Chapter 257

'...Was it too sudden?'

Hugo slowly removed the smile from his lips that had been wearing a calm expression. His cautious gaze fell on Leonardo's profile, who had completely turned his head away.

Given that he was the type of person who would casually inform Hugo that he was weak to him, Hugo had thought he wouldn't even blink at a kiss on the hand. He had expected that even if surprised, it would be only for a moment before he boldly responded... But as the reaction was more rigid than expected, Hugo became rather cautious.

'He might not be used to it.'

Leonardo was once rumored to be unusually frequent in his visits to the imperial palace for his rank. Moreover, he had heard that at major events, he was in a position to stand shoulder to shoulder with high-ranking military officials, so he wouldn't be unfamiliar with the meaning of respect Hugo had conveyed. However, he might have been more often on the giving end rather than the receiving end, so this situation itself might feel unfamiliar.

Sure enough, the eyelashes visible between strands of fallen hair were trembling finely. That alone conveyed clearly that he was confused.

Feeling that his action had surprised him a lot, Hugo was overcome with a sense of having committed a faux pas. That modesty of attributing all his achievements to others was so beautiful that he couldn't suppress his impulse, and it was his fault.

Because of this, Hugo, who had been silent for a while, slowly reached out his hand so as not to startle the other.

"Leo."

Just as he called his name in a gentle voice, Leonardo's gaze turned not to Hugo but outside the tent. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Hugo also turned his eyes in that direction. Navy blue shadows were rushing in.

"Commander."

Five or six commanders wearing armbands of the Operations Department approached the large tent where the two were. Hugo withdrew the hand he had extended to Leonardo, glanced at his watch, and asked:

"What's the matter?"

His voice clearly showed discomfort, as if the timing was bad. Perhaps because of this, the commanders naturally stopped in front of the entrance.

Gray Scott, the Deputy Commander of the 12th Battalion who was at the front, bowed his head slightly after seeing Leonardo with the Commander. Leonardo, who was already concerned about showing signs on his face from what had just happened, flinched instinctively while finding Gray's behavior puzzling.

However, Gray Scott, who quickly turned his eyes away, politely answered Hugo's question:

"I apologize for the late hour. The dam managers with decision-making authority regarding the waterway passage permit have just arrived. I was going to inform you tomorrow morning, but I thought it would be better for you to discuss it before the final general meeting."

Hugo suddenly stood up as he listened. Leonardo turned to look at Hugo at the somewhat rough sound of the chair being pulled back.

"Good timing. Let's go talk."

"Ah, yes. This way-"

"Wait, before that."

Hugo looked down at Leonardo beside him as he pushed the chair he had been sitting on into the table. Then, placing his hand on the table and bringing his face close, he spoke to Leonardo as if giving instructions:

"I'll be back soon, so don't go anywhere and stay here. Understood?"

Leonardo sensed intuitively that it was an urgent matter, seeing Hugo's uncharacteristically hurried appearance.

"...Okay."

"If you get cold or want to go in first, tell the members in front. They'll take care of it for me."

"Alright."

He nodded obediently, meaning for him to go quickly and come back, but Hugo stared intently at Leonardo for about 3 seconds even after hearing the answer. Then he adjusted the handkerchief tied around Leonardo's neck once more. Only after tucking the fallen golden hair behind his ear did he straighten his bent waist.

"I'll return before it gets too late."

Then he gestured to the waiting commanders as if to say let's go. The commanders exchanged glances and parted to either side to make way.

Hugo's expression, naturally blending in among them, looked quite serious, unlike before.

"Did Lady Hareth delegate the decision-making authority?"

"No, it's not a full delegation... but she said expert advice was needed due to safety issues. She's waiting now with the managers."

"Then the battalion commanders of the Central Branch should also..."

Leonardo blinked blankly as he watched their retreating figures. His mind was in a whirl, feeling as if he alone couldn't keep up with the progress of Hugo's actions that now casually touched him in front of others.

As Hugo and the commanders disappeared into the darkness, Leonardo absently fiddled with his ear where Hugo's last touch lingered.

"..."

Eventually, he picked up the mug meaninglessly and brought it to his lips again. However, the lukewarm tea that had already cooled only briefly moistened his lips.

Leonardo cupped the surface of the mug with both hands, warming the drink by emitting heat. Perhaps due to the rising temperature, he could feel the blood flow scratching the skin from within. The unfamiliar sensation still remaining on the back of his hand gave a tingling feeling.

"Haa..."

Leonardo, with his elbows on the table and his head bowed deeply, pressed his eyes with his hands and rubbed his face. He tried to release the tension in his stiffened neck and shoulders. To be honest, he was still not out of the situation from just moments ago.

As he blocked his vision while letting out deep sighs, the interior of the tent, which hadn't felt very spacious, now felt empty with the absence of just one person. Suddenly, a sense of reality of being left alone came over him, but knowing that the position of Commander was such a busy one, he didn't think much of Hugo leaving him behind.

Rather, he felt relieved to have time to cool his heated head.

'What was I so excited about, rambling on?'

Agrizendro was a person in whom discomfort and comfort coexisted. If he were to name the relationship with the deepest bond within this subjugation force, it would be him, but there were actually more things to be mindful and careful about than when he was with Flynn or Kenis.

Yet knowing this, he didn't understand himself for getting caught up in a strange atmosphere and spilling out his past. It had never happened in the past three years... Feeling like he was about to tell all sorts of unnecessary stories just because they had gotten a bit closer, Leonardo seriously wondered if his brain, which had been unconscious for days, was still not fully awake.

Meanwhile, he was unconsciously rubbing the back of his hand where those lips had touched. He wasn't a child. It was incomprehensible why he was so conscious of it. It was all because of those damn lips that whispered pleasant words in a gentle voice.

'Still, I wanted to tell him it wasn't just me who saved them.'

To Hugo, who said he had changed the tide of battle and saved people, Leonardo wanted to answer that it wasn't just him. Rather, he wanted to grab his hand and say "the people 'we' saved, not I." He wanted to flash a grin at him and deliver a cool line.

If only he hadn't stared at him with that breathtaking gaze and kissed the back of his hand.

From that moment, his mind went blank and he felt completely enveloped, so Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut and blocked out the thoughts. He had gotten too entangled. If he ruminated any further, he felt like his face would heat up too. Yet even in this state, the cool touch that had covered his eyes came to mind, suggesting that it was probably impossible to completely shake off thoughts of him.

Suddenly feeling frustrated by his uncontrollable self, Leonardo tilted his head back and kept sighing. At that moment, he sensed someone's presence peeking into the tent. Before he could open his eyes and turn in that direction, the two members at the entrance blocked the intruder.

"Hey, wait. You can't come in. Can't you see?"

The intruder, who had been forced to stop, was also a Council member wearing a battle uniform. However, the sentries tried to send their comrade away mercilessly, gesturing towards where Leonardo was.

"I heard there's shared battalion luggage inside. I'll just grab it and come right out."

"Due to the Commander's orders, no one can enter or leave right now. Come back later."

Leonardo, who had been watching only the silhouette visible at a glance, found the sentries' unexpectedly firm voices surprising.

He had thought they would become lax without their superior around. Although they said it was because of orders, he didn't feel bad about the sense that his space was being protected by their definite actions.

"But I heard our battalion commander gave direct instructions..."

"Hey, is your battalion commander above the Commander?"

"Come on, stop it. It's the battalion commander's order... Which unit are you from? We'll look for it for you."

"Ah, thank you. I'm from the 3rd Battalion of the Central Branch. I was told it's a backpack with a dark green cover, right inside to the right."

"..."

"Um, sorry but it's not possible."

"...Pardon?"

"You know about those two, right?"

The member who had been speaking kindly lowered his voice and whispered, saying they would be in big trouble if this got back to them. Realizing they were conscious of him, Leonardo wiggled his toes and listened closely.

'Seems like the bad relationship between those two is well-known.'

Well, given how they clashed even during meetings, it would be stranger not to know. As he looked around while listening to the disappointed complaints, Leonardo spotted the letters '3rd' written on a dark green cover among the large luggage placed in the corner.

Leonardo stood up without much thought. Then, picking up the backpack, he approached the entrance.

"Still... isn't there any way? Our platoon leader said to bring it no matter what because it's the battalion commander's order."

"We're telling you it's not possible because of the Commander's orders, aren't we?"

"Are you looking for this?"

The three gathered members turned around at the sudden interjecting voice. Leonardo, with the tent's light at his back, was just walking out.

"Since I've come out, it's fine, right? Take it."

The two members on sentry duty blinked and looked at each other. Their eyes said 'What should we do?', but meanwhile, the 3rd Battalion member who had been arguing hesitantly yet hurriedly approached Leonardo.

"Ah, thank you. Thank you so much."

Perhaps because he was much lower in rank than the two in front, he bowed his head more respectfully than necessary. Because of this, Leonardo, who was in a relatively bright area, couldn't properly see his face until the moment he received the backpack.

He just felt he had done well in handing it over upon hearing the words of gratitude. It was right that others shouldn't suffer because he had suddenly taken over the tent by begging to stay outside.

Feeling inwardly proud, Leonardo raised the corners of his mouth. However, the moment the member lifted his head with an awkward smile, Leonardo's relaxed face suddenly turned cold.

"Thanks to you, I survived. Well then... I'll be going-"

"Hey, you."

A voice that had lowered to a chilling degree stopped the member who was about to leave after just greeting. At the same time, Leonardo, who had firmly grasped the member's shoulder and forearm, forcefully straightened the member's bent upper body to make him look at him directly.

"Y-yes?"

The member looked at Leonardo with a very tense face, his eyes wide open at the sudden situation. Leonardo, also with wide eyes and a serious expression, stared intently at 'Felix Montero's' eyes, which were a mysterious mix of green and blue.

"You..."

The moving red lips hesitated. This was certainly the face Nero had disguised himself as.

However, the face that looked increasingly flustered, not knowing why the other was acting this way, was an appearance that couldn't come from the acting of the guy he knew.

'No. It's not Nero.'

Leonardo put all his strength into the hand gripping the forearm, then slowly released it as the member's expression contorted in pain. At the same time, the words "military surveillance network" from the newspaper article he had seen before coming out flickered before his eyes.

"..."

Perhaps he, who had thought he would just see the face and identify him, had been even more naive than Nero. An emptiness far greater than when Hugo had left his seat overwhelmed him.

Even without examining the situation in detail, Leonardo could tell.

'He's gone.'

The absence of family who had always been by his side in moments of crisis made his empty heart ache.