson.
"S-sorry! It's a habit, I just......"
"I don't mind."
Enoch tilted his head as he watched her. He didn't quite understand why she was embarrassed about her dialect, but it didn't matter either way.
Alicia held onto his sleeve for a moment, took a few deep breaths, wiped her tears with her other hand, and spoke.
"Y-yeah, I guess. If it's you, Lord Enoch, you probably wouldn't mind."
"......Was that my image?"
"Yes! But having been on missions together till now, I've been watching you from up close, Direct Lineage. I'd say I know you pretty well by now."
Alicia, looking somewhat calmer, leaned her back against a crate. Then, as if to change the mood, she continued quietly.
"Come to think of it. You remember that I said I wanted to be a hero?"
"Yeah."
"Going a bit back in time, my hometown was really rural. Even among the backwater villages of Victoria, Magical Beasts attacked us a ton. Lots of people got hurt. Some of them were non-mages, too."
"Non-mages?"
She nodded and continued, as if reminiscing about the past.
"Oh, the village was so small that people like that weren't discriminated against! Especially my mom — she'd help those people and rescue them when they were in danger."
Enoch shook his head slightly.
"Sounds like a real hero."
"Right?! That's what I think!"
Alicia gazed up at the gray ceiling of the warehouse with a quiet smile.
"So ever since I was little, I thought — someday, like the heroes in old stories, like my mom, I want to be someone who can save people like that. That's what I was thinkin', but......"
Having said that much, Alicia lowered her head and turned to look squarely at Enoch.
With her cheeks tinged slightly pink, she looked at him and said.
"S-so. You savin' all those people, Direct Lineage — that was really amazin'."
"That wasn't my intention."
Enoch replied briefly, but for some reason, Alicia just beamed and said "Hmm, is that so?" while staring at him. Then she added, her mood even brighter.
"Yeah, that sounds like something you'd say, Lord Enoch!"
The look in Alicia's eyes as she declared that and watched him was a bit much, so Enoch quietly averted his gaze and spoke in a subdued voice.
"That's quite the confident tone. When did you come to know me so well?"
"I just told you — through this mission!"
Alicia said that and leaned her upper body toward him, one hand braced on the floor.
A pretty girl's face had suddenly closed to point-blank range, and Enoch was still at a loss for words when Alicia opened her mouth with a faintly puzzled expression.
"But, you know, as I got to know you, Direct Lineage, one thing started to puzzle me at the same time."
"A puzzle? What?"
"Hmm, well, you see?"
Alicia stared at Enoch with innocent eyes, tilting her head at an angle.
And then, the next moment, a question that even Enoch hadn't anticipated was lobbed from her lips.
"Lord Enoch, are you really a Mage?"