Chapter 260

The night when weary bodies slept deeply passed particularly quickly. Before the wounded members could find comfort in rest, the dawn's light arrived a bit early at the gathering place.

The first dim light fell on the roof of the easternmost cabin. The owl's cry, which had been wailing like a requiem all night, occasionally sobbed as if leaving a lingering sound.

The base camp at daybreak, where the remnants of night and dawn air intersected, was extremely quiet with no wind except for the sound of birds. Even the members who had spent the night telling hero stories, and the medical team that had been moving without rest, seemed unable to escape the deep fatigue as their eyelids drooped.

Their low voices and stiff muscles stretched out like shadows, revealing the weariness accumulated over the past few days. The members guarding the cabin where Leonardo was staying were no exception. The faces of those looking towards the end of their shift duty were full of encroaching drowsiness.

"When are they coming..."

"Seriously."

"Oh, there they come."

One of the members keeping their position while yawning widely pointed with his fingertip towards the straight path. The members of the other team for the shift change were approaching from a distance. Those leaning against the wall with their backs also straightened their upper bodies one by one to tidy their posture.

A member of squad leader rank among those waiting spoke to his colleagues opposite with a face steeped in fatigue:

"They're 7 minutes late."

But the members who arrived late weren't in much better condition. Rather, one of them complained, explaining the situation as if feeling wronged. Kenis Weber, half-asleep, was also with them in the back.

"Cut us some slack. We had our reasons."

"What reasons?"

"The high-ranking commanders' meeting still hasn't ended, so we just got relieved from standby there. We're even short on personnel, so we had to borrow a few from the 1st Battalion."

Those guarding the cabin opened their eyes wide at their colleague's words. They had wondered what was going on since the Commander and Adjutant Levernil hadn't returned all this time, but they hadn't expected the meeting to have continued until now.

"What kind of meeting takes so long? Is it because of tomorrow's return?"

"How should I know, let's just change shifts quickly. They say there'll be a reorganization of team members during roll call after breakfast. If you're unlucky, you might get caught for the morning shift and have to work extended hours. Just in case, rest a bit and then change shifts with us again."

"Come on, that's too much. Even so, 24 hours straight is—"

Creak—

At that moment, the firmly closed door of the cabin swung open. The gathered members all stopped talking at once and turned to look.

Kenis, who had been quietly rubbing his eyes, also turned his head at the sudden rush of warm air. A decadent beauty pushing back fallen golden hair appeared in the gap. Leonardo, frowning his handsome eyebrows with a displeased expression, slowly walked out.

His face, looking even paler than yesterday, was tinged with increased sensitivity. Naturally, everyone around became tight-lipped.

They all watched him tensely, worried that their voices might have woken Leonardo from his sleep.

Only Kenis, whose sleepiness had completely vanished, unconsciously called out his name.

"Mr. Blaine?"

The nearby members looked at Kenis with surprised eyes. At the same time, Leonardo, who was about to pass by, turned to look at him with an expressionless gaze.

"...Hello."

A husky but soft voice flowed from his mouth, which they thought would ignore them. Although it didn't sound very friendly due to his sharp expression, it was a greeting that felt more than kind enough to those who were still intimidated by Leonardo.

Kenis, who had been embarrassed by the focused attention, brightened his expression at that single answer. One of the members who had been discussing the shift change looked back and forth between the two and awkwardly offered a greeting as well.

"Um... Blaine, did you sleep well? You didn't come out because it was noisy, right?"

However, this time Leonardo only glanced at him and shook his head. After quietly passing by, he took a few steps and suddenly stopped in the middle of the path.

He slowly raised his head towards the sky, tilted his neck back fully, and stared at the brightening firmament. His chest swelled greatly and then subsided as he inhaled the fresh air. It was a typical morning greeting posture, but his face didn't look particularly refreshed.

The dozen or so people around just watched cautiously. Although he should have rested well, having used the quarters like a private room, Leonardo's face was far from that of someone who had slept soundly.

Rather, he looked more tired than themselves who had stood guard all night. As if he had spent the night tormented by something.

"The meeting, it's not over yet?"

Leonardo, who seemed unlikely to exchange any more words, suddenly threw out a question to no one in particular. Unlike before, his tone sounded somewhat cold, making the members flinch unconsciously.

In the midst of this, the member who had spoken earlier once again gathered his courage.

"Uh, it's not over yet. But... did the Commander give you permission...?"

Although his sentence was missing many elements to be fully understood, everyone present immediately grasped the meaning of the question. He was carefully asking whether Leonardo, who had come out alone, had the Commander's permission.

There had been no separate orders issued overnight since Leonardo had returned to his quarters. So he was in a situation where he couldn't leave the cabin freely without accompanying the Commander.

But Leonardo just casually rotated his shoulder while holding it. His gaze quietly watched the direction where Hugo had disappeared last night.

He muttered in a tone that seemed to be holding back:

"He said he'd be back soon."

Then Leonardo turned around and replied nonchalantly:

"If I'm with a guard, it's okay to be outside, right? That's how it was yesterday too."

The members rolled their eyes. It meant asking if anyone had received such instructions.

But as he said, yesterday Leonardo had returned to his quarters escorted by two sentries without accompanying the Commander. Thinking about that, it didn't seem like he was wrong, so the representative member among them nodded reluctantly.

At that moment, Leonardo strode over to Kenis's side. He placed his casted left arm on Kenis's shoulder and said:

"I'm borrowing this guy."

"...Pardon?"

Kenis asked back with a bewildered expression, but his body was already being half-dragged by Leonardo. Although it was hard to believe it was the strength of an injured person leading, Kenis was already matching his pace, worried that it might strain Leonardo's arm.

The rest just blankly watched the two from behind. Leonardo waved his hand back at the members and said:

"This guy will guard me well, so you all go get some rest."

***

The morning at the gathering place was busy as always. Except for the two of them, it was difficult to find anyone sitting without a purpose.

Leonardo found that tent again, that table from yesterday. He sat with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand, blankly watching people passing by outside.

Lost in thought, his expression was unreadable, but his eyes filled with melancholy and the somewhat heavy atmosphere gave the impression of loneliness.

Kenis, sitting opposite him and keeping him company, repeatedly tried to speak but swallowed his words. It was good to have been suddenly chosen in front of his seniors, but it was quite an ordeal as Leonardo hadn't said anything after bringing him here.

'Why... did he bring me?'

Of course, it wasn't uncomfortable to be alone with Leonardo. Rather, he had been waiting for this moment, wanting to talk face to face like before.

Leonardo Blaine after the battle was far from the fugitive who had been avoiding the seniors with him. Now that he was a hero whose shadow was hard to see, Kenis decided to gather his courage, thinking he might not know when he could have another conversation.

"Mr. Blaine, are you feeling a bit better?"

At the question asked with resolve, the golden eyes shifted slightly to the side.

"Shall I bring you some food? Would you like something to eat?"

Kenis asked brightly with a smile, forgetting his fatigue. Leonardo shook his head while still resting his chin on his hand.

"I can't eat well right now. I can't digest properly."

"Ah..."

It was the first answer he had heard in a while, but the content wasn't very positive. Kenis hurriedly added, flustered as if he had asked something unnecessary:

"Then, is there anything you need? Or is there something I can help with..."

"Just stay beside me. That's how you can help."

Leonardo left those words that sounded rather cold and turned his gaze back to the front. Kenis, blinking at this, became much quieter afterward.

An uncomfortable silence flowed for a while. Leonardo looked towards the direction of the large tent where the meeting was said to be in full swing.

His eyes were fixed there, but his mind belatedly regretted his own actions.

'I'm such trash too.'

He looked at Kenis beside him again. Kenis, whose gaze had been fixed on him, brightened his eyes, removing his gloomy expression as their eyes met.

'What am I trying to do by bringing him here.'

Meeting Kenis as soon as he came out was a coincidence, but sitting face to face with this guy was simply his own impulse.

How long had it been since he fully accepted the guy, and here he was again, looking for Nero's presence in Kenis.

Leonardo closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. Nero's departure was a natural course of action and nothing special. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized the reality, the more he felt like he was left alone in this vast gathering place.

He had always been alone, but... there was clearly a difference between gradually getting used to a place where he thought he was alone, and truly becoming alone one day after having an ally by his side.

His heart was very complicated. He knew that no one but Nero could fill this emotion. But perhaps because he had been alone all last night, he didn't want to be stuck in the cabin. That's why he came out to see people, but he still felt isolated.

The contradictory feeling of wanting to organize his thoughts alone yet not wanting to be alone. That contradiction made him keep Kenis, not Nero, by his side.

'No... what fault does this guy have.'

Leonardo rubbed his stinging eyes with his palm and slowly raised his head. This guy must be busy too, and he felt quite bad about keeping him here for his own selfish reasons.

Just as he was about to tell him to go, Kenis's gaze, which had been fixed on him, shifted to the tent entrance. Puzzled by Kenis's seemingly wary look, Leonardo also turned his gaze with curious eyes.

A familiar someone was loitering in front. It seemed to be the 7th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch who had approached him when he was alone before and acted overly friendly.