"Ah, forget it. I'm done messing with you."
Seeing Leone's panicked but speechless expression, Aaron's face suddenly changed, and he said to her.
"It's no problem for me to let you go, but... Heh. How about this."
"We'll knock you out before we leave. It'd be best if we never cross paths again. But, if you Night Raid folks come looking for trouble again..."
"I guarantee it won't happen again! You're so strong, why would we mess with you! Our targets are the Empire's parasites! Collecting Teigu is just a side objective!"
Hearing this, Leone immediately said with utmost seriousness.
"I'll warn everyone when I get back! I swear on my honor..."
"Forget it. What honor does a con artist like you have? Alright, just a formality."
Walking behind Leone, Aaron gave her a light chop on the back of the neck.
"..."
Kiana, who had been about to ask Aaron if that blow was too light, suddenly saw him put a finger to his lips.
*Shh?*
*What is that guy Aaron planning...*
"Heh. Letting you live so you can keep fighting the Empire is more beneficial to me."
Taking out a micro-tracker and sticking it to the cloth on Leone's back, Aaron sneered.
"Let's go, Kiana. Now we just watch them tear each other apart."
"...Haah. Fine, I won't say any more."
Watching Aaron cut the ropes with a Swiss army knife, Kiana felt it was best not to comment.
From Aaron's behavior, he clearly had his own plan. If she said too much, she might mess it up.
Taking something out of his storage space and tossing it on the ground, Aaron whispered to Kiana.
"Let's go. We'll lay low for a while. We'll come out and clean up after they've worn each other out."
"Okay~"
Hearing the roar of an engine, Leone slightly lifted her head and watched the two ride away on a motorcycle.
"Hmph, hmph. Those two. Did you really think I'd let you use me?"
Casually plucking the small device from her back, Leone tossed it aside with a cold laugh.
"I'll wait. I'll move once they're further away."
"And then, when I get back to the base, I..."
Thinking about what just happened, Leone suddenly felt she should just shut up.
Because of her reckless actions, her Teigu was gone, Mine was seriously injured, and their relationship with that Teigu user couple had clearly deteriorated even further.
And Night Raid's boss, Najenda, had ordered them—don't provoke those two for now.
If she went back to Night Raid now, Leone knew Najenda would definitely chew her out and lecture her for days.
But... but she had to go back.
*If I don't go back, everyone might make another move and end up in an even worse situation.*
*Sigh.* What a pain.
*Why did I have to run my mouth!*
*Aaaargh, I'm so pissed!*
...................
After riding some distance away on the motorcycle, Kiana, holding onto Aaron, asked him.
"Can you tell me what you were really planning back there?"
"You have to remember, we come from a technological era. Knowing how to use technology is the tactic we should be using."
"After I said all that, that woman, who worries about her comrades, will definitely confirm we're gone and then immediately rush back to warn her people to lay low."
"And the GPS tracking device I put on her back..."
"A tracker... You actually had something like that prepared..."
"I had it prepared, but there are no satellites here, so it's useless. That one was just to scare her."
"Huh?!?!"
"After placing that thing on her back, I also tossed an activated micro-camera into the remains of the tree you destroyed. As long as she's not exceptionally careful, she shouldn't be able to notice anything wrong."
"And when I placed the tracker on her back, I used a little force. Partly to make sure it stuck, and partly to make *her* realize I'd done something to her."
"And once she knew she'd been 'tagged', after she removed the useless tracker, she'd likely relax and neglect to check her surroundings, further lowering the chance of her finding the camera. And now..."
Taking out a small, palm-sized display with one hand, Aaron said to Kiana.
"Just like this, we can use this method to track her route."
"But even so... what if she takes a detour?"
"If she takes a detour, so be it. We know the general location of their base anyway. With our superior mobility, it's not a problem to get to those locations ahead of her and set up more cameras."
"So, if all goes well... we should be able to find Night Raid's base very soon."
As he finished speaking, the indifferent expression on Aaron's face slowly turned cold.
"Ha. After coming after me time and time again, how could I possibly let them off so easily?"
"Yeah... Now that you mention it, I'm getting even angrier!"
Kiana, remembering the two times she'd been ambushed, said furiously.
"Aaron, what's the plan when we get there?"
"Don't count on a sneak attack. They have that green-haired kid's threads set up as a sensor net. The moment we step into his thread barrier, we'll be detected."
"I'm telling you this upfront: you can handle the other Teigu users inside, no problem. But the small, black-haired girl—you have to let me deal with her."
"If her sword cuts you, even with your awakened Kaslana Bloodline, I'm worried it won't be enough to suppress her curse. After all..."
"The curse on her blade can easily achieve [One-Cut Killer] even against the strong warriors of this world. Remember, don't be reckless."
"I knoo~ooow."
Kiana sighed, exasperated.
"How are you ten times naggier than that damn old man? It's just like..."
"Just like?"
"No, it's nothing."
*Just like my mom, so naggy... That's what I wanted to say.*
*But... I've lost all my memories of my mom... So why did I want to say that?*
.........................