Robin quickly increased his speed to catch up with Blaze.
When he caught up with Blaze, Robin started talking, "Hey, I know you are angry about what happened at the hyena scene. But I had no choice."
"What happened?" Blaze asked calmly without turning.
"What I did," Robin replied weakly.
"What did you do? I don't remember you doing anything spectacular apart from your Lightning Overload. So, why should I be angry," Blaze finally turned and asked.
"I choose my sister over you," Robin finally gritted his teeth and said.
"I don't remember anything. When did you choose?" Blaze asked, feigning ignorance.
"Damn you! At the part, whether to leave the girls or take them with us," Robin cursed loudly at Blaze's open lie.
"Ohh! Now I remember," Blaze, without stopping, exclaimed while touching his forehead. The attitude irked Robin. He never knew Blaze could be annoying until now.
"You did nothing wrong. In times of danger, you choose the most reliable and trustworthy person, and Aurora seems reliable. Why should I be angry?" Blaze asked calmly, dropping his foolish act.
"Then why are you taking me as a sacrifice to the hyenas?" Robin asked in a trembling voice. It was Blaze's turn for his face contort.
"When did I say that?" Blaze asked with confusion written on his face.
"You're not taking me as a sacrifice?" Robin asked before breathing a sigh of relief. "I've prepared my last words, just in case I don't make it back."
"If you had followed me at the hyena scene, I would have used you as a sacrifice. Since you're gullible and trust people easily, the belly of the hyenas would have been your resting place," Blaze said nonchalantly with a light laugh, but Aphrodite could sense some truth in his speech.
"Wait, did you just laugh?" Robin questioned, taken aback.
But Blaze's expression had already returned to its usual stoic state.
"Did you know sleep is like a condensed version of death?" Robin spoke up, unable to contain his thoughts any longer.
"Yeah, it's like death with ads," Blaze replied with a deadpan expression.
"Ads?" Robin asked, clearly puzzled.
"Dreams," Blaze clarified.
They silently made their way to the hyenas' location.
"But you know, I did you a favor," Robin suddenly interjected, unable to keep silent any longer.
"A favor?" Blaze asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"Yeah. Those girls think you're all tough on the outside, but they believe you've got a soft spot deep down," Robin said, flashing his pearly white teeth in the darkness.
"How is that a favor?" Blaze questioned, his confusion growing as he gradually slowed down.
"You can pick a wife from a noble family there. Even a Princess might trip for you and you can directly connect with the Dragon Emperor, prompting the call off of the engagement with that long-face, underwear fool. Don't you think I did you a favor?" Robin asked with a cheeky smile plastered on his face.
"Too busy to play those nonsense games. I don't do love," Blaze replied and increased his speed.
"My hard work..." Robin muttered in a voice filled with anguish as he chased after Blaze. When he caught up to him, Robin noticed Blaze crouching down, his gaze fixed ahead.
"Why are you—"
But a sudden punch to his face silenced him.
"The hyenas are right ahead," Blaze whispered.
Robin nodded rapidly, resembling a startled hen, his hands covering his mouth. "I hope my teeth are still intact," he mumbled.
Blaze shifted his attention forward, fully concentrating now that he was confident Robin wouldn't make any sudden noises. They both crouched in front of a massive fallen tree trunk, observing the roughly hundred hyenas with glimmering eyes, maintaining their positions.
Blaze muttered absentmindedly, "Could they hold a grudge because I slit the throat of one of their pack?"
"What—" Robin began to ask, but Blaze swiftly covered his mouth.
"They could be sensitive to scent," Blaze calmly explained before releasing his hand from Robin's mouth.
"Isn't it supposed to be sound..." Robin muttered with a bewildered expression before his eyes suddenly widened. He turned sharply to Blaze and asked, "Are you implying that I have a smelly breath?"
"You said it, not me. Let's head back," Blaze replied casually, turning away from Robin without looking at him and disappearing into the darkness. Robin appeared momentarily lost before silently following suit. From that point on, they never spoke to each other again, a fact that Blaze felt grateful for.
Upon their return to the girls, Robin quickly approached Aurora. "Do you sense anything odd about my breath?" Robin whispered.
"Nope. What's the matter?" Aurora asked, perplexed. She was the only one awake, as the others had fallen into a deep slumber.
"Nothing," Robin replied, casting a dagger-like glare at Blaze, who pretended not to notice.
Blaze proceeded to extinguish the fire and did the same for Liam's group. Only the girl with the light element remained awake in Liam's team, and she made no objections to Blaze's actions.
—
The next day, Liam and his team came to meet Blaze's location. Everybody sat down in a circle.
Before anyone else woke up, Blaze had already embarked on reconnaissance and discovered a location with the fewest number of hyenas. He was taken aback to find approximately seven hundred alert hyenas, but their pack splitting had thinned their ranks.
Blaze would have preferred to wait for a better opportunity to make their escape, but the hyenas' reluctance to approach their current location unsettled him. Furthermore, his unease from the previous day continued to grow unabated. He needed to leave the area today.
"The hyena numbers are relatively low in the east, the direction we came from. I'm not a commander, and I've never led a large team, so I'll defer to someone better suited for that role. However, remember that I always assume a free role, so the commander should keep that in mind," Blaze calmly stated, leaning his back against a tree and relaxing.
Aurora composed herself and walked to the center, her demeanor calm and collected. "Blaze, we need you to draw the attention of the hyenas to thin out their defense, allowing our Tier-2 spell to be more effective. With your agility and water element, you're the best fit for the task."
Blaze nodded, surprising Aurora. He had given off a selfish vibe, but now he seemed willing to selflessly sacrifice himself for the team.
"Liam, you and..."
Aurora began assigning roles to everyone.
Once she had finished, Blaze spoke up, his voice filled with a somber tone. "If the hyenas make you guys fluster and you can't perform your roles effectively, all of us will die. We are already teetering on the edge of death."
His words sent a shiver down everyone's spines, but they also served as a reminder to Aurora of their lack of coordination during the bear encounter. They had fought haphazardly without following any specific roles. The memory filled her with shame.