BMD 318

‘…What?’

The abrupt, commanding tone was unpleasant, but he only frowned, knowing that’s just how the man was. Leonardo scanned Meterion from the tips of his shoes to the arm draped over the backrest, then to his profile as he stared straight ahead.

Aside from suddenly sitting next to him and acting friendly, his timing was impeccable, as if he had read his mind. It was as if he had been waiting for an opportunity and appeared when he was alone.

‘Wait.’

Leonardo’s eyes twitched as a sense of déjà vu washed over him.

“Was it you? That guy on the roof?”

As he spat out the words, the gaze that had been fixed on the Legion Commander slowly shifted to the side. Meterion narrowed his brow, seemingly bothered by the tone, but without a word, he gestured casually in the air.

Immediately, a hazy dust enveloped the area around the bench, as if it hadn’t rained the day before. It wasn’t enough to completely obscure their figures, but it seemed like one could get up and leave without being noticed.

He said he just wanted to talk for a moment, but he seemed determined, so Leonardo asked in an annoyed tone.

“Why do you keep hanging around me?”

“Agrizendro hasn’t broken you of that habit, I see.”

Meterion murmured in his usual indifferent tone. Leonardo ignored the annoying remark, which sounded like he was trying to pick a fight again, and tried to move away.

He was already on bad terms with the Legion Commander, and there was no point in showing them talking. He was about to be released, and he didn’t want to give them any reason to hold him back.

But as he hurriedly got up from the bench, Meterion grabbed Leonardo’s arm.

Thwack—

“Don’t touch me.”

Leonardo’s pupils constricted instantly, and he slapped the hand away. His eyes and voice were ferocious for a simple warning.

Meterion’s lips tightened.

“Sit down.”

Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed deeply. He couldn’t understand what the man was relying on to act so high-handedly, considering he had only approached him secretly to avoid the Legion Commander.

Just as he was about to leave, Meterion, having shaken off his hand, brought up a seemingly unrelated topic.

“This morning, a soldier from our 3rd Battalion named Felix Montero was awarded a medal and a reward vacation in the name of the Legion Commander.”

Leonardo, who had been about to take a step, froze. Felix Montero, an unforgettable name.

Hadn’t he seen it on the name tag of that guy Nero had borrowed the face of? Turning back with a tense expression, he saw Meterion staring at him as if to ask, ‘Are you still going to leave?’

After the Legion Commander left Fidele Territory, Felix Montero had come to the large tent where he was alone. The guy had clearly said he came to retrieve a backpack on the orders of the ‘Battalion Commander.’

‘So this bastard set it up.’

There was no other reason for him to bring up that name in front of him. Leonardo glared at Meterion with a frown.

The other man asked leisurely.

“Do you want to hear more?”

Leonardo, sitting far apart, replied coldly as if to say, ‘Just get to the point.’

Seeing that he was willing to talk, Meterion tapped a cigarette case, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. He offered another to the other man, but Leonardo refused. He had promised Hugo not to smoke until his health improved.

“…That medal is awarded to those who have made significant contributions in the Peninsula subjugation and survivor rescue operations. When a member of the unit receives it, some benefits are given to the direct superior, as well as to me, the Battalion Commander.”

Understanding the refusal, Meterion withdrew his arm and lit the cigarette, exhaling a long breath.

“But I know the members of my battalion best. Felix Montero is not someone who could achieve such remarkable feats.”

“……”

“He’s not someone who would raise his voice in a meeting of commanders, nor is he capable enough to take the lead in finding survivors trapped in a barrier.”

Leonardo’s heart rate quickened. That must have been Nero’s doing, not Felix Montero’s.

Why did that idiot do so many conspicuous things? And they were all major incidents that ordinary soldiers wouldn’t have been involved in.

“You know what I mean, don’t you?”

Meterion sucked on the filter and blew smoke straight ahead. The smoke he exhaled mixed with the dust, further blurring the view.

“……”

Leonardo wondered how he should respond to this situation. This man wouldn’t have come to him just because there was someone impersonating someone else.

He must have caught something that could be used as leverage, so he came in person. And judging from the circumstances, it was reasonable to assume that he suspected Nero’s existence, his ability to change appearances, and his relationship with him.

But Leonardo acted brazenly.

“So?”

If he was already caught, he shouldn’t show a groveling attitude from the start.

Meterion chuckled.

“Do you know why the Legion Commander gave him the medal?”

Leonardo didn’t answer. He didn’t know the reason.

“It means that if you know something, you should keep your mouth shut. In exchange, he’s offering to turn a blind eye. To me.”

“…A deal?”

“Yes. To not touch you. He won’t tolerate anything that hinders your release.”

Meterion flicked off the cigarette ash. Leonardo, staring at the falling embers, asked with a puzzled expression.

“To not touch me? Wait, before that. What does he know, and what is he turning a blind eye to?”

Meterion looked back with an indifferent gaze.

“I wonder. I think you know better than I do.”

With his last words, a moment of silence fell. The dust seemed to cut off even the sound, not just the sight, and no surrounding noise could be heard.

Leonardo’s mind was in utter chaos. He said he knew better? All he knew was that the 3rd Battalion Commander was the one backing the illegal mining team.

As that thought crossed his mind, he felt the blood drain from his fingertips. Did this man know that he knew about the illegal mining team? And did Agrizendro know that Meterion Kleinder was involved, and was he deliberately turning a blind eye to it?

Leonardo’s eyes darted around, wondering what was going on. He tried to manage his expression, only moving his lips, when Meterion, having taken a long drag of his cigarette, suddenly opened his mouth.

“How much does the Legion Commander know?”

“…What?”

“Don’t try to deny it.”

His dark eyes scanned Leonardo from head to toe. It was as if he was appraising his worth, and Leonardo felt inexplicably displeased.

“How much of what you saw did you tell him?”

Meterion asked, assuming that Leonardo had seen the mining team’s site. Leonardo maintained a calm expression while carefully considering whether the man was testing him or if he had been caught somewhere.

Soon, however, one moment that had bothered him came to mind. When he was dealing with the core, didn’t he break the Artifact and take out the Etaid to amplify its destructive power?

Actually, everyone was too distracted at the time, so he hoped they wouldn’t notice, but Meterion Kleinder had been deploying the Sealing Magic Circle under him, so if he had seen it, he would have had enough reason to be suspicious.

‘Damn it…’

Leonardo bit down hard on his molars and quickly racked his brain. Whether the other man was certain or had come for psychological warfare, it was better to respond appropriately, as if he also had a card to play, rather than showing a foolish appearance.

Leonardo smiled falsely and replied.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t said anything ‘yet.’ You must have been acting too obvious.”

“……”

Meterion’s eyes narrowed. It seemed to be half annoyance, half an attempt to confirm the truth.

A tense silence flowed between them. Leonardo’s words were not a lie. He hadn’t actually said anything, and he himself was confused about what the Legion Commander knew.

As the concealed confrontation between the two continued, the burning cigarette was thrown to the ground, and a boot ground out the embers.

“I’m glad you’re not stupid. Yes, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. If you want to be released without any problems in two days.”

A twitch appeared on the corner of Leonardo’s lips. Even if this man knew about Nero’s existence, it was absurd that he was trying to threaten him when he himself wasn’t without weaknesses.

Leonardo, suddenly heated, asked accusingly.

“What does my release have to do with you? After all—”

“Didn’t Agrizendro tell you? Senior commanders also have the right to vote on your release.”

“……”

“The council members are bound to vote against it, so you need to get a unanimous vote from the commanders at least. Well, if you don’t interfere with my work, it seems the Legion Commander will take care of the rest, so you’ll get through it without any problems.”

In short, it meant that if he wanted to get a vote of approval, he should continue to remain silent, no matter what he knew. As if that was the main point he wanted to make, Meterion slowly rose from his seat.

“By the way, how did you win over the Legion Commander? The guy I know would never make such a dirty deal.”

Meterion muttered to himself, then turned his head and sneered.

“I heard you spend the night together, so did you give him your ass or something?”

“You crazy bastard.”

Leonardo, his face hardening, glared at him with murderous eyes.

“Don’t run your mouth so carelessly. Do you think I can’t kill you right now?”

Leonardo’s Magic Power, which had been slowly rising, mixed into the air and wrapped around Meterion’s neck. It was a warning that he could kill him right now. Meterion, knowing that he was capable of it, put his hands behind his back and dropped his sneer.

“If not, then never mind. If you had developed some affection, I was going to invalidate my previous offer.”

“What, offer? The one about joining your side?”

Leonardo twisted his lips as if he was dumbfounded.

“Why would I when I’m almost free? Oh, if I join, you’ll give me your ass or something?”

Meterion’s expression instantly hardened at the rather insulting remark. However, he only had a vein pop out on his forehead and didn’t show much of a reaction.

“I’d consider it if the situation were reversed. Anyway, the offer is still valid, so keep it in mind. It won’t be a bad deal for you.”

“Get lost before I lose my temper and kill you.”

Meterion frowned and shook his head, muttering.

“I’ll have to do something about that mouth before I can enjoy it.”

Then, as if he had finished his business, he turned around without regret. The hazy dust slowly dissipated, and the bright sunlight shone down on them again.

Meterion, walking leisurely through the gap in the barrier, disappeared from sight when all the dust had cleared.

Leonardo sat on the bench, staring intently at the spot where his back had been. Soon, he twisted his jaw so hard that it cracked.

“That seaweed-haired bastard…”

That annoying guy, he hadn’t liked him from the start. He thought it was absurd that he still thought there was room for him to cooperate with him, and he wanted to punch him.

Leonardo, regretting not having slapped the back of his dark green head, immediately buried his face in his arm and smelled his clothes.

‘Damn it, I hope I didn’t get cigarette smoke on me? I didn’t smoke it…’

Agrizendro seemed to dislike the smell of cigarettes, so he had deliberately refrained from smoking, but he was frustrated that the man who had come secretly had bothered to leave a trace.

Just then, the voice he had been waiting for came from afar.

“Leonardo—”

Leonardo flinched and immediately raised his head.

Hugo, having finished his conversation with the soldiers and left alone, was walking towards him. Seeing him raise his hand lightly as if to signal that he was done, Leonardo stirred up a gentle breeze to erase the traces of the man who had left at the right time.

While cursing the man who had suddenly appeared and shaken his mind like a storm, Leonardo hurriedly got up and roughly dusted off his clothes. Then, he picked up the crumpled Gelato cup and approached Hugo.

“Are you done?”

“Did you wait long?”

Leonardo shook his head vigorously and grabbed Hugo’s arm, leading him in the opposite direction. He quickly moved away from the bench where the cigarette smell still lingered, smiling innocently as if he knew nothing.

The murderous expression from before was nowhere to be seen. He shook the empty cup and casually changed the subject.

“This is delicious. I want to eat one more.”

Hugo smiled gently, as if to say, ‘Go ahead.’ At the same time, he glanced at the cigarette butt that had fallen under the bench.