By Zephyria ‘The second match will be held at 3 PM on the 16th.’
He dried the damp pants that had been rinsed with water and put his legs in one by one. The T-shirt had been torn at the hem during the match, and the abdominal area was soaked with bodily fluids, so it smelled and couldn’t be used anymore. Leonardo threw them all in the trash and roughly burned the contents.
He put on the suede jacket he had been wearing over his patient gown, and carefully covered his face with the hat and mask he had obtained with the help of the staff member. He still had to block his nose with a piece of tissue, but it was past the stage of hemostasis with gauze, so there was no problem wearing a mask.
‘Originally, all test matches are generally held in one location, but due to today’s issue, concerns have been raised that the participant’s identity may be exposed to the outside. Therefore, on the 16th, the gathering place for some participants, including the two of you, has been changed to the Third Main Stadium.’
‘So, I have to run with this guy again?’
‘Just because the stadium is the same doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be matched in the same group.’
‘Brother, why are you being like this―. It’s good to run together! The more helpers you have until the finals, the better!’
“Then does that guy have helpers too….”
Leonardo muttered blankly as he looked in the mirror and straightened his clothes.
Appendix. In the battlefield, they mainly ate combat rations, so they lacked dietary fiber and often suffered from dehydration. So, every unit had one or two soldiers suffering from appendicitis.
The military doctor recommended that they remove the unnecessary organ if it caused problems.
Leonardo recalled a fleeting scene and checked the clock on the wall. He thought it was about time to leave, so he tidied up the remaining lounge and left.
Click―
‘It’s quiet.’
As soon as he opened the door, he met the eyes of a guard who was waiting. He nodded, and the guard stepped aside from the door he was guarding as if to tell him to go.
The hallway was quite deserted at this late hour. There were hardly any people passing by except for those in Council uniforms. It must be because it was inside the restricted area, but it seemed that the opening ceremony had ended and most of the audience had left.
When he focused on the energy beyond the wall, he felt that the boiling heat had subsided a lot.
Leonardo read Hugo’s memo over and over again, and as quietly as possible, alone. He headed to the meeting place.
The place indicated by the map was a path mainly used by VIPs in the stadium, but there wasn’t a single ant in sight, as if they had all left early. As he walked along the wind-swept tunnel on the blue carpet, he saw a large white carriage parked in front of the sub-Gate where the slanting moonlight was shining in.
The carriage was blocking the passage to the outside, so he couldn’t see beyond it. He didn’t even realize it. He only realized later that the unusually quiet path was thanks to His Excellency’s consideration.
“You’ve arrived.”
Hugo, who had been leaning against the carriage door with his arms crossed, straightened up as he heard the footsteps approaching quietly. He smiled and reached out to Leonardo.
He was wearing dark charcoal pants and a black shirt, but no tie or jacket. It seemed he had changed his clothes in the meantime. Uniforms are the sexiest, but anyway… does it matter?
Despite his determination to act relaxed a few minutes ago, Leonardo hurried his steps as if His Excellency’s arm would fall off.
He ran to him, making a thumping sound, and grabbed the outstretched hand.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here.”
“Liar. Your hand is cold.”
“It’s always cold.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than his cool fingertips became lukewarm. As the carriage door opened, a pleasant warm breeze blew in.
It seemed that the interior temperature was deliberately kept warm. The dawn in Agrigento Territory could sometimes get chilly enough to see your breath.
Hugo, leading the hand he was holding as if escorting him, gestured inside and softly recited.
“Shall we go?”
Perhaps it was because it was an unfamiliar way of speaking, but the flat question was quite playful. But to Leonardo, it sounded like a more serious date invitation than ever before. He awkwardly touched his neck, then smiled brightly and immersed himself in the clumsy role-playing.
“Gladly.”
Leonardo first stepped on the footrest and entered the cozy carriage. Hugo, who had been holding his hand and supporting him until the end, subtly let go at the last moment and followed him in.
The coachman, who had been hiding discreetly, came out silently and closed the door. Soon, he jumped onto the driver’s seat and gently guided the two under the swaying moonlight.
It didn’t take as long as he thought to get from the Fifth Main Stadium in Agrigento Territory to the Duke’s villa grounds. However, he had to pass through several Portals. He was distracted by other things, so he only realized this fact when he was almost there. Hugo said without changing his expression that he had urgently activated five temporary Portal sections while you were waiting in the lounge.
The time and money required to arbitrarily activate one Portal was by no means insignificant. But as many as five? Leonardo was speechless for a moment, but he soon erased his surprised expression as he recalled His Excellency’s wealth.
Rather, he was getting nervous as he got closer to the villa, and his mouth was getting dry. He couldn’t take down the curtains to block the outside view, so he had nowhere else to look. He just put his clasped hands on his thighs and pressed his knuckles hard on the back of his hand. It was a reaction that came out when he was worried or anxious.
Hugo, who had been watching him, silently reached out and covered the back of his hand, where the knuckles were prominent. Leonardo, startled, looked up and quickly unclenched his hands as if nothing had happened.
“Aren’t you dizzy sitting on that side?”
Instead, he asked Hugo, who was sitting across from him, or rather, in the opposite direction.
Instead of Leonardo, who naturally sat in a comfortable seat when he got into the carriage, Hugo sat in the opposite direction, which he had rarely sat in his life. Leonardo didn’t feel anything strange for a while as the seating arrangement progressed smoothly. When he realized it later, the carriage had already left, so Hugo stopped him from changing seats, saying it was dangerous.
“I’m used to riding in carriages.”
“But you usually sit on this side.”
“If Flynn gets motion sickness, I sometimes switch seats.”
“Ah.”
Flynn.
Leonardo suddenly thought of the face of someone who wasn’t here. Then, he stared blankly at the seat the other person was sitting in.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t see him today.’
He had experience riding in luxury carriages every time he returned after a victory, but it was the first time he had ridden in the Duke’s carriage together. But a Monarch who even switches seats for his aide and attendant. He could indirectly feel Flynn’s heart as he looked at his master from this seat.
How could he not respect him, the sage Monarch of this era who personally looked after even the lowly places that others didn’t see? That was why he had once resented him but couldn’t leave only resentment in the end.
Leonardo unconsciously glanced at Hugo’s wrist. As Gold Eyes seemed to be staring at his watch, Hugo, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, asked cautiously.
“Why?”
“Where’s Flynn?”
It was more of a question that came out of the flow of consciousness than a real curiosity. Hugo, who had been watching his gaze, replied casually.
“He has some work to do, so he’s gone somewhere else on my orders.”
“Hmm.”
“Come to think of it, Flynn would be happy to see you too. He was happy to know that you visited the mansion.”
Leonardo chuckled softly at his gentlemanly expression of ‘intrusion’. At the same time, he suddenly became at a loss as to how to explain his relationship with his Monarch to Flynn, so he changed the subject appropriately.
“Did you replace the guys in the watchtower? They were slacking off right before the shift change.”
“Instead, I repaired the walls and the barrier.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It was quite a big commotion at the time, so the guards must have been alert. But I hope you’ll visit formally next time. If Lion is determined to attack, my subordinates will be helpless.”
Leonardo crossed his legs and put his elbows on them. He tilted his head slightly, resting his chin on his hand, and curved his eyes into a crescent moon.
“I’ll think about it. If the hospitality is good today.”
In fact, his inner self was complicated for various reasons, but he didn’t want to show it, so he pretended to be nonchalant.
Whether he knew it or not, Hugo admired the seductive model sitting in his carriage with a calm gaze.
The jacket worn over the patient gown and the mask covering his eyes were an unexpected combination. No, in fact, anything would look good on him.
He seemed to have done well to sit across from him. The seat next to him was good too, but he wanted to see a lot of his face today.
“I’ll do my best.”
Hugo smiled faintly and sat back comfortably. His long legs, which were difficult to handle, came forward a little, and the tip of his shoe encroached on Leonardo’s feet.
Soon, he touched the inside of his foot.
Gold Eyes glanced down and stared at the area. He wondered if it was a mistake, but the feet that had touched once did not separate.
The warmth transmitted through the thin leather made his legs tense.
Leonardo slyly lifted his eyelids. The man with his arms crossed was staring at him expressionlessly.
The minor contact created a much more intense tension than the intertwined gazes. A subtle pressure focused all his nerves on his toes.
Before he knew it, the carriage carrying the two of them glided and passed through the gate of the villa.