Chapter 70

Hugo finished his meal quickly and got up, disappearing somewhere as if he had something to take care of. Not long after he got up, the members also finished their meals swiftly and cleaned up.

Flynn said he would take care of Hugo's utensils as well as Leonardo's and took them away. Thanks to that, Leonardo, who had some free time, entered the tent first and rummaged through his artifact. It was difficult to find things as they were all jumbled up, but he grabbed the communication magic tool and immediately took it out.

He got up from his seat right away and moved around, trying to contact someone somewhere. However, perhaps because this was a remote area where mana transmission didn't reach, it was completely unresponsive. Leonardo bit his lip and pressed it a few times, then shoved it back into the artifact.

Eventually, he sighed and unwrapped the high-calorie energy bar that was included in the combat rations earlier and put it in his mouth. Then, as he unbuttoned the top of his mage robe one by one, he suddenly hesitated upon seeing the black military t-shirt he had worn underneath out of habit.

Fiddling with the black choker around his neck, he briefly contemplated whether to take off the top completely or not. However, even if the bottom was unavoidable, he didn't want to roll around on the bed wearing clothes covered in dirt, so he soon unbuttoned the rest.

'Well, it doesn't matter.'

When he roughly hung the top of the mage robe on the head of the bed and spread out the sleeping bag on the field bed, the sleeping arrangement looked quite decent. Sitting down on it with his legs crossed, Leonardo ate the chocolate-flavored energy bar absentmindedly and suddenly exclaimed in admiration,

"Wow... This is really delicious."

It was definitely from the combat rations, but the taste of the chocolate wasn't cheap, and it had a deep flavor as if good cocoa had been used. After taking a few more bites of the energy bar, he soon shoved the rest into his mouth.

Because of that, his sharp cheeks puffed out to a comical degree, but being alone, he didn't care about such things at all.

In that state, he chewed on the chewy energy bar and sucked on the slightly melted chocolate on his fingers. If he had known that Agrizendro would lift the tent and enter at that moment, he would never have done that.

"..."

Leonardo, who made eye contact with Hugo as he entered, slowly lowered the thumb he had been sucking on. Then, suppressing the urge to spit it out right away, he forcefully swallowed what was in his mouth to reduce his still-puffed cheeks.

After a brief awkward silence, Hugo, who had been quietly watching, turned his body and went back outside. At that sight, Leonardo widened his eyes in surprise.

'What the... Why is he leaving? Did he see something he shouldn't have?'

While he was left alone and confused, Hugo lifted the entrance of the tent and entered again. Then, he strode up to Leonardo and held something out to him.

What he was holding in his large hand was the energy bar Leonardo had been eating, but it wasn't just one, but five of them. He had guessed what Leonardo was eating so deliciously based on the scattered wrappers.

As Leonardo just stared blankly, Hugo extended his hand a little further and said,

"Take them."

Leonardo blinked his eyes and cleared his throat as if embarrassed. Then, reluctantly receiving the energy bars, he pretended not to know and asked Hugo,

"Why these? For me to eat?"

"Yes."

"I don't need this many though..."

Despite saying that, Leonardo diligently took the chocolate-flavored energy bars Hugo had given him.

Seeing his actions that didn't seem like he would refuse at all, Hugo chuckled as if it was absurd and returned to his seat.

***

It was completely quiet as most seemed to be asleep. Occasionally, the sound of monsters howling deep in the mountains or the sound of patrol shift members and night watch moving around could be heard, but overall, the base camp area seemed to be in a deep slumber.

The inside of the tent wasn't very dark as there were a few lamps hanging, thanks to which Leonardo's eyes could clearly see the interior with a faint light. And he could even confirm how Agrizendro was sleeping from his lying position.

Leonardo sat up without a sound.

He was never one to sleep little, but since long ago, in places with risk factors nearby such as areas where monsters appeared or in the middle of enemy camps, he couldn't sleep deeply unless there was someone he could trust.

Even now, he had been keeping his eyes closed the whole time but ultimately failed to fall asleep and got up.

Leonardo ran his hand through his hair once and fumbled on the side table to grab the cigarette pack he had taken out. Then, he slowly put on the shoes he had taken off under the bed, got up from his seat, and tiptoed towards Hugo's bed.

Unlike his own space where the mage robe was roughly hung and the side table was messily covered with chocolate bars, Agrizendro's space had his clothes neatly folded and everything was tidily organized.

Seeing him lying still with his eyes closed, facing straight up, it seemed like he slept just as properly as he was.

Standing in front of him, Leonardo pondered for a moment, then carefully brought his hand over Hugo's face and gently waved it.

He was worried that Hugo might wake up since he was also sensitive to movements like himself, but judging by the subtle and regular breathing and no particular reaction, it seemed he was really deeply asleep.

Once he determined that Hugo was in a deep slumber, Leonardo bent his waist slightly and closely examined his face. As he brought his face a little closer, a refreshing yet heavy masculine scent wafted strongly.

'He's really handsome indeed.'

The light from the lamp dimly draped over his neat, graceful, and boldly lined face. Then, shadows fell on his shaded eyes and high nose bridge, making it seem like looking at a beautiful sculpture.

Moreover, although it was definitely the same field bed as his own, when he had lain down, there was enough space to toss and turn, but with Agrizendro lying there, it looked fully occupied by his tall height and sturdy physique.

Leonardo soon straightened his bent waist and looked down at him intently, thinking,

'If only his expression wasn't so cold, his appearance is totally my type.'

Then, suddenly realizing that he was having all sorts of thoughts about him, Leonardo unknowingly let out a chuckle. He then turned around again, concealing his footsteps, and quietly headed towards the entrance of the tent. Since Hugo seemed to be in a deep sleep, it seemed like he wouldn't know if Leonardo quickly went out for a smoke and came back.

Before going out, Leonardo carefully lifted the cloth draped over the entrance and checked if there were any sentries nearby. As expected, one was passing by at the moment, so he closed the entrance again and waited for a bit.

He thought he would secretly go out once the sentry had completely passed. If the sentry saw him going out, he would surely wake everyone up as if an emergency had occurred.

Before long, the sentry who had circled around the tent once went down to where the members' tents were. After confirming that no one was around, Leonardo slightly lifted the entrance again to slowly go out.

And at that moment,

The heavy scent he had definitely smelled earlier brushed the tip of his nose.

Leonardo had no choice but to freeze in place. Following that, a chilling voice that was deeply sunken and even lower than before was heard right above his head.

"Where are you trying to go?"