Chapter 88

As Leonardo's attitude remained cold and retorting, Hugo, who had been speaking to him in an admonishing manner, also looked at him with a rather cold gaze.

"Leonardo Blaine, I am in a position where I have to take responsibility. I must thoroughly verify and prepare for all possibilities that may occur. I apologize for testing you. Through this incident, I clearly understood that you worry about the safety of other members during combat and try to prevent them from getting injured."

"..."

"However, the reason I took such actions was not because I couldn't trust you, but because the time we spent together was insufficient for me to fully understand you. I needed assurance of how your control ability would work in urgent moments, what you would prioritize, and how you would act."

Leonardo glared at Hugo and didn't continue speaking. Hugo approached him by one step and spoke again in a slightly softer voice.

"I believe that you, who understood my responsibility, will also understand this judgment of mine."

Leonardo stared at his blue eyes with a distorted gaze. His two eyes were colder than ever today.

Then, he turned his gaze for a moment and looked at his members standing far away and watching this place. Some had cold expressions, and some who had rolled together in the water made perplexed faces when his gaze reached them.

However, they had something in common. It seemed as if they thought this situation would be settled if only he kept his mouth shut, if only he acknowledged it, as if he was the root of the problem.

Feeling that, Leonardo stared at Hugo again, who was still looking down at him with cold eyes. His gaze seemed to be trying to make him understand while also telling him not to be emotional, making him feel like his whole body was being crushed.

The responsibility he had. Leonardo also knew well how heavy it was. That's why Leonardo was even more angry. He himself had also pondered until the moment he jumped into the water, whether it would be okay to do so in order to make his responsibility less heavy, and once again doubted his own abilities and judgment.

His heavy responsibility was to protect the safety of the members behind him. However, it felt like his own well-being was not included in that protection.

Even though he had fought alongside them, he was still a person of interest and a target of vigilance that needed to be watched. Because the powerful mana he possessed would be a dangerous weapon to them that could hurt someone.

Leonardo felt that this current situation was fucking terrible, but he also hated himself like crazy for not being able to refute it or blame anyone because his control wasn't perfect.

Leonardo looked at the blue eyes of the man in front of him with a distorted smile mixed with those self-tormenting emotions and resentment towards others.

And then he recited the responsibility he had to bear.

"Responsibility."

The word that slipped through his lips was heavier than anything else.

Eventually, Leonardo's brows furrowed deeply, and blood was reflected on his bitten lips.

"Fuck."

* * *

The procession waited for a moment until the treatment of the injured was finished. Hugo was discussing the route with the 8th Platoon leader, and Leonardo was sitting alone far away, just staring into the distance.

The members were very curious about what the Commander had said to him that made him quiet down when he had seemed like he would run wild at any moment.

However, that didn't mean his momentum had subsided. The atmosphere was so brutal that everyone deliberately avoided approaching him. In the meantime, Flynn, who had been constantly worrying, decided to gather his courage and carefully approach him while he was alone.

For Flynn, Hugo was like the sky, so Leonardo's behavior of being disrespectful to such a Commander was wrong, but more than that, Flynn hoped that Leonardo wouldn't hate the Commander's choice and misunderstand his intentions. So he approached him and gently spoke.

"Blaine, the Commander doesn't think badly of you. It's because you might be in trouble later if something happens... He's just worried about your position."

"..."

"He keeps telling me to take care of you..."

"It must be nice to have your Commander."

Leonardo interrupted Flynn's words and spoke coldly.

"He stays still, but the whole world steps up to defend him."

"..."

Flynn couldn't continue speaking at that. Leonardo glanced at Flynn like that and turned his head again, speaking in a cold face and a low voice.

"You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"Ah..."

As Leonardo's words seemed to draw a line, Flynn fidgeted and tightly grasped his own hands, fiddling with the hem of his clothes. He hung his head low, hesitated, and barely opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken in a way that asked for your help."

Leonardo, who had been ignoring his words, shifted his gaze again and stared blankly at Flynn. The veins and bones on the back of his hand were protruding, indicating he was applying a lot of force. Leonardo let out a deep sigh.

That foolish guy had done nothing wrong, but he seemed to be blaming himself as if this situation was his fault.

However, he had neither the generosity nor the leisure to consider his feelings right now. Just as Leonardo was about to say something to him, feeling frustrated, a voice calling them was heard from afar.

"Flynn, Leonardo. We're leaving."

Hugo spoke to them and lightly gestured with his chin. The members had all packed their belongings and were on standby.

Leonardo buried the words he was about to say and got up from where he had been sitting without much response. Then, as he passed by Flynn's side, he tapped his clasped hands as if telling him to relax.

"Let's go."

Flynn flinched at the sensation felt on his hands. And he turned around and stared at Leonardo's back as he walked away without a word.

Originally, his hands were so warm that even without touching, just being close was enough to feel the warmth, but the hands that had just touched were so cold that it was hard to believe they were his.

* * *

The procession moved quickly and immediately set foot in the active volcanic zone.

Unlike the dormant volcanic zone they had passed through so far, this place was burdensome for the members to even breathe and walk, the basic things. The smell of sulfur was irritatingly pungent, and steam rose from the ground due to the heat of magma.

Right next to the path, there were geysers scattered around, boiling like hot spring water, and occasionally, that hot water would spurt up like a fountain and spray the surroundings. In such an environment, the members all wore protective gear and even cast barriers, walking with difficulty, but Leonardo didn't need to do that.

The boiling water spurted up and fell, pouring over Leonardo, but before it could even wet him, it evaporated in an instant due to his heat. Thanks to that, the surroundings were filled with hazy steam, and his figure looked like he was walking leisurely in the steam where he couldn't see an inch ahead.

Walking quietly like that at the very back of the procession, Leonardo had now decided to become cold-hearted.

'No, come to think of it, I was the stupid one.'

Why did he alone build a bond and trust and feel betrayed alone when he just needed to achieve the goal of subjugation? At this rate, he wasn't in a position to call Flynn a fool, was he? To Agrizendro, his existence was probably just a burden that was somewhat helpful but difficult to handle, nothing more, nothing less.

With a face that looked even colder without any expression, Leonardo looked at Hugo's back in the center of the procession.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand the responsibility he was talking about. He knew, so he just ended it there and kept his mouth shut.

He also knew that he was considering his position. If someone got hurt due to his unstable control, even if the subjugation was successfully completed, there could be a problem with his release. He seemed to be worrying about such things. And that was exactly why this situation was fucking terrible.

He didn't trust his abilities, but from his perspective, he had made the best choice. In the end, his anger, which had nowhere to go, was something he had to swallow alone. He had made a judgment as the Commander of the Council, and everyone from the Council's Central Branch here was on his side.

Leonardo took his eyes off his back and turned his head to the left. In the far distance, at the end of the peak, a bright red stream of magma was flowing at a pace so slow that no one would know.

Leonardo now knew too well. Even if he lived like this, thinking from others' perspectives and understanding everything, no one would think from his perspective. He had to take care of his own body and mind.

He had told him that he was living a tiring life, but he himself was still doing that tiring thing. So Leonardo decided to take care of his own emotions rather than finding reasons why he had no choice but to do that from his perspective.

In the midst of that, Leonardo suddenly wondered if he would have tested his own members like that, rolling in the water, even if their mana was unstable.

Of course, he had no desire to be protected by him. Because he wasn't weak enough to need his protection. However, the problem was that he felt like he was being pushed around just because he was a "strong outsider."

But then, the words he had said flashed through his mind.

'It was because the time we spent together was insufficient.'

"..."

Come to think of it, unlike his comrades with whom he had gone through life and death together, he had literally not seen much of them, so it was absurd of him to expect more than that.

'Fuck..., I'm tired.'

Leonardo bit his lip and decided not to think anymore. Getting angry, understanding, and getting angry again. This repetition of emotions made his head throb as if it would shatter.

Feeling the fatigue rushing in, Leonardo closed his eyes and rubbed his face, sweeping back his hair. And when he raised his head again, Hugo Agrizendro had turned around and was looking at him.

As Leonardo immediately glared at him with a fierce look when their eyes met, Hugo stared at him for a moment and then turned his gaze back to the front.

Leonardo soon frowned and let out a deep sigh. And he decided to become cold-hearted again.

Now that person would take full responsibility for the well-being of the members here, so it wasn't his business if anyone got hurt. He just made up his mind to focus thoroughly on hunting monsters and finish the subjugation as quickly as possible to part ways with this group.