By Zephyria The shout, like the roar of a large army, always sent shivers down his skin. Leonardo took a small breath at the reverberation that momentarily made his ears feel faint.
Half of them were newly arrived troops, so their morale was exceptional. Their spirit was full of energy, and it seemed that they would reliably protect the defense line even after the Central Branch left.
After the shout scattered into the sky, the wind always seemed to blow by coincidence. Leonardo pressed down on his carefully swept-back hair to keep it from getting disheveled, while also scanning the rows that stretched out to unseen places with his eyes.
Their heads were still, but their wide-open eyes followed him as he went. If it had been before, he would have glared at them for staring, but today he was in a good mood, so he decided to give them a moderate smile.
The two, who had passed by the rows of white tents and the crowd, slowly walked towards the temporary headquarters in front of the Gate. Three of the dots gathered there broke away and approached the two at a fast pace. One was the Southern Branch Deputy Commander Bruno Amos, and the other two were faces Leonardo was seeing for the first time.
“Supreme Commander, these are the leaders who led the advance party of the support troops.”
Bruno introduced them briefly and gestured, and the two unfamiliar men stood at attention and saluted Hugo.
“Loyalty. 4th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch of the Council, Diana Hill, reporting to the Supreme Commander.”
“Loyalty. 13th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch of the Council, Logan White, reporting to the Supreme Commander.”
Hugo took his hand off Leonardo’s shoulder and replied with a light salute. Then, he first extended his hand to the 4th Battalion Commander on the left and shook hands with her to encourage her.
“Thank you for your hard work in coming such a long way.”
“It’s nothing. It’s an honor to meet you.”
The two Battalion Commanders took Hugo’s hand in turn and bowed respectfully. Leonardo stepped back two or three steps at their overly respectful appearance. It wasn’t like he was receiving the greetings, but he felt a little awkward standing next to the Legion Commander.
Hugo asked a few formal greetings and patted them on the shoulder once each. The gazes of the two Battalion Commanders, who responded politely and bowed their heads, then naturally turned to Leonardo, who was standing back.
It was impossible to clearly define what emotions were contained in their eyes. However, it seemed that the previously known image of Leonardo and the word “hero” that they had heard in the situation report were clashing in their minds.
It was understandable since they hadn’t directly experienced the scene, but the two people’s gazes were closer to wariness than goodwill. Hugo decided not to introduce him, lest Leonardo feel uncomfortable. Instead, he changed the subject to ask about something he was concerned about.
“I heard that all the temporary Portals leading to the external Gate have been disconnected, which route did you enter through?”
“Ah, there is a fairly wide forest path on the southeast side of the territory. Through there…”
While Hugo was talking to them, Leonardo looked around aimlessly. Bruno gestured to the members standing stiffly, and the people who filled the vast land finally did their jobs.
Looking at the unit members, Leonardo Blaine felt like he would keep making eye contact, so he shifted his gaze to the front, where the temporary headquarters tent was located. Just then, he saw a group of about six people rushing towards them from who knows where. Thinking it was probably someone from the Council’s Southern Branch again, Leonardo stood there without much thought. However, the attire he glimpsed looked completely different from those beside him.
‘Armor?’
Leonardo leaned on one leg, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the group. Just as the leader’s clothing reflected the sunlight and shone particularly brightly, Leonardo recalled Paren’s General that Hugo had mentioned.
But the approaching speed felt somehow threatening, so Leonardo unconsciously took a step back. At that moment, the man who had been running at full speed called out to him in a loud voice.
“Leonardo―!”
Instantly, the battalion commanders and Hugo, who had been talking, all turned their heads in the direction of the voice. The silver armor and the long, fluttering cloak flashed through their vision for a moment. The man passed behind Hugo and rushed towards Leonardo without hesitation.
“Leo!”
Leonardo, flustered, didn’t have time to dodge. The man embraced him with a face full of emotion.
“……!”
Trapped in the hard armor in an instant, Leonardo slightly frowned at the pain in his crushed left arm. But the man, unaware of this, groped Leonardo’s back and waist, muttering in a voice filled with emotion as if it were unreal.
“Ha… how long has it been? Is it really you? Leonardo Blaine―.”
The bustling man fussed over Leonardo for a while, then grabbed his forearms and created just enough distance to see his face. Leonardo, who had been shuddering slightly because of the throbbing in his shoulder, checked the other person’s face and subtly relaxed his frown.
“Oh, you….”
But the atmosphere of reunion didn’t last long. An eerie sound of blades scraping was heard from all around. At the same time, a chilling aura touched the man’s neck.
Sensing the sudden change in the surrounding atmosphere, Leonardo awkwardly pushed the man away slightly and looked over his shoulder. And at that moment, he inhaled without realizing it. Hugo, with a very cold expression, was aiming a blue ice spear at the man’s neck.
“…What are you doing?”
That wasn’t all. Two battalion commanders, who had been assessing the situation since the Legion Commander had suddenly aimed his weapon, also drew their swords and pointed the tips at the man. The problem was that the group that had come with the man aimed their spears at the Council’s commanders in response, and seeing this, the nearby unit members became confused and drew their swords one by one with a sreung.
“General―!”
Cordelia, who had been running from afar, called out to Paren’s General, who had recklessly rushed out, gasping for breath. But the situation was already spiraling out of control, and she, with a dumbfounded expression, stepped between the spears and swords, trying to mediate.
“E-Everyone, calm down. I couldn’t stop him in time―.”
“When foreign soldiers, especially commanding officers, enter the territory, they must be disarmed and escorted by at least five of our troops. It should be stated in the border defense regulations.”
Hugo recited in a voice dripping with coldness, staring at the man.
“Not even the peninsula, but allowing armed foreign troops to roam the mainland within the Gate. Are you going to excuse it again by saying it couldn’t be helped? Utterly disappointing.”
His question, mixed with a sneer, sounded like it was directed at Bruno and Cordelia, who were in charge of communication with Paren. But in reality, his arrow was aimed at the man in front of him, who was holding Leonardo.
Bruno, with a flustered expression at Hugo’s seemingly very angry voice, turned to look at Cordelia. Cordelia, with a very troubled expression, tried to resolve the situation, pushing away the spears aimed by the General’s aides with her hands and said urgently.
“I apologize, Your Excellency. It’s my fault. What are you all doing? Lower your weapons!”
Around that time, Paren’s General, who had been holding Leonardo, glanced down at the ice spear that had entered his neck. He replied to Hugo, the highest-ranking officer, with a gentle smile, without a hint of agitation.
“I apologize for this. I was so happy to meet an old friend that I was careless. You are not at fault at all. Please calm your anger.”
Hugo frowned at the word ‘friend’. Just then, Cordelia, who had squeezed her way nearby, carefully grabbed Hugo’s arm and advised.
“Your Excellency, he is Paren’s General, whom I mentioned before. He is definitely not someone who would cause harm. I guarantee it, so please forgive him.”
“If you know it’s rude, I wish you would let go.”
Hugo said firmly, touching the General’s neck with the tip of the spear, instead of answering Cordelia. But Cordelia, thinking he was talking to her, was startled and let go of his arm.
Unlike Cordelia’s reaction, Hugo didn’t take his eyes off the General. He looked to be the same age as himself or older, but what kind of friend was he with this child? To Hugo, it sounded like nonsense. He gestured with his chin towards the General’s aides and added.
“Order them to drop their weapons too.”
The General showed a slightly displeased expression, but still removed his hand from Leonardo with a gentle smile. In that state, he gestured to his subordinates behind him, and the Paren soldiers, who had been hesitating, lowered the tips of their spears and lowered their posture, placing them on the ground.
“Your waist, it looks heavy too.”
Hugo’s gaze pointed to the General’s sword. The General nonchalantly untied the scabbard tied to his waist and dropped it to the ground with a thud. The clanging sound of the heavy metal plummeting caused the dirt floor to visibly dent and dust to rise low.
As if asking if that was enough, the General shrugged, and Hugo extinguished the ice spear he had been holding. Then, he strode towards Leonardo, grabbed his forearm, pulled him towards himself, and said.
“Since you broke our regulations first, I had no choice but to be somewhat forceful. Forgive the rudeness. More than that, it seems like the greetings are enough for now. I will reply to any private matters related to the subjugation in a letter later. Let’s go, Leonardo.”
“Wait, how can this be enough when we’ve met a friend after so many years? I understand that I seemed rude because I rushed, but please give us a little time to catch up―”
“Friend? I don’t think you’re old enough to call each other friends.”
Leonardo, who had been watching the tense atmosphere, suddenly grabbed Hugo’s arm and interjected. Hugo stopped the words he was about to continue and looked down at Leonardo with a questioning gaze, asking back.
“What?”
“We know each other. He’s not a bad person, so you don’t have to be wary. But… he seems to have something to say, so can we talk for a moment?”
At Leonardo’s words, which were more like a request, Hugo narrowed his brows and looked back and forth between the two. As his displeasure was clearly revealed on his face, the man who was Paren’s General gently placed his hand on Leonardo’s shoulder.
The General smiled brightly without malice and raised his eyebrows as if to show Hugo. Hugo stared at the General with a cold gaze and subtly tightened his grip on Leonardo’s forearm.