"Aaaaaaah!"
When Renar couldn't suppress the pain coming from his right leg, he yelled. He released his grip on Viper's neck and caught his knee with both his hands after assuming a crouched position.
Renar had beads of sweat on his forehead that soon started to run down his face. He pressed his lips against each other and closed his eyes to deal with the pain. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Viper before saying in a shaky voice:
"That's it. My right leg is killing me. Viper, you go ahead. I'll catch up with you soon."
Renar wiped beads of sweat on his forehead from his shirt's right sleeve as he spoke. The Novice junior shook his head before commenting:
"Remember what you said, Renar. If we die, we die. But until that happens, focus on surviving. Haha!"
Viper said and flashed a cunning yet genuine smile on his face.
Renar was stunned for a moment before feeling his junior's willingness to put his life on the line for him. But being served his own words in a metaphorical platter by the junior irked him a little:
"Now listen here, you little shit…"
But Renar felt a sudden mana signature coming from behind him. He thought their end had arrived. But then he realized it gave off a familiar feeling.
"You two sure have time to chat around when we are being mortally targeted. Let's keep moving, you idiots."
Ronny declared as soon as he closed his distance between him and the duo. He saw they both displayed a range of emotions on their faces. The most dominant among them was the sense of puzzlement– indicating they had a lot of questions on their minds.
The butcher shook his head before they could say a word:
"Not here. Not now.
Let's get to a safe place first. I'll answer your questions while catching our breaths. Then we'll part ways.
Remember, inside the towers, amidst the danger, we will find the haven we are looking for right now."
****************
"What did you do with Belar?"
Viper asked Ronny in a grim voice as they were sitting around a small campfire inside a remote cave. The cave was relatively small, measuring only 12 feet in height, 7 feet wide, and about 9 meters in length.
Due to heavy snowfall outside, the mouth of the cave had been partially closed. It was thanks to Reen's mana sense that they could find such a place.
"Isn't it obvious? I used him as bait for our escape."
Ronny said plainly while looking at the campfire burning in front of him. He was making a meat stew inside a pan that was kept over the campfire to re-energize himself.
"I won't say you shouldn't have done that, Sir Ronny. Because that would be plain old hypocrisy. We wouldn't be here talking with each other if it wasn't for the fact that you used Belar as bait.
But the least you could have done is be honest with us two. I'm sure Belar wouldn't have minded either if he was let in on it– considering his situation at the time.
There were so many things that could have gone wrong with your plan. It's pure luck that we survived your trap."
As he saw the meat stew about to be made, Viper grabbed his empty cup. Although he wasn't that hungry, he knew that he had to keep his body in an ideal state in this place. Eating regularly and practising ranking techniques were core parts of that assignment.
"I agree that luck played a big part in your escape. But you don't tell someone they are going to die no matter how pragmatic they might be as rankers. That's not how it works.
I'm sure your bonds with Belar were strong. Maybe he would have agreed to be used as bait willingly to pave the path for both of you.
But in doing so, he would have shown the behaviours of a suicidal ranker in his actions during the battle. Do you think an Adept ranker, no matter how ignorant he might seem towards your battle, would have overlooked that detail? I don't think so."
Ronny sighed and looked at both of the anthropes who were sitting in front of him. He verbally marched on after seeing there was no response coming from both of them.
"Luck is not everything. Don't underestimate your survival instincts as well. The way you retired from the battlefield is also commendable.
Plus, it was you guys who played an important role in making that trap successful. I'm sorry for deceiving Belar when he was already doomed to die. But I'm not sorry for keeping you or myself alive."
Ronny said and immediately commented:
"Oh! Bring your cups here. Stew is done."
Ronny said and brought the hanging pan down from the campfire.
He divided it into three portions. Renar and Viper took two empty cups, while Eren took the pan for himself.
Since they arrived here, Renar had kept silent the whole time. Ronny could tell he wasn't okay with Belar's death. He could tell from the E-Ranker's face that there were so many questions he wanted to ask him.
Renar was angry at Ronny for using his junior as bait. And frustrated that he couldn't find a flaw in the latter's escape plan. He also felt irritated over the fact that he was helpless in all this due to his lack of personal power to change the outcome single-handedly.
But the butcher didn't interfere Renar's self-intervention. He left the guy to his own devices. Surely, the anthrope would soon find the answers to his questions on his own within his head. And would see that what he had done was entirely right.
After all, Renar knew that Belar's condition at the time wasn't optimistic for his escape even if he were to not be used as bait.
Renar looked at the stew inside his cup and saw his blurred face inside it that was illuminated by the ever-dancing flames of the campfire. He sighed and raised his cup before speaking up:
"To Belar! A young man who suffered a lot throughout his short, miserable life. But at least, in the end, he died without feeling any pain. May his afterlife be pleasant and peaceful for a change."
Renar offered a tribute to his fallen anthrope junior with moist eyes. Viper was also seen rubbing his eyes. But he snapped out of it after shaking his head and raised his cup as well:
"To Belar!"
Ronny looked at both of his teammates and then at the pan he was holding. He wasn't sure he should join this weird, non-alcoholic, stew-based toast cum eulogy.
One reason was that he was the direct reason behind the guy's death. Another difference was he began eating from the pan instead of the cup, unlike Renar and Viper. So raising the pan for a toast didn't really seem that appropriate to him.
But then he saw his two teammates waiting for him. He pressed his lips against each other and gave in in the end– raising his pan as well:
"To Belar!"