Chapter 491

Leonardo Blaine’s eyelids twitched faintly. It took him a moment to grasp the meaning.

The brow of the man who had maintained an indifferent expression throughout gave a subtle jerk.

“...What?”

It felt like being struck hard in the head. He frowned and questioned back, but no one took it as genuine incomprehension. Rather, Orca, who had been watching his reaction, asked again.

“Why does Lion need that?”

It was the same question as before, yet it sounded different now. Though there was no clock, the ticking of a second hand seemed to echo in his ears—as if there were a fixed time limit for answering.

“Is it truly what you want?”

As the question changed, the eyes of his partners turned toward Leonardo Blaine. For some reason, he felt an uncomfortable urge to hide his expression. If someone were to ask whether he was truly certain about something he had always taken for granted, even with an immutable truth before him, one would hesitate to answer lightly.

All the more so if it was not even a truth, but a choice made after being driven to the edge of a cliff.

“......”

Around that moment, Leonardo realized that at some point he had been running mindlessly in a single direction. He also recalled that he had never truly thought deeply about the conclusion waiting at the end of that path. So it would be a lie to say he was not shaken.

Still, he knew that outwardly, he maintained his composure quite well, separate from any inner turmoil. The golden eyes that had flared as if dismissing nonsense suddenly answered with calm resolve.

“If it’s not what I want, then why would I be sitting here?”

Leonardo Blaine met the eyes of the partners who had joined the league to support him—more precisely, those who had boarded the same vessel for their own respective goals. As their leader, he had a duty to reassure them.

“Why do you think we’re celebrating victory? Because we’ve taken a step closer to what we want.”

Contrary to his intention, his words came out cold. As though the reason they had gathered here was not camaraderie or unity, but merely to commend progress toward their goals.

The overhead lighting cast shadows along the eyes of the alluring man. A faint, unreadable smirk traced the elegant curve of his lips, and Orca, who had already given his answer of refusal, still seemed unsettled. Having confessed and then ultimately chosen his pod, he could not help but worry that the lion, offended, might deliberately distance himself.

At that moment, Leonardo, curling the corner of his lips, spoke lightly.

“Well, either way, this works out.”

Since it did not connect to the previous topic, Orca and Ero looked at him with confusion. Beatrice simply stared with a sharp gaze. Leonardo, who had glanced at her, shifted his attention back to the waiting killer whale.

“From the looks of it, none of us plan to back down. That means everyone here is aiming for the championship, right? If anything, that should create synergy.”

Leonardo reframed the situation. If they had all entered with victory as their ultimate goal, then their resolve and desperation would far surpass that of other participants. Sometimes, the presence of such competitors could actually help those heading toward the same destination. Especially if they were on the same team.

“Better than teaming up with a bunch of nobodies, isn’t it? We have to win.”

At that moment, Ero, who had suddenly run out of things to say, remained uncharacteristically silent. Noticing the awkwardness beside him, Leonardo asked on his behalf.

“What, not you?”

“Y-Yes? Ah, well....”

Those who aimed for the raw stone of Cardo might have the ability to look that far ahead, but Ero knew his place well. After hesitating for a moment, he scratched the back of his head and added,

“How could I possibly aim for victory? I just joined so I could make a living... you know, eat well, sleep warm... hehe.”

“That gets solved if you win.”

“...Huh? Well, that’s true, but I don’t really need to go that far—”

“No. You should dream big.”

Leonardo slung an arm around Ero’s shoulders and gave him a few firm pats. Then he shoved a mug into his hand as if telling him to raise it.

“If you win, how much is the prize money? Not just living expenses—you could indulge and still have plenty left. And you said you’d be loyal to me during the league, didn’t you? If I’m heading for victory, you should be following me.”

“Ah, of course! Where else would I go if not with you, hyung?”

“Good. Then that settles it.”

Holding his own glass of juice, Leonardo gestured toward the team.

“Raise them.”

It meant for them to lift their glasses together.

“We’re a team right now, and from what I hear, the next match is a team match too. If the goal’s the same, it’s no different from being on the same ship. So let’s do this right.”

At Lion’s encouraging words, Orca, who had been deep in thought, voiced a pure question.

“But only one person can win, can’t they? Is it possible to win as a team?”

Leonardo narrowed his eyes, as if telling him not to ruin the mood.

“What I mean is, no matter who ends up winning, the path until then is together. If the whole team fights like hell, we’ll keep winning. And eventually, one of us will take it.”

“Hmm, in short, we cooperate while we are together. Good. That is a positive mindset.”

Seemingly convinced, Orca extended his own glass forward. Seeing that, Leonardo gave a small nod.

“Right. Until then, we combine our strength. And if we meet in the individual matches later, we give it our all, no matter who the opponent is. No need to start growling before we’ve even fought, right?”

His last remark was directed at Gillian—a warning not to stir trouble or let emotions run wild.

Understanding the warning, Gillian shrugged. Picking his teeth with a fragment of broken chicken bone, he lazily lifted his glass.

“Yeah, if Lion says so.”

“...Are you mocking me?”

“Come on, as if.”

With a sly grin, Gillian nudged Beatrice’s arm, as if telling her to hurry up and join in.

“Hey, why do you keep hitting me?”

Of course, expecting support from such a prickly lady was unreasonable. Watching the two bicker, Leonardo shook his head.

“...Anyway, we wrapped up today’s match decently, so let’s do well next time too. If we review things—Bell and Morvan, you did well taking the initiative early. Joker held out against the toad for a long time too.”

“That’s just the basics.”

“You noticed my effort...! Sniff!”

“Beast, it must’ve been tough handling multiple opponents, but you came down and even stopped the bridge collapse. Honestly, that surprised me. Good work.”

“I just stalled for time. But what’s this all of a sudden? Is this carrot time now?”

“Still, you bought me time to endure the impact. And good performance should be acknowledged. That’s what makes people work harder next time, right?”

As he said that, Leonardo turned his head toward the one person he had not mentioned. Orca’s eyes lit up as if he were wagging an invisible tail. He wanted praise too.

Deliberately dragging out the silence, Leonardo let out a quiet chuckle at the sight of the killer whale. Then, as if granting a favor, he praised him.

“Honestly, the real MVP today is this one. If Orca hadn’t shown up at the end, we all would’ve been eliminated.”

“No, Lion went up first, which allowed me to help! We are the perfect mates.”

As his humility abruptly veered ninety degrees, Ero, frowning, cut in.

“Not mates—teammates, right!?”

Now at ease, Leonardo played along.

“Oh? Teammates who won’t hand over the stone?”

“...That is.”

At the teasing question, Orca, who had been shameless the entire time, could not find an answer. His troubled expression was amusing enough that quiet laughter spread through the room. The previously tense atmosphere loosened again. Ero, watching this, inwardly admired Leonardo once more.

I’ve thought this before, but... he has this strange presence that makes people want to follow him... Is this what it means to be a natural leader? When it should be me, the team leader, encouraging everyone...

Feeling the arm draped over his shoulders, Ero stole a glance at Leonardo’s radiant profile. Just then, Leonardo glanced back at him, gave his back a light pat, and gestured with his chin.

“At times like this, the leader should start the cheer.”

The golden eyes closed briefly in a wink. Ero simply blinked. The fluttering lashes were dazzling enough, but more than that, the way Leonardo seemed to take care of him as if he had read his mind made his chest tighten.

“Hyung....”

As Ero’s lower lip trembled, Leonardo waved his hand as if asking what was wrong. Rubbing his eyes roughly, Ero raised his beer mug and sprang to his feet. He was not particularly tall, so it made little difference whether he sat or stood, but his renewed determination was unmistakable.

“Everyone worked really hard today, and especially our Lion hyung—”

He spoke as if he were already standing on the victory podium, his voice thick with emotion. Beatrice, who had no patience for such drawn-out speeches, watched with a sour expression, idly tending to her nails. Then she suddenly raised her own mug and shouted loudly.

“To Team JOKER’s victory!”

At that, the other team members, including Leonardo, echoed her.

“To victory—!”

Ero, who had been immersed in his own sentiment, froze. Then he looked around and shouted resentfully,

“I was going to say that first! Again—let’s do it again!”

Amid the lively noise, the night of victory deepened—joyful enough that one might look back on it someday.

Why does Lion need that? Is it truly what you want?

The hook-like question suddenly resurfaced, tugging at the hem of his thoughts, but Leonardo chose to clear his mind as he blended into the laughter of his team.

On a day like this, he did not want to think about anything.

He only wanted to sit here beneath the warm, golden light, letting himself be soaked in its warmth.