Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Please don’t let me lose you too.
Leopold was silent for a long time. The sunlight slanted, falling through his blue eyes. He didn't speak until the coffee on their table had gone cold. He was clearly confused and struggling, his hand trembling and veins popping as he gripped the paper.
In the dizziness of his past being overturned, Leopold could barely hear Elio's calm voice, "...your father has a lot to do with this. I will..."
The Templar slammed the documents in his hand onto the table, interrupting the assassin's words.
"He's not like that," Leopold stared at Elio angrily, "just like you weren't like that before!"
Elio was silent for a moment, then sneered.
"What kind of person is 'that kind of person'?" he said sarcastically. "What is 'this kind of person'?"
Before Leopold could say anything, the assassin suddenly attacked. He grabbed Leopold by the collar and dragged him closer. The young Templar was powerless against the assassin, whose blade was already drawn. The mug on the table was knocked off by the movement, and the yawning waiter at the front desk started and turned to look.
But neither of them paid attention to the other. Elio stared down at Leopold, their breaths mingling nervously.
"A thug, a murderer without restraint?" Elio said. "If that's what you think of me, you shouldn't have spoken to me the way you did, 'Templar.'"
"I didn't say that, but perhaps you should pay more attention, 'Assassin.'" Leopold met his gaze. The Templar's hand, hidden beneath the table, moved, and they both heard the soft click of a loaded rifle.
"How disheartening," Elio sneered. "Are you so eager to silence me, my old friend?"
"That's what the person who attacked me first said." Leopold, whose collar was being pulled, gave a mocking smile. "And you only asked me to come alone, you didn't say I couldn't bring a weapon."
"I thought you would feel more at ease surrounded by your security team."
"What security team?"
Elio frowned. Leopold watched in confusion as his eyes suddenly flashed, and then a trembling red laser dot aimed at the assassin's chest.
How could there be a sniper? !
Leopold's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively lunged at Elio. But the assassin pushed him away with all his might, and the bullet grazed their fingertips before piercing the wooden table. The sound of shattering glass was deafening, and more bullets were launched at high speed. The others in the cafe screamed and rushed towards the exit.
Amidst the hail of bullets, Leopold was forced into a booth by Elio. The two enemies, who had just nearly come to blows, huddled together again, their hearts racing. Elio fished the car keys from his windbreaker and pressed them in. The rumble of the engine roared towards them. Hearing the noise, Leopold glanced at him, and Elio glanced back.
"Are you coming with me or what?" Elio asked quickly.
Another hail of gunfire erupted. The engine screeched to a halt, slamming into the shattered glass outside their booth. Leopold nodded heavily.
"Probably dying." Elio looked him in the eyes.
"I don't see any good in staying here," Leopold said with mock levity.
The assassin heard the suppressed tremor in his voice and couldn't help but smile. He squeezed Leopold's shoulder, then quickly withdrew his hand. His fingers danced rapidly, dizzyingly clicking on the remote control on the key. The motorcycle parked on the street hummed and the barrel of the gun ejected.
The sniper on the high-rise building saw this scene and frowned fiercely, "What is that?!"
The gun lifted and shifted. Bullets fired at them at such high speed that it sounded almost like cannon fire. After clearing a round, Elio dragged Leopold out from behind cover and jumped onto the motorcycle. With a flick of the throttle, they launched off.
"Who are those people?!" Leopold asked, hugging him. "I swear I didn't bring anyone here!!"
“I don’t know!!” Elio yelled over the howling wind. “Sometimes people want to kill me for no apparent reason!”
"Who did you offend?!"
"How dare you ask me!"
Leopold was speechless. The wind threatened to rip his ears off, and the streets receded into a blur of color. Gunfire echoed faintly, but all other sounds were swallowed by the mad roar of the wind, swept away by the clamor of the engines. Like a thunderstorm, the sound burrowed deep into the Templar's ears, and even after they had stopped in the distance, Leopold's hallucinations continued to hum.
“…You can let me go now, Leopold,” Elio said.
The Assassin patted the Templar's arm, which was still tightly wrapped around him. Leopold finally realized what was happening and awkwardly let go.
"I'm sorry, I didn't..."
He tried to get off the motorcycle, but he was dizzy and almost slipped to the ground. Elio, who had fallen off the motorcycle, grabbed the back of his collar in time and looked at the dizzy Leopold in silence.
"…Where are we?" the Templar asked weakly.
"Gotham," the assassin said. "They didn't come after us."
The Templar shuddered. "Even if it were me, I wouldn't chase after you."
It was already night, but Gotham's East Side showed no sign of going to sleep. The gray buildings glared at him ominously, while the sounds of gunfire, laughter, and other unsettling noises echoed from the neighboring streets. The unpleasant smell of powdered drugs lingered faintly, and every detail hinted at the chaos and evil that permeated this area.
"Show some respect, Blüdhaven." Elio gently nudged Leopold's back. "This is where I was born."
Leopold fell into a complex silence. He followed Elio's lead into a dusty apartment. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time. Elio flipped a few switches, but the lights didn't come on. Of course, there was no water either.
“…It’s only a few days since I paid,” Elio muttered. “What’s the matter?”
He quickly gave up trying to get the apartment working again. Turning his head, the Assassin saw the Templar standing, seemingly disoriented, in the darkness of the living room, looking in his direction.
"I'll take you back tomorrow," Elio rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "It's too late now... Do you understand?"
Leopold had certainly never lived in such poor conditions. It was impossible for him to have lived in such poor conditions since he was born. But Elio saw him nod silently, then seemed to remember that they were in darkness and replied, "I understand."
Following Elio's advice, he tucked the pistol under his pillow. It was best to keep the hand under the pillow as well, holding onto the handle, even in sleep. This was to prevent a nighttime break-in, Elio explained. He expected Leopold to comment, but Leopold remained silent.
"…Is there nothing you want to tell me?" Elio asked.
Leopold looked at him for a moment in the darkness. If they hadn't been able to see anything clearly when they first came in, now, their eyes, accustomed to the darkness, could clearly see each other's eyes, which were so close.
"…I've been curious about your past," Leopold said slowly. "I've longed to know more about you, Elio. But I didn't know it would be like this."
Elio watched him for a moment in the darkness.
"Are you pitying me?" he whispered.
"I..." Leopold paused. "I'm sorry, Elio, I just..."
Panicking, he tried to sit up and explain that he had no pity for his friend, but Elio stopped him before he could. Leopold froze in his tracks, noticing Elio's face buried in his shoulder, his shaggy curls scratching his face.
Elio hugged him, just as he had on the motorcycle. There was no wind, no engine noise, but Leopold could hear the pounding of his own heart.
"…I'm glad you're alive, Leopold," Elio said glumly and incoherently. "I don't want to be your enemy. Not at all—I don't have many friends left alive—I've lost enough already, please don't let me lose you too."
Leopold frowned again, this time in a sad way. He stroked Elio's curls, silently comforting him. For one night, the Assassins, who had nearly lost everything, found a safe haven. And the Templars, too, didn't discuss matters of the heart.
Although, they all knew it was inevitable. But at least not this night.
·
“…I will find a way to prove his innocence, Elio,” Leopold said.
Elio sat on his motorcycle, his hands on the handlebars, nodding nonchalantly. If anyone else had said that, he would have already stepped on the accelerator and driven off. But Leopold's words had forced him to put on a slightly grimace, even though the Assassin knew it wouldn't bother the Templars.
"This is the only way we can make peace, you and me." Leopold said, his voice slow and emphasizing. "You're just suspicious of him now, aren't you? Because of our Red Cross pins. Because you saw him in someone's memories. I'll find a way to resolve this, Elio."
He placed his hand on the assassin's shoulder. Elio glanced at him and simply asked, "What are you going to do if you find evidence against him?"
Leopold frowned at the assumption. Elio stared at him until Leopold's frown slowly relaxed.
"…I hope it won't come to that," the Templar said cautiously, "but if it does, I'll find a way to get him to where he belongs."
"prison?"
"prison."
The assassin, who could accept this result, nodded and put on his helmet.
"I have to go," he said in a deep voice. "There are people waiting for me in Gotham."
"Keep in touch!" Leopold called after him.
Elio didn't look back, but waved. The roar of the engine passed Bludhaven again and drove onto the bridge to Gotham. The thunderous sound almost shook the ground of the entire street. As he passed the Continental Hotel, a window on the upper floor opened.
"This guy is really swaggering," Alvin commented. He looked down and saw that the motorcycle had already entered Gotham.
"Like teachers, like students." Another voice in the room said lazily, "Can you say that when you were his age, you didn't like driving a loud car?"
As if remembering something, Alvin couldn't help laughing.
"I loved driving your red sports car," he admitted, "but it broke down so quickly."
"Why don't you think about why it broke?"
Alvin laughed even louder. Of course, he had broken down the car himself. But it was obvious that it wasn't his fault, it was the people chasing him who were to blame. If they hadn't been chasing him so closely, how could he have accidentally driven the car into the river?
The voice in the room moved closer, into the sunlight. If Elio were there, he would be shocked to find that it was a face he had seen before.
“…He saw your face in Neumann’s memories, Syl.” Alvin stopped smiling. “I haven’t figured out how to explain it to him yet.”
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