"Will, watch out!!" The instant the little girl turned her head, Bols swiftly moved in front of him and raised Rubicante's launcher. The little girl's eyes were black as well!
Unlike those that had turned entirely black, the whites of her eyes had become black, just like Esdeath's, while her original iris color remained. Even so, it was enough to put Bols on guard.
Even with Esdeath as an example—after breaking free from the ice, she had behaved just as she normally did, and could even control that abnormal state—the most unusual thing was that the blackness in her eyes had receded afterward. During that time, she had deliberately gone to the prison once, seemingly to verify something.
Afterward, she had merely told the other Jaegers members not to worry about her, and there had been no further developments.
There had to be something different about her. Otherwise, no matter how strong Esdeath was, the Empire would never tolerate an infection source like that running loose. Or perhaps they were only tolerating it for now. The Empire had no shortage of enemies beyond its borders, and losing a combat force like her would be no different from cutting off one of their own arms.
Esdeath being fine did not mean the other infected were fine as well.
Looking at the little girl, a trace of grief showed in Bols's eyes. She was still just a child... but... forgive me. Just as Rubicante's nozzle spat out the faintest spark, that sharp, ear-piercing, mournful cry rang out again. The old cat's claws suddenly shot out by a foot, and the fierce sound of them tearing through the air forced Bols to retreat.
After evading the attack, Bols stared grimly at his arm. Several deep scratches had appeared on his armor. If he