Everyone freezes.
Before they can react, panicked voices from outside the clinic confirm Leon's words.
Gepard's gaze sharpens, and he rushes out without a word.
"Natasha, stay here and look after the patients."
Oleg leaves this instruction and follows closely behind Seele.
Despite the tense situation, Serval's curiosity remains.
"Leon, how did you sense something so far away when you're right here?"
"Because I have the blessing and favor of the wind god," Leon replies with an air of solemnity.
"I see. I'm going out to check too."
With Leon's wings that let him fly and his ability to control hurricanes, Serval doesn't doubt him for a second.
Stelle: "Are we going to join the fun… I mean, help out?"
Leon: "Leave the basics to the Guards and Wildfire. Those Fragmentum monsters are no big deal. We just need to stick with Serval and handle any surprises."
Outside, Gepard has already assessed the situation and is calmly issuing temporary orders.
"Mr. Oleg, the Silvermane Guards will handle the search and rescue at the mine's front lines."
"Boulder Town's defensive preparations will rely on Wildfire to organize, ensuring the rear is secure and ready to receive the wounded from the front."
Oleg gives a praising smile.
"Haha, you've got the makings of a top commander, young man—orders received, task will be completed."
"But your soldiers probably aren't familiar with the Underworld's terrain. Seele, sorry to trouble you."
"My utmost gratitude," Gepard vows solemnly.
"In the name of the Preservation, I swear we'll do everything to save every life."
"Guards! Follow me to aid the Great Mine. Miss Seele, please lead the way."
Seele nods coolly: "I'm not slow, so you'd better keep up."
At this, Leon forms a seal with his fingers, summoning a support command.
Everyone heading to the Great Mine, including all the Silvermane Guards, feels their bodies grow lighter.
The sensation is familiar.
It's the work of the esteemed Trailblazer!
Without stopping, Gepard calls out loudly: "Thank you, Leon!"
Watching the group depart, Serval feels an inexplicable dryness in her eyes.
"Sigh…" She lets out a long breath.
Stelle: "Why the sigh? You're not worried about Gepard, are you? He survived the restricted zone's desperation. What's to fear now?"
Serval's gaze is complex.
"Looking at these dutiful soldiers and the civilians fighting so hard, compared to them, I'm really not rock 'n' roll at all…"
① "You feel like playing music has never made you happy?"
② "Why say that, miss?"
The old bear picks the first option.
"Not quite. I've had fun playing music and forming a band, but…"
Serval looks toward where Gepard and the others disappeared, her expression heavy.
"Seeing everyone else fighting for survival while I'm plotting how to escape this place…"
"A wave of guilt just hits me. I feel like a kid who only knows how to run away."
"Do you think… my little brother's trying to guilt-trip me into staying?"
Stelle is speechless and sweating.
"From what I see, Gepard probably doesn't have the brains… ahem, the scheming mind for that."
"Think about it—what's happening in the Underworld today isn't something he could've known in advance."
"Even Leon only just noticed the Fragmentum monsters causing trouble, right?"
Serval: "True. My brother's mind is as straightforward as they come. No way he's got that many twists and turns, unlike those scheming types."
Uh…
Stelle instinctively glances at Leon.
Leon seems to sense it, meeting her eyes for a split second before she guiltily looks away.
This silent interaction has some viewers holding back laughter.
These two are something else.
[Stelle, how could you think that? He's your doting old dad who always has your back!]
[I'm Leon's loyal follower. What does it matter if Stelle thinks he's scheming?]
Stelle shifts her gaze back, apologizing weakly in team voice chat.
(Sorry, Leon, I…)
(It's fine. That's praise for me.)
(Huh…?)
Stelle scratches the back of her head, unsure how to react.
Guess she'll just smile.
Smiling's the way to go.
[He's so warm, I'm crying. He even takes care of the kid's emotions perfectly.]
[Am I the only one tasting a knife here?]
[Like: maybe Leon wasn't scheming enough before, and it cost him dear friends, even family.]
[So, he forced himself to become cunning after learning the hard way.]
[But by the time he mastered it, he'd already lost everything, left only with the Astral Express crew.]
The old bear is at a loss for words.
"Kid, if you put it that way, every move or word from Leon could be spun into a pile of knives."
"What turned you into this?"
"Mihoyo? Leon? Or Bronya?"
"Or is it your love for obscure words and grandiose sailboats?"
Stelle quickly changes the subject.
"Serval, you mentioned escaping earlier. So you want to board the train to escape? Escape what?"
Finally, a legit chance to ask.
"I don't even know what I'm escaping from. A meaningless past? Or maybe feeling like I'm worthless to this world?"
Serval's eyes flicker with confusion.
Stelle struggles to respond: "Why would you feel worthless?"
Serval slips into memories.
"Unlike the rest of the Landau family, from graduation to now, I haven't truly contributed to Belobog."
"My little brother's a steadfast soldier, the city and people's shield, fending off countless disasters."
"Me? My research projects were scrapped, I was kicked out of the Architects, and I've been idle for years…"
"Even last time, when I went to the restricted zone with Pela to help direct the Guards, it didn't matter if I was there or not."
"Pela could've handled the temporary command duties on her own. My presence…"
At this, Leon knows another kid needs a wake-up call.
Just like Bronya back then.
But with Serval, there's no need to play the bad guy.
"Do you think the battle to defend the restricted zone, or even the fight against Cocolia, would've ended the same without you?"
"…" Serval falls silent.
"Don't stand on known outcomes and dismiss the past. Outcomes can distort the process of one's efforts."
"You can't assume that because I showed up and no Guards died in the restricted zone, or because Stelle and the others defeated Cocolia, we were the MVPs and you were just along for the ride."
"First, the one who stopped your contributions was Cocolia. Otherwise, you might've already found a way to deal with the Stellaron."
"Second, to put it bluntly—"
"If this world had none of you, showing no trace of fighting spirit—"
"Why would we bother going through all that trouble to help? We could've just grabbed the Stellaron info and gone straight for Cocolia. Why care about your lives?"
"It's exactly because of generations of perseverance that this world could be saved."