Chapter 36

After sharing their magic with the knights, several hours had passed. Already, half of the investigation team had run out of magic and were sitting down.

Most of the knights were sitting, focusing on recovering their magic, while Leord silently continued digging the hole.

(Still not? It hasn’t come out yet?

I was sure this was the spot, but was I wrong?

I can’t say I found nothing after borrowing everyone’s magic.

I have to find it no matter what!)

Leord was inwardly anxious. Since he had pushed the work with shared magic, he had to find water.

However, he was wrong. No one would blame Leord. Everyone makes mistakes.

This investigation didn’t necessarily mean they had to find a water source. If they didn’t find one, they would just find another method.

But Leord, with his narrow vision, didn’t realize this. That’s why he was overworking himself.

“Haa... Haa...!”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Leord continued digging. The knights were impressed by his appearance, but they didn’t understand why he was working so hard.

Leord gazed into the void, wondering how much time had passed. The investigation team’s magic was almost depleted, and only a little of his own magic had recovered.

Just as Leord was about to give up, thinking he couldn’t continue the work, he tilted his head at a different sensation.

(Huh? What is it? A rock layer?)

Curious, Leord threw a pebble into the hole. Listening carefully, he heard a faint sound of water.

Leord doubted himself, thinking it might be an auditory hallucination, and called for Barbalot.

“Barbalot! I’m going to drop a pebble into the hole, so check the sound!”

“Understood!”

Barbalot got on all fours and put his ear close to the hole. Leord, thinking it wasn’t necessary to go that far, dropped the pebble into the hole.

The sound of the pebble hitting the water reached Barbalot’s ears clearly. He immediately stood up, took Leord’s hand, and exclaimed joyfully.

“Lord Leord! It’s water. I can hear the sound of water. Lord Leord was right!”

“Is that so... Is that so. It wasn’t a hallucination then.”

“Yes! Let’s return to Zeato and report! Everyone will surely be happy!”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Seeing Barbalot, who was even more excited than Leord himself, Leord smiled a little. He sighed in relief, knowing he was right and that the water shortage would be resolved.

However, they couldn’t return to Zeato because most of the investigation team had run out of magic and were sitting down.

“I’m sorry...”

“No, I should be the one to apologize. I borrowed magic without considering the pace. It was my mistake to focus too much on finding water. I’m sorry.”

The knights, who knew what kind of person Leord was during the investigation, accepted his apology.

With nothing to do while waiting for the investigation team’s magic to recover, Leord stared blankly at the red sky, which was now dusk.

(An event not in the game. I guess more will happen...)

Standing on a stage not mentioned in Fate 48, Leord worried that many more troublesome things would happen. With a death flag and many unknowns, he could only worry about the future.

“Lord Leord. The investigation team’s magic has recovered to a minimum. We can return to Zeato now.”

“Understood. Then let’s hurry back. Night is coming soon. Let’s return to Zeato before nightfall.”

“Yes!”

With the necessary minimum magic recovered, the investigation team hurried back to Zeato. Night was dangerous due to poor visibility and nocturnal monsters, so they rushed back.

By the time the investigation team returned to Zeato, the moon dominated the sky. Although it was night, they were relieved to have returned safely.

“Lord Leord—”

Leord’s shoulders trembled at the voice from behind. He turned hesitantly to see Gilbert standing there with a full smile.

“G-Gil... You came to greet us?”

“Yes. I thought something had happened since we were significantly late, so I hurried here.”

“I see. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Yes, I was really worried.”

Gilbert, who had been smiling, shifted his gaze to Barbalot with a glare.

“Lord Barbalot. Why did it take so long with you here?”

Gilbert, who believed Barbalot, the leader of the investigation team, was at fault, questioned him in a blaming tone.

“Hold on. Gil! It’s my responsibility. I pushed too hard, which is why we were late. So, don’t blame Barbalot.”

“Hmm... Would you like to explain, Lord Barbalot?”

“Can I dismiss the team before explaining?”

“Of course. It’s night, so they should return to their families.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Barbalot dismissed the investigation team. Only Leord and Barbalot remained.

Barbalot explained the significant delay in the investigation.

“Then—”

—gurgle

“...I’m sorry.”

“It seems Lord Leord’s stomach can’t wait any longer. Let’s discuss this another day.”

“Haha, that’s true. See you tomorrow.”

Though it was dark, Leord’s face, blushing with embarrassment, was bright red.

Hearing Leord’s stomach, Gilbert’s shoulders relaxed, and he decided to discuss with Barbalot the next day.