Battler chuckled, mockery dancing across his face as he rested a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Haha! See? You couldn't get the answer from her."
"Shut up!! That woman is too stubborn! If the boss had given me permission to kill her, I'd have turned her into nothing!" Elizabeth snapped, shoving Battler's hand away.
"But… we should try to understand her. There might be a reason she won't speak," Battler said, smirking with that devilish glint in his eyes.
"Shut up! Why would we understand her? She's total trash!" Elizabeth hissed, glaring.
"Trash or not… but—" Battler's eyes shifted to Leo, softening ever so slightly. He knelt and gently held her severed fingers.
"You might have a reason to hide, right?" Battler said, his voice smooth, almost teasing, as the faint glow of green light began to heal Leo's wounds.
"I want to understand you… you seem… too special," he thought, brushing back his long, shiny blue hair, hands steady as he mended her fingers and shoulder.
What does he want exactly? Leo's mind raced, her face tight with nerves as her wounds slowly healed.
"Huh? Why are you healing her now? She needs to suffer," Elizabeth muttered, vexed and annoyed.
"Uhh… who knows. But my heart… wants to do this," Battler replied, a sly grin curling his lips.
What the hell does Battler want? Is he trying to betray the boss? Elizabeth's thoughts narrowed, eyes flicking suspiciously at him.
The night wrapped the torture room in a cold, suffocating hush. Moonlight leaked through a narrow slit of window, painting the dust in thin silver lines. Leo sat on the hard floor, wrists and ankles bound by chains; an iron collar bit into the hollow of her throat. Her clothes were torn, skin bruised—she looked small, frayed at the edges.
I don't know how I'll escape this, she thought, eyes glossing. Tears gathered but did not fall.
For my sins… this is my fate. A weak girl.
She stared at her hands, knuckles white. Rage and shame collided behind her teeth. "It's all my fault," she snarled, and slammed her fist against the floor, the sound a hollow echo in the room.
"Whoa—you're awake, miss."
Battler's voice cut through the dark. Leo lifted her face. He stood by the door, silhouette outlined by the corridor's dim light.
"So you came back for more torture," she said, bitterness lacing every word. A tired sigh escaped her.
"Heh… I didn't come for that." Battler smiled and stepped closer, his boots disturbing the scattered hay. He sat down on the rough straw, close enough that she could feel the heat of him without turning.
"Then what do you want now!?" Leo snapped, annoyance she couldn't hide. "I'm sick of this. Leave me alone."
"I can't leave you alone if you won't share your true story," Battler said, voice low and insistent.
"You—I've told you already!" she shot back.
"No, you didn't." His answer was cold, delivered with an unblinking stare.
Confusion flitted across her face. "Huh!?"
"You said it's a curse. But when I sensed it… it's unlike anything I've ever felt." Battler's words were careful, like a blade testing skin.
"Unlike…?" she whispered.
A memory slipped in—Lucillia's calm, grave voice: Even I, the Reality Witch, cannot break this curse. It's a punishment.
Right. Even the Witch of Reality couldn't lift it. The thought landed heavy in Leo's chest.
Battler smiled, seeing her thoughts. "Still hiding? Tell me. I'm interested."
Her voice trembled. "That… the curse is a punishment."
"A punishment?" he echoed, brow arched.
"In my timeline I was… greedy. I killed. I destroyed lives. For that—I was cursed." She looked at him, desperate for some shred of mercy. "Now are you satisfied? I didn't lie. It's all true."
Battler's expression shifted strangely—then elation. He rose abruptly, throwing his hands up like a man who's found a long-sought toy. "Hahaha! Amazing! I see it! I've seen this before— Oh Lord! Your justice is amazing!"
Is he okay? Leo's eyes widened.
"Aham excuse me i—got overjoyed," he hummed, then sat again beside her. "You know the lore: seven deadly sins must be punished. You were greedy, so you were punished."
"Yeah, I know. So what?" Her voice was tight, wary.
"That means you are Leo Julius Eros—from another timeline. And the Leo who leads us… he must be a sin too." Battler's smirk turned almost playful. "Pride—this boss of ours. It fits."
Her breath hitched. The implications spun inside her like a storm. He's the sin-version. Pride. The thought made her stomach drop.
"So now you believe, go tell your boss," she said, voice hoarse.
"Of course not." Battler's eyes glinted. "I want to see what Leo will do to you. My research has finally paid off." He stood and paced to the door.
"Research?" she repeated, confusion plain.
"Yes—research. I chased this truth across ancient ruins and archives. But I failed. When I met our boss Leo Julius Eros for the first time, I felt the same heavy curse on him—the same as yours." Battler paused, letting the words settle. "That's why I was suspicious when I first saw you."
"You analyzed me the whole time?" Leo breathed.
"Ha! Naturally." He laughed, then straightened near the doorway. "Oh—forgot to mention that tomorrow, your Pride himself will decide what to do with you. You'd better be ready to tell him everything."
With a sly smirk, Battler left the room, the door thunking shut behind him.
Leo watched the shadow of his retreat vanish. That man is one of the most cunning I've met, she thought, bitter but sharper now.
She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. "I'll be ready tomorrow," she whispered to the dark, a promise forged from fear and something sharper—determination.