By Zephyria “I should have made a firm promise with a pinky swear back then.”
Leonardo, who was staring outside the tent, turned his head at the words he heard. Just in time, a steaming mug was placed on the table.
“Then I would have had a reason to take you away by force.”
Leonardo glanced at the refreshing scent that was being pushed in front of him, then looked up again.
Hugo, who had placed the cup, slowly sat down on the opposite chair. He turned his eyes to the outside of the tent where Leonardo’s gaze had been.
Hot steam was rising from the other mug held in Hugo’s hand. However, unlike Leonardo’s, it had a strong coffee bean scent that seemed to have been slightly burnt.
Leonardo looked at the clear drink in front of him, then grabbed the handle of the cup and asked.
“Why did you give me this?”
Blue eyes rolled to the side.
“Why, is it not good?”
“…It’s not that, it’s just different from yours.”
“I thought that would be better for restoring energy. Well, it seems like you’ve already recovered to some extent.”
It seemed like he was pointing out the fact that he had grabbed him, telling him to go slowly with a difficult face, and then ran out beyond the tent on his own. Feeling inexplicably awkward at Hugo’s words, Leonardo brought the mug to his lips, avoiding his gaze. It was a refreshing and sweet orange-flavored tea. It was definitely more to his taste than strong coffee.
As sweetness and warmth spread through his stomach, he felt a languid yet fulfilling feeling. A pleasant drowsiness hung on Leonardo’s lips like a smile. Hugo, who was watching his reaction, cautiously asked.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yeah. I like it.”
“…….”
“I like oranges.”
As if conscious of something, Hugo chuckled softly at the object that was quickly added. Then, he recalled the popping orange pulp and had the trivial thought that he liked things like himself.
At that time, Leonardo, who had been drinking the hot tea well, belatedly answered Hugo’s previous words.
“But even if we made a promise with a pinky swear, you would listen if I said I wanted to be here, right?”
Eyes that seemed to flutter spoke in a fairly bold tone.
“You’re secretly weak to me, aren’t you?”
It was as if he was throwing it playfully, but because it was a confident tone, Hugo stared at him without a word. Soon, he shook his head and turned his eyes away, taking a sip of coffee. It was a problem that he was too perceptive.
Hugo kept silent, afraid that he would try to manipulate him as he pleased now. Of course, he couldn’t deny it in the end, so it naturally flowed into an atmosphere of acceptance.
As the conversation they were having was cut off, the two people’s gazes were fixed on the members outside the tent who were moving busily. Darkness had already fallen on the Encampment of huts, and bright lights illuminated the road at regular intervals.
Occasionally, members passing in front of the tent would deliberately slow down and glance at the two of them.
While examining such scenes one by one, Leonardo became more and more immersed in the subtle orange scent.
About thirty minutes ago. Hugo, who had struggled to approach Leonardo, who was out of his mind and swept away by the crowd, barely grabbed him. Hugo firmly ordered the members to step back, saying that Leonardo was still a patient and needed stability, but he understood their welcome.
Because the Legion Commander was so protective of Leonardo, there was no chance to approach him, so the members were disappointed, but they dispersed after saying a word to Leonardo, saying they would see him again later. There were many praises about his ability and recognition of his achievements, but the few words of ‘thank you’ that were occasionally heard shook Leonardo’s closed heart violently.
Perhaps that was why Leonardo, who had pulled down Hugo’s hand that had covered his eyes, had a strong desire to watch the retreating members a little more. It was as if the cheers of the crowd he had heard on the way back from winning the war were flickering before his eyes.
As a result of persistently asking Hugo that he wanted to be outside, he was able to put chairs and a table inside a large tent and watch people through the open entrance.
Their appearance, performing their duties and taking care of the injured under the bright moonlight, was like a ray of hope that had sprung up from despair. Objectively speaking, it was by no means a hopeful situation, but it was amazing that the encouragement and support they gave could change his pessimistic perspective so much.
Leonardo, who had been quietly staring at the members, soon emptied about half of his mug. He slowly looked around and opened his mouth in a low voice.
“I’m going to cancel what I said earlier.”
Hugo’s head turned. At his gaze that questioned with his eyes, Leonardo continued to speak while still staring at only one place.
“I said you should be grateful to me, I’m canceling that.”
Hugo, who had been silent, replied half a beat late.
“Why?”
It was not only because he was wondering why he was mentioning something that had already passed, but also because it was not necessarily wrong, so he wondered why he was canceling it.
Leonardo hesitated for a moment at Hugo’s question. He scratched the thorns on the wooden table with his fingernails without meaning. Then, he lowered his gaze and opened his mouth with a face as if he was reminiscing about something.
“A long time ago, when the war with Turandos was in full swing. I remembered a mistake I made when I was young.”
The topic that Leonardo suddenly brought up was a memoir about the war that had lasted for about nine years. It was a story from the time when Laina Rogia and Turandos became like irreconcilable enemies who could not live under the same sky, entering a dark period that mercilessly took the lives of those on the battlefield.
At that time, Leonardo, who was a child soldier, was also beginning to show his talent as a warrior.
Originally, child soldiers are generally less skilled in combat and coping, both physically and mentally, than adult soldiers. Therefore, there is a strong perception that it is fundamentally difficult to see them as a major force, so they are regarded as apprentice soldiers rather than regular soldiers.
Even if they are dispatched to the battlefield, they usually take on relatively menial tasks, such as helping with military work at the main base or serving adult soldiers, rather than fighting the enemy on the front lines. Of course, Leonardo was occasionally mentioned in some units because of his striking appearance, but he was also one of the fledgling child soldiers who was far from being a war hero at first.
However, when you are on the battlefield, there are times when even that minimal boundary disappears.
“When your life is in danger and it’s urgent, you can’t tell each other apart, whether they’re adults or children, just by wearing armor. So they put weapons in the hands of kids who don’t even have calluses and send them to the battlefield, telling them to bring the enemy’s head.”
A place where common norms and ethics disappear completely. The battlefield was such a place.
Therefore, the golden warrior who appeared brilliantly in a unit that was virtually annihilated as a lure by the enemy was a miracle and salvation that no one had expected.
It was like the beginning of a heroic tale that appeared in legends, the birth of a golden hero who annihilated the enemy and planted a flag on the hill.
Leonardo remembered that moment when everything seemed to revolve around him.
“The whole world is paying attention to me, and they’re praising me as a hero. Does a kid know what that means? I’m just excited because they say I’m doing well, and I’m burning with revenge. I become more cruelly rampant to live up to their expectations.”
Leonardo described himself at that time as ‘like a beast’. He meant that he lacked the respect for life that a human being should have.
A slight surprise spread across Hugo’s eyes as he listened. It was not because the past he was talking about was cruel or shocking.
Leonardo almost never brought up his own stories first. Moreover, it was because he never expected to hear the story of the battlefield, which was like his reverse scale, directly from his mouth.
Whether he knew Hugo’s reaction or not, Leonardo continued to stare at the members and continued to speak.
“At that time, I had almost no sense of reality. The people I killed didn’t look like people, but like monsters that deserved to die and disappear. Also, everyone says they’re fighting for the Empire, but in reality, I’m the main player in the war, and I’m the one who determines the victory or defeat, and the rest of the ordinary soldiers are just workers who aren’t very helpful. I was not only arrogant, but I had no concept. In fact, the reason I was able to be called a hero was all thanks to the many opportunities that they sacrificed to create.”
Leonardo swept his hair back. The lamplight shone in his golden eyes, which were lost in thought.
“One of the common mistakes that commanders who directly go to the battlefield make is falling into the superiority that they won this war because they are good at it. I wasn’t even a high-ranking commander, but I was intoxicated with myself. Of course, I realized that my thoughts were wrong as time passed, but I was like that for a while.”
“…….”
“But the words I said to you earlier, I thought I made the same mistake again, so I’m going to cancel it. …I’m strong, but I don’t have the right to say that as if it’s natural. When you think about it, everyone here is someone who deserves to be thanked for fighting well. It wasn’t me who killed the core, it was everyone in the subjugation party who killed it together.”
A bitter but gentle smile spread across his beautiful profile as he said that. There was a strong sense of maturity that was not like his peers, and Hugo could not take his eyes off him.
Perhaps sensing the persistent gaze, Leonardo looked at Hugo and smiled brightly.
“I probably wouldn’t have won if I was alone.”
Hugo’s lips parted for a moment and then closed. The fresh orange scent was already filling the tent.
Looking at him in front of him, Hugo could not help but admit it. He is destined to be a hero.
Even if he is so bright, even if he covers the sky with both hands. You can’t hide the sun.