Chapter 256

Hugo's deepened eyes gazed steadily at the golden light. Soon, he somewhat impulsively called out the other's name that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Leonardo."

As the clear golden eyes reacted subtly, Hugo conveyed his heartfelt words without filtering:

"Sometimes when I look at you, I think you're much more mature than I am."

Leonardo's curved eyes raised in puzzlement.

"...Hm?"

"I often find myself reflecting on what I was doing at your age, and how I would have acted if I were you."

Leonardo blinked blankly at Hugo's serious expression as he spoke.

He hadn't said it expecting any particular reaction, but suddenly hearing such words made him feel quite embarrassed. Following that, feeling that the time he had been rambling alone had gotten quite long, Leonardo stared at the table with a sheepish face.

"Oh, uh... really?"

His wandering gaze naturally turned to the wristwatch Hugo was wearing. However, it returned to its original position at the other's continued words.

"You're already admirable as you are, so I probably don't need to add anything... but I think it's okay for you to enjoy your achievements a little. I want to see that side of you too."

The calm yet penetrating advice brought a newfound ticklish feeling. Leonardo's eyes widened for a moment as he repeated Hugo's words with a dazed expression.

'What does he want to see?'

"I mean you're more than qualified to hear words of gratitude. Look over there, Leonardo."

Hugo, as if reading his thoughts, added words while gesturing with his chin towards the outside of the tent. Leonardo, who had been mulling over the meaning, followed the direction with his gaze.

The atmosphere of the base camp, evident from the expressions and voices of the members, had changed considerably since Leonardo's sudden action. If before, everyone had seemed to be holding on just to avoid collapsing, now there was an energy that felt like they could overcome the situation by any means.

Hugo, realizing Leonardo's influence that had achieved this, calmly began to speak.

"Our Council's corps originally has the duty and joy of serving the empire's people and dedicating ourselves to the empire's peace. Of course, individual thoughts may differ, but at least at the moment of taking the oath during the initiation ceremony, everyone would have the same heart."

Leonardo's eyes rolled to the side again. It seemed like an abrupt story, but sensing that this wasn't the main point, he listened quietly.

"Fighting monsters is also our job if they harm the empire's people. However, the Council hasn't had many occasions to participate in large-scale battles where we had to risk our lives. So fighting against a devil strong enough to bring destruction to this land... was something our members could hardly imagine."

Hugo's mug, hanging from his finger, came down on the table. The amount of coffee, which had barely decreased, was noticeable.

"When the mother body escaped from Peak 118 and advanced to the plains. I glimpsed a despair in the members' eyes that I had never seen before. Their bodies were fighting, but their minds were already gripped by helplessness. But at some point, I saw an overflowing will from those same members. It would be a lie to say there was no fear or sadness, but something even greater was moving them."

Leonardo's eyelids moved slightly. Hugo, who had leaned his upper body back diagonally, reached out over the table.

"What allowed them to stand up again wasn't just the noble spirit of fighting to the end for the empire. Fundamentally speaking, it was because of the slightest possibility that they might survive and return, that they might win this fight."

"..."

"And, you were at the center of that possibility."

His hand intertwined with Leonardo's hand that was gripping the mug. The cool touch removed Leonardo's fingers one by one from the surface as he spoke.

"I never thought it possible for a single person to turn the tide of battle. But seeing you changed that thought. I still can't forget that moment. I probably never will."

Hugo's face, recalling that time, was solemn and serious to the extreme. However, contrary to his expression, his large hand gently caressed Leonardo's fingers.

There was surely no impure intention in his leisurely yet persistent hand movements. However, it was extremely stimulating, as if setting one's nerves on fire, so Leonardo found himself focusing more on the tactile sensation transmitted through the hand than on what Hugo was saying.

Hugo grasped Leonardo's hand and pulled it towards himself. As the table wasn't very wide, the hand was soon placed in front of Hugo's face.

"Look at the people you saved."

Hugo stroked the back of Leonardo's hand with his lowered gaze, then lifted his eyelids and looked at Leonardo. Perhaps because the blue eyes he met were particularly deep, Leonardo momentarily held his breath.

Soon after, just as the room started to feel somehow hot, Hugo's lips touched the back of Leonardo's hand.

"...?"

Hot breath settled on the prominent metacarpal bones. As the soft sensation was transmitted through the bones and skin, Leonardo's hand visibly flinched.

His eyes widened, and for a moment his thoughts stopped. Meanwhile, Hugo's breath traveled down Leonardo's fingers with small scars without giving time to dry.

The neat lips pressed down on each curved joint one by one. It was too intense to be dismissed as a light bird kiss.

Leonardo couldn't immediately grasp what this person was doing now. He just trembled at the fingertips, completely stiffened. Then, belatedly coming to his senses, he barely pulled his arm towards himself and blurted out in a bewildered tone.

"W-wait, what are you doing?"

However, Hugo's tight grip didn't let go of that hand. Rather, his breath deeply penetrated between the fingers. Leonardo, looking at the other, shuddered with his shoulders, his face confused. A chill ran down his spine. The pure sound tickling his fingers was terribly sensual.

Hugo caressed Leonardo's hand with his lips for a while, and only after conquering to the fingertips did he finally release him. Leonardo stared at Hugo with a purely surprised face he had never shown before, hugging his hand to his chest.

His earlobes were burning red as if on fire. Seeing him, Hugo laughed softly.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be this surprised."

As it was an excessively relaxed reaction unlike himself, Leonardo stammered and barely moved his lips. Soon, he tried to erase the sensation left on the back of his hand by rubbing it, confirming that the other's intention was merely reverence, respect, and a bit of teasing to surprise him.

Thinking that way made him feel somewhat ashamed of his transparently surprised appearance. Leonardo, barely pretending to be calm on the outside, said with a noticeably flushed face:

"You shouldn't do this to me."

Hugo raised one eyebrow at the sudden retort. Soon, he asked back with a puzzled expression:

"Why?"

"Because you're a duke."

As if asking about something obvious, Leonardo raised his voice slightly. Rather than anger, it was resentment towards the other for surprising him.

Leonardo wasn't naive enough to misunderstand the kiss on the back of his hand. He too had given it a few times as a formal greeting when swearing allegiance to his lord or showing respect to a high-ranking person in the past.

However, most of these were in official settings, and in private situations, he tended to avoid it if possible to prevent awkward situations. After an unpleasant experience, even in necessary situations, it ended with just a brief gesture.

But for a duke, one of the highest-ranking people in the empire, to kiss the hand of a mere commoner, no matter how much it was meant as a sign of respect, was unthinkable. Although they say the boundaries between classes are becoming increasingly blurred except for the emperor, there is still an unbridgeable gap between nobles and commoners.

Moreover, such a persistent and lingering kiss on the back of the hand was something Leonardo had never experienced in his short life.

Hugo, who had been watching the increasingly complex golden eyes, chuckled softly and answered:

"Being a duke, what's wrong with it?"

Leonardo was momentarily at a loss for words at the brazen response. It was an authoritative and willful statement that seemed unbelievable for his usual self. However, it suited him so well, as if he were wearing his own clothes, that Leonardo forgot the words he was about to retort.

The back of his hand burned as if on fire. Along with it, the memories that were about to become hazy resurfaced vividly again.

'I'm trying not to think about it, but why keep...'

The sensation of those lips, which he had come to know like an accident, now felt vividly engraved on each of his fingers after passing through his neck and shoulders. While he had experienced trouble because of that sensation, this person seemed to find this situation completely normal.

'Is it because he's a noble?'

Feeling that they were receiving it with different levels of importance, Leonardo soon closed his mouth tightly. Feeling as if he had lost for no reason, he turned his head with his eyes lowered.

Naturally, the two members standing at the entrance came into view. They weren't looking this way, but they were close enough to hear the conversation.

However, even being concerned about them seemed to be his own circumstance, so Leonardo just clutched his heated hand with a sigh.