By Zephyria Holding Hugo’s hand and rising from his seat, Leonardo fumbled with the handkerchief tied around his neck. He was worried that the Duke, who knew enough, might have tied it in a bowtie-like butterfly shape, though it was unlikely.
Fortunately, the shape his fingertips traced wasn’t such a frivolous form. However, it was tied much more securely than expected, quite crude for a method of tying a scarf or such.
Grabbing the end of the handkerchief and pulling it a few times, Leonardo began to doubt whether he could even undo it.
‘…Is that a military knot?’
The knotted part of the fabric was bunched up so tightly it was hard to believe it was silk. Tilting his head at the will to restrain felt through his fingertips, Leonardo went down below the deck and shoved his feet into the shoes Flynn had prepared. Then, tapping the floor with his toes, he passed by the pushed-aside bedside table next to Hugo.
Until he casually scanned the newspaper article placed on it, only the lingering heat and the excitement of going outside remained in Leonardo’s heart. But the large, headline-sized letters of the newspaper, visible even from a distance, formed a combination of familiar words that caught Leonardo’s eye.
Leonardo, who was about to pass by, halted momentarily. Sensing this, Hugo stopped walking and looked back.
Leonardo quickly averted his gaze from the bedside table. Looking up at Hugo, he awkwardly bent his waist.
“I haven’t finished putting on my shoes properly.”
Leonardo straightened the crumpled heel of the shoe and fixed it properly. Straightening his bent waist, he smiled awkwardly and said it was fine now.
Watching him, Hugo’s eyes flickered briefly to the top of the bedside table before returning to their original position.
Sensing a strange atmosphere, Leonardo grabbed his hand and urged, “Let’s go.” At that moment, Hugo, who had withdrawn his previously gentle gaze, spoke with a suddenly serious expression.
“Leonardo. I’ll say it again… it’s just for a short while. We’re really just going to get some fresh air and come back.”
At the words that seemed weighty yet were trivial, Leonardo blinked and replied as if it were obvious.
“I know. You’ve been saying it. Do you think I’d stubbornly refuse to come back in?”
I’m not a child. At the faintly heard muttering, Hugo made a meaningful expression without answering. His face seemed to fully believe it was possible, so Leonardo added with a disbelieving chuckle,
“Do you want to make a promise?”
He raised his left hand in a cast and wiggled his barely straightened pinky finger. As it was a familiar sight he’d seen once before, Hugo only chuckled and shook his head. As if to say don’t overdo it, Hugo carefully lowered Leonardo’s left hand, still holding it, then quickly returned to a serious expression and admonished him.
“The outside is still not fully organized. It’s also a very busy period…. It might look quite hectic and chaotic to you. If you find it hard to stand or feel fatigued, you must tell me immediately.”
Perplexed by Hugo’s remark that seemed to treat him almost like an invalid, Leonardo nodded. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Hugo was being overprotective. But still, being worried over wasn’t a bad thing, so he decided to enjoy this moment. In his eyes, he probably did look like an invalid.
Worried that Hugo might rescind his permission to go out, Leonardo shook the hand he was holding and urged him on.
“I get it, so let’s go out quickly. The sun’s going to set.”
Having wanted to see the full sun, not just light filtered through glass, Leonardo said there was no time and approached the door first. Hugo, who had been staring intently, followed him and moved his steps as well. Consciously tightening his grip on the held hand, Hugo grabbed the door handle and slowly pushed it open.
Creeeak—
A faint light seeped through the opened crack. The scent of the outside lightly brushed the tip of his nose.
Soon, as the door was fully pushed open, a slightly fishy but fresh air filled his lungs. Leonardo slightly frowned at the sudden natural light but took a deep breath and felt the faint wind.
‘The smell of blood?’
The members nearby all saluted the Legion Commander in unison, but Hugo raised his hand and quickly stopped them. Of course, Leonardo, to whom they were of no concern, first looked at the scene before his eyes. Beyond the layers of tents and dense thickets, he saw the red sun hiding its vast presence.
“Wow.”
Even though it was already a twilight mostly set and retreating, he found himself marveling anew at something trivial. It was because, during the height of the battle with the core, he had clutched his heart and doubted whether he would see tomorrow’s sun again.
The moderately rustling wind wasn’t cold, but having come from the warm indoors, it felt relatively chilly. Even that wasn’t so bad, but as a slight tension entered his shoulders, Hugo, holding his hand, noticed immediately and asked,
“Are you cold?”
Leonardo shook his head. Though much cooler than the peninsula, the temperature here itself was still on the high side.
Just as he glanced at Hugo, thinking again that he was overprotective, his eyes met those of about five or six members who were looking at him from beyond Hugo. They wore expressions of considerable surprise, as if they had discovered a legendary animal. Leonardo, who had been looking without much thought, felt a rather unpleasant feeling.
‘Ah, this isn’t the time for this.’
Remembering the newspaper article he had just seen, he first thought he needed to hurry. If the sun set any further, it would become difficult to identify faces, and this trip outside would have been for nothing.
However, he couldn’t keep going like this, so Leonardo tried to let go of Hugo’s hand first. But Hugo tightly gripped the hand trying to pull away and didn’t let go. Rather, the crushing grip tightened even more. Leonardo glanced at him. At that moment, a scream from someone certainly not small pierced Leonardo’s ears.
“Aaaagh—!”
Startled from the peace, Leonardo turned to look in that direction. At the source of the sound heard from a distance, a particularly large tent was set up. Several people hurriedly ran toward it, and the ensuing screams suggested a serious situation.
‘What’s that?’
Leonardo, his expression rapidly hardening, also naturally tried to head there. But because Hugo pulled the held hand in the opposite direction, he stopped before even taking two steps.
“Leonardo, this way.”
“…Huh?”
Pulled along by Hugo’s strength, Leonardo looked back with bewildered eyes. He was puzzled, as Hugo, who would normally be the first to go and assess the situation, now seemed to be trying to avoid the place.
“It seems something happened over there, shouldn’t we go check?”
“The medical team has probably already gone. It’s not something for you to concern yourself with.”
Hugo’s profile, a step ahead, gave an impression of being both resolute and cold. While questioning his actions, Leonardo quietly followed behind him. However, as this was the first time walking at this speed since waking up, even though it wasn’t that fast, his respiratory organs sent signals of strain.
His legs trembled along with it, and a slight dizziness washed over him. Gasping for breath, Leonardo urgently said,
“Wait, let’s go slower.”
At that moment, Hugo, who had stopped dead in his tracks, swiftly turned around. Leonardo, who had been turning the corner of the hut and bumped into Hugo, took a step back and stood still. Frowning at the suddenly rapid heartbeat, he hugged his own chest.
Seemingly having unintentionally pushed him too hard, Hugo cupped Leonardo’s cheek and quickly checked his complexion.
“Leo, are you okay? I must have walked too fast. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m fine, I’m fine. Is there somewhere we need to go? Why are we rushing like this….”
Just then, a fairly strong wind blew, ruffling both their hair. In it, sensing the familiar fishy smell, Leonardo realized that the smell of blood he had detected earlier wasn’t his imagination.
Eyes widening instantly, Leonardo stopped speaking and immediately looked around. In his field of vision, between two tents set up nearby, he saw a narrow passage leading to the other side. The figures of members passing through there were occasionally visible, and the wind blowing through that passage was stronger.
“Leo?”
Sensing something was off about him, Hugo tightened his grip on the held hand and called out with an uneasy tone. But Leonardo, quickly slipping out of Hugo’s grasp, Teleported directly to where his gaze landed.
“Leo!”
Hugo’s shout, which had been right beside him, instantly grew distant. Leonardo, who had run out into the narrow path between the two tents, stood panting, frozen at the scene that unfolded.
Just by crossing a single row of tent barriers, a landscape quite different from what he had seen upon first leaving the hut was revealed.
Numerous huts and temporary tents, placed at regular intervals, stretched out in orderly lines. Between them, the Council members who had stopped their tasks all turned to look this way.
Some were supporting colleagues, some were maintaining weapons, some were carrying medical supplies, all staring at the suddenly appeared golden figure. In the relatively wide space, commanders gathered in small groups, delivering reports and holding meetings, then simultaneously fell silent.
As gazes gradually converged in one direction, a momentary stillness flowed over the vast plain. Soon after, as one person’s voice broke the ice, murmuring followed, gradually growing louder.
Leonardo scanned them quickly with confused eyes. It wasn’t because the stares directed at him felt prickly.
Not a single person seemed unharmed. Injured people bleeding everywhere were leaning against things, groaning, and blood-soaked bandages rolled haphazardly on the ground.
Leonardo finally truly understood why Hugo had tried to stop him from coming out, and why he had led him the other way.
The inside of the hut was essentially a severed peace he had created. This was the reality.
The end of a gruesome battle stained with blood. The long-awaited human victory, where not a single winner could be found.