By Zephyria It was after the sun had completely set that the First Battalion members, including Hugo and Leonardo, arrived at the base camp.
Leonardo had thought that the gazes directed at him would be less intense now that it was dark, but he realized as soon as he emerged from the forest that it was a huge miscalculation.
“Legion Commander, loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
Light Balls floating around, huge bonfires lit in various places, and the unwavering gazes that sparkled all around, as if looking at something wondrous, while shouting loyalty to the Legion Commander, stimulated his nerves.
When the Council’s Central Branch had first arrived in front of the Gate in the restricted area, most of the Southern Branch’s commanders and members, except for those belonging to the temporary headquarters, had been inside the peninsula, so this was the first time they were actually encountering Leonardo Blaine.
Perhaps because of that, Leonardo felt a stinging sensation all over his face, the back of his head, and his entire body due to the doubled scrutiny.
On top of that, the powerful Magic Power of some of the commanders surged around him as if targeting him, making him feel nauseous. He longed for the freedom he had briefly enjoyed.
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
Hugo, who had been lightly responding to the members’ salutes, stroked Leonardo’s back when he noticed his poor expression. However, unlike before, when he had accepted it without much resistance, Leonardo pushed away the hand and reacted somewhat sensitively.
“Nervous? About what?”
Afterward, he met the gazes directed at him head-on and openly revealed his discomfort, as if to warn them.
Such actions certainly didn’t make him look nervous to others, but Hugo, having seen his slightly relaxed demeanor when they were alone, realized that he was quite tense now.
…Indeed, even a quick glance around was enough to feel the numerous gazes fixed on this place. To be precise, they were intensely focused on Leonardo, who was next to him.
Feeling the gazes pouring down on them, Hugo suddenly realized how much stress he must have been under, having endured all of this since the Zodiac. Thinking about it again, he was almost grateful that he hadn’t deserted, even though he had opportunities to do so in the Grand Plaza and on the peninsula.
Thinking that it was a matter of urgency to protect Leonardo from these gazes and allow him to rest, Hugo immediately waved his hand at the members who were staring too intently, as if telling them to look away.
Then, he led Leonardo toward the area where large tents had been set up. His intention was to provide him with a place where he could rest alone, even if only for a short while.
Meterion, who had been discussing the Legion Commander’s absence with the battalion commanders and deputy commanders, turned his head when he sensed the strangely noisy atmosphere. His brow furrowed slightly when he spotted the Legion Commander emerging from the forest’s edge, along with Leonardo, who was standing next to him, only after the sun had completely set.
Dellua, who had also turned her head following Meterion, spotted the two in the distance and exclaimed, “Oh!”
The commanders who had been gathered around the conference table looked at her with puzzled expressions, but Dellua excused herself and left the meeting first. Then, she immediately ran toward the two at full speed, shouting loudly.
“Legion Commander! Blaine!”
Her high-pitched voice cut through the tense atmosphere of the base camp, echoing even more clearly. Leonardo, who had been frowning and following Hugo, turned his eyes in that direction and spotted Dellua running toward him, and for a moment, he couldn’t decide what kind of expression to make.
However, before he could even worry about that, she had already reached him and grabbed his arm, urgently rattling off various questions.
“Blaine, it’s been so long! Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?”
“Uh…”
“I’m so glad you’re safe… Oh my, look how haggard you’ve become! Where have you been all this time?”
Dellua’s ever-changing expression was filled with concern for him, who had been swept away by the landslide, and the overwhelming joy of reunion. However, Leonardo was a bit overwhelmed by the endless stream of questions and couldn’t continue his answer. He was also uncomfortable with the attention that was being focused on him because of her.
Hugo, who had been silently watching the scene, lightly placed his hand on Dellua’s hand. Then, when her surprised gaze reached him, he opened his mouth.
“Dellua, I know you’re happy to see him, but Leonardo must be quite tired right now, so it might be better to ask him later.”
Dellua paused and immediately looked at Leonardo’s face. Then, she released his arm, which she had been holding, and apologized as if she felt sorry.
“Ah, that’s right. I’m sorry, Blaine.”
“…No, it’s… nothing.”
Since it was an action that came from goodwill, he didn’t think she needed to apologize, so Leonardo casually added that it was okay. At the same time, he glanced up at Hugo, who seemed to be subtly helping him avoid difficult questions since they were alone.
But the problem was just beginning.
“Supreme Commander!”
Among the footsteps that swept across the dirt ground, a voice calling for the Legion Commander was heard particularly loudly. Hugo’s gaze turned in that direction, and Leonardo and Dellua’s eyes followed suit.
Among the commanders who had interrupted the meeting and were rushing over, it was Rainer, the Ninth Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch, who had called out to Hugo.
Having heard Dellua’s voice and then leaving the meeting, he used Teleport to move directly in front of Hugo in an instant. Then, he quickly scanned those standing behind him and asked with an urgent expression.
“Supreme Commander, have you found the missing persons?”
Rainer, seeing the blonde beauty who stood out among the dark navy blue combat uniforms, instinctively realized that she was Leonardo Blaine, one of the missing persons. Afterward, he brushed past Hugo and Leonardo and began to examine the faces and combat uniforms of the members behind them one by one.
Meanwhile, Bruno and the operations commanders, who had been following behind, had already arrived in front of Hugo and saluted him.
Bruno, who had been one of the people who had been eagerly waiting for the Legion Commander, let out a sigh of relief at Hugo’s belated appearance, but also subtly expressed his difficult position, as Hugo’s sudden disappearance had put him in a difficult situation.
“You’re later than expected.”
As always, he was polite, but there was a subtle edge to his words. Hugo placed his hand on his shoulder and replied.
“I apologize for suddenly leaving my post.”
“…It’s alright. I’m glad that everyone seems to be without major injuries.”
Bruno confirmed the faces of Leonardo Blaine, who was standing next to Hugo, and Kenneth Weaver, another missing person he had seen in the documents, among the group behind him, and only then did he feel relieved. In the meantime, he was inwardly surprised by the fact that the two of them looked quite unscathed despite having been swept up in a major disaster.
“Still, just in case, I’ll call the medical team.”
Hugo nodded once at Bruno’s words and looked around, sensing that it had become quite noisy. As the Supreme Commander and Deputy Commander had gathered in one place, the commanders who were not supposed to attend the meeting were watching and gradually gathering one by one.
Leonardo, who had once again been trapped in their gazes, furrowed his brow and unconsciously moved closer to Hugo. Then, he subtly grabbed the sleeve of his combat uniform.
‘…I feel sick.’
He sighed involuntarily due to the extreme fatigue.
When he had first entered the peninsula, it was still bearable. Perhaps it was because so many things had happened before coming here that his nerves had become sensitive, but it was quite overwhelming to have so many eyes on him. Moreover, they weren’t exactly friendly, so he felt like he was being devoured by their eyes while standing still.
Bruno glanced at him and vaguely guessed that the reason why the Legion Commander had suddenly left his post was probably because of that Leonardo Blaine.
When he had moved closer to him, the Legion Commander had looked down at him with a slightly surprised expression, and since then, his gaze hadn’t left him. Come to think of it, the atmosphere seemed a little different from when he had first seen the two of them together.
Thinking that, Bruno suddenly turned his head and met the eyes of Battalion Commander Rivera, who had been looking at the two of them. Judging from her expression, it seemed that he wasn’t the only one who had such thoughts.
Meanwhile, Kenneth, who had been hiding among his seniors, looked up at Rainer with a very tense expression, as he had come right up to him and seemed to be looking for someone.
He didn’t know exactly who he was, and he had only guessed that he was one of the high-ranking commanders, but he soon discovered that he was the Ninth Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch when he noticed the epaulets on his shoulders and the badge on his combat uniform.
Kenneth recalled the sight of Rainer approaching Legion Commander, asking if he had found the missing person. He wondered if the person Rainer was looking for was the owner of the belongings in his hand. The affiliation on the bloodstained armband was also the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch.
As the thought occurred to him, Kenneth gripped the bundle tightly. This time, he wondered if a mere recruit like himself should directly hand it over to the Battalion Commander.
However, seeing Rainer’s increasingly despondent face as he failed to find the person he was looking for, Kenneth quickly made up his mind and decided to be brave. He took a small, determined breath and opened his mouth.
“Excuse me…!”
It was the first sound he had made after a short but intense internal struggle, and he failed to control the decibels, resulting in a shrill voice. Kenneth, momentarily embarrassed, froze under the attention he drew. Rainer’s gaze briefly fell on him, but it didn’t linger for long.
At that moment, Squad Leader 8, who had been watching, roughly guessed what Kenneth was trying to say and stepped forward.
She had been the first to find Kenneth in the forest and had heard about the contents of the black bundle from him, but the situation hadn’t allowed her to tell the Commander yet, so she had remained silent. But now that it had come to this, she thought it best to tell him now, so she stood in front of Rainer and spoke instead.
“Battalion Commander Molton, I have something to report to you.”
Rainer’s gaze shifted to her at Squad Leader 8’s words.
“You have something to report to me?”
“Yes.”
Answering Rainer’s question, Squad Leader 8 immediately turned to Kenneth and gestured for him to hand over what he was holding. Kenneth, realizing that the Squad Leader had started the conversation for him, promptly extended the black bundle to Rainer with trembling hands.
Rainer stared at what was being offered to him, narrowed his brows, and asked Kenneth.
“What is this?”
“Uh… I found it in the forest. It belongs to a Squad Leader from the 9th Battalion of the Southern Branch…”
As Kenneth said “Squad Leader from the 9th Battalion,” Rainer’s eyes widened sharply. Instinctively convinced that it was related to the person he was looking for, Rainer snatched the bundle as if grabbing it and began to untie the knot with one arm. In fact, he was almost tearing it apart.
Kenneth couldn’t finish his sentence due to his sudden action and could only blink with empty hands.
One of the belongings in the roughly rummaged bundle slipped out and fell to the floor with a thud. Kenneth, startled by the sight, hurriedly picked up the fallen object and brushed off the dirt on the surface. Then, Rainer’s eyes, which had been confused as he looked inside, stopped at his hand.
“……”
Seeing that his gaze had landed on it, Kenneth immediately handed what he was holding back to Rainer.
It was the Squad Leader’s armband.